Sevan Matossian: (00:00)
What’s he pulling? Is he pulling a car?
Bruce: (00:02)
It’s just a sled.
Sevan Matossian: (00:04)
Bam. We’re live. Wow. Where is everybody? What’s that? Bruce. Good morning, Bruce. What did you say in the last you read it, you wrote a comment in the last show that I was, I was like, I wanted to respond to, I never did. It was something good, something. Oh, you read that book. Uh, billionaire boys club or something are Sarah’s abs Danielle on together. I don’t know if their abs are on together. Um, no, no. They’re gonna be separate. They’re gonna be separate. I, I don’t think you can have both of them on both on the shame show. It’s too. It’s too. It’s like, it’s like a Ghostbusters. If the streams cross. I wonder if either the, maybe what if none of them show up? Ooh. And just all you guys and all you guys just show up.
Bruce: (00:52)
Click bait,
Sevan Matossian: (00:53)
Click bait. Where’s Brian friend. I wonder if Brian’s coming to the show. I sent him an invite. He knew did I pee? I forgot my coffee. I need to ask my wife to bring my coffee. Standby. Good morning. Maybe we’ll have all sorts of special guests on today’s show maybe.
Bruce: (01:11)
Oh, what do you
Sevan Matossian: (01:11)
Know? Oh my goodness. You’re the best? Did you add water to it? Oh, you’re the best. Thank you for doing that. I was just calling you. Thank you. I love you. Bye. You could leave that door. Open a crack. Cause I have the heat on in here. I like to have on and the cold air coming in from the door. Mr. Friend. Hi Brian. Oh, Brian froze. Wow. What a place to froze. He looks like a religious man right there. Doesn’t he? Brian? I think you might have an connection, but he maybe opened the curtain and led in more, uh, 5g waves or something. I can’t hear him. Does that work? Maybe that’s one of the, of special curtains. Like the liver king has that like makes it so like, uh, cell phone tower. Doesn’t come into his, his suite
Bruce: (01:54)
Probably.
Sevan Matossian: (01:55)
But why Leslie, but why? Why are you so excited, but why? It’s just a regular fasting Sunday As a good podcast. If you guys missed the one we did this morning with Steve, uh, Maui, uh, young man. I dunno if young man, 29 years old. Uh, 10 and oh, em Bellator six foot 8, 250 pounds. Uh, well read, well spoken, uh, baby of seven months old. Just a good dude, man. That was fun. Talking to him. That’s gonna be a fun career to watch big guys, big guys. Did you see the fights last night, Caleb?
Bruce: (02:31)
Um, I watched almost all of them. Most of the car was pretty good. I think.
Sevan Matossian: (02:37)
Did you see Derek Lewis go to sleep?
Bruce: (02:40)
I just watched it while we were talking to Steve. Uh, he, he was winning like the first couple round, like the first round, even like even most of the second. Yes. And then to Vasa just like cracked him and then he just kind of like fell like a massive Redwood.
Sevan Matossian: (02:58)
Yeah, it was, it was nuts. It reminded me like of a rhino be shot and then it just kind of, yeah. Um, Brett, I wanna Brett Hailey, what a beautiful name. I wanna tell you something. So, um,
Sevan Matossian: (03:15)
I’m not really a flexing guy. Um, I think of myself more like a scientist. Like I really, really enjoyed seeing Daniel, Brandon and um, maybe scientist. Isn’t the right word. I’m like the guy in the, no, yeah, it’s definitely not the right word. I’m like the guy that kid in the cafeteria who would mix his food and other kids would think it was gross, but I would mix it cuz I wanted to taste it. I wanted to see what happened when you mix the ketchup with the milk and then see what it tasted like. And um, so like when I, when, when we did the show where we had Danielle Brandon’s picture right next to Nikki rod and I saw the two of them talk, they’re like kinda like the two sexiest people. Like I know. So I was just so excited to see those two on a screen together at the same time.
Sevan Matossian: (04:03)
So, um, just like, it would be fun to have, uh, Trish or, or Elaine. Whoever’s the head of HR and I on the same show talking about what’s the definition of diversity equity, inclusivity. That would be fun. That would be crazy. I’d love to ask some of those people to pin down some of their definitions and find out, find out what racism means too. Find out if I can steer them into realizing how racist they are. But anyway, I, I, I, I, I dig breaths. Um, so, so I to have, uh, to, to say that, I don’t think, um, I’m riding like a little bit of a high knowing that I’m going to have, um, uh, um, miss, uh, Sarah Sigma’s daughter on and then Danielle on and then later on the week have rich Froning on. Um, I, it would be a, uh, lie to not tell you that I’m I think I’m cooler than I really am. If you know, if you know what I mean. Hi Caleb. Hello, Sarah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:04)
Am I in? Hello? You
Sevan Matossian: (05:05)
Are. You are now. You are now in the metaverse.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:09)
Okay, good. Yeah,
Sevan Matossian: (05:12)
Georgia. You’re in Georgia. Sarah meet Mr. Brian friend, Mr. Brian friend, meet Sarah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:17)
I met him last time.
Sevan Matossian: (05:18)
Meet again,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:20)
Meet again. You already forgot our, our great first podcast.
Sevan Matossian: (05:25)
Um, I, I, I have not. Um, I just know that Brian reinvents himself all the time and you reinvent yourself all the time. So I just wanted to reintroduce
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:32)
Yourself. You have that in common.
Sevan Matossian: (05:34)
Uh you’re. You’re in Georgia.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:36)
I am. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (05:37)
Um, you we’re, I’m just gonna come at you hard. You ready?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (05:41)
Like I’m always prepared for your questions, Sevan.
Sevan Matossian: (05:44)
Okay. As an artist, I believe that we have to limit our tools and put ourselves in situations where our tools are limited. And then we must work with those tools. So you get a piece of paper and you lock yourself in a room and you’re given a black pencil and a blue pencil. I agree. And now you must and you must create, Okay. And if you have too many options, you will not create, I get concerned, not concerned. I have questions about this tremendous ability that you have when I see you move from place to place to place that you have too many pencils.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (06:20)
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (06:21)
That we’re looking at Pablo Picasso with who’s interested in oil painting and now race cars. And it’s like, NA NA NA, I want, I, I just lock Sarah in a room with a hamster wheel. Um, do, do you have too many options? Are you too talent? Are you too popular? Are you too wealthy? Are you too? Like what the is going on? But, but I think you’ve landed in a great place. God, I would, I’d love to have a threesome with, uh, Travis may and max a Hodge. Yeah. But, but,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (06:49)
But not me.
Sevan Matossian: (06:51)
Wait, you too. You can be a force. Yeah, I
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (06:52)
Foursome. Yeah. Okay, good.
Sevan Matossian: (06:54)
Um, I’ll do anything for Travis if it means I have to sleep with you too. You it. Whatever. Take one for the game.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (07:01)
Um, I mean, I think that I’ve had a lot of options throughout my career and I think that, so I met max 2017. I came here to training think tank for week. Yeah. I think it was a week. And after that I went to Cookville and I was just a Freebird at that time. Did not want any discipline or any seriousness. So, uh, I decided to stay in Cookville versus starting to work with max at that time. Uh, I regretted that decision like a bit after I was like, was this the right decision? Was it not? And it was still a little bit in the back of my mind. And then the games 2020, I was like, okay, I really, I wanna reach out to max. And hopefully he still wants to work with me and believes in me. And that was the case. So I was pretty happy with that. Um, I didn’t quite want to commit to Alpharetta or Georgia cuz I was like, it’s gonna be nothing there. And uh, and I hadn’t really given it a chance. So, uh, I decided to actually give it a chance after Miami, I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the people. So hopefully I only have the B pen now and I’m, I’m finally making my right blueprint.
Sevan Matossian: (08:16)
Yeah.
Brian Friend: (08:17)
I think there was, um, something you said in there that’s a good kind of a good thing to talk about with you because you’ve had a lot of different coaches and experiences. I think that the, a struggle sometimes between athlete and coaches define the right balance between discipline and fun. So to, so to speak. Do you wanna, can you talk about your experience with that? Maybe?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (08:36)
I mean, max is a very different coach. What I’m used you, he thinks a lot about my, uh, non athlete side. So he wants me to be a healthy human being first, first of all. And then he wants the athlete to be in second place because like the belief is that if you are as healthy as you can be as a person it’s gonna transfer into your career and you’re gonna enjoy it more. So I don’t think that I’ve ever had a coach that focuses so much on my, like my balance in life. So, uh, I think that’s my, of the best things about him.
