Episode 11 - Olivia Rusek

Any time someone greets you with chocolate, you know its going to be a good day.

And it certainly was. After the apartment tour, Olivia gave me a 3 hour guided tour of the city of Geneva. The day was beautiful, sunny, not too cold and not too busy (#2020). Cafes and restaurants were closed throughout the city, but don’t worry we snacked on hairy chestnuts and chocolate. A killer combination.

And the swans! If a group of regal swans on crystal clear water don’t do it for you, I just don’t know what you want in a city!

So Olivia is actually a plant-powered (aka vegan) athlete, and she and I get into a few rants on this podcast about our mutual disdain for the meat industry in our society today. I think we both make some valid points, and if you want to dig deeper you can start by watching Cowspiracy, but just know that you’ll never look at a burger the same way again.

Olivia is a genuinely lovely human with interesting thoughts and opinions on the state of the world today, which is exactly why I started this project. I want to meet athletes and share their experiences, but also hear new perspectives and motivations on life. I hope you do too. We are all more than an athlete.

K bye.

Listen to the Podcast Episode:

Olivia Rusek is just beginning her third pro season, but has gained a lot of experience in those years in Austria, Czech and now Switzerland. We talk on this episode about the challenges and benefits of a plant-powered diet as a high level vegan athlete, finding your level as an American player in Europe, and changing agents to get a good fit.

Watch the video Part 1:

Watch the video Part 2: