How to Think Like an Olympian: Gabby Thomas’s Mental Game for Everyday Pressure

Olympic finals look glamorous on TV. In real life, they’re long flights, moving targets, and a mind that has to make peace with chaos. That’s why Gabby Thomas’s appearance on The Squeeze lands like a masterclass for anyone trying to keep it together when the stakes feel high.

In an enlightening conversation with Tay Lautner, Thomas keeps circling the same idea: You don’t have to white-knuckle your way to the top. You can choose your timing, pick your people, and build a brain that performs on command.

What Gabby Thomas teaches about starting late

If you didn’t “begin at five,” you’re not behind—you’re fresher. Thomas explains her origin story without apology, saying, “I believe I was 12. I started in middle school because my mom just kind of forced me to do it.” She adds that she has “always been into sports,” and in those early years, she “did it all”—soccer, basketball, softball, cheerleading, gymnastics, and even horseback riding when curiosity struck.

That broad base becomes an edge. She calls it “one of my advantages and almost a superpower” to “not have had that super early, intense start.”

So resist panic about your timeline. Sampling builds resilience, and there’s power in arriving hungry rather than exhausted.

Reframe pressure into proof you’re ready

When the stakes rise, Thomas treats pressure like a signal—proof she belongs in the moment. The results follow her mindset. At Harvard, she says, “I ended up running and winning the NCAA championship and breaking a collegiate record, which was very unexpected for me, and something that is just not really heard of from Harvard.” The message isn’t that the path was easy. It’s that the right mindset made it possible.

For your own life, when the calendar stacks up or the presentation looms, tell yourself you’re in a moment that proves your growth. Let the nerves confirm you’re doing something that matters.

Use the pivot play when plans derail

Derailments aren’t omens. They’re training blocks in disguise. When Thomas moved to Texas to level up, the world stopped. “Covid happened,” she says, and “there were just no track meets to be had.” The uncertainty was loud enough that she emailed her agent: “I think this is it for me. We’re just going to have to retire, and I’m going to continue school.” She kept showing up anyway, “training as if there were Olympics, but there were no Olympics to train for.”

Your move: When the detour hits—a breakup, a layoff, a canceled launch—don’t catastrophize. Do the short list you can do today. Momentum likes small wins.

Build an environment that raises your ceiling

Talent grows where it’s planted. Gabby Thomas chose a room that forced her to stretch: “I moved to Texas. And I joined a group called the Buford Bailey Track Club. And they already had Olympians in the group. My coach was a three-time Olympian herself.” The point isn’t proximity to fame. It’s proximity to standards. She reads the room and decides, “This is going to be a good environment for me to train and just see what I can do.”

Translate that at home: Pick colleagues, friends, and mentors who normalize the level you want. Borrow their pace until it becomes yours.

Borrow her pre-race ritual for everyday stress

Gabby Thomas doesn’t overcomplicate the concept of “getting in the zone.” She says, “The only pre-race ritual that I have is meditation,” a habit she started in college because “it’s so grounding and it has actual neurological effects.” On hard days, she’ll “incorporate it into my warmup,” doing “two minutes of meditation, focusing on breath, work, and nothing else.”

That’s a micro-tool you can use before a presentation, a tough conversation, or a toddler meltdown. Two minutes. Eyes soft. Follow the breath. Then go.

Stay in control by making the day ordinary

Finally, the coolest flex in Thomas’s mental game is how ordinary she makes extraordinary moments feel. She explains that “that’s just how I cope and how I deal with really high-pressure meets or competitions,” reminding herself, “it’s just another regular day.” If “something unexpected happens,” she gives herself grace and says, “I’m just gonna go race.”

You don’t need an Olympic circuit to use the Olympic playbook. Start when you’re ready. Let pressure confirm you’re prepared. Pivot without panic. Choose rooms that stretch you. And when life gets loud, steal Thomas’s two-minute reset so you can treat your moment like another regular day—then run your race.

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