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Ragga Ragnars
@raggaragnars
Former Olympic swimmer and actress
Introducing Ragga Ragnars
The Nomadict community is an infinite source of inspiration, also for us. We meet the most incredible visual creators and wonderful human beings. As a result, new ideas and projects emerge. We have shown you many photos from the Land of Fire and Ice, introduced you to an Icelandic musician, and today, we’d like you to get to know Ragga Ragnars, an Olympic swimmer and actress from Iceland (have you seen the TV show ‘Vikings’?), portrayed by our talented Nomadict family members Kévin Pagès and Dani Guindo.
Ragga started swimming at the age of six, and when she was eight she knew she wanted to go to the Olympics. “Waking up at 4 in the morning 4 days a week was not always fun, but I remember feeling like it was all just a part of the deal. I have always had that mindset; I can do or be anything I want. But it will take time and a lot of effort for some of those things to come about.” Ragga swam in the Olympics in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008) and became a mom in 2013. This is when she started working on her other life-long dream – becoming an actress – and headed to LA with her son to study at the New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA.
“I saw Vikings first when I was at home with my newborn son and fell in love with the world of the show. I could just see myself there, and I made it. Mental visualization and meditation are extremely important in my life. It’s such a great tool to have in your arsenal of life hacks. When I was swimming, it was a great way to calm the nerves and the body, to visualize or just give myself a break. As an actress, it also helps me memorize lines, be sharp when shooting, and calm down from a day of emotions and drama.”
Ragga’s great drive and discipline come from within: “I listen to my heart. When my heart tells me to reach some height, I follow and I smile on my way there.” It has been inspiring to speak with her about goal setting, dealing with discomfort, life lessons she’s learned as an athlete and actor, social media, and much more!
Interview
It has been fascinating to hear about your career during our virtual coffee and read about it, and we would love to delve a little deeper in this interview. To start with, we would love to know where your passion for swimming comes from. Who/what inspired you to become a swimmer? What was the drive that led you to eventually make your Olympic debut as Iceland’s youngest swimmer?
I started swimming when I was 6 years old. My parents told me and my siblings we had to pick one sport to do and one instrument to learn. I picked swimming and flute. I wanted to learn how to play guitar but having to carry my swim bag to school every day, carrying a flute seemed like a better deal than a guitar. I tried a few other sports but I loved being in the water. It felt good and I liked my coach and teammates. By the time I was 12 I was picked for the junior national team and started training up to 14 times a week. I always loved it and whenever I would get sick of swimming, my parents would support me and tell me it was okay to quit, but that I would just have to pick another sport to do. At the most, I think I skipped a couple of practices due to being sick of it. I always went back to it. It just came easily to me to train and have fun doing it. Waking up at 4 in the morning 4 days a week was not always fun, but I remember feeling like it was all just a part of the deal. My goal was to go to the Olympics and have fun doing it. If at any point I wasn’t enjoying the journey, I would sit back and rest. I would remind myself of what I loved about it all and it always gave me the energy and drive to keep going. I would never say going to the Olympics was an easy task, let alone go twice, and almost 3 times. But in my case, it never felt like it was too hard. I think it all came down to loving what I was doing.
What caught our attention during our call, is that you seem to be a person with a lot of self-discipline, which surely has helped you to reach your goals. What is the source of this self-discipline and how did you develop this? How do you enable yourself to stick to what you promised yourself and achieve the goals that you set for yourself?
I do have a lot of self-discipline and I take my own goals seriously. I also have a lot of ‘chill’ in me and whenever I feel like I have to do something for someone else, I am not nearly as competitive or disciplined. I set my own goals for myself. I think that any person who sets a goal for themselves, not for the purpose of other people or outside validation, has a much higher chance of actually achieving that goal. My goals have always been for me and for my soul’s journey. Not for applause or fame, not because someone else told me to do it and definitely not to prove anything to anyone. A lot of people seem to be doing that. They phrase: ‘If someone says you can’t do something, do it anyway’ is so wrong in my opinion. I have been told often that I can’t do something and my reply usually is “yeah, you are probably right, and we will never know because I have no desire to do that thing” while some people have that as a driving force in their life. I know people that have done amazing things, for the wrong reasons and none of those people are happy.
"My drive and my discipline comes from within me. I listen to my heart. When my heart tells me to reach some height, I follow and I smile on my way there."