Sevan Matossian: (09:16)
What’s that look like? What do you mean? Like, um, he healthy, healthy life. Can you give us some examples?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (09:22)
I mean, when you are very driven and you’re very outcome based or you’re very like, uh, goal based and everything, everything is about an outcome. Everything is about performing. You forget actually who you are. And I feel that some of my old hidden talents, I wouldn’t quite say that, but talents that I think I have are coming out now again like, like music is coming up again. I’m, I’m enjoying a lot of other stuff than just training, but training is actually going better just because I am balancing everything out us. So he like focuses a lot on that of like bringing or like bringing out the old Sarah mixing with the athlete, Sarah.
Sevan Matossian: (10:07)
Um, and they have to be complimentary you, you know, this popped in my head. I don’t know if this is appropriate, but it popped in my head. Um, uh, car Saunders was coming to the games. Her career has some in my mind the way I think of you two, some very similar parallels, very, very, uh, very, very good athletes. Who’ve had some just H crazy hiccups. Yeah. But she, she had a coach in Australia and she parted ways with them and she founded dude, that, that firefighter honk. Yeah. And she, Yeah, the husband dude and, and part of me is just like, oh, this is horrible. This is a distraction. Like, this is what, what a mess. But, but, but how wrong could I have been? She was so happy. I think she took second place. She, I mean it, um, did she take second place that year? That she showed up with the, the new dude at the gay Ryan? Yeah. 2017.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (10:59)
Yeah. But it was also just a different car cuz she was just a happy Cara. Like she had been, I mean she experienced something like 2014, like she was dominating and then something happened to, I can’t remember what it was like. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (11:15)
Nick, I think. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (11:16)
Yeah. And it was like, it was taken away from her and she wanted it too much that she forgot about everything else in her life. And I think she just forgot about like, or you can lose yourself sometimes of like you forget what actually makes you happy and what actually, uh, gives you fulfillment because you’re so focused on, you have to get things done versus how do I get them done in a smart and the best way. And I think that, uh, her husband now just like showed her actually that she’s more than just an athlete. Like she’s a, I remember she was telling me, sorry, car. I, if you’re listening and I’m not allowed to say this, but I remember she was saying to me like, uh, before events, he would be like, you’re a warrior. You’re a like, you can do what, like you can do everything better than everybody else because you’ve done this, you’ve gone through this. And I was just like, oh, that’s this is like the right type of person to pepper up. Do you know what I mean? Like, yeah. You can also have a distraction of a person that brings you down and makes you, uh, question yourself. So I think that, that she got extra lucky with, uh, Matt.
Sevan Matossian: (12:27)
Yeah. Someone, someone who believes in her.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (12:29)
Yeah. Yeah.
Brian Friend: (12:30)
And then, and you know, there’s no, there’s no like perfect form. You know, you listen to someone like, you know, Matt Fraser and how focused he is when it comes to competing. And he doesn’t want a lot of people around and he doesn’t want distractions. You contrast that with someone like, uh, pat Vener, who likes having people around him likes you and home to his wife and kids and
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (12:50)
People are just so different, what can help them? What can make them loose their focus?
Sevan Matossian: (12:57)
Yeah. That’s a great example you gave Brian because, um, in between, uh, like when he is competing at the games, he would go, go down to the restaurant and just be eating and jump on a phone call with Brian and I, whereas, um, other athletes are throwing their phones away. Right. Or like do not whatever you do do not do an interview. Yeah. It’s fascinating.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (13:14)
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (13:16)
Um, when you get, when, you know, we would hear about the, the, I guess the most famous conflict and I’m sure there’s been, um, plenty, but the most famous conflict in the, in our sport was between, um, Matt and, um, rich. And when I think of that conflict, I don’t think of it as anything I’m too intellectual. I just think of it as like, Hey, there’s bulls and bulls are made to only be one per, you know, corral. That’s. I mean, that’s just how I think of it. It’s that simple, right? Yeah. Um, do you ever have that, do you know, do you ever have that issue with, um, you show up somewhere, I have this perception of you. I think that you are very kind. I think you’re very nice. I think there’s a lot of depth to you. You’re very open, but I also suspect there is, um, you need a lot of room that Sarah Sigma’s daughter is a big person, big person. And um, do you ever have that conflict and, and does this ever, ever happen with males also? Like can there be cross sex? Um, out alphas
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (14:17)
Like that? Me and Travis are like fighting for attention here and trying thinking,
Sevan Matossian: (14:21)
Um, it’s not even attention to, but, but, but, but, um, but yeah, I, I, when I think of the train thinking,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (14:27)
Yeah, there’s only one alpha almost you’re talking about that.
Sevan Matossian: (14:30)
Yeah. Like, like are women, like, it’s always thought of as men as the alphas, but when I think of, if I were to think of a woman alpha, I think of someone like you, or I think of a car Saunders, I think car Saunders, for sure. Like, there’s not a lot of room for her and other athletes in the same pen.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (14:45)
Yeah. But I mean, me and Karara we get along very well. I think it just depends on the person. I mean, I, I think about like some females and some guys also just get threatened by another athletes and it can affect their self-esteem or something like that. Well, other people just like take it as, oh, I need to work on this. Like I need to
Brian Friend: (15:09)
Ah,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (15:09)
Like, you know what I mean? Like you respect each other. Like if I would train with Cora and I would see the weight, she’s lifting, it doesn’t break me. I’m just like, wow. If she can do it, then I can do it too. Like you, you almost look up to the person, but you’re also like if I’m running with somebody that runs thousand times faster me, of course it breaks me down, but I respect it always while people maybe take it as a threat of like, oh, they’re constantly reminding me of that. I’m not good enough. And I can’t get this every day because that’s just gonna break me down. So I think it really like depends on the person.
Brian Friend: (15:45)
Is that it’s interesting. Go ahead, Ryan. It’s just, no, it’s interesting how she interpreted that of a, of a training. When you asked the question, I was thinking of a competition environment. Oh. And in particular I had this thought because you know, strength, depth is coming back this year as a semi-final. Yeah. And the first sanctional year, you competed at strength. Depth. Yeah. And you know, there was ever, there were a lot of good athletes there, but there was really only one alpha at that competition that was getting the full roar of the full crowd. Every time that they took the floor and it was you. Yeah. And then the next year you didn’t compete there. But Fraser decided to come that year. And it was like the same thing. Yes. Laura was there and Gabby was there and Hailey and even Frings team was there. But when he took the floor, it was different. He took there out of the room. So I just kind of had thought of it in the competition setting.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (16:32)
Yeah. I, I just thought about rain. We’re not yet. No.
Brian Friend: (16:39)
I mean, which is good. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (16:41)
I don’t, I I’m still in shock of like the love that I get from fans. I feel that like, maybe it’s bad to say this in a interview, but I’ve, I’ve failed a lot since 2016 and 17, I’ve made a lot of wrong decisions and I’ve had injuries and there are so many things that have happened that should make people just like Sarahs out of the picture. But still people are like supporting me and they believe in me. And that makes me see like, okay, maybe there is something in me, but I’m like you say with strength and death, it was just like hearing the crowd and seeing everybody supporting me. It, it just gives you this extra energy, but I’ve never looked at myself as like, I can only be the only alpha, like I think it’s just, yeah, it’s hard to, I actually, I’ve never thought about it like that.
Brian Friend: (17:33)
Well, and that’s, and from, from my perspective is, you know, I always wanna see all the athletes get raised up and elevated and it’s always like, it’s always a little heartbreaking for me when they’re announcing the final heat and there’ll be a big cheer for lane three and a big cheer for lane four. And then they announce lane two and there’s no cheer. Yeah. I like, I, I want all the athletes to get the love, you know?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (17:53)
Yeah. Everybody should. Exactly. I agree with you a hundred percent.
