Connor Fields
This isn’t your standard Olympic Athlete Keynote. Connor’s story doesn’t end with a shiny gold medal. It ends with a forced retirement and a gigantic question of “now what?” As the only Olympic athlete in the history of the Olympic Games who has won the Olympics, and nearly died while competing at the Olympics Connor has experienced the full spectrum of challenges and has continued answering the question “now what” every time.
Connor Fields is a three-time Olympian, two-time World Champion, and the first American to win Olympic BMX Gold. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, he suffered a severe crash resulting in life-threatening injuries, requiring extensive rehabilitation.
Connor emphasized focus on resilience and gained new appreciation for the importance of mental health through his recovery. He is now a keynote speaker, the host of PBS's "Outdoor Nevada," and an NBC sports BMX commentator. His inspiring story has been featured on The Today Show, Sports Illustrated, and in Vanity Fair.
Connor motivates audiences with his journey of recovery, peak performance strategies, and the powerful message emphasizing the importance of even the smallest decision.
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Now what?
This isn’t your standard Olympic Athlete Keynote. Connor’s story doesn’t end with a shiny gold medal. It ends with a forced retirement and a gigantic question of “now what?” As the only Olympic athlete in the history of the Olympic Games who has won the Olympics, and nearly died while competing at the Olympics Connor has experienced the full spectrum of challenges and has continued answering the question “now what” every time.
Now what?: Handling challenges life throws at you and moving with resilience each time.
In his keynote, “Now What?” Connor Fields answers the question we all face at different moments throughout our lives. We all face challenges that can cause self-doubt in life and work, we all reach pivotal moments, we all get stuck, and Connor equips you with the tools to answer that question and move forward each time. This incredible keynote presentation delves into the crucial powers of resilience, adaptability, overcoming failures, unwavering determination, and perspective, empowering you to face challenges head-on. With compelling personal stories and hard-earned insights, Connor empowers attendees to be ready to answer the question “Now What?” every time.
KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Clear Goal Setting Strategies: Once you know what you want to achieve, how do you get there? Connor outlines step-by-step processes to increase the likelihood of reaching your goals.
- Lean Into Resilience: After a failure, what do you do to get better? Connor shares what he learned from failing at the highest level: how to correct mistakes and get them right the next time around.
- Sustain Success: Now that you have won, how do you stay at the top? Be ready to sustain success with insights from someone who stayed in the top 5 World Rankings for over a decade.
- Keep Failure in Perspective: No one wants to fail, but if you are here, you have a chance to fix it. Nearly losing your life and having the world’s attention to see if you would survive changes the way you look at failure. Be able to keep failure in perspective and stay optimistic about the future.
Testimonials
Connor Fields delivered an unforgettable keynote at our 2025 annual Symposium, speaking to an audience of over 1,000 sports tourism professionals. His ability to tailor his Olympic journey and messaging specifically to our industry was exceptional—authentic, relevant, and deeply inspiring. Attendees raved about the presentation in our post-event survey, with Connor receiving some of the highest ratings we’ve ever seen. His story and delivery were not only impactful, but truly aligned with the spirit and purpose of our event. - John David, President & CEO, Sports Events & Tourism Association
It was right up our alley, as far as our messaging to our sales team. Mental preparation and being present are so important to us in our business, and his message was perfect and we feel so blessed to have had him! 1000% I would recommend hiring him. Great speaker, great message, everybody can identify with what he has to say and he is a first class guy. - Rich Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Flagstar Bank
Connor Fields has been an incredible speaker at both our flagship and regional events, and I can’t recommend him enough. His story is truly inspiring, motivating our audience and earning standing ovations every time he speaks for us. His presence always leaves a lasting impression. Not only is Connor an engaging and impactful speaker, but he is also a joy to work with, bringing a professional, approachable attitude that makes collaboration easy.
Tina Poisl, Senior Director of Event Content, Inman
It is my honor to recommend Connor Fields to you. He listened very carefully to what we are trying to accomplish through our event – both societally and financially. Once he committed, he was all in. He truly became our Mental Health Champion! Our goal was to grow our annual event while reducing the stigma around mental health care. Connor is a tremendous partner in this process – and an exceedingly skilled presenter.
Lisa R. James, Senior Director, Peak Vista Community Health Centers
Today I heard Connor Fields deliver the very best speech I have ever heard in person – and as an academic, I have been listening to talks for three decades. Moving, motivating, and smart – in a way that no other speaker is. Nobody at our event left unchanged – in fact, they all left happily and forever changed.
Bo Jason Berhard, Ph. D, Vice President Economic Development, UNR/UNLV