Shadowing Practice: Eileen Gu Opens Up About Death Threats, Growing up Biracial, & Confidence Secrets - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Eileen Gu is 18 years old, she's a skier, she's a favorite to win several gold medals, she has one parent who was born in China, and she switched sides despite the fact she's American.

At least invite me for a date.

Eileen not holding back on one-one.

China's snow princess is the queen of Big Air.

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Hey, I'm Eileen Gu, and welcome to The Burnouts.

Take us back to when you were juggling all of this stuff, like you were working out, you also had school, you were modeling.

How did you balance all of it?

I need the Eileen Goo time management tricks.

I mean, I think that what's a little bit misunderstood about me is that because my three things, like the fashion world, skiing,

and school, they're kind of geographically disparate.

So it's not like I wake up in the morning

and ski for three hours and then go to my seminar in the afternoon and then go shoot a campaign at night.

Realistically, what I'm really good at is less doing everything at the same time and more pivoting with very low emotional toll.

So you do like periods of hyper focus on like one specific thing and then switch?

Yeah.

And it's like when you're doing one thing, it's rest from another thing.

So for example, if I'm training or if I'm working out, like that's a physical toll.

But if I'm sitting in a classroom, my body's repairing itself while I'm doing something else.

So it's like I have all these tasks running in the background.

There's this thing called post Olympic depression.

And it's like very common among athletes, pretty well-known phenomenon.

But the interesting thing is it's not at all correlated to result.

And I think that's what's kind of surprising to people is like you can win the Olympics

and still just enter the deepest rut of your life and just really be questioning everything.

Your purpose feels so burnt out, but at the same time, just have all this anxiety and pent up energy, not sure where to direct it.

And I was no exception.

Right.

So like I'm talking to my friends who had this huge disappointment at the Olympics.

And in a way they're like, you know, I mean, talking to you is kind of making me feel better because you literally had the, you know, quote unquote, perfect Olympics.

You broke all these records and you're still feeling this way.

You're feeling the same way.

And so it's almost makes them feel better in a way.

And so, so going through that, I think was probably the biggest burnout thing, like six months after the Olympics, it was just, I mean, think about it, right?

You're working your entire life towards this one massive goal.

And so then you're 18, you feel like you're on top of the world

and then you hit this hole

and then what you know the whole world opens up ahead of you

and you're questioning what next I would say that that was

that was a burnout period for me we call like

when we go to and it's quite cheesy

but like our friends my mom my text like I have like my executive council

or my board of people that I go to

and it can be a dumb decision of what I'm doing

so healthy who is that for you like is your mom

that person I know you're super close to your grandma what are like those different support systems

that you have my mom is huge and she travels with me.

Right.

So like seeking mentorship in a holistic sense is sometimes challenging

because a lot of the things I do kind of are the first time someone's doing it in the way

that I'm doing it.

But there are people who've gone through really incredible experiences and everyone's unique.

And so being able to draw from just that like wealth of knowledge.

So my mom for sure.

And then honestly, like friends who I really respect.

I think I have a great support system of friends

and the cool thing is

when you're little like one to two years feels like a lot

but then you get older and like you can have friends who are like 35

and when was that threshold for you where you were like oh my god like this thing

that I love doing like either fashion

or skiing like actually turned into oh my god like I'm running my own business well it's kind of funny

because the skiing thing happened by accident like I always loved skiing growing up I grew up in San Francisco.

And so I did the weekend warrior thing with the four hour drive to Tahoe.

And what that meant that I actually was skiing two days a week.

I probably had like 45, 50 days on the mountain, which is just like, by no means was I like a professional skier or training.

And so I was 16, I was running cross country and track in high school.

And that was like my big thing.

I thought I was going to get recruited.

I got invited to my first free ski world cup when I was 16.

And it was like the alternate of the alternate

because like someone had gotten hurt and then that person couldn't make it on a visa issue.

And so it was this one-time opportunity for me to go to a World Cup.

And it was the same week as my state championships.

And I actually picked running because I was like, I'm going to be a runner.

Like this is my thing.

And then at the last minute, it was actually my teammates' parents who like came to me and my mom and said, we really appreciate what you're doing for our girls.

Like it's a team sport, right?

You score together.

And so we understand that, you know, our team's going to do a lot better with you there as opposed to not.

but if it was our daughter we would we would have them go to the world cup um

and so i did and and i actually did quite well there

and then i got enough points through

that to get invited back with my own spot the next time

and so then my second world cup i got second place

and my third one i actually won and so then that's kind of

when i was like oh wow i'm actually relevant here

when did you first start reading like your first contracts like what did

that look like for you i've always made a point of reading my own contracts i think that's super important to

anybody out there like young people seriously read your own contracts

do not trust anyone with the final read I don't care

who they are read the final cut um really really important

but I I go through like redlining even still

so like I really am involved from the start to the finish

when did I start probably like since the beginning since my first deal when I was like 13 14.

