From Siberian Orphanage to Paralympic Legend | Jessica Long

Jessica Long is one of the greatest Paralympic athletes of all time.18 gold medals. 31 total Paralympic medals. A career that changed sports forever. But this conversation has almost nothing to do with swimming. Jessica was born in Siberia, placed in an orphanage as a baby, and had both legs amputated before she was two years old. By 12, she was winning Paralympic gold medals for Team USA. The world saw dominance, records, sponsorships, and greatness. What they didn’t see was the emotional cost underneath it all. In this episode, Jessica talks openly about adoption, identity, feeling like a burden, chasing worth through winning, and the pressure that came with becoming a global athlete as a kid. She shares the story of meeting her birth family in Russia, forgiving her mother, battling burnout, struggling with an eating disorder, post-Olympic depression, and quietly slipping into alcohol abuse after Tokyo. This is a conversation about pain, resilience, purpose, and rebuilding your life from the inside out. Now nearly 500 days sober, pregnant with twin boys, and preparing for one final Paralympic run at LA 2028, Jessica is chasing something bigger than medals. This is one of the most emotional and honest conversations we’ve had. Thank you to our sponsors Ketone-IQ: ⁠ketone.com/rideout Code “RIDEOUT” Rho Nutrition: https://rhonutrition.com/ Code "RIDEOUT" Wild Roman: wildroman.com/rideout code “RIDEOUT15” Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ Chapters (00:00) Meet Jessica Long (00:10) What Paralympics Means (00:42) Athens at 12 (01:35) First Gold Mindset (02:59) Adoption and Worth (06:41) Growing Up Different (10:28) Finding Swimming (13:07) Paralympic Classifications (14:26) Community at Trials (19:09) Surgeries and Trauma (22:00) Making Team USA (25:46) Winning and Coming Home (29:11) Sponsors and Dominance (30:55) Nike Deal at 14 (31:38) Winning Addiction (32:44) Beijing Bronze Shock (34:40) Retiring Then Refocusing (35:52) Colorado Training Grind (37:55) Searching Birth Mom (39:54) London Paralympics Reveal (41:29) NBC Reunion Journey (48:25) Russia Media Frenzy (51:57) Meeting and Forgiveness (56:45) Sponsor Break Wild Roman (57:55) Purpose Beyond Medals (01:01:21) Training with Bowman (01:03:21) Training Group Highs (01:04:02) Rio Burnout Spiral (01:05:47) Therapy Marriage Reset (01:08:39) Tokyo Medals Post Blues (01:11:52) Wine Slippery Slope (01:14:42) Choosing Sobriety (01:20:05) No Victim Mindset (01:23:43) Paris Pain Belief (01:26:06) Twins And LA Dream (01:33:20) Legacy And Farewell (01:34:57) Subscribe And Sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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