The right energy. Clara finds it

How does one become the only person in history to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics?

The same way one does anything, says Clara Hughes, Canadian Olympic athlete.

"I don't think I necessarily have a drive to be the best," Hughes told a crowd of admirers in the Sault last night. "I have a drive to be my best."

The long-track speed skater and cyclist candidly told about 350 people at the Water Tower Inn about her secrets to success and more.

"Don't be afraid to dream. Don't be afraid to be inspired," she said. "Always look for that inspiration. Open up your hearts and minds and you will find it."

Holding her bag of medals over her head and giving it a shake, Hughes said: "Anything is possible!"

She talked about how people seem to think that being a top-level athlete is so exciting every day, while it can actually become pretty monotonous at times.

"Especially sports like I do. I'm skating in circles or riding my bike for thousands of kilometres," she said. "It's always been a matter of finding new ways to do the same thing and finding new ways to be inspired, not just in sports but in life."

Hughes said her dream to represent Canada as a speed skater really began in 1988 when she first saw the sport on television.

But she went into cycling first.

By 2000 she had more than 100 major victories including two bronze medals in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games.

After proving herself one of the best cyclists in the world, she decided to go back to speed skating.

In the 2002 Winter Olympics, just 16 months after her last summer Olympics as a cyclist, Hughes took home a bronze medal in the 5,000-metre speed skating competition.

In the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino Hughes won speed skating gold in the 5,000 metre and silver in the team pursuit.

"I've never really thought about winning a gold medal, it's really been about my process, how I bring myself to the starting line and how I strive and fight through the pain," Hughes said. "I get a lot of satisfaction out of beating that challenge and the idea of not giving up means something to me."

She said that knowing there are so many children watching her inspires her to keep fighting through and going on instead of giving up and just waiting for the finish line to arrive.

That's what people were talking about as they left Hughes presentation to wrap up this year's Women's Leadership Conference: how inspired they were.

"The most important thing for me every day is setting the tone for my day, and for me I think about: 'okay, how am I going to have good energy today,' not just for me but for everything I'm going into," said Hughes. "I think when you have good energy you can really have an effect on people, they feel good and hopefully find energy that's good in their lives."

Hughes hasn't always managed to find good energy in her life.

She went through a period of depression for about two years after competing in her first Olympic Games.

Her physician suggested she try an antidepressant medication for a short time but Hughes decided to try some other strategies first and they worked for her.

"For me it's a lot about staying active," she said.

Even when she's not training for a major sports event she is active and she said the exercise helps to calm her mind and relax her body, just like it did when she was a child growing up in the inner city of Winnipeg.

Those parts of who she is today have inspired her to give back through two community action groups she is active in.

In 2006, Hughes donated $10,000 from her winnings when she won gold in Torino to Right to Play.

She and her husband have continued to raise money for the organization, travelling to areas the organization helps and acting as spokespersons, raising awareness and funds.

They have travelled to Ethiopia, Ghana and Rwanda.

Next, Hughes hopes to be be able to visit the Anishnabek communities of Sandy Lake and Moose Cree in Northern Ontario, the two newest areas where Right to Play has been active.

The organization plans to add two more isolated northern First Nation communities a year to its programs for three more years, Hughes said.

She has also worked with Take a Hike to send at-risk youth to an alternative education program focussing on empowering them to succeed through adventure-based learning, academics, counselling and community involvement.

On September 21, Bell Canada announced a new mental health campaign to help raise awareness of and funds to support people living with mental illness.

Hughes wanted to work with Bell on the program and has become a spokesperson for it.

"I really felt that, if I could talk openly about this and not be afraid of what people would think or what people would say after the fact, if I do this then maybe it would encourage other people to ask for help."

As part of Bell's mental health initiative, Let's Talk, the company will donate a portion of earnings from every long-distance call made and text message sent to mental health programs.

The purpose of the program is to raise awareness and erase the stigma associated with mental illness, Hughes said, and it's a great start.

"People will also be able to go to Bell Let’s Talk website and find more information about mental illness and how it relates to where we work, where we live and where we play," she said.

But there needs to be so much more word done, especially in isolated areas, Hughes said.

More services, more supports, more funding and less stigma.

After her presentation and brief interviews with media last night, Hughes signed autographs for at least 50 people who brought photos, post cards, shirts, ball caps and even a few Olympic torches for her to sign.

Person after person told her the same thing in a variety of ways.

They said she inspires them.