What It Really Takes to Win Gold with Angela Ruggiero: Ep 37
Highlights from the episode:
What winning gold actually feels like in the final seconds
How sports prepare us for life’s challenges
Why nerves never fully disappear, even for champions
How women’s hockey is growing and changing
Why legacy is about more than medals
Podcast show notes:
I’ve become increasingly curious about the actual “moments” when someone realizes a dream. In the case of an Olympian, from what I’ve been told, the moment you win gold is quickly followed by the realization of everything that got you there. In many cases, according to those who have been there, it’s like an actual floodgate opens… and the emotions just flow.
In this episode, I sit down with one of those Olympians - my friend Angela Ruggiero, four-time Olympic medalist (including gold in 1998) and Hockey Hall of Famer. We talk about what it really feels like when everything comes down to one final moment. We were together broadcasting women’s hockey during the winter Olympics, and being beside her as the United States women played Canada in the gold medal game was unforgettable. The biggest hockey rivalry and overtime? Forget it!
We talk about nerves that never fully go away, the weight of representing your country, and what it takes to help build a league and a future for the next generation. We also discuss how women’s hockey is entering its most powerful era yet - oh, and how Angela became the prolific athlete and leader she is today.
What You’ll Discover:
Seeing the champions up close in Milan (03:18)
Belief vs. self-defeat (16:29)
Leaving home to chase a dream (24:28)
From Olympian to entrepreneur (43:09)
The inequities that still remain (53:23)
Angela’s story is about belief, not just in yourself, but in what’s possible when a community shows up around you. That’s what I love about these conversations. The part behind the highlight. The mindset inside the moment.
If this episode resonated with you, make sure you’re subscribed to Things No One Tells You so you don’t miss what’s next. And if you loved what you heard, share this episodewith a friend.
Connect with Angela Ruggiero
Check out more from Angela on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/angela.m.ruggiero/
Be sure to subscribe to Things No One Tells You—Lindsay’s podcast all about the real, unfiltered conversations we don’t always have but should. From big names to everyday voices, each episode dives into the moments that shape us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow along with Lindsay below!
Full Transcript
[00:00:00] Angela: It wasn't only me getting myself to that gold medal; it was all these parents, it was all these teachers. It was obviously my family back home. But like there, there were a lot of others that, that, that contribute to your success, which is why, again, we're in, we're watching Milan and you're seeing those players and they flash to their families and the people back home, the watch parties back home and all the, like, these athletes have so much support and you know, some of it, maybe you don't realize it till like after the fact, but it takes so many people to get you to that podium.
[00:00:32] Lindsay: Hey guys, welcome to this episode of Things No One Tells You. Alright, I am so excited for my guest today because she's one of my favorite people that I was working with during the Olympics. Angela Ruggiero is a four-time Olympic medalist. She won gold with the women's hockey team in 1998 in Nagano.
[00:00:53] She was my analyst covering women's hockey at these Olympics. And so if you were able to catch us on TV, you probably know her story. She's also a hall of famer. It was so much fun to be there with Angela Ruggiero and to have her be able to gimme her perspective while we were watching things unfold for the women's team, and watching them ultimately win the gold medal with her was like, ah, so amazing.
[00:01:16] But Angela Ruggier's story is just fascinating because. She grew up in California. How she got into hockey is just really cool. But more than that, like what she has done for this sport and just learning what it takes kind of to be an athlete, but also in any industry or any part of life, there's so much stuff that's relatable with the things that she sheds light on.
[00:01:44] So Things No One Tells You with Angela Ruggiero, I can't wait for you to hear what she says that is for her, and I hope that you love this episode.
[00:01:55] Lindsay: Alright, Angela, I'm so glad to see you again. And so I wanna set the table on where we left off because we were in the studio in Stanford, Connecticut, and you know, the women had just won gold.
[00:02:07] It was wild, and you were about to hop a flight later that night. And then I feel like that was it. So tell me what happened next.
[00:02:14] Angela: So yeah, the adrenaline was rushing, as you know. We had so much fun calling in the studio together. And then I had to sprint back to my hotel, get my bag, get a red eye, and go to Italy that night, to be a part of the last three days of the Olympics.
[00:02:33] And yeah, I got to go speed skating, see the men's hockey final. See some of the American women's hockey players the next, literally the next day, at the USA house in Milan. So it was a whirlwind of emotions and energy and no sleep. And it's okay. That's what it's meant to be.
[00:02:53] Lindsay: What was it like when you saw the women's team, members of that team, for the first time when you got there?
[00:02:58] Angela: Well, I think you probably feel the same way because we've been covering the whole Olympics, you know, you know their stories. I know some of them personally, I played with some of 'em, I don't know personally, but I'm mesmerized by their play. It was just really cool to see them all in person, hug them, and congratulate them.
[00:03:18] They were still on a huge high, hadn't slept, you know, raspy voices from their celebration. But just so proud of them, honestly, at the end of the day, for what they had accomplished and the way that they did it. As you know, an Olympian myself, a member of that first gold medal team in 98 and several teams after, just to see the, almost like the next generation show up like that in the form that they did and the resilience that they displayed.
[00:03:47] It was like admiration for them and happiness for them. 'cause I know what it felt like to get the medal. So yeah, there were a lot of emotions in there, outside of just kind of commentating and calling the game and appreciating what they did in detail, coupled with my own experience and my relationship.
[00:04:06] So I was just really excited to be there, hug 'em and just say congratulations in person before the storm, you know, when they hit American soil, you know, it's like everyone wants a piece of 'em and wants to meet 'em and congratulate, which is what they deserve. So it was, you're almost in a bubble at the Olympics, like there's only so many places you can go.
[00:04:25] So, it was nice to talk to 'em there.
[00:04:27] Lindsay: Which is right. You know what's funny about that is like when you say the bubble, that's how, on a very different level, because I'm not an athlete, I didn't compete or win anything, but like that's how I felt coming out of my bubble of coverage for that like two and a half weeks because it's, there's this interesting like reentry thing that happens where I feel like you're so, I was so excited to like come back to my family and just be back in the grind.
[00:04:51] But you're kind of like these highs and lows. Yeah. I assume that it must be what it feels like to win something big with a team, because it's like. People kind of can't relate sometimes. Yeah. Or you don't know how to explain it 'cause it's just like these feelings, like your body has physically been through so many emotions.
[00:05:10] Totally. And for me, it was just riding along with it. Yeah. You know what I mean?
[00:05:13] Angela: Yeah. It's like the Olympic letdown in some ways. You're
[00:05:17] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:05:17] Angela: I think what we experienced in the studio is like a microcosm of what the Olympians experience, 'cause you know, they've prepared their whole lives for that moment.
[00:05:26] And, and yeah, your point of adrenaline, I mean, my adrenaline was pumping. We're on live TV, andI'me like playing jazz together, making sure, you know, we're talking about these players and, in the right way. And, this is their moment. You want to nail it. You wanna make sure everyone knows who they are and what they did.
[00:05:42] And, yeah, I felt the same way coming back. I'm like, like reentry is like, whew, like slow the roll, you know, I need to sleep. I'm tired. You don't realize you're on that adrenaline high for so long, but I think the athletes,
[00:05:56] Lindsay: yeah,
[00:05:56] Angela: They're on an adrenaline high, but they're also. There's just so much, there's so much emotion across their life, their families, their communities, the things that they bring that gold medal back to, coupled with the kind of their physical energy they're bringing back.
[00:06:12] So yeah, I felt the same way. I was like, okay, my kids, my family, I'm gonna like to sleep.
[00:06:20] Lindsay: I was, I was thinking too about, for you, assuming that it must be a really complex type of thing that you were experiencing in that time too, even like going on the plane, getting to Italy because of what you've done as an athlete in an Olympian yourself, to your point, you understand what those emotions are like for them.
[00:06:43] Also, you have mentored, you know, more than one of those players played with more than one of those players. And so I was curious to see, like, I was assuming that you were maybe having just relived certain things like in. What was that like for you? What, now that you've had a little bit of time to like, process? Yeah.
[00:07:04] What that whole thing was like.
[00:07:06] Angela: Yeah. So it's funny, I was closer to the team that won in Pyeongchang. I actually got to give them their medals.
