Andrea Fuentes

Fuentes said the most important quality for an elite athlete is the combination of humility and ambition.

“the combination of humility and ambition maximum of both because this makes you want to learn more”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:27:25

Fuentes said that because her own coach discouraged questions, she resolved always to explain the reasons behind training as a coach.

“when I will be a coach, I will always explain why”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:20:42

Fuentes said the key to her coaching success is love for her athletes.

“I think the key is love, and I'm not afraid to say it”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:14:59

Fuentes concluded that the team's results came from focusing on daily growth, with the outcome not being the goal.

“And the outcome was the results, but it was not the goal”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 57:38

Fuentes said that after her athletes rejected the Olympic goal, they adopted the motto 'grow together' and she removed the Olympic flags from the pool.

“grow together that was the phrase and so i removed all the olympic flags from the pool which was the motivation”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 55:30

Fuentes argued that team trust depends on transparency that must begin with the leader.

“it starts from the leader um because if you ask for transparency but you don't give it it's never gonna happen”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 20:38

Fuentes recommended replacing courage with curiosity, saying it makes decisions easier because one stops fearing the outcome.

“courage for curiosity so many times that would make so much easier every decision. Like I'm not afraid of the outcome”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:22:06

Fuentes argued that Alex Honnold's lack of fear of falling is not courage, whereas his public speaking despite fear is.

“he's not afraid of falling as much as other humans. So for me, this is not so much courage”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:22:15

Fuentes said the international federation barred Alvarez from swimming again at the event even though doctors said she was fine.

“But the problem was after because the International Federation didn't allow her to swim again, which she was fine”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:03:41

Fuentes said the lifeguard failed to react to Anita Alvarez sinking because he assumed a world championship swimmer could not be drowning.

“But in his head, you know, like a world championship would never have a swimmer who doesn't know how to swim, you know?”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 59:47

Fuentes said she was surprised that American athletes prioritized college over the national team, unlike in Spain.

“In the US, it's so important. In Spain, you go to college, but you have your life apart”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 53:00

Fuentes recounted that the US team she took over in 2019 won its first world medals in 2023 and an Olympic medal in 2024.

“And then, you know, like step by step, that was 2019. In 2023, we got our first world medals. And 2024, Olympic medal”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 51:49

Fuentes said never winning Olympic gold as a swimmer keeps her hungry to win gold as a coach.

“If I had gold, I think it would not be the same. You know, like I'm still hungry”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 37:17

Fuentes said that at 13 she discovered that pain is unavoidable but suffering is optional, a lesson she now teaches her athletes.

“And I discovered that pain is compulsory. You don't escape from pain, but suffering, it's optional”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 13:46

Fuentes described sports retirement at 30 as the hardest part of an athlete's career, like being born again.

“And this is the most difficult thing about sports retirement because you are 30 and it's like you're born again and like you're five”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 46:13

Fuentes argued that leaving something for a place where one will grow more is evolution rather than giving up.

“for me when you when you think there's another place where you're gonna grow more that's not giving up”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 29:51

Fuentes said her sister's death taught her that a meaningful life depends on how time is lived rather than its length.

“sometimes it's not a matter of time, but how you live your time”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:09:17

Fuentes said monitored testing showed Alvarez's fainting was not a heart problem but was related to iron.

“So we found out that the problem was not in the heart. It was another one with, how do you say it, iron”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 1:06:34

Fuentes said artistic sports have historically involved considerable emotional abuse, which younger generations no longer accept.

“in artistic sports, usually it's, too hard emotionally. Like there's a lot of emotional abuse, no?”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 36:14

Fuentes said Spanish athletes are motivated by bravery and values rather than national flags, unlike American athletes.

“And you don't motivate a Spanish swimmer with a flag. You motivate it with, you know, bravery or values, but the flag is not so powerful”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 24:03

Fuentes argued that major decisions should wait until emotions subside, because emotion and logic come from different parts of the brain.

“You need to wait, emotions come and then decide because it's not the same part of the brain”

Tomorrow, Today: Andrea Fuentes: Olympic Medals, Failure, Leadership & Finding Purpose | Shekhar Natarajan (Oct 17, 2026) · Listen from 27:57