Nulo partners and gold medalists Gabby Thomas and Caeleb Dressel took the stage at SXSW 2025 for an inspiring conversation moderated by celebrity chef, host, and entrepreneur Katie Lee Biegel. They shared key ingredients to optimizing performance and leading a balanced lifestyle. Here are four takeaways from their discussion that can be applied to many areas of life!
1) Consistency is Key
We hear this time and time again for a reason. Consistency can be the most important step in achieving your goals. Gabby shared that, if you’re looking to optimize your performance, you should really focus on consistency.
“I think it's really easy to kind of set a goal and be really excited about it and start with all these social media trends and be like, oh, I'm going to do this, this, and that, and this is how I'm going to get there. And that's great if you are able to sustain that. But I think allowing yourself to not put too much pressure on yourself on the day-to-day. Because when I think about my trajectory and my career and how I got to where I am now, it was really just by doing small things every single day for a very long period of time before I got to the point where I was ready to even have the opportunity to medal.
Motivation is really great and it's fun and it does inspire you to get up and go do something, but it's really about the discipline and the ability to just go do something. Even if you don't feel like it, even if you don't want to, just making sure you're taking the step to do it.”
Caeleb agreed and added that he doesn’t believe in overnight success.
“I don't think that's a thing. I referenced it to dropping pennies in a bank, which is the same thing Gabby's saying, just a penny every day, maybe a nickel here or there, a dime, if you're really lucky at a practice. It takes time and it's the little mundane things that get you to the big result. So for me, it starts with making my bed, and I've said this before, if you don't make your bed, you're not going to break a world record.
It's a very simple task that everyone can do. It's boring, but if you start your day with one simple completion, one check mark, then it's just the domino effect the rest of the day. And if you have the worst day ever, then you get to come home to a nice clean bed. So yeah, it's baby steps and I think success is found in the mundane.”
2) Find Motivation in the Process, Not Just the Outcome
Doing the things that you love and are passionate about, can help you sustain consistency and stay fueled with motivation. Gabby shared that with many great days at practice, also comes a daily routine that she has fallen in love with.
“Not every day is fun or exciting, and I love my routine, and I love my life…Waking up and walking Rico is the highlight of my day…For me, I'm not waking up every day thinking, ‘oh, I'm going to go get a gold medal’. I am not thinking that way. It's more like I'm thinking: what can I do to be a better athlete? What can I do to be a better version of myself today? And I just go from there. And I think that really motivates me, just kind of being on this journey and riding the ups and downs and when it results in a gold medal, I think that's great.
I want to be in a situation where on a bad day, I can still be in a good position to win a race. A bad day is good enough. That's what I train for and that's kind of how I tackle it. And so that requires that I get enough sleep that requires that I eat well, that requires that I take care of my mental so that I know that if I'm not perfect one day I still have this opportunity to compete for a gold medal.”
For Caeleb, motivation lies in continuing to find fun in the sport and competing against himself to keep getting better.
“Really my goal is just, I would like to leave something behind where I make the sport faster. That's really what I feel like I want to do. So yeah, I've had my fun in the sport. I want to keep getting faster, but I really just mean, this sounds so simple and silly, but I just like to swim. Yeah, I love swimming. I love being in the water…We had a family rule growing up. It was my parents didn't matter what sport we did, you just had to be in a sport. So, they didn't tell us to go try and be in the best of the world. It was just, enjoy what you're doing and try to get better at it. And that was pretty much the standard that we had. So, I feel like I'm still continuing to have that in the sport.”
3) A Strong Support System Can Keep You Grounded and Motivated
Caeleb shared that athletes often get put on a pedestal, and while he understands he can provide some good advice on swimming or in the weight room, we all have something we can learn from each other.
“I think at a certain point we crave just the normalcy, and my friends certainly offer that. My family, my wife, and definitely Jane, my dog, who I don't know? I think she knows that I swim…probably? She really likes to swim.”
Gabby shared that she draws not only support but also motivation from her family, including her mom, who she grew up watching working several jobs to eventually go back to school and earn her PhD.
“Watching her go after her dreams just unapologetically and working so hard and not hiding that from us and seeing where she is now has been so inspirational. But it also, it showed me what it takes. And for me, that was normal in my household, I didn't understand what it would be like to not work very hard day in, day out with balance, but going after your dreams and having no limitations for yourself.
Being motivated by the people around you, I mean that's a different layer of support. And then of course Rico! It's so hard to imagine going on this journey without him. And I know it sounds so silly, but when I first moved here, I mean, I moved here by myself and then I adopted Rico, and it was just such a comfort for me, and it provides a balance in a way that other things don't. I do try to keep my life very, very balanced. I have track, I have other things going on too, but having Rico there is great.”
Katie added an example of the support system her dogs have been to her over the years.
“That it's such a close relationship…I think of my old pug Fionula, God rest her soul. She was like my soulmate during those years. And this support is real, that you get from this little happy creature is so excited to see you at the end of the day and you just love them so much.”
4) Your Nutrition Goals Should Be Sustainable
For both Caeleb and Gabby, making sure their nutrition goals are sustainable and attainable, is essential.
Caeleb shared that while he enjoys fried pickles, he also makes sure he stays fueled with protein.
“I eat a lot. I know swimmers are known for that…How I break down my plates is: morning, very carb heavy. So, get my fuel. Lunch, I'm looking at pretty much half protein, half carbs, and then immediately after workout is always protein. And then towards nighttime dinner is probably 60/40, 60% protein, 40% carbs.”
Gabby emphasized that her rule of thumb is to make sure she is fueling herself.
“It's one of those things where you want it to be sustainable. So, I want to have a very long career, and I want to have a very long and happy career, and I want to enjoy my life. And so, I just eat what makes me happy and making sure that I am getting all the nutrients that I need to train to the best of my ability.
Thank you again to Nulo Partners, Gabby, Caeleb, and Katie Lee Biegel for sharing such a thoughtful, entertaining and impactful conversation at South by Southwest. We’re feeling more inspired and committed than ever to prioritize both our well-being and that of our four-legged companions, ensuring we all enjoy balanced routines and nourishing diets on our way to our own personal peak performance!
