Some of the moments that shape us most do not feel meaningful while we are living through them.
In this episode of When the Cleats Come Off, Ashley welcomes back Olympian and two-time National Champion Aubree Munro Watson to talk about her new book, Born Ready: Making the Most of the Moments That Mark Our Lives. Aubree opens up about the experiences that shaped not only her softball career, but also the person she became along the way.
From being the quiet one and hearing “no” from coaches she deeply respected to heartbreak, tested faith, national championships, and eventually representing Team USA on the Olympic stage, Aubree shares the moments she now recognizes as her own “Born Ready moments.” Her message is a powerful reminder that even the experiences that disappoint, challenge, or redirect us can be preparing us for something ahead.
Recognizing the Moments That Shape Us
At the heart of Aubree’s book is the idea of a “Born Ready moment” — those experiences you can look back on and recognize as turning points in your life.
Sometimes they are obvious celebrations. Other times, they are disappointments, closed doors, difficult conversations, or seasons that make very little sense while you are living through them.
Aubree reflects on how learning to recognize those moments changed the way she understood her own journey. Instead of viewing every setback as evidence that something had gone wrong, she began to see how each experience was shaping her voice, her faith, her work ethic, and ultimately her purpose.
Learning to Find Her Voice
Aubree talks honestly about being the quiet one and what it took to grow into someone willing to trust and use her own voice.
That evolution did not happen all at once. It was built through moments that required her to become more confident in who she was, what she believed, and what she could contribute.
For athletes who may not see themselves as the loudest or most naturally outspoken person in the room, Aubree’s story is an important reminder that leadership does not require becoming someone else. Growth can mean learning to confidently become more of who you already are.
What Hearing “No” Can Teach You
Some of Aubree’s most important moments came from hearing answers she did not want.
She reflects on what it felt like to hear “no” from coaches she respected and how those disappointments challenged her to decide what she would do next. Rather than allowing rejection to become the end of the story, those moments became opportunities to grow, redirect, and continue preparing.
That perspective is especially relevant for athletes navigating recruiting, playing time, roster decisions, injuries, or any other experience where the path they imagined suddenly changes.
Sometimes a closed door is not proof that you were not ready. It may be part of what gets you ready.
Heartbreak, Faith, and the Harder Parts of the Story
Born Ready is not simply a story about championships and Olympic dreams coming true.
Aubree also shares the harder seasons that tested her faith, confidence, and sense of direction. On her book site, she describes some of those periods as being marked by insecurity, inadequacy, and brokenness — experiences she can now see played an important role in shaping her.
That vulnerability gives this conversation depth beyond softball. It is about learning how to keep moving when life does not unfold according to plan and trusting that difficult chapters can still hold purpose.
From National Championships to the Olympic Stage
Of course, Aubree’s journey also includes some extraordinary mountaintop moments.
At Florida, she helped the Gators win back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2014 and 2015, earning WCWS All-Tournament Team honors during both championship runs. She later fulfilled a childhood dream by representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympics, where Team USA earned the silver medal.
Yet one of the most meaningful parts of this conversation is the way Aubree connects those achievements to everything that happened before them.
The championships and Olympic stage did not exist separately from the disappointment, uncertainty, or growth. All of those moments were part of the same journey.
Making the Most of the Moment You Are In
Aubree’s message is not that every difficult experience will eventually lead to a championship or Olympic medal.
It is that every season gives us an opportunity to become something.
Her “Born Ready” philosophy encourages athletes and anyone navigating change to pay attention to the moments shaping them now rather than waiting until hindsight makes their purpose obvious. The wins matter. The losses matter. The doors that open matter — and sometimes the ones that close matter just as much.
That perspective makes this episode especially powerful for anyone currently sitting in a chapter they do not yet understand.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- What Aubree means by a “Born Ready moment”
Recognizing the experiences that shape your direction, identity, and purpose. - How being the quiet one shaped Aubree’s journey
Learning to find her voice without becoming someone she was not. - What she learned from hearing “no”
Responding to rejection and disappointment without allowing it to define what comes next. - How heartbreak and tested faith shaped her perspective
Finding meaning even in seasons that felt difficult or uncertain. - How the hard moments connected to the biggest ones
From setbacks and growth to national championships and the Olympic stage. - Why your current chapter may be preparing you for something ahead
Learning to see growth even before you understand where it is leading.
About
Aubree Munro Watson
Aubree Munro Watson is an Olympian, two-time NCAA National Champion, author, speaker, and former Team USA catcher. During her collegiate career at the University of Florida, she helped the Gators capture consecutive national championships in 2014 and 2015 and earned WCWS All-Tournament Team honors during both title runs. She later became a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, winning two World Championship gold medals and an Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Games.
Her new book, Born Ready, shares the defining moments behind those accomplishments — including the difficult ones — and explores how experiences of rejection, uncertainty, faith, triumph, and loss helped shape her life and purpose. Aubree now uses the Born Ready philosophy to encourage athletes and leaders to work hard, embrace the moments in front of them, and recognize the ways their stories are still being written.
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Follow Aubree:
- Instagram: @aubree1munro
