Episode 110: {GEIP} Vanessa Foerster

What if you were able to shed your perfectionistic tendencies so that you could create something BIG in the service of doing GOOD? That’s what our amazing guest, Vanessa Foerster, did less than a month ago when she created the Diversify Triathlon Movement. Janine and Shannon were thrilled to talk with her about the movement and how she had to let go of perfectionism in order to create it.

Discussion topics include:

• Introducing our guest Vanessa Foerster, a life coach for driven triathletes who helps triathletes qualify for the Iron Man World Championships (aka Kona). She is currently helping beginner BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) athletes make their way into the triathlon world, through the Diversify Triathlon Movement
• How creating the Diversify Triathlon Movement was the perfect practice for Vanessa to throw perfectionism out the window
• Vanessa’s history with perfectionism and how it would paralyze her
• How Vanessa was able to move forward when with her idea of trying to diversify triathlons so more BIPOC athletes could get involved.
• Deciding to become a leader in this movement when no other leader emerged.
• The two deals Vanessa made with herself: (1) Be willing to mess it up and (2) Keep it simple
• The Diversify Triathlon Movement: BIPOC athletes who have an interest in triathlons are paired with triathlon coaches who are providing three months of triathlon coaching to knock down the barriers to getting started in the sport.
• The art of the triathlon (and the trial and error involved)
• How perfectionism can get in the way of a successful triathlon
• The support that the movement has received from companies within every realm of the sport
• The value of letting go of specific outcomes
• How Vanessa’s guiding principles helped her put some constraints on the program when it became popular very quickly
• Trusting your feelings to help make decisions—and sticking to them
• The serendipitous confluence of Vanessa and GTGE’s message: (1) Getting clear on your why and (2) Let it be easy
• How “good enough” has infiltrated other aspects of Vanessa’s life and work
• Vanessa’s hopes for the Diversify Triathlon Movement

Links:

• The Diversify Triathlon Movement website
• Vanessa’s coaching website
• Vanessa’s Instagram account
• The various triathlon distances, for the uninitiated (like Janine)