Alysa Liu’s gold medal comeback is a leadership lesson about joy, not grit

03-04-2026LEADERSHIP NOW

Alysa Liu’s gold medal comeback is a leadership lesson about joy, not grit

High performance isn’t built on endurance alone. It’s built on conditions that make joy possible.

[Source Photo: Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto/Getty Images]

Anyone who knows me knows I’m an optimistic, joy-seeking, recovering workaholic committed to leading a joyful rebellion against stress and burnout. So when friends started tagging me in posts about U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu’s joyful gold medal win at the Winter Olympics in Milan, I paid attention. Because this isn’t just a sports story. It’s a leadership story.

When Liu stepped........

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