Here’s something they don’t tell you about winning Olympic gold: It does absolutely NOTHING to prepare you for a newborn who communicates exclusively through five different intensities of crying.

I remember being so shell-shocked as a new mom, wondering if I was remotely qualified for the life I’d stepped into. My gymnastics discipline and Andrew’s football training suddenly seemed as relevant as a chocolate teapot.

This wasn’t something I was competent in. This wasn’t something I was confident with. I wasn’t ahead. I wasn’t practiced. I was just overwhelmed.

But then I started seeing familiar patterns from my athletic career… the “I’ll never figure this out” feeling right before something clicks.

The exhaustion? That wasn’t failure. It was repetition.

The chaos? It wasn’t proof I was bad at this. It was proof I was new at this.

The importance of consistency over perfection. Adjusting my technique based on results rather than a rigid plan.

In gymnastics, mastery didn’t come from feeling ready. It came from showing up before I felt ready. From adjusting mid-air. From correcting after the fall instead of abandoning the routine altogether.

Parenting humbled me in ways the Olympics never could. The podium is easy. Toddlers are the real final boss.

And here’s the bigger thing I learned: The process that builds excellence in one arena doesn’t disappear when you step into another. It just gets repurposed.

Whether it’s parenting, marriage, starting a business, switching careers, or stepping into a calling that feels bigger than you, the pattern is the same.

You won’t feel qualified at first. You won’t feel graceful. You won’t feel certain.

You’ll feel behind.

And that feeling doesn’t mean you chose wrong. It usually means you chose growth.

Mastery requires two things that don’t seem to belong together: unwavering commitment and complete flexibility.

The commitment keeps you in the room. The flexibility helps you adapt once you’re there.

Parenting just happened to be the arena where I learned that lesson again. But it applies everywhere.

Andrew and I actually spent a whole chapter in our upcoming book exploring this tension — how to stay committed without becoming rigid, and how to adapt without quitting. More on that soon.

For now, we’d love to hear from you:

What’s the moment you stepped into something new and thought, “Oh no… I am wildly unqualified for this”?

Hit reply. We read every one :)

— Shawn & Andrew

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