Sam welcomes decorated gymnast, Jessica López. Jessica is an international gymnast who has represented her home country of Venezuela in three separate Olympic Games from 2008 through 2016. In 2016, she qualified for the uneven bars final, becoming the very first Venezuelan gymnast to do so. She also placed sixth in the all-around final, her country’s best all-around finish ever. She competed collegiately at the University of Denver from 2006 – 2009, earning five All-American honors across three NCAA national championship appearances. In total, she has won eighty-three individual titles during her career. Today, Jessica is a gymnastics coach at her alma mater, The University of Denver, and is mulling over the possibility of competing at a fourth Olympics! In this episode, Sam and Jessica talk about Jessica’s incredible career as a gymnast, from the Elite and Olympic levels to the collegiate level. Jessica shares how she has managed to stay motivated throughout a career of such longevity. She also recounts the Olympic Games she competed in and the different challenges she faced in all three. She talks about her experience as a gymnast representing a smaller nation and the struggles she has faced as a result. Jessica discusses the reasons she chose to attend the University of Denver and how she acclimated to American culture and overcame language barriers along the way. Jessica talks about her career as a coach and gives insights into the progress of their current season. She talks about their ultimate goals for the season and in the coming years. Finally, Jessica gives sound advice to the audience on how they can improve each day by remaining present and thankful in every moment. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e6