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Listen "From Injury to Gold: Dawn Harper-Nelson’s Journey to Success"
Episode Synopsis
On this episode of Circuit of Success, Brett Gilliland interviews Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper. Dawn talks about her journey to success, from her upbringing in East Saint Louis to her travels around the world. She shares how her family, faith, and coaches Nino Fennoy and Bob Kersee helped her to become the champion she is today. Dawn overcame a career-ending injury in high school and persevered to become a world-class athlete. Hear her inspiring story of hard work and dedication, and how she encourages others to go out and execute their goals without second-guessing themselves.
https://youtu.be/ThikYqp8P4M
Brett Gilliland: Uh, welcome to the Circuit of Success. I'm your host, Brett Gilland, and today I've got Don Harper Nelson with me. Don, how you doing?
Dawn Harper-Nelson: I'm doing pretty good. This beautiful, beautiful morning. It's
Brett Gilliland: awesome to have you here. What people probably can't see on the cameras I know is uh, so we got some, what, what we got here
Dawn Harper-Nelson: in front.
We got the good stuff. We got the good stuff. Um, I brought my Olympic medals with me, my World Championship medals, um, and also my Diamond League trophy. And so, yeah, I always say I love to bring them out. I feel like I did not win them just for me. I literally won them for my country, for everyday people.
And so I love to have people touch them and just be like, that's heavy. This one's big. And it's really cool to see all the different questions and responses. Well, that's what you got from us. Exactly.
Brett Gilliland: Guys in the office here, like, man, look at that. That's so cool. So you are a hundred meter hurdle, a hundred meters hurdle.
Uh yes. The gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mm-hmm. The silver medal in 2012. London Olympics. The 2017 World Championships. First American hurdler to win the gold medal and then a medal. And the next Olympics. Yes sir. 2022 U [00:01:00] ucla, A hall of fame. Who, what? Six time. This is what I couldn't believe.
Sixth time. I know it's high school, but six time. Yeah. I h s a state champ. Yes. And one year you didn't even get to race cuz you blew out your knee. Yeah. Uh, somebody who was on a Wheaties box told me a story about that. We're gonna talk about it later. Our friend Jackie. Um. And then also Dana Howard.
Mm-hmm. I gotta say, you know what's up to Dana? Absolutely. She introduced the two of us. Absolutely. And so, uh, happy to be here, but if you can Don, what, what has made you the woman you are today? Cause you don't just wake up and have all these medals in the air. No. So if you can kind of tell
Dawn Harper-Nelson: us that, what's that story?
That's a good question because I always say typically you see in quote unquote the end product. You see me today? Yeah. There's so much life and so much that went behind that. Oh man. A huge chunk of that is family for me. I am. I am just family. Like if Dawn slash family, like that's my name, right? Um, growing up, I mean, an example, even when I won the Olympics, the first thing they says, what's the first thing you wanna do when you go home?
And I said, have [00:02:00] Thanksgiving meal at my Aunt Lassie's house with my family. Like that is just family for me. I had a pretty good, um, upbringing with my parents. Uh, my parents did get divorced, so that obviously plays a toll on you as a kid. But to be honest, my mother was very strong. And you're still worth it.
You're still, you still have worth, yeah. Um, but then being grounded in church, my faith is huge for me. Um, through all the ups and downs, always knew that God had a plan, has a plan. Um, And then just kind of understanding that you're going to go through ups and downs, and that's okay. Yeah. But as long as you learn from them, you always have your family that backs you, uh, just go out there and give, just, just just give it everything you have.
And so it's just such a loaded, but yeah. Do you,
Brett Gilliland: and I mean, even anybody can say that, right? Mm-hmm. Given everything you have, obviously you gotta have some God given talents. Absolutely. We were joking about racing in the parking lot, right? Obviously you're still kicking my butt, but, uh, but, but what was it about you that.
Said, okay. I, I may be just a little bit [00:03:00] different than that girl next to me. Mm-hmm. But would you say it's more physical or more mental? Um,
Dawn Harper-Nelson: the mental is, I think was the bigger part of it, right. Physical. You just gotta have some, some in the tank, right? I mean, it's just got a little bit of genetics that you know there.
But I think when I said, give everything you have for me, what that means is I'm not okay with regrets. I'm not okay with saying, well, I could have, oh, that just boils my blood. And so from a kid, I've always been like, no. Um, even though I would go to the state meet and be undefeated, my understanding was always on that day.
It could be anybody's day. Yeah. And so you have to leave it all out there. So if I do get beat, I, they were better on that day. It was not because I gave them anything. And, um, The funny part is with that, like I said, it just plays into my life because, just jumping ahead just a little bit, literally Jackie joined a Curie.
When I met her, she was very clear in saying, I do not care what. Anyone has done [00:04:00] every single day up until today, on today, you have to beat me. Mm. And so she told me that and I was like, you are so right. And so, you know, that's just kind of how I feel like I've lived in, um, mentally though I, over time I'm a monster.
I have built up to be a monster, especially on the track. I truly believe I can take down any giant that would step on that track beside me. I dunno about you
Brett Gilliland: two. I believe that. Don't you just already what she's saying. So I, I've had the pleasure of being around Jackie numerous times and, and one of her favorite, my favorite quotes, she says, I didn't train
Dawn Harper-Nelson: to be second best.
No, I listen because who dies every day. Yeah. Because under Bobby Curie, you die. Every, you question life, you're like, I'm paying Mike Kirsty, her Husbandly your trainer. Absolutely. Her trainer. My, yes, my coach. You're like, I'm paying him to kill me. Yeah. That's literally his job is to go home. Stress, worry.
What does Dawn need, physically, mentally, to get her on top of that podium and every day he found a way to make you feel like, I thought I was ready, but I'm not ready. And so, yeah, I totally agree with that. Gotta break it down to build it back up. [00:05:00] No, literally. And by the time you, you're built up Bobby's standards.
No other coaches done waiting, you know, being prepared you to do. No. That's amazing.
Brett Gilliland: Tell us what you've learned. Um, I mean, you traveled the world mm-hmm. When I was doing my research. I mean, it, it seems like you've been, like, in every country, ever. It feels like it sometimes. And, uh, so what have you learned about just life mm-hmm.
About the world? Uh, by traveling through the world, through
Dawn Harper-Nelson: sports? Oh my goodness. There's so much out there. You think, you know, you think you have a way of understanding how life is, and then you step into someone else's culture. And you're like, oh, I thought my life was beautiful or I thought these things.
It's like there's so many things out there. Yeah. And so just not being stuck in your own bubble, being open to accepting and learning from others, um, experimenting on different foods, right? Yeah. I mean, just, just being someone that wants to just absorb things. Um, I think that I've, that's, that's kind of big for me, just realizing that beauty is everywhere.
Yeah. And it's not just how you've defined it. It is. It looks many different
Brett Gilliland: ways. [00:06:00] It's gotta be different, right? I mean, I grew up in a small town. Mm-hmm. You grew up in a small town. What, I mean, what, what would you say coming from East St. Louis? Mm-hmm. And, and there's so many phenomenal people in East St.
Louis that I think the, the, I was just having this conversation with Dana the other night. It's like, I don't think he understands. Mm-hmm. You probably don't understand either, like, The people you've grown up Uhhuh to idolized and walked Uhhuh, like, I didn't grow up with those people. Right. You start named Dana Howard.
Yeah. Brian Cox, Marco o' Harris, Gonzo, Martin, all these people. Right? You Jackie Joyner, ey. And the list goes on and on and on. And, and so what was it about you about East St. Louis and expectations that also
Dawn Harper-Nelson: maybe helps? Mm-hmm. That's exactly right. Expectations. Um, so. In East St. Louis, we say we're the city of champions.
And from the outside so many people are like, you know, it's ghetto, it's all these things. Yeah. But within East St. Louis, the adults that were around me looked at us and said, don't you dare define yourself that way. Um, coach Nino Feno, who was Jackie Joiners coach, high school coach, and also my high school coach and summer track coach.
Uh, [00:07:00] The things that he would tell us we could do, the way that he spoke life into us and demanded that we believed in ourselves. Sometimes, I mean, we talk about, to this day, we like, he is just tripping. Like there's no way. He just, why? He just always like, better, better, better. And you're like, that was pretty good for today.
