45. From Professional Swimmer to Mindset Mastery Coach with Parisa Rose
When we think about athletes, we think of talented stars who are at the top of their game. A sports career brings the notion of a life full of glitz and glam. But like normal people, athletes have personal struggles and internal battles. These, along with the pressure to win, can take a massive toll on their mindset to success. The medals and accomplishments are only the tip of the iceberg. What goes down behind the scenes is far from what we imagine.
In this episode, Parisa Rose joins us to talk about all the sides of her successful swim career. She discusses the realities of honing a sports career and being a college D1 athlete. Parisa then sheds light on the childhood and college experiences that impacted her career and her mindset to success. Finally, Parisa shares the inspiring story of how she picked herself up and found authority in her voice.
Tune in to the episode to learn how to set your mind free from things you don’t speak about and find authority in your voice!
3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Learn what it’s like to be a D1 athlete and an All-American.
Find out how unresolved trauma manifests in life and affects your mindset to success.
Discover the importance of finding and exercising the authority of your voice.
Resources
Connect with Parisa: Instagram
Episode 28: Formerly Incarcerated To Civil Liberties Strategist, Part 1 with Lewis Conway Jr.
Episode 30: Formerly Incarcerated To Civil Liberties Strategist, PART 2 with Lewis Conway Jr.
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Carlton Abrams
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Episode Highlights
[02:49] Parisa’s Swimming Career
Parisa started swimming when she was 10. This age is considered old in the competitive sports realm.
She started swimming because her best friend joined the team. Eventually, she fell in love with the sport.
Parisa went all the way through high school with the sport. But she didn’t plan on swimming in college.
Soon after, she was getting lots of recruitment letters. She then realized the opportunities the sport held.
[04:30] What is an All-American?
To be an All-American in high school, you have to be part of the nation’s top 100 in the sporting event you’re participating in.
At the junior college level, you qualify if you are top 3 in the country. The list gets smaller as the level increases.
[05:38] Being a Swimming Coach
Parisa led a women’s swim team to 7 All-American titles in a single season.
Coaching allows her to combine her swimming knowledge and understanding of human behavior.
Excellent body awareness is key in swimming. Parisa translates this mindset to success to her students.
[08:14] On Not Pursuing a Full-Time Swimming Career
Parisa was 22 when she swam her last competitive race.
She doesn’t think she peaked as an athlete.
Instead, her post-swim life created an opportunity for her to finish her career in a metaphorical sense.
Not having lived to her full potential left Parisa with a hunger to see what she could do. This mindset to success has helped carry her through her experiences in life.
[09:56] What Parisa Would’ve Done Differently with Her Current Mindset to Success
Parisa says she would have believed more in herself. She relied heavily on the opinions of coaches.
Athletes cannot rely solely on coaches; they have to take responsibility for their careers.
Her high school coach told her she had a different build from other swimmers. Because of this, her coach advised her to listen to her body and give it what it needed.
That advice helped her navigate her swimming career. However, she stopped listening to herself toward the end.
[12:49] How Athletic Talent Flourishes
There’s something in everyone that can be cultivated and developed. It’s the environment that will activate or awaken it.
Listen to what’s going on in your mind. Let your mind wander mentally. This is the mindset to success.
It takes a particular personality type to lean into an escapism mentality. Thriving off the mundane also comes with the willingness to do what you want to do.
[14:38] College Life as a D1 Athlete
High-level D1 schools require athletes to go to school a month before school starts for training.
Athletes’ social life revolves around their team. For holiday breaks, they either stay on campus or go back home for a few days.
No matter what you do, you can’t get injured. Athletes can only redshirt one year; the NCAA has a strict time frame.
It’s not just about the sport; it’s about how the sport works into your life. D1 athletes have to juggle classes, academics, NCAA study halls, and training.
Parisa learned that she doesn’t go with the pack and the typical college stuff.
[18:54] Experiencing Chronic Fatigue at 10 Years Old
Parisa felt tired all the time at 10 years old. It wasn’t because of swimming, but the sport brought it to her attention.
Her mother took her to the doctor, but every test came back fine.
With her exhaustion and test results not matching up, the idea that something’s wrong with her became Parisa’s constant monologue.
Her chronic fatigue led to difficulty focusing and many autoimmune illnesses.
At 25, she was in bed every single day. It didn’t make sense as a former athlete.
[21:52] Parisa’s Childhood and Her Relationship with Her Mother
She now recognizes that her mother had typical narcissistic personality tendencies.
Parisa learned to question everything about herself and lost her confidence.
Constantly having to predict when an outburst will happen became very stressful for her.
Swimming became Parisa’s safe haven and way of releasing the stress out of her mind.
[23:57] How Her Home Life Impacted Her Mentality Growing Up
Not sharing the things that you go through impacts how you show up in life and to yourself.
Parisa was raped during her college freshman year. Growing up, she was told that rape happens because girls are asking for it. But she knew that none of that was okay.
She grew up in a home where you take responsibility for what you do and how you show up. Because of this, she chose not to share her experience with her parents.
Because of her mentality, she assumed that there was still something wrong with her. She coped by focusing on her goals and athletic career.
The unresolved trauma hit at the end of her swim career. It affected her physical and mental health.
[27:26] Picking Herself Back Up
Parisa’s experience at 18 developed into PTSD. She put a lot of focus on external success with an overachiever mentality.
All the unresolved trauma she had started to pop up when she got married.
At 29, everything fell apart for Parisa. She experienced rampant depression and anxiety.
She realized she needed to get better when her husband left their marriage. She calls it her “come to Jesus” moment.
Listen to the full episode to hear in full detail how Parisa picked herself back up.
Parisa: “I think that a lot of people can experience trauma and be very functional as well… And I think that with a lot of different coping mechanisms, we all can do a lot of great things, unfortunately.”
[30:55] Finding and Exercising the Authority of Her Voice
She had a hard time understanding why things were happening at that point.
Parisa is a rule follower. She does things the way they’re meant to get done, including her marriage.
Her experience shook her sense of identity. She was doing what she was taught, yet the result was not relative to the effort she was putting in.
She called to God to teach her to relearn life completely. He told her that what she needed to learn was the authority of her voice.
Parisa is now at a life phase where she gets to exercise the authority of her voice.
Parisa: “Everyone has authority within their voice. But very few are actually taught that they do have that. And they’re encouraged to use it because it will ruffle feathers; it won’t always be agreeable. Most people are taught to live a very repressed life because of that.”
[34:48] The Mindset to Success: Setting Your Mind Free
Parisa is now open to share everything she has experienced.
She has reached acceptance and has released all the shame she had been carrying.
This freedom allows people to enter the process of deliverance.
Parisa: “The quickest way to get your life back is that: release the shame.”
[36:53] How She Helps Other Women
Parisa’s life experiences honed her to become attuned to the world around her.
She helps women move past their traumas and reframe how they view them.
Trauma is any unresolved distress. It can be big or little things that grow over time.
Helping women walk through a fulfilling life is rewarding for Parisa. It also allows her to keep herself in check.
About Parisa
Parisa Rose is a mindset mastery coach for healing and wellness. She helps clients work their way toward becoming emotionally and mentally fit. Along with this, Parisa also works as a personal trainer and a swim coach.
She was an NCAA D1 athlete, national swim champion, and is an 8-time All-American. Her athletic skills allowed her to score a full college scholarship, holding more than 20 swim records in the US, with some having stood for over 20 years.
If you want to reach out to Parisa, you can visit her Instagram.
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