In this episode, our guest Ulrika Smith Svenstedt, Strategic Communications Manager for the Swedish Biathlon Federation & Olympic Team, shares her enlightening perspective on using social media as a storytelling platform to build authentic relationships. Her experiences extend beyond athletes, embracing coaches, staff, volunteers, sponsors, and fans as part of the wider sports community.
Ulrika emphasizes that nothing is handed to us on a silver platter – success in sports, just like in any endeavor, requires hard work and dedication. She gives us a heartfelt glimpse into the Swedish Biathlon Federation, painting it as a large, inclusive family. Join your hosts, Daniel Bisett and Tricia Ulberg, as they explore these ideas and more, amplifying your understanding of the web and its potential. Tune in for this insightful conversation!
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We Rock DM:
Welcome to We Rock DM Amplified. I’m your host, Daniel Bissett, joined by Tricia Elizabeth Ulberg. And today we’re diving into the exhilarating world of sports digital marketing with our special guest, Ulrika Smith-Svenstedt. Let’s get started, shall we? Ulrika, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining us all the way from Sweden. We really
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Thank
We Rock DM:
appreciate
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
you.
We Rock DM:
you and we’re incredibly excited to hear what you have to say. Today’s show is going to be different to many of the previous shows. Less about trying to unpack your digital marketing strategy and tease out areas for improvement. Instead, really just try to understand what it is that you’re doing, who you are, who you represent. And oh my gosh, I feel like I’m a little fanboy right now because, you know, you’re maybe the most famous person I’ve spoken to. the communications director for the Swedish biathlon team, Olympic team. What is this? Tell us about
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Federation.
We Rock DM:
yourself, would you? The Federation.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
So yeah, give us the TLDR, the Too Long Didn’t Read about who you are and what you’re doing.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, my name is Ulrika and I’m a 51 year old Swede, an ex-skier from the Utah ski team. I’m Swedish. I just joined the Swedish Biathlon Federation as a strategic communication manager. And I’ve basically been here for four weeks now. So this is very new to me, even though I’ll be working with the communication and the advertising since 1996. and when we graduated from the U, actually.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah, yeah. So everybody, I have to introduce Larica myself, because Larica is actually one of my closest friends from college. That’s where we met at the University of Utah. And not only was Larica on the University of Utah cross country ski team, she was in the graphic design program with me there. And that is where we met we met in a drawing class. And, Larica, I want to share the story of how we met because I think it’s kind of fun. Larica was still kind of working on her English when you first came to the States. And so, yeah, so we were in this drawing class.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes
Tricia Ulberg:
And I think she, I think maybe you picked me out. You thought this, this girl over here looks like maybe she can help me translate a little bit. And so that’s kind of how she came over and started asking me to kind of help translate some of the things that the instructor was saying. And I did my best. Something I totally remember you asking me though, which was such a good question. You said, if you say Nike, why don’t you say bikey? But that is a really good question. I had no idea why we say it, right? It made sense.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Still
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
wonder,
Tricia Ulberg:
and
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
still
Tricia Ulberg:
I’ll
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
wonder.
Tricia Ulberg:
always remember that. I know. That’s when the first thing she said to me, I’m like, that is a really good question. So that is initially how we met. And then we, I mean, really, we bonded pretty quickly. And Ulrika was very, is, was and is very proud of her country, very proud of Sweden. And we talk about Sweden a lot and kind of invited people to come visit her. Right. You were always saying, come visit me in Sweden anytime. Well, so
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
one summer.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
No. I’m
Tricia Ulberg:
myself
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
and a friend of ours decided to come. And I think you were kind of shocked by that. You
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m
Tricia Ulberg:
probably
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
didn’t think we were
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m
Tricia Ulberg:
actually
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
gonna
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
show
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m
Tricia Ulberg:
up,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
but
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m
Tricia Ulberg:
we
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
did.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
Like, yeah, we’ll take you up on that. Yeah, so we did. We went to Sweden to visit Loreka. and that’s when we became really good friends and Ulrika has actually created this little book for me, I have it with me. Now let’s see, then you’ll only be just able to see this on the YouTube version of our show but I know! So this is a little Saab that Ulrika and I drove all around Sweden in like one summer. We just went everywhere in this little Saab, it was so great and I hope that there’s another view of it. Oh hi bye, how cute! And there’s some cute pictures in here. This is one of my favorite pictures. This is actually us on our graduation day at the University of Utah. You can see that. Good memories. So it’s a little treasured gift that Larica made for me back in the day. And another thing that was really great is since Eureka was in the graphic design program with me, we really supported each other through that program. It was a very difficult program. We had a portfolio review at the end of every year and people got kicked out all the time. So, Rika was really helpful because she helped support me. I would say you helped support me through that more than I supported you. You were always like, you can do it, Trisha, don’t give up. I’d go over, she was living in this little house downtown Salt Lake, and I would just go over to her house and she’d make me her Swedish tea. She’d make me a cup of tea, and then we’d work on our projects together. And I honestly don’t know if I would have made it through that program without you, really.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Aww.
Tricia Ulberg:
So. Yeah, no, it’s true. Yeah, so, and Rickette was always very motivated. I mean, she, at one point, I think you were sixth in the nation on the ski team. Isn’t that right? You thought it was your rank.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm. Yep.
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh, so one
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah,
Tricia Ulberg:
more
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
fifth
Tricia Ulberg:
story
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
actually.
Tricia Ulberg:
before fifth. Oh my goodness. I knew. So one more story, a skiing story now. So I’m a pretty good downhill skier. Would you say I’m a good downhill skier? I’m pretty good. But what I’m not good
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
at is cross-country skiing. So one day, Alarika decided to invite me to go practice with the University of Utah cross-country ski team at Solitude Ski Resort. And I guess I thought that I was good enough to do that. So I did that. And what I remember is, so here I am. I think that may have been my first time cross-country skiing. And Alarika comes up to me on her skis, and she’s like, OK, Tricia, now I’m just going to be a little bit ahead of you. All right, I’m just going to go a little bit with my team, but you’ll catch up, right? So, yeah, so, yeah, right. So I’m skiing, I’m skiing, and all of a sudden, the next thing I know, Ulrika has lapped me. She waves, she’s like, hi!
