Life is your responsibility: As a young kart racer, she insisted her father adjust her cart even though he said it was fine.
During the race, she spun out and tried to blamed her dad. But, he calmly in "very adult" language reminded her that she made all the decisions, and the blame was all hers. "Of course, he was right," she said.
Never be too prepared: When Landauer joined the Skip Barber Racing School at age 13, she learned a hard lesson in being prepared. Shifting was more physically demanding and she got a huge blister. She didn't think she could drive the next day but was terrified to tell anyone. "But it snowed the next day!" she said.
After that she vowed to be overly prepared, and a year later at age 14, she became the first female and youngest Skip Barber Racing Series champion. Landauer maintains an extensive training regimen for racing that includes things like neck strengthening, blind-spot training and preferential sight tests.
"It's all about taking base things and adding dimension to be prepared," she said.
Landauer has raced in several series over the years, like the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (2016), and Canadian NASCAR Pinty's Series (2019). She finished fifth in the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series — EuroNASCAR 2, and most recently competed part-time in NASCAR Xfinity Series (2022).
Landauer graduated from Stanford University in 2014.
Make allies: Landauer said bringing authenticity, understanding and emphasizing common ground are important to build strong relationships. Give people the benefit of the doubt, she said.
She said she learned this lesson on season 26 of the TV show "Survivor," where she was voted "off the island" midway through the season. In hindsight, she realized she wasn't herself. She played it like a game and didn't really open up about who she was, and that is what ultimately got her voted off the island.
"Teams thrive when everyone is asked to participate," she added.
Always ask: Don't be afraid to speak up for what you want. Landauer said when she joined a new race team, she felt unprepared for the upcoming race, because she wasn't getting the feedback she wanted from her new track spotter.
She explained that she is the type of driver that likes a "chatty" spotter — she wants all of the information.
The frustrated Landauer learned the spotter was also frustrated. The spotter said his last driver hated when he talked during the race, so he was accustomed to relaying information only when asked.
In hindsight, she said the need for clear communication seems obvious, but it can be hard to do sometimes. She encouraged the crowd to be assertive when following their dreams.
It's OK to fail, she said, "don't get comfortable — being scared is part of the process."
