Even former Olympians get nervous ahead of the big games. Even though their Olympic careers are behind them, Aly Raisman, Amy Purdy, and Jason Brown can't help but remember the anxiety the games brought them.
The three athletes spoke with HELLO! at a Fireside Chat with Hershey's about their experiences competing in the Olympics and the happy places that calm them down. Aly, 31, competed in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in gymnastics. Jason, 31, is two-time Olympian figure skater, competing in Sochi and Beijing. And Amy competed in the 2014 and 2018 Paralympics in snowboarding.
They were all at the peak of their careers, with Aly and Amy, 46, medalling in their prospective events. As they prepare to watch Friday's Opening Ceremonies in Milano Cortina, their nerves shine through.
"I think it's like there's that sense of pride and nostalgia in the best way," Jason told HELLO! about what the upcoming Olympics emote in him. "And then there's also that feeling of remember[ing] all the nerves and the anxiety."
Aly, a six-time Olympic medalist who in her career after gymnastics is a mental health advocate, speaks often about how her body remembers the anxiety, no matter how far away from the Olympics she is. She describes this as a physical tightness that returns whenever the Olympic cycle begins.
"Yeah your body remembers," Jason told HELLO! as he looked at Aly. "I've actually heard you [Aly] talk about that."
Amy agreed with the sentiment that both Aly and Jason shared. "It's nostalgic and so exciting," she told HELLO! "But then very quickly I'll get feelings of like yeah, 'But Amy remember what it felt like?'"
Competing at the highest level of sport requires more than just athletic skill and determination. It also requires an intense level of self-care. "The Olympics for me were so consuming and so stressful," Aly shared with HELLO!. To combat that stress, she leans into the quiet.
"I think just being in silence, just being, and letting myself actually think because I don't want to be too busy or too distracted [that] I don't have time to think," she explained.
For Jason, he combats the anxiety and stress of the games by getting outside. His sport is indoors, on an ice rink, in front of hundreds of fans. "Get outside," he told HELLO!. "Being in training and in the rink all day [can be a lot]. So I like taking a walk outside even if it's cold."
Amy, who is also a motivational speaker, practices breath work. "I started [breath work] during my second Paralympic Games because I was able to really get into this very deep flow state when I would snowboard. [It was a major] form of self care," she explained to HELLO!.
What Aly, Amy, and Jason do now
Both Aly and Amy are officially retired from their sports and have moved on to other pursuits. While Jason competed in the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, he didn't qualify for the Milano Cortina Olympics. He hasn't announced if he will retire or not, but if he does, he has a few friends he can turn to for a roadmap.
After high stress careers, athletes often pursue areas that are a bit less intense. Aly retired officially in 2020 and now works with Woodward gymnastics camp as a program designer and was a hospitality ambassador at the recent Paris Olympics.
Amy is a motivational speaker and author. In 2014, she released her first memoir, On My Own Two Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life. Almost a decade later, she released her debut novel The Real War - The Anakim Threat. Her transition from athlete to author highlights a growing trend of Olympians leveraging their discipline for creative and literary success.