5 books that inspired CBC Paralympic Winter Games host Stephanie Dixon
Stephanie Dixon is an accomplished athlete and a 19-time Paralympic Games medallist. She'll be providing expert analysis as part of the CBC broadcast team for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, which is taking place March 9-18, 2018.
Below, Dixon shares five books she loved reading.
My Camino by Sue Kenney
"This book was recommended to me when I was in the thick of my swimming career and feeling incredible pressure to perform. It can be so easy to start to identify yourself and feel your worth through your accomplishments, your friends, your work. This book was a huge wake up call for me. It challenged me to think about who I was and what value I had apart from sport. It changed my thinking to see that I brought myself and my value to swimming, not the other way around."
Mindset by Carol Dweck
"After years of being an athlete and now working as a coach, I find the concept of motivation fascinating. Carol Dweck presents human learning and motivation in a very simple way: it comes down to our mindset. I use her philosophy on learning and succeeding every day in my own life as well as in coaching others."
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
"This book is one I read once a year. I find it incredibly powerful and uplifting. It reminds me that everything is connected and we are all in this together. When we become better versions of ourselves, it influences everything around us to be better too."
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
"One of my dearest friends gave this book to me. For anyone who is like me — a 'yes' person, someone prone to taking on too much and being your own biggest critic — this is a must read. This book helped me get in touch with a much deeper side of myself and gave me the tools to breathe through stress and learn how to have my own back. "
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw
"This book brings me to tears every time I read it. I am who I am today because of my parents. I have strength and courage that allowed me to give everything I have on the biggest stage in the world, to stand tall on one leg and feel empowered by my body instead of embarrassed by it, to be proud of who I am and what I look like — all because my parents fiercely loved and believed in me."
Stephanie Dixon's comments have been edited and condensed.