Dominique Dawes Speaker Biography
Three-Time Olympian, Olympic Gold Medalist, Healthy Lifestyle Advocate and Gymnastics Academy Owner
Dominique Dawes is best known for her tremendous success as an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games, winning team medals in all three Olympic Games becoming the only American gymnast to do so and has a permanent place in the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame. Fans across the nation and around the world remember her as a member of the gold medal winning “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she also won a bronze medal as she wowed the crowd with her stunning performance in the floor exercise, becoming the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal. She also earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team in the 1992 Barcelona Games and made a surprising comeback in the 2000 Sydney Games. On August 11th, 2010 the IOC awarded Dawes and her teammates from the 2000 Olympics with a team Bronze medal.
Gymnastics
Dawes’ start in gymnastics began at the age of 6. Her first and only coach, Kelli Hill quickly realized her potential, and Dawes began competing at the age of 10. She burst into the international spotlight at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she was one of the first African-American female gymnasts to compete and qualify to an Olympic Games through the Olympic trials in Baltimore, MD.
Olympian
At these Games, she and her teammates captured a bronze medal. Fans will recall that she was the gymnast that wowed the audience with her unique ‘up-and-back’ tumbling pass that consisted of 11 skills, spanning from one end of the floor to the other. “I could never hear my floor music after that tumbling pass,” Dawes recalled. “The crowd would be cheering so loud; I would just have to dance to their cheers. It was an amazing feeling.”
Medals
Throughout her career, Dawes has won more National Championship medals than any other athlete, male or female, since 1963, as well as numerous World Championship medals. One of Dawes’ greatest feats came when she swept all four events and won the All Around title at the 1994 National Championships.
Winning
“Winning my first national title was exciting,” Dawes said. “I was struggling for over a month each and every day of practice leading up to the Nationals. I couldn’t stay on the balance beam to save my life. My consistency and confidence were failing. I am not sure if it was the pressure of the sport getting to me, but whatever it was, it made it difficult to stay focused on my goals. One day after practice, Mrs. Norman, a parent of a teammate, took me aside and said the kindest words to me. She didn’t add pressure or give me advice; she showed me compassion. To this day, her words still resonate in my head and inspire me to stay focused whenever times get tough. I learned then that saying the right words, at the right time, can lift someone’s spirit. I aspire to offer those same kind words to those that I come in contact with.”
Keynote Speaker
Dawes is much more than an accomplished gymnast, though. After retiring from the sport to which she dedicated 18 years of her life, Dawes has found a new passion empowering others. She is an accomplished motivational speaker, speaking to audiences of hundreds and thousands on topics focusing on passion, leadership, teamwork, health, fitness and wellness. Dawes’ message empowers vast audiences, from corporate executives to small business owners, women’s organizations to youth service organizations, and high school to college-age students; her passion and energy is captivating and leaves a lasting effect on those she inspires.
Gymnastics Academy
Since Dawes’ first passion in life was gymnastics, she continues to educate those on the grassroots level. She hosts FUNdamentals with Dominique Dawes – one-day gymnastics clinics for competitive level gymnasts of all ages, with a focus on fundamentals, goal-setting, and mental toughness.
Golden
Dawes has teamed up with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted on the new Peacock series Golden, a docuseries about women’s gymnasts vying for a spot on the U.S. team heading to the Tokyo Olympics. The six-episode series tracks five hopefuls competing for four spots on the U.S. Olympic team.
Team Owner
Alongside a larger group of investors including Chelsea Clinton and Jenna Bush Hager, Dominique became part of the ownership group of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.
Honors
Dawes holds her degree from the University of Maryland and was inducted into UMD’s prestigious Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2023, her hometown of Montgomery County, Maryland honored her career and legacy with a life size statue to continue inspiring the next generation to follow in her footsteps.
