{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Peaceful Hugs Podcast","title":"Not Fearless. Fear Proof. The Story Of Sophia Campana.","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3307,"description":"In this episode of the Peaceful Hugs Podcast, hosts Mark Zahringer and Lorelei Cromer sit down with Sophia Campana — Italian-American elite gymnast, YouTube creator, and founder of the Fire Within experience — for a conversation that is equal parts inspiring, sobering, and deeply empowering. From sneaking out of her childhood bedroom in the middle of the night to practice gymnastics in the basement, to competing in front of 11,000 fans in Italy who knew her name from a viral MTV show, Sophia's journey is one of passion, resilience, and an unwavering belief that sport should never steal the joy that started it all.Sophia grew up in Colorado with gymnastics in her bones from the age of three — crying to her parents to let her train more, offering to sleep on the gym mats so they wouldn't have to drive her home. At 15, she moved to Italy alone, unable to speak the language, to train with the national team. The transition was anything but smooth — social isolation, homesick nights, and a training culture that at times crossed deeply into abuse. She watched a young girl dragged across the floor by her ponytail and froze, unable to move. She found herself — the girl who once loved gymnastics more than anything — beginning to fear and hate the sport entirely. And she had to ask herself the hardest question: is this really what it takes to become a champion?The answer, she discovered, is no. And that discovery changed everything about the way she shows up for young athletes today.The conversation also goes deep on what it felt like to become famous in a foreign country almost overnight — opening Facebook one morning to 999+ friend requests after an MTV Italia show she'd all but forgotten about won national awards. Sophia opens up about the moment before competing in front of 11,000 fans when a rival tried to get in her head — and the mindset shift that saved her performance. And she shares the vision behind her Fire Within experience: a series of events designed to help...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/bgKQmlXaG4OOkIff2_iy3QZkjJOFJaQIr6PEBrZx4Vk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82MGU1/MmJiYzc1MjljNmE1/MjNjMDZiY2IwOGI1/ZWFjMS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}