For much of his life, Team USA alum Grant Hochstein measured success through skating. As an elite skater turned coach alongside his wife and fellow former U.S. figure skater Caroline Zhang, the ice has shaped nearly every chapter of his life. But these days, success looks a little different.

To Hochstein, success looks like meaningful moments in everyday life that he cherishes with Zhang and their two children, Charlotte and Clara. His greatest triumphs involve raising two daughters to be the best version of themselves as he takes on one of life's most meaningful roles: fatherhood.

"It's the toughest thing you could do, but also the greatest," he said of fatherhood. "I love my wife very, very much, but when you have kids, it's a love on a different level. It's not really something you can explain until you have them."

Hochstein and Zhang will celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary this summer. Their oldest daughter, Charlotte, recently turned 5 and is graduating from preschool, while their youngest, Clara, is almost 2 years old.

Like many parents, Hochstein joked that one of fatherhood's biggest surprises is "realizing how tired you could be." But amid the exhaustion, he has found a sense of purpose that surpasses anything he experienced as an athlete.

For Hochstein, the reality of being a father didn't fully sink in until the arrival of Clara.

"When you have the first one, everything changes, of course," he said. "Your whole life changes, and everything in your life is no longer about you. But when Clara was born, it really hit me that my life is totally about other people, and my goals and wants are for all of them."

While balancing parenthood, Hochstein and Zhang continue to build their coaching careers in Southern California, teaching at East West Ice Palace. Their schedules are demanding, often beginning at 6 a.m. and requiring long hours at the rink.

The couple alternate school drop-offs and pickups, and divide responsibility for gymnastics, ballet and swim lessons. For Hochstein and Zhang, careful planning is key to making everything work.

"We've just had to learn to be patient with one another when things get busy and complicated," Hochstein said.

With a busy schedule, unfortunately, come some sacrifices. Last month, Hochstein missed Charlotte's 5th birthday party due to coaching obligations. He also had to juggle the start of their competition season with her preschool graduation. Still, he and Zhang make a concerted effort to keep family at the center of every decision.
"We try to prioritize them as much as possible because they're at this developmental age, so keeping them as the priority is important," he said.

While their day-to-day lives can become hectic, the family makes a point of spending as much time together as possible. The four spend their evenings together, catching up on each other's days and enjoying each other's company. Living in Southern California, they often go to Disneyland together and have been on several Disney cruises.

While the family vacations are important and memorable, for Hochstein, it's the daily interactions that remind him how quickly his children are growing.

"My oldest, we'll be walking somewhere, and she's just like, 'Dad, I love you,'" he said. "It's those little things."

As Charlotte and Clara develop their own personalities, interests, and friendships, Hochstein finds joy in watching them become their own people.

Fatherhood has also influenced the way Hochstein approaches coaching. As a parent, he said he's become more patient and understanding, particularly with younger skaters.

"You start to see it as more of a personal development as opposed to just the sport," he said. "You want the journey to be the important part."

The lessons he hopes to impart to Charlotte and Clara come from this perspective and his own experiences as a competitive athlete. With a dream of becoming an Olympian, Hochstein ultimately wouldn't achieve that goal. But rather than viewing it as a failure, he sees it as an important lesson in resilience.

"You might work really hard and not get your goals, and that's OK," he said. "Just because you have a goal and you don't necessarily achieve it, it doesn't mean it's a failure, and it doesn't mean you didn't accomplish something."

More than medals or accolades, Hochstein hopes his daughters learn the importance of character and the lessons of making a positive impact. Reflecting on his life today, Hochstein views skating as an important chapter, but only one chapter.

On raising his children, Hochstein said it's "so much more rewarding than anything I ever did in skating, and it's so much more meaningful.

"It really is the greatest goal in life."