That night, I realized there are no warmups, no practice rounds, no reset buttons. Every day we're writing a few more words of a story. And when you die, it's not like “here lies Drew, he came in 174th place.” So from then on, I stopped trying to make my life perfect, and instead tried to make it interesting. I wanted my story to be an adventure — and that's made all the difference.
Recorded
MIT 147th Commencement, MIT News (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), 7 June 2013
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Megan Rapinoe
United States international footballer, 2006–2023
I am kneeling because I have to do something. Anything. We all do.
Recorded
First-person essay, The Players' Tribune, 6 October 2016
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Andy Murray
British professional tennis player, 2005–2024
I've never set out to be a spokesperson for women's equality. My experience of working with Amelie Mauresmo gave me a small insight into attitudes to women in sport and, because it was unusual for a male tennis player to work with a female coach, I am often asked about that. Working with Amelie was, for me, because she was the right person for the job, and not a question of her sex at all. However, it became clear to me that she wasn't always treated the same as men in similar jobs, and so I felt I had to speak out about that.
Recorded
Column written for the BBC as part of the BBC 100 Women series, BBC News, 18 September 2017
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Abby Wambach
United States international footballer, 2001–2015
You see, soccer didn't make me who I was. I brought who I was to soccer, and I get to bring who I am wherever I go. And guess what? So do you.
Recorded
Barnard College commencement address, Radio City Music Hall, New York, Speakola, 16 May 2018
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Joe Lycett
Comedian, television presenter and artist
Every year I get more of an understanding of what I need to be happy. If I haven’t slept enough, or if I haven’t exercised, I’m more likely to be in a bad mood. My silly brain will think it’s because I haven’t written a good joke that day, but actually I’m just tired or I need a poo.
Recorded
The Observer / The Guardian, 7 December 2024
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