Transcript of Unlocking Peak Potential: Wisdom from Annika Sorenstam

You're listening to Mic Unplug, hosted by the one and only Mic Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mic takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming Unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get Unplugged. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another Another exciting episode of Mic Unplug. And today I am with Mike Goat of All Goat. A lot of you don't know this about me, but I picked up golf several years ago. I'm not great by any stretch imagination. Most people say I'm not good by any stretch imagination. But today's guest is the reason that I picked up a golf club to begin with. Watching her dominate, watching her competitive spirit, watching the consistence, taught me a lot about what I should be doing both on the golf course and in life. So I'm honored to present to you the legendary the iconic, the brilliant, the unparalleled. This is Anika Sorensang. Anika, how are you doing today, there?

Well, thank you so much for that introduction. Great to be with you.

I am the honored one. This is truly a bucket list. When he talked to my kids, and they saw that I started playing golf many, many years ago. Again, I'm not good by any stretch imagination, but I got into golf because of you. The domination that you had and the fearlessness that you had was so unparalleled. So, again, I'm honored to be here with you.

Well, thank you. I'm glad you picked up to sport. As you know, it's a fun sport you can do with everybody all your life. Good for you.

You can't blame anyone else either. You can only blame yourself. That's why I love golf. That's true.

Sometimes you wish you could, but in the end, it all comes back to you.

Absolutely. Anika, the first question I love asking all of my guests is, what is your because? If I were to ask you what's your why, you're going to tell me my kids, my family, my community, my foundation. But when When I say why, why is that important? That sentence usually begins with, well, because. I care about your because. And your because changes over time. So if I were to say today, Anika Sorensen, what is your because? Why do you do the things that you do?

That's a fun way to ask that question because I think that hits the spot more directly because I think it makes me feel good. I want to make a difference. I want to inspire the next generation. Because I feel very lucky, to be honest. I feel very lucky in the sense that I start playing golf as a hobby. Of course, it was fun. Then I took it to a different level. It became my work, or if you want to put it there, it was a great work. Then be able to step away and continue to follow that passion. I think that is my because.

I love that. I love everything about it because that truly defines who you are, and I think who you always have been. One of the things that I learned from you, and again, this isn't golf, this is just in life, is the dedication to your craft, always being prepared. I've heard you say this. I've heard Michael Jordan say this same thing, and it's something that I live by. Michael Jordan said he never took a shot, he never practiced. He was always prepared for moments. And I've heard you say you were always prepared to do what you needed to do. Talk Tell us about just the preparation. Again, I get it in sports, but also in life. I think you are one of, if not the most prepared person for moments that I've ever seen.

Well, thank you. For me, I just want to be ready. I'm going to step in in any arena, I want to be ready to go. It doesn't mean that I... Of course, I understand that sometimes you have to pivot, especially golf. I mean, things don't really turn out the way you think it is. It might start raining on the third hole or you get bad bounces, you think, or Whatever the circumstance, you have to learn how to pivot. But I do feel like to do something well and feel comfortable in something to me, I'm just very shy by nature. For me, preparation was a way to handle a situation. Knowing I'm ready, I can do that. Then that shyness and that nervousness didn't really appear so much. I think for me, it's almost like living and doing something before you do it made me feel very comfortable. I think I can relate that to many things in my life where I feel in my mind I've done it, and then I go and try and do it. For me to go into a situation where totally out of the blue or totally cold, it would make me really uncomfortable.

That's where I think preparation gives me confidence. I like to do things well. I like to represent personally myself, my partners, my family. To do that, you want to make sure that you do what you can. That's giving me confidence, I think, coming in and being aware situation or have done the research, knowing what I'm talking about. It just helps to feel good about something. Absolutely.

