Cullen Jones is a world record holder who won two golds and two silver medals in the Olympics, including a gold in 2008 in the 4×100 Freestyle Relay – known as the Greatest Relay in Olympic History . Now, he’s made it his mission to spread the important message of water safety and drowning prevention and works with Goldfish Swim School to further that cause.

We talk about his incredible achievements, the championship mindset, and the truly important lifesaving work he’s doing now.

How special it is to win gold medals:

“You work so hard for this moment and you’re like, ‘Yes, this is amazing!’ And then, it almost feels like it’s over. I think one of the best parts, and the joys of being able to hit the heights of what you’re looking to do, whatever that goal may be, is that you’re able to do things like this (podcast). That’s why I say thank you for having me on the show, because I get to relive it every time I get to talk about it.”

When winning the gold truly sunk in:

“The moment when it hit me was when we were standing on the podium, and I was listening to our national anthem. That’s when it actually hit me, to sit back and say, not only because I love being an American, but ‘Did we just do that?!’ It hit me then.”

In the end, you miss the grind:

“The people who have made it that level, and that accomplishment, they wish they had appreciated the journey more. … I used to gripe about 5:00am practices, and, ‘Man, I really want that pizza but I’ve got to eat this double protein salad,’ and I griped and grinded throughout the whole thing, and then you do it and, you’re like, ‘Man, I actually appreciated what all of that taught me and the grind, and the work, and the effort, and the people.”

Love for his teammates:

“I swam because I loved my teammates. I swam harder because I didn’t want to let my teammates down. And I think that journey is the piece that I miss the most about swimming in my whole career.”

What Cullen would think about as the race was about to start:

“There were moments when I had a 102-degree fever in college and I was like, ‘This is my (Michael) Jordan moment.’ He is the epitome of athlete to me in my mind. When I’m behind

the block and I’m thinking about racing, putting on a performance, doing what’s needed to be done for the team, that’s the target for me.”

Cullen’s near drowning experience as a kid:

As a kid my parents knew I loved water. So, they brought me to Dorney Park in Pennsylvania, and I ended up going underwater, flipping upside down, and having to be resuscitated. … The numbers of people (who can’t swim) are astronomical. Sixty-four percent of African Americans don’t know how to swim, Fifty-four percent of Latin-Americans don’t know how to swim, and 38 percent of Caucasians don’t know how to swim.”

Why he’s partnered with Goldfish Swim Schools:

“I started watching my son and, even at six months, they were teaching how to roll and to feel comfortable in the water. The more and more I started to pay attention to what the atmosphere and the curriculum looked like, it just started to make sense. And so, I asked to partner with them, and they graciously said yes, and I’ve been a partner for three years now and I just can’t speak even more highly about the brand, just because I’ve seen what it’s done for my son. In a couple of months, I won’t have to worry at all about him being in the water.”

Why swimming lessons are so important for kids:

“We know accidental drowning is the second leading cause of death with kids under the age of 14 next to car crashes and we have the answer: swim lessons. Parents, I get it, it’s easy just to throw your kids in a floatie, but we have had too many incidents where children don’t understand their body in the water. And the only way you can understand that is by going to get lessons.”

The common denominator of having a champion mindset:

“Relentless grit, because you know you’re going to fail. It’s about consistency and understanding that you’re going to wake up some mornings and not want to work out, or do what it is that you have to do. But you have to stay consistent with that. And the one thing that I’ve noticed, and I’ve heard this from multiple CEO’s and multiple people who have been successful, is ‘Are you living your dream every day?’ And the person who really nailed this into me was Kobe Bryant in 2008 when he said it to me.”