From dealing with relentless pressure to maximizing confidence, Allport covers the mental health struggles of athletes. On her podcast “ALL IN,” the former Canadian national team snowboarder is outlining what it takes to achieve a growth mindset and how to focus forward. Whether she’s emphasizing the importance of self-care or pushing past your comfort zone, she’s helping define the tools for staying motivated. – LinkedIn News

If you’re looking for a formal bio… this isn’t it.

This is a long story…. well, long.

Growing up I was the girl on the play ground competing with the boys, skateboarding to school, and playing every sport I could. I was an extreme kid (aka ADHD), full of energy and motivation, and spent all my time outside.

I was barely 3 when I told my parents I wanted to go to the Olympics. Thankfully, my parents are no strangers to taking risks & supporting dreams. My dad is a social entrepreneur, and my mom, a sales & marketing professional who left her home country of Venezuela to attend college in Canada without knowing any English. Talk about role models.

Whilst I dreamt of playing hockey for Team Canada, it all changed when I found snowboarding at age 12. For some reason, this sport just didn’t click as fast as the rest. Looking back, I understand how confused everyone was that I went all in on this new sport. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the challenge and finally found that one thing to direct all my energy towards.

My parents, not a fan of sending their kids to camp, did send me to one when I was 6. Entrepreneurship camp. We were tasked to create a new product, and inspiration struck when one day I was at the park and noticed a child without an arm. My product was a simple strap that allowed someone with an arm injury or amputation to swing safely. Looking back, this was probably the start of my desire to create things to help others.

From lemonade stands, cutting grass, and selling gum at school (it took my parents years to realize how they went through gum so quickly… hey, no cost of goods sold), I did all the school-kid hustles. Eventually my dad guided my brother and I through our first real business. We learnt the hard way but ended up making and selling thousands of dollars of homemade fitness products as pre-teens! Finally, something to replace the fact that our allowance was 25 cents a month.

From then on I spent most of my time, when I wasn’t playing sports, filling notebooks with business ideas, pitching my parents using powerpoint and a projector, and mostly, learning how to handle rejection from my “Shark Tank” imitating parents. They’re tough investors!

At 13 I entered my first local snowboard contest, and won (OK sooooo… there were only 2 competitors in my division). In 2010, I began competing at events beyond the local level and took online courses while working full-time so that I could graduate high-school a semester early. Working 5am-12pm at a gas station making breakfast sandwiches and serving coffee, so I could afford to go to snowboard camp.

That Summer, my hard work payed off and when slopestyle snowboarding was announced as an Olympic event I was named to the Canadian Junior National Snowboard team. At that time I had no coach, no connections, and no idea of the journey this would set me on. There were amazing highs, competing on the World Cup circuit, travelling with the National team, but also, deep lows, such as failing to qualify for the 2014 Olympics, breaking my tailbone, ribs, ankle, wrist, concussions…

In 2015 I reached out to my coaches and told them I hadn’t been feeling quite myself that past season. I had seen several friends have life threatening injuries, and I had begun to wonder how it would effect my future, family, and other passions if something like that were to happen to me. More than fear and injuries of my own, I had begun to have anxiety attacks, and unknown to me at the time, had fallen into a depression.

When I decided to step away from the sport, my mental health took a deeper dive. I started having more severe panic attacks and struggled with the concept of losing my identity as a snowboard athlete pursuing her Olympic dream. Who am I now? That Summer opened my eyes to how dark things could get, even for a seemingly always motivated and optimistic young woman. 

I am thankful for the mental health support I had during that time for saving my life and guiding me to where I am now. Aside from therapy and interventions, diving into CrossFit gave me an outlet and helped me through the transition. Eventually it became more than that, and I’ve now competed around the World at Sanctional events, competing against the fittest athletes on the planet. 

In 2019 however, I was involved in a motorbike accident, and have been documenting my shoulder recovery and competition comeback online. Things are looking up!

I believe in creating the content you want to see in the World. A lot of the videos and content I post are messages I need to hear, or needed to hear as a previous self. Topics I often create around are mindset, fitness, mental health, wellness, women in sport, body image, and mindful motivation. I’m grateful that these messages have reached and impacted millions across my platforms, and have been able to partner with brands like Post-It Notes, Kraft Dinner, The Female Lead, LMNT and others.

Aside from posting about messages that are important to me, I also share my journey as an athlete, and have a series called ‘Day of Training like

’ on my YouTube channel where I train a day in the life (and sometimes with) professional athletes of sports different to my own. I also host the ‘ALL IN with Natalie Allport’ podcast where I share conversations with athletes and passionate individuals who have gone ALL IN to shed light on their mindset, mental health, habits, stories and more.

I also have spoken about my story at several major events and panels, as well as in early 2021 I had the incredible honour of speaking on the virtual Tedx stage. My Ted Talk is entitled: ‘Failure: What Not Making The Olympics Taught Me‘

I’m passionate about making an impact and have made it my mission to speak about issues I care about, as well as share mindful motivation & my journey to inspire others to go ALL IN on their own lives and goals.

It’s not how big you are, it’s how big you play.

I‘ve believed this whole heartedly my entire life. Playing big got me, the determined girl with a dream and few resources, a snowboard career. Playing big got me, the former snowboard athlete, a growing platform and athletic career in a new sport. Playing big got me, here, telling my story, and having people like you, read it. If my story can help 1 person, then it’s worth telling.

I can’t wait to see what you accomplish when you play big & go ALL IN,

-Nat

Learn about speaking Learn About Partnership