Olivia McTaggart - Pole Vaulter Opens Up About Body Image, Objectification & Tall Poppy Syndrome

Liv McTaggart is 24 years old and is one of the greatest pole-vaulters NZ has ever produced.

Her highest jump, so far, is 4 meters 71cm (for comparison, the height of a double decker bus is 4 meters 40 centimetres).

At 18 she fulfilled her childhood dream of going to the Commonwealth Games and finished in the top 10. Then at her 2nd Commonwealth Games she finished 4th. This year, she is hoping to raise the bar- excuse the pun- and go to the Olympics in Paris.

If, like me, you know nothing about pole vaulting you are in for an education as we break down one of the most technical and complex and fascinating sports around. But this is so much more than a sports chat.

Liv and I discuss so much cool stuff that I know we can all get some value from:

Building confidence through hard work.

Her 3 P’s: Passion, Persistence and Pride.

Body image and so much more.

Her pre-pole-vault mantra is “Calm and dangerous” and those 2 words definitely describe Liv.

Thanks to the legends who have made this conversation possible- Radix and Generate.

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Chapter Timestamps 0:00 Intro 00:29 Liv McTaggart 11:27 Transition to Pole Vaulting 15:01 Pole Vaulting Challenges and Perseverance 24:09 Resilience, Mentors, and Olympic Dreams 30:20 Embracing Confidence and Overcoming Fear 37:44 Building Confidence Through Hard Work 50:34 Navigating Body Image and Role Models 57:28 Navigating Challenges in Pole Vaulting Careers 01:06:10 Values and Identity in Sport 01:12:14 Athlete's Journey and Aspirations