What Dad Would Have Told Me at the Beginning of the 2025–26 Olympic Season: Mikaela Shiffrin Expresses Powerful Emotions on the Advice That Still Guides Her

Mikaela Shiffrin is used to pressure. For more than a decade, she has been the face of American skiing, carrying expectations as heavy as the snow-covered mountains she dominates each winter. Yet, as she heads into the 2025–26 Olympic season, the emotions running through her are more personal than ever. In a recent reflection, Shiffrin opened up about the words and wisdom of her late father, Jeff Shiffrin—advice she says still anchors her every time she stands at the start gate.

“My dad would’ve told me to breathe,” she said quietly in an interview last week. “To take it one turn at a time, one moment at a time. He always reminded me that skiing is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to make you feel alive.”

Those words, simple as they are, seem to have become a guiding force in Mikaela’s life. Even years after his passing, Jeff Shiffrin’s influence remains everywhere—in her routines, her mindset, and even in the way she approaches success and failure. The two shared an extraordinary bond, one built not only on family but also on shared passion and purpose. Jeff was often seen behind the lens of his camera, capturing his daughter’s races, quietly supporting her with the steady, calm presence that Mikaela says she misses every single day.

As she steps into another Olympic cycle, Shiffrin admits that the lessons her father left behind have taken on new meaning. “At 30, I’m not the same athlete I was ten years ago,” she said. “I’m not racing to prove something anymore. I’m racing because I love it, because it connects me to who I am—and in a way, it connects me to him.”

The upcoming season is a monumental one. With the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina drawing closer, Shiffrin is once again preparing for the world’s biggest stage. Her name is already etched in history books as one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, with over 90 World Cup wins and multiple Olympic medals. Yet, beneath the statistics and records lies something deeper—a longing for the grounding presence that once kept her calm when the world demanded perfection.

“My dad always had this quiet way of saying exactly what I needed to hear,” she reflected. “If I was nervous, he wouldn’t tell me to relax. He’d remind me why I started. He’d say, ‘You love this, remember? So go love it.’”

It’s advice that feels timeless, yet profoundly human. In a sport that measures success in hundredths of a second, where a blink can separate glory from heartbreak, the ability to find joy is rare. For Shiffrin, rediscovering that joy after loss has been a long, emotional process.

The 2020 season was one of her most difficult periods. After her father’s sudden passing, she took time away from skiing to grieve and reflect. When she returned, she carried his spirit with her—not as a burden, but as a source of strength. “He’s part of every run now,” she said. “When I push out of the gate, I can almost hear him say, ‘You’ve got this, kid.’”

That phrase—“You’ve got this”—has become something of a mantra for her. Friends, fans, and teammates have seen it written on her gear, tucked in captions, or whispered before big races. It’s not just about confidence; it’s about the memory of a father who believed in her long before the world did.

This season, Shiffrin says she feels both gratitude and responsibility. Gratitude for the support system that has helped her rebuild, and responsibility to honor the legacy of the man who helped shape her approach to life. “Dad taught me that success isn’t about medals,” she said. “It’s about effort, attitude, and respect—for yourself and for the people who helped you get there.”

Her coach echoed that sentiment, describing how Mikaela’s training this year has been defined by calm focus and perspective. “She’s different now,” he said. “More grounded. She doesn’t let one run define her anymore. She skis with purpose, and that purpose has a lot to do with her dad’s influence.”

For Shiffrin, that influence goes beyond racing. It shows up in how she treats others, how she leads the younger skiers on the U.S. team, and how she carries herself under the weight of fame. “He always told me to be kind,” she recalled. “Even when you’re tired, even when people are criticizing you, be kind. You never know what someone else is going through.”

As the 2025–26 season begins, Mikaela finds herself both chasing history and embracing peace. The duality defines her now—the fierce competitor and the reflective daughter, the perfectionist who’s learning to let go. She admits that sometimes, before a race, she still finds herself looking at the mountains and whispering, “Okay, Dad, let’s do this.”

That quiet moment of connection has become her ritual—a conversation between worlds, a reminder that love doesn’t end where life does. “It’s strange,” she said, “but sometimes when the wind is right, I feel like he’s there. Like he’s watching.”

This emotional connection fuels her as she eyes Milan-Cortina, a chance not just for more medals but for a kind of closure. The Olympics, after all, have always been symbolic in her story—a stage where her precision meets her purpose. “I know people will talk about pressure, about expectations,” she said. “But to me, it’s simpler. I just want to ski in a way that would make Dad proud.”

It’s easy to forget, amid her records and achievements, that Shiffrin’s journey has been deeply human—marked by loss, resilience, and rediscovery. Her father’s voice might no longer be there in the crowd, but it echoes in her choices, her calmness, and her courage.

When asked what she thinks Jeff would say to her now, standing on the brink of another Olympic season, she smiled through the emotion. “He’d probably laugh,” she said. “He’d tell me not to overthink it. He’d say, ‘Just ski, kid. You’ve been doing this your whole life. Go have fun.’”

And maybe that’s the greatest lesson of all—the reminder that even at the highest level, sport isn’t just about results. It’s about love, connection, and the simple joy of doing what you were born to do.

As Mikaela Shiffrin stands at the start line of yet another season filled with expectations, she carries her father’s wisdom like armor. Breathe. Be kind. Remember why you started.

For her, those words are more than memories—they’re a way of life. And as the snow falls once again, so too does the quiet voice that keeps her steady. Somewhere in the silence between turns, Jeff Shiffrin’s lessons live on, reminding his daughter that greatness begins not in victory, but in heart.