Bonnie St. John
Despite having her right leg amputated at age five, Bonnie St. John became the first African-American ever to win medals in Winter Olympic competition, taking home a silver and two bronze medals in downhill skiing at the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria. In recognition of this historic achievement, Bonnie was quoted on millions of Starbucks coffee cups and was honored with her portrait in the Main Hall of Trinity College at Oxford as a distinguished alumna.
Bonnie has achieved the highest levels of success in a variety of endeavors throughout her life. In addition to her success as a Paralympic athlete, she is a bestselling author of seven books, a highly acclaimed keynote speaker and leadership expert for the Fortune 500, a television and radio personality, and an experienced conference facilitator. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University, and won the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, taking an M.Litt. in Economics. Upon her return to the United States, Bonnie served in the White House as a Director of the National Economic Council during the Clinton administration. In 2015, St. John was inducted into the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Hall of Fame.
Today, Bonnie travels the globe speaking, leading seminars, and researching her various writing projects. As CEO of the Blue Circle Leadership Institute, Bonnie leads several international virtual leadership programs including Transformational Leadership – designed to address the unique challenges of multicultural women in the workplace. Bonnie’s latest work, MICRO-RESILIENCE: Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, & Energy, outlines a quick, easy, and immediately effective program of tools and techniques for a competitive edge in today’s dynamic world of changes and challenges.
Bonnie St. John has been featured extensively in both national and international media including: The Today Show, GMA, CNN, CBS Morning News, NBC News, PBS, NPR, and The New York Times, as well as People, “O”, Forbes, Success, and Essence magazines, to name just a few.
NBC Nightly News called Bonnie, "One of the five most inspiring women in America."