Olympic Medalist Shawn Johnson East On Perfectionism, Success, And The Parenting Question That Keeps Her Up At Night

Shawn Johnson East was a perfectionist before she met her husband and became a mom.

Photo credit: Jessica Steddom

• Shawn Johnson East won gymnastics gold at the 2008 Olympics.
• Now she's a mom of three, with the former NFL player Andrew East.
• She constantly worries about fostering her kids' interests without pressuring them.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shawn Johnson East, a co-creator of Beam Kids. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was 16, I stood on a gold-medal podium at the Olympics. As a gymnast, I had been raised to think that was the pinnacle of success. But as I stood there, I thought: "This is really cool, but is this it? Is this the greatest I'll ever feel in my life?"

Now I'm 33, and while that moment was amazing, I know it didn't define my success. Since then I've found so much joy in little moments, like meeting my husband, learning how to make sourdough, skiing for the first time, and getting accepted to college. Then I had my babies, who are now 5, 3, and 1, and I experienced a whole new level of awe.

That's what I want my kids to learn about success: It happens in the small moments. Success isn't an Olympic gold medal, an NFL contract, or a big paycheck — it's finding what makes you fulfilled in life.

I feel a responsibility to help my kids find fulfillment

Of course, finding your passion can be easier said than done. My husband, Andrew East, is an NFL long snapper who signed with teams including the Washington Commanders and the Kansas City Chiefs. Andrew and I were both lucky to find our passion in sports, and we know how good that feels.

Now, we talk constantly about how to help our kids find their passion without putting pressure on them. This question haunts me, and Andrew and I talk about it multiple times each week. Neither of us cares if the kids follow us into football or gymnastics, but we feel a lot of responsibility to help them find something they're obsessed with.

As a parent, that's daunting. It's hard to know when it's time to teach the kids perseverance with a new activity versus just accepting it's not their thing. At the same time, helping them discover their passions is so much fun for me. My daughter and sons each have different interests already.

Perfectionism used to keep me from trying new things

Meeting Andrew cracked me open in the most beautiful way. Before meeting him, I was a horrible perfectionist. I was too paralyzed to try anything new because I felt if I wasn't great at it right away it wasn't worth trying.

Andrew's the opposite. He couldn't care less what the world thinks, and he wants to try everything. Because of him, I'm pushing myself outside my comfort zone. I tried golf and am getting my pilot's license.

As a kid, my big dream wasn't to be an Olympic gymnast; it was to be an orthopedic surgeon. That's never going to happen — there's no way I'm going to medical school — but I'm seriously considering getting my nursing degree. I love medicine and the science behind it.

Supplements are key in our family

Andrew and I are big into biohacking. We take supplements every day. And, like many parents, we have kids who would rather eat Cheetos than chicken, so we wanted them to be able to benefit from supplements too. We were frustrated that there weren't many quality supplement options for kids.

We worked with a friend who owns a supplement company and our pediatrician to develop supplements for our three kids. Then we realized other parents might want the same — that's how Beam Kids came to be.

Each night, we have bath time and then read books before bed. The two older kids still like having warm milk while we read, but they were happy to switch to "hot cocoa" made with chocolate-flavored Beam Kids Superpowder. It's sweet, so it feels indulgent to them, but I love that it has greens, vitamins, and probiotics.

Motherhood helps me find fulfillment

Given the history of abuse at USA Gymnastics, I think about safety for all my children. There's been this beautiful movement in my generation to push for openness and communication. We came from generations where many things weren't talked about openly, but now we can name abuse or inappropriate behavior.

I'm already starting — in an age-appropriate way — to talk about safety. Open communication and education will go a long way in keeping my kids and others safe.

I was an only child, so living with a family of five has been new to me. Seeing sibling relationships up close is fascinating. For me, motherhood has been another way to find success and fulfillment every day and step out of my comfort zone.