Chief Change Officer
#70 US Gymnast Nina Sossamon-Pogue: Rising Above an Identity Crisis – Part One
Sat, 16 Nov 2024
Part One. I sit down with Nina Sossamon-Pogue, a former professional gymnast who started her journey at just four years old and went on to join the U.S. Gymnastics 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 spanned 17 years, only to be let go, despite being a beloved news anchor. And instead of staying down, she jumped into tech—starting from scratch—and reinvented herself yet again. Today, in part one of our conversation, we’re diving into Nina’s journey. Her training, her triumphs, and her setbacks. Then, tomorrow, 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’re not talking about your typical resume or conventional ideas of success—we’re going beyond that. Key Highlights of Our Interview: The Personal Toll of Public Life “While doing three live shows a day, I went through a divorce, an accident, and some of the darkest moments of my life. I wondered if I’d ever feel happy again.” Finding Your Sweet Spot: Skills, Opportunities, and Trends “When making a career pivot, ask yourself three key questions: What am I good at? Where’s the money? And what’s the trajectory of the industry I’m entering? Aligning these answers sets the foundation for a successful transition.” Coffee, Conversations, and Clarity: Gaining Insight From Your Network “To discover where I could make an impact, I turned to trusted colleagues and asked: If you had to hire me, what would you hire me for? Their answers revealed skills I hadn’t fully recognized and pointed me toward opportunities I hadn’t considered.” Your Skills, Seen Through Fresh Eyes “What others find valuable in you might surprise you. It’s a reminder to seek outside perspectives—they could reveal your next big opportunity.” Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guest: Nina Sossamon-Pogue Chief Change Officer: Make Change Ambitiously. Experiential Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives Global Top 3% Podcast on Listen Notes World's #1 Career Podcast on Apple Top 1: US, CA, MX, IE, HU, AT, CH, FI, JP 2 Millions+ Downloads 50+ Countries --Chief Change Officer--Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself.Open a World of Expansive Human Intelligencefor Transformation Gurus, Black Sheep,Unsung Visionaries & Bold Hearts.EdTech Leadership Awards 2025 Finalist.18 Million+ All-Time Downloads.80+ Countries Reached Daily.Global Top 1.5% Podcast.Top 10 US Business.Top 1 US Careers.>>>170,000+ are outgrowing. Act Today.<<<
Chapter 1: What is Nina Sossamon-Pogue's journey in gymnastics?
And then I didn't make the Olympics. Very crushing blow and very sad time for me to regroup and figure out what's next. And then I became a collegiate athlete back on top of my game, happy again, doing my thing. And then I got injured and another big change in my life. I had to figure out who I was without gymnastics. And then I found television and I loved that.
And I had big success in television. became a reporter and then a news anchor and won some awards. And then I had another big change in my life and had actually a very difficult time at 37 in those years.
And then when I was 40, I changed again and I went from television to tech and then jumped into that space and did that for a dozen years and then changed once again and became an author and a speaker. And now I'm I'm out here talking about just that. How does someone change something that very much is part of their life and they identify with?
How do you go from one thing to another and not just survive some of the big changes in our lives, but to thrive through them and really find bigger success on the other side?
People often associate change with resilience because, let's be honest, You need a resilient mindset to get through a transition, to survive before you thrive. And Nina, the reason I invited you to the show is because the kind of resilience you've developed is something truly unique. Unlike most people, you were in professional sports.
You spend about 15 years in gymnastics in the early part of your life. And you know that any professional sport requires intense training, like a form of military training in my eyes. It demands focus, resilience, constant competition, and the ability to bounce back from failure quickly. Can you share more about your experience in gymnastics? How did you get into it?
Why did you choose gymnastics? And how did that experience shape your resilience? I imagine it was a crucial foundation for the resilience you've carried forward into the rest of your life.
Absolutely. It's very much what defined my early resilience. And I think gymnastics is a great example of resilience. You literally fall down and have to get back up all day, every day as you're learning new skills. And I was very young and active when I was little and the youngest of four kids. And my parents put me in gymnastics. as an outlet for all of that energy that I had.
And then I just got really good at it really fast. I was competing at six or seven. And then I moved away from home at 13 into an Olympic training center near Washington, D.C., here in the States. And I made the U.S. team. And I get to travel all over the world, Japan, Hungary, Germany, Australia. So I'm out there doing it. And that resilience, that being coachable resilience,
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Chapter 2: How did injuries impact Nina's career path?
What was I going to change into? What was the next version of me going to be? And it was very difficult for me to, one, accept that I could no longer have that identifier as a gymnast, and two, figure out what was going to be next for me.
You studied communication in college, then went into TV. So why communication? What drew you to it? And what made it compelling enough for you to turn it into a career?
Yeah, so when I blew out my knee in college, in order to keep my scholarship, and my family didn't have a lot of money, so I had to have a scholarship to go to college. So in order to keep my scholarship for gymnastics without being a gymnast, I had to work for the university.
And so I ended up working in the laundry room, like not washing cute little leotards, but in an athletic laundry room washing like men's football and basketball uniforms. Like, it was not a fun job. And I would sit outside that room. I'd switch out the laundry and I would sit outside in the sunshine while the laundry was going.
One day, a person walked by and I was always unhappy and grumpy and I was on crutches. I was still in a very bad spot because I hadn't figured out what was next for me, not being a gymnast. And one day, an athletic advisor who was an academic advisor, not a light coach or a mental health coach, they didn't have any of that back then.
