Meet Joanna Lohman | Professional Speaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joanna Lohman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joanna, what role has risk played in your life or career?
A moment so ordinary can have extraordinary implications. A small risk can develop into a culture shifting reward. A simple question, “what are you gonna do with your life?” can turn into a profound answer.

There is a razor thin separation between safety and possibility. Meaning, one tiny courageous step IS the start of progress. And when you unleash the possible…..the ripple effect can reach far and wide.

In a world that is constantly changing, it’s imperative that we progress with it. Progress requires risk. The concentric circles of change from where the impact grows. Bigger and bigger. And as we know, progress is not always linear but as time moves so does what’s possible. That is the beauty of one small step.

Merriam Webster defines risk as the possibility that something unpleasant or unwelcome will happen. The possibility that something unpleasant or unwelcome will happen.

I define risk as UNLEASHING THE POSSIBLE! Everyone SHOULD be taking risks on a daily basis. Living your life in full color, feeling the full spectrum of emotions IS a risk because it could end with a “no”, a failed marriage, a broken heart, a lost job, a passed loved one — all unpleasant things.

Building great relationships takes RISK. Risk is just one small degree away from love. And relationships are one, if not the most important element to a good life. This isn’t just anecdotal findings, it is support from a Harvard study on happiness. This study is the longest scientific study on adult development which has run more than 80 years, followed the lives of 724 participants and more than 1,300 of their descendants.

It found that the #1 key to a happy life is the quality of your relationships. Strong relationships are far and away the strongest predictor of life satisfaction.

And Lonliness kills. The human brain, having evolved to seek safety in numbers, registers loneliness as a threat. The centers that monitor for danger, including the amygdala, go into overdrive, triggering a release of “fight or flight” stress hormones. Your heart rate rises, your blood pressure and blood sugar level increase to provide energy in case you need it. Your body produces extra inflammatory cells to repair tissue damage and prevent infection, and fewer antibodies to fight viruses. Subconsciously, you start to view other people more as potential threats — sources of rejection or apathy — and less as friends, remedies for your loneliness.

In addition to life satisfaction and physical health, relationships also largely determine a person’s financial success – it is a competitive advantage.

Better relationships, higher WEALTH.

I am a living breathing example of this. I was a long-haired heterosexual woman engaged to a man who was known for rolling her shorts, showing off thigh and wearing skin tight dresses. Me. The androgynous celesbian with a JoHawk now nicknamed the “Rainbow Warrior”. That transformation required a HUGE amount of risk. Failed engagements, coming out moments, the daily battle to be a masculine queer woman who gets called “sir”. Vitriol on my social media. Risks I am willing to take because two years ago, as I walked down the aisle marrying the woman of my dreams feeling a lot more like a groom than a bride, our arms raised high in celebration because on that day, the risk transformed into the greatest reward. Was it easy ? Hell no. Was it worth it, Hell YES. Because, now my wife and I get to raise a beautiful daughter and teach her the most important lesson,

The things we care about are worth risking something for…and it won’t always be pleasant. You will get your heart broken. And trust me, as a woman who knows how hard it hurts to fall and hit the earth face down. It’s painful. Pain is an inevitable part of progress so we better get used to it because the best parts of life are on the other side of risk. The most authentic version of you is on the other side of RISK. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I truly believe that one of the reasons I was put on this planet is to expand the definition of what a woman can look like. What a woman can do. And use my life to completely blow up the restrictive gender boxes society forces us into.

I have taken this attitude and my trademarked Johawk, to over 42 different countries playing professional football in Spain, Sweden, Cyprus, and Japan. And run sports diplomacy programs in India, Malaysia, Argentina, Thailand, Indonesia, Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Nigeria. I have used sport to battle sex trafficking, promote conflict resolution, empower women, and keep kids off the streets.

Why?

I’m one of the lucky ones. I was given an opportunity because of the women who fought for Title IX, our right to vote, and who have broken through the glass ceiling. I was raised to believe I could do anything (thank you Mom) and had role models to aspire to. I am a product of social progress.

Because of this, I am privileged and I have a responsibility to use my platform to make a positive impact.

The responsibility never felt stronger than on November 8, 2016, an infamous day in our nation’s history, I was in Botswana, Africa representing the Department of State as a sports diplomat. I was running a program called Girl Power. That dark morning, when I woke up and found out who our next President would be, I felt as if I was punched in the gut. The wind knocked out of me. The breath taken, rendering me speechless.

I arrived at the soccer field as the girls from the local village were being bused in. As the girls walked out to the field, I realized that most did not have shoes. The sun was blazing. It was 100 degrees, but felt like 110 on turf and they were barefoot.

Their feet were literally on fire.

I will never forget that moment because it was something so basic, a pair of shoes, that proved, regardless of who our president was, I was privileged in ways many women are not.

That day, as the trusted leader of Girl Power, I had a responsibility to find my voice because a decision had to be made. There were three options.

1. We sit in the shade, outside the fire, safe and comfortable
2. We stand still and we BURN
or
3. we brave the heat, MOVE our feet, and sweat through the pain.

For me, the choice was simple.

We MOVE.
We mobilize.
We work as a team and MOVE together.
We share the struggle.

And so we did.
And that day represented something powerful and profound. A metaphor for life if you will.

Women, for centuries, have operated as if their feet were on fire. Refusing to succumb to the flames and using the fire that is set at our feet as a WEAPON to blaze trails so the women who walk behind us have more confidence to walk tall in their own skin.

The more I work with and empower young women, the more I understand that this mission will not be easy. We have and will continue to face a great deal of resistance.

It is clear we have a fight on our hands. It’s been waged since the beginning of time by brave women and allied men. And I am HERE FOR IT.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Washington, DC:

I would take them to the national mall and pop into the Smithsonian. I would take them to the White House and Capitol building to see where the government runs.

I would visit Rock Creek Park for hikes and outdoor adventures. I would take them to the Wharf where my wife and I got married. We would dine at Officina, the exact restaurant where we said “I do”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The 1999 United States Women’s National Team who won the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

They dared to dream, they took huge risks under immense pressure, playing in big stadiums, generating buzz, and practically selling tickets from their own back pocket. And, because of these risks, the 1999 Women’s World Cup final is regarded as a watershed moment in the history of U.S. women’s soccer because of its cultural impact and the great public interest it generated. It even led to the birth of the first ever Women’s Professional Soccer League, the WUSA.

The 99ers sold-out stadiums across the country clapping back at the doubters. When the media told them, “You can’t” they said “we can”. When the skeptics said, “no one will come” they said, “they will”. When internal critics sang, “the world won’t change ”, they said, “it already has”.

This audacity to risk inspired a generation of young girls, sparking a wildfire of progress. The USWNT are the trailblazers, burning an indelible path for those who walked behind them. Me being one.
I consider them part of my DNA, they are the how and why I came to be.

Website: joannalohman.com

Instagram: joannalohman15

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannalohman/

Image Credits
Cody Cervenka