Inspired Event 2017: Bonnie St. John

Chrysalis is excited to feature Bonnie St. John, Paralympic Medalist, Economist, and Best-Selling Author as the 2017 Inspired Event keynote speaker

THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF MICRO-RESILIENCE

Bonnie St. John was the first African-American to win medals in the Winter Paralympic Games.  Remarkably, she once described herself as “a fragile, handicapped girl sitting by a window,” lost in books to escape the bullying cries of “wooden leg.”

Losing her right leg at age 5 to a congenital anomaly, St. John took the challenge of downhill skiing when friends “kept picking me up and dusting me off and sending me down the mountain again.”  Her strong-minded mother resisted others’ efforts to treat her differently, St. John notes, saying “no excuses!”

After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University, St. John won a Rhodes scholarship to Trinity College in Oxford, England, where she earned a degree in economics.  She served in the Clinton White House as a Director for the National Economic Council, and was honored by President George W. Bush for her achievements.

Internationally recognized speaker and leadership consultant, St. John’s client list includes Target, Disney, FedEx, DuPont, Wells Fargo, Sony Pictures, Verizon, and GlaxoSmithKline.  Her most recent book,  Micro-Resilience: Minor Shirts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive and Energy (2017), is the 7^th in her best-selling series including How Great Women Lead, and Live Your Joy.

As CEO of the Blue Circle Leadership Institute, Bonnie St. John leads numerous international virtual leadership programs including Transformational Leadership, designed to expand the talent pipeline by advancing the unique and particular experiences of multicultural women.