Profiles: Bonnie St. Johne Deane

A look at the life of the Olympic medal-winning author and amputee.

Jun 30, 2007 Megan Drummond

How many people can say they've been an Olympic skier, Rhodes scholar, author and White House official all while having a great family life? Bonnie St. Johne Deane can.

Although most people aspire to it, very few have been able to strike a harmonious balance between a successful career and a fulfilling home life. In her first book, Getting Ahead At Work Without Leaving Your Family Behind, Bonnie St. John Deane explains the new philosophy of living for parents who strive for the benefits of both a challenging career and a rich, solid family life.

In her book, Deane says that, even in this day and age, we are trapped by the work habits of an industrial society, though most of us don’t work in factories anymore. According to the author, we, as a society, need to learn from the way we used to live as bakers, farmers and blacksmiths and to take advantage of modern technology, career choices and economic opportunities. “That way you can get ahead without sacrificing your family,” Deane writes.

In her most recent book, titled Succeeding Sane: Making Room for Joy in a Crazy World and co-authored with Jan Miller, Deane focuses her writing on encouraging people to realize their dreams without losing valuable aspects of their lives. Deane says that there are two paths you can choose from that will take you to the top: “total commitment,” in which you focus on your mind, body or spirit and “blending,” in which you utilize all three. “You can compete and win either way,” Deane says. “The side effect of blending is developing as a whole person.”

Bonnie St. John Deane is a true expert on the topics she writes about: succeeding in competition and managing a hectic lifestyle while maintaining your sanity. At 16 years of age, she was a young African-American woman with one leg (the other having been amputated when she was just five due to a birth defect) and some very big dreams. Within five years, Deane became a Harvard honors graduate, a Rhodes scholar and a medal-winning member of the US Olympic Ski Team at Innsbruck, Austria. Since competing in the Olympics in 1984, Deane has worked on Wall Street, in Europe and Asia, been an award-winning sales representative for IBM and, during the first year of the Clinton Administration, was appointed by President Clinton as a Director for Human Capital Issues on the National Economic Council in the White House.

Deane has been featured on NBC Nightly News as one of the five most inspirational women in the nation. Her story of courage and inspiration has appeared on the front pages of the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor and many television news programs and print magazines have featured her athletic and academic achievements. Deane now travels throughout the country sharing her experiences and techniques for achieving peak performance as a motivational speaker at corporations and on college campuses as a member of the National Speakers Association. She also acts as a national spokesperson for Disabled Sports USA.

Deane currently resides with her husband and her daughter in San Diego, California, where she works as a motivational speaker and writer.

The copyright of the article Profiles: Bonnie St. Johne Deane in Disabilities is owned by Megan Drummond. Permission to republish Profiles: Bonnie St. Johne Deane in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Bonnie St. John Deane