Walk me through like what's your negotiation process particularly for like

young women who are just starting their careers like a tough

thing is your salary negotiation how would you think about that even outside of brand deals.

Like, oh, this is a skill I've really taken that works for me in different negotiations.

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So don't be afraid to ask.

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I would say it's like number one, go and like do the work beforehand.

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So like have a sense of your value.

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I would say that's super important.

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What differentiates you?

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Why do you deserve what you think you deserve?

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And then how to ask.

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So those are, I think, the two steps.

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But the biggest thing is honestly, don't be afraid to try because the worst someone can say is no.

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And then you can settle for something in between what's it

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like working with your mom is there how do you guys deal with like conflict

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when you guys are in your work relationship

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and how do you maintain like also your personal relationship this is something me

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and sofia have transparently struggled with we were roommates for years

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and then we recently decided like we probably should live together

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because we're spending so much time together at the office

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and we really had to frankly learn a way to argue with each other

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that is productive

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because she drives me fucking insane i know i drive her

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insane we disagree on stuff all the time we have to

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figure out like okay how do we separate personal there's nobody

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on earth who has my best interests at heart like my mom does.

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Sometimes I just take a step back and be like, without her, without that level of trust, like it's irreplaceable.

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And so even when we're fighting, it's like, how can we create a resolution, work together to resolve this problem, even if the problem is with each other?

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If I have her guidance, I'm almost guaranteed to do better.

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And so when do I take that time to go and do my self-exploration?

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And like, what is low risk enough for me to do that?

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Because if everything I'm dealing with is so high level or like high stress and high pressure, then it sometimes feels like I don't have the freedom to do that.

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So recently with the injury thing, I actually think that that's given me a lot of space and clarity on that.

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I feel like it's so valuable to take time and just be alone.

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And you don't even have to be doing anything.

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You don't need to have a crazy itinerary.

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It's just the sense of being alone in the world and building up that self-confidence of, hey, I am a capable person.

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I have good critical thinking skills.

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I can take care of myself if everything blows up tomorrow, I can survive.

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And I think being in a city, being alone can do that for you.

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I don't know what your experience has been like in New York.

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I feel like there's no other, no better place to do it.

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So I'm just curious, like, do you feel that way?

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A hundred percent.

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I mean, we're so young, like all of us.

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I mean, it's so funny.

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You're like, oh, I'm 21.

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I'm grown.

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I mean, like I'm 23 and I still feel like I just like graduated high school and I'm still beginning everything.

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And I think part of that is like the only way to really get to know yourself is by being alone.

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Otherwise, you just become a combination of everyone around you.

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And then, yeah, and then you don't learn to think about like, what do I actually care about?

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Like, what do I want to see?

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I need to be alone.

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And I need to think about like, what do I think is the right decision?

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Or like, what do I want?

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And then to have other people think about it.

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And then you come together and you both have like a chance to share your perspective.

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And I think even like, you know, one thing that you've talked a lot about is like solo travel when you went to India by yourself.

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I think that was when you had some of the best self-reflection in your life.

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A hundred percent.

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I think she came back.

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She was a way better roommate.

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Cleaner.

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I think it's just so like, and I definitely want to know how this has felt for you, like traveling alone, but it's just such a transformative experience.

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Cause I think that's like the moment when I realized I'm not a kid anymore.

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Like I'm fully in charge of myself.

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Like I need to take self-responsibility.

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If I miss a flight, like if something goes wrong, Like that was totally on me.

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And I think it forces you to develop a lot of like personal critical skills.

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And so, yeah, like how has that been for you?

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Like now that you're traveling the world alone, like what has that taught you?

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It's really important for you to feel that safety net drop out from under you.

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Like, do you know what I mean?

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At Stanford, it's this little bubble.

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Like you have the dining halls, you have the sense of structure.

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Worst case scenario, like you have the schedule set out for you.

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It's not that hard to make friends because you're just surrounded by people in your age group.

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But when you're totally by yourself, it feels like the world is just opening out in front of you.

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And that sense of the yawning abyss of the world is this kind of really exciting thing on one hand, but also kind of scary and nerve wracking.

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And it's so important that everybody goes through it.

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It's so important.

