From Alaska to the World Stage

Published September 27, 2024

“You must go in with an open mind, have no ego, and accept that you're going to be a total beginner again.”

Kristen Faulkner, a two-time gold medalist in the women’s individual road and women’s track cycling team pursuit at the Olympics in Paris, recently reflected on her remarkable journey with us. Growing up in Alaska to cycling professionally, Kristen’s life experiences have underscored the importance of teamwork, problem-solving skills, and personal resilience. As a Harvard student who later pursued a career in venture capital before switching gears for cycling, her story offers inspiration for anyone considering a new career, taking on a challenging project, or navigating uncertainty. Kristen exemplifies the importance of embracing one’s journey with an open mind, focus, a willingness to learn, and trust in your own abilities.

Image

Alaskan roots

For Kristen, growing up in Alaska meant breaking free from gender norms. “In Alaska, gender norms aren’t as much of a thing. Women chop firewood, camp, and fish.” She credits her upbringing with empowering her to pursue male-dominated fields like venture capital and cycling. “I never felt like I had to follow a certain career path or that I couldn’t be a strong athlete because of my gender.” 

Image

She also learned to face discomfort early on, whether it was navigating the outdoors or performing up on stage. “Being put in uncomfortable situations from a young age–whether running out of food or facing a bear in the wilderness, or doing a piano performance–taught me to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.” 

Image

Navigating challenges

As an undergraduate student at Harvard, Kristen found herself struggling in a computer science class. “I had this really hard computer science P set, and I didn’t even know where to start,” she recalled. A friend’s encouragement helped her realize that the problem-solving skills she developed in Alaska and really honed at Harvard were crucial. “I didn’t have all the answers, but if I kept working at it from different angles, I should have the confidence in my own intelligence and discipline to figure it out.”

Image

In Harvard Online’s Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Health course, Harvard Medical School faculty Dr. Luana Marques emphasizes that we all face daily challenges, often feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin. In her course, Dr. Marques uses a science-based approach for getting unstuck and building cognitive flexibility that allows you to tackle problems calmly and systematically–helping you uncover solutions you might not have considered before. 

In her cycling career, when faced with unknowns—such as landing contracts or building strength for races—Kristen relies on her confidence to navigate these challenges. “You won’t always have the answers, but you can build the muscle memory to figure it out.” 

Image

Advice for a career change and personal growth

Kristen believes, “It’s never too late to start something new,” emphasizing the importance of being humble and open to learning. “You must go in with an open mind, no ego, and accept that you’re going to be a total beginner again.” She encourages individuals to seek feedback and mentorship, focusing on their own paths rather than comparing themselves to others. 

This aligns with Professor Eric Rosenbach’s insights on emotional intelligence in his Harvard Online course Strategy Execution for Public Leadership, which highlights the importance of adopting a growth mindset, keeping an open mind, and building self-confidence. What is the area that you would most like to improve for personal growth? 

Becoming a beginner again

Kristen acknowledges that starting over can be tough, especially as peers advance in their careers. “I was the furthest behind compared to my peers,” she says. She encourages others to focus on their own path, be open to learning, but don’t focus on where you are now. “Focus on your trajectory and make it as fast as possible. Give yourself a five year plan and don't compare yourself to anyone.” Kristen embraces this spirit of running your own race–or pedaling at your own pace.  

Using your intrinsic motivation to your advantage

Kristen believes that passion is key and thinks of it like an extra engine. “If you’re passionate about something, you’re going to have more intrinsic motivation,” she explains. When pursuing her love for cycling, she found that hard work often felt less daunting. “The hard work isn’t as hard when you love what you’re doing,” she says. “It's like a superpower that perhaps not everyone in that field has. And you can really use that to your advantage.”

Image

The benefits of teamwork

Kristen emphasizes that both cycling and venture capital are fundamentally about the team, though they may not always be perceived as such. 

In cycling, particularly in road racing, “before every race, you pick a team leader, and everyone races for that leader. So if you have a team of seven, then that morning you pick who's going to be the leader that day. And everyone else basically sacrifices themselves for the leader. They go in the wind, give you draft, and lead outs, they attack as a distraction, and they'll do lots of different things to make sure that your team leader wins that day. So the support riders are like an unspoken hero.” 

Similarly, in venture capital, successful investments often come from the collective effort of the team. “There’s an element where you might get recognition for being the first investor in a successful deal, but you have a whole group of people around you asking, ‘Did you think of this? Did you think of that? Here are my concerns.’” 

Both cycling and venture capital require a strong team dynamic where trust and long-term relationships are vital. As Professors Amy Edmondson and Michaela Kerrissey describe in their Harvard Online course, Innovations in Teamwork in Healthcare, “team members rely on each other,” underscoring that interdependence is essential for success. 

Kristen embodies that commitment in putting oneself forward for your teammates. 

Image

Never sell yourself short

Kristen's biggest takeaway from her first Olympics is to “never sell yourself short.” She entered the Olympics hoping for a medal of any color but soon found herself wanting more. “You’re never going to achieve your goals if you don’t aim high,” she advises. She encourages others to trust themselves, listen to feedback, and aim higher than what people think you’re capable of. “At the end of the day, no one’s going to know you as well as you do,” she says. 

Image