God bless you Mal. You are a wise young lady who has nothing to prove to anybody. You have the courage to put your own happiness first and most people never understand this until it's too late and they are drenched in regrets. Keep smiling and being your beautiful self, you are a great example and inspiration to others.
I hope she stays active in spreading her current mindset and past experiences. Her message should be heard by all young athletes and parents of young athletes
Miss Mal O'Brien, I doubt you'll see this. I commend you for being right with yourself, and taking the time. I am 43yrs old and 3 kids. The oldest being 21 now! Lol! Through out my kids lives I have always preached to go after your dreams,...what makes you happy to wake up every day! My oldest .....being my daughter, is is an artist. Well rounded, but her passion is photography. She started her own business at 16yrs old and it has grown every yr since. She's not making millions, but she grows every yr! And it makes my heart happy to see her going after what she wants to do instead of settling for what she" has" to do!!! She also is a waitress at 2 different restaurants while she is building her business! Always take the time to find what makes you happy to wake up!!❤️🔥👍👍👍
Setting our kids expectations to just "follow their dreams" and "do what makes you happy" is the reason that there are more adult children living at home, unable to support themselves, than any other time in our nations history. Life is hard work and routine if you want a decent living. Do THAT well and you can do what makes you happy in your free time...as opposed to having to wait tables at two different restaurants.
Great interview. I am proud of Mal to have figured out how to balance life with CF & the simple joys of life. It is good to see her following her heart.
It's crazy to watch these young prodigies go full cycle in life so soon, we all probably thought they would have this amazing time and dominance starting so young but life is just not so linear. Mal knows what's what and nothing but respect for it, i see nothing but wisdom and self awareness, acquired ahead of schedule, live your life Mal good on you!
Mal, you are awesome and super proud of you to take the time you need in this milestone of your life. As we get older we go through milestones/stages and we learn something about ourselves. It's not about finding one self, it's about creating one self. Forgot who said that but it stuck with me as I finally figured out that the journey was not to find myself but to create myself.
Great interview! I am happy for her if she’s happy now. The only thing I wonder is why we haven’t heard from her anything about Matt. He was her coach so I would have loved to know about his support and if they still keep in touch or not.
10:48 Matt Fraser has always said that he has achieved what he has because it was his life’s sole focus. Presumably this is what he instills in all his trainees. There’s nothing wrong with that but if you’re not on the same page then it won’t work
The first generation of “greats” were adults with lives and personalities. The current generation were raised in the box (literal and metaphorical) and they are going to suffer for it.
I agree. I think we are seeing it with Haley and Mal, and we are going to continue to see it as long as these young athletes have to jump from the teen division to elite. It requires such a high level of commitment and work. Too much for these young athletes when they haven't even lived their adolescent to teen to adult lives yet. It's unfortunate. I hope Crossfit makes a change. Otherwise, the sport will inevitably lose great athletes and competitors.
The problem isn't being raised in the box... It's that they think they have to LEAVE the box to train to be a champion. So they leave the community they grew to love... and are surprised when they lose the love for the sport... Because the sport of Crossfit is NOTHING WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY attached to it! Without the community to support them through the difficulty of training for the games, they seek refuge in social media... which compounds the issue! The solution is that these young athletes need to get BACK IN THE BOX!
Getting back in the box is not the answer it’s getting out and seeing what was missed being. Either spending time outdoors, traveling, and simple fact of life enjoyment and most of all personal relationships. I completely understand where she’s coming from, she never focused on enjoying her teens as the most older generations were already in their early to mid 20s she started as a teen. Follow Matt Fraser life from Olympic lifting to office environment and into CrossFit. He had time to grow and understand what he wanted.
So HAPPY for Mal! She hasn't had a real childhood. Like most athletes that compete at a high level, your life in not your own. GOOD for her. I wish her ALL the HAPPINESS and WONDER that life had to offer!
She never mentions having conversations with Matt, her coach or her camp about her fears and anxiety. I wonder if she just didn't feel comfortable, trust anyone or simply didn't want to let people down. no word from anyone on that. Seems like she was all alone.
Mal is saying "I want to have fun, I want to allow myself to be a kid"... which means to discover new things and just have fun. And Laura, who was very sensible in this interview by the way, couldn't help but to say: oh you're baking, you should definitely sell it to people, "I would be your first costumer", "can we expect a cook book?" It was not on purpose, but don't you see the problem here? Laura then came back and finished the interview with a great message. But, we are so conditioned to think that whatever someone is doing got to have a "practical" goal that these words come out of our mouths without thinking. BTW it is refreshing to see how Mal is looking like a kid. Fortunately.
