The Olympic Mindset: Becoming Disciplined
Leslie Maxie’s Story
The Beginning of a Life-long Journey in Sports and Broadcasting
Former Olympian and accomplished sports broadcaster, Leslie Maxie, had always shown extreme discipline with athletics. In 1984, Maxie set the World Youth Best of 55.20 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. That record still stands today.
After high school, Maxie studied Public Policy and attended the University of Southern California. It was here where Maxie set another record as the best 400 hurdler of all time, a record that stood for thirteen years. Throughout her career, Maxie was ranked in the U.S. Top Ten four times!
Maxie started in Television at the age of 9, appearing on the program KidsWatch. Remarkably, Maxie also conducted the final interview with track and field star Jesse Owens at the age of thirteen.
Olympian Leslie Maxie
Leslie Maxie Broke Records and became an Olympian
Being a seasoned track and field athlete herself, Maxie tried out for the Olympic games in 1984 at the age of 17. Even though Leslie Maxie was one of the best runners in the world at the time, she just barely missed her time by two one-hundredths of a second.
Unfortunately, Leslie would not make the team this time around, but it was this minor setback that would lead to a world of success for Maxie.
“I really think it was part of God’s plan that I wasn’t going to make the team that quickly,” says Maxie, “I still didn’t understand the level of work and sacrifice that was required, and more importantly I didn’t understand the process of getting to that level.”
It was this ‘process’ that Leslie used and applied to many other areas of her life. The process of consistently being motivated to give it your best shot, every day.
In this case, Leslie’s process was to train as hard as she could. Though she initially failed to make the Olympics (by less than a second, mind you), the sheer discipline and willpower it takes to compete with athletes at that level is unimaginable.
To quote Leslie, “sometimes you have to fail in order to win.”
Falling in Love With the Process
Commitment and Dedication Equals Success
Though Leslie failed to make the Olympics on her first try, her second attempt in 1988 ended up landing her a spot on the track and field team. However, Maxie ended up running 56.10 seconds to finish fifth place in the 400 hurdles, which unfortunately placed her in the non-qualifying category.
Olympian Leslie Maxie’s story does not end here though…
Maxie retired from track & field in 1991 and went on to have a distinguished career in sports journalism and broadcasting. Maxie has done work for broadcasting networks such as ESPN, CBS, NBC, and Fox Sports Network among many others.
In addition to this, Maxie has also explored a career in keynote speaking. With topics ranging from The Olympian Within all of us, Excellence is Not An Accident, and The Power of Pure Intention.
According to the Olympian keynote speaker, she attributes much of her drive for success to the discipline that she picked up from her athletic training. In other words, she used her Olympic mindset to propel her in other areas of her life.
Maxie even says herself, “that’s the thing that has served me throughout my life, is being able to take that process and apply it to different areas of my life.”
Finding Your Own Process
The Olympian Keynote Speaker
Leslie Maxie unfortunately did not win any medals in the 1988 Olympics, but she definitely knows a lot about the level of dedication it takes to compete among the best. In order to get to that level, Maxie had to give it her best shot everyday.
And this is precisely the message that the Olympian keynote speaker is trying to communicate. Through her keynote speeches, Leslie Maxie can help give you the tools to find your own process, and become your own Olympian.
No matter what industry you work in, or whatever career path you are on, we can all learn something from Leslie Maxie’s story.
Want to Hear More of Leslie Maxie’s Story?
We can help you with that.
In addition to Leslie’s already extensive resume, she is also a prolific keynote speaker. Maxie focuses her presentations on many of the things she’s learned as an Olympic athlete, and how you can apply those things to your life.
Leslie Maxie is a distinguished broadcaster who has worked for some of the top sports networks. Since Maxie has in-depth knowledge of the industry, she can certainly provide her expertise in this area of corporate communications.
To hire Leslie Maxie for your next event, contact Mollie Plotkin Group and achieve your Olympic mindset!