Sevan Matossian: (17:58)
There are these characters in the sport. Um, different levels of course, but we’ve seen it, you know, Josh bridges is another one. Yeah. Um, you know, not to say he’s not great. I mean. He’s so good. Right. He’s
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (18:12)
Amazing.
Sevan Matossian: (18:13)
Like amazing. Yeah. And, and, and quite nice to look at. And everything’s great. And he has the background as being a seal. Yeah. But what do you think it is? I mean, you obviously have to be good enough to get the camera on you. You have to be good enough, just so people at least know who you are. Well, what do you think it is? Do you have any idea what it is at this attraction to you? You, you ha you haven’t won the games and yet, um, and, and yet you have the fan base of someone who’s won the games, you know, you know, five times, what do you have any idea what this attraction is, uh, from people to you?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (18:46)
I think it’s just that, um, like I started training pretty late and I think that people can relate to that of like they used to maybe give up a lot. And, uh, the one time I didn’t decide to give up, I made it to lacrosse of games and I placed third. And it was just like the hard work that I put in actually paid off. And I hope that I can bring the message to people of like, if you want something bad enough, you can actually get it. And I’m just that kind of person. Now, after I started seeing results in my athletic career and just in my mental love with my athletic career, it’s just like all of a sudden I started seeing myself, uh, self differently. I started respecting myself differently. And I think that maybe people see a video of me and they’re like, oh, she didn’t have a sports background, but she can still do handstand walks.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (19:43)
Maybe if I start, uh, doing handstand, holds against the wall, I can do it too. Like, I think that people may be relate to me in that kinda way. Instead of like, I was in gymnastics for 16 years, and then I also played soccer and I did this and this and this. And like, people are like, oh, I don’t have that background. So I’m not gonna start because there’s no hope for me. But then they see me of like, Hey, she was 20 pounds overweight. And now she’s at the cross of games and she’s actually pushing the girls. That’s that have an amazing athletic background.
Sevan Matossian: (20:16)
You could, you could have made a wrong choice early on. If I recall you, you, while other, well, maybe Annie was out pool vaulting, you were hanging out with a bag of chips.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (20:25)
I was, I, I was doing bag of chips. I was pizza every day and I,
Sevan Matossian: (20:30)
And you avoided discomfort, right? You didn’t even like dis you didn’t want, you, you, you avoided discomfort as a child. Like,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (20:35)
Oh, I, I like training or pushing myself. I would never do it. I would be like, uh, this is just not for me. I don’t want, I don’t feel good when I get red in my face. And I was in bed.
Sevan Matossian: (20:47)
I hated sweating. Did you ever hate sweating?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (20:50)
I hated. I didn’t sweat until I was 18 for the first time I was like,
Speaker 5: (20:53)
Oh, crazy.
Sevan Matossian: (20:58)
Do you remember, do you remember the first time, do you remember the transition from when you didn’t like sweating to when you did like sweating?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (21:05)
Yeah. I, so, like, I think it was, I remember my first like, class that I actually enjoyed. Like I tried doing spinning classes with my dad and I would be like mid class. I’d be like, okay, I’m only allowed to go to the restroom two times in the class. Like that was my,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (21:27)
And if I would go to the restroom, I would just take a seat and I’d be like, oh, I’m almost napping. Like, I would be so lazy. And I would just go to spinning because my dad was like, come with me. And he bought me a membership and I was like, okay, I have to go. Uh, but then, then I tried the bootcamp thing and that was like, I was actually strong and I was actually bad than some of the girls. And that’s a little bit what just like, I don’t know, like started firing the tours. I don’t know if that’s the right saying, but it’s just like, I was like, oh, I want, I want more of this. And, uh, I think it was, I pushed very hard in like a, there was a, a test in the beginning of a seminar, a bootcamp seminar, and I pushed super hard and I actually enjoyed surprising myself when I thought I had to give up, but I didn’t give up. And then I got a compliment afterwards that I was actually pretty good. And that was like, I want more of this. Like next time I did a test, I wanna be able to do this.
Sevan Matossian: (22:30)
You’re like a little kid.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (22:31)
Yeah. I was like, it was like the little rewards that I was just like, this is working. And then you just surprising yourself of like you saw, I saw people doing something like a strict pullup and I was like, I wish I could do that. And then I tried it and I could, and I was like, oh, I can do it because you have this belief of yourself that you aren’t as good. Or I was at least like that. I, I wasn’t good at anything. I, I looked up to other people and I was like, why don’t I have this talent? But I never actually tried. And like, like my, I used to watch a lot of, uh, biggest loser. And, uh, there was a coach there that said like hard work, beats talent. And that was my motivation. When I started, I was like, I don’t have talent, but I give it hard working. So biggest loser helped me also with my, uh, career.
Sevan Matossian: (23:24)
Isn’t it amazing? You it’s, it’s like having a, a, um, a Ferrari, but every time you’re in it, you think it’s a VW you bug, sorry. Bad, bad, bad example. Bad example. Volkswagens are great. Sorry. Bad
Speaker 5: (23:36)
Example.
Sevan Matossian: (23:37)
Let me, let me rephrase. It’s like thinking you have, I mean, you didn’t know what you were driving.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (23:42)
No, I had no idea.
Sevan Matossian: (23:44)
You didn’t know what you driving?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (23:45)
I was driving like Mira or I thought I was driving Nira when I was on my Volkswagen tour wreck.
Sevan Matossian: (23:51)
Yes. Do you have a Volkswagen with you in Georgia?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (23:55)
I’m waiting for it. So I’m very excited.
Sevan Matossian: (24:00)
Very patient. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (24:01)
Very I’m really very patient.
Sevan Matossian: (24:03)
And when you get it, will it be new, smell new and be all yummy? Yeah,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (24:06)
It would be customized for me.
Sevan Matossian: (24:09)
That’s awesome. Yeah, please. Don’t put it please. Don’t put some pancakes on the side, please. I like twist cars, but don’t do the pancakes on the side. That’s just, that’s one. Just for he and Mars. The pancake one. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (24:20)
Yeah. I won’t do that. I promise that, but I might eat pancakes in the car though.
Sevan Matossian: (24:24)
Yes. Um, you, you, um, you go to Dubai, you’ve you? I think if I remember correctly, you let us know that you are a competition athlete, meaning you like to go to competitions cuz that’s where you like to work on yourself and you like to refine things. Yeah. And um, so as a fan of Sarah, we, we wanna trust, we wanna trust that you’re going to these events to work on yourself and not make any mistakes so that we can’t see you at the games, right? Yeah. Yeah. So you go to Dubai and then, and then, and then you freak us out a little bit by showing up at waza we’re like, oh, what is she doing? It’s too many. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, but, but, but we know that she’s, she’s mature athlete and she’s smart and she knows she’s coming here just to, to work on things. This isn’t the place to like, and then, uh, we see you leave the event early. Yeah. And, um, you know, and we all freaked the out. Um,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (25:19)
Yeah. You’re not the only one
Sevan Matossian: (25:21)
You freaked out a little bit.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (25:24)
I, I think I didn’t sleep for like three days. I was so freaked out.
Sevan Matossian: (25:28)
Can you walk us through even before, um, waza starts, um, I, I, I know you women have dreams and and you guys know stuff before it happens. Was there as you’re, as you’re showing up to waza. Is there any, any sign of this, um, that, that there’s, that you shouldn’t be doing it that you didn’t listen to?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (25:48)
Um, so the preparation for VLO, maybe wasn’t the best, but I had in mind that like I wanted to start the season of like, um, going to VOSA competing at VOSA. Uh, uh, so my dad actually got diagnosed with cancer in October and couldn’t they had to cancel their trip to watch me in Dubai. They were so excited, my parents. So, uh, I wanted to give them a little bit of a show at VOSA and I wanted to get more experience because I felt that Dubai, like the last day was my best day, cuz I was like, uh, like I was all of a sudden like starting to be the competitor again, I like fearing that I wasn’t good enough. So I was like, I need more of this. My parents can come and they can come watch me that uh, cuz my dad has, or is almost fully recovered. He
Sevan Matossian: (26:40)
Has what kind of cancer?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (26:41)
Uh, cologne cancer.
