As leaders, we often talk about resilience, discipline, vision, and the sacrifices we make to reach our goals. But rarely do we have the opportunity to sit down with someone who has lived those principles under extreme pressure — literally on ice, in front of the world, with every fall, fracture, and comeback on full display.
That’s why the conversation with Olympic figure skater Doug Ladret was so profound. Doug’s story is more than athletic achievement; it’s a blueprint for executive leadership, high performance, and the courage to disrupt what others think is possible.
For more than three decades, Doug — and his skating partner, Christine “Tuffy” Huff, competed at the highest levels: 5 World Championships, 2 Olympic Games, 5 international titles, and the 1988 Canadian pairs championship. But what stands out most are the pivotal moments behind the medals.
Success Comes Long Before the Podium
Doug didn’t grow up in a world where Olympic dreams made sense. His family were commercial fishermen and loggers on the coast of British Columbia. No one around him talked about skating or global competition. Then, at age 10, watching the Olympic torch being lit at the Sapporo Games, he told his mother, “I want to go there.”
That vision — big, audacious, wildly unrealistic — planted a seed.
His first real taste of success came at age 11, winning a gold medal at the British Columbia Regional Championships. But the win wasn’t the remarkable part. What happened before he stepped onto the ice was.
That morning, a table fell on his leg, causing a massive bruise. Hours later, riding to the doctor, Doug and his mother were struck by a drunk driver, spinning their car around several times. He walked away with his first concussion.
He still competed that night. He still skated clean. He still won.
And standing on the podium, Doug realized something critical — something every leader must understand: Success isn’t the medal. Success is everything required to reach the moment where winning becomes possible.
It’s the sacrifices. It’s the dizzying setbacks. It’s the family and team who show up when it matters most.
The Leadership Layer Beneath the Talent
Doug described the countless hours we all spent training, 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week. When you’re focused at that level, conversation and interactions becomes secondary, and survival becomes the rhythm.
But even in that intense environment, Doug brought something different: calm.
He told me he didn’t grow up passionate about figure skating; he was simply good at it, and committed to pursuing that excellence. Passion wasn’t the fuel. Purpose was. And through the skull fractures, the broken bones, the life-threatening accidents, and the comebacks that defied medical logic — he kept perspective.
His family had survived boats sinking in the Atlantic, fires in the harbor, and storms hundreds of miles offshore. Compared to that?
“I had a skull fracture — no big deal,” Doug said. “I wasn’t stranded at sea.”
That perspective shaped how he coached future champions. When his own students were shaking with nerves, he would center them in the truth: “There are no bombs dropping. You’re safe. You’re supported. Do your best today — and a little better tomorrow.”
Every executive needs that reminder. We lead teams, organizations, and movements through complexity. Pressure can distort reality. Perspective brings it back to the center.
Disruption Requires Audacity and Sometimes a Little Bit of “Crazy”
Doug’s courage to disrupt the status quo didn’t stop when he stopped competing at the highest levels. When he moved from Canada to Arizona to coach, another coach confronted him: “You’re wasting your time. Nothing ever happens here.” After all, very few associate ice skating with Arizona.
Doug’s response? Challenge accepted.
From that “nothing-will-ever-happen-here” environment, he built one of the most successful training centers in the United States — producing national and international champions in a state nobody expected to become a skating hub.
Executives often tell me disruption requires technology, money, or a breakthrough idea.
But Doug proves something more powerful: Disruption starts with someone simply refusing to accept the limitations others believe are fixed.
He brought world-class standards to a place that had never seen them. And because of that, he changed the trajectory not just of athletes; but of an entire ecosystem.
What Executives Can Take from Doug’s Journey
Doug’s story captures the leadership essentials every executive needs:
- Resilience isn’t optional. It’s the cost of playing at the highest level
- Perspective is power. Pressure shrinks when we see things clearly
- Sacrifice is a requirement, not an inconvenience
- Team matters – even when pursuing “individual” goals
- Disruption requires audacity especially when others doubt you
- Success is built long before the spotlight reaches you
I often say that success is knowing what you know and using it to make a difference — to disrupt for good. Doug Ladret lives that truth. Not just on the Olympic ice. Not just as a world-class coach. But in the way he continues to reinvent his life and leadership — today in real estate (as the president of Sharper Edge Home Solutions), business, and beyond.
His story is a masterclass in what it means to lead with courage, clarity, and heart.
And that is why conversations like these matter to anyone serious about business leadership —for all of us committed to achieving success at the highest level.
Watch Doug’s full story on C-Suite TV. If podcasts are more your speed, listen to the interview on C-Suite Radio, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