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
And then she lapped me again. And that was the last time I went cross-country skiing. She is
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Sorry
Tricia Ulberg:
very
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
about
Tricia Ulberg:
good.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that.
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh, it’s okay.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Killed your spirit.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, that was sweet of you to think I could keep up with the ski team. That was really sweet. But yeah, that’s kind of how we met and we have been good friends ever since. And I have been watching Ulrika grow throughout her career. She is truly one of the most accomplished friends I have. And Ulrika has always just had such drive and ambition. And so Ulrika, let’s talk a little bit about how That was really the beginning of your career was when we were in college together. You were on the ski team, you were in the graphic design program. And then what did you do next? How did you grow your career up into the position you’re in today? How would you say that
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well,
Tricia Ulberg:
happened?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I would say that, I mean, I always loved marketing and design. I’ve always been very, had an eye for good looking things and the creativity process. I always loved the creative process. It doesn’t really matter what it’s about. If it’s about designing something in class or. drawing an extension of my house or designing a couch or whatever, you know, but I’ve also had this huge part of me that’s about sports. So I have these two, two legs, one design and creativity leg, and then one very competitive sport love leg. And I would say that, um, after, I mean, that’s why this was such a a great combination for me at the U when I was headhunted to ski for the University of Utah ski team. And at the same time, I could actually get an education in a field that I loved was like the perfect
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
match for me. So basically it started there. And when I got back to Sweden, I actually ended up working as an art director pretty quickly. at a biggest sports store in Sweden called the Sadium. And basically that was a kind of like a lucky start for me because I got to work with sports equipment and marketing, but it was basically just on the product side of stuff. And after that, I ended up like working for ad agencies and also being an owner of an ad agency. But I’ve always, always kept. one leg in the sport industry because I really felt that one day I wanted to combine my interest for sports and my love for that and the love for communication and design and the creative process. So I think after almost, oh my goodness, it’s like almost 25 years in the ad agency business. Um, I was actually, um, I, I mean, I worked at the, I have to say that I also volunteered a lot, like at the Olympics, the 2002 Olympics
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
in Salt Lake city. I w I volunteered to work for the world championships in Falun for cross country and also for the, um, the downhill world cup in order. And the more I did that, the more I realized that I needed sports to be more close. to my DNA. I didn’t want to have to work on that on the side of my, beside my real job. So that’s why I got the chance to become the marketing director for the largest bike race event in the world called Vätnerundan, where there were about 40,000 bikers racing for two weeks during the year. And that’s actually pretty close to where I live. So I got the chance. to work really close with sport industry and marketing for five years almost before I started working with them. I don’t know what you call it in America, but in Sweden, the sport industry is built up by like local sport federations where you have the kids going to the soccer games, the soccer teams. It’s not based on schools like you have in America. Every little town has their own
Tricia Ulberg:
Okay.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
soccer team and hockey team and whatever. And the county work with all those teams. And that’s what I’ve been working with for the last three years to basically help kids get a great start in their life with sports. But about six months ago, I got called up by the um what do you call it the general director for the Swedish biathlon team and he was asking me um if I was interested in maybe helping out with a communication development for the Swedish biathlon team and I have to say we are doing so well in the world right now maybe took so many medals at the the world championships and um I was just like it was like a dream come true for me. this is like a dream job for me. And it’s also based in, in the middle of Sweden, even though it feels really, really far up. So I actually live here part time now. And yeah, basically I just started, but it’s my love for sports and my love for marketing. And that got me here basically.
We Rock DM:
Isn’t that amazing?
Tricia Ulberg:
And this is the
We Rock DM:
That’s
Tricia Ulberg:
town that…
We Rock DM:
really… Sorry, Trisha, go ahead.
Tricia Ulberg:
No, that’s okay. I was just going to say this town that this the Federation is in, that’s the town where you went to ski high school. Isn’t that what you told me? So that’s what you had, right?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
It’s
Tricia Ulberg:
You’ve
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
actually
Tricia Ulberg:
lived there before.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
very close. It’s very close. I went to a ski academy, high school, like 90 kilometers away from here, but I actually raced for Östersund as a ski team. That was my club. So I’m basically back at the same stadium where I started in 1991. So that’s pretty cool. Like the circle is closed.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah, and I think that’s really a cool thing about Sweden is how they have specialized high schools like that. So that kind of sets you up to get recruited by the University of Utah to go to school there, right? They were recruiting students out of your ski high school, which was very cool. It’s so exciting.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
I love hearing about all these jobs you have because I remember these jobs. I think I have visited Sweden. every job you’ve been at. I remember being at that race, the bike race. Remember I was like in the crowd waiting for
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Okay.
Tricia Ulberg:
you and then I was, I remember going to the ad agency you worked at and the sports wear. So yes, I’ve been watching Ulrika do this and you really have from my perspective, you just have been climbing the ladder. Like you set yourself up. for the position you’re in now. And the fact that you stayed kind of true to what you really were passionate about, which is skiing, that’s always been something that really resonates. People know that you’re passionate about sports. And combined with marketing, I mean, you were the perfect candidate for this position. And they reached out to you, right? You were recruited for the position with the Swedish Biathlon Federation. Yeah. Yeah,
We Rock DM:
So
Tricia Ulberg:
it’s awesome.
