Skip to content

Branksome Hall

One Gear, No Breaks: Olympic Gold Medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer on the PrincipalED Podcast

Published On:

Two women stand and smile for the camera. The woman on the left wears a red "Canada" shirt, and the woman on the right, in a blazer, holds a gold medal with a colorful ribbon. They are indoors with chairs and lamps in the background.
Grace holds Lori-Ann's Olympic gold medal.

For episode four of the PrincipalED podcast, Principal Grace McCallum is joined by the inspirational Lori-Ann Muenzer, a two-time Olympian, Canada’s first Olympic gold medalist in cycling and a proud inductee into three Halls of Fame.

Lori-Ann’s path to greatness was anything but traditional. At age 38, while working full-time as a legal secretary, Lori-Ann took on the world’s best in elite cycling—often racing against competitors half her age. Her story is a powerful reminder that success isn’t defined by age, background or others’ expectations—it’s defined by belief, grit and purpose. Now a global keynote speaker, best-selling author and High-Performance Business Mindset Coach, Lori-Ann empowers professionals and teams to break through barriers, shift their mindsets and achieve extraordinary results in business and life without burnout.

In this episode, Grace and Lori-Ann explore the importance of mentorship and sponsorship, how girls and women can authentically define success, how to stay resolved when being underestimated, and advice and tools to combat perfectionism and prioritize well-being.

Two women sit facing each other in armchairs during an interview; one wears a red "CANADA" shirt, while the other holds a notepad. A smartphone on a tripod records the conversation in a bright, modern room.
Lori-Ann and Grace record episode four of the podcast.

Lori-Ann’s wisdom is rooted in real-life experience—from Olympic glory to boardrooms around the world. This episode invites listeners to rethink what’s possible and pursue success on their own terms.

Listeners can follow along on Instagram at @principalEDpod for behind-the-scenes updates and exclusive content. The PrincipalED podcast is available for streaming on Apple and Spotify, where the official podcast music playlist is also now available. Branksome Hall’s YouTube channel features a full video version of this discussion, which can be viewed here.

Stay tuned for more episodes of PrincipalED, which spotlights the future of girls’ education and the people who are invested in advancing it, taking listeners inside the halls of the school for candid conversations with educators, students, friends of Branksome and experts in their fields.