OPEN HEART, OPEN MIND

In 2006, when Clara Hughes stepped on the Olympic podium in Torino, Italy, she became the first and only athlete to win multiple medals in both Summer and Winter Games. But there's another story behind her signature billboard smile

While most professional athletes devote their entire lives to training, Clara spent her teenage years using drugs and alcohol to escape the stifling and abusive home life her alcoholic father created in Elmwood,
Winnipeg. She was headed nowhere fast when, at sixteen, she watched transfixed from her living room as gold medal speed skater Gaétan Boucher effortlessly raced in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Dreaming of one day competing herself, Clara channeled her anger and frustration into the endurance sports of speed skating and cycling and became a six time Olympic champion by 2010.

But after a decade in the grueling world of professional sports, working with a coach whose unrelenting tactics stripped her of any confidence, Clara began to realize her emotional setbacks and partying habits were—like her father's destructive lifestyle—masking her depression. Finding a new direction through a happy marriage and a dedication to helping others, in 2010, she partnered with Bell Canada and advocated for mental health awareness, using her Olympic standing to share the positive message of the power of forgiveness.
Told with honesty and passion, OPEN HEART, OPEN MIND is Clara's moving story of the obstacles she has overcome as a professional athlete struggling with depression and as a family member trying to heal the wounds of the past.

One of Canada's most celebrated athletes and humanitarians, CLARA HUGHES is thrilled to be putting her
story on the page. Clara is the only athlete in history to win multiple medals at both the summer and winter
Olympics. Success, however, means more than earning her athletic achievements. It also means helping
others. Clara is the National Spokesperson for Bell Canada's Mental Health initiative and has made it a
personal goal to help break down the stigma associated with mental illness. She also plays an important role in the Right to Play programs, an organization that uses sport for development. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and holds honorary doctorates from various Canadian Universities. Clara also has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

More information about Clara Hughes can be found on her website: clara-hughes.com