Connor Fields
Connor Fields delivers The Move Forward Mindset, a highly adaptable keynote on resilience, accountability, and adaptability, shaped by his Olympic journey and his real-world recovery from a catastrophic injury. Audiences leave with a practical framework for moving forward after wins, losses, missed targets, and sudden change, and they are prepared for change before it hits.
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- Olympic Gold Medalist
- Near-Fatal Crash Survivor
- Emmy winning TV Host
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Connor Fields is a three-time Olympian, two-time World Champion, and the only American to win Olympic gold in BMX Racing. He has represented the United States more than 50 times in over 25 countries. At 17, he became the youngest rider ever to reach the podium at a BMX World Cup. At just 19, he lined up at the 2012 London Olympics as the youngest athlete in his sport, racing men whose signed posters once hung on his bedroom walls. In 2016, he reached the pinnacle of Olympic success and brought home the gold medal.
Then came Tokyo. At the 2021 Games, Connor was the number one seed in his semi-final, so close to a second Olympic title, when a mid-race collision slammed him into the track at 40 miles per hour. It is remembered as one of the worst accidents in Olympic history. He spent five days unconscious, fighting for his life, with a traumatic brain injury that included life-threatening hemorrhages in four areas of his brain, along with broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and torn shoulder and bicep ligaments. He is the only Olympian in history to both conquer the Games and nearly die competing in them.
His recovery demanded more than physical healing. Connor fought to regain his memory, rebuild his speech, and even his balance, a skill that once came as naturally as breathing. After a grueling year of rehabilitation, he got back on his bike the very first day he was cleared to ride. His career was over, but he refused to let one race define 22 years in the sport. He was determined to go out on his own terms.
Today, Connor is an Emmy Award-winning member of the NBC broadcast team, serves on the boards of USA Cycling and USABMX, and coaches the next generation of riders. He delivers his keynote, The Move Forward Mindset, igniting audiences to keep moving forward after wins, losses, missed targets, and sudden change.
What would you do if you knew how to move forward when everything changed? Everyone faces wins, losses, missed targets, and sudden change. But not everyone has a reliable way to respond when it happens. So most people hesitate, stall out, and they lose time, energy, and momentum on the goals that matter most. Connor Fields has lived on both sides of that moment.
Connor is the only American to win Olympic gold in BMX Racing, a three-time Olympian, and a two-time BMX World Champion. He spent more than a decade in the top 5 of the world rankings and represented the US 50+ times across 25+ countries. His 11-year career was built on precision, preparation, and peak performance. But it wasn’t all highlights. He choked in his first Olympics, failed at the highest level, and survived a 40mph crash at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics that left him with a traumatic brain injury, five days unconscious, and a career that was over in an instant. That firsthand knowledge of both triumph and loss is what makes Connor one of the most credible keynote speakers on moving forward.
In The Move Forward Mindset, Connor walks audiences through the decisions that kept him moving in his most challenging pivotal moments. He shares how resilience, adaptability, and mental strength shaped his path, and why a champion’s mentality is not just about reaching the summit. It is about how you continue moving forward when the plan is gone.
Change and adversity are not a matter of “if,” they are a matter of “when.” The real differentiator is not talent, it is preparation. What separates those who tried from those who succeeded is having resilience, identity, clarity, and a decision-making framework in place before disruption hits. Through powerful storytelling and practical tools, Connor shows you how to build all four, so you can lead with confidence when others are shaken.
When most people stall, you will keep moving, growing, and getting better. That is how you win at work, in your relationships, and in your life.
KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- How to perform at your best in high-stakes moments, as a leader and as a top performer
- A practical framework for moving forward after wins, losses, missed targets, and sudden change
- Setting clear goals and following a step-by-step process to reach them
- Leaning into resilience after failure, correcting mistakes, and getting them right the next time
- Sustaining success once you have reached the top
- Keeping failure in perspective and staying optimistic about the future
- Stories that anchor transformational lessons, with strategies you can use again and again
- Being prepared for change before it hits, so you lead with clarity when it does
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