We Rock DM:
I’m curious, Ulrika, as the communications director for the Swedish biathlon team, how have you integrated digital marketing strategies into promoting the team and the sport? It must be. different to running an ad agency, you’re now integrating it into sports. How, how has that changed the way that you do things and, and what are you doing that you think, or what are you looking to do in the future that you think is going to set you apart?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Um, to be honest with you, uh, it’s like I’ve, I’ve been, I’ve just been only been here for like a month and they have done a great, amazing job, uh, with the biathlon federation. But I would have to say that the biggest difference from coming from an ad agency is to be on the other side of the table. And I have to say that I do not miss being in an ad agency at all. I love being on the other side. I’m a great, I know what to buy now. I know to ask the right questions. And, um, it’s been actually amazing in the last three jobs I’ve had. To be closer to the final target group. Um, it’s actually working with them. And that has been very, very cool. It’s like you don’t. Um, It’s like when I worked at the sports store, I was selling things. I was selling products. And right now I’m selling a lifestyle. And we’re, we are, we are selling joy, happiness, health, and things to do for kids, whereas we are selling role models for the kids. I mean, these amazing athletes that we have in our federation that yes, they take gold medals at the Olympics. But what they do most of all, they set an example of what a healthy lifestyle is like. Um, it’s called, I said, it’s called the biathlon family and the biathlon, um, sport. It’s very different from a lot of sports in the world. I would say it’s a big, big, close community, but all the team from all over the world. Basically they love each other, but on when they’re on the course, they. They don’t hate each other, but they race against each other. But it’s like the crowd also is very special. They cheer for, of course, their own athletes and their own countries, but they also cheer for everybody that hits that target, everybody that’s doing great. So it’s like, it’s an amazingly positive environment to be in, which makes it easy to market in some ways. Even though we have a lot of different target groups, but it’s also a little bit challenging. Like I told you guys before, before we started this, that we have a lot of different target groups that needs a lot of different things. And we talked about having too big of a target group. It’s hard to know where to put your focus. But that’s, I think that’s what we have to work on a lot here. And that is to kind of try to find that the goal for each target group and also what we, what our goal is as a federation, because everything has to reach that goal. And all the other goals are part goals on that journey.
We Rock DM:
So,
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh.
We Rock DM:
you know, one way that Nike got really, really successful wasn’t because they were trying to sell shoes. They were
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
selling the stories behind the people wearing the shoes. So
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
I have to assume that you, from a marketing perspective, are doing a lot of storytelling.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes, a lot of storytelling.
We Rock DM:
And So how do you integrate that storytelling into the digital marketing space? What are you doing to reach those different audiences? Where are you going to do that?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
We have actually a team reporter that travels with the elite teams to the training camps. Like for right now they’re on Mallorca in Europe and they’re actually traveling with them to show the behind the scenes, to see that it’s not just gold and medals and cheering, it’s like a lot of sweat and blood and tears that goes into this. like we use Instagram a lot because it’s easy to to come behind the scenes and and and talk to the athletes like the The great thing about having a traveling reporter that works for us is that she can actually they get to know her She can come closer to them. They trust her When she can ask little interviews and we can find we can follow behind the scenes. I mean when they climb up that big hill on Mallorca, it’s gonna be a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but they know they have to reach that to reach the gold medals later on the season. So I think being true and honest and also being very transparent about what it’s like to be an elite athlete. It’s a lot of hard work that goes into that. And I think that’s very inspiring for people to watch, to be able to follow. and see what actually happens. How many hours do they have to try to target shoot? I mean, and it’s windy
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
and it’s sunny and it’s snowy, it’s foggy. I mean, what do you do? How do you do things? It’s very intriguing and it’s very exciting to find out. How do you do this? Okay, when you come into the stadium and all of a sudden the wind changes from one side to the other, how do you have to think? as an athlete to do that. The coaches, the way they talk to their athletes, their relationships. It’s really amazing to see that. And also one thing that’s very unique about the Swedish Beathlon Team Federation is that we are in one place. In Östersund, we have the coaches, we have the athletes, we have the administration personnel, we have the wax teams, we have everybody here. everybody is around here and you can hear the talk in the coffee room and you get to know them. So we become like a family
We Rock DM:
And do
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
and
We Rock DM:
you
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I think
We Rock DM:
feel?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that’s a very successful story.
We Rock DM:
Do you feel that the people who are watching your Instagram space,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
are they building this kind of relationship with the athletes and getting to know the athletes so that they are part of the family, as it were?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes, I think that is the success story of this whole thing. We talk about the biathlon family, and then we don’t talk about just us working here with the athletes. It includes our fans. It includes our sponsors and partners. It includes the town, the city mayor, the people who grooms the tracks here. They are amazing. And they, the volunteers, when we have the work up here, we have so many people working here. And they do it for free. Because they want to be a part of this family and they become ambassadors in their turns. So they talk good about us and they tell their story to their friends and their family and their kids. So I think when we say the Bayafan family, we mean everybody.
We Rock DM:
And does your
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
The
We Rock DM:
journalist?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
elite team is just a little bit of that,
We Rock DM:
Does
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
you
We Rock DM:
your
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
know.
We Rock DM:
journalist go and interview the people who are cleaning the slopes or whatever? Sorry, I don’t know the technical terms, not my line.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, the course. Yeah.
We Rock DM:
Of course.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
You know what I have to say, the local media here is very, they like, I mean, this is a very positive marketing for this whole region because we become, it’s kind of like, Trisha, I’m like being on the ski gym at the U, you become an ambassador for your university. And this is the way the biathlon federation is for us to shouldn’t. and in that turn for Sweden. So I think
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
you become proud and you want to show the positive sides of this whole thing. And think about all the kids that are, I mean, all the, it’s like we don’t talk about that. That is also one thing we talk a lot about. It’s like, how do we lift biathlon from the ground? It’s not, we need to have future medals and elite teams, but also we showing the way you can start biathlon with electronic shooting, like lower the borders to try things. It’s also an important thing that we work with.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah, that was a good analogy. It is like a university. You have fans of all ages and there’s, you are appealing to people who are gonna be lifelong fans and it’s the pride of Sweden, really, right? That is, wow, that’s amazing. So tell me then, what is your role in… creating a schedule for all your marketing? Like what is your specific role in helping to develop your marketing plan?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well, it’s like right now we have a we have they’ve had a marketing plan for a long time of course because you have to plan your year. It’s a very cyclic year. You know, you have the trading season, you have the racing season, you have the kind of in-between season, and then we have also on top of that, we have a World Cup that actually is here in Östersund. So it’s both like running the federation marketing plan, combining it with an actual event that has been here, happens here. And also… all our partners and sponsors that have their marketing strategy that needs to fit into our marketing strategy and also get the right amount of space and room that they have paid for, but also
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that we can basically work off each other so we get the end result that we all want. And that is a
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
successful, healthy, sustainable federation for for Sweden and for us. So
Tricia Ulberg:
So.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
what I do now is basically, oh, yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh, I was gonna say, no, go
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
ahead, continue. Ha ha, continue.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, no. So what I do now is basically we are like, we have of course, a marketing action plan because we know certain things that goes on in different parts of the year. But now we also have to see, okay, we also work a lot with the education, training the leaders and the team coaches for the younger kids. Okay, so. How do we market that? How do we fit that into the plan? Because this is not all about the elite teams and the gold medals. It’s about building the next generation by athletes in Sweden. So that’s also something we’re looking at. Okay, where during the year is it the most logical time that we talk about education? And what do the sport clubs need from us? And then, okay,
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
how can we fill that need? And… Where do we reach those in the best place? What platform is for fans? What platform is a newsletter? For our Facebook, LinkedIn. So this is something that we’re actually starting to look at right now in a more broader picture to try to narrow down the target groups a little more to maybe give each target group a little more of what they need. And… To be able to do that, we need to know what do they need,
We Rock DM:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
you know, so we don’t shoot over the target. So that is a process we are starting right now.
We Rock DM:
How many
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
targets have you identified?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
We actually are going to have this workshop in like two weeks, but I would say like, basically you have, of course, the fans, you have the sponsors, you have the sport clubs, and you have the town, you have, you have parents, you have the volunteers, you have a lot of internal target groups also. So I would say it’s like five, six, seven different target groups. But we are not done modeling that yet. We know pretty much which one they are, but we are going to kind of dive into that a little more to try
We Rock DM:
and
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to
We Rock DM:
RU.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
aim the target a little better.
We Rock DM:
Are you individualizing your strategies in a way that is consistent with money? How do you prioritize which target gets the focus? I
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah,
We Rock DM:
have
Tricia Ulberg:
Exactly.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that’s
We Rock DM:
to assume
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
a very…
We Rock DM:
that there’s a strong financial impetus to push towards talking about the sponsors and the athletes because that’s where the money is at. But how do you then justify? the volunteers, giving them their space and time. This is more of a rhetorical
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
That’s a great
We Rock DM:
question
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
question.
We Rock DM:
because it’s really hard,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
But that’s
We Rock DM:
right?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
a very good question. It’s a very good question. And we actually talked about that the other day, because we have a set goal for the Federation. And if we would only go to basically direct the communication strategy towards exactly that goal, we might miss some other target groups. because sometimes you have to make a different marketing like post or something because you need to reach something because there is another aim for something like the partnership. So that is a very interesting question. And also it’s like, you can’t, it’s like you have to be very careful in how you use your social platform because you have a fan base. And if you start filling that social media flow with things that they are not interested in, you might lose that. And sometimes you have to discuss, is it worth losing some of them to gain something else?
Tricia Ulberg:
I’m going to go ahead and turn it off.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And where is that borderline is? I think we are not there yet, but that is a very tricky question and very- important one, I would say. And there’s not an easy answer to that, but there’s definitely certain aspects that you have to take in consideration. Definitely.
Tricia Ulberg:
That was my question is around sponsors as well. I picked up on that when you were talking and Rekha, I know that you are not new to working with sponsors. You have done this your whole career. So would you say, that’s an interesting question. Would you say that you, I’m just curious from a production standpoint, do you work with the sponsors to create content or do they give it to you? or and I understand what you’re saying about making sure that you’re not just, you don’t want that to take over your Instagram feed, you want it to work with it, right, integrate it so it still stays relevant and interesting and it’s actually helping to lift up the team rather than feeling like you’re just trying to be salesy.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
The thing
Tricia Ulberg:
So
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
is,
Tricia Ulberg:
how does that
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah,
Tricia Ulberg:
work?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
the thing is, we have a marketing team here, and we have to have a guy who’s been working with us much longer than I have, and he’s really, really good at it. So it’s not one of my main priorities now, but what’s important is that these things have to work together. It can’t be
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
its own separate leg. And I think what’s most important is that… To be honest, a little bit different in Sweden, I have to say. In America, it’s a little more common that you put in the investment you put in a right that you buy to become a sponsor. You put the same amount in the activation to activate that sponsorship. We are a little bit behind here in Sweden. We’re working on it and it’s a very important thing. So. I think we help them a lot to try to find a way to come up with, to activate the sponsorship together to help fill it with content. Of course they have their own goals and their own wishes, but sometimes we sit on a lot of knowledge and ideas and creativity that might help that to come to the next level. But the most important thing is I think a successful partnership is when the viewers, the fans or whoever understands why that partnership is important. So it doesn’t feel malplaced. It’s like, okay, why is this company a partner? Because of this. But that’s also because when you have a good strategy for your partnerships. that doesn’t become an issue because you know beforehand that we did it for this reason. You might be a sustainability partner. It might be something else.
We Rock DM:
But
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
So I think,
We Rock DM:
again,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah.
We Rock DM:
that comes into the storytelling, doesn’t it?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
We Rock DM:
If you are all a family, then not only are your fans part of the family, but so too are the sponsors. They are truly
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Definitely.
We Rock DM:
part of the family. And so going, doing some BTSs, some behind the scenes with them in the
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
We Rock DM:
experience of working with you, I mean, it’s
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
all stories, right? And… something
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
We Rock DM:
that you said about mixing things up. You know, if you own stocks, you never wanna own
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
just one stock. You need to diversify your
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
portfolio.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
And
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
every time I start thinking about strategies for social media marketing in particular, I’m flabbergasted to see how uniform and ultimately boring. so many people’s strategies are, even if they’re doing storytelling, it’s all the same. And so by diversifying
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
what you’re putting out on these different platforms,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
I don’t actually think you’re going to lose people, because it sounds like you’re making it very, very interesting and educational,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
We Rock DM:
right? And so… You know, something that we are also trying to achieve is make an edutainment, like education, entertainment,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes, exactly.
We Rock DM:
symbiotic
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
relationship, right, through what we’re doing.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
And it sounds very much similar to the strategies that you are implementing as well. So, I mean, I don’t think you’re gonna be losing people because you’re keeping those spaces interesting and informative and fun. Um, but
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
Trisha’s right, you know, the, the passion that we hear when you talk must be conveyed in all of, all of the marketing, you know, you sound very passionate and as a top representative of your, of the Federation, um, you must all, I assume be equally as passionate. So it’s, it
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
must be, be fun and exciting and, uh, really just amazing
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And I think
Tricia Ulberg:
I
We Rock DM:
stuff.
