Alysa Liu on Burnout
- Rosanna Ho
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
“As a kid, you know, you don’t really know what you want. Skating feels more like a responsibility. Or a burden, even.”
-Alysa Liu
Alysa Liu is an American figure skater and 2-time Olympic gold medalist. She made history when she became the youngest national champion at just 13 years old.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, she spoke about her background:
Alysa Liu: “As a kid, you know, you don’t really know what you want. Skating feels more like a responsibility. Or a burden, even.”
Alysa’s father treated Alysa’s skating as his second full-time business, pouring a lot of time, energy, and lots of money.
“It was basically his business. It wasn't really even mine.”
-Alysa Liu
Alysa Liu: “I was like, ‘Wow. This is what a break feels like’...And then I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m calling it quits now.’”
She announced her retirement on Instagram for all the world to see for the first time — including her coaches and her father.
Alysa’s story indicates how when something feels like a heavy burden, then burnout may follow, regardless of how successful you may be.
This is because we are Humans, not machines.
We are meant to live life Holistically.
Issues organically arise when we go against our nature.
For Alysa, she rarely saw her friends or family. Everyday for her was just skating. Most people are not made to live life this way. We need variety to live healthy lives, just like how we need variety to have a healthy diet.
When she finally got to have a break, Alysa naturally knew how she wanted to fill her life to feel healthy, whole, and fulfilled again.
After a 2-year break, a friend suddenly inspired Alysa to return to competitive figure skating. Now as a young adult, she was ready to take that leap and decide the life she wanted to live, but on her own terms.
“”
“Hey, I think I want to go back to skating...[But] I get to pick my own program music. I get to help with the creative process of the program. If I feel like I'm skating too much, I'll back down. If I feel like I'm not skating enough, I'll ramp it up. No one's going to starve me. Tell me what I can and can't eat.”
-Alysa Liu
Within all of us is this innate tendency towards growth. You can see it in plants, animals, and of course, other human beings, as well.
So long as we are provided the right nourishment, tools, and environment, we can all flourish.
Alysa's story is one of sustainable growth. This includes a balance between: working and resting; leading and being led; practicing resilience and going with the flow.
From my client work with many top performers, I’ve also observed a key element that sustains growth:
Having Fun.
If you push yourself to the point where there’s no joy left, then victory can feel hollow and leave you asking: “That’s it? What was the point of this?”
However, if you balance fun with resilience, then success and a life you love will naturally follow.
In the end, Alysa did win gold at the 2026 Olympics.
Remember:
It is possible to be
Peaceful + Productive.
When you are ready to live a life fueled by fun — not fear — then contact us for a free consultation.
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