Sevan Matossian: (26:43)
Okay.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (26:44)
So, uh,
Brian Friend: (26:45)
And was that in Dubai? Was that the first crosser competition that they hadn’t been there for you?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (26:50)
Not the, but like they, they want, they’ve been with me through this injury and everything and they’re my biggest supporters and, and it was oh yeah, kinda hard for them. Like it, he got diagnosed the 21st of October and we had already planned a trip and uh, and it was just like a, a small shelter and uh, he had to have surgery. What was it? The 24th of November. So he was going through everything while I was trying to prepare. And it was just like, it was so hard to prepare and, and be focused on training when you know that your dad is going through the hardest time of his life. And, and he was just like, Sarah, the only thing I want to do is watch you compete. So you have to stay in Dubai and you have to do your thing. And uh, so what apaloosa was like a little bit a part of that, that I wanted them to come out. I wanted him to get a new environment after going through all of this. And just
Brian Friend: (27:47)
Lemme just say something about your parents, because a lot of people complain at waap that it’s hard to get into the stadium or it’s hard to get whatever seats, I don’t know how they did it, but they were in the front row every time.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (27:58)
Yeah. My mom, she wakes up at 4:00 AM and is waiting in line to get the first seat cuz he is like, I want Sarah to see me and hear me as soon as she walks out and she has this thing that as soon as they count down of like standby, then I hear her say Sarah, and she’s like the only voice. And I’m like, okay, my mom’s there. It gives you like extra strength and uh, yeah. So what was a little bit, a part of, of like I wanted them to come and watch me. I wanted like I wanted my Mo back and then from VOSA the season would start and I would be based in America and I would be like, so VOSA was just, uh, an extra bonus. And uh, and then I came home from Dubai. I rest after Dubai, I got, uh, the vaccination, I got sick for about 10 days. Like
Sevan Matossian: (28:52)
When you say you came home and got the vaccination, you mean in Iceland? Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (28:55)
In Iceland.
Sevan Matossian: (28:56)
Yeah. Okay. And was that your first shot?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (28:58)
No, it’s my third. So I have to have three vaccinations to come to the states.
Sevan Matossian: (29:04)
Okay.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (29:05)
Yeah, because the new, um, new variation or whatever it’s called. So I got pretty sick after that. Uh,
Sevan Matossian: (29:13)
What does that mean? You got sick. What does that look like? What was your sickness like?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (29:16)
It, it was just like, you know, when you have fever and you have these aches in all your body. Yeah. That’s I felt for like a week,
Sevan Matossian: (29:26)
It was, how was your heart? How was your heart rate?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (29:28)
Heart rate was actually not that bad. It was a bit high, but it was just the aches that was killing me and like trying to lift then everything. When you have aches, it was just like, I was, I had man flu. That’s how I felt,
Sevan Matossian: (29:42)
Man. Flu.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (29:43)
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (29:45)
I, I haven’t heard of this man. Flu. What is this man? Flu
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (29:48)
Man
Brian Friend: (29:48)
Flew sounds like something from the jungle book.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (29:50)
Yeah, man. Flu’s like imagination. Like guys that think that they’re sick and feel sorry about themselves. You know, I think I,
Sevan Matossian: (30:00)
Oh, you’re speaking. My man flu is a more painful. Oh this is awesome. I love this, man. Flu is more painful than childbirth. This is the irrefutable scientific fact am. Flu is not just a cold, it’s a condition. So severe that germs from a single man flu snooze could wipe out entire tribes of people living in rainforest. Women do not contract man flu. They suffer from what is medically recognized as mild girly. This is great. I gotta OK. I understand man. Flew. OK. So is as bad as man flew what you had you think?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (30:29)
Yeah, it was as bad as man flew. Wow. And uh, and then I packed my stuff. I came to Florida. I trained for like about 10 days before Goza and then I would, oh, uh, like ease south before the competition.
Sevan Matossian: (30:45)
Where did you train in Florida for those 10 days. Where did you train?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (30:48)
Uh, crossed downtown Miami.
Sevan Matossian: (30:50)
Okay.
Brian Friend: (30:51)
Yeah. And does any part of that, um, like training or, or preparation leading into waza? Are you still doing checks with your knee? Any kind of like agility drills or stuff like that
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (31:01)
I’m doing have about probably an hour every day or at least four times a week. Like I’m still like my right side. Isn’t still a hundred percent like the left side, but we’ll get there.
Brian Friend: (31:18)
But, but leading into guap, you were check, you were still checking the boxes you were feeling good
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (31:23)
Was feeling great before Gulu. I was finally training again. This is after Gulu. Do you see that hair flip?
Sevan Matossian: (31:30)
Very nice. Very nice.
Brian Friend: (31:32)
Practice that in the mirror, huh?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (31:33)
Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I felt great before VOSA I did the first event. I died in the first event because, uh, my, uh, my jumping threshold wasn’t quite there yet, but it is what it is and that’s why I did the competition to get like these, um, these results
Brian Friend: (31:54)
And, and that, and that’s actually, you know, that’s, that’s notable like the, you know, the, the buyin of the double unders is there and it’s real. Yeah. But if, if you hadn’t had this setback for the last 18 months, that would be kind of an after, but because you did, that was something you were thinking about probably more than any of the other girls.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (32:09)
Yeah. And it’s just like, I was always failing the freaking double unders because my right leg was so fatigued that didn’t wanna lift off the ground. And I was like, I’ll just do singles then. And inside my head, I was like,
Sevan Matossian: (32:21)
What was the buy-in? What was the buy-in
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (32:24)
75 heavy, double on, oh,
Sevan Matossian: (32:28)
That’s right. Okay.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (32:29)
Yeah. Then GDS and then the pig flip, like the pig flip was my jam. And I was like, I missed feeling I’m being freak wrong, but the,
Brian Friend: (32:37)
It was actually, it was, it was a sneaky workout because the double owners, you know, they were heavy, the weighted, the GTS were weighted. So even though those were the buy-ins and a lot of people observing were like, okay, this event is made or lost on the sled. You still had to like, get there.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (32:51)
Yeah. You had to get there. Exactly. Um, but yeah, so I felt great the first day. I mean, I’m still, I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be in the thrust were good. I was like, why do I always die? Like, why can’t I, like, why don’t I have a threshold yet? It’s like, uh, you haven’t actually trained properly for two years, Sarah. I was like, good point, but still, but, uh, and then I just started the warmup before, uh, the, the lifting events and I felt a little bit in the warmup and I was like, I think my head is messing with me. That’s what I said to max. And he’s like, what do you mean? And I was like, yeah, I feel a little bit in my knee. But I think it’s just my head protecting me because I’m afraid of, uh, of the stubby bar and I’m afraid of the barbell. And like, like I had done that work got in training in one minute and 20 seconds, uh, against Taylor Howie. I think that she won the workout or was in second. I can’t remember.
Brian Friend: (33:48)
Did she end up winning it mean a minute, 28 or 29?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (33:51)
Yeah. And, uh, and I actually like, yeah, I beat her by like three seconds or something in training, but uh, like I, so that, that was a pretty shocker, like I think I wanted to do so well in that workout. And I was like, my head is messing with me because I wanna do so well. So it’s like telling me that my knee isn’t fine. And then I was just like, okay, you can’t think about it. You just have to go. And then what, what was so weird on the floor was just like, I got like this, it’s hard to say, but like an outer body experience, it was just like, my head was just completely somewhere else. My knee was locking up. I couldn’t, I was committing to the bar, but my body wasn’t allowing me to lift the bar. And I was like trying to talk to myself. And it was just like, I, it was such a D uh, weird experience. And I was just like, what is happening here? And then after I finished the workout, I was just like, my knee was getting swollen. I felt, it was like, I was afraid that I had Reto. And I was like, but I didn’t hear a click. So cuz I remember when I turned my ACL the first time it was still like, yeah, you, I heard the click. And like the judge would, would hear the click and yeah, I think you
Brian Friend: (35:09)
Said, what weight is that? What weight is that right there that you just failed?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (35:12)
I’m I can’t even remember what it was, but I was just like, what is going on? Why can’t I lift this?