Tricia Ulberg:
was gonna
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
also,
Tricia Ulberg:
s-
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah, I was just
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh, I
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
going
Tricia Ulberg:
was
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to
Tricia Ulberg:
just
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
say
Tricia Ulberg:
gonna…
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
something about.
We Rock DM:
Hehehehe
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Sorry.
Tricia Ulberg:
I love it when this
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
This
Tricia Ulberg:
happens.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
is about
We Rock DM:
I’m going to go ahead and turn it off.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
the delay.
Tricia Ulberg:
We all have
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I
Tricia Ulberg:
things
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
just want
Tricia Ulberg:
to
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to add
Tricia Ulberg:
say.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
something. I just want
Tricia Ulberg:
Yes.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to add something about the partnerships. It’s like, like you’re talking about, you know, when you mix up the storytelling with the partners, it’s also like, I mean, they are also a fan base. They have clients, customers
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that also will love this sport. I mean, of course, I mean, they are going to spread a positive rumor and a positive vibe about. this, people will watch it on TV. I mean, they can’t wait for the weekend to come to get there, get on the couch and watch the races, you know, and of course, that’s going to spread like little swirls on the water, you know, it will, it will, it will give positive vibes from that. So I think, yeah, we are just a bunch of very positive, passionate people that have opportunity to work with the greatest sport on earth. That’s just it basically.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yep, and there you go. So what I was going to say is this job is perfect for you. Ulrika really is perfect. I mean, so good at just enthusiasm. Like even remember, I even remember some of our graphic design, you know, assignments, there was always a Swedish twist in it, right? And she’d
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
get up there and there always was and it would be like, Sweden is so awesome. And this is why this works. And you’d integrate it so well. And And by that, I mean, my goodness, I mean, you convinced me that Sweden is just like one of the greatest countries, if not the greatest country in the world. She’s very good at that. So and same with her sport. And she just said this is the best sport in the world. And she truly believes that and that always comes through in her enthusiasm. And she’s that’s just what you do so well and in your marketing. And you’ve always done that really well. So
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well, the thing is you have to believe it to be able to sell
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
it. You have
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to feel it to be able to sell it. If you don’t believe in your own product, whatever it is, you’re not going to sell it. And
We Rock DM:
So.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
you have to truly think that, you know,
We Rock DM:
So here’s a question for you then. The biathlon is a very unique sport, especially popular in the Nordic countries. How do you leverage its cultural significance in the digital marketing space? So, how do you
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
leverage its cultural significance in the digital marketing space? So, how do you leverage its cultural significance in the digital marketing space?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I would say that first of all it’s become a very very good TV sport.
We Rock DM:
Okay.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
It’s very exciting. It’s never over until it’s over. You sit there and you wait for that thing to go down and you’re like oh no it’s like you know it’s like so I think it’s it’s extremely exciting sport. We’ve been very good at selling it on TV, but of course we’ve been good at selling it because we have great athletes that do amazing things. But it’s also a very great live sport because of the fan base, because of the positive attitude on the stands. So I think it’s, if you compare it to… cross-country skiing that used to be much, much bigger. It’s just a different, it’s an added twist to biathlon
We Rock DM:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that
We Rock DM:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
makes it exciting. And I think also that is why kids also likes it a lot because it’s like, it’s a different element to it, not just go out there, be sweaty ski and ski fast and you know, the cross-country. The Swedes, you know, they just go out for hours and ski and sweat in this blow their nose, you know, whatever. It’s like, it’s an, it’s a different element to it that adds a different thing. That’s become just really exciting. I mean, I was sitting on the train one day because I commute by train a lot now. And I was sitting in the bistro and I had my jacket on it and this old couple came down and they’re like, can you sit by you? And I’m like, sure. Yeah, sure. I didn’t think much of that. And then they’re like, but I could feel it. But they were like, they wanted to ask something, you know? And I’m talkative, I’m very un-Swedish that way. So she’s like, oh, so you have that, you work for the Swedish team? I’m like, yeah, I do. And they’re like, yeah, you know what? We can’t wait for winter to come. We miss the biathlon weekends. We were so sad when the season was over, you know? And it’s like, they’re already starting to build up that need. They want their excitement for the next season to start. So of course that’s easy to kind of spin off on, you know, to get the vibe going during the whole year, even though it’s a very seasonal sport. Um, so I just think we got through the, the noise, you know, it’s like we got through there with a good team, a great coaches, very personal and and individual. The athletes give a lot of themselves and we’re just very likable as an organization, I think.
We Rock DM:
So
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
I’ve got another question for you, Orika,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
and I’m curious, you know, I take it for granted that you’ve got people skiing and then shooting a gun, because I’m American
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
and guns
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, of course.
We Rock DM:
are everywhere here.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
But
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
I’ve lived in other countries where guns are not very common.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
Does that aspect have- taint the sport in any way, shape or form in the Swedish culture? Do y’all have a discomfort when you see people shooting guns? I know my discomfort is growing here in America, but is that anything over there or am I just making up stories? I’m not sure.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, I think you’re making up stories in your head.
We Rock DM:
Okay.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
No, this is very just a sport thing. And for younger kids, we have the electronic
We Rock DM:
Uh-huh.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
thing. That’s very, very safe. So no, it’s not. It’s not really a big thing here. It’s very contained to the sport and it’s a lot of rules and it’s very safe. And that I think it’s, that’s why. Yeah. We’re doing a good job with that. We have a lot of education and people follow the rules. And I mean, Swedes usually follow the rules. We’re very, if we stand in line,
We Rock DM:
Uh-huh.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
if we need to stand in line, you know, we don’t pass anybody. We don’t, we keep our distance, you know, that’s just the way we are as a people. Um, so no, no. That’s not an aspect that’s ever
We Rock DM:
Well, that’s good
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
more
We Rock DM:
to hear.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
of the thing that it’s good that they have electronic things for kids, you know, of
We Rock DM:
Uh-huh.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
course.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah, I would have to
We Rock DM:
How
Tricia Ulberg:
think
We Rock DM:
do you measure
Tricia Ulberg:
that that is
We Rock DM:
your…
Tricia Ulberg:
an example
We Rock DM:
Oh,
Tricia Ulberg:
of.
