Lara Hamilton shares the reality behind life as an Olympian, from the financial pressure of competing in a less-funded sport to the physical and mental challenge of training with chronic pain.

A trail runner, ski mountaineer, DJ, vocalist and digital contract producer, Lara has built a career across sport and multiple industries while continuing to pursue her Olympic goals.

In this conversation, Lara talks openly about living with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory condition that causes ongoing pain and can affect movement and everyday life. She shares how chronic pain has affected her training, mindset and relationship with sport.

She also explains the financial reality of elite ski mountaineering, why athletes in less-funded sports often have to create their own opportunities, and how mentors, community connections, personal skills and brand support can help athletes keep going.

What You’ll Learn

• The hidden financial costs of pursuing an Olympic career
• What it is like to compete in ski mountaineering
• Living and training with Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Managing chronic pain as an elite athlete
• The mental challenges of competing while in pain
• Why funding can be a major barrier for athletes
• How young athletes can find mentors and support
• Building opportunities beyond traditional sporting pathways
• Using your skills and network to support an athletic career
• Why Lara continues to chase her Olympic goals

📌 Want to build confidence that holds up when the pressure is on?

The 4TG Confidence System is a 6-week self-paced course built from the lessons of elite athletes and designed for every female athlete. You’ll learn practical tools to manage pressure, quiet overthinking, reset after mistakes and build the mindset habits that help you perform with more confidence, consistency and control.

ENROL NOW: https://gpozeihwelzhpruycara.app.clientclub.net/courses/offers/f828e2d6-19d4-423e-bc0f-583c1db9aa95

📌 FREE 5-Minute Confidence Reset Tool for Female Athletes:

Feeling overwhelmed, overthinking or stuck after a mistake? Get your free 4TG Confidence Reset Tool to help you reset your focus, regain control and choose your next useful action to perform at your best. Download it free here: https://go.4tg.com.au/4tg-confidence-reset-system

About Lara Hamilton

Lara Hamilton is an Australian Olympian, trail runner and ski mountaineer.
She has competed at elite level while managing Ankylosing Spondylitis and chronic pain. Lara shares her journey through Olympic sport, resilience and life beyond competition.

Connect With Lara Hamilton

Instagram: @lara_hamilton

Support the show

ABOUT THE HOST

Kylie Lynch is the Founder and Host of 4TG (For The Girls), a podcast and platform on a mission to keep more girls and women in sport.

A VFLW athlete, Australian representative in Polocrosse, coach, mentor and media/communications professional, Kylie has spent her career at the intersection of sport, media and community impact. Through 4TG, she shares the stories, lessons and experiences of elite athletes, coaches and industry leaders to help girls and women build confidence, navigate challenges and stay involved in sport for longer. Because sport doesn't just build athletes. It builds confidence, resilience, leadership, connection and opportunities that positively impact girls and women both on and off the field.

Connect with Kylie:

• Instagram: @kylie__lynch
• LinkedIn: Kylie Lynch
• Website: www.4tg.com.au
• Email: kylie@4tg.com.au

JOIN THE 4TG COMMUNITY

4TG exists to help keep more girls and women in sport.

Through powerful conversations with athletes, coaches, experts and industry leaders, we're building a community where girls and women feel inspired, supported and empowered to stay in the game.

• Instagram: @4tg_podcast
• TikTok: ...

Kylie Lynch shares a major life update, reflects on her own journey through an 18-month ACL recovery and introduces the new 4TG Confidence System, an online mindset course designed to help female athletes build confidence, manage pressure and perform with greater control.

The episode explores the Performance Spiral, the cycle of self-doubt, physical tension and negative self-talk that can take over after a mistake or under pressure.

Kylie also shares a practical 5-step reset athletes can use during training, before competition or after making a mistake:

• Pause
• Breathe
• Ground
• Reframe
• Take Action

The 4TG Confidence System goes deeper, helping athletes understand the root of their confidence struggles, build resilient habits, develop authentic confidence, manage pressure and create a stronger long-term mindset.

What You’ll Learn :

• Why athletes lose confidence after mistakes
• How the Performance Spiral affects performance
• What ACL recovery taught Kylie about confidence
• How to reset your mindset under pressure
• Why confidence needs to be trained like a skill
• How female athletes can build stronger mental habits
• What the 4TG Confidence System includes

4TG Confidence System Online Course Now LIVE 🔥

Train Your Confidence. Handle Pressure. Perform Like the Athlete You Know You Are.

The 4TG Confidence System is a six-module online course for female athletes who know they’re capable of more but struggle with overthinking, pressure, mistakes, self-doubt or inconsistency when it matters.

