Beyond the Finish Line: Identity, Menopause and Learning to Breathe with Clara Hughes

Oct 23

What happens when the mindset that carried you to the highest levels of success no longer serves you? Olympic champion, six-time medalist and mental health advocate Clara Hughes joins us to discuss her extraordinary memoir, Learning to Breathe, and the deeply personal journey that followed her retirement from elite sport. Known for her remarkable endurance and ability to push through pain, Clara spent decades achieving at the highest level in both speed skating and cycling. But when a devastating knee injury coincided with the physical and emotional upheaval of menopause, she was forced into a stillness that brought long-suppressed struggles to the surface. She shares how this period challenged her identity, changed her understanding of strength and led her to seek new ways to reconnect with herself.

We also discuss the role of community, creativity, nature and close relationships in healing, and why meaningful change rarely happens in one defining moment. Clara’s story offers an honest look at midlife reinvention, the beliefs we carry with us, and what it means to rebuild a sense of self when life asks us to take a different path.

Listen to the Full Episode:

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode:

How Clara’s knee injury forced her to stop and confront what she had been avoiding.
How menopause changed her understanding of her physical and emotional health.
Why she began exploring the mind-body connection through somatic therapy.
How achievement and constant movement became ways to avoid difficult emotions.
Why healing requires connection, community, and the support of others.
How Clara’s two-year healing journey challenged the idea of a quick breakthrough.
How her husband helped her balance inner work with everyday life.
How recognizing old beliefs helped her develop greater self-compassion.
Why art, movement, and nature became important parts of her healing.
How learning to trust herself helped Clara open up to deeper relationships.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“I truly believe we connect at the deepest level through story. So, it's not just my story; it's our collective stories that bring us together as human beings.” - Clara Hughes
“I've slowly learned that life is not an Olympic pursuit and it's not the higher, the faster and the stronger. It is truly the lower, slower and gentler place of being human and allowing yourself to be human.” - Clara Hughes
“Healing is not one and done. It is not as simple as that because we are complex beings and every person is so different.” - Clara Hughes