We Rock DM:
go ahead.
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh, I was gonna say,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’m gonna go to bed.
Tricia Ulberg:
really, that is, it’s the shooting part is about the skill of so you’re racing really quickly and then you have to stop and focus and, right? That’s it, the focus. It’s about the focus and the skill. And it kind of reminds me of like archery
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well, the thing is,
Tricia Ulberg:
or the sport
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
of it, yeah. Used in the correct
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
The thing
Tricia Ulberg:
way,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
is, I mean,
Tricia Ulberg:
like
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
the
Tricia Ulberg:
that
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
hard thing
Tricia Ulberg:
it’s being
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
about,
Tricia Ulberg:
used in the correct way.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah. Yes. It’s just like, I mean, I am definitely not a biathlon skier yet, ever. I mean, they told me I’m going to have to try it. And of course I am. But because I like a challenge as usual. But I think also that the thing is it’s not like you just have to ski fast and hit the target because you have to learn. You have to really get to know your body because you have to lower your pulse. You need to slow down before you get into the stadium and every stadium has a different entry. Some has the downhill, some has an uphill, some is flat depending on where you are. The wind is coming from different ways. So there’s so many elements of technique. So I would say the technique part and
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
the way the mental part also, because you have a crowd that says, yeah, when you hit it and like, no, when you miss it’s like, and you have people standing next to you shooting at the same time. You have a lot of noises going on. So it’s a lot of, it’s a lot of mental preparation and you have to really focus on a lot of things in the sports. I think it’s more, it’s brain, it’s technique, it’s physique, and it’s also weather.
We Rock DM:
Hmm
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Things you can’t do anything about. It’s an outdoor sport. It might be storm, it might be foggy. My friend came in and it was no wind, but when the other guy came in next time he was gonna shoot, it was like storm. Yeah, is that fair or not fair? Well, it’s part of the game. You know, you’re supposed to know how to fix that, you know, so it’s a lot of technique things going on, I would say.
Tricia Ulberg:
or buffaloes ending up on the path, right? The ski path that happened to you a couple of times in Utah, there was a buffalo. It’s like a ski
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
It
Tricia Ulberg:
pad
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
happened.
Tricia Ulberg:
practice.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Actually,
Tricia Ulberg:
I remember
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I
Tricia Ulberg:
you
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
was,
Tricia Ulberg:
telling me about that.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I was, I was actually in a training camp in West Yellowstone. And I was, I mean, I’ve always
Tricia Ulberg:
Oh yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
been a morning person. Now when I’m old, I’m a really morning person, unfortunately. But I was out skiing first of all, and they’ve got a perfect trail. So it’s like, I was so happy. It’s like, yeah, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I get so happy. I scream in the downhills because I’m so happy. So I came down there, right? It was the perfect trail. And I saw something down there like that looks kind of dark, you know? And I came closer and I’m like, that looks like a bison. So I remember I just stopped and I turned around and I’ve never skied so fast in my whole freaking life. I’m sure the bison ran the other direction, but I have no idea, I did not stop and watch.
We Rock DM:
So Ulrika, earlier
Tricia Ulberg:
We talked
We Rock DM:
you
Tricia Ulberg:
about
We Rock DM:
mentioned
Tricia Ulberg:
that story
We Rock DM:
that
Tricia Ulberg:
for a long time.
We Rock DM:
y’all have a lot of Instagram. Are y’all using TikTok at all? Out of curiosity.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
This is very, very interesting. We just started the TikTok account
We Rock DM:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
because we saw that biathlon started to get viral on TikTok. And so we just started the account and this is one of the platforms that we are going to look into because we have a possibility here to reach a younger target group and there are a lot of things that happen. on a biathlon that’s kind of funny and cool and different. And so this is actually a platform we are going to dive into and also really see how we’re going to use it and also who is going to use it. Are we going to do it? Are we going to ask our younger, you know, biathletes to help us?
We Rock DM:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
We don’t know that. We haven’t decided that yet because we haven’t done that research yet, but we… We started an account just to claim the name,
We Rock DM:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
so we wouldn’t miss it. And so we have an account and we have seen a lot of viral things going on about biathlon right now. So it’s a very interesting platform for us.
We Rock DM:
Yeah, I think from all that you’ve told us what you’re doing over in the Instagram space, I feel like a lot of that would very easily convert into
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Transfer,
We Rock DM:
the TikTok
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah.
We Rock DM:
space as well. But
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
We Rock DM:
just to put this out there as well, YouTube shorts are competing quite well with TikTok. I’m not sure if you can hear me. And that’s
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Oh yeah?
We Rock DM:
another space. It’s like TikTok, it’s like Instagram reels, right? But they’re shorts. We’ve seen a
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
lot of success in that space too. So if you’re doing TikTok, you should probably also look into and consider YouTube shorts as a
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
place to, you know, go simultaneously, probably.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah, and from
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Thanks
Tricia Ulberg:
what I understand,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
for that tip.
Tricia Ulberg:
YouTube,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
yeah, the YouTube shorts are almost gaining more popularity than TikTok. The nice thing about YouTube is it’s owned by Google and so it also serves
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
Tricia Ulberg:
as a search engine. So when you have your captions
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
Tricia Ulberg:
in there, that can be pulled up by the search engine. So yeah, the shorts are doing really well for us and our clients right now. It’s true.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Good tip, good tip.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’ll take that
Tricia Ulberg:
yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
in our marketing days that we’re gonna have.
Tricia Ulberg:
Very cool. Ha ha. I.
We Rock DM:
So I’ve got one last question really, Ulrika.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Uh huh.