Learn how to break the Performance Spiral, reset after mistakes, build genuine self-trust and develop a repeatable mindset system for training, competition and everyday life.

Includes self-paced video lessons, a premium companion workbook, practical tools and access to a community of female athletes.

Stop waiting for confidence to appear. Start training it today.

📌ENROL NOW: https://gpozeihwelzhpruycara.app.clientclub.net/courses/offers/f828e2d6-19d4-423e-bc0f-583c1db9aa95

📌FREE 5-Minute Confidence Reset Tool for Female Athletes:

Feeling overwhelmed, overthinking or stuck after a mistake? Get your free 4TG Confidence Reset Tool to help you reset your focus, regain control and choose your next useful action to perform at your best!

Download it free here: https://go.4tg.com.au/4tg-confidence-reset-system

Connect With 4TG

Instagram: @4tg_podcast
Website: 4tg.com.au

Support the show

ABOUT THE HOST

Kylie Lynch is the Founder and Host of 4TG (For The Girls), a podcast and platform on a mission to keep more girls and women in sport.

A VFLW athlete, Australian representative in Polocrosse, coach, mentor and media/communications professional, Kylie has spent her career at the intersection of sport, media and community impact. Through 4TG, she shares the stories, lessons and experiences of elite athletes, coaches and industry leaders to help girls and women build confidence, navigate challenges and stay involved in sport for longer. Because sport doesn't just build athletes. It builds confidence, resilience, leadership, connection and opportunities that positively impact girls and women both on and off the field.

Connect with Kylie:

• Instagram: @kylie__lynch
• LinkedIn: Kylie Lynch
• Website: www.4tg.com.au
• Email: kylie@4tg.com.au

JOIN THE 4TG COMMUNITY

4TG exists to help keep more girls and women in sport.

Through powerful conversations with athletes, coaches, experts and industry leaders, we're building a community where girls and women feel inspired, supported and empowered to stay in the game.

• Instagram: @4tg_podcast
• TikTok: ...

Jess Curl's journey from collegiate and semi-professional soccer to becoming a gym founder was shaped by one of the hardest periods of her life. After rupturing her Achilles twice in one month, Jess spent seven months recovering and faced the challenge of rebuilding her confidence and identity beyond sport.

In this conversation, Jess shares what injury taught her about resilience, rest and finding value beyond athletic performance. She also talks about co-founding Project Better, creating a more welcoming and inclusive gym environment, and navigating the challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated fitness industry.

We talk about:

• Recovering from two Achilles ruptures
• Losing and rebuilding an athlete identity
• Returning to confidence after serious injury
• Why identity needs to exist beyond sport
• Building Project Better and creating inclusive fitness spaces
• Body image and shifting the focus from appearance to capability
• Being a woman running a business in fitness
• Lessons sport teaches about resilience, leadership and failure
• Why creating better sporting environments can help keep girls in sport

A powerful conversation about injury recovery, identity, women in fitness and what can happen when setbacks become the starting point for something new.

🙌 A big thanks to this episode’s sponsor Project Better : https://www.instagram.com/projectbetter.au/?hl=en

About Jessica Curl
Jessica Curl is the Co-Founder of Project Better, an inclusive gym community in Melbourne. A former collegiate and semi-professional soccer player, Jess shares her journey through Achilles injury, rebuilding her identity beyond sport and creating a more welcoming space in fitness.

Guest Socials:
Instagram: @jess.curl

Support the show

ABOUT THE HOST

Kylie Lynch is the Founder and Host of 4TG (For The Girls), a podcast and platform on a mission to keep more girls and women in sport.

A VFLW athlete, Australian representative in Polocrosse, coach, mentor and media/communications professional, Kylie has spent her career at the intersection of sport, media and community impact. Through 4TG, she shares the stories, lessons and experiences of elite athletes, coaches and industry leaders to help girls and women build confidence, navigate challenges and stay involved in sport for longer. Because sport doesn't just build athletes. It builds confidence, resilience, leadership, connection and opportunities that positively impact girls and women both on and off the field.

Connect with Kylie:

• Instagram: @kylie__lynch
• LinkedIn: Kylie Lynch
• Website: www.4tg.com.au
• Email: kylie@4tg.com.au

JOIN THE 4TG COMMUNITY

4TG exists to help keep more girls and women in sport.

Through powerful conversations with athletes, coaches, experts and industry leaders, we're building a community where girls and women feel inspired, supported and empowered to stay in the game.

• Instagram: @4tg_podcast
• TikTok: ...