And it's like, no, better, better, better. As young women, you gotta go out to the world and you gotta, and it was just like, we get it. I mean, he was always, he was just kind of relentless with it. And so I think that was very helpful when you did finally face. A situation where it was the complete opposite.
You're like, well, I've only heard my whole life of you are, you are, you are. You know,
https://youtu.be/ThikYqp8P4M
Brett Gilliland: Uh, welcome to the Circuit of Success. I'm your host, Brett Gilland, and today I've got Don Harper Nelson with me. Don, how you doing?
Dawn Harper-Nelson: I'm doing pretty good. This beautiful, beautiful morning. It's
Brett Gilliland: awesome to have you here. What people probably can't see on the cameras I know is uh, so we got some, what, what we got here
Dawn Harper-Nelson: in front.
We got the good stuff. We got the good stuff. Um, I brought my Olympic medals with me, my World Championship medals, um, and also my Diamond League trophy. And so, yeah, I always say I love to bring them out. I feel like I did not win them just for me. I literally won them for my country, for everyday people.
And so I love to have people touch them and just be like, that's heavy. This one's big. And it's really cool to see all the different questions and responses. Well, that's what you got from us. Exactly.
Brett Gilliland: Guys in the office here, like, man, look at that. That's so cool. So you are a hundred meter hurdle, a hundred meters hurdle.
Uh yes. The gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mm-hmm. The silver medal in 2012. London Olympics. The 2017 World Championships. First American hurdler to win the gold medal and then a medal. And the next Olympics. Yes sir. 2022 U [00:01:00] ucla, A hall of fame. Who, what? Six time. This is what I couldn't believe.
Sixth time. I know it's high school, but six time. Yeah. I h s a state champ. Yes. And one year you didn't even get to race cuz you blew out your knee. Yeah. Uh, somebody who was on a Wheaties box told me a story about that. We're gonna talk about it later. Our friend Jackie. Um. And then also Dana Howard.
Mm-hmm. I gotta say, you know what's up to Dana? Absolutely. She introduced the two of us. Absolutely. And so, uh, happy to be here, but if you can Don, what, what has made you the woman you are today? Cause you don't just wake up and have all these medals in the air. No. So if you can kind of tell
Dawn Harper-Nelson: us that, what's that story?
That's a good question because I always say typically you see in quote unquote the end product. You see me today? Yeah. There's so much life and so much that went behind that. Oh man. A huge chunk of that is family for me. I am. I am just family. Like if Dawn slash family, like that's my name, right? Um, growing up, I mean, an example, even when I won the Olympics, the first thing they says, what's the first thing you wanna do when you go home?
And I said, have [00:02:00] Thanksgiving meal at my Aunt Lassie's house with my family. Like that is just family for me. I had a pretty good, um, upbringing with my parents. Uh, my parents did get divorced, so that obviously plays a toll on you as a kid. But to be honest, my mother was very strong. And you're still worth it.
You're still, you still have worth, yeah. Um, but then being grounded in church, my faith is huge for me. Um, through all the ups and downs, always knew that God had a plan, has a plan. Um, And then just kind of understanding that you're going to go through ups and downs, and that's okay. Yeah. But as long as you learn from them, you always have your family that backs you, uh, just go out there and give, just, just just give it everything you have.
And so it's just such a loaded, but yeah. Do you,
Brett Gilliland: and I mean, even anybody can say that, right? Mm-hmm. Given everything you have, obviously you gotta have some God given talents. Absolutely. We were joking about racing in the parking lot, right? Obviously you're still kicking my butt, but, uh, but, but what was it about you that.
Said, okay. I, I may be just a little bit [00:03:00] different than that girl next to me. Mm-hmm. But would you say it's more physical or more mental? Um,
Dawn Harper-Nelson: the mental is, I think was the bigger part of it, right. Physical. You just gotta have some, some in the tank, right? I mean, it's just got a little bit of genetics that you know there.
But I think when I said, give everything you have for me, what that means is I'm not okay with regrets. I'm not okay with saying, well, I could have, oh, that just boils my blood. And so from a kid, I've always been like, no. Um, even though I would go to the state meet and be undefeated, my understanding was always on that day.
