Meeting the Moment at The Olympics

A few weeks ago, I touched down in Paris to support Team Canada’s Women’s Beach Volleyball at the 2024 Olympics. It was incredible. The energy of the city was electric. Hundreds of thousands of people, flags from around the world lining the streets, and choruses of “Allez les bleus!” or “Let’s go, France” spilling out of cafes and bars. The Olympic venues, set against stunning historical backdrops like the Seine River, the Place de la Concorde, and the Eiffel Tower, elevated the experience for both athletes and spectators.

Our dynamic duo from Team Canada, Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes, along with our incredible coaches, Marcio Sicoli and Guilherme Fiapo Tenius, truly embodied what competition is all about: relentlessly striving to be your best. Together we pushed hard, and the dedication paid off. Brandie and Mel brought home the Silver!

I’ve got so much I want to share, and will do so over the next few weeks.

For now, I want to share just one insight around the deep work the team did on meeting the moment: preparation and awareness are absolutely critical for high-stakes, high heat moments.

Preparation is the deep work—the development of physical, technical, and mental skills. The more prepared you are, the more options you have to work with, and the more agile and creative you can be when it matters most.

Awareness means being fully present—tuned into your thoughts, emotions, and the environment. It’s the foundation of the inner game, and without it, we’re just reacting rather than responding to the world around us.

I’ve been honored to work across four Olympic games. Every team I’ve been part of that has reached the podium has faced unplanned challenges. All of them relied on their ability to adjust to the circumstances by creatively solving problems in real-time. That agility was a direct result of their extraordinary practice and preparation—and their ability to remain aware in the present moment.?

Practice is the pathway that leads to mastery.

And practice is not just for athletes.?

Practice can show up in whatever you are working towards in life. Whether that’s a job, relationship, your craft or hobby, or if you’re striving to be world’s best—practice is a critical ingredient to living to your full potential.?

Practice is where we develop the capacity to navigate stress and complexity. It’s where we push our edges, build awareness, and expand our ability to perform with creativity and agility under pressure.?

For me, I practice being more present and aligned to my core principles like recovery, sleep, and movement—so when I’m faced with the challenges of daily life, I’m ready.

I was struck by the level of detail our collective team—Brandie, Mel, our coaches and the sports science team—put into preparing for the Olympics. We left no stone unturned… from optimizing sleep and nutrition to balancing their training load. But most importantly, our team trusted their preparation, and they had fun during the grind of the Games.??

The takeaways are simple, but paramount: Commit to mastering what’s within your control. I mean, really make that commitment. Great preparation comes from great practice. Be very clear about what you’re practicing, what you’re working on getting better at. Be incredibly disciplined in building awareness, and in becoming more present.? High-performance only happens in the present moment, and preparation is where you build the tools to meet that moment—whether it’s on the world stage, in a meeting at work, or at home.

And just like Brandie and Mel, make sure you have fun exploring your potential.

With Fire,

MG