🏅 Life is not a straight line—and sometimes our greatest lessons come from the detours!

Yesterday, our CEO students had the incredible opportunity to hear from Garrett Scantling, Tokyo 2020 Olympian, decathlete, and 2026 U.S. champion!

Garrett shared so much more than his journey as an Olympic athlete. He talked about adversity, discipline, perseverance, and the importance of surrounding yourself with people you trust.

A few powerful takeaways:

⭐ Life is not a straight line. Everyone has their own path. Walk YOUR path, not someone else’s.

⭐ We learn more from our defeats than our victories. Setbacks don’t define us. How we respond to them does.

⭐ Preparation builds confidence. Whether you’re training for the Olympics, preparing for a business pitch, or giving a speech, putting in the work ahead of time makes all the difference.

⭐ “Fear is a liar.” Advice from Garrett’s coach that applies to just about everything in life!

⭐ Be patient and stay the course. There will be peaks and valleys. Keep showing up, doing the work, and trusting the process.

Garrett is currently coaching track at the University of Illinois while training for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with a long-term goal of becoming an NCAA head coach. Even an Olympian is still setting goals, learning, and working toward what’s next!

What I loved most about his message was how directly it connected to what we’re teaching in CEO. Success isn’t about having a perfect plan or never failing. It’s about discipline, preparation, resilience, and the willingness to keep moving forward.

Thank you, Garrett, for sharing your journey, your honesty, and your wisdom with our students. What an incredible reminder that the lessons learned along the way are often more valuable than the medals! 🧡

#CEOProgram #TrustTheProcess #EntrepreneurialMindset #GarrettScantling #FutureLeaders