How a 4x World Champion is Reinventing Herself with Amelia Boone
Amelia Boone is a legend in the obstacle course racing world. Over the course of her phenomenally successful athletic career, she’s chalked up over thirty victories, been crowned a Spartan Race World Champion and won the World’s Toughest Mudder three times. Fiercely competitive, determined and willing to undergo intense physical suffering in order to achieve her goals, Amelia became known as the ‘Queen of Pain’ and was respected and revered by her many fans. She achieved all this whilst pursuing a full-time career as a corporate lawyer and her ability to combine competing at an elite level with the demands of a professional career made her seem almost superhuman. However, in 2019 Amelia decided to reveal the real person behind the public image and laid bare her twenty-year battle with anorexia and anxiety.
During our conversation, Amelia describes how her success as an OCR athlete helped her to build a new identity as a fearless, indomitable competitor. She explains how she sought validation and acceptance through her sporting achievements and admits that, for a while, the pain involved in overcoming the intense physical challenges of obstacle racing helped her to block out her anxiety and made it easier to ignore her unhealthy relationship with food. Ultimately though, physical injury forced her to step back and she reveals how her decision to seek treatment for her eating disorder and talk publicly about her experience of anorexia has allowed her to re-evaluate her life, redefine her goals and be honest and upfront about her fears.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Amelia on:
(20:38) Rethinking her values. She describes her changing approach to racing and her realization that her lifestyle as an ultra-competitive athlete was incompatible with her long-term health and fitness goals. She talks openly about her commitment to taking better care of her body, finding fulfilment in other areas of her life, and focusing on being able to continue to do what she loves in a healthy way.
(40:43) The road to recovery. Amelia explains that she finds the process of journaling and writing about her feelings in her blog very therapeutic and admits that, despite her badass, ‘Queen of Pain’ image, she is no longer ashamed to talk publicly about her vulnerabilities or to seek help and support from others when she is struggling emotionally.
(47:00) Finding new coping mechanisms. As someone who previously used her eating disorder to cope with difficult emotions, Amelia now practices box breathing and mantra meditation to relieve stress. To remove some of her excess energy, she engages in Spartan Race-style spear throwing. She also reveals that she is considering having a stress-busting barrel sauna and a cold tub installed in the backyard of her new house in Colorado.
(54:06) Her Spartan Race highlights. Amelia reminisces about the good old days of double sandbag and bucket carries and talks fondly about the physical challenges, mental focus and fun of the sport. She even admits to missing the pain cave and the full-body nature of obstacle racing.
(01:02:27) Her plans for the future. Amelia assures listeners that she is still going to race and compete, although she aims to develop a healthier relationship with running. She also intends to take on different challenges, master new things, and make the most of her new life in Colorado.
In This Episode
Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins
Joe’s Instagram
Where to Find Amelia
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