How Susie Wolff Took F1 Academy from Empty Tracks to Global Partnerships
Pretty Tough with Maria SharapovaShow Notes
As the Managing Director of F1 Academy, Susie Wolff is helping reshape the future of motorsport. Susie joins Maria to discuss navigating the high-stakes negotiations, the pressure of maximizing growth while F1 Racing is having its moment, and what its like holding her ground in rooms where she's often the only woman at the table.
Susie opens up about racing through injury, the power of saying no, and getting tough love from her husband, racing legend Toto Wolff.
All that and more on this episode of Pretty Tough.
Pretty Tough is produced in partnership with VOX MEDIA.
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00:00 Introduction: Resilience in Business and Sports
02:00 Defining Calculated Risks
04:55 Childhood Influence: Equal Opportunity and Drive
06:50 The Reality of Racing: Noise, Gender, and Performance
10:07 Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable
12:20 Navigating Career Setbacks and Injury
18:15 The Intuition Behind Career Pivots
21:30 Ambition, Motherhood, and Identity
24:25 The Power of Saying "No"
27:00 Life After Retirement: Self-Discovery
32:00 Challenging Perceptions: Femininity and the "Pink Car"
35:30 The Future of Women in F1
38:30 Taking the Helm at F1 Academy
43:10 The Strength in Asking for Help
46:30 Breaking Barriers in the Workplace
49:25 Working with Toto: Directness, Honesty, and Partnership
54:30 Raising a Son in the Motorsport World
57:20 What’s Next for Susie Wolff
58:15 Pretty Tough Tips: Resilience
1:01:15 Rapid Fire: Unlearning Selfishness and Finding Confidence
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