[00:07:14] I retired in 2011. Yes. So I overlapped with a lot more players in, in, in the 2018 team. But even on this team, there were quite a few players that I didn't know, there were things that I didn't even know they told me.
[00:07:28] Right. So, Megan Keller pulls me aside and goes, who scored the game-winning goal?
[00:07:32] Lindsay: Who scored the game-winning goal?
[00:07:33] Angela: Should my dad pointed you out, Angela, when you were playing? And I was young and said, watch her. You want to play like her. And you are the first women's hockey player I ever watched, I ever paid attention to.
[00:07:46] Lindsay: Oh my
[00:07:46] Angela: God. I was like, I didn't know that. I met Megan Keller. I love her. I've, I, and I was like, I love your game. When I saw her play at Boston College, I was like, that kid is amazing. Right? There's KK Harvey, who you and I were like, oh my God. She got MVP. She was amazing. I wrote her a letter years ago. I think in the last Olympics, Beijing, they had all the alumni that wore the same number, write a letter, and she's like, I still have the letter you wrote me.
[00:08:13] You know, where you wore number four. I didn't wear number four. There are these little bits that you're still tethered to, and obviously Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne, and you know, Alex Carpenter, there are some players I actually physically played with. So for me, it's like I'm having this really full circle moment.
[00:08:32] not only like fangirling them because we covered them, and I was like, ah, this is the best hockey ever. Yeah. I was so impressed by them. But also, I'm emotional, like, oh yeah, I did play. You know, like, oh yeah, I was. A halfway decent hockey player, and my job back then to, to inspire that next generation.
[00:08:50] And like, you don't even know what you've done right. Until you have those little moments. So that was really cool for me, like seeing them, appreciating them, telling them how awesome they were, which I said you guys are the best team ever. And hopefully that meant something. But then having these little stories kind of tether themselves out when I was over there was really fun for me.
[00:09:07] It was special, and you know, it's their torch now. Like they're the ones that are inspiring that next generation, that kids will write letters to them and pull them aside. And so that's like for me, the like, okay, Angela, you're, you know, you're an old alumnus now, which is fair. But you're still sort of tied to the current generation, and look at what they're doing.
[00:09:28] It's like a proud mom, almost feeling,
[00:09:31] Lindsay: Yeah. And, but also wow, like it's really special that you get to see that. Moment of impact.'Because I think probably not everybody gets to see that. That's really powerful.
[00:09:41] Angela: It's rare.
[00:09:42] Lindsay: That you're like.
[00:09:42] Angela: Oh yeah, it's rare because you know, typically you're at a distance and it's through a camera and they're talking, you know, like, but to be with them physically and like hear their stories right after they win.
[00:09:54] And again, remembering how it felt for me and my teammates and the relationships we have to this day. I'm like, you got, and I was always telling 'em, I said, you guys have made friends for life. You will see that WhatsApp chain I was telling you about, the 98 ERs, like the 20 eighteen, like, these teams stay together for life.
[00:10:10] And I'm like, that's what you guys just created. You created this memorialized sort of sisterhood that will carry on forever. And so I know that in advance. They don't realize that, but I'm like, I know this. You're gonna, like, you guys are gonna be at each other's weddings and your kids are gonna play together, and you're gonna, you know, talk about the next team, you know, 15, 20 years from now.
[00:10:30] So I, yeah, I got to see that and hear that and be a part of the, you know, USA hockey community.
[00:10:37] Lindsay: Well, for people that, I said this on air, we shared it, but for people that might not have seen that part of our coverage together, Angela Ruggiero has a group chat from the 98 ERs when you won Gold, right?
[00:10:48] Yep. That's from Nagano. Correct. And she was texting with them during the gold medal game and sharing some of this stuff, which is awesome. And that's exactly what you were saying, like they're gonna see, they're gonna be friends for life, whatever. Really amazing. But really, it's like, so does that make you realize anything since you've had that really unique experience too, of that full circle moment of the giving back part of it too, like, 'cause that is so rare that you're able to really see how that has manifested a little bit.
[00:11:21] Angela: Yeah. I think it's because I've been sort of out of hockey for a bit. I'm coaching my kids. I'm, you know, I work for the Rangers for a little bit. I like it, in and out. I've been running my company and kind of more on the business side of sports, across all sports, not just hockey. So I haven't technically been coaching like a, an, you know, a college team or super close to some of these players.
[00:11:46] You almost forget. So that, like, I almost forgot what my impact had been in some weird way, or the feelings of being an athlete. And then when we're watching, when we're commentating, when we're there physically, when you're, you know, you see that when you're in the rink or when you hear the anthem, or like, there are these certain moments that, or you smell the air of an ice rink, like brings you right back.
[00:12:12] And that's fun for me to come back in those ways to like, see the team, see the jersey, you see my jersey in the background, smell the air of the rink, even, you know, hear the sounds like I, I know what they're going through. You don't have to, you don't have to explain anything. And so to be back in it like that is, is just, a, you could sense it in my energy in the studio when we were working together.
[00:12:37] Like, I'm just so proud of these guys. Yeah. I'm excited for them. I'm nervous for them too. Like, I don't have control like I did when I was on the ice, so I'm like, oh God, please figure it out.
[00:12:48] Lindsay: Oh my God, those games too. That game was so, I mean, I, okay. Literally, so this is, I'm talking to the producer, and I'm like, at what point do I say to Angela Ruggiero, here's what we have to ask about Canada, because I'm like, shit, they're gonna lose this game.
[00:13:04] Yeah. And I'm like, I strategically did not wanna bring up that moment until I had to. 'cause I'm like, I don't, you know? Yeah. And thank goodness.
[00:13:13] Angela: Well, it's funny, Lindsay. So I'm over in Milan, the next day, literally, and I see Hilary Knight, and I'm like a hill. Oh my God. As I go, I couldn't have scripted it better.
[00:13:22] I wanted you to score. We had all these graphics. You're gonna break the record for goals. This, you know, you're gonna get the game winner, you're gonna be the hero. I was like, we couldn't have scripted it better. And I said right at the end, I got so nervous though. And of course she reminds me, like, inch, you think you're gonna win till like the buzzer?
[00:13:42] I'm like, you're on the ice. I'm, I wasn't. When you're playing hockey, if you're the most elite athlete in the world, which she is, and those teammates, the best team in the world, you are not thinking what you and I are thinking kind of over here. And me being out of the game, they're like, we're gonna score, right?
[00:13:58] When are we gonna score? Who's gonna do it? You still have to have that belief, that positive mindset, and like that's what she said to me right away. We knew we were gonna score, Ang. Like we were just like, who's gonna do it? And it was like this confidence that I'm like, oh yeah, you're right.
[00:14:13] When I'm playing. Well, I remember playing you, you don't even, you do not give up. Tell the buzzer and that and us. You know, I'm, you and I are going in the studio like, oh God, I hope they can pull it off. And we're nervous 'cause we have no, we can't control it. But in their heads, all of their heads, which is so funny, all of 'em are saying the same thing.
[00:14:28] We were gonna, we were gonna win that game. And when they scored that tying goal, they all said we're definitely winning this game. Like, something switched in their head. And so it took a veteran like Hilary to be like, and of course we're gonna tie the game. Like this is, you know, meanwhile you and I are like, oh God, what do we do?
[00:14:44] Lindsay: Why would you ever doubt, right? But how, so how old are you when you, is that something that you're born with, or is that a mindset, adaptability that you sort of gain along the way?
[00:14:57] Angela: I think you gain it along the way. I think you generally have a positive outlook. You have to believe in yourself.
[00:15:06] believe you're gonna be an Olympian, believe, you're gonna be a champion. Like you, all these kids have similar stories of, like, oh, I had the Olympic rings on my door, or I told my parents when I was five. Like, you have to have that innate. The idea that you're gonna do something and go in that direction and push yourself in that way.
[00:15:24] but the difference of like a silver and a gold or a medal or no medal is this like, it's what every elite olympian or pro athlete I think has to have in the back of their head that like, that they're gonna manifest it, they're gonna make it happen. it's, you have to stay po you have to internally believe, or else you self-defeat right in advance.