I just learned something. I did not know that you were shy by nature. I would not have known that with how you interact and all the things that you do and the lives that you touch. But speaking of the lives that you touch, again, I think you single-handedly have the greatest impacts on the game of golf at an international and global level. I give Tiger a ton of credit for that as well, too. But I think You had that first because, again, for someone like me, it was watching you. It was watching you play. And it was watching, again, the domination that you had, but the preparation that you had. And you did everything with grace, and that's what I love. You're ultra competitive, and I know that because I'm ultra competitive, too. But you still handle things with grace. I think a lot of people that are ultra competitive don't necessarily do that. It's easy to win with grace, but it's not easy to not win. I'm not going to say lose, but it's not easy to not with grace. When did you realize the global impact that you were having on lives?

Yeah. I think just growing up in Sweden, and Sweden is quite a small country that early on I was exposed to traveling around the world to compete. It started obviously in Scandinavia, and then it was Europe, and then it was a little bit more globally after. You get to experience different cultures and different people and understanding a little bit more about the world. I learned pretty early what the big picture. I think for me was early on, I was like, Well, I represent myself. I also represent Sweden and women's golf. Yes, I I'm extremely competitive. I think I'm one of those players that I work very hard behind the scenes, very disciplined. Then the curtain will open and here I come and I do my thing, and then I go. I've always wanted to take the trophy and run. I was never really somebody who wanted to be seen and be heard and be on stage and have that limelight. That's not really what's ever really been important to me. I think what's been important to me is obviously the sport, playing well, becoming a good golfer and fine-tuning my game. And like my dad always said, Anika, let the clubs do the talking.

And I would say that's my core, how I am and what I stood for. And it made me comfortable I was never drama and theater and singing. That was just never my thing, but sports were, and this was my way of performing, but also doing it in a way that I enjoyed grinding. I love hitting boss on the range. I love working on my stroke. I went out there, and if there was the gym or the mental aspect, just dissecting my game in pieces and really trying to make every piece the very best that I could. I figured if I was the best player in every category, I would be hard to beat. And that was really what drove me. That was my motivation. And that was my goal through the years. And you did it better than anyone else has ever done.

So congratulations and kudos to you. But I know as proud as you are of what you did in the game of golf and what you're continuing to do in the game of golf, you also, and these are my words and my words only, but you're more proud, I think, of the lives that you're touching with the foundation that you have. And I love to talk about the Anika Foundation a little bit because I'm proud of the work that you're doing. I want to give you the floor to talk about the mission behind the foundation.

Yeah. Well, thank you for bringing that up. When I stepped away, I knew that I wanted to do something to give back. Maybe this ties in with the first question is because... But I knew that I'm not finished. I just finished competing myself. But I wanted to continue my legacy be able to inspire the next generation. Because I remember, again, when I was a shy young girl and what was important and who I was looking up to and what were the possibilities. When I stepped away in 2008, I felt like the possibilities of being a female golfer is a lot bigger today than it was when I started. And obviously now, 20 years later, it's even more opportunities for these young women. To me, that I don't know. It makes you feel good and makes you proud that you're part of a sport where opportunities exist for young players to work hard and be able to travel around the world and make a living on a sport that they love. I really get a lot of joy out of spending time with young, don't have to be professionals, but as you know, these amateurs nowadays, they act like professionals.

They're so mature already. But just to be able to talk to them, inspire them, motivate them, and guide them by sharing stories or mistakes that I made, and then to see them go on and do very well. I mean, it's like you cheer for them and you become part of their journey. I really get a lot of joy out of that. I feel like with my knowledge I have or the expertise and the resources, the foundation, we've been able to provide these opportunities to empower and advance young women through the sport. So, yeah, it's competitions, but it's also mentoring. We do sponsor some players. We sponsor a tour. We recognize successes for these young women. And it's just, I don't know, it's just opened doors for them. And it's been fun to see the growth of women's sport on different levels.

