Rachael Flatt is a retired American figure skater and current student at Stanford University. She is the 2010 U.S. national champion, 2008, 2009 and 2011 national silver medalist, and 2008 World Junior Champion. At the 2010 Winter Olympics she placed 7th.

In this clip, Flatt shares her experience of developing a thick skin as an individual athlete at the elite and Olympic levels. She mentions that a turning point in her career was learning to ignore negativity of others around her sport and focus on her own goals. Becoming one of the best and competing at the highest levels opens the door to criticism and negativity that Flatt chose to ignore so she could focus on what was most important: herself.