An Interview With Melissa Llarena

Meet Breeja Larson. She is an American competition swimmer who specializes in the breaststroke and is an Olympic gold medalist. She earned a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She is also a 2013 world champion and nine-time American record holder. This week she joins me to share her road to becoming an Olympian, the importance of having an open mind for accepting advice from unlikely sources, and how she works to have a better understanding of her emotions, recognizing patterns, and determining how she can move forward.  Larson was born in Mesa, Arizona, one of seven sisters. She grew up humbly and decided to do everything in her power to get to the Olympics. Initially, inspired as a little girl by gymnasts; eventually, Breeja found her “lane” in swimming. As a senior in high school, she was the state runner-up in the 100-yard breaststroke. She attended Texas A&M University, where she swam for the Texas A&M Aggies swimming and diving team in the National