We Rock DM:
And it’s, you know, you’ve spoken a lot about training up the younger generation to turn into your future athletes, star athletes. So taking that concept and applying it to somebody, your younger self, right?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
Who was… an athlete and interested in
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
We Rock DM:
the creative space and maybe a flair for marketing as you clearly have. What advice would you give to someone looking to break into the field of sports digital marketing like you’ve done?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Ooh. say it doesn’t really have anything to do with the sport. To be honest, it
We Rock DM:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
just, I think my advice would be that go with something that makes you, you know, your body on fire. You want to have the passion for it. And I think it doesn’t matter what that is. For me, it’s sports because sports for me is so many things. It’s about the community, the fun, the training, the goal setting, achieving, failing, having fun with your friends, winning medals, of course, traveling, having something to do, get you healthy. So I seriously think that if you have an interest in something, I think you will be successful in marketing. no matter what it is, as long as you really have a passion for it. Sports is my passion and I think You know, you and I, Trisha, we are not the same. Sport is not your passion. So, but you know what I mean with having
Tricia Ulberg:
I have an appreciation.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
a passion? I think
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
if you have a passion, you’ll be good at it. You know,
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I knew after 10 years that I would gear towards sports because
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I knew I wanted to feel that void in me and combining my passion with my knowledge and my experience. So.
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I don’t know if that’s even an answer, Daniel, but…
We Rock DM:
I think it’s beautiful. Yeah, thank you.
Tricia Ulberg:
And LaRieca, I want to add on to that. So we’ve been talking about your successes and you, my goodness, you have so, you’ve had so many successes, but I have known you for a long time. And just like anybody, you’ve had your ups and downs and you had some
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
Tricia Ulberg:
jobs that maybe didn’t turn out so well. And what would your advice be? I’m thinking about this specifically for, we, you know, we teach digital marketing at the University of Texas.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
Tricia Ulberg:
And sometimes we have students that feel a little bit discouraged when they get
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
Tricia Ulberg:
with the ups and downs of their careers. So what kind of advice can
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
you give people who are trying to build a marketing career, who are experiencing the ups and downs? And how did you push through the disappointments and turn that into success, which you have done? What’s your advice?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well, to be honest with you, I think it just has, you have to realize that life is not a better process all the time. You cannot just have success, you cannot always have fun projects. That’s just not the way it is. You have to dig
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
deep, you have to work freaking hard and you can’t be lazy. And you cannot expect life to be pretty all the time. I mean, I have worked. a lot of things that has not been fun, trust me. But I’ve always done my best because at that moment, that project needed to be done at the best possible way. So I always given my clients the best they deserve, the best goals they have, as best as I could. So I think it’s very important. I think it’s also a little, I don’t know if it’s a little bit of a younger generation. They I think sometimes I think that life is supposed to be happy and perky all the time. And if it’s not, I’m going to quit my job and I’m going to get a new one. Well guess what? Your next job is also going to have boring projects and things that are not fun. And I mean, it’s just the way it is, you know, just
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
me sitting here. This was not an easy road for me. I had a freaking goal I set and I’ve been working hard. It’s like my training, you know. I had a goal
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
and I was supposed to be an Olympic skier and my kneecap broke, so that didn’t happen. Okay, well, what do I do instead? Okay, I can turn it this way. You have to turn another stone and find something else. So I think you just have to work really, really hard and prepare yourself that it’s not gonna be fun all the time, but you have to do the best you can. You know,
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
that’s just
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
life,
Tricia Ulberg:
It is.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to be
Tricia Ulberg:
And Ulrika,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
honest.
Tricia Ulberg:
I love that you mentioned the broken knee cap. I remember when this happened, it happened in college and I was helping
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
Tricia Ulberg:
Ulrika get around to our classes because she was in a cast. And you feeling like your Olympic dreams had just gone down the tubes. I remember you feeling like this.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
It was gone.
Tricia Ulberg:
It was
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
It was
Tricia Ulberg:
gone.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
broken.
Tricia Ulberg:
And I remember how devastating that was for you. And so when you ended up getting this job, where you are going to be helping the Swedish Biathlon Federation and helping, you know, working with the athletes and you are going to the Olympics. You are literally gonna be traveling with the Olympic team. I literally cried. I am just so proud of you and so happy for you. And I do, I wanna add that I feel like one of the most important things as far as having the motivation to continue on and, and you know, how to how to rise above those challenges that we all experienced in our careers is your network, right? You have
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah,
Tricia Ulberg:
always done
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
that for me. You and I have
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
always done that for each other. We’re always
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
Tricia Ulberg:
pushing each other and saying, well, that didn’t work out. Let’s try this. And you
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
know, that’s so important, your network.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And I think also that’s also a part of being creative. I mean, okay, this didn’t work out. How can I make something else work? I think
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
it’s most important thing is to not, I mean, you have to be sad and devastated for a while because it’s a sorrow, it’s a loss. It was a goal I had and it made me devastated. I mean, I still to this day cry sometimes, but when I worked at the Olympics 2002 and my friend raced there and I didn’t. I could borrow the bib to ski the course with her because I was working there, but I cried
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
the whole freaking way around because I wanted to race there. But
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I got to work there instead, I got to do other things, you know? So sometimes you just have to reset your goals and be proud of that. Be sad for a while and go on with your life. I mean, this will happen again and again and again. And I think that’s just… I mean, you know me, Trisha, you know how to my ups and downs with illness
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
and
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
everything, you know, but it’s just I think, being the person I am today, I just never give up because I love life too much. And I don’t want to have a boring life. I want to have a life that gives me something. I want to be inspired. And if I’m not inspired, I will make sure I get inspired. will never ever sit and wait for something to happen to me. I mean, sometimes I get this question, well, so many good things has happened to you. And I’m like, nothing has ever happened to me. Trust me, nothing has ever happened to me. I’ve gone after it, I worked for it, and I got it. But nothing
Tricia Ulberg:
Absolutely.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
has ever happened to me.
Tricia Ulberg:
And I can verify that. Again, Larika is one of the most ambitious people I know, and she hasn’t let the bumps in life get her down. You’ve been very inspirational to me in that way, my friend. And your friendship has been one of those friendships in my life that has really kind of elevated me in so many ways, both just. in life and in my career and going back to making sure that you are surrounded by supportive people that’s really important and making sure you’re around people who lift you up right lift you up and help
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
Tricia Ulberg:
encourage you and want to see you succeed is so important and that’s what you have always done for me.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Thanks.
We Rock DM:
Well, I feel like, you know, something that you said about, you have to feel sad. You know, a lot of us, especially in America, we try to say, oh, just brush it off, shake it off, you know, forget about it, it’s okay.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I know.
