Story 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BE YOUR BEST WITHOUT THE STRESS: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MEDAL
By: Katrina Radke, MFT
"Katrina’s transformational book helps you find your true self as you listen within,
discover your calling, and commit to fully living it.”
Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D.
Best Selling Author, The Mind and The Brain
“Katrina’s enlightening stories and simple tools help you to discover new depths within yourself."
Peggy Fleming, Olympic Figure Skating Champion and Cancer Survivor
As children we’re taught that with hard work (and maybe a little luck) we can do, or become, anything. Kids spend years dreaming about becoming entertainers, doctors, famous athletes, and even the President of the United States. But sometime between early childhood and adolescence our big and unconditional dreams become more moderate often being tempered by the doubts and opinions of others. As we enter adulthood we sometimes allow the opinions of others to supersede our own, thus limiting our true potential.
Katrina Radke, MFT, a member of the 1988 United States Olympic swim team and a Minneapolis, Minn. based health and peak potential expert, says that we can recapture our early sense of optimism by changing how we view the challenges and opportunities that face us.
After the 1988 Olympic Games, Radke was diagnosed with mononucleosis (she would discover in 1991 that, instead, she had something more severe -Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome), which resulted in significant pain and fatigue before and after workouts. But instead of giving in to the illness Radke believed she could overcome it by using her mind to set goals and block out the pain and by working harder.
As the 1992 Olympic trials drew near it became apparent that instead of training harder in order to stimulate the body’s ability to adapt and get stronger, what Radke really needed was a long rest to give her body a chance to recover.
“During my period of overtraining, I became so good at mentally challenging myself that I could keep myself from feeling pain,” writes Radke. “I got accustomed to producing enough ‘feel good’ chemicals in my body that I could forget I was sick. I believed I could be well, so I tried many things to prove myself right.
Radke missed making the 1992 Olympic team and was, at first, relieved. But then she had to confront the reality that her identity was wrapped up in being a world-class athlete and without that she began to ask herself, “What if I can’t do anything else? What if I never succeed again and everyone forgets about me? Without swimming will I be a nobody?”
At 22, Radke was forced to make a transition that many people don’t have to make until much later in life, she had to find a new career. Her identity coexisted with her success in the pool and all that went along with being a top athlete. All athletes have an alarm clock that tells them when their career is over. But for Radke that alarm rang too soon. One day she found herself getting out of a car and shaking out her aching joints, walking slowly, and using a disabled parking permit. That was quite a change for someone who once swam 16,000 meters (the equivalent of about 40 miles) in under four hours.
In 1993 Radke began working with marriage and family therapist Anneke Hogeland, to begin to feel relaxed and content again. Her work with Dr. Coomes inspired Radke to become a marriage and family therapist.
In her book, Be Your Best Without Stress, Radke draws on decades of experience as a world class swimmer, a marriage and family therapist, and a college psychology professor to teach readers a number of techniques on how to become the best person they can possibly be; how to set various kinds of goals and achieve them; and how to develop the emotional building blocks necessary to live a happy and healthy life.
By listening to your inner voice, personal needs and wishes, Radke believes that you will get the best out of yourself and lead a more balanced and peaceful life. This book will help you do just that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katrina Radke is a Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in empowering people to be at their best, whether in sports, career, relationships, or in life. Her swimming accomplishments include: Olympic Swimmer, four gold medals in major international competition, seven years on USA National Team, and co-captain of the US Swimming Team. She held American, US Open, Italian Open, and Australian Open Records. Katrina has delivered keynote speeches to various corporations, clubs, and nonprofits, including AT&T, 24 Hour Fitness, and PeopleSoft. Katrina holds a B.A from UC Berkeley, and received her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Southern Connecticut State University and completed part of her internship through Yale University School of Medicine. She teaches college psychology courses online and runs a peak potential business with her husband, Ross Gerry.
Title: BE YOUR BEST WITHOUT THE STRESS: IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MEDAL
Author: Katrina Radke, MFT
Pub. Date: JUNE 2012
Pages: 262
Price: $24.95 softcover
ISBN: 978-1-9357-2361-5
To book Katrina Radke email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information visit: http://www.katrinaradke.com