I noticed the same thing. Mal made it very clear that living up to other expectations created a lot of stress and pressure. Just let her enjoy cooking when she feels like cooking.
You are a neat young woman Mal O'Brien, and at the end of the day your happiness is paramount! I will remain a big fan whether you compete or not...and in my mind, will always think of you as the 2023 Fittest Woman on Earth!!
I wish you would've asked her, had she won last year would she still have left the sport to take a break? Or did coming in 2nd have an impact on her decision, as well?
Great interview! I've always wondered why elite crossfitters don't put a hard cap on their training time. Say 2 or 3 hours a day max, and then leave the rest. Working out 8 hours a day is enough to ruin anyone's life.
Not if you CHOOSE to make that your life. Being the best at this level REQUIRES you to sacrifice your life if you truly desire to be the best. Some make that choice others don't.
Pressure is a privelidge and it is not for a lot of people even when they say they can handle it, it causes them to realize real and strong competition is not for all and they default to what they call finding balance. Very few Tia-clair Toomey's in the world.
95% at least from the people competing take it as a career and to make money. Even Mat frazer had 2 goals get 5 wins and enough money to retire and fully stopped. I get when the money is not an issue, and no goal to aim for (to win …) its impossible to find the motivation to suffer day in and day out with body breaking workouts to do well in a competition. In my opinion its as simple as that.
Women are so different than men. I was a collegiate heavyweight wrestler. I never had any doubts or remorse or excess feelings about working out at an extreme level. Also going to university classes and studying and then work the evenings at Circle K for three to four days a week. It was something that I had decided to do, no reason at all to reconsider. 1. Wrestling routine offseason: * Run ten miles in the morning: on a good day, I would finish the run in under an hour (for you non-accountants that is ten consecutive sub-six minute miles in a row) * Lift weights aggressively for 1.5 hours, with very little wasted time between intervals * Off-season wrestling practice held by the team captains w/o coaches present 2. University classes, I graduated in three years instead of four or five with a difficult degree in accounting 3. Worked two part-time jobs, Cirle K clerk from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM for three or four days / week. And weekends as a night security guard at 19 story commercial building. I would run hard with ankle weights and punch all the check points on each floor in half an hour and study for the next half hour and repeat for 12 hours. I was invigorated to be accomplishing my goals No reason to lament not being able to party or get depressed. Too many feelings women. The only one of y'all with my attitude is Tia. That is why she consistently wins. I could not win more than conference because in my time period there was no weight limit for heavyweights. Chris Taylor (Really a sumo wrestler) at 440 pounds and 6 foot 5 in of fat was the US champion that went to the Olympics in 1972. Now the international organizations cap heavyweights at 275 pounds, no sumos allowed. At 235 pounds, 5.0% body fat (Water tank test), 55 inch chest, 37.5 inch waist, 32 in. circumference legs; I was too small to take on a 440 pounder. I could not even get my arms around his belly to try and control him. - The retired redneck accountant
I don't think it's a women thing. I think it's an alpha obsessive personality type thing. There are plenty of women that have that type of mindset and plenty of men who don't. I think it's kind of rare actually. Maybe 1 out of 10. Obviously it'll be more prevalent in the sports world because that's where that type of personality will gravitate. I think it also depends on how long you do something and how much else you have going on in your life. It sounds like you had other things that you were involved in too. It sounds like Mal made everything a singular focus. I think it's pretty natural for that kind of long-term mental energy to take a toll whether it's women or men.
Classic case of a young person doing things for the wrong reasons. I had the same problem. Gotta have something bigger. For me it's Jesus, I'd encourage everyone to follow suit
When you break up with someone, you delete the contact, remove yourself from things associated with that person. Why would she have this breakup with “all things associated with CrossFit “ but then she creates a new UA-cam channel, does interviews with CrossFit media. You can’t have it both ways. Either embrace your relationship with CrossFit or stop doing CrossFit related activities. IMO move on get some educational skills and start working being a productive person of Hawaii. Good luck.
God bless you Mal. You are a wise young lady who has nothing to prove to anybody. You have the courage to put your own happiness first and most people never understand this until it's too late and they are drenched in regrets. Keep smiling and being your beautiful self, you are a great example and inspiration to others.
