This week, Carole Cooke joins us on the Savvy Dentist Podcast to share an incredible story of resilience, determination, and perseverance. From a young age, she had dreamed of being a gymnast, an athlete, and an Olympian – only to be shot down by coaches and their cruel words.
She persisted and found joy in swimming with the hopes of competing at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, only to end up with the games being boycotted.
Carol also came from a long line of police officers and enjoyed a 14 year career in the Toronto Metropolitan Police Force, before moving to Australia and being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
But rather than letting this string of circumstance and setbacks define her, Carol persisted and is now a three-time Paralympic Gold Medalist and nine-time World Champion in Para-Cycling.
Carol is truly an example of the power of will and refusal to be boxed in. There’s a lot we can learn from her persistence and dedication to the dream.
In this episode we discuss:
- [4:50] – A pivotal moment at just nine years old that transformed her mindset
- [11:10] – Inside the mind of an athlete chasing Olympic gold
- [14:30] – Her career in the police force and her family’s legacy in policing
- [25:28] – April 23rd, 1998 2:15 PM – the day she was diagnosed with MS
- [47:28] – Making an Olympic team and her international success