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I'm super curious to ask you because you have a brand, your own personal brand you're also your body is part of your career both through modeling

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and being an athlete it's a huge asset

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that you have what do you feel like do you ever feel like you're building a brand

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or where does like kind of the divide come between like where you feel like hey i'm a person

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and then i'm also building this image on top of it

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does it feel like there's a divide there for you

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or do you feel like it's natural i'm really lucky in a lot of ways

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because i don't have have a traditional career path

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and I'll be the first one to admit

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that right I literally got to pick three things

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that interested me school fashion and skiing

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and fashion it together in this like cool unique interesting way

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but it actually is just me like I actually just like these things

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and if nobody knew who I was

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if I didn't get paid to do any of it these would be the things

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that I would want to be doing as far as the

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building a brand thing I think the biggest thing is knowing myself and knowing what I stand for, I say no all the time.

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But more importantly, I find ways to say yes.

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And what I mean by that is, for example, when I turned 18, I was asked to walk Victoria's Secret.

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And that was a really, really exciting thing for me.

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The cultural impact of that show is there's no way to overstate.

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And also just the fashion brain, that one third of my brain

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that I have is just like go you know exploding with excitement

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but on the other hand i'm thinking to myself okay

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if i want to start a company for example is this still a founder

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that someone could respect if they

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if i wanted to approach them is there any door

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that is going to close because of this

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and that's a really unfortunate thing to have to ask

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because honestly like being able to model or do swim

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or lingerie or any of that can be such a deeply empowering thing.

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And it is a celebration of femininity and womanhood.

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But on the other hand, I mean, we can't ignore the social implications that it has.

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That's just the world we live in.

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And it's really unfortunate.

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And so I found a way to say yes.

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And what that meant was I actually, so I wore this custom, you know, bodysuit situation.

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It was like leggings, like long pants, but it was like a cat suit.

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It was still, I felt really confident.

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I felt really feminine.

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I felt like I was really embodying still the Victoria's Secret energy.

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It was sexy, but athletic.

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Exactly.

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And I was able to have this brand still and be really true to myself.

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And in no world am I thinking like, this is my brand.

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It's more just like, are these values aligning with mine?

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Yes or no. And if they're not, find a way instead of just being like, no, this is not happening.

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And so I ended up doing it and I was so happy.

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And I think that was definitely the right call

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and it just taught me to find a way to say

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yes most recently this week sports illustrated swim came out yesterday yeah i can grab appreciate it um but

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that was another dilemma for me right i got the offer

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and they're like hey do you want to shoot sports illustrated swim

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and i ended up doing it again because i think

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that i believed in the team it's actually an all women-led team that's really interesting um

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and they're so empowering

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so inspiring the energy on set is amazing at no point did i feel pressure to do anything

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that i didn't want to do

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but the fact was i did my homework beforehand i went in knowing what i was okay with

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and what i wasn't um and i knew exactly the values

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that i wanted to embody and it's easy to know that

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because i know myself

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so i went in i wanted to embody strength i wanted to embody femininity

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and the intersection of beauty and power i actually wrote my college essay on that I love them.

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But you can use these platforms in the right way

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and be on them and represent things that you feel you're proud of, that you want your kids to be proud of, that you think are influencing the next generation, leaving a positive legacy.

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Realizing that sometimes the two options you're given are not actually two

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and that you are able to kind of find a third option that works out better, not only for you, but also for the other side.

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And for you, how did you fall into fashion?

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Like, obviously, you're beautiful.

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You're brilliant it?

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Like, how did you decide I want to also start modeling?

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This was a super interesting time in my life.

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I was 14 and I got invited to my first fashion week in Paris.

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And at the time, I mean, skiing, free skiing is very male dominated sport.

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I was the only girl on my ski team forever until I was 15 and joined the US team.

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So when I was 14, I had no real sense of what the intersection of like femininity

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and sport could look like because I so badly wanted to be a boy

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and it wasn't even in the like I'm not like other

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girls I actually just wanted to be a little boy like

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I would wear the same clothes I would speak the same way I would try to you know emulate everything

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that I saw my teammates doing

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because I just wanted to be friends with them pivoting from

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that all of a sudden to fashion week right so different

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and I think it totally opened my eyes to what what

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could be possible like I don't actually feel I have to

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sacrifice the athletic part of myself in order to also appreciate the incredible complexity

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and expressionism and creativity that you can see in the fashion industry

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and I don't think

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that you have to make a compromise there I'm never going

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to be a better boy yeah than the boy who's sitting

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next to me on the chairlift you know what I mean I'm never going to beat him at

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that game do you ever get insecure I get insecure I

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think everyone gets insecure right I mean no I would no

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one would be okay good I'm glad we're on the same

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page I wanted to check I wanted to check in there

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okay good well I think it's like we're all perfectionists

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and I think that's the thing that people struggle to realize like I think

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that was something that really stuck with me

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when I had like my first conversation with you at KUFA where you were talking about like struggling with things

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or like self-image or anything like that And I think it's like the problem with perfectionism is like enough is never enough.

