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Beneath the Surface
Australians know Libby Trickett as one of our golden girls of swimming. Winner of multiple Olympic gold medals and setter of world records, Libby wasn't just a champion, she was Australia's girl next door, the humble superstar from suburban Brisbane with the infectious grin and sunny nature.
Yet what we saw on the surface - the confidence, competitiveness and warmth that were her hallmarks - belied the very private battles she fought in her own head. Beneath the incredible achievements and that trademark smile, Libby suffered from crippling depression.
During her swimming career she managed to keep her demons more or less at bay, but when an injury forced her to retire in 2013 Libby was suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar world. With few, if any, qualifications to handle it, her self-doubts began to overwhelm her. The birth of her first baby added further complications to her fragile mental health, and she suffered intense postnatal depression. When she finally recognised the depression for what it was, and sought help for it, it was a major turning point in her life.
Libby's memoir is an extraordinarily candid, revealing and inspiring account of both her public life as one of our greatest swimming champions, and her struggle to overcome her mental health challenges.
Yet what we saw on the surface - the confidence, competitiveness and warmth that were her hallmarks - belied the very private battles she fought in her own head. Beneath the incredible achievements and that trademark smile, Libby suffered from crippling depression.
During her swimming career she managed to keep her demons more or less at bay, but when an injury forced her to retire in 2013 Libby was suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar world. With few, if any, qualifications to handle it, her self-doubts began to overwhelm her. The birth of her first baby added further complications to her fragile mental health, and she suffered intense postnatal depression. When she finally recognised the depression for what it was, and sought help for it, it was a major turning point in her life.
Libby's memoir is an extraordinarily candid, revealing and inspiring account of both her public life as one of our greatest swimming champions, and her struggle to overcome her mental health challenges.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2019
14 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 10, 2020
Libby’s memoir is an extremely real and raw story. I’m glad she didn’t hold anything back in talking about her experiences because sometimes this is just what people need to hear. I know I certainly did! Her message is totally relatable too and something I will endeavour to take on in my own personal experiences. It’s an easy and enjoyable read!
November 3, 2019
Powerful memoir letting us into our tough being a professional athlete actually is when really Libby is human and her discussions about mental health are empowering to those of us who also struggle with this illness. I loved how it was written splitting the recent history and further history to tell the story. And the little quotes before each section were a lovely addition. For me the passage that hit me the most and resonated with me was “...I know now that being a mother doesn’t mean I have to be perfect. All I can do is try my best, be kind to myself, be honest and, most importantly, ask for help when I need it.” This is an ethos all mums should live by.
January 19, 2020
I have just finished reading Libby Trickett’s memoir “Beneath the Service”. A great read which gives a real insight into what life is life as a high performance elite athlete and the struggles, challenges and triumphs in life in and out of the pool.
“No one is what they seem on the surface. Life is long and complicated, full of ups and downs, it’s almost impossible to understand what someone else is going through at any given time. If there is a point to all this, it’s that things don’t always feel as great as they look, and sometimes they don’t look as great as they feel, and it’s hard to know the difference unless you listen to someone’s story. It’s hard to have real empathy for someone unless you’re paying attention. For me, the most interesting stories are the ones that are hidden from sight” - Libby Trickett
“No one is what they seem on the surface. Life is long and complicated, full of ups and downs, it’s almost impossible to understand what someone else is going through at any given time. If there is a point to all this, it’s that things don’t always feel as great as they look, and sometimes they don’t look as great as they feel, and it’s hard to know the difference unless you listen to someone’s story. It’s hard to have real empathy for someone unless you’re paying attention. For me, the most interesting stories are the ones that are hidden from sight” - Libby Trickett
December 29, 2020
Loved it! Such an interesting insight into a professional athlete's career and the struggles one goes through combined with a mental illness.
April 30, 2020
I am struggling to fully review this book as I'm not entirely sure how I feel abut it. Libby was extremely thorough with talking about her struggle with depression and readers will take a lot out of that. It makes Libby very relatable. However, as a huge fan of swimming, I would have loved to have read more about her career and the things that went on behind the scenes during her time on the Australian team. I felt like I could have read more in newspaper articles at the time. The main focus of Libby's story seemed, to me, to be focused more on her life after swimming, concentrating especially on her pregnancy and after the baby was born. This was far less interesting to me. I can understand how many would be enthralled by this and take a lot from Libby's experience if the reader was also a parent. It would be so valuable for anyone suffering from post natal depression, to know that someone like Libby went through the same thing. But for me, I just wanted stories from her career. But that's just me...
July 16, 2021
Although I didn't love how she jumped forwards and backward in time in each chapter I understand why she did it.
That aside, this is a brilliant book. Incredibly well-written, brutally honest, and eye-opening. I expected a summary of her swimming career and got a deep insight into life in and out of the water. To use a very bad pun, she has far more depth than any swimming pool. Hands down one of the best sporting biographies I have ever read. I rate it alongside open by Andre Agassi.