Brian Friend: (35:20)
But it’s not a weight you’re concerned about ahead of time. No,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (35:23)
Not
Brian Friend: (35:23)
Even for a second. Oh no. If she’s, if she finished at work, regardless of the w bar, not in a minute, 20 seconds in training and this is the second bar. Um, yeah. And then that’s just like the emotion, like you can see it there.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (35:35)
Like yeah, the fear just overtook and my body just wanted to protective modes and then it was like, breathe, come on. Let’s go. And then I something up again, I think. But, uh, it was just like, it was a very, uh, yeah, it was a weird experience and I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
Sevan Matossian: (35:55)
Hey, so, uh, um, is this a, how are you gonna nip this in the bud? Is this gonna be a compounding problem by that? I mean, you know how like O C D works? How like, like every day you check to see if your front door’s locked before you go to bed. Yeah. And it’s always locked and then one day you go and it’s not locked, so now you have to check it. Yeah. Yeah. And you have to now check it three times. Yeah. How are you going to you? This thing has to be nipped in the bud, right? This thing, this, whatever,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (36:23)
The reasons why I moved to Georgia, like being by myself and not getting pressured and like training by myself. Like I wasn’t able to go into that fear state of failing because if I would fail, it doesn’t really my, but here in Georgia, I have all this crowd around me. I have a physio onsite. I have max that teased me how I move and everything. But like what happened at guap Peluso was just like some cartilage and uh, meniscus problem. Like after, after I did the, uh, workout, I was just like, I need to get the scanned as soon as possible because I think I re toured my SEL. I feel my knees loose, uh, blah, blah. Like I had all these things and I was like, I’m going through all this process again. I have to take a year off again. I have to go through surgery.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (37:11)
Like my mind just went straight to worst case scenario. Uh, I was lucky enough that I could get an MRI, uh, on the Saturday. This happened on Friday. So the next day, and I felt like in breaking bad, like the, where I was, it was just, yeah, it was like this, uh, little like, um, cube and powder or something in, uh, in, in Florida. But I got a scan. I called my doctor. I was like, hi, I have a, uh, so the doctor that did the surgery, I was like, hi, I think I, uh, that something happened to my niece. Uh, can I, uh, can I show you some photos? And he’s like, yeah. Do you have the photos with you? I was like, yeah, I have them on a CD. He’s like, okay, you have to get them somehow to me, I was like, okay.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (37:57)
So I tried to find a computer with the CD and I was like, like, what computer now has a CD drive? Like I have the results for me of like, do I, am I out for the season or am I not out for the season? And it was just, yeah, I didn’t sleep for three days. And I felt like James Bond trying to figure this out, but I managed to figure it out, went to a, a FedEx place and was able to take the files from a CD to put them on an SD card from the SD card. I downloaded the app to open up the photos cuz that they need a special app and move the photos into the app, moved it all into Dropbox with the app. And that’s how I got it started
Sevan Matossian: (38:42)
During that, uh,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (38:44)
There. Huh?
Sevan Matossian: (38:46)
Very good. And, and, and during that time that you, you know, this stress of this time, you actually had as good of a support system there in Miami with you, as you could really ask for.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (38:56)
Oh, I like the guy that owns crosses downtown Miami. He helped me so much. He helped me contact, uh, a, a doctor to get an MRI appointment. And it was just the love that I got around everything. It was just like, it was amazing. Like my manager there, my friends were there, they were supporting me the whole time. They never wanted to leave me alone. And I was like, it, it was so good because like I expected VOSA to be like a fun event and just like enjoying it with the people like with my family, with my friends until the seriousness would start and me moving away from them. But it ended up being like, uh, traumatic experience.
Sevan Matossian: (39:39)
Sarah, when I talk to Travis about what life is like in the training camp, um, at, at, at think tank, there is a, um, and this is from him. This is a guy who has four kids. Right. Does he have four or five? Four, four. Yeah. So this is a guy who has four kids, but his life is very compartmentalized. Like I don’t get the impression that he’s having deep or heavy or intimate talks with people at training. It’s go there, train, um, keep things, uh, this with no negative connotation, pretty superficial get to work in and get home like these, these are my, this is my, um, life. Um, and, and, and he does that by, I guess I, I think it’s, it’s a form of his being disciplined. Yeah. Is it like that for you? How, like are two questions here is your relationship with max intimate and why, what about, what did you remember from him in 2017? Um, that made you want to come back to him? A couple things that were like, okay, this is where I belong.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (40:40)
Like, we did a lot of evaluation in 2017 and he said a lot of things that I didn’t wanna hear that I knew were right. He was just like, you have this relationship with your body that needs to be changed. You have this, like he had all these extra things that makes, or like that fits in the puzzle. Do you know what I mean?
Sevan Matossian: (40:59)
But at the time overwhelmed, you like, that I’m not doing all that.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (41:02)
Yeah. At that time I was like, Hey, I, I’m just trying to enjoy the sport again from, uh, leaving another coach. Like I can’t handle this now. Like, but in my, like in my gut, I was like, this is the right thing to do, uh, for you, but I just wasn’t ready to commit to it. I don’t know what it was, but all the things that he said and everything was still like, it made so much sense. And, uh, I just didn’t quite know how to approach it. And yeah, it was just something about him and the way that we, like, we have a very good relationship. We we’re both very similar people, how we think, like I’m such an overthinker. He is an overthinker. He understands when I get very anxious before a competition or when I stop sleeping or when I do this, then he’s never to judging versus just like, Hey Sarah, a professional athlete should be in this box. He understands me for, for how I am as a person. And he wants to approach me in that way versus trying to change me. You know what I mean?
Sevan Matossian: (42:10)
So it is intimate. It is, it is you’re close to him. Like there’s a lot of trust.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (42:15)
There’s a lot of trust and, and that’s one of the things, or like we’re building the trust now. I mean, I’ve been here in Georgia for about three weeks now. And, uh, we hadn’t spent any time before that, unless it was a competition. Like I met him for the first time since 2017 or like I’ve seen him in competitions, but just high and by, but met him like officially, the first time was now in Dubai, before DFC. So we hadn’t spent a lot of time together. And then at VOSA and then this happens at VLO and he’s like, I think the best thing you can do now is like we work on, are coaching an athlete relationship. I learn how to approach you in these stressful situations instead of you just trying to do everything yourself, uh, and like breaking the habit of actually having a team versus I, I can do it best myself.
Brian Friend: (43:11)
Wow. I, I really, I think that the, you know, I do think that that conversation or experience you had with him in 2017, like that groundwork is kind of irreplaceable though. And this could be true for, you know, a friendship, uh, a lover type relationship, anything. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (43:26)
And it was also just like having a person that you only met for a week and he could see so many things in me that like I barely saw in my myself, but, and the belief that he had, and I was like, am I that talented? Like, I’m just lucky. Like that’s how I looked at it. And, and having him still in 2020, believe in me and wanting to work with me also was like, okay, I’m like this.
Sevan Matossian: (43:52)
He just wants to ride in your Tourig your Toro.
Brian Friend: (43:57)
Maybe he wants that. But he was, he was confident enough upon first meeting you to tell you what you needed to hear, even if you didn’t wanna hear it. And he was patient enough to wait for the right time for you to receive that message, knowing that it might never come.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (44:11)
Exactly. Yeah. And I was also just like, I wasn’t ready at that time for, or that discipline. So if I would’ve jumped on board with him, then I might have maybe been like this cross the thing isn’t isn’t for me anymore. I think I have had to experience everything that I have had to be able to wanting to be this committed. Now,
Sevan Matossian: (44:33)
If you don’t work on your breathing and on meditating, this isn’t for you, Sarah, this is for everyone in the world. If you don’t work on your breathing and you’re meditating while you’re in a good state of mind, you sure as. Won’t be able to utilize that tool when hits the fan. And when I, he I’m so impressed that max would do that, come out here and let’s start running fire drills for, um, the next time you have some sort of like challenge in live competition. Let’s start, things are good here. It’s safe. We’re in Georgia, but let’s like role play and work through and like, and prepare for, I mean, I really like what Brian said, it’s actually what lovers should do. It’s like what people should do, who are really healthy relationships. That’s when you practice. Okay. Like how are we gonna stay together through the hard times? It’s awesome. I’m impressed.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (45:18)
Yeah. I mean, I was, I was like, am I actually gonna commit to this? Or should I just start doing it myself again?
