I’m so grateful to Girl Up for allowing me the chance to come on their trip to Guatemala this past week. The experiences we had while there were so far beyond anything I expected. We took part in a wide range of activities, from learning about the incredible culture, meeting with government and traveling to three different communities in “the interior” to see how changes were being made. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Girl Up, the campaign focuses on issues that effect adolescent girls in underdeveloped countries. I have to admit, before this trip I didn’t fully grasp what that meant. The main issues include preventing child marriage – the average age for a girl to be given for marriage is 14 in underdeveloped countries – as well as education, empowerment, and ending violence against women.

During the on-site visits, they graciously shared their stories of hardship and of triumph. One group we visited was a Youth Leadership group called Open Opportunities, consisting of about 20 young women who were coming together to learn and to empower each other. The girls spoke about how they thought violence was normal, not standing up to it until they learned differently. As women, they didn’t know they had rights. Now, they meet regularly, coming together to talk, learn and work on their new bracelet-making business. All they needed was a push in the right direction and a safe space.

Since these girls aren’t taught about rights and self-esteem at school, and many of them don’t even have a chance to go to school, this group has already made remarkable improvements in their community. At the beginning of the program, one of the leaders told the story about how she was approached on the street by a man who was angry with her for teaching his wife to stand up and say no to his beatings. He was so angry, even threatening to kill her. She told him she had to continue teaching these girls because it’s what she believed in. Shockingly, the following week, the man began to send his daughters to the meetings, eventually thanking her for everything she has done. Once the dust settles, the community began to see that the empowerment of women is the best possible investment in their future.

Looking back on the trip now, there are many memories that I brought home with me, along with a few bags of delicious Guatemalan coffee! Jumping into their incredibly diverse culture showed me how beautiful this country is. Twenty-two different languages span the cultures of this country, all sharing a deep connection to nature. The vibrancy of this culture clearly reflected in the beautiful colors that are seen all across the country in their traditional weavings and handmade treasures. Everyone we met was genuinely happy for our visit, welcoming us and opening up to us like old friends. They were very proud of their culture and their communities, and had a strong desire to grow, learn, and improve the lives of all women and girls.

Being that I have spent my head in the pool for the past 15 years, I too was able to learn so much from traveling with a lot of incredible people from Girl Up and other organizations. I listened in and learned so much from what they were saying to the girls we met with. As someone who is trying to find her way in life, just like almost everyone else, I really found value in some of the lessons they taught. Empowerment comes from within, no one can hand it to you. Even though the message is meant to be heard by adolescent girls in underdeveloped countries, it’s a common theme at home in the US also. We all need to learn to love and respect ourselves first, and then the people who are closest to us. This message is essential for anyone who feels like they aren’t important, aren’t worthwhile, aren’t beautiful. If we all gave ourselves the respect we deserve as individuals, I truly believe this world would by a much happier, safer, cleaner, stronger and peaceful place.

Photos courtesy of INSIDER IMAGES/Stuart Ramson for UN Foundation.

I didn’t fantasize of swimming in the Olympics, I never dreamed of going to college through swimming, and I certainly never saw myself as a professional athlete down the road. I was just a kid having fun. But that’s the beauty of it: if I hadn’t loved swimming first, I would probably not have made it this far.

Fast-forward fifteen years and two Olympics later. I’ve found that all of the sudden, I’m 25 years old and I’ve never had a job or a passion outside of the pool to follow. But with four years until the next Olympics I’ve got more than enough time to start looking! I felt that this would be a great opportunity for me to take a break, a year away from the pool, and discover what life is like away from the chlorine.

As swimmers, we have placed a very high demand on our bodies. All through high school I beat every last shred of energy from my body with a high-yardage style training, one that I thank my Scarlet coach, Tom, for. Without all that endurance training in my background, I doubt I would have been successful further down the line. Then on through college I learned what it meant to train fast, and thanks to Dave, have done enough 50’s pace to last me a lifetime. I took a short break after the Olympics in 2008, and again after my college career ended with NCAAs in 2009, but I’ve never given my body a chance to fully recover! It’s been about 7 months since London, and I’m only now starting to feel the muscles in my shoulders starting to relax for the first time.

There are several other circumstances that took place in this decision to take some time off. Along with the breakdown of an athlete’s body, I developed a cyst in my tailbone that pinches a nerve running down my right leg. This conveniently happened two months before the Olympics, one month before trials. I didn’t want go to a doctor until after the Olympics were over, and only then did I learn what had caused that curious pain that never went away. I’m a strong believer in listening to what nature is trying to tell you. To me, it was my body telling me that it might be time to slow it down. Well, at least for a little while.

There are many moments in my swimming career that I’ll never forget. The most prominent is the 200 Breaststroke in London. When I got out of the pool immediately after I achieved my goal of 2.19, and after I hugged my teammates and waved hi to my parents up in the stands, I walked off of the pool deck and through the massive line of media. The first question asked was, “Are you going to swim in Rio 2016?” I remember thinking to myself, “Are you serious?! What about what just happened a couple minutes ago, what about 2012??” It shocked me that the instant an athlete’s finished competing, the focus shifts to another competition that is 4 years away. Before I can get ready for what’s next I want to celebrate the moment that just passed, all the years of hard work it took to lead up to this moment, all the challenges that were conquered. I want to live in this moment, and to acknowledge that something amazing just took place.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC is pleased to announce its newest product line, CeraVe^® Sun Care , will partner with USA Swimmer Rebecca Soni , six-time Olympic medalist and World Record holder in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke, as the face of the brand in 2013.