We Rock DM:
And I feel like that’s not giving the space that that sadness deserves.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
We have to… We don’t want to lean too deep into it because then we can get lost. But I do think that
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
it’s like you said, we owe it to ourselves to feel those feelings so that
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
we can appreciate the other side of those feelings when we eventually do get there.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Exactly.
We Rock DM:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yes.
We Rock DM:
You are, you’re very inspiring, Ulrika. You’ve
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well,
We Rock DM:
inspired
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
thank you.
We Rock DM:
me today saying, you know, you want to be inspired. I’m you don’t want to lead a boring life. I’m sitting here thinking, am I leading a boring life? I’m questioning myself
Tricia Ulberg:
No,
We Rock DM:
right now.
Tricia Ulberg:
you’re
We Rock DM:
And
Tricia Ulberg:
not.
We Rock DM:
I and I appreciate that. I appreciate that because we do need to continually, I think, ask ourselves those questions. Am I am I happy?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
Am I inspired? Am I doing? Am I doing? myself, the child that was that that dreamt all of these
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
dreams? Am I doing myself justice? Or am I letting my
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
my old self down? And I think we need to ask ourselves those questions, because they are motivators. You are clearly an incredible motivator. And I can only imagine how bittersweet it must be to go to those competitions and know what could have been. But also I’m
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
sure in the back of you is somewhere that says, maybe this could never have been, had that been.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Anyway,
We Rock DM:
Right?
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yeah.
We Rock DM:
So,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And can I add something?
We Rock DM:
yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Can I add one little thing? Um, I think another word that’s very me is brave. You have
Tricia Ulberg:
Yes.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
to be so freaking brave. I mean, I moved to America. I moved away from home to my ski high school when I was 15. We had no mobile phones. We didn’t have a computer. I I lived in a basement with an old lady and a man. I didn’t know how to cook. I didn’t know how to clean, nothing. But I did it because I wanted to be a skier. I moved to America. Tricia knows this. I had, I mean, I was a good student in high school, but I sucked at English, okay?
Tricia Ulberg:
Hahaha
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And my mom said to me when I was headhunted for the U and she was like, you can’t go. But you don’t know English. I’m like, I’ll work it out. You know? So I moved to America, not knowing anything. I was basically quiet for six months, just listening to people.
Tricia Ulberg:
except for me,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Then
Tricia Ulberg:
talking
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I started
Tricia Ulberg:
to me.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
speaking and I always been brave to say that, okay, this job is not for me, but I also always never. Another job. I’ve never left the job just to leave the job. My motto has always been, I will get a new job when I want that new job. You know, I never, I always gone to something, not from something.
We Rock DM:
Mm-hmm.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And that’s also very important, I think. And yeah, being brave, being, you know, dare to jump. I mean, just this move for me, like taking this job. I mean, I’m literally living 12 hours away from my family. He bought an apartment here. I live here part-time. Yeah, that’s scary. people think or they think I’m stupid. But it’s like, no, I know this needed to happen. And this is this is going to work because I decided it’s going to work. So I think being brave, and dare to do things and not be so darn scared of life. You know, what’s the worst thing that can happen? I don’t like it. Okay, I’ll move back home.
We Rock DM:
Sure.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I’ll sell the apartment. What’s the problem?
We Rock DM:
Yep.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah,
We Rock DM:
Now that’s great
Tricia Ulberg:
I
We Rock DM:
advice.
Tricia Ulberg:
agree.
We Rock DM:
Now, slight tangent, I studied anthropology in university. And one of the pieces of advice from a cultural anthropologist perspective was if you go live with another culture in order to best learn their language, stay silent for six months.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, that’s
We Rock DM:
That’s
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
what
We Rock DM:
what
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I did.
We Rock DM:
they told us
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
I was
We Rock DM:
to do
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
quiet.
We Rock DM:
is just listen, just listen, learn the sounds, learn everything. And then when you start,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Mm-hmm.
We Rock DM:
it’ll all just kind of come together. So that’s pretty incredible.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
That’s
We Rock DM:
You did that
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
exactly how
We Rock DM:
intuitively.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
it worked. Yep.
We Rock DM:
That’s amazing.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
I do think you have to be brave. And I too, I took a job. teaching sailing and surfing in Hawaii and I’m from Texas. What do I know about any of those things? And
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
I learned them when I got there, you know? But you have to be brave. Some might call it stupid.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
We Rock DM:
There is that. And that’s okay too.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah!
Tricia Ulberg:
Ha ha!
We Rock DM:
But
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah, that’s totally okay!
We Rock DM:
you
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Trust
We Rock DM:
have,
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
me, it’s
We Rock DM:
yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
totally okay!
We Rock DM:
If you’re not willing to jump and do the thing. then you’re just gonna have to watch everyone else do those things. And
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah,
We Rock DM:
that’s not the life.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
So I think I also think.
Tricia Ulberg:
same thing happened. I was gonna say, Rekha, remember when I moved to Seattle, that was a big thing
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yeah.
Tricia Ulberg:
for me. I moved, I didn’t know anybody. And I knew after I graduated that I would have a better chance of getting a good design job in Seattle because there were just more companies there. And it was where the whole tech industry was exploding. So yeah, I moved to Seattle by myself. I knew one person. And it was really scary, but Rekha really was supportive through that whole time.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
But the thing is you have to put in the work and you have to dare to do things. Nobody’s going to do it for you.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yeah.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
And that’s just the way it is, you know. So,
We Rock DM:
You have to put
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
yep.
We Rock DM:
in the work, you have to dare to do things. It’s beautiful.
Tricia Ulberg:
Yep.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Yep.
We Rock DM:
Well, with that, I’m going to go ahead and wrap this podcast up, Ulrika, but it has been an absolute genuine pleasure. I can’t believe I got to speak to the communications director of the Swedish Biathlon Federation. I mean, what just happened? It’s amazing. Thank you so much for joining us. I really, really
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Well,
We Rock DM:
am
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
thank you.
We Rock DM:
honored.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
This was really, really fun.
Tricia Ulberg:
Thank you, Rika. It’s been so fun
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Thank
Tricia Ulberg:
having you
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
you.
Tricia Ulberg:
on our show.
Ulrika Smith Svenstedt:
Thanks for having me.