Sevan Matossian: (45:28)
Why not just say why? I, I feel like I asked you this last time, but why not just hang up your gloves?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (45:34)
Uh, that’s exactly what I did.
Sevan Matossian: (45:36)
Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (45:37)
Rendered. And I was like, okay, I think that
Sevan Matossian: (45:41)
In the, okay, so you quit and you landed right where you’re supposed to be back in the game again. Yeah. Wow. That’s some deep.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (45:47)
Yeah. And it’s also like, I think that in the back of my minds, there’s fear of like, what if I actually go all in commit a hundred percent, do everything as I should do it, like sleep nine hours have this routine have training buddies, but I won’t be good enough. What, what then? What do I do then? And I think that was the fear inside of me of like, maybe I’ll just get it in black and why that I’ll never be as good as I was, or I’ll never, um, reach my goal or anything. And then it was like, are you gonna think when you’re 80 years old, that you should have done something, but you didn’t do it. And that’s just like, slap my face, pick my gloves off, hung them up. And max, you are my son say no.
Sevan Matossian: (46:35)
And have you, have you, you think you’ve gotten to that point now where you’re like, yep. I’m gonna go all in for this and whatever the result is, I’m happy that I, that I committed to this thing.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (46:44)
Yeah. I mean, I can’t do anything more than I’m doing now. Like I’ve moved from my baby. I’ve moved from my family. I’m going to at nine 30 in the evening, I’m running four times a week. I’m doing running drills. I’m doing rehab. I’m doing all the boring, but it’s actually fun because I see improvement. And I actually see again, that there is something still there that like that I thought had left me. Like the belief in me. I like when you, when you, uh, experience like a, let’s say a traumatizing injury, you’re always afraid of retailing going through the process again, blah, blah, blah. It’s like coming here, getting the security and something just clicked, like the focus and everything. It was just like, I needed this.
Sevan Matossian: (47:36)
I, I, there’s no doubt in my mind that trying to do this, what you’re doing and winning or trying to do this and losing it. It will not matter when you look back when you’re all you will care is that you did it. We just had a, yeah. We just had a fighter on this morning. And he said, the only reason why I’m fighting is I don’t wanna look he’s 29. He’s I don’t wanna look back when I’m 35 and be like, I should have fought.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (48:01)
Exactly.
Sevan Matossian: (48:02)
Yeah. And even if you, even, if you don’t make your goal, at least you can be like, well, I had this experience of giving it my all, I don’t think most people can say that a tiny bit.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (48:11)
Exactly. Like I was almost in that spot of finding excuses about everything, which is not like me. That’s like the old Sarah was so like too afraid of failure. So you just make up excuses and it’s and you fail. And you’re like, oh, I knew it would happen instead of going freaking all in and be I’m fighting for this. And if it doesn’t work, uh, I just need to change the work next year. Like stopping that fear of the outcome is a little bit what I’m dealing with now. And like you say, like, if you don’t meditate and breathe in the calmness, how the hell are you gonna do it when you’re under pressure and everything? And this is what I’m learning now.
Sevan Matossian: (48:51)
Um, I, I just wanna, sorry, sorry. I just wanna address one thing. Uh, uh, Nick, um, I tell my sons all the time to not put their fingers in their mouth, please do not do that. It is not a good look. I don’t like my kids with their fingers in mouth. Uh, Seon. Are we not asking her opinion on the firing of Dave Castro? Does she think CF up? What about the monster Coca Cola monster asked the tough, I, I don’t think those are tough questions, just so you know, I appreciate how you would think that those are tough questions by the way. I don’t think they’re tough. Um, so, so, um, if you would like to address any of those, you can. Um, but I think a lot of people, they, people are curious like people, do you have any opinions on, on Dave being fired?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (49:28)
I mean, I don’t have a strong opinion, but I mean, I like Dave. I think he’s an amazing programmer. I think that he is one of the reasons why cross or I think he is one of the reasons why crossing is how it is. And it, I think it’s just gonna be very interesting year without him, like, yeah. I, I don’t have a stronger opinion about that. Like maybe they have a plan, maybe they don’t, this is just way outta my control. And if I start fussing about it, what do I benefit from it?
Sevan Matossian: (50:02)
Amen. Amen. Yeah. Let someone like me who can just kick back at seven in the morning. Talk from
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (50:07)
The,
Sevan Matossian: (50:08)
In my own office. Yes. You have to do with max and Travis. And then the second question is, do you have, do you have any, um, thoughts about the, uh, um, uh, a drink? Like Coca-Cola being a sponsor for the CrossFit game?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (50:22)
No, like
Sevan Matossian: (50:24)
I have some very strong feelings about it. I hope they dump in as much money as they possibly can. Yeah. And I hope that people speak honestly about it and I hope Malborough and tobacco and nicotine and cocaine and heroin and fentanyl and Pfizer all jump on board and sponsor the CrossFit games that that being said. If you think Coca-Cola is asked, you should also say that, but you should have no issue taking their money as long as you don’t have to lie.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (50:51)
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah. I agree with you there. I don’t have a stronger opinion, but in the nuts
Sevan Matossian: (50:58)
Take the money. Yeah. But don’t lie. Don’t lie. Like don’t, don’t drink. Don’t drink a, I don’t think you should drink a monster energy drink if you don’t drink. I don’t, I don’t think you should do. I don’t think you should. Um, at the expense of your integrity sell a product. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (51:12)
It could get money. Yeah. I agree with you
Sevan Matossian: (51:14)
There. I think it’s a little shortsighted. Yeah, Sarah, and it will rot your soul. What was, thank you, Nick, by the way. I, I appreciate it. And, and the thing with the finger let’s work on that. Keeping your finger now. Thank you,
Brian Friend: (51:25)
Sarah. What was your, the first year you, you did the open,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (51:29)
When was the first year?
Brian Friend: (51:31)
Yeah,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (51:32)
So I did the open 2012, but so there’s a story around that. Um, I didn’t know what cross it was until like a week before the open I competed lo
Brian Friend: (51:48)
Love you too.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (51:51)
Um, yeah, so I competed, um, accidentally in CrossFit play second, uh, after Karin. And then there was this guy that came up to me, he’s like, you should do the open to try to qualify for European regionals. And I was like, what is that? And he’s like, just show up on Wednesday, put your score in there. And, and I was like, okay. Cause I, I only trained at a hotel gym at that time. And, uh, so I, so I, I used to work in like a, yeah. I used to work in reception in a gym hotel.
Sevan Matossian: (52:23)
Did it even have a pull up bar or did you just do the lap, pull down
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (52:26)
Lap, pull down.
Sevan Matossian: (52:27)
Yeah. Yeah. Hotel
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (52:29)
Do to, to bar and like, um, uh, what’s it called? Like a drag cable
Sevan Matossian: (52:35)
Thing. Yes.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (52:36)
To that. And try to do toast to bar. Um,
Sevan Matossian: (52:40)
Yeah, please. Don’t put your, when I put my arms up, let there be at least a few minutes before you put your arms up. Sarah. Let’s not, I don’t want people having, like, being able to compare us that closely together. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (52:53)
But, uh, yeah, so I, I signed up for the open 2012. I did the first workout with like seven minutes of burpees and then the second workout came out and that was snatching. And I was like, what is this? So I just, the, and I was like, oh, it’s a bar from a floor to overhead. Anyhow. So I was like, 60 kilo is the last weight. I’m gonna get it up before. Uh, I try to do this on, on the day that we were doing it. And uh, I go to the hotel gym this great morning. Uh, just put, okay, so they, 40 kilos on a bar, a slide put 50 kilos. And I was like, okay, 60 kilos. I do Ana a narrow snack, sorry, Simon. Don’t lift your arms up narrow snap. Uh, and um, know how to put the bar back down. So I fall with the bar and I break me my wrist. Oh yeah. So I had to wait to, uh, to start again. So my was actually 2013.
