1:12

Welcome back to the raising wheat competitors podcast. I'm coach Bree, a mental performance coach for girl athletes. And I am so excited that you're here. Whether you are just getting going on this whole journey with your daughter playing sports, or maybe you have a lot of seasons under your belt, and you're a seasoned sports mom. You all are welcome here. To learn how to build confidence and mental strength in your athlete, and also so that you can enjoy this journey along the way. Today we have a really special episode. We are interviewing Kelly VO. She is an iron man triathlete and breast cancer survivor. And we're going to learn a little bit about her story because she has a deep history in athletics and training the mental game and her pursuit of becoming a triathlete and also how those skills have transferred to helping her fight breast cancer. So a really inspiring and amazing story that I can't wait for you to hear. Now, before we get into that, I do want to give a shout out to. A mom in our community, a mom and an athlete and our community actually. So Christie and her daughter are going through our mental game program. And recently she shared with us that her daughter made her junior high volleyball team at the top level. She also said this, what I noticed that was different for her than the other girls going in is that she went in confident. Knowing who she was, what value she had to add grateful to the coaches and enthusiastic and encouraging to the other girls trying out, even though she may have not been as consistent with her mental game trainings, she has gathered a lot from what she's learned so far. Thank you. So congratulations, not just for making that top team, but also Christie for your daughter, just owning her role, being confident, knowing her. She is. I mean, that is simply amazing. So congrats I can't wait to hear how it goes throughout the rest of the program. All right. Let's get into this episode with Kelly at Vogue. Like I said, she's an iron man triathlete. She's a breast cancer survivor who is passionate about sport health, perseverance, and turning life's toughest challenges. Into opportunities for learning and personal growth. Leggy said she is an inspiration, and I want you to really pay attention to how her mental skills that she has learned and developed from being an athlete have transferred into how she has approached her journey of fighting breast cancer. Because when we talk about these skills that we build with our athletes, of course, We are seeing improvements across their squared. Of course, they're making top teams, they're getting over mistakes faster. They're able to navigate the pressures, the expectations, all of those things. And they're noticeable in her sport. But really what we're doing here is preparing her for the long game. And we don't know what your daughter is going to face throughout the rest of her life, but we know she's going to be challenged, right? She's going to have things that are bigger than what she's experiencing in her sport right now and what she is learning through. Developing these mental. Skills. And why we're so passionate about what we're doing is that we are creating humans and girls who are confident and equipped to be able to handle the challenges that come their way. And Kelly is just an amazing example of how that works in real life. So. Listen to her episode, be inspired. And also if you feel so inclined to support Kelly's cause she actually founded a nonprofit as a result of, her journey with breast cancer. And you'll learn all about that. But. In the show notes linked below, we have an opportunity for you to support her nonprofit. The elite competitor is one of the donors of her non-profits that her and her husband have created, and the some profit directly impacts and benefits people who are fighting breast cancer in the Seattle area, where we are from. So if you feel inclined to do that, you can find links below for all of that. For our local friends that are listening. Kelly and her husband host a 5k and golf tournament that is happening on October 8th and Christina and I will be there. So if you are local and you want to attend her event, The link for that is also below. All right go ahead and enjoy hope you just love this episode as much as i loved talking with kelly

Breanne 5:22

Hello, Kelly, welcome to the podcast.

Kelly 5:25

Hello. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here today to talk to all of you.

Breanne 5:31

Yes. So we're really excited to have you and just hear your story on many levels, just your, how inspiring you are as an athlete, as a breast cancer survivor, just as a person and what, what good you're doing in the world. So thank you ahead of time for being here. We can't wait to dive

Kelly 5:47

into it all. Aw, thank you. I feel like, That intro is just, so nice and generous, so appreciate it.

