S he's got an Olympic gold medal, two World Figure Skating Championships, a hot pro hockey player husband, two books and a title from Dancing With the Stars. Even twenty years after bagging the gold, Kristi Yamaguchi is still on top, balancing two kids — three-year-old Emma Yoshiko and five-year-old Keara Kiyomi — and a brand new skating special airing on NBC this November. Somehow, she also finds time to be the national spokesperson for the American Lung Association's Faces of Influenza program. We caught up with the Olympic Hall of Famer by phone from her home in Raleigh, North Carolina to get the scoop on life off the ice. — Christina Couch

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How it is possible that two decades after the Olympics, you are still raking in the awards? That's pretty amazing.

[Laughs] I don't know. I've tried to keep busy since the Olympics. I toured with Stars on Ice for ten years and have tried to stay active. I feel very lucky.

Between your work in skating and your husband's [Bret Hedican of the Anaheim Ducks] career, you guys are such a powerhouse sports couple. Do your kids show an interest in sports? Do they have any idea they're from a Dream Team kind of family?

"My parents are perfect role models." I don't think so. They're still a little bit young. I think they both want to get out there and skate for fun and play with Mommy, but they've never had skating lessons yet. Who knows? My husband and I want to give them the opportunity to try other things outside the rink first and see if they go in that direction. If it's something that they choose on their own and have a passion for, I would definitely support it. We don't want to force them to do it or make them skate, but if they try it and say, "Hey, this is what I really want to do!" What can we do? Our parents really supported us and let us pursue our dreams. We're just hoping to find whatever it is that drives them and support them in that.

Do you fear that your kids will feel pressure coming from two parents who are both the crème de la crème of the sports world?

They're too young to tell at this point. To them we're just their parents. They don't know the difference between people who have parents who are athletes or not. They might feel the pressure when they're older and they start to understand a little bit more about the family they have, but I'm hoping that we can give them enough confidence so that by then they can make their own decisions.

How do you and your husband do it in terms of schedule? You both have such active lives outside of your home.

It's tough. We're lucky that we have very supportive families. Both grandmas are ready to come in and help us whenever we need it. My husband is actually retiring this year too. It hasn't officially been announced, but he's retiring and I'm looking forward to having him around a lot more this year. It's hard. You do have to juggle things around a little bit. I try not to travel unless I really have to. Typically I'm only gone one or two nights at a time and if it's more than that, I make sure they're with family. If they're not with Bret, then they're with my mom or the other grandma just so [the kids] have a little bit of consistency. Somehow, it works out.

Having family nearby has to help.

For sure. My parents are perfect role models. How they raised my brother and sister and I was incredible. I think they went above and beyond. Hopefully I can do half the things that they do.