Dominique Dawes Speaking Topics
How To Climb the Mountaintop
Dominique Dawes wows audiences with her honest, funny, and inspiring look at life as a three-time Olympic gymnast. As part of the “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Atlanta games, Dawes won gold, but also learned her greatest lesson: the pain of failure is always an opportunity for growth. After slipping in her individual floor routine and immediately falling out of contention for an All Around gold medal, Dawes was heartbroken but resolute on continuing her career and becoming a beacon of hope in a sport that strives for near-impossible standards. Years later, Dawes is committed to teaching audiences around the world that failure fuels the mind and body to achieve things they could have never imagined possible. With a unique ability to connect with audiences, Dawes shares her thoughts on the power of the mind and positive thoughts, the importance of healthy self-esteem, why teamwork means checking your ego at the door, and why every person’s contributions matter—no matter how high or low on the totem pole they may seem to be. A roller coaster look at the life of an Olympian, Dawes leaves audiences laughing, crying, and inspired to be their best.
Success is a Journey, NOT a Destination
For Dominique Dawes winning Olympic gold is so much more than medals and accolades: it’s something she worked hard to achieve everyday en route to Olympic glory. Today she shares her personal and professional philosophy with audiences across the country. Called “D-3” – Determination, Dedication, Desire – it’s what gave her the strength and confidence to handle the professional and personal challenges in her life, to persevere amidst defeat and triumph in victory. In emotionally uplifting presentations, Dawes shows audiences how to use D-3 to reformulate negative situations into positive ones and turn obstacles into victories – all while clearly demonstrating that success is a journey, not a destination.
Envision: Reaching Your Full Potential
ENVISION is Dawes' signature, most uplifting and captivating message. It is also the title of her motivational line of products. ENVISION is an acronym for the 8 principles that helped Dawes become successful in and out of the athletic arena. She crafts this speech specifically to motivate and empower the audience to envision greatness in their own lives. The core focuses are passion, plan and perseverance.
Building a Strong Foundation for Success
Building a solid foundation was one of the keys to Dawes' success. Her emphasis on a solid foundation touches on multiples areas: from healthy lifestyle choices to developing positive self-esteem where she addresses issues such as peer pressures, productive attitudes and values. The audience will walk away empowered, motivated, and, more importantly, clear on what it takes to build a strong foundation worthy of your dreams.
Got D-3?: Determination, Dedication, Desire
D-3 became Dawes' personal motto when she was an Olympic athlete in the making. Fatigue, frustration and loss of focus was common is such a perfectionist sport. D-3 kept Dawes focused on what was going to allow her to stay on the path to success. She paints a vivid picture of moments in the gymnastics arena where D-3 inspired her to persevere through setbacks and struggles, sacrifices and insecurities, en route to Olympic Gold. D-3 has become a staple in Dawes' athletic and professional accomplishments. She inspires audiences to develop their own personal motto that will help define and direct them in life too!
Women's Health & Heart Disease
Dominique Dawes has worked with the American Heart Association as the spokesperson for the Choose to Move program for years, advancing their goal of informing everyone on how to combat cardiovascular disease. In this keynote presentation, she focuses on the benefits of smart nutrition, everyday exercise, and commonsense core habits that each of us can implement to avoid the number one killer of women: cardiovascular disease.
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Dominique Dawes Speaker Testimonials
Dominique was simply outstanding!! What a dynamic and engaging speaker! She quickly connected with her audience and held them captive till the very end.
- Lee Hampton | Director of Multicultural Relations, Jackson Community College
Dominique was a great opening speaker this morning!!! I have heard so much positive feedback already as well. I hope she had a good experience as well. THANK YOU!
- Iowa Credit Union League |
We couldn’t be more pleased with Dominique’s performance. She connected with our attendees really well, both on and off stage. Nice for it to be such a success!
- Securian |
OMG!!! Everybody LOVED her!! Such great feedback!!! Please thank her!! She was so transparent and her energy was phenomenal!! We could have heard her go on for longer! There were probably 20 more questions in the queue when we finished!
- Youngliving Essential Oils |
