Olympic Gold Medalist Caroline Marks Shares How She Overcomes Self-Doubt

The professional surfer opened up about conquering insecurity.

Caroline Marks was photographed by James Macari in Turks and Caicos. / James Macari/Sports Illustrated

Professional surfer Caroline Marks may be an Olympic gold medalist, but the 22-year-old athlete still experiences moments of self-doubt like the rest of us. The two-time Olympian recently sat down with Marie Claire to answer a series of rapid fire questions, including how she overcomes feeling insecure.

“There’s definitely moments where I’ve doubted myself,” Marks shared. “But you kind of just remind yourself like all the work you’ve put in and I usually try to like surround myself with like encouraging people, whether that’s like a coach or family or friends and believe in myself and overcome that fear and that doubt.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marie Claire (@marieclairemag)

Her wisdom is similar to some that retired gymnast Aly Raisman recently shared when speaking about her own mental health. While chatting with Women’s Health magazine, the 30-year-old noted how important it is to surround herself with a great support system.

“I think that over the years, I’ve learned that it’s not always easy sometimes to find people that are there for you, that you can go to,” Raisman stated. “But I think having a space and people that don’t judge you and are there for you is so crucial and even just someone you can talk to, whether it’s a therapist, whether it’s a family member, a friend, a teacher, a coach, whatever it is, having that support system I think is really key.”

The bottom line is, elite athletes, just like the rest of us, deal with feelings of uncertainty. Take the advice of both Marks and Raisman into consideration and think about how who you are surrounding yourself with impacts your mental health.