Still to this day, if I swim a race at any meet, I will smile before getting up on that starting block. Whether it’s when the announcer says my name and I wave to my team up in the crowd, or just to myself as I get ready to swim. I also always write my goals down. It is a great way to keep track of small victories along the way to the goal. I have also always been very aware of my goals not being the end stop. As an Olympic athlete, having nothing to catch you after the big goal has been achieved can be quite harming. A lot of athletes fall into a pit of blues or even depression after a big goal, like the Olympics, has been achieved. 4 years have gone by with one thing in mind and once that thing is over, they don’t know what to do.
"I always have further goals, both professionally and personally to keep me going. That keeps me motivated and happy throughout my journey towards each goal."
Related to the previous questions and besides self-discipline, how would you define or explain the mindset that has allowed you to achieve extraordinary things?
In my opinion, having realistic goals and setting them from your own heart and soul is the key to success. People sometimes only see the extraordinary. The highlight. They don’t see the months and years that go into preparation, work, blood, sweat and tears. A realistic goal is something that you know you can achieve with all the effort it takes to get there. I have always had that mindset. I can do or be anything I want. But it will take time and a lot of effort for some of those things to come about. I knew at the age of 8 that I wanted to go to the Olympics. I wasn’t mad or sad when the next Olympics rolled by and I wasn’t there. I was still too young. I still needed to show up every day to practice and become better. Better than I was the day before. Even once an athlete, or anyone for that matter, has achieved greatness, we still usually just see the highlights.
"As an actor, sometimes long periods of time go by without work. Not a lot of people see that time. They just see the great work you have done and think you have it made."
But if the goals are yours, from the heart and you are fully present for the work that goes into achieving them everyday, you will achieve them. My mindset has always been focused on having fun. We have this life, this incarnation. Why not make it fun? No one has the same goals in life. There is more than enough for everyone. And my view of it is simple, if you love what you do and have fun doing it, it comes easier and faster to you.
How was your second time competing in the Olympics different from your debut? What four important lessons did you learn in the Olympics and are those still relevant in your daily life and career as an actress?
The second time I went to the Olympics was different in so many ways. I was older and wiser. I do a lot of meditating and I read a lot. I don’t like reading fiction, it bores me. I love reading books that I can learn from. I would read autobiographies by athletes and extraordinary people, I would read up on religion, meditation, diets, exercising and so on. So naturally, when I went to Beijing in 2008, being older and having read more and trained more, I was more relaxed. I had been doing Icelandic, European and World Championships for 4 more years. I was not as nervous and naive. I had more control of my own body in the pool, more control over my mind in and out of the pool and the experience was different. Both Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 were amazing to experience, in the state I was in at both games. The beauty of it all still remains very vividly in my mind and I cherish the memories always. Four important lessons from my days as a professional athlete that still carry on into my acting career are:
1. Always show up on time and be prepared
That goes without saying but I still strive to always be on time and be prepared, for myself as much as for the rest of the team or production that I am working on.
2. Have fun
Success will come more easily and when you have fun doing what you are doing, everything becomes easier. Joking around with coworkers, having friends on set, bringing music or books to read for those dead moments where all you have to do is wait, make it so much better in every way.
3. Be a supportive teammate
Even as a competitive athlete in a singles sport, I know how important it is to keep morale up for the whole team. If someone isn’t doing so well, I always like to be of some kind of help or an asset. As an actress, being there for the whole team has so many different aspects. It can be anything from showing up on time for hair/makeup/wardrobe so that the team can do the job on time, to helping out a fellow actor with lines. If I am struggling with something, it’s always amazing to see other people also showing support and giving help when I need it.
4. If something doesn’t go as planned, dust yourself off and try again
We can’t account for every detail at every time going right. But it matters how you react and recover from setbacks. If something goes wrong, the best thing to do is to keep going and not beat yourself up about it for hours, even days. I think that would be the top 4 lessons I take with me from swimming to my acting.
Now that you don’t compete at such a high level anymore, what role does exercising in general play in your life and wellbeing?
I love working out and staying in shape. Being a mom has definitely made it a bit harder to work out as much as I would like but I always find ways to stay active. I do a lot of hiking and I go to the gym and the pool regularly. I don’t put too much pressure on myself regarding working out, as much as when I was a professional athlete, but it is still a big part of my life. Being an actress is also sometimes very physical and I feel better staying in good shape so I can meet my work and my roles head on without being winded after the first take.
After the Olympics, you took an 8-week “Acting for Film” course at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Not surprising considering that you always had an interest in acting. Can you tell us a little bit about this other passion of yours and how it was to start a new chapter in your life?
