LOS ANGELES – Olympic gymnastics champion Shawn Johnson East knew that like every athlete before her, there would come a time when she could no longer compete.
"You commit so much to your life that when it's over, you feel like you have this void," she said. "You either try to stay with it or take a leap of faith and jump off the edge.
"For me, I knew my time in the gymnastics world was running out and I had to channel my energy into something else.
"A lot of athletes are afraid to do something else. After being the epitome of perfection at the Olympics, they are afraid to start over."
The leap she took was into an assortment of new worlds, from writing several books including the young adult novel "The Flip Side"; being a volunteer coach; doing sports commentary; working as a spokeswoman for products including Nike; and cha-cha-cha-ing her way to victory on "Dancing With the Stars."
Her latest project: co-host of the new CNBC series "Adventure Capitalists" — "Shark Tank" for jocks. East and former NFL players Dhani Jones and Jeremy Bloom travel the country to test products in extreme conditions and potentially offer investments. In each one-hour episode, four entrepreneurs showcase products designed for outdoor adventure, ranging from outerwear to a robotic fishing lure.
"I am an adrenaline junkie," said East, 25, who collected one gold medal and three silvers at the 2008 Summer Games. "But after retiring from gymnastics, I kind of transitioned into the business world. I do have a passion for business along with the thrill-seeking side of me — of going off the edge of cliffs and not knowing if I'm going to make it down."
Part of the thrill comes from competing with the other hosts in trying out the products and besting each other in business dealings. The hosts are investing their own money. Through the first six episodes, the hosts had invested about $3 million a show.
The three "Adventure Capitalists" are better known for their work on the balance beam or gridiron. East sees that as a plus.
"I think an interesting part of the show is we don't come across as investors," she said. "But when you watch the show, you are going to start to see the knowledge that we have in the business world, as we try to rebrand ourselves into that and hopefully convince you that there are athletes out there that have something outside of sport that they are actually successful at."
East doesn't see many similarities between the sports and business worlds, except for the drive it takes to succeed. And, like having a coach in her corner, East can call on support when making deals. Her husband, Andrew East, has an MBA from Vanderbilt University and worked for a venture capital firm.
"He's more of a risk-taker and wants to see all the numbers. I'm more about the marketing," she said. "I feel like if I can market something, I can sell it. He's just the opposite.
"After the Olympics were done, I was one of those athletes who was very, very selective in who I worked with and who I partnered with. I turned down a lot of very big contracts because they didn't feel right.
"You will see that on the show. It might be a great product but just didn't feel like the right fit for me."
