Thrive Global and The Quaker Oats Company present The Fuel List—20 people changing the way we fuel our minds and bodies every day. These are the leaders making an impact in the worlds of sleep, nutrition, movement and mindfulness right now.
Five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin is one of the world’s most recognizable and respected female athletes, and she’s using her influence to motivate the next generation. In 2016, Liukin, winner of the the all-around competition at the 2008 Beijing Summer games (the most coveted award in gymnastics), and her fiancé Matthew Lombardi launched Grander Sports, an app that connects young gymnasts with their idols who help mentor, inspire and advise them. She’s an example of the success that can come from hard work and making movement part of your life, having trained since childhood to achieve her goals. After the 2008 games, Liukin studied sports management and psychology at New York University and began working as a television analyst for NBC after she graduated, including covering the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“For Nastia Liukin, winning an Olympic gold medal was just the beginning. With her mentorship app Grander Sports, she’s facilitating meaningful connections in the gymnastics community and putting a much-needed spotlight on giving: having reached the peak of her profession, with any number of opportunities still before her, she’s choosing to make a difference in the lives of young people who share her values and aspirations.” — Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global Founder and CEO