In our fast-paced world, the ability to adapt, learn, and grow has become more than just an advantage — it’s essential for survival! Today, markets shift overnight, new technologies emerge at breakneck speed, and entire industries transform in the blink of an eye. Those who cling to static thinking and fixed approaches quickly find themselves left behind, while those who embrace continuous learning and evolution thrive.
The good news? This is something we can all learn. It begins by embracing a growth mindset — the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents can be ever developed through dedication, hard work, and learning from failure. It’s the understanding that “not yet” is more powerful than “never,” and that challenges and change are opportunities not enemies.
But understanding growth mindset and actually living it are two very different things. How do you maintain hunger for improvement when you’ve already reached the pinnacle? How do you stay motivated to learn when you’re already considered an expert? And how do you continue evolving in completely different fields throughout your career?
Cultivating a Growth Mindset
Few people are better positioned to answer these questions than Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser. Considered one of the best female hockey players of all time, her extraordinary career spans six Olympic Games, multiple gold medals, and groundbreaking achievements in hockey, as well as success as both a physician and NHL executive. Her journey offers a masterclass in growth mindset — showing us that true greatness lies not in reaching the top, but in continuously evolving once you’re there.
Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
“From a young age, I’ve had to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Hayley said. “Being the only girl playing with the boys and then later playing professional men’s hockey in Europe, I’m well-versed in not being afraid to take a chance or to open myself up to trying something different.”
This comfort with discomfort became Hayley’s superpower. It carried her through the pressure of Olympic competition, being a team captain, and even the challenges of being a mother to “a very sick, premature baby” born just under 2lbs. “There’s a certain confidence that comes with doing hard things, and that ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ mentality has helped me move through so many difficult things both in my career and life,” she said.
Key takeaway: Cultivating a growth mindset begins with embracing discomfort as a teacher rather than an enemy.
Stay Hungry: Be a Seeker
Hayley played on the Canada women’s national ice hockey team for 23 years. People would often ask her how she sustained excellence, how she stayed hungry. “I’m a seeker,” she says.
“I love hockey because it’s never the same thing twice. With every shift, there’s an opportunity to do something different, to create, to try new things,” Hayley said. “I stay hungry by being a seeker. I get bored when I stay in one spot too long. I love learning. I love to evolve.”
This curiosity extends far beyond sport. Hayley actively seeks out excellence wherever she finds it, studying masters of their craft. Her teacher parents instilled a fundamental belief that learning never stops. “No matter how old you are or your lot in life, you can always improve, you can always change, and you can always do things differently,” she said.
Key takeaway: Cultivate curiosity as a core trait. When you stop learning, you start declining.
Reframe Fear into Fuel
As someone who has faced a lot of “firsts” in her career — the first female player to notch a point in a men’s professional game and the first woman in history to play in or coach at four NHL development camps — Hayley is no stranger to fear. Today, in her role as assistant GM of player development with the Toronto Maple Leafs, she helps young athletes reframe their relationship with fear and failure.
“To move past fear, and specifically the fear of failure, you have to openly talk about it,” she said. Hayley’s approach focuses on breaking down overwhelming challenges into manageable steps. “When things are too big, too hard, too out of control, we get paralyzed by fear. Instead, start focusing on the little habits we can do every day. These are what add up to the big things.” This micro-focus philosophy helps maintain a sense of control and build momentum even in uncertain situations.
Key takeaway: Don’t ignore fear — address it directly. Break down big challenges into small, controllable actions.
Push Back Against Complacency
“When you lose the fire in the belly, and work becomes a rote, mundane thing — that’s a dangerous place to be,” Hayley said. This can happen when people feel unheard, or they disengage from the bigger picture and slip into a “this is how we’ve always done it” way of thinking.
Hayley’s prescription for combating complacency includes engaging in honest self-evaluation, building accountability systems, and strategic rest to combat burnout.
Key takeaway: Complacency is the silent killer of growth. Build systems for honest feedback and accountability, and don’t underestimate the power of strategic rest in maintaining your edge.
Igniting Your Personal Growth Journey
“What gets me excited to get up in the morning? I ask myself that question a lot,” Hayley said. For those looking to push themselves, Hayley recommends taking some time for self-reflection and asking, what brings you joy and what gives you the opportunity to make a career at that? Then create a plan — how are you going to move yourself closer today to living the life that you want to live?
This is what Hayley did when she made the switch from professional hockey player to practicing physician. Alongside hockey, medicine was also a childhood dream and it became the perfect way to fill the hole left behind when she retired from hockey in 2017.
Cultivating a Growth Culture Within Your Organization
For leaders, fostering a growth mindset culture is about emulating what you want to see. Hayley’s approach to leadership, honed through captaining Olympic teams and now developing NHL players, centres on one fundamental truth: “You can’t ask people to do something you’re not willing to do yourself.”
Hayley’s leadership philosophy rests on four pillars:
- Model the behaviour relentlessly: Don’t just talk about growth — demonstrate it.
- Challenge the status quo strategically: The best leaders question success as much as they analyze failure.
- Work backwards from clear goals: Determine your goal, figure out who and what you need to get there, and work backwards.
- Create psychological safety: Build a space that encourages conversation. When people feel safe to experiment, fail, and learn openly, a growth mindset flourishes naturally.
Building this culture takes time and consistency, Hayley said. “These things become ingrained in organization and culture over time” but only if leaders commit to the long game.
A Growth Mindset in Practice
Hayley’s story demonstrates that sustained excellence isn’t about reaching a destination — it’s about embracing the journey of continuous growth. Whether you’re at the beginning of your career or looking to reinvent yourself entirely, the principles remain the same: get comfortable with discomfort, stay curious, address fear head-on, and never let success breed complacency.
Sustained excellence, Hayley said, is “not necessarily striving for anything but doing a great job every day no matter where I am.” That commitment to daily excellence, paired with the courage to keep evolving, is the essence of a growth mindset.
Hire Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser to Speak at Your Event
Ready to transform your organization’s approach to growth and resilience? Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser brings her unique insights from Olympic podiums to NHL boardrooms to medical practice directly to your team. Her keynote, “Cultivating a Growth Mindset: How to Stay Motivated,” shows leaders and teams how to build resilience, embrace change, and achieve sustained excellence even at the pinnacle of success.
Contact us to book Hayley as your Olympic keynote speaker for your next event and discover how a growth mindset can become your organization’s ultimate competitive advantage.