Breanne 5:55

Of course. Well, let's kick this off by hearing a little bit about your background. Obviously we have, listeners who are moms that were, are athletes themselves and for sure have, athletes that they're raising. So can you tell us a little bit about your background of athletics, of competing and. Yeah, just take it,

Kelly 6:14

take it from there. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I guess, from the very beginning I was a really active, even baby, my mom, my mom talks all the time how she did not even get a break before she was even recovered. I was, you know, like trying to roll over and trying to crawl and try to do things. So, that led straight into my, toddler years and little kid years. My mom put us right away in swim lessons and gymnastics and kind of just whatever you wanted to do, whatever you wanted to try, like, let's do it, you know? And where I really landed was soccer. Soccer was my thing, my sport, my love, my passion. And I just kind of took that. Ran with it. I started playing when I was five when you could start playing, at the time. And I ended up playing on various teams and getting into the club sport scene and, it's kind of funny growing up I wasn't really, super confident. I just thought like, oh, I'm just kind of middle of the pack. You know, like in on the team. I would never get m v P on those, you know, the end of the season kind of awards banquet thing. You know, that wasn't my thing. I was like a little insecure, a little bit shy, and I just didn't wanna play keeper because I didn't want everyone to blame me, you know, when the other team scored a goal. So I was just kind of that hard worker. Keep working hard, keep working at your craft blend in. Just work hard. That was my brand. So I ended up an outside mid. Okay. Yeah. And I, you know, like the runner and I ended up on the left side too because I was the one that was willing to, I. Work on that left foot cross. So I ended up being really settling on, on that position. I played all through my childhood, my teen years went to Far West Regionals, which was basically the, all the West Coast teams would gather in a city, every age group and tournament style. And that was kind of the big thing at the time. So really exciting travel team. And then I moved to a really small town in the middle or at the beginning of high school, and I was really upset because there was no club scene there, there was no, there was no anything. And there was a men's team and there was a women's high school team just starting. And the athletic director came to me and said, Hey, heard you're a pretty good soccer player. We're counting on you to help launch our team here. And I was like, what? I am like. 16 years old, 15 maybe at the time. What do you mean launch a team? I don't know how to do that. So, but going into this small town, I was this, you know, big fish in a small pond and that gave me a ton of confidence. I started to really, realize like, oh, I have a lot to bring to the table. And that started to sharpen up my leadership skills. So. Thrived there. Our team ended up, building out, it was really hard to get players the first year, but by the time I was a senior, it was a thriving sport in the city and we had spectators and fans and people would come and watch. So, that was great. Then I, made plans to walk on at Washington State University. Because it was just an easier path to go at the time than being recruited and all of that stuff. So had all the plans, talked to the coach, was gonna walk on there as in like, you have a spot you just have to walk on. Mm-hmm. And then I tore my a c l Oh no, in my homecoming. Game of my senior year playing basketball. Not even my sport, but my second spirit. Yeah. which I loved, but that was devastating. The coach turned around and left Washington State. They got a new coach. He brought in all his players from California, and so I legitimately had to try out after knee surgery. And all of that. So, again, totally insecure. So going like on this, pathway of like really confident and now I have this thing happening, that's a lack of confidence. So, had to build it up again had to rehab, made the team as a walk on for the spring season. Played in a couple tournaments. Scored some goals. That was great. And then, kind of had a sit down meeting with, with the coach and I realized this is really a business and not sport for the love of sport. And my knee was killing me at the time and I just decided like, you know what? I am going to play the sport but have fun with it and not join the university team for the next seasons. So went through college days, all of that. Played soccer after, and recreationally. And then about 10 years out of college, I randomly got involved in triathlon under the influence of some friends that said, why don't we do this crazy thing called a Half Iron Man where you. Swim for 1.2 miles. Then you bike for 56 miles and then you run for 13.1 miles. And I thought that, yeah, I thought that is insane. I don't actually do. Any of those three sports, why would I do that? That's crazy. So, needless to say, I thought, okay, I'll, I'll take the challenge, let's go. And I did my first Ironman or half Ironman back in 2011. And then people kept. Congratulating me and saying, wow, you're an Ironman. You did an Ironman. And I kept having to say, no, it was a half. It was just a half. No, I'm not a, an Ironman. I'm a half Ironman. And I got really tired of saying that. So then next year I did a full Ironman so that I didn't have to correct anybody. Um,

Breanne 12:12

oh, that's

Kelly 12:13

great. Yeah. So 12 or so years later. I've done, about 16 half Iron Mans and three full Iron Mans with more on the way. So that's kind of my athletic journey.