[00:15:47] So I think that's developed along the way, where you're like, oh, I believed, and we scored. I believed, and we won. I believed, and we came back from nothing. And I, when I coach my kids' teams, I'm, that's what I'm trying, guys, we're down by five. Who cares? We can still do this. If you've self-defeated yourself and you're just like, yeah, we're gonna lose the game, you'll never come back.
[00:16:06] But like, oh, you came back from five nothing, and you won that game. Like, oh, we can do this. And then you do it again and again, and then you realize at some point, like you have control. So yeah, I think it's something that's a little bit of both. Like you're born with that optimism, but you accumulate these reps on that, where you're like, no, we have to believe, or else we're gonna lose.
[00:16:29] And you know, we like to think about how many times we self-defeat ourselves in life, where we're like, oh, I'm not gonna get that job, or I'm not gonna, that this thing's not gonna happen. And then it doesn't happen. And then you, and then that's what you believe, like you go the other direction. Like, nothing ever works out for me direction versus like, everything's gonna work out for me direction.
[00:16:47] I think those Olympians, like again, the very best, which this team proved they had. It's like, we're gonna win no matter what. Even if we're down by a goal. Two minutes to go.
[00:16:58] Lindsay: I'm just pro, I'm processing right now because you're exactly right.cause I'm thinking about. Tom Brady pulled his team back from being down, you know what I mean?
[00:17:10] Like in the Super Bowl, like all these, you're right, it's like elite athletes across all sports too. That's a common thing.
[00:17:18] Angela: And Tom Brady was probably going, I'm gonna make these guys think what I think, and convince them they were gonna win. And so now you have a whole team mentally going, we're gonna win this game.
[00:17:30] And Hilary Knight being on the bench, going, guys, who's gonna score? Who's gonna do that? She, I ended up doing it myself. But like, you have a whole team of kids, essentially, and some veterans. But like, and I've experienced that on my hockey teams, which is why, you know, like you learn this in sport in a safe way.
[00:17:49] Like no one dies. You don't win. You know, you win the gold, you win the silver, you don't medal, you make, but you learn it. And then you're like, oh, wait a sec. I, at least, I'm like, oh, you can use that in the real world, that manifestation.
[00:17:59] Lindsay: Yes.
[00:18:00] Angela: It's not a,
[00:18:01] Lindsay: Yeah. So how would you? Right. So, okay. Do you have an example of a law you could use in the real world?
[00:18:08] Angela: You have to figure out what you want. To me, that's the hardest part. Most people dunno what they want. So if they pick something you don't really want, it doesn't work out for them. But if you pick something, you really love a school, you want to go on a trip somewhere, you wanna try it, you wanna get a job, you want to do something small, you want to go to the movies, you can make that happen.
[00:18:32] You're literally in control of your life. And that's, I think, the thing that sports to me is amazing. It's like, you can, or you could say, well, I can't afford the movies today. Right? I'm never gonna get in at school. Or like, I can't get that job, but it's not gonna happen. Anyway, that's been my experience at least.
[00:18:48] But yeah, the Tom Bradys, the best leaders in the world, can convince everyone around them that it's possible. And that's what I heard coming outta Hilary's mouth. She's like, yeah, I leaned over to Kendall's, like, we're gonna win this. You're like, who's gonna score? Who's gonna get this? And she ends up scoring.
[00:19:02] Which is like another Tom Brady type of parallel.
[00:19:05] Lindsay: Yeah. And I just, I can't get enough of the conversation about the word belief because, so I feel, so I realize this actually from this Olympic experience, I think, because this was, there was something so special to me about being able to watch, especially these gold medal games play out with you.
[00:19:29] And on the flip side, with the men, with like T.J. and Anson, who are the analysts, like, because you're all's insight, especially you, because you have been on this stage and you have won, you know, you've medaled four times, including the gold. Like, there was just. There's something that you can't describe about being able to watch a moment in time that is going to be a historic play out, but also sitting there with someone who has this inside knowledge of it.
[00:19:59] I don't know that I've ever really felt that, because even if we're talking about, well maybe a World Series, maybe that's why I feel so strongly when it's been like, if I've covered the nationals winning the World Series or the capitals winning the Stanley Cup, they, those were moments that like literally knocked me down and I could cry talking about them right now because it's like. After all, you know the players.
[00:20:23] Yeah. So being in that moment, I think for me with you was like, oh my God, I have just realized what it is that I love so much about my job. It is the moment that it is having the luxury, like the truly crazy, what's the word I'm looking for? Just. Opportunity to watch this thing that is about to happen, that is going to change lives.
[00:20:48] Lives are changed. It is the greatest moment for some people, ever, like the ridiculous, amazing situation of having that opportunity in the first place. But then, like, seeing it play out, it is like a, you really can't describe it.
[00:21:01] Angela: Yeah.
[00:21:02] Lindsay: So I have realized that, as many times as I could bottle, that is my dream job. Yeah. So.
[00:21:10] Angela: No.
[00:21:10] Lindsay: It's, so that would be everyone's right.
[00:21:12] Angela: No, it's so fun. And again, having played and now covering it with you and you and I, loved working with you. It was so fun. yeah. Because you gotta figure out how to then express what you're feeling or you're seeing, which to me is just like. Of course, this is what's going on in the locker room.
[00:21:27] It seems so obvious to me, but I'm like, oh no, it isn't right. Lemme just say what I'm thinking and your ability to kind of, okay, let's, describe that to people because I know what you know is like people might be introduced to women's hockey and go, whoa, that was amazing.
[00:21:44] I've never, girls, boys sign up for hockey. We'll see registrations through the roof because of this.
[00:21:51] Lindsay: Yes,
[00:21:52] Angela: the, where I was when I won that medal, that, that Megan Keller goal or that Jack Hughes goal, like I know where I was type of feeling like that's that next generation and having been a player living in that little bubble.
[00:22:06] And then you come home,e and you're like, whoa, I don't know how many people came out of the woodwork. This is where I was, this is how you inspired me. These are my kids who signed up. Like, you hear that over the years and you're like, oh my God. I was just playing hockey. I was just doing my game. And then you realize the impact you had, and now you and I have the opportunity and honor of bringing that into people's lives in some ways, which is so cool.
[00:22:29] I loved it too. I had so much fun, 'cause yeah, I knew in some ways like this. After all, it turned out the right way too. You know, the right, you know, the amplification effect that it's gonna have. It was so fun.
[00:22:43] Lindsay: I also think, to your point about the right way, I am actually really grateful that the first time we worked together was 22, when it didn't happen because there was something about setting the table and getting the education from you to lay the groundwork for this time.
[00:23:02] Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but I just, that was pretty, it's, it was a really cool, unique experience. And also before I dive in, 'cause I really, I want you to share a little bit how you got started in hockey, your experience, all that. When you're talking about, like the note that you wrote, one thing that I do think that I hope people take from this is, and from your perspective, is just the power of giving back, but also like that type of thing.
[00:23:32] I remember once I had a coordinator from an NFL team come up to me and be like, Hey, thanks for writing that note. Like I thanked him for something for the time. He took an interview, which, you know, now I feel like people can send emails, whatever you do. But he was like, people don't do that anymore.
[00:23:47] And I know people do, but I think sometimes, especially in my line of work, you're doing interviews, dah, you don't typically take, you know, do that. But I think that there's such power in just taking the moment. To either tell someone like that, yes, you love their game, or write them a note. You know, that's one of the things that, it's like, those things matter, you know, and you don't always see it, you don't always know.
[00:24:10] But I think that's really cool. Yeah. That you shared that. So you moved away when you were really young. Can you just, can you share part of that story? 'Cause I also think that's a really interesting piece to this sport that, you know, a lot of people actually have.
[00:24:28] Angela: Yeah. So I grew up in Los Angeles, and there's not a lot of hockey there.
[00:24:33] There's actually a lot more now than there was. But my brother played, my sister played for two years, then she stopped, but there wasn't a lot of hockey if we wanted to continue to pursue it on a real level. So when I was 14, I had played on the first-ever girls' team formed in California. We were between 12 and 19 years old, and the age range was.
[00:24:54] Just to give you a sense. We came out east, we played in a summer tournament in Connecticut, and I got seen, and I was 14 at the time, and they said, oh, she's pretty good. And she's got really good grades. And, yeah.
[00:25:08] Lindsay: Did you love it at that point, by the way? Were you like, enamored by the sport?
