Presentations

This theme has intrigued me for a long time!
At the beginning of my talk, I share my experience as an athlete at the 1984 Olympic Games. I relive those emotional moments through the video of the 10 dives I performed in the 3m springboard finals.

I explain that it’s not mandatory to be driven by performance, competition, and comparison with others to aspire to the highest step on the podium.

At 18 years old, after reading the book "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind," I chose to focus on self-improvement rather than being caught up in a world of competition and comparison with other divers.

Visualization allowed me to stay focused on my competition instead of being distracted by the 35,000 spectators, the tens of millions of television viewers, and the other divers. Thanks to my yellow Walkman, I danced to the music of "Flashdance" between each of my dives to block out the surrounding noise.

On my final dive, I experienced underwater one of the most beautiful moments of my life, even before knowing that I was in first place. My profound joy felt underwater was tied to the satisfaction of the journey I had traveled and not to the final result... which I was unaware of. That was my medal!

I truly felt that I had surpassed myself and achieved the ultimate expression of who I was. Even today, this mindset still defines me. I am aware that I don’t have full control over the final outcome of my goals, whether big or small, but I have significant power over the choices I make daily to get closer to them.

What I remember most is that behind the medal, there are 1 million dives, 1,000 hours of visualization, 500 hours of physiotherapy, and above all, so much joy and satisfaction from diving off a springboard!

"I never lose; I either win or learn." – Nelson Mandela

A healthy mind in a healthy body! Our human body is an incredible machine that needs to stay active. Any opportunity to move is a gift you can give yourself.

Sitting is the new smoking! The average North American sits or is sedentary for an average of 9 hours a day, and the effects are devastating… it’s the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.

I explain the nuances between sedentariness and physical inactivity, and I give concrete tips to help people get active several times a day to become less sedentary. My aim is to motivate people to reactivate the energy that our body needs to stay alert and active at work or in our personal activities.

Motivation and planning go hand in hand!

How can you make choices that are in line with your goals and stay motivated/disciplined to stay on course?

Here are a few examples:

• Put your walks in your agenda and go with someone else ... a good incentive not to cancel.
• Plan some small rewards once you’ve reached your goal.
• Write on sticky notes the reasons that physical activity is good for you (well-being, lower blood pressure, sense of calm, healthy and active aging, being able to play with your grandkids...) and post them everywhere!
• Write in a notebook how you feel before and after the activity.

Use the same approach for eating!

I experienced anxiety for a few years following the Los Angeles Olympics, which took me down the path of depression. I am now very aware of the importance of promoting a state of mental, emotional and physical well-being that allows everyone, whatever our age, to live life to the full.

Because of my research, my reading, various trainings and my life experiences, today I choose to incorporate a routine that allows me to maintain... as often as possible ... an inner calm.

Are we aware of how our thoughts influence our lives? When I was an athlete, people said I was an example of Olympian calm because my psychological preparation allowed me to focus on each of my dives by tuning out all outer distractions. These tools/techniques are accessible to everyone!

AuToday, I use visualization, meditation, yoga, breathing and mindfulness1 to maintain a sense of inner calm. These techniques can be used by everyone and are scientifically known to help us move toward lasting serenity. I can speak about all these practices because I have incorporated them into my own life. Imagine if we were more attuned to the signals our body sends us!

^{1. Définition: Mindfulness involves deliberately paying attention to the present moment, our thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and our environment without judgment or labelling (for example: this emotion is wrong or this feeling is unwelcome).}

The concept of leadership has spoken to me since I served as chef de mission for the Canadian delegation at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. I even chose it as the topic of my master’s thesis in 2011*.

• even chose it as the topic of my master’s thesis in 2011*.
  Developing a better understanding of your leadership (power): Leadership based on position and/or personal leadership that is rooted in the leader’s personal qualities, allowing them to have a positive influence on their professional and personal circles.
• Seeing a setback as a life experience that contributes to our leadership.

I address the theme of leadership especially with managers.

* _{The concept of leadership in the context of interdepartmental governance for promoting healthy lifestyle habits: Perceptions of senior political authorities.” I interviewed eight ministers and the prime minister to complete my thesis.}

At the age of 20, a few days after my gold medal win in Los Angeles, I announced my retirement from diving, to everyone’s surprise.

That meant I experienced symptoms related to retirement despite my young age. Several decades later, I approach this subject with a lot of humour. Loss of identity, loss of feeling part of a group. I am now at an age when many people are retiring, taking care of parents and grandchildren.

Does retirement have to mean that we withdraw from life, or is it an opportunity to redefine ourselves, to evolve and carry on with our life in a different way? I love talking about this topic if this theme fits your needs.

Visualization is the ability to see yourself and to anticipate a moment with all your senses. This was without a doubt the determining factor in my winning a gold medal during the Los Angeles Games in 1984.

For visualization to work, emotion, the sensory, must be involved so that the encoding and memorizing happen in our brain. It’s so fascinating what science can explain to us today. I was convinced of it 40 years ago without being able to explain it: I experienced it.

I was a pioneer in incorporating visualization in elite sports, and I have been using it in all I do for four decades. I firmly believe that psychological preparation is just as important as physical preparation.

I address different facets of this technique to show how it can help you achieve your personal and professional goals. Many scientific studies confirm conclusive results on this subject.

• Demystify the concept of visualization and make it accessible to all;
• Identify goals, both personal and professional, that you can apply visualization to;
• Incorporate and maintain healthy lifestyle habits to promote well-being.

Working toward life balance and taking care of ourselves day to day allows us to make it through the most difficult times: a bereavement, job loss, illness or other crisis.

• Get back on your feet after a loss
• Transform the difficult times in your life into positive actions
• My nephew Raphaël’s death by drowning while we stood by helplessly totally changed my way of approaching life.

Reference: Book – The Day I Couldn’t Dive

Sleep is a part of overall health that has been underestimated for many years. Here are some tips shared during my presentation!

During the day:

• Expose yourself to light: take a walk, turn on lights inside the house (even artificial lighting works!), etc.
• Move!
• Watch your caffeine intake (coffee, tea, chocolate...); it circulates in our body for a long time and can affect our sleep hours later!

In the evening and at night:

• Aim for 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night
• Avoid screens (overstimulation, sound notifications, blue light)
• Limit alcohol as bedtime approaches
• Create the darkest and calmest environment possible
• Manage sleep apnea and snoring for yourself... and your partner!

This is another element that has been overlooked for years and that contributes to our physical and mental health and prevents cognitive decline.

"There’s a difference between being alone and feeling lonely."

• Being with people we like helps to reduce stress.
• Other people lead us to have new experiences, which stimulates the creation of new connections in the brain (neuroplasticity).
• A rich social life therefore helps reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

But ...

• With the pandemic, social interactions have been significantly reduced.

Our diet has an impact on our alertness and our energy! Everything we give our body has a direct link to how well it performs! My diving coach helped me realize at a very young age that everything I ate and drank had positive or negative effects on the quality of my training. I prefer to talk about choices that promote physical, mental and cognitive health with the Mediterranean diet!