29 - UCLA Women's Gymnastics Coach Valorie Kondos Field on joy, gratitude and choices

May 21, 2018, 06:00 AM

Valorie Kondos Field, or "Miss Val" as she's affectionately known, is the longtime head coach of the UCLA Women's Gymnastics Team with seven NCAA National Championships. 

Valorie has been named the PAC-12 Gymnastics Coach of the Century and is a member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Most importantly, she has a unique coaching style with a focus on joy, gratitude and choices. She says a breast cancer diagnosis in 2014 led her to an epiphany: "Be anxious for nothing and grateful for all things." 

Valorie joined me on Olympic & Bundy to talk about her ballerina background, what led her to coaching gymnastics at UCLA, her coaching philosophy, the culture of gymnastics amid the Larry Nassar trial and conviction, empowering athletes to use their voices, how her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment changed her -- and a lot more. 

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Thank you to Valorie Kondos Field! 

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