[00:25:11] Angela: I loved hockey.
[00:25:13] I loved it, but that was the first girls' team I was on, so I was used to like boys and they, you know, called names and picked on and cut from teams, and the guys on my team were always great. They were like my brothers, but it was, you know, it was kind of, but it was a little bit of a different locker room feel, you know, I'd go change and then come in, towards the end and, you know, you didn't have that like camaraderie, chemistry that I then when I switched to girls hockey, I was like, oh, this is so fun.
[00:25:40] The locker room and the music and the stupid dancing. And it was just a very different vibe as a 14-year-old. But I loved hockey at that point. And so yeah, I got an opportunity to go to Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school. My dad grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, so we knew of Choate. I never dreamed that I would get to go there, and from California, no, like kids don't go to prep school.
[00:26:01] There's, it's not like an, you know, East Coast. It's like a thing out there, just, it's not even in your vocabulary. So I signed up my dad, as my mom said, this would be a great opportunity, but I didn't really know what I was signing up for until I was basically on the plane moving away from home at 14.
[00:26:19] And it really was to get an education and to be able to continue to play hockey. and hopefully get seen by College Scouts, which was sort of where my head was at that point in time. But, yeah, it was crazy. I was on my own at the age of 14.
[00:26:34] Lindsay: Were you nervous?
[00:26:36] Angela: Oh my god. So nervous. So nervous. Will I fit in?
[00:26:41] Are my grades gonna be good enough? This is a really hard academic school. The hockey, actually, I was like the best player on the team as a freshman, 'cause I went from boys hockey getting pushed around and like pushing. Girls hockey. I'm like, oh, like, wow, I can excel here. I think that was the first time I realized I was actually pretty good at hockey when I switched over to the girls' side.
[00:27:02] but no, I think more socially when your parents aren't there, and you're on your own.
[00:27:07] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:27:08] Angela: You're having to figure it out. And this is before, you know, FaceTime. So I'm on a phone, a physical phone, talking to my family every night at seven 30 on the dot, to check in. I mean, that's all I had between then and, you know, Christmas when I got to go home, and summer.
[00:27:24] So it was a huge shift for me. But, I think it was the right one again, the education I got, and the opportunity to kind of really be seen by scouts and made the national team the following year. So my parents sort of made the wild call, but yeah, absolutely intimidated and scared and all those things.
[00:27:44] And, but again, it taught me a lot. Like you, you know, you're capable of more than you think. It's gonna be hard at first. And once you adjust, once I adjusted, I flourished. You know, once I've figured out how to, what do I do, and how do I act, and how do I manage my time? And at first it was a little rocky.
[00:28:02] but then once I got into my groove, I was class president and I made the national team and I was like, oh, this is the best environment for me to really, you know, and all these amazing teachers were around me helping me even though my parents weren't there, that I stay in touch with to this day. So it's, yeah, it was the right call, but it was definitely hard, hard at that age.
[00:28:23] Lindsay: Wait, what did those teachers that you stayed in touch with say after your Olympics, after your gold?
[00:28:29] Angela: They're just so proud of me, honestly, 'cause they knew me as a little kid, right? They helped, you know, nurture me and support me. Not just, you know, not just academically, but emotionally.
[00:28:42] So, you know, Alex Evoy, who lives up the road, you know, she's, I'm still close to her and her daughters, who are now grown up, who are little kids. You know, Ray Diffley, who was the admissions officer, wrote this really cute, and Hilary Knight went to Choate too, by the way. So he wrote this cute, you know, he's put these pictures of us with his daughters when we were that age, you know, and he put this cute little thing there.
[00:29:06] There are these people who saw you as a kid. And then I came back, actually, to choke my senior year with a gold medal. So that was crazy too. I, you know, I got to take two, two semesters off, come back from winning in, you know, February of, and graduate on time. And then Choate made a big deal out of it.
[00:29:26] They took, they gave everyone the day off to watch the game.
[00:29:30] Lindsay: Ah.
[00:29:31] Angela: And then we had this huge assembly with, you know, I got to bring my medal and show everyone when I came back. So yeah, it was a great environment for sure.
[00:29:41] Lindsay: What was the biggest adjustment or maybe the toughest thing on the hockey side of things?
[00:29:47] I know you said the hockey side was easy, but in terms of skill or on the ice, it seems like you can do it all. What would you say was one of the hardest things for you to maybe get used to or get good at?
[00:30:01] Angela: If you, if I'm gonna be perfectly honest, I went from checking to non-checking. I got too many penalties, Lindsay.
[00:30:10] Lindsay: Really?
[00:30:11] Angela: 'Cause I played boys hockey and thought about how physical it was, and then I'm like playing girls hockey, and I was stronger. So I was like, not only stronger or more physical, but I, but it's a different rule. You have to kind of rub the player and take the puck away from them; you can't just run into people.
[00:30:26] So I had to; that was a big piece of the hockey itself that I had to adjust for. But I love the team. I love them, you know, I had to push myself in a lot of ways. versus being pushed. So that was another, okay. What are you doing when no one's looking? Are you still first on, last off? Like, you know, and this is what sport teaches you.
[00:30:46] Sometimes you're right in the middle of the pack, or you're the bench warmer, and sometimes you're the best player. And you know, like how do you get better even if you're the best player on the ice? And that's what I had to, okay. I still need to find extra ice. I played on a club team called the Connecticut Polar Bears. So I was, it was like.
[00:31:04] Lindsay: At the same time?
[00:31:05] Angela: Yeah, so I would do my homework, get picked up from par. Hey, I was calling dial-in for a dollar, like, which parent will pick me up and take me to practice today? Literally, I'd get a ride to practice, and they'd drop me off on the weekends. I would play my choke sports.
[00:31:19] And then on Sundays, we had games. So I'm again, who can pick me up?
[00:31:23] Lindsay: And you don't mean your parents, 'cause they weren't there.
[00:31:25] Angela: No, not my parents. I had no ride. I didn't have a car, so I had a list of all the parents. And I'm like, can you pick? And I had no idea where they were coming from. I didn't, you know, I'm in high school geography, I'm clueless.
[00:31:35] I'm just like, who can help me? But like Julie Chu, who was my teammate in four Olympics or three Olympics, she went to Cho, and then she went to Harvard again. I always joke that she followed me around. Her parents were amazing. They used to pick me up all the time. So you have these, again, these like really cool stories that kind of thread the needle.
[00:31:52] and I relied on, you know, again, it takes a team. It wasn't me. It wasn't only me getting myself to that gold medal. It was all these parents, it was all these teachers. It was obviously my family back home. But like there, there are a lot of others that contribute to your success. Which is why, again, we're in, we're watching Milan, and you're seeing those players, and they flash to their families and the people back home, the watch parties back home, and all the, like, these athletes have so much support, and you know, some of it, maybe you don't realize it till like.
[00:32:23] After the fact, but it takes so many people to get you to that podium. And you're, again, so grateful. I'm still grateful to everyone who helped me get there.
[00:32:33] Lindsay: And also really cool that, obviously, is like the athletes that continue at their craft or the ones that you know how to ask for help and you do it in the right way.
[00:32:43] You know what to ask for, what you need, you know, not just the rides, but also like, just whatever it is too of your sport. Respect.
[00:32:49] Angela: Yeah. Lindsay, think about that first statement before, like, I wanna be an Olympian, and I'm by myself at a prep school. But I knew, okay, I gotta get on the ice, and like I'm, I don't feel guilt.
[00:33:01] I feel a little guilty, but I'm more like, I need you to help me. Like, I picked up the phone, or I like you.
[00:33:07] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:33:07] Angela: Create the environment. I had to create the environment for me to be successful, and I needed people to obviously support me. I couldn't do it alone, but I had the Olympic rings in my head at age 12.
[00:33:19] They were like back there. Everything I did was like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna play in the Olympics. One day, I had a little cocky card of the 19 men's, the 1980 men's hockey team,' cause there was no such thing as women's hockey at that point. But I had like, I was a hockey player for career day in the second grade, and everyone's like, who are you gonna be?
[00:33:36] Lindsay: Really?