Breanne 12:26

Do they call 'em Iron Women's anymore at, at all, or is it

Kelly 12:30

always Yeah, they don't, they don't, they call it Iron Man. Basically it's a brand. It would be the same brand as say Nike or Right. Any of those things. So I kind of think of it like iron, mankind, like we're a species. Yes,

Breanne 12:46

yes, yes. But, uh,

Kelly 12:47

sometimes people do say that to me. Like, oh, iron Woman, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And I say, no, don't apologize. Like. I don't diminish it at all. Ironman is a specific thing. Yeah, it's exactly double the half Ironman distance. It takes a lot of effort to get there and to start, let alone finish. And so I want that whole title. I do not wanna change it. Yeah.

Breanne 13:11

I love that. That's a. Cool. Okay. Now you mentioned a lot, I mean, a lot of our moms can connect to what you're talking about, either themselves personally or seeing it in their daughters, you know, this journey of athletics and kind of like the ebbs and flows of confidence and having confidence taken away, whether that be from an injury or something with a coach or a teammate or just, you know, situations. Yeah. And you seem like you were able to kind of build some mental fortitude and. Come back from a lot of things if you're anything like me, when I was growing up, we didn't have any like formal mental training. Like, like, you know, oh, right. You know,

Kelly 13:48

zero.

Breanne 13:49

Right. And of course I wish we had, but you know. Yeah. How were you able to build that mental resiliency back and what would you say are some key qualities that you've gained mentally from your sport experience?

Kelly 14:03

Yeah. Well, you know I think a lot of our listeners here probably have really supportive mom or parents. And first and foremost, I had that, you know, my mom was like, you can do whatever you wanna do. Just, you know, that old saying of if you put your mind to it mm-hmm. that whole thing. So she's like, oh, you wanna do gymnastics? Great. You wanna play soccer? Great. Oh, you wanna be on the national team? Like, let's just do it. I mean at some point, in high school, there was, Club scene. But on the western side in Oregon, I was in Oregon for high school. Mm-hmm. But it was eastern Oregon, small towns, no club. So my mom would literally drive me over to Portland every single weekend in the spring. That is an eight hour round trip just to play soccer. All because I wanted to. So she made it possible. She was really. Behind me in that way. And then at the same time I was like, Ugh, mom, you have to say that. When she's saying you are capable, and I swear you're the best one out there I'm like, Ugh, mom. It's like saying, You're pretty, like, you have to tell me that you're my mom. And the truth is she doesn't, she could be honest and say, no, you don't have that talent. I don't think you can go further. So that's number one. Very supportive. And my mom was very honest with me, which is really nice. And a gift. And then I think you really have to, you know, your mom can only take you so far. It's the support there. And then you really have to build the strength. In your own like gut and soul. Mm-hmm. Heart, you know? So I think anytime I got knocked down, and of course there are a million times, whether you're just getting, you know, like somebody fouls you on the soccer field or you actually tear an a c l, or you just got a, a flu bug, you know, and you're sidelined for a few weeks. Those things can really take you. Mentally out of the game and you have to build that, I don't know, gut instinct to fight against that. Like, no way that's gonna take me out. I'm not going out like that. And that can come in the form of, oh, some girl knocked me down on the field. The foul didn't get called. I am not gonna be on Sportsmanlike, but she's gonna pay for that. I am gonna score. I'm gonna have an amazing cross. Like, whatever it is. If I'm sick, uh, you know, and missing games, I'm gonna come back stronger. Maybe even if that's like, I hate to nap and hate to sleep, but I'm going to do it because I know that's good for me and then I can come back stronger, or making it through physical therapy and coming back stronger. So I think every one of those setbacks is an opportunity to ask yourself, how are you going to handle this? Are you going to let it. Set you back and keep you back, or are you going to let it be, an opportunity to kind of spring forward again? So I always chose spring forward 'cause I'm just stubborn like that. Yeah,

Breanne 17:05

that's great. I mean, that's what a great mindset to have and athletics and in life. Yeah. Yeah.