Brian Friend: (53:56)
Well, that’s in that’s. I didn’t know that story, actually. That’s not a great story cuz it ended pat, but it is kind of a good insight to like that, you know, that’s how some people get started and
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (54:06)
It, it gave me so much hunger to actually like qualify the next year. I was like, 2013 is gonna be my year. I qualify for regionals and I get disqualified in the second event from not being able to do three over at squats in a row. And uh,
Brian Friend: (54:23)
The same problem, the overhead.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (54:26)
Yeah. And I was like, are you joking? So I had to wait a whole year and then it was a gymnastic year and I was like, what the hell is like this rope climb and these strict hands and pushups. So after 2014, I was like, I think I need a coach or a program to follow,
Brian Friend: (54:41)
Get outta this hotel gym.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (54:43)
Yeah. Uh, yeah, I was still stuck there, but
Brian Friend: (54:46)
Well obviously the opens coming up and I wanted to just ask you two things. One is, what’s your approach or perspective for the open this year? And two is in case there’s anyone listening, who’s thinking about doing it for the first time. What would you say to them?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (55:01)
I think everybody should do the open because I’ve, I’ve experienced so many times when I’m co coaching. And like I used to manage a box in Iceland and people would be so afraid of like, yeah, but I’m not fit enough. And I don’t wanna put a score in and I’m like, it doesn’t really matter, but it’s always fun for the next year. So let’s say that you just started training and you sign up for the open and it’s a test. Like you get your weaknesses exposed, there’s double unders there’s hands to pushups and, and you actually sometimes get it for the first time because you’re under pressure. So you can you experience that you can do more than you actually thought. That’s what I think about the open. And I think also people that can’t do specific things and then after a year they see like something is repeated or something and they’re like, oh, I can actually do it in now.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (55:47)
And they see the improvement that they’ve made in a whole year. And that’s what I love about the open. And especially now the new way it is, it’s like the, uh, the two, two weeks in the start or three weeks and then break and then quarter finals. So it’s like everybody that does cross it to do the first three weeks. It’s just fun. It’s getting you out of your comfort zone, getting the community hyped up and just having fun with it. This is what cross is about. Everybody’s cheering each other, everybody pushing each other and,
Brian Friend: (56:18)
And it’s, and it’s almost a guarantee that if it’s, this will be your first open, that it will end better than Sarah’s first open did for her.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (56:25)
Yeah, exactly. YouTube snacks that have a coat and actually do CrossFit before you do the open.
Sevan Matossian: (56:36)
And um, and when right after you sign up for the open, I want you to, uh, everyone to run over and pick up a, a seven podcast CEO shirt. Um, while you have your credit card out of your wallet,
Speaker 6: (56:48)
I want that shirt,
Sevan Matossian: (56:49)
Caleb, can you show us the shirt and, and run over that? You’ll have your, you’ll have your credit card out. And, um, and I, and like, I’ve, like I’ve said before, I will keep all of that, the profits from that, and I will spend it on my family. And while we’re, um, out, um, you know, know at the beach buying samples and with the money I made off of you, I will, um, I will think about you and appreciate you greatly. And, and I will, and, and yeah, I will for sure send you on. And, and there’s a girls’ tee too. I didn’t even know girls and boys wore different shirts. I thought we just all wore the same.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (57:18)
Yeah. I mean, I could wear both.
Sevan Matossian: (57:20)
I do, you know, the other day my boys were, I, I put on a pair of boxers
Brian Friend: (57:26)
Laughing it
Sevan Matossian: (57:26)
Too. What’d you say?
Brian Friend: (57:27)
Isn’t there a rainbow version of it too?
Sevan Matossian: (57:29)
There is. Oh, that’s the girl’s version. That’s the version I need. I need a version. Why does the girls get one that makes their body look nice? And I have to wear the one that makes the SpongeBob.
Brian Friend: (57:42)
Yeah. Like a square men’s fit is a square.
Sevan Matossian: (57:45)
Yeah. Sarah in, in two minutes, um, we’re gonna have Danielle Brandon on, is there any advice you would give a new athlete like her
Sevan Matossian: (57:54)
Who’s come in because she’s in a very similar situation. It’s funny. I didn’t think about this. There’s someone like you. There’s someone like Josh bridges. There are these athletes who are re she she’s on the ascent to being a superstar, but is in a, she you’re right. Sorry. She is a superstar, but she’s in a shark tank and let’s face it for her to be climb to the top of the heap is going to be nuts. Is there any advice you would give to someone like her who, um, is, is experiencing massive amounts of attention, but, but, but still has this goal of getting to the top, uh, and has this not, but, and has this,
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (58:28)
I would say just keeping the main thing, the main thing, like what’s your main focus and prioritizing that don’t get lost in the
Sevan Matossian: (58:40)
And, and what is the?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (58:43)
I would say that, uh, like, at least for me, I said yes to a lot of things, because I felt guilty saying no. And, and maybe things that, uh, didn’t quite help me reach where I want to go. Like, so like knowing when to say yes and to no is like the key thing. And I, I, I hope that she, she knows that. And I think that she does
Sevan Matossian: (59:11)
Meaning, meaning, um, this boy dating this boy is not gonna get me to where I want eating this meal is not gonna get me to where I want. Um, yeah. I mean, staying out this late is not. Yeah.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (59:21)
Is this gonna help me make it to the top? Or is this gonna, uh, make me go like below getting, or like, am I going even further away from the top by doing this? And what, what are the steps for me to make it to the top?
Sevan Matossian: (59:37)
Got it. There’s almost there, like there should be an app and you point your cam at it and you’re like, uh, will this help me get to the top?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (59:43)
You can also. Yeah, but you can also have like the witch ball, like, should I do this? And then it like says yes or
Sevan Matossian: (59:50)
No. Yes. Or you could just get max a Hodge.
Speaker 5: (59:54)
Yep. Or
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (59:57)
He has Justin he’s he’s as good. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (01:00:00)
Sarah, thank you for an hour on your Sunday morning.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:04)
You are most welcome. Thank you for having me on
Brian Friend: (01:00:06)
Hold on, hold on, hold on, Sarah. Are you gonna watch the super bowl tonight?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:10)
I am. It’s my first super bowl.
Brian Friend: (01:00:12)
Do you have a rooting interest or are you just
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:16)
I’m I’m gonna set up a, like a, can you see this? This is for my room.
Sevan Matossian: (01:00:21)
It’s like a fun hydrant. What is that?
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:23)
It’s not a fire hydrant. It’s like a shelf.
Sevan Matossian: (01:00:26)
Okay.
Speaker 5: (01:00:27)
I’m
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:27)
Gonna build that while watching a bowl tonight. Guys have faith in me.
Brian Friend: (01:00:33)
I know Don
Sevan Matossian: (01:00:34)
Don’t hit your finger with the hammer.
Brian Friend: (01:00:41)
Well, enjoy the super bowl and, and yeah. Thanks for coming on. This was a lot of fun.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:45)
Yeah. Thank you so much,
Sevan Matossian: (01:00:46)
Sir. You’re the best you made my day. Thank you.
Sara Sigmundsdóttir: (01:00:49)
You are the best and say hi to Danielle for me.
Sevan Matossian: (01:00:51)
Okay,
Speaker 5: (01:00:53)
Bye.
Danielle Brandon: (01:00:58)
Hello? Oh.
Brian Friend: (01:00:59)
Oh,
Sevan Matossian: (01:01:04)
Someone goes hi, Danielle DV, Danielle, Brandon.
Danielle Brandon: (01:01:14)
I know. I just heard the end of that. How Sarah said, say hi to Danielle. For me,
Sevan Matossian: (01:01:20)
Some, someone in the comments. I can’t remember what they said, but they said something about out having you and, um, Sarah on. And I was like, I cannot lie. Cuz later on this week I have rich on, I, I cannot lie. Like I walk a little bit taller knowing I, I had you, um, Sarah and rich on all in the same week. I’m like, yeah, I’m the. I’m the. And you Brian and you Brian.
Brian Friend: (01:01:42)
Yeah. No, you don’t. You don’t have to lie. Remember we talked Cola thing. Take the money. No lie.
Speaker 5: (01:01:50)
Oh my God.
Sevan Matossian: (01:01:53)
Danielle, where are you? No, hold on Brian. Where the are you?
Brian Friend: (01:01:56)
My
Sevan Matossian: (01:01:57)
Brother’s for an hour. And I’m like, where is he?
Brian Friend: (01:02:00)
I’m at my brother’s house. We got a super bowl party a little later tonight.
