Podcast extra: Jana Pittman extended interviewPodcast extra: Jana Pittman extended interview
All In The Mind
As part of our program about Resilience, Lynne spoke with former Olympian - and now medical doctor - Jana Pittman. We thought you'd like to hear the full interview.
18:25•15 Nov 2020
Jana Pittman on Resilience, Reinvention and Life Beyond the Finish Line
Episode Overview
- Resilience can grow by allowing failure, feeling the hurt, and learning that life carries on afterwards.
- Keeping more than one focus in life, such as sport and study, can soften the impact when one area doesn’t go to plan.
- Openly grieving the end of a major life chapter can make space for a healthier, more grounded new identity.
- Emotional expression, rather than strict stoicism, can support mental health and genuine connection.
- Finding a new passion that feels meaningful, such as Jana’s work in obstetrics and gynaecology, can ease the loss of a former career.
“I’ve built resilience through allowing myself to fail and being human about it.”
What drives someone to seek a life beyond their first big passion? This extended chat with former Olympian and doctor Jana Pittman gives you a front-row seat to a major identity shift, from elite sport to medicine, and the emotional rollercoaster that came with it. Jana talks about growing up loving athletics, chasing goals from the Sydney Olympics dream at nine through world titles and Commonwealth gold, yet quietly holding onto her childhood wish to become a doctor.
She shares stories of racing alongside Cathy Freeman, feeling the roar of a home crowd, and then later finding herself standing at a different kind of starting line in hospital scrubs. The conversation focuses on resilience, but not in a stiff-upper-lip kind of way. Jana explains how failing often, letting herself cry, and "allowing the pain" helped her build strength over time.
She challenges the stoic Australian attitude, saying it’s healthier to admit, "I'm really hurt by this and this really sucks," rather than pretending everything’s fine. You’ll also hear her reflect on fame, tricky friendships, media scrutiny and personal losses, including miscarriages and a marriage breakdown, all framed as hurdles that shaped her rather than defined her.
She talks about the emotional work of grieving the end of her sports career so that her new identity in medicine didn’t feel like a hollow replacement. Now working in obstetrics and gynaecology, Jana describes the joy and privilege of being with birthing women and those facing infertility, and her excitement about cutting-edge projects like uterine transplant. Her story speaks to anyone dealing with big life changes, showing how ambition, honesty and vulnerability can sit side by side.
If you’re wondering how to face your own “next chapter” with more honesty and heart, this conversation might spark a few ideas—what hurdle are you ready to tackle next?
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