My Guest Today is Steph Ratcliffe.
When Steph Ratcliffe was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 6 years old, she had no idea what was ahead of her. Scared of needles, disliked eating lollies, and suddenly facing a lifelong condition that required both of those things, daily. Steph’s journey was anything but simple.
Her diagnosis didn’t stop her. Instead, she went on to represent Australia on the biggest stage in the world, the Olympics!
In this episode, we dive deep into Steph’s incredible journey from a young girl hiding her insulin pump to a confident world-class hammer thrower. From Harvard to Georgia, and Melbourne to Paris, she shares the highs, lows, and lessons from life as a student-athlete, scientist, and diabetes advocate.
My Guest Today is Steph Ratcliffe.
When Steph Ratcliffe was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 6 years old, she had no idea what was ahead of her. Scared of needles, disliked eating lollies, and suddenly facing a lifelong condition that required both of those things, daily. Steph’s journey was anything but simple.
Her diagnosis didn’t stop her. Instead, she went on to represent Australia on the biggest stage in the world, the Olympics!
In this episode, we dive deep into Steph’s incredible journey from a young girl hiding her insulin pump to a confident world-class hammer thrower. From Harvard to Georgia, and Melbourne to Paris, she shares the highs, lows, and lessons from life as a student-athlete, scientist, and diabetes advocate.
Here’s what we’re covering:
- The early years: diagnosis at 6, fear of needles, and the steep learning curve for her and her family
How she discovered hammer throw after years of little athletics and hurdles - How moving to the US and attending Harvard shaped her academic and athletic journey
- Managing diabetes during elite-level training blocks and unpredictable competition environments
- The science behind blood sugar, adrenaline, and performance on comp day
- Her nerve-wracking Olympic qualification process and how she pulled off a clutch third throw to make it count
- Living with type 1 in the Olympic village and becoming a diabetes role model on the world stage
- Her candid thoughts on body image, weight gain, and the unique pressures of being a female thrower
- The daily routines, planning, and mindset tools Steph uses to balance diabetes, study, sport, and life
- Steph’s beautiful and raw letter to diabetes
And plenty more
You can get in touch with Steph on Instagram by clicking the link below
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