2026 Summer Forum
July 12-15, 2026
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Lessons Shared by an Olympian
Ms. Street began by applauding the Senate Presidents’ Forum participants for working across party lines, noting that courage is essential to effective leadership. Drawing on observations from the recent Winter Olympics in Cortina, she said top athletes succeed by accepting the pressure of major competition rather than denying it. They focus on the task at hand instead of on their nerves. Returning to proven fundamentals helped them block distractions, stay composed, and perform at their best. Preparation, she said, replaces anxiety with confidence.
Turning to leadership, she described the evolution of her relationships with coaches—from directive instruction to genuine collaboration. The best coaches took time to understand what motivated, challenged, and inspired each athlete, creating an environment where honest communication could flourish. She stressed that great coaching evolves from giving instructions to building trust. Coaches who understand what motivates, challenges, and inspires each athlete create an environment where honest communication and peak performance can flourish. Leaders should do the same by listening carefully, especially to younger team members, and creating workplaces where people feel safe to contribute ideas.
Coaches who understand what motivates, challenges, and inspires each athlete create an environment where honest communication and peak performance can flourish. Leaders should do the same.
She encouraged leaders to create similarly safe environments for employees. Listening carefully, especially to younger team members, helps people feel valued and encourages them to contribute ideas with confidence and courage.
She also emphasized the power of teamwork. By reviewing race videos together and learning from one another's strengths and weaknesses, athletes improved collectively rather than competing as individuals. She said shared success proved more rewarding than individual victories.
She illustrated these principles with two races. In Åre, Sweden, a coach gave her an unconventional race plan and a single instruction—"Execute." Focusing on that plan eliminated her anxiety, helped her ski the best jump of her career, and led to a decisive victory.
At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, although the Super-Giant Slalom was not her strongest event, her coaches and teammates convinced her she could win. Even after breaking her helmet just before the race, she stayed composed, her technician repaired it with duct tape, and she won Olympic gold by one-hundredth of a second—the narrowest margin in Olympic alpine skiing history.
She concluded that extraordinary success comes from mastering the basics, staying present, and relying on years of preparation. Reflecting on life after competition, she said parenthood has been even more challenging than winning an Olympic gold medal. While athletic experience gave her valuable tools, raising four sons has required learning entirely new ones. Despite the challenges, she described parenting as the most rewarding experience of her life.
Extraordinary success comes from mastering the basics, staying present, and relying on years of preparation.
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Discussion
Comments are paraphrased for brevity.
Senator Bill Ferguson (President of the Senate, Maryland)
What do athletes do when they retire? How did you transition from winning gold medals to the next phase of your career?
Ms. Street
Preparing for life after sports is just as important as preparing for competition. She encouraged athletes to pursue education, develop interests outside athletics, and begin planning early for their next chapter.
She described founding programs that help athletes complete their education and transition into new careers, emphasizing that purpose and connection are essential after retirement. She described the online academy she founded, which allows athletes to complete coursework at their own pace, especially during injuries, while ensuring they truly master the material.
She also helped launch Athletes Elevated, a program that supports athletes as they transition to new careers. The program connects them with education, professional opportunities, and philanthropy, helping them discover a new sense of purpose beyond competition. Her central message was that retirement should be viewed not as the end of an athletic career, but as the beginning of a meaningful new one.
Retirement should be viewed not as the end of an athletic career, but as the beginning of a meaningful new one.
Dr. Steven Cook (Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations)
I can imagine one of the scariest moments was having devastating injuries and trying to get back. So what was your process? How did you think about this? How did you get yourself motivated? You could have easily walked away after winning gold, right?
Ms. Street
Recovering from a devastating injury required courage, patience, and support. For the first time in her career, she experienced real fear. Rather than trying to overcome it all at once, she focused on one small step at a time, relying on her family, medical team, sports psychologists, and other injured athletes.
Returning to skiing was emotionally difficult. She was terrified before her first run, but by returning to the basics and rebuilding gradually, she regained her confidence. She emphasized that recovery is a slow process built on persistence rather than speed.
She also described her pre-race routine, which centered on consistency. Music, positive self-talk, visualization, breathing exercises, and a personal note from her ski technician helped her stay calm and focused before every race.
Ms. Street reflected on memorable encounters with people such as Nelson Mandela, whom she admired for his humility and resilience, and Snoop Dogg, whom she taught to ski during the Olympics. She described Snoop as kind, genuine, and willing to trust others despite his inexperience.
Finally, she shared a lesson from the U.S. women's hockey coach: effective leadership depends on understanding individual motivations. Some athletes need humility, while others need encouragement and confidence. Great coaches adapt their approach to help each person perform at their best.
Great coaches adapt their approach to help each person perform at their best.