Kelly 17:10

Okay. So a part of

Breanne 17:12

your journey is, your diagnosis that you got. I mean, I am just curious about when this happened. Where were you at in your training? Can you talk about your diagnosis of breast cancer?

Kelly 17:25

Yes. So Yeah, it came as an absolute shock. To me it was, and I mean, frankly, to, to anybody that knew me I tend to be one of the most athletic people mm-hmm. That, that people in my life know. Right. Because this is kind of core to my life. Triathlon training takes. A ton of time and dedication. They say it's all about the journey and then race day is like Christmas day, right? You have to train for nine months at least, to get through a race like that and to get through it without injuring yourself. So it's really a lifestyle. So to be diagnosed with such a serious disease, any disease, but something like cancer that comes with a stigma of like, Lack of health is just super shocking. So, At the time I had just started a new job. I was about two weeks in, like brand new to a new job, and it was 2021. So we are a year into the pandemic a year and about a month. And during that pandemic time when we all started working from home, I had extra time. So my coach and I decided to take advantage of that and train. More and get stronger and faster and fitter. I was so excited to race after that. Mm-hmm. Because I was at peak physical condition. I had never been fitter in my life, including college soccer, the peak of my club soccer days, like all of that. This was. Beyond that because I had dedicated so much time because I had that extra time being, you know, not having to commute and things. So when I got diagnosed at the physical peak of my life, yeah, it was even more of a shock. Like, how could this happen now? And there's all the devastation that comes with a scary diagnosis like that you're gonna have. All of this treatment, you are probably gonna lose your hair. You're pro, you're probably gonna be really sick. There's gonna be surgeries. But the scariest part is like, could I die from this? They assured me I wouldn't because they thought they had caught it really early Fortunately I was able to put that kind of, that scare on the shelf and hopefully it never comes off the shelf. So the next thing was, you know, how sick I might be. How this, that, and definitely what came into play for me was I. Oh my gosh, I am so fit. I've worked so hard, I'm gonna lose it all. Hmm. And so, that was, that was a devastating blow to me because it takes a ton of work and you can't get it overnight. But I was able to find the positive in that. And that is that. If you're gonna have to go through something like chemotherapy and surgery recoveries, multiple surgeries, it is a really good thing to be really fit because you are going to recover faster and stronger than if you had not had any level of fitness or high level of fitness. So my fitness at the peak of my life was supposed to get me through an upcoming. Half Iron Men World Championship whenever we could start racing again. All of that. But instead, my new race was going to be beating breast cancer and that peak of physical fitness became like, oh, this must have been the reason that I was able to do this 'cause I was gonna need all of that fitness to get through. All of this that's coming for treatment in my life. All of my doctors had commented on that, that they know that I'm going to do a lot better with treatment than a lot of people because. Of my fitness. And so that started to actually give me confidence, like, I'm gonna beat this thing, I'm gonna beat this thing. I'm gonna get through treatment. Chemotherapy is not even gonna be a hard for me because I'm so fit. I'm gonna get through it. And so I could take this like athletic journey and, and dedication and sport and actually apply it to a whole new sport called beating cancer, which was, you know, this is the race of a lifetime. Like That's a bigger race than I ever hope to have to run again. Right. I'd rather just race triathlon for fun.