Yeah, I love it. I appreciate it. And I actually learned from you through the foundation as well, too. And I've had this question for you that I've been waiting to sit on because I need help. Hoping that Anika can help me here. How How do you help these young people in such a distracted time that we have now? When I was growing up, I'm sure when you were growing up, there were no cell phones. There were not distractions in your face. And I'm not saying that these are bad things. So don't think I'm being the old guy in the room. That's not what I'm doing. How do you help people focus in a distraction-heavy world that we're in now? And this is me learning from you right now, so you're coaching me.

I don't know if I have I have the certificate to do that. But no, I know exactly what you mean because I have two teenagers at home. And personally, also, we have cell phones, and it feels like we're so busy all the time. And my mom says it all the time, just You guys are running around all day. Of course, they're in the '80s, so they don't remember what they did when they were 40 or 50. I'm sure they did similar. But I do feel like by having access to, whether it's information or to people or just to anything, it's like we are constantly at a demand. Either people want us or we need other people, and it just feels like it's at the fingertips. There is a lot of distractions and this human communication and going for a coffee break Or they're very rare because the phone will ring or somebody text you. That accessibility, I think, is good and bad. But also our patients level is so... It's not the way it used to be. It's like you text somebody. If you don't text in five minutes, you're like, Oh, what's wrong? How do I manage that?

How do I tackle that with our kids? I think it's all about what's important. You have to prioritize When it's you and you're doing something, achieving something and staying focused. It's a constant battle. For me, it's having a little me time. If I'm in the middle of something, then this is my time. I don't want to have distractions other people. I don't need more information. I don't need more reels and videos to just complicate the decisions that you make. Put the phones away, focus on the moment and achieving things. That's what I think is one of the things so good about golf is you're on the range. There's a few things that you can do. Leave the phone in the golf bag, leave the phone in the car, go hit some balls and put, have a little competition, and don't put in your back pocket so that you feel every buzz or whatever it is. Just Those are some of the things that we do. But then again, technology is a good thing. Today, you can film your swing, you can look at other people's swings, and you can analyze and get all kinds of information.

It's finding that balance where you are still can be a human because you know. I mean, people talk about this AI, and I don't know if this is even part of the conversation, but there's certain things you can replace. I don't think you can replace a golfer or an athlete in certain things, right? You still have to it. That's really the repetitive motion of hitting shots and shots. I always tell our son, especially, is, You don't need your phone here. We're working on our swing, and it's you and I having a discussion. It's finding that balance where technology is helping, but then also it's almost like a curve. It gets to the point where it's good, and then too much is just like that. I think balance is the word that we all need to implement in our lives. That balance level, of course, can be different for different people. Not sure I answer your question, but it's something that we constantly... I From the day we wake up to the day we go to bed, there's distractions left and right.

No, you answered it perfectly. I needed that for me. You were coaching me because I work with the youths and do a lot of my communities. One of the things that I run into, it's like every teenager now is almost like their own publicist or their own journalist, because they can go run their social media account and do whatever. Again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. I just had to learn what you just told me, and that's what I'm going to use is the balance, the healthy balance of distractions or of technology or of AI. So thank you for that. I needed that. Lesson learned from Monica Sork. One of the things that I've always praised you about and something I've learned, and I know you're helping your athletes and students with this, too, is just the mental fortitude that it takes not just to win, but to manage pressure. And I've always said this, I work with entrepreneurs, I work with salespeople, and I work with with young folks as well, too. Pressure is a real thing, but how you control it, how you manage it, how you prepare for it is what separates those that can handle it and those who can't.

I don't like when people say, There's no such thing as pressure. I'm like, No, you've never been in those moments before then. There are moments where pressure is definitely real. How do you work with your students on managing pressure?

