Gracie & Miss Val on Being Coach of the Century, Building a Championship Mindset, & Leaving Her Sport Behind

In this episode of *Athletes After Hours*, I sit down with legendary former UCLA Gymnastics head coach, Pac-12 Coach of the Century, and keynote speaker Valorie Kondos Field, better known to so many of us as Miss Val. This conversation is especially meaningful to me because Miss Val wasn’t just one of the most influential coaches in college gymnastics, she was **my coach at UCLA**. She played such a significant role in my experience as a student-athlete and helped shape me into the person I am today. So getting to sit across from her years later, outside of the gym and in a completely different chapter of both of our lives, made this conversation incredibly special. Over the course of her 34-year career at UCLA, Miss Val helped build one of the most successful and recognizable programs in college gymnastics, but her impact has always extended far beyond wins, championships, and trophies. We talk about what it was like leading generations of young women, how her approach to coaching and leadership evolved throughout her career, and the lessons she learned from more than three decades at the helm of UCLA Gymnastics. Miss Val also opens up about one of the most difficult chapters of her life: being diagnosed with breast cancer while still coaching her team. She shares how that experience changed her perspective on life, success, and the way she showed up for the people around her. We also dive into her decision to walk away from coaching while she was still at the peak of her career and why knowing when to leave can sometimes be just as powerful as knowing when to keep going. After spending 34 years with such a clear role and purpose, we talk about what it looked like to build a new identity outside of coaching, step into her next chapter as a keynote speaker and leader, and discover purpose beyond the thing she had dedicated so much of her life to. This conversation is about so much more than gymnastics. It’s about leadership, resilience, identity, navigating change, and learning that sometimes your greatest chapter can begin when you’re willing to close another one. CONTACT ME FOR BUSINESS INQUIRIES 💌: graciekramerteam@unitedtalent.com - WATCH MORE OF AAH: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAqmszrKB9tGT2cLtCruLHGYJGHxFdA1M - LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/1tMu2BlIgGVUYLLkES4VDo?si=23a99e4d67934ea9 - LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/athletes-after-hours-with-gracie-kramer/id1882423066 FOLLOW ME ON SOCIALS — - INSTAGRAM: @gracie.kramer (https://www.instagram.com/gracie.kramer?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm\_source=qr) - TIKTOK: @graciekramer8 (https://www.tiktok.com/@graciekramer8?\r=1&\t=ZT-94nOAG8Efr3) - YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@graciekramer14?si=F28A5yWoqUu0DRPv - FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011384569631