I hope she stays active in spreading her current mindset and past experiences. Her message should be heard by all young athletes and parents of young athletes
Miss Mal O'Brien, I doubt you'll see this. I commend you for being right with yourself, and taking the time. I am 43yrs old and 3 kids. The oldest being 21 now! Lol! Through out my kids lives I have always preached to go after your dreams,...what makes you happy to wake up every day! My oldest .....being my daughter, is is an artist. Well rounded, but her passion is photography. She started her own business at 16yrs old and it has grown every yr since. She's not making millions, but she grows every yr! And it makes my heart happy to see her going after what she wants to do instead of settling for what she" has" to do!!! She also is a waitress at 2 different restaurants while she is building her business! Always take the time to find what makes you happy to wake up!!❤️🔥👍👍👍
Setting our kids expectations to just "follow their dreams" and "do what makes you happy" is the reason that there are more adult children living at home, unable to support themselves, than any other time in our nations history. Life is hard work and routine if you want a decent living. Do THAT well and you can do what makes you happy in your free time...as opposed to having to wait tables at two different restaurants.
Great interview, Mal has such a great talent, really miss seeing her compete,wishing her all the best on her journey.
Great interview. I am proud of Mal to have figured out how to balance life with CF & the simple joys of life. It is good to see her following her heart.
It's crazy to watch these young prodigies go full cycle in life so soon, we all probably thought they would have this amazing time and dominance starting so young but life is just not so linear. Mal knows what's what and nothing but respect for it, i see nothing but wisdom and self awareness, acquired ahead of schedule, live your life Mal good on you!
Mal, you are awesome and super proud of you to take the time you need in this milestone of your life. As we get older we go through milestones/stages and we learn something about ourselves. It's not about finding one self, it's about creating one self. Forgot who said that but it stuck with me as I finally figured out that the journey was not to find myself but to create myself.
Great interview! I am happy for her if she’s happy now. The only thing I wonder is why we haven’t heard from her anything about Matt. He was her coach so I would have loved to know about his support and if they still keep in touch or not.
10:48 Matt Fraser has always said that he has achieved what he has because it was his life’s sole focus. Presumably this is what he instills in all his trainees. There’s nothing wrong with that but if you’re not on the same page then it won’t work
That was an excellent interview. Great content and conversation. Thank you Lauren, nice job.
The first generation of “greats” were adults with lives and personalities. The current generation were raised in the box (literal and metaphorical) and they are going to suffer for it.
I agree. I think we are seeing it with Haley and Mal, and we are going to continue to see it as long as these young athletes have to jump from the teen division to elite. It requires such a high level of commitment and work. Too much for these young athletes when they haven't even lived their adolescent to teen to adult lives yet. It's unfortunate. I hope Crossfit makes a change. Otherwise, the sport will inevitably lose great athletes and competitors.
The problem isn't being raised in the box... It's that they think they have to LEAVE the box to train to be a champion. So they leave the community they grew to love... and are surprised when they lose the love for the sport... Because the sport of Crossfit is NOTHING WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY attached to it! Without the community to support them through the difficulty of training for the games, they seek refuge in social media... which compounds the issue! The solution is that these young athletes need to get BACK IN THE BOX!
Getting back in the box is not the answer it’s getting out and seeing what was missed being. Either spending time outdoors, traveling, and simple fact of life enjoyment and most of all personal relationships. I completely understand where she’s coming from, she never focused on enjoying her teens as the most older generations were already in their early to mid 20s she started as a teen. Follow Matt Fraser life from Olympic lifting to office environment and into CrossFit. He had time to grow and understand what he wanted.
So HAPPY for Mal! She hasn't had a real childhood. Like most athletes that compete at a high level, your life in not your own. GOOD for her. I wish her ALL the HAPPINESS and WONDER that life had to offer!
She never mentions having conversations with Matt, her coach or her camp about her fears and anxiety. I wonder if she just didn't feel comfortable, trust anyone or simply didn't want to let people down. no word from anyone on that. Seems like she was all alone.
it's been 2 years... I don't think she's ever coming back
I think it’s highly likely once she becomes an adult. She just needs those few years to live her life. I feel like she will maybe when in her 20s!
Mal is saying "I want to have fun, I want to allow myself to be a kid"... which means to discover new things and just have fun. And Laura, who was very sensible in this interview by the way, couldn't help but to say: oh you're baking, you should definitely sell it to people, "I would be your first costumer", "can we expect a cook book?" It was not on purpose, but don't you see the problem here? Laura then came back and finished the interview with a great message. But, we are so conditioned to think that whatever someone is doing got to have a "practical" goal that these words come out of our mouths without thinking.
BTW it is refreshing to see how Mal is looking like a kid. Fortunately.
I noticed the same thing. Mal made it very clear that living up to other expectations created a lot of stress and pressure. Just let her enjoy cooking when she feels like cooking.
You are a neat young woman Mal O'Brien, and at the end of the day your happiness is paramount! I will remain a big fan whether you compete or not...and in my mind, will always think of you as the 2023 Fittest Woman on Earth!!