Yeah, no. I mean, there's no doubt that pressure exists. I think pressure comes in different forms for sure. I would say in my case, a lot of the pressure that I feel it's coming from me personally. Expectations, certain things I want to achieve or people, I think that they maybe expect me that I have to do a certain thing. So you put pressure on yourself. I think, again, it goes back to preparation. If I'm not prepared, then I feel a lot more pressure because it's like, Okay, what am I doing? How am I going to attack this? And what am I going to say? But I think pressure goes hand in hand with goals and what do you want to achieve and being realistic about it. I think that for me, pressure has always been a way for me to focus a little bit more, being more disciplined, because I think pressure in a way, it's like, Okay, well, it's time to do something. I just stay more focused rather than not having a goal or maybe not a deadline or maybe not a whatever it could be. I think it's important to have... I mean, you can You have a vision and then you have a goal, and then somehow pressure comes in there.

But it's like anything, a little pressure is good. Too much is obviously, I think that can be detrimental. The same thing if you don't feel anything, then it's like, Well, does this really mean anything to you? Do you care about this? I think how do you deal with pressure is in golf, a lot of times it's been routine, sticking to my warm-up routine, my pre-shot routine, because it makes me focus on my task and not so much on the results. If you just stare at something, then I can see how the pressure would be, you mounted pressure versus, Okay, I got to do this. Now you're in the process of, Okay, I got to choose the club. Where's the wind? And take the practice wing. Now it's like I'm not focusing on the result. I'm focusing more on what to do, as they say, the journey versus just staring at the result. I walk on pressure, and I always talked about these young women, pressure and being nervous. It's like you need a little bit of that in your mix, in the recipe. You need a little bit of that, but not too much. Again, in the end of the day, I tried to say, if you're prepared, that's certainly going to help you.

It's all those hours behind the door. A lot of people might think, Well, that's boring, but it's that boringness, the consistency that eventually you step out and now you execute, and now people are paying attention. That's what I enjoy, and that comes with all these different factors that create results.

I agree. You taught me years ago muscle memory, and I heard you talking in an interview once. Almost that mundane, right? The practice it until you can't practice it anymore because you have so much to think about that you don't want your body to react. You don't want your mind to react. You want your body and mind to do what it knows how to do. You want to be able to mentally tell yourself, I just need to hit the ball over here. You know how to do it because you've done it a hundred million times. Talk to us about that, the power of mental reps in your body doing what it's supposed to do versus reacting to something, or in the mind, too, not just the body.

I think when you look at people that perform at the highest level, they find that good balance. They find how to manage that. But you're right. The mind is really where it starts. It has to come, and I think it has to come from you personally. You can have people tell you a lot of different things. I feel like my mind is probably one of my strongest suits. If I decide to do something, it's my mind and then my body, and then I go and do it. But that connection is really important, especially in golf, as I know the sport. A lot of people have the physical attributes, and then it's like it doesn't really connect. Then you have the vice versa. We have a lot of people that are just extremely focused Then the physical aspect doesn't really connect. We're going to work them and they need to be together in the sense that you have to taper them also, if you know what I mean. A lot of people, I think, they feel physically strong and then not everything is synced. Then I think a combination of that. I wouldn't say it's super, super complicated.

It's just being that consistent, figure out your weaknesses and your strength, what do you need, but also understand that it doesn't have to be just one way I mean, you got to find your way where you feel like you're hitting that you can peak versus trying to do something. I mean, I'm not 6'4, so I can't do certain things, but I can do it the way I think. I think that's how you get success in the long run.

Yeah, I agree. I know how competitive you are. Do you ever, every once in a while, just have to show them, Hey, I still got it?

I mean, yeah, that's the hardest part. I mean, I would say anybody that's been achieved success or Or been at the top of something and that personal satisfaction or feeling that you still have some worth, if you know what I mean, like a purpose. A lot of times is you don't see a lot of athletes, they don't necessarily leave on their own. Many of them are forced to leave, maybe injuries or could be things. Then you always wonder what it would been like to get to the top and be able to leave on your free will. I was lucky to leave on my free will. But then also when you step away, you keep asking yourself, what's your purpose and what are you doing now and being competitive and always having to perform or show something. I think that's been the hardest part for me the last few years is how do you still feel like you're doing something? That's why the foundation has been a good thing for me because I look at the girls and I get joy out of that. But of course, when I go play, in my mind, I'm still 28 and you still feel like you feel good.