[00:33:37] Angela: Yeah. I was like, I don't know, I didn't wanna be Wayne Gretzky. Everyone's like, you should be Wayne Gretzky. I'm like, okay. Like, sure. I'm like, I just wanna be a hockey player one day. Like, I didn't see myself as a second grader because there was no women's hockey back then. But I was like, I want to play hockey one day as a, like, that's what I want my career to be like.
[00:33:54] There are all these little things. I'm like, oh, it's so weird. How did I know I didn't? I just believed, and you see that across. Yeah. That thread, I think, is across a lot of these, a lot of these Olympians.
[00:34:06] Lindsay: I think it's also across, different, you know, genres of life. It's like I can remember being like, okay, I really wanted to do broadcasting.
[00:34:17] Like, who are you gonna ask questions to? Like, who can I set a meeting with? Like, I would like to do that. This feels kind of weird to say, Hey, can I just come talk to you? But I think that's like the secret sauce, and you did it, is what you're saying.
[00:34:30] Angela: And you did it.
[00:34:32] Lindsay: Yeah. And sometimes, though I felt like an idiot, or you're like, or you're not, sometimes you're not doing, obviously, the thing that the lion's share of your peers are doing, right?
[00:34:43] Like, and obviously you weren't, and you're out of your comfort zone. Like, it's interesting how you perceive something after you're like, having this conversation makes me think about that. Or like, you're just putting in the extra hours, right? You're like, what do I need to do? And, you pay the price in other ways, like relationships suffer, whatever.
[00:35:03] You know what I mean? It's like that, but that is a common thread. That's really interesting.
[00:35:07] Angela: I think it's the same. I don't think it's sports. Yeah, it's you.
[00:35:11] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:35:11] Angela: I think the biggest problem is kids, adults, even. Pick something they wanna do, that is, they don't actually want to do. They get pulled into whatever everyone else wants them to do.
[00:35:21] So if you can feel, if you're like, I wanna be a broadcaster at 10, and everyone's like, well, you should get like a normal job and do this and that, and you like, okay, and you follow that, you're not gonna be happy. You're probably not gonna put in the extra time. But if you're like, no, I really wanna do this, and you have family and people that support you, you're gonna like to self-select those conversations.
[00:35:41] You're gonna self-select the environments you're gonna put yourself in uncomfortable situations and thrive in them. I wanted to see the figure skaters, I'm in these Olympics, I think she said she loved, she loves adversity. And I was like, oh, I love it. It's like if you're in the right kind of adversity. Yeah, which is like towards something you want to achieve, it's awesome.
[00:36:03] 'cause you're gonna learn and you're gonna be uncomfortable and you're gonna get through it and you're gonna be like, oh, I can get through those kinds of things in the future. If you're in adversity going towards the thing you shouldn't be doing, then that feels bad and hard, and you don't want to go there again.
[00:36:15] But like, you probably knew you wanted to be a broadcaster before anyone else. Like you self-selected that and like paved the way to get here and put yourself in those environments and didn't take no for an answer. Or you were, I don't know. You were in, you tell me like, I'm sure, it's a similar story.
[00:36:33] It's just a different environment.
[00:36:35] Lindsay: Yeah. I think it's a different environment. It's like you, right? I would say that the difference, or the thing that might be a common thread is like I was really wanting to do stuff that took my, like, once I found what that feeling was for me, which was when we did this college show, it was a practicum, it was a class at my college, so we had to be every different role that it took to put on a broadcast, you had to be for like these three weeks.
[00:37:03] And when it was my turn to co-host, I was like, oh my god. This is not work. This is the best thing ever. And I remember being surprised at myself because I'm like, I am missing this sorority function because I want to do this. Like, I want to run around my campus dressed up in this weird thing and shoot this.
[00:37:24] It was like, it was this different creativity that I felt.
[00:37:26] Angela: You lit up.
[00:37:27] Lindsay: Yes, I was right. Lit me up. And so that it was like, then it became chasing the feeling. And I thought for a long time it was for me, I was like news. I idolized Katie Couric. I wanted to do the Today Show. Which is ironic because the man I married is in that role, which is so random.
[00:37:46] My mom would say, this is so embarrassing, WWKD, you know how people say, what would Jesus do? Yeah.
[00:37:53] Angela: What would Katie do?
[00:37:54] Lindsay: What would Katie do? And I'm like, mom, stop. Like, don't say that in public. Anyway, but so then, and then anyway, long way, 'cause I don't wanna talk about myself, but like I ended up through a really crazy happenstance.
[00:38:07] Sports world, and I, was a chance meeting on a weekend trip to Jacksonville that got me doing NASCAR stuff. That was the last thing I would've ever thought it was doing motor sports coverage. And that kind of led to the next opportunity within sports. But I ended up gambling on experiences.
[00:38:29] 'cause I was offered a job doing sports in Miami, and it wasn't even, it was part-time. And I remember being like, what am I doing? Likewise, I'm gonna leave this news reporting job to go take this job in Miami. But everything about it feels really exciting. And you brought this up before, I had like three or four people in my circle that I was like, these are my people that I trust.
[00:38:50] And I'm like, Hey, this is what I think I wanna do, but this feels really weird. And you know, that was my group that I leaned on, and I took the job. And then anything, yeah, everything happened after that. Like, anyway.
[00:39:02] Angela: But trusting yourself, I think, is the biggest lesson, though. Yes. Like you, and being attuned enough to know what you want and to feel it.
[00:39:14] Right. Like, like I knew, okay, I am gonna be a hockey player in an environment where I was the only girl playing in the whole state. I wanted to be a, you know, hockey player, like my whole childhood. But I couldn't see it. There was no, I could see it. You can be it. I just, but I didn't let that's wild.
[00:39:33] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:39:33] Angela: Right. And then you're like, oh, this Miami thing, part-time thing. But I light up when I do it, and I feel amazing, even though it's not what everyone else should be doing. And the people that you trust who know you enough to be like, oh, I see your eyes get big when you talk about it. Go do it.
[00:39:49] Like, I don't know, I feel like there are too many followers that just do what they think they should do, versus like, what really gets them excited, 'cause you show up early, you stay late, you put in the work. I mean, Hilary Knight brought it back. Hilary Knight, I remember. Hey, Ang. Do some pucks from the blue line.
[00:40:08] Oh, okay. Hell, okay. 'cause you need someone to shoot the puck from the blue line for her to do the tip. Right. We're talking about hockey here.
[00:40:16] yeah. You need someone to shoot the puck to practice those tipping shots. Okay. She, and she just nagged everyone for two decades to shoot the puck.
[00:40:23] Come on, I wanna practice my tip shot. She scored the time goal with the tip and shot. She's tried, she's practiced that a hundred thousand times. Easy. But that took someone to be like, well, I'm gonna score that goal one day. I'm gonna, you know, so it's all psychological to me.
[00:40:39] Lindsay: Yeah,
[00:40:39] Angela: Right. Sports, it's, I think sports though, you can see an outcome.
[00:40:43] It's harder in life to see the outcome. That's why we talk about sports.
[00:40:47] Lindsay: Yes. And I do think, so you went to Harvard, you, I think that's also a really interesting part of your story, like, and I love how you have said that it, you felt like it pushed you in ways that you were excited about, which also was related to a bold sport, and I love your sports innovation labs. That's the business that you began. So yeah, I'm with Harvard. Like, can you explain a little bit of what that experience taught you or what, you know, what the most, when you look back, like a meaningful part of that process was? Yeah.
[00:41:25] Angela: Yeah. Again, I was intimidated just like Cho when I applied, and then I got in.
[00:41:29] Lindsay: So let's go to Harvard.
[00:41:30] Angela: Then I'm like, oh God, I got in. Do I go? And of course, you know, I need support to say yes. I said yes. It was an amazing environment, not just for sports. You know, we were great. We won a national championship. We had a great team that I got to play on, but it was everything outside of the rink too.
[00:41:49] The people that were really good at bird calling or like National Merit Scholars or like, could speak 10 languages and like, surrounded by really interesting people that kind of got me outside of the hockey bubble. Honestly, when I was at, when I was at the rink, I was like a hockey player, but then when I crossed that bridge, I was a student and I got to absorb all these like, amazing lessons and teachers and courses and people and, that I think opened my aperture, especially when I graduated, even though I was still a hockey player.
