In this episode of Hidden Foundations, Kendall is joined by Ari Simmons, a world champion epee fencer, coach, and Olympic hopeful, to explore what elite sports really build inside a person. Ari shares how he went from being kicked out of fencing class for goofing off to becoming first in the U.S. and winning a world championship in the 17-and-under category.
The conversation moves through obsession, discipline, ego, youth sports pressure, parental support, Notre Dame, UPenn Wharton, taking a gap year to chase Rio, and why his parents never made winning the point. Ari also breaks down the mental framework he now teaches athletes: purpose, honesty, consistency, forgiveness, and learning to treat wins and losses as data. This is a conversation about fencing, family, pressure, and becoming the person behind the performance.
Chapters
00:00 Cold Open: World Champion and Olympic Pressure
00:49 Meet Ari Simmons
01:15 Becoming a World Champion in Epee
06:00 Why Fencing and the Obsession Switch
11:00 Dreaming of Greatness and Winning Worlds
19:23 Parents, Pressure, and Youth Sports
31:50 Gap Year, Rio, UPenn, and Notre Dame
45:42 Coaching, Mindset, and the Olympic Chase