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:03)
Oh, it’s nice. The wooden blinds.
Brian Friend: (01:02:06)
I tried to do it from the guest bedroom where the internet was not sufficient in there.
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:10)
I’m in my room.
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:11)
Danielle. Where are you
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:13)
In? My room
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:15)
Are in, in, in, in Vegas.
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:17)
Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:18)
Um, we had Kotler on the other day.
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:21)
Yeah, you did
Brian Friend: (01:02:23)
Dude. That guy is something else.
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:25)
I know,
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:27)
Man. He’s a huge Danielle Brandon fan. Say that again.
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:31)
He has had so many lives, lived so many lives.
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:35)
Um, he he’s a huge fan. He, he believes in you like crazy easy. Is that like just intense pressure?
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:42)
No,
Sevan Matossian: (01:02:44)
No, no,
Danielle Brandon: (01:02:45)
No, no. It’s good. It’s good to have somebody like that in my life that, um, is like right there and believes in me that much, you know, because like I can have friends, family who are like, oh my God, like, you’re so good. You know, but they don’t really, I see me every day and see what I do. So it’s good to have somebody who like is there and gets to see that and has that belief still, you know?
Sevan Matossian: (01:03:10)
Um, and, and you didn’t have that, like growing up. Um, I, I had that, but growing up, you didn’t ha you had to believe in yourself. You didn’t really have anyone who believed in you, huh?
Danielle Brandon: (01:03:19)
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I had, um, I had my best friend. Um, I had a couple really good friends, but you know, it always sucked, like not having family, like, you know, blood related family that had that belief in you, when everyone around you did, you know? So it was like, okay, like, yeah, you’re my best friend. I love you. But you know, are you really reliable kind of thing. So
Sevan Matossian: (01:03:49)
Yeah. You told us on that first interview that you didn’t trust anyone. And what’s fascinating is that kind of came up unprovoked with Kotler. He basically said that the, the diamond in the rough about the games last year, a development of his relationship with you, meaning because of what happened to Bethany and Carrie and you and him were forced into kind of a pressure cooker situation. And you guys were able to like take leaps and bounds in your relationship. I’m I’m paraphrasing. Um, yeah. And you guys took advantage of that. Would you say that you, do you agree with that? Or is Justin full of? You still don’t trust him. him. You’re going to, you know, mayhem next week.
Danielle Brandon: (01:04:29)
I think. No, it was, it was like a good opportunity for that, cuz it forced me to like be with Justin, right? Like during the whole days of competition, it forced me to be right there with him and it forced to figure out and like it was not perfect. Like it was not like I had my moments and I, you know, like it was exhausting and I had my moments of lack of communication, um, not listening. Um, good. But it forced me to try to communicate as much as possible on what worked best for me. I think we found out some things that weekend of like the, the style of coaching that he has with me. Um, and how different it probably is compared to like Bethany or Carrie. Um, so it forced us to like figure out a lot of those things and not to say we did it perfectly or it was like the smoothest weekend, but we made progress.
Sevan Matossian: (01:05:26)
Yeah. Hey, when you jump up on stage and you flip off the crowd with a smile and the crowd cheers are, is, is that kind, I know I asked you about this before. I forget what you said, but is that kind of like, are you even kind of like at that moment have out of body experience, are you kind of like, wow, who’s this girl flipping off the crowd? Why is she doing that? Or like,
Danielle Brandon: (01:05:44)
I don’t think it was like outta body, but you know, like you’re definitely, I was on this like, hi, but I don’t think I told the story of like behind like the,
Sevan Matossian: (01:05:54)
And the crowd loves it. Yeah. Flip us off Danielle. Yeah. Yeah. They love you flipping ’em off. Like yeah. We’re getting flipped up. Like they’re like flipping. I mean that’s a special person personally.
Danielle Brandon: (01:06:02)
Like that was to me, like people loved it. They were like, yeah, yeah. She was flipping me off. Like not everybody, not like a figure.
Sevan Matossian: (01:06:11)
Oh, these people are so selfish. They think it was for them. Look at the little girl in the front row. She’s like, there’s my hero, Danielle. Oh,
Danielle Brandon: (01:06:21)
I know all the little kids right there. Hey, they still ask for an auto.
Sevan Matossian: (01:06:25)
Say that again. Sorry.
Danielle Brandon: (01:06:26)
They still ask for an autograph. The kids
Sevan Matossian: (01:06:28)
Listen. People. We are all not created equal. You have to understand that. That is a special gift that God gave Danielle to express. He, Danielle is what God’s own expression. And, and, and you are your own expression and you are not to judge her or judge yourself, find how God wants to use you and let, let that being. He, she, its spirit use you and, and, and it works. Like we see it. We are not, not everyone, not rich own as specialist. He is. He cannot go up and win and flip the crowd off. That’s not, that’s not his, that’s not him.
Danielle Brandon: (01:07:07)
I agree.
Sevan Matossian: (01:07:08)
But we all felt your love when you did that. It was like, oh, Danielle loves us.
Danielle Brandon: (01:07:15)
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Sevan Matossian: (01:07:19)
Um, okay. Um, Kayla, can you pull up her Instagram? This is gonna get scary, Danielle.
Danielle Brandon: (01:07:24)
Oh really?
Sevan Matossian: (01:07:25)
Oh, maybe a little for me, for me cuz it’s been just, just in my brain. Just rattling my brain. I don’t know how I’m gonna approach this subject here. Oh, Um, so, so you talked about how be when you, um, I think you started at underdogs athletics. You were, you weren’t eating enough and you were, you were doing like, um, 1200 calories a day and that basically someone came up to you, the nutritionist is like, Hey, this enough of this nonsense and you basically, you crashed on an assault bike once.
Danielle Brandon: (01:07:58)
Oh yeah. Yep. Yeah. It is a, yeah. I just died. I literally died. And I, I was like, I, my Bo I was like, my body like could not do it anymore. And then Justin was like, he’s like, what the? Like, we need to figure this out. And he’s like, I’m calling Cooper today and called coop. And he’s like, we need to like, get her. We need to find something. We need to fix this. And then sure enough, Mike from M two, he works with like Hailey. Um, he works with it now. I think he works with Kyra now at our gym.
Brian Friend: (01:08:30)
Actually, a lot of he works in, has worked with a lot of athletes,
Danielle Brandon: (01:08:33)
A ton of athletes. I can can’t even like name him all. But uh, and now, uh, I think Keefer works for him, but Keefer is at our gym right now. That’s what made me think of him.
Sevan Matossian: (01:08:43)
But Keefer, when you say Keer works with him, he’s actually working on Kiefer’s diet too.
Danielle Brandon: (01:08:47)
Actually, I don’t, I don’t know. Keefer is related directly related somehow. I don’t know.
Sevan Matossian: (01:08:53)
So, so, so he, so you have this insane body that, that just like everyone wants to cuddle like dudes and girls. Like, I cannot believe how many girls wanna cuddle you? Like do people would be like, my wife has a crush on Danielle too. It’s like, what? Like all the you’re bringing couples together. It’s weird,
Danielle Brandon: (01:09:11)
Like that. The DMS are like, my wife like wants to know this. Like, can you like do this for my wife? Like, it’s great.
Sevan Matossian: (01:09:19)
Yeah. You somehow, somehow made it safe for men, uh, for men to have a crush on you, um, with their wives, having a crush on you. Um, but when you, when you, when you’re eating these 1200 calories, I’m assuming you’re doing it because you wanna have a body that looks a certain way.
Danielle Brandon: (01:09:35)
Um, no, I mean, no, I struggled with no, no. I struggled with like, you know, went through my like eating disorder phase kind of in like high school college. Um, but it was never like, oh, I’m gonna intent. Like, I don’t know. I didn’t intentionally eat less to like make my body look as certain way because it still looked, it didn’t look how I wanted it eating less.
Sevan Matossian: (01:10:00)
Right. Oh, it’s strong point.
Danielle Brandon: (01:10:03)
Yeah. Like I had my best friend and I was always so envious of her. She had like amazing abs and I was like, what the? Like I work out so much harder than you. And it was cuz she, she always ate so much, like she ate what was.
The above transcript is generated using AI technology and therefore may contain errors
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