Jade Taylor, Olympian, Dual CG Gold, WC Silver, ex-Hockeyroo #21, Co-Owner of Denada Co, delivered a frank and insightful talk on her life as a top hockey player, retirement from the sport and her new interest in promoting healthy eating habits for everyone.
Jade’s talk would have interested anyone. Built with a body made for playing hockey and the vital ingredient of determination, Jade soon had the audience captivated. Points of interest for me were:
Jade was not a child hockey prodigy. She did not pick up a hockey stick until age 13 at high school.
The intense competition between team members for selection for top events and glory, meant that although a good team spirit existed in contests she does not class any of her once fellow athletes amongst her close friends
After retiring in 2015 and scoring the last goal in her last match, she went through the same soul-searching period that top athletes all go through in adjusting to a “normal life.” One felt though she handled this far better than most top athletes did.
Watching a game of hockey now is no longer fulfilling.
Her passion now is educating, influencing people to eat better foods and embrace the low carb-low dairy-low sugar diet. In addition, running a business that promotes these ideals.
Overall, a well-grounded person who reached the pinnacle in her chosen sport but has since moved on.
The number of questions that followed showed members and partners really appreciated Jade’s presentation.