It could be anybody's day. Yeah. And so you have to leave it all out there. So if I do get beat, I, they were better on that day. It was not because I gave them anything. And, um, The funny part is with that, like I said, it just plays into my life because, just jumping ahead just a little bit, literally Jackie joined a Curie.
When I met her, she was very clear in saying, I do not care what. Anyone has done [00:04:00] every single day up until today, on today, you have to beat me. Mm. And so she told me that and I was like, you are so right. And so, you know, that's just kind of how I feel like I've lived in, um, mentally though I, over time I'm a monster.
I have built up to be a monster, especially on the track. I truly believe I can take down any giant that would step on that track beside me. I dunno about you
Brett Gilliland: two. I believe that. Don't you just already what she's saying. So I, I've had the pleasure of being around Jackie numerous times and, and one of her favorite, my favorite quotes, she says, I didn't train
Dawn Harper-Nelson: to be second best.
No, I listen because who dies every day. Yeah. Because under Bobby Curie, you die. Every, you question life, you're like, I'm paying Mike Kirsty, her Husbandly your trainer. Absolutely. Her trainer. My, yes, my coach. You're like, I'm paying him to kill me. Yeah. That's literally his job is to go home. Stress, worry.
What does Dawn need, physically, mentally, to get her on top of that podium and every day he found a way to make you feel like, I thought I was ready, but I'm not ready. And so, yeah, I totally agree with that. Gotta break it down to build it back up. [00:05:00] No, literally. And by the time you, you're built up Bobby's standards.
No other coaches done waiting, you know, being prepared you to do. No. That's amazing.
Brett Gilliland: Tell us what you've learned. Um, I mean, you traveled the world mm-hmm. When I was doing my research. I mean, it, it seems like you've been, like, in every country, ever. It feels like it sometimes. And, uh, so what have you learned about just life mm-hmm.
About the world? Uh, by traveling through the world, through
Dawn Harper-Nelson: sports? Oh my goodness. There's so much out there. You think, you know, you think you have a way of understanding how life is, and then you step into someone else's culture. And you're like, oh, I thought my life was beautiful or I thought these things.
It's like there's so many things out there. Yeah. And so just not being stuck in your own bubble, being open to accepting and learning from others, um, experimenting on different foods, right? Yeah. I mean, just, just being someone that wants to just absorb things. Um, I think that I've, that's, that's kind of big for me, just realizing that beauty is everywhere.
Yeah. And it's not just how you've defined it. It is. It looks many different
Brett Gilliland: ways. [00:06:00] It's gotta be different, right? I mean, I grew up in a small town. Mm-hmm. You grew up in a small town. What, I mean, what, what would you say coming from East St. Louis? Mm-hmm. And, and there's so many phenomenal people in East St.
Louis that I think the, the, I was just having this conversation with Dana the other night. It's like, I don't think he understands. Mm-hmm. You probably don't understand either, like, The people you've grown up Uhhuh to idolized and walked Uhhuh, like, I didn't grow up with those people. Right. You start named Dana Howard.
Yeah. Brian Cox, Marco o' Harris, Gonzo, Martin, all these people. Right? You Jackie Joyner, ey. And the list goes on and on and on. And, and so what was it about you about East St. Louis and expectations that also
Dawn Harper-Nelson: maybe helps? Mm-hmm. That's exactly right. Expectations. Um, so. In East St. Louis, we say we're the city of champions.
And from the outside so many people are like, you know, it's ghetto, it's all these things. Yeah. But within East St. Louis, the adults that were around me looked at us and said, don't you dare define yourself that way. Um, coach Nino Feno, who was Jackie Joiners coach, high school coach, and also my high school coach and summer track coach.
Uh, [00:07:00] The things that he would tell us we could do, the way that he spoke life into us and demanded that we believed in ourselves. Sometimes, I mean, we talk about, to this day, we like, he is just tripping. Like there's no way. He just, why? He just always like, better, better, better. And you're like, that was pretty good for today.
And it's like, no, better, better, better. As young women, you gotta go out to the world and you gotta, and it was just like, we get it. I mean, he was always, he was just kind of relentless with it. And so I think that was very helpful when you did finally face. A situation where it was the complete opposite.
You're like, well, I've only heard my whole life of you are, you are, you are. You know,
In God we trust