Chris CollinsHelping Struggling Dealerships Build Profitable, High-Performing Service Departments | Automotive Coaching Expert | CEO

Shawn Johnson on the Beautiful Chaos of Parenthood

15 Jun 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:58

In this reflective excerpt from the YouTube interview "Shawn Johnson on the Beautiful Chaos of Parenthood," Shawn Johnson discusses how her identity and priorities shifted dramatically after becoming a mother to her daughter Drew. She contrasts the self‑centered mindset required to excel as a professional gymnast—where selfishness and constant self‑evaluation are essential—with the selfless, joy‑filled perspective that parenthood demands. Johnson explains that the birth of her daughter wiped away her previous concerns about performance and external judgment, freeing her to live more authentically and focus on teaching and nurturing her child. The passage captures her emotional transformation, describing a newfound sense of freedom, joy, and purpose rooted in motherhood.

Chapters

Being a professional athlete, you're taught to be 100% selfish because that's what you need in order to succeed. And becoming a parent, you have to be completely selfless for another human. Our life got turned upside down, but in such a beautiful way. She changed our life for the better. How did that change you? I, I feel like before my daughter, before our kids, I was so wrapped up in myself. I cared what people thought about me, my performance, my everything in life. I, was always giving myself kind of a score. And then after I had our daughter Drew, it just, it like wiped that whole slate clean. None of that mattered anymore. I feel like I got to live life so free all of a sudden because I got to relive and relearn almost everything in life from like a perspective of life matters for this child and how can I now teach her? And I don't know, I just became It's hard to put words to that. I feel like I came— became more joyful.