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Like there is no ceiling.

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Like you can always do more.

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Like has there been times for you where you're like, what's my next move?

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Like what's my next step?

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Especially now that like you have your injury.

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Like how do you look at what you want to continue to achieve?

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I talk about this actually a lot with my mom

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because I think that she really sees this part of me very clearly.

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I was always the small fish in the big pond, which is an incredible place to be as a young person because you're a sponge, right?

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Your neuroplasticity is off the charts.

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You're learning from just existing and you're so perceptive.

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You're picking up all these subconscious cues.

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And so when you are around people who know more than you, are more successful than you, are better at skiing than you, I was always the young one, the little one, maybe the only girl.

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Like for some reason, I felt like I was the small fish.

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And so having that mentality allowed me to grow super fast.

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And it also allowed me to have a degree of humility when it came to learning.

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Like it's impossible to hurt my feelings with criticism.

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I think that's a really great skill that I've learned is

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that it's not everyone's job to be able to present something nicely to you.

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So to be able to be given constructive criticism, I think is the biggest blessing, but it also, it's a two-way street.

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You have to be able to receive it.

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If every time I got constructive criticism, I was offended, I would never grow.

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This is kind of ridiculous.

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I'll sit my friends down maybe like once a quarter, be like, okay, it's, it's rosebud thorn time.

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And they're like, what?

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I'm like, yeah, you heard me.

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Give me the thorn, like thorn me.

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I want to know.

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I want to know.

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I think that's the most valuable thing that I could possibly be given.

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I think

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that being a small fish in a big pond has made me kind of very open to this criticism

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and judgment from others and allowed me to grow because of it, be very resilient.

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But on the other hand, it's kind of undermined my own judgment.

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I think now one thing I'm working on is trusting my own judgment more

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and how do you deal with

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that like I know like you keep getting caught up in

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the media between the China US stuff like how do you deal with

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that and like having your own identity within that

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and like your own opinions girl having like 18 years old

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yep I randomly like flip on the TV why is Tucker

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Carlson on like a 30 minute I just think it's kind of crazy

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that like that's what you're depending on for a platform

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and i don't want to make the excuse of like oh like i'm a young girl like i am

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but also why is

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that going to be your platform like you think that's gonna

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make your popularity go up like you think like bullying 18

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year olds on your show is like a good look for you

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because your business like has to be multicultural like you have

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to you have a business arm in china you have a

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business arm in the u.s that's core to the entire fashion industry that's how international commerce also works like

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so i imagine you have to also i'm just curious on like the culture

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and do you ever feel like you get pressure from american brands to do certain things

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and then you get pressure from other brands in china to

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do certain things like how do you kind of walk

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that line as well that's a super interesting question

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so i am biracial

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so i feel like i really grew up with both like in the most authentic form possible

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so i was on my way to school in the summer

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and i would call the taxi cab i'd be like i'm on this corner of this street

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and he would every time every morning the car would just

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drive past me i'd be like what i just called you like i said i'm right here

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and then i figured out it's because they would look at me me and be like, oh, that's not the person whose voice we heard.

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Like we heard someone.

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And again, you have to think like China is a very homogenous society, just racially.

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And so I really stand out there, like really stand out.

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And I joke that I was always a celebrity growing up

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because I would be like four in the elevator and somebody like, look at her face, look at her nose.

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Look, look, look at her.

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Look, look at the little girl.

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Look at the little European girl.

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And I think that's kind of a thing in the U.S where it's like if you're, you know, the odd one out, you think of it as a bad thing.

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And so I had that mentality for a few years.

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But then what I realized is people were actually like kind of complimenting me because you're gorgeous

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well thank you

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but I mean I was five I was just like what

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am I what am I doing like why can I not

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be like other people I'm trying to prove to you

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that I speak Chinese I like my mom is Chinese I spend

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so much time here I feel

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so culturally fluent like what else do you want from me how else can I prove to you

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that I fit in um and then I stopped trying to prove it

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because I was like this is really interesting I actually can

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be a cultural bridge you're right I'm not fully one I'm actually both.

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And there's no shame in that.

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Like I'm fully both.

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And that's even better.

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My world is even bigger.

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I've expanded my worldview and I get to play this unique role as a bridge

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and bring all this joy that I get to experience from both of these places to one another.

