Over the past month, I’ve sat down with 25% of the 2026 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team. We’ve talked about growing up skiing in small mountain towns. About catastrophic injuries and Olympic debuts. About standing in the start gate feeling alive with adrenaline. About fear. Confidence. Burnout. Balance. And the decision to keep going. The questions varied. But every conversation ultimately explored the same idea: how do the best American athletes build and sustain their mindset?

When Riley Jacobs drops in, she’s doesn’t overcomplicate it. Her mentality is simple: just do the thing. And it’s taken her all the way to the Olympic halfpipe. A result of years of showing up, rebuilding after injury, and learning to trust what she already knows how to do.

Sisters, speed, and the U.S. powerhouse. Before her Olympic debut, Mary Bocock sat down with Back The Team to chat about racing alongside her sister Elizabeth, why the U.S. women’s speed team is stronger than it’s been in years, and the mindset it takes to win in the unforgiving sport of ski racing.

In less than 24 hours, Jaelin Kauf went from third to last in Qualification 1 to standing on the Olympic podium as a back-to-back Olympic silver medalist. None of her physical preparation changed. What shifted was her mindset. Jaelin showed that “confidence isn’t a feeling you wait for. It’s something you earn by showing up again and again, even when things don’t go your way.” Her comeback is proof that you are not your worst day; you are what you do next. This is exactly why Back The Team exists: to train the mental game and connect athletes with mindset mentorship that turns setbacks into breakthroughs.