I wish you would've asked her, had she won last year would she still have left the sport to take a break? Or did coming in 2nd have an impact on her decision, as well?
Great interview! I've always wondered why elite crossfitters don't put a hard cap on their training time. Say 2 or 3 hours a day max, and then leave the rest. Working out 8 hours a day is enough to ruin anyone's life.
Not if you CHOOSE to make that your life. Being the best at this level REQUIRES you to sacrifice your life if you truly desire to be the best. Some make that choice others don't.
She said Mel
I really would like to have seen what she could have accomplished in CrossFit. But she is certainly doing what's best for her.
Pressure is a privelidge and it is not for a lot of people even when they say they can handle it, it causes them to realize real and strong competition is not for all and they default to what they call finding balance. Very few Tia-clair Toomey's in the world.
Bagels for the win!!
she did NOT want to talk about HWPO at all
Sweet kid. Just keep being a sweet kid. Most important thing you can do.
She was expected to be a huge part of Crossfit post Tia, but instead she has walked away.
Mal is a wise woman. And a baddass.
95% at least from the people competing take it as a career and to make money. Even Mat frazer had 2 goals get 5 wins and enough money to retire and fully stopped. I get when the money is not an issue, and no goal to aim for (to win …) its impossible to find the motivation to suffer day in and day out with body breaking workouts to do well in a competition. In my opinion its as simple as that.
Another example that potential does not equal performance under pressure. Sadly, too much publicity is given to potential.
Now 75000000 billions millions billions dollars for u Mal O'brien. Mustly now lips love joys five times 🌸 〽️ 💐 mustly 〽️
Women are so different than men. I was a collegiate heavyweight wrestler. I never had any doubts or remorse or excess feelings about working out at an extreme level. Also going to university classes and studying and then work the evenings at Circle K for three to four days a week. It was something that I had decided to do, no reason at all to reconsider.
1. Wrestling routine offseason:
* Run ten miles in the morning: on a good day, I would finish the run in under an hour (for you non-accountants that is ten consecutive sub-six minute miles in a row)
* Lift weights aggressively for 1.5 hours, with very little wasted time between intervals
* Off-season wrestling practice held by the team captains w/o coaches present
2. University classes, I graduated in three years instead of four or five with a difficult degree in accounting
3. Worked two part-time jobs, Cirle K clerk from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM for three or four days / week. And weekends as a night security guard at 19 story commercial building. I would run hard with ankle weights and punch all the check points on each floor in half an hour and study for the next half hour and repeat for 12 hours.
I was invigorated to be accomplishing my goals No reason to lament not being able to party or get depressed. Too many feelings women. The only one of y'all with my attitude is Tia. That is why she consistently wins.
I could not win more than conference because in my time period there was no weight limit for heavyweights. Chris Taylor (Really a sumo wrestler) at 440 pounds and 6 foot 5 in of fat was the US champion that went to the Olympics in 1972.
Now the international organizations cap heavyweights at 275 pounds, no sumos allowed.
At 235 pounds, 5.0% body fat (Water tank test), 55 inch chest, 37.5 inch waist, 32 in. circumference legs; I was too small to take on a 440 pounder. I could not even get my arms around his belly to try and control him.
- The retired redneck accountant
I don't think it's a women thing. I think it's an alpha obsessive personality type thing. There are plenty of women that have that type of mindset and plenty of men who don't. I think it's kind of rare actually. Maybe 1 out of 10. Obviously it'll be more prevalent in the sports world because that's where that type of personality will gravitate.
I think it also depends on how long you do something and how much else you have going on in your life. It sounds like you had other things that you were involved in too. It sounds like Mal made everything a singular focus. I think it's pretty natural for that kind of long-term mental energy to take a toll whether it's women or men.
I dont think she could ever do gymnastics as a kid to Olympic level think this is a very similar type of thing.
Classic case of a young person doing things for the wrong reasons. I had the same problem. Gotta have something bigger. For me it's Jesus, I'd encourage everyone to follow suit
Yeah she’s not coming back. She’s not built for a single focus anymore.
Please don’t ever come back to Crossfit
She chose her health. Young lady didn’t want to destroy her hormones etc to be a crossfitter.
Too much success too soon. She doesn’t understand what she had and what actual suffering is.
When you break up with someone, you delete the contact, remove yourself from things associated with that person. Why would she have this breakup with “all things associated with CrossFit “ but then she creates a new UA-cam channel, does interviews with CrossFit media. You can’t have it both ways. Either embrace your relationship with CrossFit or stop doing CrossFit related activities. IMO move on get some educational skills and start working being a productive person of Hawaii. Good luck.