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And that's the most powerful and awesome and exciting thing that I could possibly think of.

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I mean, I remember I was four in kindergarten in the US

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and kids would be bringing in like raisins

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or whatever snack for for snack time and for recess

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and i would bring in it's called it's like this lotus

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leaf wrapped sticky rice with sausage in the middle like very asian sort of thing

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and so it was definitely sticking out in in the lunch boxes

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and so i didn't even have a lunch box i have like a plastic bag of course of course

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but i think there's always that story of like the kid

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or like the biracial kid growing up and like oh i felt

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so left out like the other kids were eating this and

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and I was eating this and I was made fun of because it smelled weird or people were making fun of me.

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I actually had the opposite experience.

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I brought it in and I was like, I would pull up with like a full yam.

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And kids would be like, I mean, you're five.

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You have no sense of like race or judgment or you just want to fit in.

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You just want to.

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And so whoever actually is more confident in that period of time gets to be the trendsetter.

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And so I got to be this cultural ambassador.

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Like my whole grade grew up loving Chinese food.

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I mean, in talking to you, it's so clear.

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Like you do feel so much pride.

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Like you do feel so much resonance with both parts of your identity.

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I mean, what was it like for you when like Tucker Carlson, like these crazy people started coming at you?

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Like, how did you feel?

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I mean, I was sad.

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I was sad.

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I was I just felt so misunderstood.

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And I first I think it was sadness.

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It was disappointment.

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And then it was anger.

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I felt really angry.

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I was like, who are you to get to go online with this big platform and you don't even get, I mean, at least invite me for a date.

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Yep.

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Like, let me come defend myself.

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Like, why don't we just sit down and talk?

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You want to have all this free speech yourself?

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Great.

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Like, you want to go up and like, yap to your community?

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Great.

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Did they ask you?

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No. I was like, I will come.

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After this, they better fucking ask you.

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I was like, at least let me tell my story.

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I think it's unfair that you get to bully me one-sided.

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I just, I'm not a fan of that.

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And so there was actually a press conference right after the Olympics, like literally right after I won the Olympics.

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I was taken into this press room by myself.

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No agent, no mom, no family, nothing.

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Totally vulnerable.

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Just me.

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And in front of me, it's like a room of reporters.

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And they're like, so what do you think about U.S.-China geopolitics?

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And I'm like, I just won the Olympics.

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Like you were asking me to solve problems.

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I'm just trying to focus on what is relevant to me, what I actually can have impact on, and also what I'm passionate about.

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And honestly, I'm telling the truth.

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This is my experience.

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If you don't think I'm right, or if you don't believe me, if I'm telling the truth and you just don't believe me, there's nothing I can do.

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There's literally nothing I can do.

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In Chinese, there's a proverb that says, you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep.

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And I think that really rings true here.

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If you've told your story, if you've been, if I think that my logic is very strong, I think that I've explained everything from a logical,

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from an emotional, from a personal standpoint, I've literally covered everything that I possibly can into every decision that has been publicly scrutinized that I've made.

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I have no regrets about them.

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I think I'm doing the right thing.

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I think I'm making the world a better place.

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I mean, post-Olympics, 350 million people started snow sports.

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that's incredible I didn't know that that's

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so cool 350 million can you believe I mean going from

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and I think I hold such this holds such a special place in my heart

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because the scale of that is just unbelievable

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and skiing especially was kind of a small sport to begin with free skiing was

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and to be able to have it recognized at such large scale to have girls on the slopes never questioning

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that this sport doesn't belong to them you know they never

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felt like it was an all-boys thing they never felt like they had to fit into the boys club

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because the first time they heard about it was from someone who's a young woman a young asian woman

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and they're like oh my gosh you know this sport is for me too

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and they just that thought never has to cross their mind yeah

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and i think the reality is like we've seen this this trope

449

so many times again you know with with athletes who are caught between two countries

450

that are massive superpowers you're asked constantly to comment on geopolitical stuff

451

and it's like no your mission is getting more girls out

452

there getting more girls to feel confident is my understanding

453

and getting more girls on the fucking slopes which you've done and you've accomplished.

454

So you don't need to be the ambassador criticizing all the human rights violations of both countries and doing all of that.

455

And I think that's kind of an undue burden that we put on athletes.

456

But I want to back up, you know, now obviously you're one of the most highest paid athletes ever, but I want to back up to like, you're 13, you get your first paycheck.

457

And I'm thinking about like the girls who are listening, like, what do you do with that first paycheck?

458

That first deal you get, like you stash it away or reinvesting it.

459

What do you think about there and what kind of advice would you have?

