This entire conversation could be a life coach session. I sat down with Vanessa Garcia, Chief Impact Officer at Nike, at the Paralympic Games, and I feel truly honored to share her immense amount of knowledge and advice with the Hurdler community.

Vanessa started out as a human rights lawyer before pivoting to Nike and we talk about her non-traditional career path while keeping her mission of advocating for women and girls at the center of her journey. She sheds light on how her upbringing helps to inform how she makes decisions, where she gets her confidence from, and gets real about navigating the nerves that come with the nature of her role at Nike and what she does to "train for her job like an athlete."

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

⁠⁠Nike's GameOn Program⁠

IN THIS EPISODE

Vanessa’s feelings to be in Paris at her FIRST Paralympic games (4:35)

What inspired her to make the transition from a human rights lawyer to team Nike (5:40)

Keeping your composure during big, impactful conversations (10:18)

How Vanessa’s upbringing informed how she shows up for herself and others every day (13:35)

A fresh perspective on a support system and understanding your value (17:45)

Advice for chasing the next level of your career (23:29)

How Vanessa keeps a balance in order to live her life in purpose on purpose (28:30)

Integrating a love for movement into your family (32:20)

Training for your job like an athlete (34:20)

The power of the pivot and defining what success looks like to you (37:40)