[00:42:20] I was like, oh, there's this huge big world out there. One day, when I'm done, I'll get to have the time to explore, 'cause I couldn't, you know, I couldn't do a lot when I was playing hockey. You had, you know, you're a hockey player, you ought to go where you need to go and train all the time, and literally travel with your bag everywhere.
[00:42:38] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:42:38] Angela: You don't have the same flexibility. But, but no, it taught me, I think, just that the world is a big place and a fun place, and there's a lot that I could do one day, and it's when I went back to Harvard, to the business school. It's one of the reasons I retired. I was like, oh, this is awesome.
[00:42:54] I got lit up again when I went to one of those classes. I'm a big nerd, I think inside, but I was like, oh, cool. I get to learn about all the functions of running a company and what that would look like. And that gave me more confidence when I got through that, which was very hard.
[00:43:09] But when I got through it to say, oh, I can start a company. Like me, I don't know everything. I've never done it before, but
[00:43:16] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:43:16] Angela: But I have some of the tools, and I believe in myself, and I believe in what we could achieve. That's an entrepreneur. Like, it's like being an Olympian. You have to believe in something no one else can see and convince those around you to either give you their money, work for you, buy the product, like, you know, you're kind of like the Tom Brady, like it's gonna happen, or the Hilary Knight, it's gonna happen.
[00:43:36] So, there's, I think, again, a lot of parallels to being an athlete, ENT, and an entrepreneur. But it's all intimidating and scary and hard. But in some ways, I'm like, that's what I like. I like to be in those. I like to be pushed. I like to, you know, see what I see, what else is in the tank, right?
[00:43:54] Like this world is, it's fleeting, it's short. Why not take risks? Why not do the things you love? Why not, you know, go for gold. You know, I'm not about playing it safe in general. And so Harvard gave me sort of the tools to like, feel a little bit more confident in myself to go try those things, if that makes sense.
[00:44:14] Lindsay: Wow.
[00:44:15] Angela: And sports
[00:44:15] Lindsay: And what had
[00:44:16] Angela: Both of them. But it's, but they were all very hard. Believe me, I was not, you know, I'm not a silver spoon kid. My parents never went to college. I get straight A's, which don't come easily to me. I had to work really hard. I start again. I'll tell you a quick story. I started Harvard undergrad with C's.
[00:44:34] Because my expectations were like, oh my God, I'm just happy to be here. Like, how did I even get in? And then I was like, wait a second, I can do better than this. Angela Ruggiero . Like, and I wrote 'em down. I'm big on writing things down, like writing your goals down. I was like.
[00:44:48] Lindsay: Like a journal or just like bullet points?
[00:44:50] Angela: No, like a little, yeah, like a little journal. And I'm like, you know, and I had it for hockey, but I'm like, I'm gonna start applying that same to academics. I'm gonna get B'S this year. And I like getting B'S and a couple A's. I'm like, oh my God, I'm self-defeating myself. So I'm like, I'm gonna get a's like my junior year.
[00:45:08] And I got A's in a couple of B's, and by my senior year, I was a straight A student. I got the top eight student athletes in the whole NCAA, top eight, like students. And I won the Patty Cs, which is the top, it's like the Hoby Baker or the Heisman. Like I was what? So I'm, and I look back to my freshman year, and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna get Cs.
[00:45:28] Like I. Limited myself because I didn't believe, and I, you know, and then when I, so that's my, again, a very real example outside of sports of like, why did I go for the gold in sports? But like, tell myself I'm not good enough in academics when I could be. I just, it was all in the mind. It has nothing to do with your capability.
[00:45:50] I think that's, but it's not me. I'm not unique. I don't think I'm special. I think that's just that we're all capable of so many amazing things. And, athletes show us what's possible because it's like on the scoreboard, and it's easy to see, and you're like, inspired, and you're like, oh, I can do that. That's my hope, at least that's what athletics is like; we leave those environments.
[00:46:09] We leave the Olympics, and we're like, I can do it.
[00:46:13] Lindsay: Yeah. Well, that's so interesting because it's like, right, maybe it's like we maybe all have that. We all have it, but sports are what show us. I do. I mean, to be fair, you are special. Like you are special. Like you, because what I mean is what you've, I understand what you're saying that you're not, but it's like, I don't know,
[00:46:33] Angela: But I don't think I am, Lindsay, I don't think I'm that special.
[00:46:36] I think I've just, at a young age, honestly, I think it's just at a young age because I had success in hockey, and I could see it. I'm like, oh, that's the formula. Like, I think we're all special. Yeah, I think we're all really gifted. I think we all self-limit ourselves sometimes, or we follow the wrong path.
[00:46:54] But if you can get on the right that's like my kids, I'm like, find something you love and work your tail off like, and learn from those mistakes and get up and keep going. Like, but align yourself and then outwork everyone. Like control of the things you can control, and you can do anything, literally anything you want.
[00:47:11] You took, you look where you are. You crushed the Olympics. You're so fun to work with. You're playing jazz. You're working with the producer and me, and you're putting it all together, and you're boom. And the timing and things like that didn't happen overnight. You had to practice that. You, that's like many reps on the net, so to speak.
[00:47:30] Lindsay: Oh, I like reps on that.
[00:47:32] Angela: True. You and your reps are in front of the camera. I mean, I saw it. I'm like, oh God, there's a million things, Lindsay. Here you have the ball. Just pull me in when you need me.
[00:47:40] Lindsay: Yeah, it is. It is there. Well, yes, that is a different thing about the Olympics because it's also like you're jumping into sports that are, that you're not necessarily covering all the time.
[00:47:52] Although hockey is one that you could cover all the time if you have that as your job. But, yeah. the, oh God, there's so many different places I want to go, but this, obviously we're gonna have to have you come back, but I do wanna talk to you about the state of women's hockey because part of, one of the, other things that I thought was so cool working with you in Beijing is like, between the Beijing games and the Milan Cortina games, the game of hockey, on the women's side has really come so far.
[00:48:22] But what do you think? This experience has made for the game, and what are you seeing, and what should people be thinking about? Like, yeah, this audience is awesome. Yeah, because I feel like they are sports savvy, but they're also very big picture savvy, so it's just that they get the threads that we're talking about.
[00:48:41] I wish they could be a live audience right now and chiming in with questions, you know?
[00:48:45] Angela: Yeah, no, I think I said it before the Olympics. I think I told you that I said this was gonna be the biggest Olympics for women's hockey outside of the 98.
[00:48:52] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:48:53] Angela: Team, the introduction of women's hockey is due to a few things.
[00:48:59] One, women's sports are on the rise, so I think more people are just paying attention to women's sports. Not as a novelty, but a genuine, like, I wanna watch some awesome athletes. And the world's giving everyone, men's men and women, girls and boys permission to like just tune in to awesome athletes, to, I think, women's hockey in general just continues to rise.
[00:49:21] You have the PWHL now. The Professional Women's Hockey League here, and there's been many pro leagues, but this is sort of the most professional one that's sort of come out. You have the NCAA that continues to churn out amazing athletes, and the athletes themselves are just elevating the game. We saw that, like, they're just, skill-wise, they just keep getting better and better.
[00:49:39] So you have this great product coupled with this movement around women's sports in general, and hockey is just continuing. It's not, you know, it's not soccer and basketball and volley, you know, it's sort of that middle tier, I would say. But I think these Olympics exposed what a fast, dynamic, intense aerobic, anaerobic, skill-based, team-based sport.
[00:50:03] Like, I think it's the best sport in the world. I don't think it's gotten the same coverage and visibility, but what, like most, you see it live, or you play, you're like, oh, of course I'm addicted to this game. It is such a fun sport. Yeah. It is everything I want as a fan or as a player. You know.
[00:50:23] Not to discredit other sports, but like, I think it's, I think it is like the hardest sport to master. I think there's, and it is so fast, and it is this like a skilled team, like wizards on ice trying to move the puck into this little goal, right? It's just like fun if it's, so I think if you get that kind of elevation both on the men's and the women's side, you cap that off with gold medals, which in America we know America likes a winner.
[00:50:52] I've come home with a silver, a couple of times, and it's just not the same reception as winning a gold. When you win that gold, and you get to see the, you know, the gloves going up and everyone's jumping on each other and the flag being raised, it's just a different emotion. So I think this is kind of coming out for women's hockey, for hockey in general.
