THE BEGINNING
I was born and raised in beautiful Lake Tahoe, CA to two of the most wonderful parents anyone could ask for. I also have a younger brother named Scotty (fun fact - he was a member of the U.S. Freestyle Aerial Team and we competed together at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver). Lake Tahoe was the perfect place to grow up in for a girl with lots of energy, enthusiasm and a love of the outdoors. I grew up climbing trees, swimming in our crystal clear lake, rolling blading down steep mountain passes, mountain biking, playing soccer, little league baseball and of course in the cold winter months - skiing.
I always loved being outdoors in the sunshine with my friends but never wanted to be a competitive athlete. Sure, I'd watched the Olympics but always thought that everyone on TV was special and possessed a quality or several qualities that I did not have. However, when I was 12, the coach of the Squaw Valley Freestyle Team, Ray DeVre, approached me about joining their team and my first response was "NO WAY." I hated moguls and more than that, I tried to avoid them at all costs when I was skiing with my friends.
After a few months of trying to convince me I finally said yes. Instantly I fell in love with the sport of freestyle, all of the friends I had made and maybe the most important part - getting to leave school at noon every day to go practice!! Things slowly progressed for me and eventually I made the big move to Salt Lake City when I graduated from high school in 1998. There were several opportunities that awaited me there - I was attending a World Class University - University of Utah, I was a walk on tryout for their Division 1 soccer team (turns out that I am terrible at soccer in the grand scheme of things), the U.S. Ski Team was based in Park City, UT and if none of those worked out, I could hopefully make the University of Utah Marching Band as a trumpet player.
Luckily, I made the U.S. Ski Team that very year and never looked back. My entire 12 year career I was a member of the U.S. "A" Team, won the Overall World Cup title in 2003, had 7 World Cup victories, 26 World Cup podiums, 6 U.S. National titles, member of 6 World Championship Teams with 2 medals, member of 3 Olympic teams and brought home a silver medal in 2002 as well as a bronze medal in 2010. During that time period, as most athletes encounter, I had to overcome 2 major knee surgeries, a broken jaw, shoulder surgery and ankle surgery. All in all, almost 3 years sidelined with injury. Phew, a lot of hard work, dedication & grit, but some of the best years of my life!!
STARTING UP
(and successfully selling)
MY FIRST COMPANY,
SILVER BEAN COFFEE CO.
When I met my future husband, Matt Happe, in 2004, he started up and owned his own bike shop, Revolution. I was always extremely proud of what he had built and knew that at some point I wanted to own my own business as well. We always talked about what that venture would be and after numerous discussions and reading business plans we settled on coffee. He loved roasting and working through processes in the warehouse and I loved the atmosphere of coffee. I had traveled all over the world and somehow, in most countries I had visited, coffee was a constant in gathering friends together. So it was settled - in the future we would start our business one day.
That day came sooner than I would realize. In 2008 I crashed in Tignes, France doing a d spin and needed to have major knee surgery again. As I lay in the snow crying, it hit me that I could go home, get surgery and we could start up our business. I would do rehab in the morning and evening and during the day we would work on getting everything in place to start up Silver Bean Coffee.
Our company was named after my silver medal in 2002 and we thought we might be able to change it to Gold Bean Coffee in 2010 if I were to bring home the gold medal, lol. Silver Bean Coffee was a wholesale business that roasted, packaged and distributed fresh roasted coffee from all over the world to local and national businesses.
Our coffee fueled athletes that were training at the Olympic Training Centers, athletes that worked out at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's Center of Excellence, visitors from all over the world that came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and even guests at the most luxurious properties and hotels around the country. We also owned and operated 3 coffee shops in Salt Lake City and Park City and had a blast serving latte's made with love!!
In 2013 our priorities shifted as we welcomed a little girl into our world and all of the sudden my priorities changed. I wasn’t enjoying the day to day operations and my passion for all things coffee was quickly waning - I wanted out. I’m a believer in dreaming BIG but I’m also a believer that we only get one life to live and should make every day count. A little over a year later we sold the majority share of our business to one of our fabulous distributors Brog Distributors, Inc. and they still carry on the quality of coffee, the extraordinary customer service as well as the integrity of our brand we worked so hard for.
STARTING UP THE
COMPANY OF MY DREAMS,
TEAM EMPOWER HOUR
I have a passion for people and empowering them to live their best, most extraordinary life!!
In 2010, when I retired from competition everything was going fantastic, until it wasn’t. It took about a year for it to slowly sink in that I was lost without my laser focused goal of winning Olympic Gold. And not only was I lost, I felt confused, alone, vulnerable and most of all embarrassed of being a “real life” failure. Around that same time, one of my Olympic freestyle teammates, Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, died by suicide. My world felt completely upside down. I vowed in that moment that I wanted to make sure that no one else felt as lost as both Speedy and I had felt. I didn’t know how I would do it, I just knew it needed to be done.
I had a few different ideas in mind and in 2017 I finally put my dream into action and launched Team Empower Hour. We are Olympians empowering corporate leaders and teams around the globe through leadership development, team building, keynote speeches and fitness workout classes. I only hire Olympians and Olympic hopefuls to deliver our powerful messages that helped us succeed as World Class Athletes. Not only am I providing opportunities and jobs for both Olympic hopefuls and retired Olympians but I am creating a loving and nurturing community in which we are one another’s support group. We all face the dark days together, in honor of Speedy!! I one day hope to have 100 Olympians and Paralympians from all Summer and Winter sports working together to share our victories and defeats with the business world. I am paying it forward with the Olympic Spirit that burns bright in all of us!!
FAMILY LIFE
I am extraordinarily lucky to be married to the man of my dreams, Matt, and be the Mom to two adorable kiddos Zoe (6 yo) and Tucker (1.5 yo).
I struggled through two miscarriages in between Zoe and Tucker so I am forever grateful for the family I have. Each and every day they change my world for the better, and I try to lead by example how to live a loving, authentic, active and healthy lifestyle.
SKIING HIGHLIGHTS
Olympics:
Member of 3 Olympic Teams (2002, 2006, 2010)
Bronze Medal in Vancouver, CAN, 2010
Silver Medal in Salt Lake City, UT, 2002
World Championships:
Member of 6 World Championship Teams
2nd place Madonna di Campiglio, ITA 2007
3rd place Deer Valley, UT 2003
World Cups:
Member of U.S. Freestyle Ski Team for 12 years (1998-2010)
On "A" Team (top 10 in the world or higher) all 12 years
Over World Cup title, 2003
7 World Cup wins
26 World Cup podiums
U.S. National Championships
6 U.S. titles
FUN FACTS
Born: Nov. 7, 1980
Height: 5'4"
From: Tahoe City, CA
Lives in: Salt Lake City, UT
Married on: 10-10-10
Married last name: Happe (pronounced Happy, wooo hooo)
Favorite place to compete: Japan & Deer Valley, UT
If I had a 3 foot powder day where would you find me: Squaw Valley USA (doing laps on KT 22)
Favorite Food: Sushi or fondue, it’s a tossup.
Favorite Sports (other than skiing): Mountain biking, dirt biking and yoga
1 fact about me you would never guess: I HATE being cold!!
Place I would most like to visit: The Pyramids in Egypt
Most beautiful sunset I've ever seen: El Colorado, Chile
If I could be an Olympian in any other sport: Beach Volleyball or Tennis, I can't decide
Olympic Heroes: Kristi Yamaguchi & Jonny Moseley