There’s no better day to reflect on what female empowerment means than today, International Women’s Day. So, of course, that’s just what Lindsey Vonn did. She took to Instagram earlier today to share a clip explaining just what the occasion means to her—and the biggest female inspiration in her life.

According to the former professional alpine skier, female empowerment “has a lot to do with education and showing women what they can do in their lives by example,” she explained in the reel.

Vonn didn’t just learn that through her own experience—though we have no doubt that was part of it. She learned it from her mom, who died from ALS in August 2022. “My mother I think was the perfect example to me of what could be possible with a positive mindset and the right attitude,” Vonn said of the way that her mom inspired her. Given the athlete’s success, we have no doubt that her mom really was a powerful and formative force for her.

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She doesn’t want that influence to end with her, either. “What I hope for the future is that we all continue to pass it down to the next generation of inspiring young women, empower them, show them what it means to be strong,” she said in the video.

Vonn is doing just that through her namesake foundation. The Lindsey Vonn Foundation is dedicated to “empowering underserved girls through camps, scholarships, and life-changing experiences,” according to the website. Through it, the Olympian hopes to pay her own experience and mentorship forward—and we have no doubt she will.

If you’re like us, you’re currently bundled up in your best cold-weather gear, reminiscing on hot summer afternoons. If you’re like Lindsey Vonn, you might just still be living those hot afternoons. The former professional alpine skier hasn’t let go of the summer just yet because, well, she hasn’t had to.

While the athlete is seemingly always on the go and never in one spot for an extended period, she has been spending a significant amount of time in recent weeks in Florida. This past weekend, she took to the water in Miami for an afternoon of wakesurfing, proving—as she wrote in a TikTok caption from the excursion—that “winter is coming… but not to Florida.”

In a short clip that the 39-year-old shared to her Instagram from the adventurous activity, she donned a pale yellow bikini and matching surf shirt, which she wore underneath her classic Red Bull-branded life jacket.

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“I was feeling pretty sweet until I swallowed a gallon of sea water 🤦🏼‍♀️😂🏄‍♀️,” she captioned the post, in which she displayed her skill surfing the boat’s wake—and her unfortunate face plant at the end.

Though she fell, Vonn’s attempt was still impressive. Even her wipeout—like all other outdoor activities she tries—proved the ease with which she takes on new sports.

“But you went down gracefully!” one follower noted of the fall.

“Beats crashing at 60 mph on ice, right?” another quipped of her professional skiing days.

Despite the end, Vonn looked impressive out there. And while we’re a little envious of her skills, we might be more jealous of the continued warm weather in Miami.