[00:51:14] I think it was just a great, great moment for everyone, and I hope to see, you know, more kids sign up and more fans as a result.
[00:51:23] Lindsay: What's it like in hockey in terms of the balance between men's and women's and the experience there? You know, you talked about it playing on a boys team, but also just as you've come up, like what, you know, what can you share about that experience?
[00:51:41] And maybe there's a common thread there too, about what women experience across different industries.
[00:51:48] Angela: Yeah. I think that's why the aftermath of the locker room call had such an, you know, resonated with so many women. In hockey, it's a boys' sport. I mean, it's always been a boys' sport. Maybe it is in USA hockey, maybe 20% of registered athletes are girls or women.
[00:52:05] So, and when I played, there were 5,000 total.
[00:52:10] Lindsay: Wow.
[00:52:10] Angela: Like, no girls didn't play.
[00:52:11] Lindsay: Oh my.
[00:52:12] Angela: So again, you were the only girl. Every one of my teammates either changed their name on the roster or cut their hair, you know, they tucked their ponytail or
[00:52:21] Lindsay: Seriously.
[00:52:22] Angela: Oh, yeah. or got cut. I got cut from the teams that my brother made.
[00:52:27] I mean, we all experienced discrimination. Today's athlete thankfully doesn't have the same, but there's still an underlying, you grew up, okay, the girls have maybe the worst practice time, or they don't have access to the same marketing to elevate their college hockey. Or there's like, there's these subtle forms of discrimination still in the sport, unfortunately, that don't, it's not treated equally with the boys or the men.
[00:52:56] And, so, yeah, I think, you know, we grow up as female hockey players, kind of the little chip on your shoulder. Like we wanna just be treated equally. That's it. We're not asking for more, we're just asking for the same and not to have. Jokes thrown at us, or names called, or, you know, and my dream, honestly, Lindsay, is that we're covering the women's tournament 2030, the final day.
[00:53:23] Why can't women's hockey be in that prime time? Nothing else on the calendar. We would have exponentially more viewers because it'd be prime time. Like those are the subtle things. You're like, oh, why is women's hockey slated for a Thursday at one against figure skating? Which I also wanna watch. Like, why can't we just watch the women's game and put it on a pedestal on the final day?
[00:53:44] Like, the men always get, like, those are the little things that you, when you take a step back, you're like, oh yeah, there, there, is still this layer of discrimination in our sport, unfortunately. And the players, you kind of get used to it like life. But you're not, it's not to say you're not gonna keep pushing and trying to make it better for the next generation.
[00:54:02] Lindsay: Right, right. It's like you've come far, they're still really far away to go. I think it's important to pay attention to those subtleties and to, you know, to voice them so that it is,
[00:54:15] Angela: Yeah, so everyone,
[00:54:15] Lindsay: There's an awareness.
[00:54:17] Angela: We want the women on the final, put the women on the final in 2030.
[00:54:20] We want it right before the closing ceremony. Yep.
[00:54:24] Lindsay: Yes. Yes. Wait, so, and how do, like, you have two kids, you're married. How do you balance all of it? What do you do?
[00:54:33] Angela: I don't think there's ever balance is the right word.
[00:54:36] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:54:36] Angela: If you ebb and flow like this week, you know, I'm back now, I'm like, okay, everything for the kids, I'll make myself available.
[00:54:43] I'm dropping anything 'cause I was away for, you know, three weeks. So I think there's a whole, you know, it's like hockey, like you, you're making sacrifices here and there. I just honestly try to prioritize. Myself too. Like, like, am I rested? Do I have 'cause then, so then you can give more back to your family or your work or whatever the case may be.
[00:55:08] but I don't think there's ever a balance, I think, okay, well I just don't see my friends for the next month. Like you, you kind of pick and choose where, why and you're gonna prioritize and try to do your best in the process. But I'm big on like, if I'm exhausted 'cause I'm burning the candle in a million different ways, like you're just not good at all.
[00:55:30] So try to get some sleep.
[00:55:32] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:55:32] Angela: I try to prioritize my family whenever possible and say no more honestly. When I was an athlete, it was easy to say 'cause everyone's like, oh, you're training, of course you don't have to do anything. And then when you're like an adult, it's like, no, you're expected to be at everything.
[00:55:47] so like giving myself permission and not putting as much pressure on myself to say yes to everything that I. I get asked to do. It's been really hard, but I think I'm getting better at it. I don't know.
[00:55:59] Lindsay: What is your thought process? How do you, how do you decide like that that might end in a no?
[00:56:04] What do you, what have you adopted as your strategy?
[00:56:08] Angela: I think I just try to see how I feel. Does it feel good and exciting, or is it hard? But I'm in, it's hard because I, it's not the right thing, or it's hard. Like, there's a difference between pain. Here's my example. Pain and discomfort.
[00:56:25] Pain, you don't. Pain is like you're gonna break your leg, or it's like that, a dissident that you feel when you're doing something you shouldn't be doing. Discomfort is like, Ugh. I really don't wanna say yes to this thing, but it'd be really good for me and like, good exposure and help,p and I'm, but it's a lot of work and, oh God, I'm intimidated, or I gotta, you know.
[00:56:46] That's okay. You say yes to those things 'cause it's gonna make you better in some way. So, yeah, I don't know if that makes a lot of sense, but I'm
[00:56:53] Lindsay: Yeah,
[00:56:53] Angela: But like, things that are, you don't have to do, I don't know, that are more socially bad like again, with family, I just can't do a lot of that fun stuff.
[00:57:05] I try, that's why I try to find more fun in my job and the people that I'm around, 'cause my twenties are very different. I dunno. What do you do? Yes. What, how do, what's your barter?
[00:57:19] Lindsay: Yeah. Well, I'm not good at that, but that's why I ask. I was hoping I could take some from your athlete's face.
[00:57:26] So, Harvard advice
[00:57:26] Angela: When I was an athlete, literally it was, I could say no to everything. People were okay with that because they're like, oh, you're training, so we're not gonna pressure, we're not gonna peer pressure you to do all this stuff. And we understand you're busy and like there's this guardrail, right?
[00:57:42] And then professionally, it's, you're just expected to be on for everyone all the time. And I'm like, so I honestly, I just, I give myself permission to say no and be okay with that. No,w in a way that 10 years ago, I'd probably say yes and be exhausted and burn out, honestly.
[00:57:59] Lindsay: Yeah. No, I think that's great.
[00:58:00] And my husband's actually really good at that too, he's mastered that, and I think because a lot of it is like the nature of his job and the demand of how wacky his hours are, it makes it pretty easy for him to see. I think it kind of comes back to, for me, a little bit of what we talked about as like expectations in the same type of thing, or like following what you know is like the thing that you wanna do.
[00:58:22] Yeah. It's like, oh, feeling bad.
[00:58:25] Angela: But maybe what if you permitted yourself to say no, because you're like, I'm gonna have more in the tank for tomorrow 'cause I have this really big show, and you can like
[00:58:33] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:58:33] Angela: Trick yourself into letting yourself off the hook.
[00:58:35] Lindsay: I think that's a really good idea.
[00:58:38] I'm gonna apply that and let you know how that goes.
[00:58:41] Angela: I'm gonna say no in a bubble bath and be ready for tomorrow.
[00:58:44] Lindsay: Right. I'm gonna just, yes. I'm gonna focus on some of my time. I went this whole time without asking you, what is something that no one tells you that you have experienced from the journey that you think would be helpful for people to know?
[00:59:00] Angela: What have I experienced from my journey, to have fun? Does that make sense?
[00:59:10] Lindsay: So the thing no one tells you is the importance of having fun.
[00:59:14] Angela: Yeah. I've had to learn. I didn't, I had fun playing hockey when I, when it became a job. I wasn't good at it. I was half-assing it at work when I wasn't having fun.
[00:59:25] It was the same thing. It was dreadful. Like when I'm with my kids, and they're being a pain in the butt. I remind myself, like when I'm having to go into it with more joy, and like, I don't know, like I, I have to remind myself, and I wish someone reminded me earlier, like, remember when you have fun, you're, you thrive, Ang.