But this young guy came by and he plopped down and he said, hey, how are you? And I probably said something.
snarky great can't you tell but over time he would stop and he would plop down next to me and talk to me and he is the one who finally said hey what do you want to do after this and no one had ever asked and I had never thought about what I wanted to be after this thing after gymnastics and so he got me thinking about it and I found journalism I ended up working I moved from the laundry room to work
for the sports information department for the college. And then I got an internship in a TV station. And the first time, Vince, that I walked into that TV station, I was hooked. I loved the energy and the excitement. I loved it. Like you had to get the story done that day. It was fast. It was challenging. No two days were ever the same. I just fell in love with that concept of journalism.
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Chapter 3: What lessons did gymnastics teach Nina about resilience?
And so I switched my mic. my schooling and went down and through the journalism program and graduated and started my journey into that first as a reporter at different small tv stations and then i got an anchor job and really loved being a news anchor and being part of a community so tv was what really sparked your interest may you think this is it
That's why you started your career there. But then once again, you went through another transition and eventually moved into technology. How did that come about? And by the way, how long were you in the TV industry before making that switch? And what actually triggered it?
Yeah, so I was in television for 17 years. It was a long stretch of my life as a reporter and then a news anchor. And during those years, I had some big changes too. So in my 30s, when I was on television, I did three shows a day, live TV, three shows a day, every single day, Monday through Friday. And during those years, I went through some of my own changes. At one point during that time,
I was let go from a TV station and big nationwide layoffs, budget cuts. They let me go and I had to figure out. And I had just won favorite news anchor. I was just voted favorite news anchor for the seventh year in a row. But they let me go and I had to figure out. They just let me go. pulled me into the office and said, we're releasing you from your contract.
And so I had to find a new way forward and I went to another TV station. So that was one really difficult time. And I also went through a divorce during that time. So that was a big change in my life. So I had a lot of changes there. And I was involved in an accident during my time on television.
And I won't go into all the details for your viewers because you guys don't want to hear all the sad stuff. But it was really sad and it wasn't at fault or anything. It was just a sad thing to be a part of. And I had a hard time figuring out like how I was going to be happy again on the other side of it because I was so sad.
And I went through a very dark time then and decided during that rediscovery of who I was and wanting at times to end my life. It was very difficult. I realized then. that maybe TV was not gonna be my forever. And I started looking for what is the next thing? And so I decided to get out and I had a friend who had a startup who made me a great offer.
And so I jumped from television to tech and that was a huge change. And I can talk to you more about why I chose this specific team, this specific company. There was a lot that went into it, but then I had to learn technology. I had to learn a whole new world. And that was a very scary time to make a big change. I was really excited about this next chapter of my life as I look at it.
That was one of my biggest changes, and that one I made on my own. That was not a forced change. That was one where I said, you know something? I'm going to do something different and bigger now that I've decided that I don't want to be front and center and on TV anymore. I want to be the next version of Nina. That was a big change.
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Chapter 4: How did Nina transition from gymnastics to journalism?
It's going to have to be embedded all over those platforms to keep you in a process when you're signing up for things, to answer questions. It's going to be a big part of where we're going is going to be video in software online. And think about this back in 2007 and 8. That was a big deal. The thought process was I am good at being on camera and video and I know that world.
Google had just bought YouTube. The money was in health care and software. And I could see the mashup of all of those creating a very successful future for me. And so that's why I was willing to leave a very comfortable job in television and make that change because I wanted to do something bigger and better. And now on the same side, television news was going down. That industry was going down.
So everything was going online. We didn't quite have the news in our pockets like we do now on our phones, but we were able in the 2007 era to be able to, it wasn't just three television shows a day. There was TV 24 seven, and there were a lot of places to get information that weren't just on TV. So that industry was changing a lot as well.
And it was one that was going on the downside while the other one was on the upside. So I just jumped from the ship that was sinking to the ship that was going up. That was what I did.
I think your reflection is really important because I've noticed a lot of people, including my friends, focus on things like money or friends when considering a career change. Right now, for example, AI is a huge trend and everyone knows is where the big money is. But jumping into it without personal alignment often feels like following the herd.
That's why I asked about how you identified your fit in tech. It's not just about chasing the next big thing. It's about finding a meaningful place for yourself. As you explained, your background in video, TV, and connecting with people gave you a unique edge. You didn't just leap into tech blindly.
You brought your skills with you and carved out a spot where your past experiences could make an impact. It was a new opportunity for both you and the company.
I was going to add to that, if I can jump in for a moment. I was going to add to that because you made a very good point. I figured out what I was good at, and it wasn't just me communicating on TV. What people told me that I didn't realize I was good at and through those meetings is that you're a journalist.
You're really good at taking very complex things and making them simple, making them sound simple so everybody can understand them. For me to jump into a tech space where they need to explain healthcare and healthcare offerings and insurance and all of that, it wasn't sexy, but it was a lot of information and it was changing.
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Chapter 5: What role did communication play in Nina's career?
You're good at taking a big bunch of information and getting it into a tiny little tight ball and handing it to the person. And that is what we need. It was interesting. When you look at what you're good at, you may not realize what you're good at in a way that other people do. That's why those conversations are so important.
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, too. 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, we might not see our skills. something that other people think is really valuable that we can 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.
I had the same situation when someone saw something in me. So for your listeners, maybe get an outside opinion, figure out what else you might be good at that you don't even see.
Just now, Nina shared with us about her long journey, her training, her trials, and her setbacks. Tomorrow 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.
Come back tomorrow and join us. Thank you so much for joining us today. If you like what you heard, Don't forget, subscribe to our show, leave us top-rated reviews, check out our website, and follow me on social media. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Until next time, take care.
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