Near the end of her speech, Alfonsi shared advice her father used to give her before every track meet: 'Make sure you tie your laces, Einstein. And then — ignore the competition and just run your race.' She had carried that philosophy through her entire career in television news, an industry notorious for backstabbing and office politics. She described colleagues who would scream at you, say things behind your back, or 'literally try to throw their stiletto heel in your lane and trip you.' The solution wasn't to fight back — it was to refuse to engage. Don't worry about what others are doing. Don't participate in gossip or office politics. Just run your race. It was advice both simple and extraordinarily difficult to follow in a competitive industry.