[00:59:44] And not that I don't have, I guess my, I don't know if I'm explaining myself. Yeah. It's the thread that I'm like, oh, when I'm enjoying myself, and I'm having fun when I'm remembering this is supposed to be fun. I'm following the right path. I'm in the moment with my kids or with my family, or I'm in the, like that's what life is supposed to be.
[01:00:04] Like. Don't, you don't have to follow the hard, you know, even though it's hard, it's fun, if that makes sense. So
[01:00:11] Lindsay: We, I think, everyone will deal with hard times for certain, we know that
[01:00:15] Angela: For sure,
[01:00:16] Lindsay: But it's making sure that we understand that it actually is supposed to feel easy sometimes.
[01:00:22] Angela: Feel easy. Maybe that's not fun.
[01:00:24] Lindsay: Right?
[01:00:24] Angela: Easy. Yeah.
[01:00:25] Lindsay: But you're right. But fun. I think that can feel like fun. Like when I think back to this Olympic experience we're talking about, whenever someone asks me, I'm like, the feeling that comes to mind is just fun, and it also feels easy, and it's not easy, but it was like this feeling of.
[01:00:46] Everyone's working together. You've got the people in position. Yeah. You're, you know, that the thing can get done. There are hard parts along the way, but you work together as a group and figure it all out. Like, but it feels just fun. Like, I don't know. It's hard to describe. You're right.
[01:01:00] Angela: It's like being aligned and present.
[01:01:03] You're present, and you're letting the moment come in, like you're feeling the moment and you're then responding to the moment. And so it's like this light, like, it's not like the pressure of live TV and like the urgency of the thing. You're just like, you're like, oh yeah, this is fun. Like, let's go, let's do it.
[01:01:21] And it's like a present. Yeah. I don't know if that makes
[01:01:26] Lindsay: Yeah. And I think that presentness allows for connection. Yep. And that is something too that I think about a lot. It's like that personal connection, human connection that comes up. Yeah. TThat'slike. Right. For me, it feels like when we, when you and I are talking about a moment in hockey and you, and it feels like, oh, that was fun and easy when you're making this point, and you're like, yes, that makes so much sense because it's also relatable.
[01:01:55] Yeah. And now I feel like I'm just talking deep thoughts with Lindsay, but like
[01:01:58] Angela: Yeah. But
[01:01:58] Lindsay: Yeah, there's some, there's a bigger one there.
[01:02:00] Angela: Yeah. But you had to receive, you also had to receive that, like you had to be listening and open and present. Yeah. Which again, I've been in the same conversation with someone, and they're like stressed about what they're gonna say next, or they're not really there with you.
[01:02:14] So I think we did, I loved working with you because it was like, oh yeah, you're right. And like, ou, you genuinely were, like, present, listening, excited, hearing, and then you would ask a question, and you'd draw something else outta me, and I'm like, oh yeah. And then this other time, and then like, we should bring that up.
[01:02:32] So. Whwas was using the expression jazz. It's like, you gotta play jazz,
[01:02:36] Lindsay: Right, I noticed that. I was like, there wasn't jazz music playing. But do you think everybody?
[01:02:40] Angela: That's my expression to say, like, jazz music is like, I love jazz. I don't love jazz, but I like the idea of jazz. Like, that's hockey. You're reading, reacting, you're responding in the moment.
[01:02:53] But to do that really well, which is a hockey player or a jazz musician, or you with your kids, right? It's, you've gotta be present, you gotta be listening, you gotta be open. It's gotta go both ways. And then you're kind of, like I say, playing jazz. You're like, you're moving the puck really well.
[01:03:09] And when Megan Keller sprints, she wisely knows where she is without calling for it all the way, you know, all the way down the ice. She knows to send that puck, and you're like, you're there. That is the flow of life. Like, if you can get into the flow of life, and that's what I forget sometimes, I get, so I gotta get this next thing, and I gotta do this thing, and I'm in my head versus like present.
[01:03:33] That's what I'm looking for, like right.
[01:03:36] Lindsay: Wow. The thing no one tells you is that part of the secret of enjoying life is being present and her and having fun. And that should feel easy and might,
[01:03:48] Angela: And that's what we talked about, those players. They're having fun, they're light, they're like there, and they're, and we could see in that final, they were like choking their sticks a little.
[01:03:55] Right. And they were a little nervous and probably weren't like, settled into their bodies with each other. And the second they did, they played jazz together, and they scored that goal, and they won the Olympics. Right. They were there
[01:04:06] Lindsay: And you kept saying that they had to manufacture. There, that underdog mentality a little bit.
[01:04:14] Or not manufacture, maybe that's the wrong word, but like you've gotta, if you're not the underdog and if you're so favored, you have to create that underdog feeling, which I think is so interesting as a concept in general too. flow. So it's so interesting that you say that because I have heard a few different sports stars, athletes, whatever, use the word in my flow.
[01:04:37] I've heard it in racing, but I remember Russell Wilson talked about it a lot when he was in his heyday with the Seahawks, and I was like, what is flow? But you're exactly right. That's what it is when you're in flow and hockey. I loved the descriptions of it, this time during the Olympics, of how I hadn't, I didn't realize that.
[01:04:55] 'cause I've never played like just how much of a . Orchestra or jazz or flow. It really is. But you're right. That's super relatable and awesome.
[01:05:04] Angela: Yeah, because I think for me, my best hockey was. I was aware of what's going on and all the noise and the pressure and all the things, but I was on the ice with my teammates.
[01:05:15] Where's the puck? Where are we? How are we gonna, how are we gonna, how are we gonna do this right now? And then you can, you could respond on a dime, or a split second. Like you're reading and reacting in the moment. , cause you're actually present, and you're in that, and you, and doing it with a team.
[01:05:32] That's the biggest thing. You could be in flow, but your teammates are not, and they're like in their heads, stressed out about scoring with two minutes to go. Right. That doesn't work in a team's situation. You need everyone to kind of be like playing jazz and flow with you. That's life, too. Like we were in flow together.
[01:05:50] We were like, let's go.
[01:05:52] Lindsay: Yes. Oh my gosh. All right. Well, I think we've solved a lot of issues.
[01:05:57] Angela: So, fun, solve world peace.
[01:06:01] Lindsay: You're the best. I can't wait to do this again. But thank you so much for taking all the time, and I'm so glad you had fun over in Italy.
[01:06:10] Angela: The whole thing was fun. Who doesn't love the Olympics?
[01:06:13] Lindsay: Yeah, right. Oh, so good. So good. Where can we see you next?
[01:06:18] Angela: Well, I'll be covering the women's NCAAs this year for ESPN. So tune in this weekend. We'll do the selection show, and then the finals will be later this month. So yeah, the semis and finals, and then otherwise I'll, I'm around. I'm, I'll.
[01:06:36] Hopefully, we'll see each other in four years. Doing it again.
[01:06:41] Lindsay: Yes. Alright. I hope to see you in four years, my friend. But no, thank you so much for coming on, you're the best. I feel like we covered so much ground that I did not expect to cover in that conversation, but I just, Angela is obviously extremely smart.
[01:06:58] She's such a great athlete, but I just love the way that she thinks about things and her thought process. So I, too, just wanna shed light on the fact that watching that gold medal game was so intense, watching it with her because she was so excited, and I knew that she had so much emotion, you know, obviously invested in this, that it just brought a whole new level to it.
[01:07:20] But it was such an incredible experience because of how close it was. And coming down to that final moment, it was just my elation and the way she described it. Was back to when she won gold. Just saying that it's just a moment when that happens, and you win the gold, where this floodgate of emotions opens, and you just can't control it.
[01:07:41] And it really is just a moment of emoting everything and everyone that has helped you get to that point in general. So I just thought that was so cool. I do just wanna shout out Angela Ruggiero, because the work that she does, as an advocate for women's hockey, is really immeasurable, and her involvement too in getting the PWHL, the Professional Women's Hockey League.
[01:08:05] Where it is now. They would not be there if it weren't for some of her support and her leadership. So that is super cool. I hope that you will watch Angela Ruggiero as she's, you know, coming up in different hockey coverage, and we will put in our show notes all the things where to find her, and all the other things.
[01:08:24] So as always, thank you so much for watching, for listening, and we hope that you will like and subscribe and rate and review, and maybe the best way to support is send an episode to a friend. So, thanks so much for checking out this week's episode of Things No One Tells You, and we will see you next week.
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