Bonnie St. John

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Bonnie St. John (born November 7, 1964) is the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Olympic competition as a ski racer. In the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Bonnie won a bronze medal in the slalom, a bronze medal in the giant slalom, and was awarded a silver medal for overall performance thereby earning her the distinction of being the second fastest woman in the world on one leg in that year.

At the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bonnie was asked to speak during opening ceremonies.^[1]

Due to a condition called pre-femoral focal disorder, Bonnie had her right leg amputated above the knee when she was only 5 years old. Despite this incredible challenge, she went on to excel as an athlete, a scholar, a mother, and a businesswoman. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in 1986, Bonnie won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where she earned her M.Litt. Degree in Economics in 1990. She worked in the White House during the Clinton administration as a Director for the National Economic Council, and is currently CEO of Courageous Spirit, Inc. Bonnie provides inspirational and motivational keynote speeches to dozens of business organizations annually, touching literally tens of thousands of lives each year with her messages of strength and courage.^[2]

Bonnie St. John has written and published three books: Succeeding Sane^[3], Getting Ahead at Work, and Money: Fall Down? Get Up!. In addition, her fourth book was released in November 2007 through Hachette Publishing entitled How Strong Women Pray.^[4]

In February 2007, Bonnie was honored at the White House by President George W. Bush as part of the celebration of Black History Month. Quoting President Bush at this prestigious event: “[Bonnie St. John] is the kind of person that you really want to be around, and the kind of person that shows that individual courage matters in life."^[5]

Bonnie was recently featured on a nationwide Starbucks beverage cup with the following quote; “I was ahead in the slalom. But in the second run, everyone fell on a dangerous spot. I was beaten by a woman that got up faster than I did. I learned that people fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster.”^[6]

NBC Nightly News selected Bonnie as "One of the five most inspiring women in America." She's also been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Montel, and the Discovery Health Channel. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and People Magazine have profiled Bonnie and noted her extraordinary achievements.

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