Breanne 21:59

Yeah. Wow. Okay. This is so inspiring. I mean, and very moving that, you had a new purpose. It was, you know, you're training all of this for this one major goal. And then being able just in your, from your mindset of like, okay, I'm not gonna do that, but instead I'm gonna apply all of this to, I. What's in front of me now and I mean, yeah, that's just really inspiring. So how did it go? How did it go as you were, you had the physical side. What about, you know, the mental side of, I'm gonna beat this. How did that take you through your treatment? Yeah, it,

Kelly 22:33

well, I'll say it helped a ton and every single doctor as much as they commented on, like the physical fitness will help you get through this physically, the mental fortitude that I have built over time doing triathlon, like all the way up to, three times doing the full Iron Man, which is 140.6 miles in a, you know, wow. In, I think my best time was a little or a little over 12 and a half hours. So like you're, you are constantly moving for that long. you can't do that just based on fiscal. You have to use mental endurance and mental fortitude and strength to get you through that because there will be times where it's so painful and you want to stop. Do you wanna stop? More, or do you want that finish line more, right? Like, those are the things that you start thinking and, and mind tricks you start bringing to yourself. So I had to, bring 10 years of triathlon mental fortitude into this. I shouldn't say had to, I should say I got to, it is not mental strength that I could have just whipped up overnight. You know, this is like, Drawing on the most painful parts of the most painful race, right? When I had that stomach ache and it, I couldn't shake it, but I had to keep going and you know, or whatever it might've been. So I. I used that a ton, and the doctors all urged me to they said, I'm lucky that I already had that in the bank because I could draw on it. And they were right. They were absolutely right. They also encouraged me to be as positive as possible, which I'm sure it's not hard to believe, but that is very hard when you're facing something like cancer treatment. Yeah. At a very young age. Younger than you're supposed to be, they say. Right. And, all of these things. So, yeah, I used it all, I used every little bit of it and I treated cancer treatment like a triathlon stage one, or like not stage, but part one of the triathlon is the Swim Well, part one of cancer treatment was a big surgery. A major surgery. So that was the swim for me, and I was gonna get through that and. Just like triathlon when I got through that you know, when I get through the swim I'm like, yes, I have done crossed that off the list, moving on, moving on to the bike so that was kind of how we celebrated every single part of the process. And just like in triathlon, the bike. Can be part of the hardest part because it's so long. Mm. Mm-hmm. And my second step of treatment was chemotherapy, and it feels very long. Even if it sounds like, okay, you have this number of treatments, I can do that after the first one. It's just so much on your body and it's really, really hard that you don't really think that you can get through the rest of 'em, but, Just like the bike 112 miles in an Ironman, and I'm like, okay. Yeah. I can do that. That's familiar. Yeah. Yeah. It sounds very long. And it is, and you know, there are definitely moments that are, I can't do this. And you quickly turn those around into like, of course I can. Of course I can. So I have to, I'm going to. So, and then the third was, you know, more surgeries. But it kind of represented that run on the triathlon where. Okay, I can drop all the gear. I can just breathe and if I have to walk, I will, and then I'll start running again. However, I'm gonna get through this marathon at the end, I'm gonna get through it. It might not be pretty, but I will hit the finish line because I'm on the last leg here. So I really use like a. Triathlon mentality about it from the three sports to the endurance factor to the, this is gonna get really hard and I'm gonna have to still push through. Yeah. Because I wanna hit that finish line. I want to finish treatment and I want to be cancer free. Yeah. Yeah. I

Breanne 26:47

mean, so inspiring. 'cause as I'm thinking through, we always tell the moms, of our athletes that are coming through the program that like these skills are gonna serve her in her sport. Like, she's going to be more confident. She's gonna improve. You know, we get messages all the time and they're like, oh my gosh, we're in, week, whatever of the program. And yeah, she had her best game and they're like, yeah, yeah, we know that's gonna happen. But like the real true deep like purpose. Really of our company, of what we do is that these skills transfer. And I think that, you know, it makes it emotional when I'm hearing about this, it's so, it's so true because it's not, the sport is just the vehicle, you know, and being able to apply it to something as big as this is. It's truly life changing, so, yeah.

