Danell Leyva: The Practice of Letting Go

On Episode Nineteen of Mindful Warrior Radio, I am joined by Danell Leyva a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist for the men’s USA gymnastics team. Today, Danell wears many hats. He’s an actor, writer, performer, advocate, coach, and mentor. No stranger to pressure or performance, Danell describes the roller coaster ride of being named an alternate to the 2016 US Olympic Team and then being called to compete after a member of Team USA was injured. Danell went on to medal in two events at the 2016 Games in Brazil. A charismatic athlete turned actor, Danell has an authentic and open way of sharing inspiring life lessons.In this episode, Danell talks about the practice of letting go, the mindset needed to recover after making mistakes and failing, the role of self-compassion in living a happy life, the relationship between confidence and having a growth mindset, how to balance motivation, and why well-being positively impacts performance.Mindful Warrior is hosted by Kami Craig, a former elite athlete, Olympic champion, and performance and culture design coach at Mindful Warrior.Our guest on Episode Nineteen of Mindful Warrior Radio is Danell Leyva, a two-time Olympian, three-time Olympic medalist, and former member of the men’s USA gymnastics team.Danell talks about his mindset at the 2016 Olympic games: “My biggest perspective change is it’s no longer, ‘I need to do this,’ but rather ‘I want to do this.’ As simple or as small as that seems, I feel it is very powerful. You remove so much personal pressure, and it remains a passion rather than a necessity.”Danell reflects on the practice of creating space for failures and mistakes: “As athletes once we get to this certain point, we no longer accept failure. And, I think that is counter intuitive. It’s the only way we can learn to grow. You are going to have people say, ‘Oh, you want to be a failure?’ What I am saying is it’s the only way to move past it, experience it, so then you can grow—and keep growing—until you can become your version of what successful means.”Danell shares his perspective on balanced motivation: “Hyper-focus is good if you use it productively, but if it starts to invade other aspects of your life because you are too focused on this thing, then that’s not productive. And, ultimately, it takes away from you performing at your highest level in that thing you are focused on and love so much.”If you enjoyed today’s episode, please take the opportunity to share with a friend, follow Mindful Warrior Radio, and leave a review!To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com