Then it just doesn't come together. Most... I mean, it's frustrating. I know other athletes have been at the top and they don't perform now. I can't just shake it and say, Oh, because you always care and you always feel like I did it. I just talked to somebody about my 59, and I'm just like, Well, why don't I do that again? I think as athletes and maybe type A personalities, people that are doers and strivers, it's hard when you leave your arena and trying to do something else that you still feel like you have, again, a purpose or a role in your second chapter or third chapter.

Totally agree. Totally agree. Speaking of the foundation, because I'm such a huge fan of the impact that you're making and the because, not even the mission, but the because behind the foundation Foundation. What are ways that those that are watching or listening can be a part of the foundation that can help the foundation, that can support the foundation?

Yeah. Well, thank you. It's anicafoundation. Org number one. If you just want to check out what we do. Again, it's about empowering and advancing women through the sports. There's a lot of life lessons. It's not just, okay, another golf tournament, another challenge. I mean, it's really about the human beings. I tell people all the time, we're humans that play golf. We're not golfers that are trying to be human beings. We really try to educate these young women, build a great base. If golf is your calling, great. But why don't we use this golf as a platform for you to achieve your dreams off the course? It could It could be in manufacturing, it maybe it could be in tournaments, it could be in management, it could be in journalism, whatever. It could be something that you can still use the game of golf, and we need women in these areas outside of competition. But I really feel like golf is a sport that teaches you so much about life. You wake up in the morning, we talked about the word patience, we talked about pressure. As you know, there's a lot of integrity and discipline and confidence, all those things.

Golf teaches you that, and it's just the sport that humbles you, but also a sport you can do all your life. So the synergy is really there. So as far as somebody wanting to help, you can go to our website, learn a bit more about our cause, and then look at what the things we do. We had lots of different initiatives. Of course, you can volunteer, be part of our events, help these young girls, resources, all kinds of stuff. I mean, sponsorship doesn't have to be necessarily just money. It could be other things, whatever it that you might have access to that could be helpful. Also just spreading the word about what we do and sign up your young girl to one of our initiatives. We're all over the country in different parts. We're going to be in Atlanta later in the spring, and then We have tournaments all around the world. If you feel like you have a 6-year-old to 12-year-old that just want to learn the game, we have initiatives for that. If you know somebody who's 12-18 and somewhat competitive, we have tournaments for that. Then we also We also have players that are just graduating from college and entering the pro circuit.

We sponsor 14 of them. They're just entering that phase. They didn't sign the million-dollar contract. They need some help along their journey. We have people that are helping them together with the foundation. There are different ways to help. It is the next generation of young women. What I get, again, a lot of joy out of is these women are amazing representative of the sports. They're a great role models for the next generation of theirs. That's pretty cool, I think. One day, I know they will get back to what's important to them.

Absolutely. The event in Atlanta, do you know the date for that?

I got to look into that.

I'll look it up and I'm going to link it.

It's called Share My Passion. Yeah, it's a Share My Passion clinic, and we do different things. It's just you write a letter why you want to be part of it. A lot of it, the topic is why you love golf. I just It's just fun. It's nothing, no pressure-packed. It's just introduction to the sport. Some girls are really good, but you get a chance to hit, you get a chance to pat. We do a fitness station, and I do a clinic, and just a few things like that we do. But I'm happy to send it. It should be really right on the foundation website.

If not, then- I'll get it from the foundation. No, I'll get it from there. The reason I ask is because Atlanta is two hours from me. I would love to support how wherever I can. And anytime you're doing anything East Coast, Southeast, I am going to make sure that I do my part to support and help, whether that's financially, being physically there or whatever it is. I'm going to do that. And I'm going to challenge a few of my viewers and listeners as well, too. So I'm going to find a Anika Foundation event, and Mic Unplug is going to go represent. That'd be fun.

