Jessica Long
One of America’s most decorated Paralympic champions, Speaker, Author, Advocate
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Jessica Long
Biography
Jessica Long is one of America's most decorated Paralympic champions, a speaker, author, advocate, and sports personality.
Jessica's life has been nothing short of amazing. Born to a teenage mother in the Siberia cold, burdened by congenital defects in her legs, and placed for adoption at 13 months old, Jessica was able to persevere to become one of the most decorated female athletes in US history. However, it was not without setbacks. At just 18 months old, Jessica's legs were amputated below the knee due to a rare bone disorder called fibular hemimelia, but her adopted family would not let her physical differences limit her potential. With an unrelenting determination and belief in herself, Jessica has been able to reach the pinnacle of her sport and maintain her position amongst the best in the world for over a decade. Now as one of American's most decorated champions, her work focuses on winning in the water and inspiring others outside the pool. It's through her struggles that she has learned to grow and thrive as a champion and person, and her message of hope resonates with all walks of life.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS & RECOGNITION America's second-most decorated Paralympian Four-time Paralympian (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) Thirteen-time Paralympic champion (2016: 200m IM; 2012: 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m IM, 400m freestyle; 2008: 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m IM, 400m freestyle; 2004: 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 34 pt. 4x100m freestyle) Twenty three-time Paralympic medalist (thirteen golds, six silvers, four bronzes) Fifty two-time world championship medalist (thirty five golds, fifteen silvers, two bronzes) Three-time ESPY winner 77th AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner
Jessica Long
Featured Keynote Programs
LEADERSHIP
● StrongHER: How women are uniquely positioned for leadership ● Consistency: How creating positive, healthy environments can lead to amazing results ● Ownership: If you want your future to be different from today, it requires you to do something different today ● Diversity Inclusion: Teaching others to see beyond the surface when understanding disabilities, and how to best meet everyone where they are
MINDSET
Pain into purpose: When Jessica stopped thinking of her disability as a negative. It turned her bad days into good days ● Growth: embracing change for a better tomorrow ● Resiliency: Scar tissues are a reminder of where we’ve been, our bodies and minds are more resilient because of them ● Mindset: How to develop a tough mindset to withstand anything ● Positivity: the power of positivity in getting what you want out of life
INSPIRATION
Jessica’s story: How a child from Siberia, with the odds stacked against her, became a champion ● Secrets to success: How to make your future different than your today begins with your perspective ● Finding your passion: What passion means and how to create it ● Goal setting: What it means to make big goals and how to boldly chase after them
Jessica Long
Featured Book
Beyond the Surface: A Gold Medalist's Guide to Finding and Loving Yourself
by Jessica Long
Inspirational speaker and Paralympic champion Jessica Long shares her story―and powerful principles to help you find your own path to unconditional self-acceptance.
Jessica Long is one of the most compelling figures of our time. From having her lower legs amputated as a toddler, she has gone on to become one of history’s most decorated athletes. Yet her true successes―and struggles―are not about winning medals or setting world records. “Our worth cannot be placed in external things―our looks, job, or approval of others,” she says. “No achievement will make us feel worthy unless we can love ourselves without judgment.”
With Beyond the Surface, Jessica offers an intimate exploration of the hard-won lessons she learned on her extraordinary journey. She opens up about the toughest challenges she faced―not just the trauma of multiple surgeries and prosthetics, but the anger, resentment, and insecurity of trying to find her place and identity in a world that viewed her as less than whole.
In each chapter, she reveals the resources and support that allowed her to overcome hardship―and translates them into practices to help you create a bedrock of self-acceptance that you can rely on even in the most difficult times.
Part 1 invites you to look within―to examine your beliefs about yourself, how they came to be, and how you can move from self-criticism and unworthiness to the freedom and possibility of unconditional self-love. Part 2 urges you to look outward―to challenge the cultural narrative and systemic forces that stand in the way of a more inclusive and equitable society.
“In sharing my story,” says Jessica, “including the ugly and uncomfortable parts, I hope to inspire you to love yourself just as you are. It is our differences that make us so incredibly beautiful and human and strong.”
Beyond the Surface is a guide to fathoming the depths of your life experience―to both that which makes you utterly amazing and unique, and the essential dignity and value we all possess.
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