460

I contributed towards tuition and so that was my big thing

461

and so I was able to pay for my own tuition from my freshman year of high school onwards

462

so that was a point of pride for me I was just honestly really happy

463

and being able to do that even now for college like oh my gosh Stanford is

464

so expensive but like being able to click

465

that pay button it makes me feel proud it's like something

466

that I'm really proud of and I feel It's contributing to who I want to be, the person that I've always wanted to become.

467

If me at age 10, 12, like 13 could come see me now, I think she would be so proud of me.

468

And that's what matters to me.

469

What would be like something that you wished like four years ago someone had told you?

470

We glorify sacrifice too much as a culture.

471

And that's kind of my hot take for the day.

472

I think that sometimes people think, you know, I've suffered.

473

I woke up at four in the morning to do this

474

thing okay how productive were you from four to seven like how did

475

that lack of sleep affect you and

476

so no one gets a prize for suffering

477

if you want to talk about productivity

478

and you want to talk about optimization talk about that

479

but don't talk about the suffering that you went through

480

if you can do something easier do it easier you don't

481

need to take the hard way you don't need to follow

482

and this also goes into like following the the beaten path

483

you don't need to follow the beaten path sometimes the easier

484

way is like you don't need to walk around the thing just like swim through the the lake, you know, figure it out, build a boat.

485

Like, I mean, you guys know me.

486

I have a vibrant social life at Stanford.

487

Go out.

488

Like I have tons of friends.

489

I have friends in different grades.

490

I mean, you guys are in a different grade than me.

491

Like I, I don't feel like I'm sacrificing on that, but also I'm taking every class that interests me.

492

I've done the physics class.

493

I took AeroAstro.

494

I'm taking philosophy.

495

I've done the IR classes.

496

Like I literally I'm doing everything and I don't feel like I'm sacrificing on that.

497

And I think that's how you live the most full life.

498

And so that's why I guess I've built this brand I'm like really shy away from all these buzzwords um

499

because it's really just me they're all the things

500

that I love to do

501

and I've found a way to make it relevant to the

502

world do you think you would have done like academia

503

or something I mean when you were like I'm

504

so excited about school I want to take astrophysics

505

and all this stuff I was like damn I'm

506

so impressed by her I think

507

that being an academic is holds a really central role in my identity like way more

508

so than people anticipate um i think also part of

509

that is what makes me a good skier

510

when i was a freshman in high school there were guys on my team who were doing online high school

511

but i was 14 i was the youngest on this team i was

512

so scared of everyone because they're all like older cool they're all boys and

513

so in order to make friends i would do their homework

514

shut up eileen you're joking though you're not you're not in bad company

515

And so I was like a freshman in high school, like doing these like older guys, high school senior, like homework.

516

And when I tell you that was the best SAT prep I ever did, I, you will never catch me like in an SAT prep class.

517

Like never had to do any of that because I was so ready.

518

Are you kidding me?

519

Like i had it all down and like

520

that was just who i was and i like never shied away from it and that was just

521

where i felt like i got my strength

522

and my my sense of identity from and then i realized

523

that it actually translates so directly to skiing because skiing if you are able to visualize

524

that puts you at a major advantage and

525

if you're able to visualize in multiple dimensions and when And when I say dimensions, I mean spatial, audiovisual.

526

If you're able to have a good sense of the physics of a trick, if you can watch a trick backwards and forwards,

527

if you know where kind of these forces kick in and what it feels like, that puts you at an advantage.

528

And so if I've taken a physics class and

529

if I know how the trick feels in the air and I put those two things together, I feel like that gives me a unique edge.

530

also when it comes to competition mentality if i've taken a psychology class

531

if i learn about fear if i know how to learn

532

and if i know how to learn a trick and know

533

when to practice almost like studying that gives me an edge

534

and if i know myself if i know how i learn

535

when i learn best how i can review things

536

that gives me an advantage so as far as being in school

537

and also skiing goes I think that it's helped me so much.

538

And the older I get, the more grateful I am that I stuck with that and never felt embarrassed by the nerd allegations.

539

If anything, I think I'm so proud of it.

540

And I'm so happy.

541

Yeah.

542

I mean, the older you get, the cooler it is.

543

And then everyone wishes they were a nerd when they were younger.

544

But I think that's also so interesting because, I mean, I don't know if you struggle with this at all or like how this was for you.

545

But I think for guys, especially that is really intimidating.

546

Like, oh, this girl is so smart.

