From Olympic Dreams to Corporate Leadership: Jennifer Sey’s Journey of Standing Up for Her Beliefs
Jennifer Sey’s story is one of remarkable transitions – from elite gymnastics to corporate leadership, and ultimately to becoming an outspoken advocate for what she believes in, regardless of the professional consequences.
Early Career and Athletic Background
Sey’s journey began in competitive gymnastics, where she reached impressive heights. “I did make the World Championships in 1985. I was ranked second in the country that year,” she recalls. However, her career faced a devastating setback when she suffered a severe injury at the World Championships in Montreal – a broken femur from a fall off the bars in her last event. The incident remains vivid in her memory: “Everyone speaks French. I have no idea what’s going on… My dad was in the ambulance with me. Definitely one of the worst moments of my life.”
Corporate Ascent at Levi’s
After her gymnastics career, Sey found her way into the corporate world, eventually rising through the ranks at Levi’s. Her approach to leadership was marked by authenticity and hands-on involvement: “I’ve always been known as a person willing to do the work myself… I wrote every speech I ever gave… half the ad campaigns we did, yes, we had agencies, but I’d come up with the ideas.”
Her marketing philosophy was straightforward but powerful: “You can’t make it up. You have to be true to the ethos of the brand. It has to be real.”
Speaking Out Against Abuse in Gymnastics
In 2008, Sey wrote “Chalked Up,” a memoir that was among the first to expose abuse in gymnastics. “I was the first person to write about the abuse in the sport,” she notes. The response was fierce: “I got… dragging from teammates, coaches, USA gymnastics, US Olympic Committee.” Despite the backlash, she maintains that “if they’d spent one second listening to me and investigating, they could have stopped Larry Nassar 15 years earlier.”
Corporate Culture and Social Justice
Sey provides fascinating insights into the transformation of corporate culture, particularly during 2020. She describes how companies faced pressure from younger employees who “view their job as not just, you know, graphic designers, but activists.” She observed that “older leaders in these companies, they don’t know social media, they don’t know how to use it. They’re just afraid they’re gonna say something in a meeting and a young person’s gonna like tweet something or TikTok something and they’re canceled.”
Standing Up for Her Beliefs
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sey became an outspoken voice regarding school closures. As a parent who sent her children to public schools – unusual for a C-suite executive – she felt compelled to speak out. “I was in an unusual position as a c-sweeter as they call us, that I actually sent my children to public schools, you know, no one did.”
Her advocacy eventually led to her departure from corporate life, but she approached this challenge with the same determination that marked her athletic career: “I just sort of start down a path and I don’t really think about it much.”
Entrepreneurial Venture
Rather than seeking another corporate position, Sey took an entrepreneurial path: “Most people don’t do startups in their fifties, but here we are.” She approached this new venture with her characteristic hands-on style: “I like being back in touch with doing the work versus managing the people doing the work.”
Leadership Philosophy
Throughout the conversation, Sey’s leadership philosophy emerges as one based on action rather than overthinking: “Inaction is worse than anything… if you make a poor decision, but you at least learn something and then you can pivot and make it better. If you do nothing, you just can’t.”
Personal Approach to Decision-Making
Her approach to life decisions is refreshingly straightforward: “I don’t overthink things before making a decision. I just jump in.” This philosophy has served her well in various aspects of her life, from career changes to personal decisions: “If I overthink something and I have to think twice about it, I probably shouldn’t do it anyways.”
The Price of Speaking Out
Sey’s story illustrates the personal and professional costs of standing up for one’s beliefs in today’s corporate environment. As she notes, “They pretend they want these brave, courageous, you know, thought leaders. They don’t. They want you to fall in line.”