Warning: Some pretty graphic chapters on postnatal depression.
That aside, this is a brilliant book. Incredibly well-written, brutally honest, and eye-opening. I expected a summary of her swimming career and got a deep insight into life in and out of the water. To use a very bad pun, she has far more depth than any swimming pool. Hands down one of the best sporting biographies I have ever read. I rate it alongside open by Andre Agassi.
Warning: Some pretty graphic chapters on postnatal depression.
May 10, 2020
Surprisingly interesting, even though I didn't follow the Olympic Swimmers closely and was not familiar with Libby Trickett. Good memoir as it talks about issues that may affect many women at some time, especially those with busy work lives. Balancing work and life is not easy, especially if you don't have support from those around you. Having a mental illness, like postnatal depression, makes it much harder still.
January 27, 2021
I absolutely love this book. I love how honest and candid Libby was with her thoughts from being a competitive elite swimmer to discovering herself after swimming.
I really took away a lot from this. There's a lot of powerful life lessons for both competitive swimming and to dealing with relationship, jobs and postnatal depression.
Highly recommended! First book in a while that I have binge read!
I really took away a lot from this. There's a lot of powerful life lessons for both competitive swimming and to dealing with relationship, jobs and postnatal depression.
Highly recommended! First book in a while that I have binge read!
April 11, 2025
Exceptional memoir of an all-time sprint great. Loved the pacing of the book, with chapters alternating between her swimming and post swimming life. Very very authentic, perhaps the most real swimming memoir I have read.
It’s astounding how fast women’s sprint freestyle was in the early 2000s. 53.66 in the 100 free is so fast!
I would have loved to see more of the process behind getting to the pinnacle of the sport. But overall, would highly recommend.
It’s astounding how fast women’s sprint freestyle was in the early 2000s. 53.66 in the 100 free is so fast!
I would have loved to see more of the process behind getting to the pinnacle of the sport. But overall, would highly recommend.
July 26, 2020
It’s okay, to not be okay! Such an important message in life and so strongly delivered in Libby’s memoir! A great read, athletes are amazing and it’s amazing to read what they go though to get to where they want to be! Life isn’t always what you see and it takes a true champion to be able to talk about all her ups and downs! True star!
February 3, 2023
I would've liked more stories from the swimming meets and Olympics. The anecdote about trash-talking Phelps was awesome, made me laugh out loud on the train! This book could've been so much better with more of that. Surely something happened away from the pool at these events, or even on the long trips to get there and back. Give us the goss!
April 4, 2020
I really enjoyed this and got through it within a couple of days. She really got into some personal topics and didn't hold back.
April 4, 2020
Grateful that this book has been easy to read in these times.
August 25, 2020
Beneath the surface
Very inspiring and a true look into mental health and how accepting help puts you on the right track.
Great read
Very inspiring and a true look into mental health and how accepting help puts you on the right track.
Great read
December 31, 2020
Such a sobering book. You do not know what other people go through.
September 28, 2024
Libby Trickett represented Australia at three Olympic Games, winning four gold medals, in a career that established her as one of the country's greatest athletes. Yet behind her incredible achievements and that warm trademark smile, Libby suffered crippling anxiety and depression.
'Beneath the Surface' is Libby's memoir and it is extraordinary. Not only does she present an open account of her time as one of Australian swimming's most endearing figures, but she shares the very private battles she faced with mental health in a candid, raw and revealing way.
Her memoir is well-written and brutally honest. There is so much more than a summary of Trickett's swimming career; this is a deep insight into her life in and out of the water. Her journey to motherhood was both relatable and confronting.
I had the pleasure of hearing Libby Trickett speak with her sister-in-law, Georgie, and having read her memoir I had a new appreciation for her accomplishments, and thankfully I was able to marvel at her for more than her sporting prowess.
'Beneath the Surface' is Libby's memoir and it is extraordinary. Not only does she present an open account of her time as one of Australian swimming's most endearing figures, but she shares the very private battles she faced with mental health in a candid, raw and revealing way.
Her memoir is well-written and brutally honest. There is so much more than a summary of Trickett's swimming career; this is a deep insight into her life in and out of the water. Her journey to motherhood was both relatable and confronting.
I had the pleasure of hearing Libby Trickett speak with her sister-in-law, Georgie, and having read her memoir I had a new appreciation for her accomplishments, and thankfully I was able to marvel at her for more than her sporting prowess.
February 15, 2020
This book was incredible. Admittedly it took me a few chapters to get on board, but it struck me that this memoir is so raw and true that it could help so many parents out there.
Libby Trickett speaks very openly about her self doubt as a swimmer, as well as her experience with post natal depression with her first born. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars
Libby Trickett speaks very openly about her self doubt as a swimmer, as well as her experience with post natal depression with her first born. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars
June 22, 2020
This is a great book. 3 stars is a good score for
me.