Kelly 27:31

Yeah. No, thanks for drawing that parallel. And, sorry, I don't mean to make you emotional. No, it's good. It's all good. Yeah. No, I think emotions are, are great thing too. Yeah. You know, my, yeah, doctors again, they told me like, just let 'em go. Like let 'em, let 'em flow if you need to. Don't keep it in. And I was like, okay, great. Because there were a lot of tears, you know? And. Tears do not mean like, did I cry when I tore my a c l? Heck, yes. I cried. It hurt, number one and number two, I was mad. I was so angry at what just happened, but I let that fuel me, right? Mm-hmm. The same thing actually this is a little off tangent, but my first reaction when I was diagnosed, I was angry. I mean, the deepest anger I think I've ever felt, like, why is this happening to me? I've done everything right that, you know, eat right, workout, I live a good, like I'm a good person. Why is this happening to me? Right. Um, I was so, so angry that this was gonna take so much from me. And I couldn't shake that for a little while. And, one of the first doctors I talked to, she said, you know, I'm actually glad you're angry. Like, there's an emotion that comes with this and you don't know which one's gonna come out first. But anger is a good one. And you know why? Anger is action, anger is action. It's. Okay. And not that I went around like punching things or anything, but I, understood her and I used that, emotion to then drive myself into action. Like, this is not gonna beat me. I'm gonna be it. I'm gonna work through it. I'm gonna, like, I'm not gonna quit and I'm gonna get there. That and so many other things, it does transfer like, It does transfer to life, right? Like all of those things are things I felt in injuries or on the field, or when somebody fouls you or a coach says something that you didn't think was accurate or yeah, whatever it might be, right? Those setbacks, they, they do really set you up to deal with the hard things that life is gonna bring. Now, I never thought my life was gonna bring something like, Cancer to my life. Yeah. Like never in a million years. Before that, these skills transferred to work to a career like a thriving career. I work in advertising. I'm in a sales capacity. I'm a relationship builder and, and, I use. My experience in athletics every day, and I will say I've had many, a recruiter, many a hiring manager, or um, Internal mentors say, I love working with former athletes or current athletes. Mm-hmm. And when I ask 'em why, they're like, they're driven. They've dealt with hard things before. Like they apply their learnings, and they have a drive to win. Yeah. And they're good sports too. Like you have a sportsmanlike conduct with even at work or in relationships. So, I always thought that it's always served me really well in career. You know, and just tough things that come your way. You could be, 35 years old, you get in a car accident and now you have to deal with this. And it's annoying. Not like a fender bender, right? It's all annoying, but you have to put in perspective, work through it, get through it, and, and move on, right? This is not gonna set me back. And then when it comes to something as serious as cancer, Yeah, like, I mean, like we've talked about it, I've applied it in a million ways and thank God I had all of that training and, you know, athletic background to, get myself through that. And I, do believe it got me through it in, more resilient way than I would have otherwise. Yeah. Yeah.

Breanne 31:29

So, yeah, talk us through. You got through it? Yes. Are you on the other side? How you know, where are you now? Yes, yes.