Yeah, you should come there and talk to the girls. And It's just so fun. They're like sponges, right? They want to learn. What I like really about this, and you know this already, but when you do clinics with boys, they have a lot more confidence. They raise their hand and they feel confident even though they don't know anybody at the clinic. A lot of girls, they're ready to sign up and they think that they are not good enough or I don't know anybody. All of a sudden, they show up and all of a sudden, you see 40 other girls your age. You're like, Wow, I thought I was alone doing it. That just Girls need to be more in a... They're more like in a pack. They go in groups and they have fun in a group. Boys, in general, they're more like... They can be more lone wolves, if you know what I mean. They can go out there and they find people. But young ladies and young girls, they need to be in a pack where they feel comfortable in their little girls' own. Absolutely.

Anika, again, you are my goat of goats. I know how busy you are. Just to take a little bit of time out of your day and your schedule means the absolute world to me. I'm going to get you out of here on my rapid fire top five. You don't get to prepare, you don't get to think, but it'll be fun, I promise.

Of course. Yeah. No, thank you for having me on my show, number one. I know you've done quite well, so I was intrigued to have a conversation.

No, it meant the world to me. You made my year. You've already made 2026, so I could talk to no one else, and I will be perfect and content. But like I said, I am going to support the foundation, so I'm going to do that. I'll reach out to your team and then figure out what I can do and how I can do it. But I'm a huge supporter. Thank you. I'm just honored to be with you. All right, so here's the rapid fire. You ready? All right. Number one, the favorite course you've ever played.

Pine Valley.

I knew it. You've already said that. I just wanted to hear it.

Okay, sorry.

No, I've heard you say it on TV before. What's one golf rule that you would change?

I don't like when you hit a good drive in the middle of the fairway and you're in somebody's divots. That should be ground under repair.

Yes, totally agree. I know you're an athlete, too. So besides golf, growing up, what was your other go-to sport?

So I competed in tennis for eight years. So that was really what I wanted. I wanted to be a tennis pro. I watched the US Open a lot, and then I did a lot of downhill skiing. So, yeah, I have those two sports, but I love sports in general. But I would say those two. And I have a lot of things that I could have done and continue to do. Yeah.

One of the best athletes you will ever find is Anika for sure. What's one hidden talent that you possess that most people don't I know you have?

A hidden talent. I enjoy cooking. I don't burn too many things. My husband think I can make that. My husband think I can make anything out of leftovers, but he's very nice.

There you go. I'm a good scrambler.

How about that?

I love it. I love it. So last question, your ideal Sunday afternoon looks like what?

I love being home. So we would probably an afternoon where I can prepare for a nice meal for some friends. We love to entertain, having good friends over. So for me to look through a few recipe books, put a meal together like a three-course, and then head out to my herb garden, and then doing that, that's probably what I enjoy. And then my family, just being in the area, whether Mike is watching football or hanging out, then the kids are there. Maybe they're playing with friends in the area. That would be my favorite Sunday afternoon. I'll do that any day.

Anika, again, totally honored to spend time with you. This means the world to me. Everybody do me a huge favor, anikafoundation. Org, right over there right now. There's many ways that you can be a part of what's going on and just see all the goodness that Anika and the foundation team are doing to impact the lives and the development of others. So, Anika, thank you so much, Jerr.

Thank you. You've been a true gentleman. Thank you very much.

You got it. To all the viewers and listeners, remember, you're because. Here's your superpower, Dylan Misha. That's another powerful conversation on Mic Unplug. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen. Share it with someone who needs that spark, and leave a review so more people can find there because. I'm Rudy Rush, and until next time, stay driven, stay focused, and stay Unplug.