High performance isn’t loud. It isn’t always explosive or dramatic. More often, it’s quiet — a decision made in the middle of discomfort to stay present instead of checking out.
For Sophie Segreti, Survivor became a crash course in that discipline. Removed from routine, stripped of distraction, and pushed to physical limits, she wasn’t just competing against other players — she was negotiating with her own thoughts.
What happens when you can’t scroll your way out of stress?
When confidence matters as much as conditioning?
When slowing down is the most strategic move you can make?
We spoke with Sophie about mental endurance, self-trust, and why women may be far more prepared for pressure than we’ve been led to believe.
Survivor strips away routine, comfort, and control. What did you learn about yourself when there was nothing left to lean on?
Before Survivor, I loved a distraction whenever I was facing a challenge – something to minimize the discomfort that comes from hardship. But when I was starving on Survivor and I found myself in a familiar place of discomfort, I couldn’t escape! There was no TikTok to distract me, no music to listen to, no gym class to go to. I had to sit in it! Being present with the discomfort was excruciating at first, but slowly I learned what I could handle. The next time I found myself without food between reward challenges I knew I could handle the stomach rumbles. Now back in New York, where let me tell you there are distractions and procrastination outlets out the wazoo, I’m letting myself sit in my discomfort rather than distract myself. It helps me stay focused on my goals or the challenge at hand. And sometimes you realize that the discomfort you so dreaded was not all that bad!
When performance really matters, what’s one thing women tend to overlook that actually has an outsized impact?
I often think of Michael Jordan’s famous quote “Practice like you've never won, play like you've never lost.” I have found women always practice like they’ve never won – we don’t shy away from hard work or daunting goals. But I think women tend to overlook the power of confidence and swagger. There was a 2014 Harvard Business Review article by Tara Sophia Mohr that found men apply to jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications and women apply to jobs when they meet 100% of the qualifications. I hope those statistics have changed but practically I see this all the time. A company I used to work for had a rec softball team. Every single woman who played on the softball team (except me) played collegiate softball. Some of the men had never played softball or baseball before. I know there were athletic women who would have been excellent additions to our team – yet they didn’t think they were good enough. And this was just for fun! So let’s get a little confident – we can back it up– and play like we’ve never lost!
