In 2012 when she retired from gymnastics, Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson had no idea what would come next. She had spent her entire life focused on the sport. And yet, a decade later she has proven to be an astute entrepreneur running several successful companies. She operates an online digital content and consulting agency and has invested and advised multiple business owners. In 2022, she and her husband Andrew launched Familymade, a media network. In this keynote, Shawn shares how she transitioned to the world of business and entrepreneurship, the secret to her success and why it’s so critical to keep your values at the core of everything you do, whether in business or life.

To those looking from the outside, it seemed that Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson had it all. She was a much-revered athlete and a champion gymnast, who the world fell in love with during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. But what her fans didn’t see is that Shawn was hiding a lot of insecurity and trying to deal with the pressure of being what everyone wanted her to be and look like—which led her to an eating disorder and an addiction to Adderall. She struggled for several years until she hit her low point and decided, “I just can’t do this anymore.” Today, she is happy, healthy and a highly successful personality and entrepreneur, along with her husband Andrew. In this highly motivational talk, Shawn shares her story, from her journey to the Olympics to overcoming the obstacles she faced. She also shares how she built a new life, learned to be herself and how spending so much time working on her craft helped her become the person she is today. For anyone who has struggled, you’ll learn from Shawn how to persevere and be able to withstand the hard times on your way to happiness and success.