Brendan Hansen: 3x Gold Medalist turns early failures into fuel to become a "Man on a Mission"

3x Gold medalist Brendan Hansen digs in with host Barton about looking at the silver lining of failure. Brendan’s mindset of failure has been honed since he started swimming with the help of the coaches he had. Because of this, it became the fire that drove his desire to be the best. In this episode, Brendan shares why every failure is an opportunity to learn.

Established Mindset

From childhood, the concept of failure was already known to Brendan. He got used to failure quickly because he hung out with his brother’s friends, who are three years older than he is. His parents would describe his mindset as very much like the underdog. So when Brendan got into swimming, he quickly pushed his capabilities to the limit. He had an excellent developmental coach who was there to make every failure a learning opportunity. Whenever Brendan does something wrong, his coach would pull him to the side and tell him how to do it correctly. Having this foundation of mindset was what made Brendan ready to take head-on whatever challenge there is. Being told that he is going to fail his way to success was perceived positively rather than negatively. It was perceived as a way to grow from the experience, and that helps Brendan understand how to tweak moving forward.

Failure Mentality

The summer before Brendan went to the University of Texas, he participated in the 2000 Olympic Trials. Landing first or second place would mean qualifying to the US Olympic Swimming Team. Brendan was confident and felt as if he was the number one breaststroker in the world. It was his first opportunity to swim at the international level. Unfortunately, despite doing everything right as his coach intended him to, Brendan failed to make it to the Olympic team. He finished third place in the 100m and 200m breaststroke. He brought that experience when he walked into the University of Texas and took to heart his mindset of failing his way to success. Brendan believes that surrounding himself with better people than him pushes up the intensity to excel. He had nine Olympians with him on the university team. It was a good thing for Brendan because seeing his college roommate win an Olympic gold medal also pushed him to succeed.

Episode Outline :

[01:40] Early moments of failure in Brendan’s career that honed his desire to be the best

[04:34] How Eddie Reese continues to shape Brendan’s mindset

[09:00] Peer to peer relationship is the strongest connection and motivation in a team

[12:52] Friday check-in culture to keep the team’s intensity up

[13:31] Missed opportunity to get an Olympic gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics

[19:59] Brendan at the 2012 Olympics

[27:55] Vulnerability as a way to bring out the authenticity

[29:50] Brendan’s mindset right before the performance

[36:17] Lessons taken from being the coach of the USA Swim Team

[37:42] How to work with an athlete who lacks confidence

[45:18] Transitioning out of swimming into business

[47:00] Biggest lessons Brendan applied to significant moments in his life

Resources:

Go for the Gold Fitness Competition with Brendan & Barton - Postponed till October 23rd.

Website: www.bartonguybryan.com

Instagram:

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://bartonguybryan.com
Use this link to get a 30 minute discovery call scheduled with Barton regarding the Team Bryan Wellness Concierge Fitness Program
https://calendly.com/bartbryan/conciergecoachingcall
My 3 Top Episodes of the first 100:
7 Essentials to Building Muscle after 40
3x Olympic Gold Medalist Brendan Hansen
MMA Strength and Conditioning Coach Phil Daru