Disempowering Language (Episode 27)

Language is powerful. What we say and hear shapes our reality, affecting how we view others and view ourselves. When we hear or say things enough times, those words, labels, and concepts can become our truth. This week on the podcast, Shaunna and Lisa remind those in the endurance sport community why our language choices are so important, and why we must consider how our language affects others.

Language can reinforce disempowering beliefs. This is especially salient in the triathlon community; how we talk about ourselves and others in terms of body image, athleticism, or even the race categories athletes assign themselves can affect what participants in our sport believe. Our language can cause folks to feel othered if they are outside of what society has labeled as “normal,” and this othering through language can reinforce disempowering beliefs in all of us.

Shaunna and Lisa encourage us to question and push back against everyday speech and the labeling we take for granted because “everybody says it.” As an endurance sport community, we have to break down the archetype of who a “normal” athlete is or what an “athletic” body looks like by thinking more carefully about our language choices. Words have power and they do shape how we understand our sense of self and belonging in endurance sport.

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