Distinguished Olympian Natalie Coughlin chatted about her latest endeavors, which include several Halls of Fame inductions such as the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Track and field legend Wilma Rudolph once said:”Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” Renowned competitive swimmer Natalie Coughlin is such a motivational individual and athlete.
“I am doing well with my two kids,” she said. “I have been pretty busy with them.”
She is a 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer for Team USA, as well as a vintner and co-founder of Gaderian Wines. “My wine business is going well, and I am just really busy,” she said. “I am working on my wine business, we are expanding, and it is really exciting. We are really proud of it.”
On June 24, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2022, during a ceremony at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “That was really nice,” she admitted.
Her critically-acclaimed cookbook, “Cook to Thrive: Recipes to Fuel Body and Soul,” is comprised of 80 healthy yet delicious recipes that will help fuel and nourish an active lifestyle.
She shared that in her culinary endeavors, Coughlin uses the app Paprika Recipe Manager. “The Paprika app is really nice,” she said. “It’s great, it organizes your recipes, it organizes your grocery list, and you can share recipes that way. It is a neat way to stay on top of things.”
Coughlin listed the backstroke and the freestyle as her two personal favorite strokes in swimming. She noted that she is blessed to be a part of a strong history of U.S. backstrokers.
During the pandemic, a silver lining for Coughlin involved spending a great deal of time with her kids. “I got to spend a lot of quality time with them,” she said. “I had a newborn and a toddler running around the house.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of her life, Coughlin said, “Juggling a lot of plates.”
On October 15, she will be inducted into the coveted International Swimming Hall of Fame, in a ceremony that will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “It is really exciting,” she said. “It has been a good year for me between both Halls of Fame inductions.”
On her favorite mottos to live by, she shared, “Focus on the journey and not the destination.”
She opened up about some of her career-defining moments. “Overcoming injury,” she acknowledged. “It’s a lesson in patience, grit, challenging your frustrations, and turning lemons into lemonade.”
ISL with DC Trident
She shared that she enjoyed being a part of the DC Trident swimming team (with Kaitlin Sandeno as the team’s General Manager) in the first season of the International Swimming League (ISL). “It was really fun and just to be back in the swimming world, competing, and seeing a lot of my friends,” she admitted.
“It felt weird competing but it was really great. It was fun to put a racing suit on and to see all my old friends. I was happy to support the new league and the swimmers that were trying to get it off the ground,” she added.
Success
Coughlin defined the word success as “doing everything that you possibly can control as well as you can, and executing what you are capable of.”
Rapid Fire Questions
Coughlin also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? Pancakes
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? Country living
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Museum
Bath or shower? Bath
Pepsi or Coke? Coke
Texting or calling? Texting
Half-full or half-empty? Half-full
Curly fries or normal fries? Normal fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Scuba diving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor pool
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Rain or snow? Rain
Singing or dancing? Both, I like both
Burgers or tacos? Tacos
Long course or short course? Short course
Money or fame? Money
For her dedicated fans, Coughlin expressed, “I have been so fortunate to have some really good supporters in my life from some great coaches to really great teammates, family, and friends. The general support from the American public has been great and much appreciated.”
To learn more about Natalie Coughlin, follow her on Instagram.
