Kaya Turski

Rebecca and Kaya explore:

• How rollerblading and skateparks became Kaya’s foundation for freestyle and why she taught herself to ski at 17 by taking the greyhound to Whistler every day

• The misconception that elite freestyle athletes are fearless and why fear is part of staying alive on hundred-foot kickers

• The difference between chosen pain (growth) and unchosen pain (life, injury, heartbreak) and why the second one is where the real work begins

• The crash that sliced Kaya’s pancreas in half, the ICU in San Francisco, and being told to leave skiing behind before her career even began

• How chronic headaches, cumulative impacts, and undiagnosed concussions became an invisible war that forced retirement a year before 2018

• The moment at Worlds in Spain when Kaya finally said, “I surrender, this is enough,” and made the call to stop

• Why identity can get dangerously fused to performance and what it takes to become more than one thing

• The question Dr. Mike Gervais asked that cracked Kaya open: "Why are you here on this earth?"

• The real meaning of "fly always:" create space, take the leap, inspire—and why creating space starts with honesty

• What "flying" looks like now: self-care, hard conversations, sitting with pain instead of escaping it, and “standing in the center of the fire” with herself

• How mindfulness micro-breaks and Rebecca’s brain breaks help regulate the nervous system and bring us back steadier, brighter, more present

• The six-year healing chapter: moving back to Montreal, low capacity, and rebuilding from a dark period one phone call at a time

Transformative Insights

• Pain has layers. There’s pain that expands us (chosen) and pain that humbles us (unchosen), and the second one asks for a different kind of strength.

• Identity isn’t a job title. Kaya reframes who she is as what she loves, what she values, and what lights her up, not just what she did in sport.

• “Fly always” is a life philosophy, not a sports slogan. For Kaya, it begins with creating space (and safety) for the whole human to show up.

• Values work is the bridge. The journey from "be the best" to "be true" runs straight through first principles and personal philosophy.

• Presence is built in tiny moments. Five-minute resets and micro slices of discipline change the nervous system and the way we move through the day.

Vulnerable Moments

• Kaya relives the crash that caused pancreatic surgery at 18 and the whiplash of being told her career might be over before it started.

• She names the invisible suffering of chronic pain: hurting internally while the outside world encourages her to push one more year.

• The Worlds-in-Spain moment: “I’m done, pull me out,” and the catharsis of finally leaning in

• The dark stretch after retirement: UCLA dreams, surrendering independence, moving home, and not working for six years because survival took everything

• Kaya opens up about escaping pain for a long time and then learning to sit with it, listen, and stay with herself through it.

Practical Wisdom

• Try a five-minute reset two or three times a day: breathe, notice what you’re feeling, and return with a steadier pace.

• Take brain breaks: step off screens, go outside, lie down, pet the dog, then come back more regulated.

• If you don’t know what to do next, reach out anyway. Kaya describes the power of dropping the guard and calling someone who knows her.

• Practice creating space through honesty, telling the truth about what we’re carrying even when it’s messy.

• When you see someone hurting: say something simple: "I see you." It matters more than you think.

Personal Growth

• Kaya moves from "queen of slope style" armor to a more integrated identity: artist, nature-lover, community-builder, coach.

• She redefines high performance as self-care on hard days, honesty in relationships, and staying present when the body flares.

• Her career comes full circle from athlete with Dr. Mike to mindset coach at "Finding Mastery," turning lived experience into service.