My main criticism is that there is not enough detail about her early swimming career. In a swimming biography, readers really want to know the details- how she worked her way up, what events she swam, what times she was doing in the various events as a young swimmer. More detail on training schedules, yardage, stroke development etc would be useful. Also, she says things like about taking her nutrition seriously for the first time but doesn't say a single word about what was involved.
It is as if she has been told to tone down the swimming details to make it appeal to a wider audience, but that diluted the interest for swimming fans.
I wasn't overly keen on the chronological back and forth. And massive things were only mentioned several chapters and gold medals in - like living with her brother's situation, like having asthma and scoliosis.
However, there are some really great anecdotes - I just love it when she was in the ready room, due to race Phelps in the first mixed relay races.
She's hilarious, asking him, for jokes, if he's gonna bring it??? etc but he's just blanks her!!! Very interesting account of London 2012 being a real low point for the Australian swimming team.
Very good on conveying the swimmer's mindset- the single mindedness, the focus, the determination, the physical endurance every day, the need to win (and the consequent inability to gain much satisfaction from it) the tip over into depression...
LT also has a fault line that most others don't- the people pleasing, and a terribly critical internal voice that tells her she's a worthless loser if something tiny doesn't go to plan.
Excellent achingly raw honest account of sleep deprivation and post natal depression.
Excellent understanding why her coach's decision to allow her rival to join the team was so painful- because Stephan was like a father figure and it felt like her father rejecting her
me.
My main criticism is that there is not enough detail about her early swimming career. In a swimming biography, readers really want to know the details- how she worked her way up, what events she swam, what times she was doing in the various events as a young swimmer. More detail on training schedules, yardage, stroke development etc would be useful. Also, she says things like about taking her nutrition seriously for the first time but doesn't say a single word about what was involved.
It is as if she has been told to tone down the swimming details to make it appeal to a wider audience, but that diluted the interest for swimming fans.
I wasn't overly keen on the chronological back and forth. And massive things were only mentioned several chapters and gold medals in - like living with her brother's situation, like having asthma and scoliosis.
However, there are some really great anecdotes - I just love it when she was in the ready room, due to race Phelps in the first mixed relay races.
She's hilarious, asking him, for jokes, if he's gonna bring it??? etc but he's just blanks her!!! Very interesting account of London 2012 being a real low point for the Australian swimming team.
Very good on conveying the swimmer's mindset- the single mindedness, the focus, the determination, the physical endurance every day, the need to win (and the consequent inability to gain much satisfaction from it) the tip over into depression...
LT also has a fault line that most others don't- the people pleasing, and a terribly critical internal voice that tells her she's a worthless loser if something tiny doesn't go to plan.
Excellent achingly raw honest account of sleep deprivation and post natal depression.
Excellent understanding why her coach's decision to allow her rival to join the team was so painful- because Stephan was like a father figure and it felt like her father rejecting her
January 3, 2020
This would have to be one of the easiest books I have ever read. I don’t think I have finished a book so quickly.
Libby is very honest about her experiences and struggles as an elite athlete. The amount of dedication and hard work she put into her swimming career is truly amazing and she achieved so much, yet she was so hard on herself which is something she realises later on.
She is very open about her struggles with mental illness and motherhood. I loved the honestly in this book and it showed to me how we as the public put athletes on a pedestal, however at the end of the day they are just human like the rest of us. An enjoyable read.
Libby is very honest about her experiences and struggles as an elite athlete. The amount of dedication and hard work she put into her swimming career is truly amazing and she achieved so much, yet she was so hard on herself which is something she realises later on.
She is very open about her struggles with mental illness and motherhood. I loved the honestly in this book and it showed to me how we as the public put athletes on a pedestal, however at the end of the day they are just human like the rest of us. An enjoyable read.
January 1, 2020
This book was honest, raw and inspiring. It really is a reminder that while on the surface everything may appear to be perfectly fine, but underneath you can really be crumbling and right on the brink of giving up.
January 1, 2020
This book was honest, raw and inspiring. It really is a reminder that while on the surface everything may appear to be perfectly fine, but underneath you can really be crumbling and right on the brink of giving up
October 19, 2019
raw, captivating, emotional and inspiring.
November 6, 2019
Story of a Champion
This gives all the b & g of being s champion .... the ups and the downs. This is a story of a gutsy lady and a Aussie Champion
This gives all the b & g of being s champion .... the ups and the downs. This is a story of a gutsy lady and a Aussie Champion
November 11, 2019
I appreciated the honesty and rawness of Libby's memoir.
December 13, 2019
Honest, raw and open. A beautiful read
February 7, 2020
The not often heard side of elite sports people. Sweetly told story with some profound insights in what it means to be on top of your game and the sacrifices made along he way.
August 18, 2020
A beautiful, honest memoir. Libby Tricket is an amazing lady and I felt it was generous of her to share her story. I would have loved a little more insight into the swimming world.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews