Passion Richardson waited anxiously, sitting in the middle of a sea of red, white and blue. She listened to the faint chants of thousands of people calling out their country's names until it was her turn. Close to 600 Americans now stood around her, making their way into the stadium. The chants grew louder, and Passion heard it.

"U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!"

Passion had made her lifelong goal a reality. She was competing in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, representing the United States on the women's 4x100 meter relay team. 24 years later, she is finding a new way to utilize the lessons and skills she acquired during her Olympic training to fuel her career at Cintas.

Passion Richardson, an HR Manager for the Cintas location in Lexington, Kentucky, helps support the organization through employee-partner engagement, recruiting and ensuring partners have what they need to succeed. But before she joined Cintas, Passion sprinted to success as a track star, leaving a trail of records behind her and learning valuable life lessons along the way.

She first discovered her talent for running when she was just 10 years old. Passion was participating in an AAU track meet but when she showed up to the race, nobody in her age range had signed up. So, her father signed her up for the 100 and 200-meter races against the 13 and 14-year-olds.

Despite being much younger, Passion won both competitions and proceeded not to lose a race until she was a sophomore in high school.
Passion recalls how it felt to experience that first loss and how the moment changed everything for her to this day.

"My parents would remind me that there will always be someone better, someone who was training harder, and until that point, I wasn't really training and had been winning on raw talent," said Passion. "I realized after that loss that I needed to do more if I wanted to succeed."

This was the beginning of developing skills and characteristics that helped Passion achieve her goals and reach the highest levels–the same efforts she applies to her role at Cintas. When speaking about failure, she says if you want to grow in your career, you can't be afraid to fall short sometimes.

"Don't be afraid to fail," said Passion. "You learn a lot from your failures. Without failure, you can't understand what it's like to struggle. Whether it's running track, growing your career or life in general, the road won't always be easy. There will be rough patches, but it's how you navigate these situations that matter."

Being willing to fail takes courage, as does being willing to try something new.

Passion was willing to try new things, like going to the University of Kentucky, which, at the time, was not well known for its sprint program. She took a leap of faith when she went to Kansas to train for the Olympics with a coach she hardly knew. She did it again when she joined Cintas after spending 20 years working in academics. All the new risks she has taken have led to positive outcomes.

"These instances taught me not to be afraid to try new things because you don't know where your opportunities may lie," said Passion. "I would have never accomplished the things I did or ended up at Cintas if I wasn't willing to take these chances."

Setting and accomplishing goals and devoting yourself to the task at hand were important for Passion when she trained to run and were crucial not only for her goal to make the Olympic team but for the moments just before the race.

Passion remembers the feeling of her heart beating through her chest moments before the preliminary race at the Olympics. The stadium was packed with nearly 110,000 people, and the eyes of the world were watching, but as soon as she heard the crack of the starting gun, it was only her and the track that lay ahead.

"Once that gun went off, I knew I needed to accomplish the task at hand and finish what I was there to do," said Passion.

Passion understood this characteristic would be necessary when taking on a new profession at Cintas. She set a goal to be a high performer, knowing it would help her succeed and progress in her role.

"There are many parallels between being an athlete and having a work career," said Passion. "Both require a lot of time management, discipline and persistence because there will be times when you fail or don't win, and you'll need that burning desire to win to overcome your obstacle.

"Winning can look different to each person. Most people consider being number one in a race or tournament the winner, but for me, winning was making the Olympic team because that was the goal I set for myself, and now I do the same in my role at Cintas."

Passion helped the relay team place in both the preliminary and semifinal races and ultimately win a bronze medal. All the years of training, discipline, sacrifice and courage helped lead to this moment.

She says none of this would have been possible without understanding the power of support. Aligning yourself with others who will help you achieve your goals is crucial for any type of success.

"I wouldn't have achieved anything I did without the people around me," said Passion. "My coaches, parents, family and friends, agent, chiropractor, massage therapist— you need great people around you to support you."

She has felt this same support through the work culture at Cintas, noting how the employee-partners have helped make her transition seamless.

"The employee-partners have made me feel welcomed, and wanted to help me in any way I could to be successful," said Passion.

The skills and characteristics that helped Passion achieve her goal of reaching the Olympics have now opened new opportunities for her at Cintas. From Olympian to employee-partner, Passion is helping Cintas on the track to success.