Kelly 31:36

I'm so happy to report that I am cancer free. yeah, I mean, talk about a finish line. That's, yeah, that's the big one, you know? Mm-hmm. Um, world championships or. My first Iron Man ever. I mean, that was like the greatest feeling ever. But this is so much bigger. This is life, right? Like this is your health and your life, and huge finish line. So cancer free. I am going on October will be two years since I finished chemotherapy, which was the last, you know, big portion of treatment. The rest was like surgeries of reconstruction and things. So. That big leg done. Right. And that's kind of when they deem you, cancer for your, not when they like, do all the tests and make sure that everything looks good. So yeah, it'll be two years in October. And I am, I was cleared, and going back to, triathlon. Let's see. Gosh, I don't even remember when it was, but maybe about May of 2022. Okay. And I, once I was given the green light, I just went for it. I went for it. I, I walked and I did everything I could. I was really limited during, throughout treatment, but as soon as they gave me the green light, I was out the door running, biking, swimming, doing whatever I could. And I just had my first race back in three years since the pandemic started. I, yes, I just finished the organ, 70.3, so that's a half Iron man in, Salem, Oregon. It was like a triumphant celebration just to get to the start line. I was, just over the moon and completely beside myself with excitement. Yeah. And gratitude for being there. And then, next up is the Half Ironman World Championships in Finland in two, oh my gosh. Weeks. Yeah, it's actually in the end of August. So I'll be taking off for Finland here in about a week. Wow. So really excited about that, that one you have to qualify for. I qualified in 2019, but then pandemic, wiped everything off the map for races and they let me move that race two more years because of my treatment. So, I'm finally getting to run that. And this year it's in Finland, so I'll help. Wow. Yeah.

Breanne 33:55

Oh, maybe I can't wait to follow along and see how that goes. One thing I want to make sure we talk about, because out of this whole journey for you, you also are doing good in your community as a result. So can you talk about the organization that you founded out of this whole journey?

Kelly 34:13

Yes. So I would love to thank you. I thought like this is, this whole thing is terrible. This diagnosis is terrible. It's all terrible, but. And maybe it's that mental fortitude, like this isn't gonna beat me, et cetera. I'm like, I'm a big believer in things happen for a reason. Mm-hmm. I'm like, well, okay, it has to happen for a reason. I'm not gonna sit here and wait around to figure out, oh, what was the reason? Like, I'm just gonna make a reason. Like we have to make this into something good. Like take this terrible situation and turn it into something good for. People for, you know, just something good. So, we decided to launch a nonprofit, called the Pink Ribbon Army. Pink ribbon because that is the breast cancer symbol, but also army because armies are tough. Armies are strong. Armies don't quit. And armies are not just one person. It's a bunch of people coming together, to create good, solve a problem, support. So we launched this nonprofit and we do an annual, fundraiser event. It is a golf tournament and a five K, and we always have it in October, which is breast Cancer awareness month. This year, it's on October 8th and we hold it down in Chambers Bay at their golf course, which was a US open course a couple years ago. Amazing course. But also there's a running path that's super beautiful and overlooks the sound. So and then we have like a really fun after party and an auction and all that fun stuff. We raise funds throughout the year as well, and all of our funds, or the majority of our funds go to, Northwest Hope and Healing, which is. A, another nonprofit, they collect the money and then they do the work. So we raise the money, they do the work, and what they do is they give, financial support to breast cancer fighters that need a little extra financial support. So imagine if you, need childcare and you're a single mom and it's either go to your chemotherapy appointment, or make sure your children are taken care of and at home. Mm-hmm. And you can stay home to take care of them because you can't afford childcare or you don't know anyone. This organization will help you get that. They pay people's rent, they pay people's gas, parking at hospitals can get expensive, kind of anything and everything. And the best part is they do this without any kind of application or waiting period. If they see that someone needs help, they literally, Hand out the help right there with no questions asked. This has changed the lives of so many, and most importantly, it helps people be able to fight the fight, this most important fight. So they can still be here with their children and their families rather than, choose what they have to do and not do. What they really should do, which is fight cancer. Right? Right. Due to a financial burden. So it really goes a long way. And what we really wanted to do was affect people. Now there's tons and tons of money going towards research that's really important too. But we really wanted to affect people in our own community that need help today. Right. So That's kinda where it all goes and we can really see the impact, you know, pretty immediately. So it's pink Ribbon Army and it's been a journey with that too. It's another kind of, challenge to how do we get this out there? How do we build it? And all that. But it's, it's well, well worth it. Yeah, just countless people can be helped in this way and it's our way to give back and, like I said, turn a really terrible situation into something filled with goodness. Yeah.

Breanne 37:54

That's again, super inspiring. Not just, you know, just for yourself and being able to like fight your fight and, come out on the other side. But now, investing in helping other people do the same. I mean, that's amazing. We are super excited for the event. The Elite competitor is a sponsor Of the event happening on October 8th. So any of you that are listening that are local, definitely come out. Christina and I will be there. I'm not sure what capacity we're like, could we can golf? We can run, maybe speak. I don't know. This is evolving into something.

Kelly 38:28

Yeah, it will evolve. We would love you guys to be able to speak and share your stories and how you are helping female athletes out there and doing such great things. And, gosh if we had a program like this when we were younger, how amazing. We just had to sort of figure it out on our own, this whole mindset thing and how to mm-hmm. Be resilient. Like, gosh, I would've loved to have a mindset coach. Mm-hmm.

Breanne 38:56

Yeah. You know, I know. I always say like, I wish I would've had it. And then I also wish my mom would've had the resources that we give moms because she was like, we've talked all the time. She's like, I didn't know what to tell you. I didn't know I. I was scared out too.

Kelly 39:11

Oh yeah. Gosh. No, I mean, I grew up going to church, so my mom's advice was, whatever the Bible said, right. And like kind of all based on being a good person and still work hard and that was the cloth that I came from. But yeah, like really there was a lot more to figure out than just like giving me that. Platform to take the opportunities, right? I had to figure out then how to keep myself going through them. The only rule she set is if you start something, you have to finish it. So

Breanne 39:42

Yeah. That's great. That's a great rule. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the other thing that we're excited about is, we've set up a donation page. So those of you, even if you're not local, and you're like, oh, that event sounds cool, but also the purpose, you know, I'm not local, but the purpose is something that I wanna support. Christina and I have set up our own fundraising page so that any of our listeners who are, you know, connecting to what Kelly is saying, and also want to help support this cause we will link to that in the show notes. Yeah. So that you can support

Kelly 40:13

as well. Awesome. Thanks for doing that. I so appreciate that. And yeah, I mean, just know every dollar truly goes to, I mean, literally my husband is the co-founder and our sisters are, like the, I don't know, the treasurer and the whatever. It's literally homegrown. A few friends helping us, but we, it's, every single dollar goes to helping people that just need a little financial assistance and, so that they can focus on their cancer fight. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So important.

Breanne 40:46

Yeah. Well, Kelly, as we wrap up, I just wanna first of all express my gratitude again. And then also is there anything else that you want to leave or share with these wonderful moms who are listening?

Kelly 41:00

Oh, gosh, so much., it's a loaded question, right? It is. It is. Whatever

Breanne 41:04

comes to mind. Yeah.

Kelly 41:06

Yeah. Well, I think the one thing that I'll leave with you is to find and hold very closely your why. Like find a why and look to that on the good days, but especially the hard days. Um, you know, whether that is you are playing a sport for, to honor someone else and they're like a battle they're going through or. It is to, you know, something for yourself, which is just as important to, to throw that inner strength or confidence, whatever it is. Like find a why. And if you don't have a why, you have your resources right. To find that out, to dig, deep and find it. And then, Just lean into that. Lean into that. Why everything you do, every practice you go to, when you don't wanna go to practice or do that extra strength training, let that why propel you to do it and to give your all in it every time you do it. When it's done, you're glad you did. So that's what I'll leave is find your why and it's okay if your why changes, you just have to have one. So

Breanne 42:18

important. Love that. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Well, thank you again, Kelly. I can't wait for this episode to air and for the many, many families that are gonna be inspired by you, your journey. And then also if they feel moved to also support the cause. Yeah. Excited for that too.

Kelly 42:36

Thank you. Thanks so much for having me. It has been so fun getting to talk to you and yeah, I love what you guys are doing at this, elite club here. It's awesome.

Breanne 42:46

Yeah, and I'll see you on

Kelly 42:47

October 8th. Sounds great. October.