547

Like she can do my homework like i think it's just

548

really interesting how that's such a positive trait for men

549

but then it's like the moment

550

that it's a woman it kind of is like oh like she thinks she's this

551

or something like

552

that that's how you can tell a high quality man from

553

a low quality man yeah that's 100 i actually like i used to be like oh like why are men

554

so like why are men so intimidated by me why do men get like emasculated and then start treating me poorly

555

that's another interesting thing is that like when you that sense of insecurity

556

what but it's like that's what emasculation does

557

and the male ego is such an interesting thing and

558

but it's a very fragile one and it's the danger around the male ego is

559

that it's people don't study it people aren't aware of it

560

and so you can't even point to it

561

and be like oh that's xyz It's just this like inherent thing that if a guy is insecure, if he hasn't done the self-work, it shows.

562

And it is like a red flag, sirens on the street, like fire in the building, get out, get out.

563

And I think that as intelligent women, that's like number one trap that people fall into because we have this go-getter attitude.

564

And so sometimes it's like, oh, there's a challenge.

565

Let me fix it.

566

Let me fix it.

567

Like I can change this.

568

I can fix it.

569

Like, let me teach him let me you know

570

but the more you try to do that the worse it gets

571

because the problem is it was never you the problem was

572

never you it was an insecure guy who doesn't know how to deal with competence

573

and in order to feel like he's superior he has to push you down

574

and make you inferior to keep this like gap

575

that he thinks should exist

576

but this guys this is not all men no no it's definitely not all men

577

but i think it's so important for young ambitious women to to avoid falling into that trap of like, that male validation is not worth it because it's fake.

578

Like he's just trying to make you feel small so that he feels bigger than you and like you shouldn't feel small.

579

I don't know.

580

I feel like there's two kind of like approaches to this where it's like, okay, there's the kind of relationship where it's like truly a partnership where it's like you and whoever you're with, whether you're with a lady or a dude,

581

it's like you're sitting down every two months.

582

You're like, okay, like, where are you struggling?

583

Where am I struggling?

584

What are our goals for the next couple months let's like

585

be let's be a team here like how are you going

586

to succeed this year in your job how am I going

587

to succeed in this okay do I have a personal goal

588

to maybe eat better are you going to hold me accountable even

589

if that's hard and then there's another trope

590

which is like you know kind of the person wants to shine

591

and then you're like the backlit person and

592

so I think like the male validation can be great

593

but only if they're actually seeking

594

that kind of partnership I think the issues we've fallen into as a society that that's not often what you see.

595

Like you don't see marriages where people are sitting down and doing like, you know, executive sync where they're planning for the next quarter together.

596

Like, and that's like me personally, that's what I want.

597

Like when I'm getting married, that's what we're having.

598

I can totally see you with that.

599

I can so see you.

600

No runs for me.

601

No runs for me.

602

Me and my husband are doing an exec sync today.

603

And we have a lot to review from this last quarter.

604

Last quarter you took off.

605

What was that like?

606

Because your entire brand is like doing everything, winning gold medals, being an A-star student, being a supermodel.

607

What did that look like for you?

608

And did you get any rest last quarter?

609

What were you up to?

610

So honestly, the entire taking time off thing was kind of an identity crisis to begin with

611

because Olympics work on four-year cycles and as do high school and college.

612

So actually in high school, instead of doing the whole four years, I actually graduated a year early.

613

And so I was the first person in our high school's history to graduate a year early

614

so that I could do the Olympics in the fourth year.

615

And so in my head, I was like, oh, I'm just going to do the same thing at Stanford.

616

So I actually like got ahead, like did a bunch of summer classes

617

and had this full intent to graduate a year early so that I could do the same four year cycle.

618

And my mom, I think people think that she's like crazy tiger mom, but she's actually the opposite.

619

And so she's like reverse tiger momming me and being like, when are you going to drop out?

620

When are you going to take time off?

621

And so I think eventually like my mom mentors, people I really respected were coming to me and being like,

622

look, I mean, the best time of our life was really in college.

623

Like we had so much fun.

624

We didn't have these crazy responsibilities that we have now.

625

Like the real world hasn't really hit yet, but we get to go around and learn for fun, be around like-minded people, be in this beautiful place.

626

Like, why are you rushing to get out?

627

That's kind of where I was at.

628

And I finally came to terms with that.

629

So like I took one quarter off a whole 10 weeks girl.

630

It's a slippery slope.

631

And then I took another one off.

632

But yeah, so now I'm in my second quarter off.

633

I actually had some injuries.

634

So I had a pretty bad concussion at X Games in January

635

and then came back to snow and then broke my collarbone.

636

I'm so sorry.

637

You're super brutal.

638

I know you're a super regimented person.

639

Since I've known you, you're running literally so many miles per day.