After I had my son in 2013, I wanted to study acting. It was always my passion and throughout my swimming career I always had my eye on becoming an actress. That was definitely one of the reasons I never experienced post Olympic blues or any other negative emotions regarding not being an elite athlete anymore. My next goals were always lined up for me. I went to Los Angeles when my son was 1 years old and he loved being there too. We lived there for almost 3 years while I studied at the New York Film Academy in Burbank, CA and worked for a while after my studies. I started with an 8 week course to see if the school and program was a good fit for me and I liked it there. So much so that I called my brother back home in Iceland and convinced him to join me and he did. We studied for a year together and it was so much fun. He is a phenomenal actor and he has branched out into filmmaking and makes amazing films now.
"My passion for acting started when I was very young. I remember being 7 years old and already knowing I would be an actress."
I dreamed of living in California and being a TV and film actress. I even moved to California when I was 16 to go swimming, with Bill Rose, an amazing coach at the Mission Viejo Nadadores and I loved living in California. It has always been a second home to me. I have no idea where this passion comes from, it just lives deep within me and I feel like what we feel so deeply, has got to be what is meant for us. I almost feel like I don’t control any of it. If it’s fate that I am acting, then acting I shall do. I also love writing and I am very passionate about my role in life as a mother. I love being able to write and work from anywhere. I just listen to my heart and so far, it has taken me to amazing places and extraordinary heights, for myself first and foremost.
We can’t speak for others, but we think that in general, acting is something where many people experience discomfort. How did acting make you feel in the beginning and how has that changed over time? What do you think makes the difference between feeling comfortable acting and feeling uncomfortable or even embarrassed?
I never really feel discomfort while acting. When I am acting I feel alive and I feel like I can be and do anything that the character or scene requires of me. I feel like it’s very liberating actually. Discomfort is inevitable in life. If we only felt comfort at all times, there wouldn’t be much zest to life and I am sure we wouldn’t know it was comfort because without the opposite, how would we know? So whenever discomfort arrives, I like to sit with it and sometimes even try to mentally take a note of what is happening within my body. That way, if I have to do a scene or act out something that should be uncomfortable, like anger, sorrow or fear, I can more easily access the feeling within my body, because I don’t hide away from it in real life. It can sometimes be so therapeutic to be on set and be required to scream, cry or laugh uncontrollably for a scene. It can be a great form of catharsis.
Right from the beginning, you had a clear path for your acting career. You knew you wanted to be part of Vikings and decided to take the necessary steps to accomplish it. Can you share with us the background story of how you actually got into Vikings? And related to that, do you believe in the power of mental visualization and is this something you do?
I saw Vikings first when I was at home with my newborn son. I got lost in the world of the show and fell in love with it. I always knew I wanted to be an actress but up until that point, I had been told I was too tall for most things I tried out for. I am 188cm (6ft2in) and even in my days modeling, I was sometimes just sent home from set because no one seemed to realize how tall I was before booking me. So when I started watching Vikings, I could just see myself there. Mental visualization is extremely important in my life, as well as writing goals down.
"As an athlete I would visualize everything from getting up in the morning of an important race and running that day in my mind over and over. Even what I would do after my race. I used that same technique with visualizing my acting career."
It took time but I finally got in touch with people that got me in touch with other people that eventually led me to send an audition tape in and subsequently being offered to come to Ireland to do a screen test for the show. I went there with the same visualization throughout. To be Gunnhild on the show. Not long after, I was offered the part and started working a few months later. I loved it, I felt like my height was an asset and not a hindrance for the first time in my acting career and I got to be a strong warrior and a soft feminine queen as well. The role of Gunnhild was so amazing to be able to bring to life.
"I have so many good memories from working on Vikings."
How was it for you to be part of such an iconic show? What surprised you the most about that experience and what were the most important lessons you learned along the way that you actually apply to real life?
I loved and I still love being a part of the iconic show. It’s amazing to be able to watch what the whole team made so beautifully. To have been able to contribute to that is an extraordinary feeling and I am beyond grateful and humbled to be a part of it. The thing that surprised me the most about working on the show was how much of a family the whole cast and crew were. I came in late to the show, in the last couple of seasons, and I was welcomed right away. It was so much of a team effort every day and everyone was so nice. I had been on a few sets before and never felt so comfortable before and like I was part of a whole, as much as on Vikings. The most important lessons I learned along the way and apply to real life are actually the same ones as before, from my swimming career. I did learn more about myself, working on Vikings. I learned so much about my acting and how I work. I think most actors probably feel the same about each project they work on.
