Ep 54: First Female Grinder in SailGP: Anna Weis on Breaking Barriers

Trusting the process, navigating imposter syndrome, and earning your place in high-performance sport. Olympian and professional sailor Anna Weis shares what it really takes to belong at the highest level.

 

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Episode Summary

Anna Weis is the first woman to serve full-time as a grinder and jib trimmer in SailGP, racing 50-foot foiling catamarans at over 100 kilometers per hour. She went from summer camp sailing in Fort Lauderdale to the Tokyo Olympics, then broke into professional sailing in a role many doubted a woman could physically handle. We explore the work ethic instilled by her high school coach, the imposter syndrome of being first, and why the two weeks after achieving her Olympic dream were the most depressing of her life. This is about trusting the process when you can't see results, finding identity outside of sport, and understanding that culture doesn't change ahead of trailblazers making it normal.

 

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Guest Bio

Anna Weis is a grinder and jib trimmer for the United States SailGP Team, and the first woman to serve in this physically demanding role full-time in SailGP history. A former Olympian in the Nacra 17 class, Anna won gold at the Pan American Games in Lima and went on to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In addition to her sailing career, Anna rowed at Boston University, showcasing her strength and endurance across disciplines. Her path to the pinnacle of performance sailing is defined by resilience, power, and a commitment to breaking barriers. Off the water, she's passionate about keeping young women in sport and expanding access to high-performance sailing. Her pioneering role on the U.S. SailGP Team reflects her dedication to building a more inclusive future for the sport.

 

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Links

• Follow Anna on Instagram: @weisanna

• Follow SailGP USA Team: @sailgpusa on Instagram

• Learn more about SailGP: ussailgpteam.com or SailGP.com

 

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Three Actionable Takeaways

1. Trust the process and find joy in the journey rather than fixating on shiny objects. Results don't happen overnight, and the feeling of winning lasts maybe a day before you move on with your life, so learn to find those little wins in showing up every single day that make you want to continue getting better.
   
   

2. Learn who you are outside of your sport or career so you always have something to come back to. When Anna poured everything into sailing and achieved her Olympic dream, the two weeks after were the most depressing of her life because she had isolated herself and didn't know who she was beyond the achievement, teaching her that balance and identity outside performance are essential.
   
   

3. Never let anybody tell you that you can't do something, especially in the age of social media where people will comment anything. What matters is what you think about yourself and what the people closest to you think, because if Anna had listened to everyone who said she'd never be an Olympian or professional sailor, she would have quit a long time ago.
   
   

 

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Key Insights from the Conversation

• Anna's high school coach taught her to trust the process, which she didn't understand until she kept showing up without seeing results, then suddenly started performing

• Her coach told her "there's no way" she'd make the Olympics, and many people never expected her to become a professional sailor

• The grinding role requires running across the boat in weighted gear during 8 to 12 minute sprint races with repeated heart rate spikes

• SailGP boats are 50-foot foiling catamarans that travel over 100 kilometers per hour with airplane-like wings above and below water

• Women only started sailing in SailGP in season three, all initially in the strategist position before Anna pioneered the grinding role

• Being the first woman means constantly questioning if you deserve to be there or if you're just checking a box, creating deep imposter syndrome

• Anna admits she "sucked" when starting, making external pressure to perform as the first woman even more challenging

• The two weeks after competing at the Olympics were the most depressing of her life because she realized she was still just Anna

• The rule of thirds keeps her going: one third of days are terrible, one third mediocre, one third great

• Her imposter syndrome fuels her work ethic because never feeling good enough means she keeps working to get there

• Anna found happiness and better performance once she learned who she was outside sailing and created life balance

• Little girls can now see her blonde braid in photos and clearly identify a woman in a different role, providing representation she didn't have

• The biggest reason Anna is where she is today is simply because she didn't stop and kept showing up every single day

• SailGP represents culture change in the oldest trophy in sporting history, and while change isn't as fast as desired, it is happening