Four-time Olympian Donna Fraser is the next guest on the The Game Changers podcast.

Fraser competed in the 400 metres, earning multiple medals at World and European Championships. She also represented Britain at four Olympics – Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

She now specialises in equality, diversity and inclusion in sport, and was recently appointed the first director in that area for the Professional Cricketers' Association.

Fraser began by explaining how she first took up athletics, joking that she started running “from the minute I was born”.

“My parents say to me, it was really difficult to keep me still,” she laughed. “The minute I could walk, I ran everywhere.

“My primary school was just amazing. I went to an all girls primary school, which is extremely rare now, and had amazing female role models to look up to. All of the teachers were female, so I didn't know anything different. I was always surrounded by strong women.

“My primary school teacher recognised the talent in me… I was tackled by Croydon Harriers to come down and join. It wasn't something my parents wanted me to do as a career as such, it was just a hobby then. But I joined the club and the rest is history.”

TURKU, FINLAND - AUGUST 3: Donna Fraser, 400m runner, poses during the Norwich Union GB Training Camp, on August 3, 2005 in Turku, Finland. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Fraser’s first Olympic Games was Atlanta 1996, aged 23. She revealed how she was “in awe of everything”, particularly being on the British team with stars such as Linford Christie, Colin Jackson and Sally Gunnell.

“I was overwhelmed by it all,” she said. “But I just embraced it and enjoyed the experience.

“Of course, back then, it was four rounds of the 400 metres, and I only got to the second round. But I did leave with a personal best, so I'd given it my best shot.

“The whole atmosphere and the dining room, the free McDonald's, which everyone always talks about, it was just a fantasy. It was just amazing. I loved every minute.”

Fraser may have enjoyed her first experience of the Olympics, but she was forced to choose between her full-time job in the tourism industry and preparing for the Games.

Donna Fraser of Great Britain carries the baton during the Women's 4 x 400 metres relay event on 2nd August 1996 during the XXVI Summer Olympic Games at the Centennial Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. (Photo by Stu Forster/Allsport/Getty Images)

“Leading up to Atlanta, I wanted to go part-time with my employer, but it wasn't a done thing then,” she explained. “So I had to make the choice of whether to leave, and just try and focus on my athletics to get to the Games.

“I opted for the latter, and I was devastated because I loved the tourism sector. It was really great fun, especially because I was working for a tourist board that my parents are from – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. So I had that little personal connection with the job.

“I didn't have any funds, only my savings to get me through. It was pretty tough knowing that I couldn't go shopping and had to really count my pennies. But at the same time I knew what my focus was – to get to the Games. So when I got there, it was great.”

Next up was the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, which has become synonymous with the achievements of Aboriginal Australian star Cathy Freeman.

Fraser raced against Freeman in the 400m final, but she revealed that the pair trained together in the run-up to the Games.

25 Sep 2000: Cathy Freeman of Australia crosses the line to win gold in the Womens 400m Final at the Olympic Stadium on Day 10 of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport

“It was an eye opener. I thought I was good, but I was not, I was way off. She was miles ahead of me in every single session.

“It was a huge learning curve for me, because it's so easy to get into your comfort zone when you are in front in your own training group, and not quite pushing those boundaries.

“To be world class, you need to push those boundaries. That was the turning point for me.”

Fraser was forced to retire from athletics in 2009 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, a moment she described as a “curveball”.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 11: Athlete Donna Fraser poses for a portrait session at the Women's Sport Trust #BeAGameChanger Awards 2017 sponsored by Microsoft at the Troxy on May 11, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

She now feels strongly about spreading awareness of the illness, and has been a Breast Cancer Now ambassador for more than a decade.

“I just felt I needed to do something/ I can't have gone through this journey and not help in some shape or form," Fraser said.

“The only way I thought I could do that is get involved with a charity that was doing great work already. Then also telling my story, because cancer doesn't discriminate.

“People will have seen me as an Olympian, a fit person. It changes the narrative completely. It doesn't discriminate, anyone can be impacted.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 07: Donna Fraser, Equality, Diversity and Engagement Lead, UK Athletics during the Leaders "An Evening With..." event at Under the Bridge at Stamford Bridge on October 07, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images for Leaders)

Since her retirement, Fraser has worked in equality, diversity and inclusion in sport, holding positions with UK Athletics and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She has now moved on to the Professional Cricketers Association.

“It's about educating and having those uncomfortable conversations where needed, rather than ignoring them and sweeping them under the carpet. Because then they just come back twice as hard and bite you, where you don't want to be bitten basically.

“It’s gonna be an interesting role. I think the fact that it's the first time I can make it my own and really drive it. I've got huge support from the senior leadership and they know the will is there, which is half the battle.

“I just need to really engage with the players and understand what the issues are, what the barriers are, so I can start driving that agenda.”

This article was produced in partnership with The Game Changers podcast, which is supported by Sport England. You can listen to the full episode with Donna Fraser here.