After Prince Harry left his job as a working royal, one of the many gigs he took on was becoming the Chief Impact Officer at Silicon Valley mental health coaching start-up BetterUp. In that role, he has talked up his own experience working with a virtual coach through the app and made headlines for saying that people should quit their jobs if they “negatively affect their mental health.” In a new video, the royal sat down with snowboarding phenom Chloe Kim to discuss the pressures of being an athlete at a high level.
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After calling the 22-year-old the “queen of snowboarding,” Harry asked about her routines. “Is there a day-to-day thing you do for your mental fitness? What is your secret? How do you become so good and stay there?”
Kim, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe, said that she has “little reminders” to help her keep focused. “Like, I am doing my best. I’m working really hard, I have to pivot and find a solution to create a positive outcome,” she added. “I know who to turn to when I’m having a tough time. I know how to express and cope with my emotions, and I’m more open now. The relationship between mind and body is very important, and it has a lot to do with my success.”
Harry also praised Kim for her attitude. “I love your confidence, especially being so young,” he said. “You had to teach yourself confidence.”
Kim mentioned that she has also worked with a coach through the Better Up app. “I have such high standards for myself—I beat myself up,” she said. “So really, my coach is always just reminding me: calm down, it’s good, there’s always tomorrow, but also acknowledge the progress that you have made today.”
In a conversation with psychologist Adam Grant, Harry also discussed the years he spent traveling the world to fulfill his royal duties. “Throughout my years of traveling around the world, what I saw was the similarities of experiences of trauma, of loss, of grief, of being human—that building up resilience is critical,” he said. Harry also complimented Grant for exercising. “You work out six days a week? I can tell,” Harry said.
In response, Grant deadpanned, “I don’t know how to respond to that.”
According to the Daily Mail, Harry and wife Meghan Markle are planning a trip to New York to observe the U.N.’s Nelson Mandela Day next Monday. The visit will mark the couple’s first public appearance after their presence at the Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth in June.
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