Katherine Salazar , Associate Director, Valeant Consumer Medical Products, stated “Because of the significant time Ms. Soni has spent in and around the pool, she is very aware of the kind of daily care and sun protection her skin needs…and her skin goes through a lot.  She can relate well to women around the country and we are confident that she’ll be a fantastic spokesperson for CeraVe^® Sun Care .”

“I’m thrilled to be working with CeraVe^® this year!” said Rebecca Soni .  “I love the original CeraVe skin care products especially because as a swimmer, it’s easy to dry out your skin.  Representing the new Sun Care line will be a natural partnership for me.”

The CeraVe^® Sun Care line, developed with dermatologists, includes eight NEW products for the face and body with various applications offering both broad spectrum SPF 30 and SPF 50 protection, and will be sold in the sun protection aisle in drugstores and mass market retailers nationwide starting this month.

“Ms. Soni will appear in print advertisements throughout the year and is involved with helping to promote CeraVe^® Sun Care through our Social Media outreach on Facebook, Twitter (@rebsoni) and YouTube,” explained Salazar.  “We are very excited to continue our support of USA Swimming and work with one of their top talents in 2013!”

Soni currently holds five swimming World Records.  She entered the international swim scene at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing where she won two silver medals and one gold.  At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Soni won Olympic gold in the 200-meter breaststroke in World Record time, becoming the first woman to defend her title in the event.

The CeraVe^® Sun Care Line is available at major drug and mass retailers nationwide in April 2013.

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Soni, wearing her trademark bright pink swimsuit, became the first female Olympic champion from Beijing to retain her title, with a powerful race that she led from the start, pulling away from Japanese challenger Satomi Suzuki in the last lap.

The 25-year-old touched in two minutes, 19.59 seconds and shaved 0.41 seconds off the mark she set on Wednesday. Suzuki took silver and Russian Iuliia Efimova clinched bronze.

Punching the air after she saw the world record on the scoreboard, Soni became the first woman to break the elusive 2:20.00, a personal target set for herself as a teenager after her coach suggested she could do it.

“I kept it to myself as a secret goal… I didn’t think it was possible for a long time, but I told myself, ‘I want to be there before I finish swimming’,” she said.

“I had him (her coach) in my mind today. I texted him last night and he said ‘you can do it’.”

Raised in New Jersey by her Hungarian-born immigrant parents, Soni stormed onto the Olympic stage in Beijing, where she beat favorite Leisel Jones in the 200 breaststroke and broke her Australian rival’s world record.

She then ended Jones’ domination of the 100 when she took gold in the 2011 world championships, winning by a body length.

Soni missed out on a gold in the 100 breaststroke in London, an event she had been the favorite for, when schoolgirl Ruta Meilutyte took the top spot. Soni won silver.

“I wasn’t swimming with anger or a vengeance,” she said on Thursday. “I took the 100 as a way to see where I am at and I felt really good about the 200.”

The 200, she said, was always her goal, and her training in the Pacific Ocean, often with friends and just blocks from her Californian home, helped her relax and ease her rhythm to prepare for the Games.

She continued to train at the pool in the morning but then “jumped in the ocean at night”.

“The main thing was to not to be too mentally challenged every day … a couple of friends joined me, it was a lot of fun,” she said.

“I just wanted to be in water and feel the water without being in a competition pool.”

The defending Olympic gold medalist, Soni clocked a world record in the event with a clean 2:20.00 en route to the top seed. That swim bettered the 2:20.12 posted by Canada’s Annamay Pierse during semis of the 2009 World Championships during the techsuit era, and also took half-a-second off the textile best of 2:20.54 turned in by Leisel Jones in 2006. Incidentally, the swim also eclipsed Soni’s American record of 2:2022 from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and her American textile best of 2:20.69 from Pan Pacs in 2010. Soni looks in control of becoming the first swimmer to ever defend a women’s 200 breaststroke Olympic gold medal, after finishing more than two seconds ahead of the field.

This was the second time in as many Olympic  games that Soni was edged at the wall. In 2008, Soni finished second in  the 100-meter breaststroke in Beijing. Soni went on to earn a gold medal in  the 200-meter breaststroke.

Overall, Japan’s Satomi Suzuki earned the bronze medal with a  time of 1:06.46. Soni will compete in four more events in London.

Soni is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the 200m breaststroke and the defending Olympic silver medalist in the 100m distance.

“I’m very ready,” Soni said. “This was a nerve-racking meet all around with a lot of tension and emotion for everybody. Watching all the races, you really get into it. I’m excited to watch the last few nights of racing and get to training camp.

“I’m happy to have made this team, and I know it is more pressure this time around at the Olympics. Hopefully I can overlook that and have a good race.”