"We learn more about ourselves and more about our craft along the way. At least, that's how it was for me."
You mentioned in our virtual coffee that meditation has been part of your life since you were 13 years old. What role has meditation played in your career as a swimmer, now as an actress, and overall, in your daily life?
I started meditating very early in my life. I think I may have been meditating way before I was 13 but didn’t have a name to it until I was 13. I read a lot of books, and I still do, about meditation and how the mind works. I feel like in the big scheme of life, we always need to take a moment for ourselves to tap out of stress, the daily grind and anything that we are going through, good or bad. Sometimes, when things are going well for me, I go days without meditating, and sometimes when things are not going so well for me, I do the same. But I always start feeling the same after a while. Like I need to sit or lay down, and just breathe and meditate for a while. It’s such a great tool to have in your arsenal of life hacks. Meditating usually gives me joy, peace and a fresh perspective. When I was swimming, it was a great way to calm the nerves and the body, to visualize or just give myself a break. As an actress, it does the same, as well as helps me memorize lines better, be sharp when shooting and it’s a great way to come down from a day of high emotions and drama. Some people seem to look to substances to calm the mind and body after a hard, emotionally charged day at work, but my recommendation is meditation all the way. That works best for me.
"Even in my daily life, whether I am working or not, it really helps me keep calm and keep on my path."
As a public figure, besides keeping your community/followers up-to-date, do you have a higher goal you would like to achieve or a specific message you want to transmit, with your social media platforms? And related to that, how do you experience and deal with privacy as a public figure?
I still don’t feel like a public figure. I never felt like I was famous, neither when I was swimming nor when acting. I don’t usually notice when someone notices me. Sometimes people come up to me and want a picture or an autograph and I gladly give that to them, but I never feel like I am in any way a public figure. Sometimes when I go out with my friends, they will point out to me that people are noticing me so I might just have selective blindness to it or something. It helps me, I think. I walk around and I don’t think I am more or less important than anyone else. With social media, I feel the same way.
"I like engaging with my followers and I am grateful for anyone who shows me and my content appreciation."
I have noticed that my social media doesn’t give me any rush of feelings, good or bad, so I feel like it’s safe to keep doing it. I would never want to rely on “likes” or anything via social media to make me feel good, and the same goes with the occasional troll out there. It doesn’t affect me. If it did, I would probably delete my social media outlets. I would love to be able to share my wisdom with as many people as possible. I know that I don’t know everything, so I am not trying to get all my thoughts out there. I am fairly private about my personal life and I rarely show my son on my instagram for example. That is for his privacy and has nothing to do with me or my work. But I have experience with some things, mostly about healthy living and I like to share my ideas and whatever wisdom I have gathered over the years and I love doing that. I am also very much into a lot of things regarding activism and earth consciousness but I would not label myself an expert in anything regarding that so I don’t try to voice my opinions too loudly about all that. Maybe one day I will.
On the 8th of March, we celebrated International Women’s Day, a global holiday celebrated annually to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. We were wondering if you have any female role models in your life you look up to. If so, who are they and why do these women inspire you?
So many women inspire me every day. My mother, my sister, my late grandmother and all my girlfriends inspire me. Everything from being mothers to amazing children, to running businesses or being activists. I feel like being a woman in today’s society must be a bit better than before in history, and in Iceland where I live, we apparently have it better here than most other places, yet still we are nowhere near where we should be in my opinion. I hope that we can keep celebrating women everywhere and raise the ceiling in every area of life with strong and powerful women.
"I love being a woman and I am happy to do my part in this incarnation to raise the bar, raise the ceiling and raise the voices of women everywhere."
Looking now to the future, can you tell us a little bit about your future plans (or dreams) without revealing too much? 🙂 And what role do you think the photography community can play in your journey now that you are learning more about photography yourself?
I always have goals, dreams and aspirations for my future. I live in the now as much as possible but I am a dreamer and I love daydreaming about the future. I am working on a few things now and looking forward to being able to talk more about them. I love taking pictures and photographing, especially since I have the whole of Iceland as my backyard, and during the pandemic I have been lucky enough to be able to travel around Iceland and take some amazing pictures.
"I have always wanted to learn more about photography and get a better camera. It is definitely one of the things I see myself doing more of in the near future. Write more, take more photos and of course, do as much acting as fate and the drama gods allow me to."
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