What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin

Six-time Grand Slam champion, Olympic bronze medalist and former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who spent 125 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings, joins Mikaela for a deeply personal conversation about carrying a nation's expectations and learning to let them go. NOTE: this episode was recorded back in June of 2026, when Iga was ranked World No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings. She ended the 2026 season ranked No. 9. The daughter of Olympic rower Tomasz Swiatek, Iga was steered toward an individual sport so she could build a future on her own terms. She learned professionalism from her older sister Agata (sometimes the hard way), soaked up Rafael Nadal's patience and topspin until they became her own, and won Roland Garros in 2020 as a 19-year-old ranked 54th in the world. But beneath the clay court dominance lies a story of pressure and perspective. Iga walks through her three phases at world No. 1: proving she belonged, feeling the target on her back in 2023, and finally finding joy in 2024. She opens up about being a medal favorite at the Paris Olympics, the semifinal loss she calls the biggest drama of her career, and having to come back the very next day to play for bronze.Her response? Accepting that the mental work is never finished. Iga shares how her traveling sports psychologist Daria taught her how to rest (and why a ukulele became the symbol of it), how she tells a technical slump from a mental block, and why she launched a foundation to give young Polish athletes the support and knowledge her family had to find on their own. The conversation spans cats, Grand Slam towels, a trophy that fell apart in her hands, and the daily discipline of not letting expectations carry you down.Subscribe to What's the Point for more conversations on the why behind elite performance, and follow Mikaela's season, including her return to slalom at Killington, live or on demand on Peacock. Follow Iga Swiatek to keep up with her season and the work of the Iga Swiatek Foundation (igaswiatek.com/scholarship-program). Follow Iga on Instagram: instagram.com/iga.swiatek. If you want to learn more about Share Winter Foundation, check out https://sharewinterfoundation.org/mikgives. Last season, Share Winter helped put nearly 41,000 kids on snow through 70+ community programs across the country. Lessons, gear, lift tickets, transportation, the stuff that makes a first season possible. These aren’t one-time field trips. They’re multi-week programs where kids build confidence, find community, and fall in love with skiing and riding. This episode is brought to you by AG1. For a limited time, visit drinkag1.com/mikaela and get a free Immune Support Bundle — including Omega-3 Fish Oil and Vitamin D3+K2 (an $111 value!) — with your first subscription of AG1 Pro or AG1 Next Gen.

Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion Ilia Malinin, the figure skater known globally as "Quad God," joins Mikaela to talk about what happens when extraordinary becomes expected. Born to elite skating parents who tried to steer him away from the sport, Malinin found his own path to the ice—and rapidly redefined its limits, becoming the first to land a quad axel in competition and completing a program with seven quads. But beneath the technical brilliance lies a story of intense pressure, Olympic disappointment, and deliberate reinvention. Malinin opens up about the 2026 Milano Cortina Games: the media demands that treat skaters as "puppets," the ice conditions that changed daily, and the emotional aftermath of competing under crushing external expectations. His response? A complete mindset shift post-Olympics, including a new self-christened identity as "Chaos God" and a life framework called "Vision 2030." Through it all, Malinin discusses finding freedom in creativity, the difference between mental and physical strength in skating, and why his cats might understand him better than the sports media. The conversation spans manifestation, perfectionism, and the radical act of remembering who you are when the world only sees what you can do.Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on social media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaela

Olympic Champion Mikaela Shiffrin kicks off Season 2 with Webby Award-winning host Kylie Kelce ("Not Going to Lie")! Kylie gets unfiltered about navigating life in the public eye, why she'd rather you not know her name, the beginning of her romance with retired NFL star Jason Kelce, coaching field hockey, and why "embracing the suck" is her ultimate life motto.She opens up about her heart-wrenching 2018 miscarriage, how grief impacted her future pregnancies, her advocacy work with the Eagles Autism Foundation, and the story behind her iconic five-word Webby speech: "Women supporting women, go birds."Plus: German Shepherd puppy chaos, disastrous first-time skiing stories, and Kylie's ultimate comfortable underwear recommendations! This is an episode you won't want to miss!Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on social media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaela

The joy has always been in getting better. This season, I'm chasing it for me...Hi Everyone! Back with another solo podcast. Before the season gets hectic, I wanted to talk about my racing plan in my own space and my own words: this year is an exploration. After 16 years on the World Cup, I'm giving myself the freedom to follow where my curiosity is pulling me right now, which means more focus on GS and super-G and a lighter slalom schedule, starting with Killington. Less slalom, not no slalom! In this episode, I talk about why this has nothing to do with slalom being "easy," what I get back in recovery and training time, what it means to ski for myself, and why I'm leaving a little room for discovery this season. I don't know exactly where it leads, and that's kind of the point. Thank you for giving me the space to give it a go. ❤️ Love, MikiFollow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on social media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaela

Welcome to a slightly different episode, vlog-style! Today it’s just me, pulling back the curtain on what’s actually going on in my head during the "offseason." From addressing the constant questions about retirement and motivation to the reality of only seeing my fiancé 5 weeks a year, I’m sharing the unfiltered side of life on and off the snow. This is just an honest look at some of my curiosities, stepping out of my comfort zone, and what’s next.Drop a comment and let me know if you’d like a breakdown episode on ski racing disciplines and lingo for my next solo episode!Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on social media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaela

Join Mikaela and Ron Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel Financial, for a wide-ranging conversation about skiing, business, and the pursuit of balance in the Season 1 finale of “What’s the Point.”In this episode, Ron shares stories of humble beginnings on the mighty hills of Michigan, his passion for supporting athletes, and the philosophy behind Stifel’s “Where Success Meets Success” tagline. They also touch on Ron’s approach to investing, reflections on legacy and regret, and advice for young listeners on financial independence. Plus, hear stories from World Cup races, the impact of Stifel’s sponsorship on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and Mikaela personally, and what motivates both Mikaela and Ron to achieve greatness both personally and professionally. Presented by STIFELFollow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on social media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaelaMore about STIFEL: https://www.instagram.com/stifelfinancial

What does it take to become the most decorated U.S. Cross-Country ski racer of all time? For four-time Olympic medalist, 33-time World Cup winner, four-time Overall World Cup Champion, and seven-time World Championship medalist Jessie Diggins, it’s about more than medals—it’s about resilience, vulnerability, and the unbreakable bonds of team. Fresh off her retirement, four-time Olympic medalist Jessie sits down with Mikaela to share the real stories behind the sparkle, the pain cave, and what's next. Jessie and Mikaela dive into Jessie’s Minnesota roots, the team-first culture that shaped her, and the mental strategies she’s developed to thrive in the infamous dance with the “pain cave” (as Jessie says, a "pain cave waltz"). Jessie shares candid stories about setbacks, resilience, and the importance of defining success by your own values—not just results. The conversation also explores Jessie’s advocacy for mental health, climate action, and youth access to snow sports, including her work with Share Winter Foundation, Protect Our Winters, and the Emily Program. Jessie opens up about her documentary “Threshold"—Executive produced by Patrick Dempsey—why vulnerability matters, and how she found peace in retirement by focusing on purpose beyond medals. Whether you’re an athlete or just looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with wisdom, honesty, and a whole lot of sparkle.Presented by STIFEL...Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on social media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaelaMore about Jessie: https://www.instagram.com/jessiediggins/

Behind every great athlete is a village of talented people who make it all happen. But Mikaela has something most don't: Eileen.In Episode 10 of What's the Point, Mikaela sits down with the person who has been there for every single moment of her career—and her life. Her mom. Her coach. Her mentor. Her best friend. Eileen Shiffrin. It's easy to look at Mikaela's résumé and see the medals, the records, the Crystal Globes. What you don't see is the woman behind the scenes who gave up her career as a nurse to be on the road six months a year, who homeschooled Mikaela through the early Burke Mountain years, who was there for Mikaela's first World Cup, and every heartbreak since.In this episode, they get into all of it. The sacrifices and misunderstandings, including what it actually means to be on the road as a mother-daughter, coach-athlete duo (hint: it's not a European après-ski vacation). The grief of losing a father and a husband, Jeff, and how they've carried that together. The complicated line between pushing your kid and protecting them. And Eileen's own cancer diagnosis this past fall—a moment that, for the first time in this whole journey, asked her to put herself first. You know Mikaela. Now meet the woman who raised her to chase the impossible. Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on Social Media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaela

With the Olympics on the horizon, two-time Olympic Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin reflects on the journey that brought her to this moment in a special solo episode of “What’s the Point”. From Sochi to PyeongChang and the life-changing lessons of Beijing, she shares how grief, growth, and gratitude have reshaped her perspective as she heads into Cortina. She talks about Olympic expectations vs. reality, learning to let go of perfection, navigating grief, trusting her team, what she fears, and what excites her, all about this next chapter.The episode wraps with a moment for the fans, where Mikaela dives into questions from listeners and breaks down her winning run at Špindlerův Mlýn, where she won her 71st World Cup slalom race and 108th World Cup victory.Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on Social Media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaela

Why do we ski? In this episode of What’s the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin, presented by STIFEL, Mikaela sits down with Olympic champion (and her childhood idol), Bode Miller, for a conversation that goes beyond results and gets to the core of the legendary American’s motivation, his “why”, past and present.For Bode, skiing was never just about winning. It was his purest form of self-expression. As his career evolved, success became less about results and more about authentically representing himself on the world stage, using his platform to make a meaningful impact and connect with other people.Together, Mikaela and Bode unpack their definitions of fear, legacy, and what it truly means to be “the greatest of all time.” They reflect on how loss and grief, the deaths of Mikaela’s father and Bode’s daughter, reshaped their perspectives, strengthened their purpose, and changed the way they move through the world.This one is about more than sport. It’s about self-expression, the human experience, and deciding what you want to leave behind.Presented by STIFEL...Follow What's the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin on Social Media for all the best moments from the show: https://www.instagram.com/wtpwithmikaelaMore about Bode:https://www.instagram.com/millerbode