640

You're working out, you're studying, and you're managing an entire brand, business, and career on top of this with your own personal brand.

641

What is it like, like the mentality of getting injured because you're such like a regimented person?

642

Oh my gosh, that is such a good question.

643

And like, actually, yes, a hundred percent.

644

I think for me, I never really learned the like traditional rest strategies.

645

And so for me, like running has been this huge just outlet for me since forever.

646

And so not being able to run and then compounded with just the emotional and physical,

647

just anxiety with the injury itself was just like debilitating, honestly.

648

And like people don't understand the emotional and physical toll that injury takes on athletes.

649

And it's just like absolutely debilitating on all levels, like so brutal.

650

I'm curious like how it has been like for you on Stanford, like do people have preconceived notions of you?

651

Like what has it been like trying to make friends when people might've already seen you on the news?

652

Yeah, I mean, look, the like photos at parties is going to exist.

653

So I don't drink, I like ever.

654

um that's just like a personal thing um i'm also asian

655

so like i don't metabolize alcohol people it's like not even fun

656

if i were to so it's like i don't really feel like i'm missing out

657

but that's like a big thing for me i just don't

658

want to be drinking i don't want to like do something

659

stupid i don't want someone to like take a photo of me it's just there's no need

660

and drinking doesn't add anything to the experience anyways so it was just an easy choice for me but But like, that's one thing, right?

661

Another thing, for example, could be like, oh, you're actually really XYZ.

662

That's the classic.

663

Ew.

664

Wait, you're actually really smart.

665

Wait, wait, you actually really know what's going on in this class.

666

You're actually really well prepared for this final.

667

Like, call me, I'll punch them.

668

Oh my God.

669

Call me, I'll fuck them up.

670

Call me anytime.

671

One of these guys, A1, Tucker, you let me know.

672

I'll be there.

673

I'll be there, Eileen.

674

And I will drink.

675

And I will drink before and I'll punch him.

676

Boxing gym only.

677

Oh my god.

678

I'll chug it down.

679

Tequila.

680

I can sock him really fast.

681

Shots before the conversation.

682

You don't want to look stupid.

683

I'm happy to do it for you.

684

She's not joking.

685

I'm not joking at all. At all.

686

My eyes like twitching.

687

I'm ready to go.

688

I'm so ready.

689

I'll call you up.

690

Guys, you don't want to mess with me.

691

I have Phoebe on speed dial.

692

Eileen, it has been such a pleasure.

693

I have missed you and this has been incredible.

694

I've learned so much even through being your friend but just sitting and talking to you about everything has been amazing.

695

I fear you're going to be added to the exec council I'm going to call

696

but thank you again for coming on the burnouts oh I love you both

697

so much I'm so happy to get to do this

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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Practicing English speaking with this video is a goldmine—literally! Eileen Gu’s conversation is casual, relatable, and packed with real-life topics like balancing goals, dealing with burnout, and building support systems. It’s the perfect way to learn how to talk about your own challenges and triumphs in English. Whether you’re chatting with friends or sharing stories, the natural flow of the dialogue makes it ideal for english speaking practice. Plus, shadowing her speech (yes, shadow speak!) helps you pick up intonation and rhythm—key for sounding fluent.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Let’s break down 3 standout phrases from the video:

"Pivoting with very low emotional toll": "Pivoting" means switching focus, and "emotional toll" is the stress something causes. Use this to talk about balancing tasks: "I’m pivoting from work to studying with low emotional toll these days."
"Enter the deepest rut": A "rut" is a slump. Eileen uses it to describe post-Olympic burnout. Try: "After finishing my project, I entered a rut—what do I do next?"
"Board of people": This casual phrase means a support group. Say: "My board of friends helps me make tough decisions."

These expressions are flexible and perfect for daily conversations—exactly what you need for learn english with videos practice.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Watch out for these tricky words in the dialogue:

"Disparate" (pronounced "dih-SPAR-ut"): It means "different." Don’t say "dis-PAH-rit"—stress the second syllable.
"Pent up" (pronounced "pent UP"): "Pent up energy" is bottled-up energy. Make sure "pent" rhymes with "sent," not "paint."
"Holistic" (pronounced "hoh-LIS-tik"): It means "whole-person." Avoid "hoh-LIS-tick"—the last syllable is short.

Shadowing these words (try shadowspeaks—repeat immediately after Eileen) will help you nail their sounds. Remember, practice makes progress!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	who've gone · i've always made · I've really taken
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was born · are read · was asked
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	friends who had · friends who I · friends who are

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Eileen Gu Opens Up About Death Threats, Growing up Biracial, & Confidence Secrets - Learn English Speaking with Video

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