Aimee Mullins

Aimee Mullins was born without fibulae and, to better her chances for mobility, doctors amputated both her legs below the knee. Defying all predictions that her physical activities would be severely limited, Aimee learned to walk on prosthetic legs by her 2nd birthday, and spent her childhood excelling in athletic activities: swimming, biking, softball, soccer, and skiing, always alongside “able-bodied” kids with flesh and bone legs.

While attending Georgetown University on a full academic scholarship, she set her sights on making the US Paralympic Team for the 1996 Atlanta Games and enlisted Frank Gagliano, one of the country’s most respected track coaches. Through this partnership, she became the first woman with a “disability” to compete in the NCAA, doing so on Georgetown’s nationally-ranked Division I track team. Outfitted with woven carbon-fiber prostheses that were modeled after the hind legs of a cheetah, she went on to set World Records in the 100 meter, the 200 meter, and the long jump, sparking a frenzy over the radical design of her prototype sprinting legs.

Aimee as a model:

Aimee has graced some of the most respected magazines in the world, such as Life Magazine, Sports Illustrated for Women, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Elle, Rolling Stone, Esquire and People Magazine. Aimee made her runway debut in London at the invitation of the legendary fashion designer, Alexander McQueen. Aimee’s likeness appears in exhibits world-wide, at such esteemed institutions as the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, the Track and Field Hall of Fame, and the Women’s Museum, where she is honored for her contribution to sport among the “Greatest American Women of the 20th Century.”

Aimee’s launch in London led to her being named as one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” and, in February 2011, L’Oreal Paris announced her selection as their new Global Brand Ambassador.

Aimee as an advocate:

Aimee Mullins actively assists numerous non-profit organizations and, in April 2011, the U.S. Olympic Committee selected her as one of two Chefs de Mission for Team USA at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the highest honor given to an American by the USOC. Aimee has also undertaken extensive work with the Women’s Sports Foundation and served as the foundation’s President from 2007 to 2009. Additionally, Aimee held a vice-president appointment for J.O.B., the nation’s oldest non-profit employment service for persons with disabilities, founded in 1947 by Eleanor Roosevelt, Orin Lehman and others. She is a founding member of the leadership board to SPIRE Institute, the world’s largest and most diverse athletic development center.

Aimee as a keynote speaker:

As a keynote speaker, Aimee revels in the continuous exploration of what is possible – both for herself and those whose lives she touches. Aimee has developed her own unique formula for creating the “invented life,” fashioned from her undeniably unique combination of life experiences as an Olympic athlete, ground-breaking high fashion model, a beacon for design tech, dedicated advocate and avant-garde actor. She delights in the sharing what she has learned to help others shatter perceived limitations and reinvent themselves. In a warm, engaging and approachable style, Aimee offers insightful, actionable and powerful guidance to corporate and consumer audiences worldwide. Aimee is a born story-teller, Renaissance woman, and an inspirational icon for achieving the “impossible”.

Speaking topics include:

• Inventing Your Life
• Developing the Innovation Habit
• Embracing Adversity
• Finding Your Own Unique and Personal Expression of Beauty
• Cultivating a Healthy Body Image