Chief Change Officer
#159 Nina Sossamon-Pogue from U.S. Gymnastics Team: When Life Cuts Your Routine Short - Part Two
Mon, 3 Feb 2025
Part Two. If resilience were a sport, Nina Sossamon-Pogue would be an all-around champion. She started her gymnastics journey at four, made it all the way to the U.S. Gymnastics Team, and learned early that falling wasn’t failure—it was part of the process. But life threw her some unexpected dismounts: missing the Olympic team, an injury that ended her career, and getting let go from a 17-year journalism job she loved. Most people might have stayed down. Not Nina. She launched herself into the tech world, proving reinvention is just another skill to master. Yesterday, in part one, we dived into Nina’s journey—her highs, her wipeouts, and how she had kept pushing forward. Today, in part two, we’ll explore the unique tools she’s developed to help others bounce back from setbacks. Because let’s be real—life has no safety mats. Key Highlights of Our Interview: Why the Reverse Resume Matters “When hiring, I ask, ‘What’s something you’ve overcome?’ That’s where the magic is. Those bottom-line moments define the strength you bring to every table.” The Power of Perspective: Achievements and Challenges Together” “Your resume tells one story, but your reverse resume tells the deeper truth: what you’ve overcome. Together, they define not just what you’ve done, but who you are.” “Success vs. a Successful Lifetime: Spot the Difference” “A nice car, a big house, a shiny jet—that’s success. But a successful lifetime? That’s the legacy, the relationships, the impact. The timeline reveals the whole messy, marvelous story.” Life is a Bag of Legos “Imagine dumping out a Ziploc bag full of Legos. Same colors, same shapes, same pieces. Yet, you’d build something entirely different from me. That’s your life—it’s uniquely yours to assemble.” Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Nina Sossamon-Pogue --Chief Change Officer-- Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself. Open a World of Deep Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives, Visionary Underdogs, Transformation Gurus & Bold Hearts. 6 Million+ All-Time Downloads. Reaching 80+ Countries Daily. Global Top 3% Podcast. Top 10 US Business. Top 1 US Careers. >>>100,000+ subscribers are outgrowing. Act Today.<<< --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.12 Million+ All-Time Downloads.Reaching 80+ Countries Daily.Global Top 3% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>140,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Who is Nina Sossamon-Pogue and what is her story of resilience?
Hi, everyone. Welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chan, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist community for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. These days, we talk a lot about resilience. We can discuss the psychology of it all day long. But who actually walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to resilience?
Professional athletes. Today, I'm sitting down with Nina Sossaman Polk, a former professional gymnast who started her journey at about four years old and went on to join the US gymnastic team. In her own words, gymnastics is a perfect example of resilience. You literally fall down and get back up all day, every day, as you learn new skills.
That mindset became part of Nina's DNA, and it carried her through some incredible twists and turns. From the heartbreak of not making the Olympic team to leaving the sport for good after an injury, she faced one identity crisis after another. But she didn't stop there. Nina built a successful journalism career that spent 17 years only to be let go despite being a beloved news anchor.
And instead of staying down, she jumped into technology, starting from scratch, and reinvented herself yet again. Yesterday, in part one of our conversation, we explored Nina's journey, her training, her trials, and her setbacks. Then today in part two, we'll explore the tools Nina has developed over the years to help others rise above their challenges.
Tools like the reverse resume and successful timeline. We are not talking about your typical resume or conventional ideas of success. We are going beyond that. So let's begin this incredible journey with Nina. Absolutely. And I think that's a great point. For anyone listening, the takeaway here is to think outside the box when it comes to your skills and experience.
We often limit ourselves to what we have always done or the industry we know, but those same skills can often apply in ways we wouldn't initially expect. In my own experience, A guest on the show, an executive recruiter, once told me I would meet a great executive recruiter myself. At first, I was surprised recruiting wasn't something I've ever considered.
But she pointed out that my ability to support talent, connect with people, and bring the right voices onto the show demonstrated qualities that could be valuable in her industry. So, just like your own story, it's about being creative and open-minded when exploring new directions. Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see what we are really capable of.
Absolutely. And be creative in your own head as you're thinking what you're good at. But I really encourage people to, you might not have seen that about yourself, but she did. Same thing for me. I didn't see that in myself. Other people said, oh, you could do this. Having conversations with other people that ask them, what do you think I'm good at, is really interesting.
You really will learn a lot about yourself. It's hard when we're in our own head. One, we might not see our skills. Two... something that other people think is really valuable that we could do. For us, it may be second nature. We don't even think of it as a skill. It's just who we are. So really cool to look at it that way. She saw something in you, you might not have seen.
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