Twenty-four years ago in Sydney, Lauren Burns won the first ever Olympic Gold Medal for Taekwondo – a remarkable feat that captured the attention of a sporting nation and made the entire Australian Taekwondo community proud. That glorious moment inevitably stands out in Burns’ impressive career as an athlete, but her contribution to the sport and the community is not defined by a single competitive achievement. Not by a long shot.

You might say Burns is the embodiment of the adage that ‘you get out what you put in’. And she’s never been afraid to put in all she’s got. These days Burns is a naturopath and nutritionist, a bestselling author, a motivational speaker, and a dedicated philanthropist … as well as a busy mother. She collaborates closely with various sports organisations, including the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) as part of the Gold Medal Ready Program – which aims to enhance the mental performance of Australian athletes so they can perform at their best and be on the Olympic podium – while also running a private practice specialising in performance and lifestyle coaching. She also sits on the board of the Jacka Foundation for Natural Therapies, and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Committee.

In other words, if there’s a chance to give back by helping others in some capacity, athletic or otherwise, Burns will be there in a heartbeat.

While she had already been involved in motivational speaking before the 2000 Olympics, and has now been on the speaking circuit for 25 years, Burns acknowledges that becoming an Olympic Gold Medallist gave her a more compelling story to tell. It’s a story she now merges with decades of experience and learning to guide both individuals and organisations on the path to achieving their goals and elevating their own personal potential.

“I guess you could say I've made a career out of winning that Gold Medal, but I think I also made the most of the opportunities it presented,” she says. “It gave me the confidence that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. At the same time, Taekwondo as a martial art teaches you self-discipline and the value of hard work, so I have always tried to take small, consistent steps on my journey.”

And she still puts those ideals into practice today.

“A lot of what I learnt as an athlete are things I still use now. I like to think of it as radical self-care. In everyday life we often miss the red flags,” she says. “I do a lot of work around core values and big-picture planning. One of my core values personally is movement – I have to move my body every day, whether it’s in the gym or going for a walk, and then I’m able to be more productive and be a better parent and partner.”

Backing generations of Australian Taekwondo talent

If she wasn’t busy enough, Burns has found time to get involved in the Aussie Athlete Fund (AAF), an initiative founded by five-time Olympian Nat Cook to directly support aspiring elite athletes – especially those from remote, rural and Indigenous communities – in the pursuit of their dreams to represent Australia. 

For many athletes in a growing sport like Taekwondo, the only way to progress their high-performance careers is through self-funding. But proactive programs like the AAF can help make an important difference. Australian Taekwondo currently has three athletes aligned with the Fund – juniors Theodore Kaing and Akon Baak, as well as dual Olympian, Stacey Hymer, who will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Given 95 per cent of the Olympic team is amateur and these athletes receive limited funding from their organisations, it’s a huge challenge to balance their regular life and work with their training, recovery and travel expenses,” Burns explains. 

“This is a way to help athletes raise the money they need to be competitive, and it enables businesses to get involved in athlete sponsorship. For the public, it offers a chance to connect with someone like Stacey Hymer’s Olympic journey. With the right support, Australian Taekwondo athletes can definitely be successful.”

In 2022 the Lauren Burns Medal (for Athlete of the Year) was introduced as Australian Taekwondo's pinnacle award presented at the National Awards Dinner. Burns takes the recognition in her stride, but she’s rightly proud to be associated with such a prestigious award. 

“I feel honoured to be involved with the medal,” she says. “It’s wonderful, and I hope that it will inspire the next generation and the ones after that. In Australia we have always had some incredible young athletes, and I want them to know they can make it on the world stage. You have to see it to be able to believe it.”

Air of confidence in Australian Taekwondo Olympic Team

And Australia's greatest Taekwondo athlete has high hopes for this Australian Olympic Team – comprising Hymer, Bailey Lewis and Leon Sejranovic – believing they could write their own golden chapter in the history of the sport. 

“I think there’s an air of confidence going into the games because it’s a really experienced team, they’ve all put a lot of work into getting there and they appear fully focused,” Burns says.

“Everyone's got two arms and two legs; the only difference is in the head. It comes down to how you put it all together on the day – the ring craft, the strategy, and the self-belief. I think any of our Taekwondo athletes could bring home medals, absolutely.” 

And if anyone knows what it takes to perform under the Olympic spotlight, it’s the former Olympic champion with a PhD in Athlete Lifestyle and Mindset.

“It’s important to remember you’re just doing an ordinary thing in extraordinary circumstances,” she says. “Fans can get caught up in the moment, but as an athlete you need to focus on what you know and what you’ve trained for, stay committed to the process and trust your preparation. That means falling back on things like being present and using breathing techniques. You can’t make it happen until it happens.”

With the 2024 Paris Olympics now underway and the Taekwondo competition fast approaching, Burns is thrilled to be close to the action. In June she celebrated her 50th birthday and received a gift from her mum – a ticket to Paris for the start of the Olympics.

Naturally, when she’s not spectating or catching up with fellow Olympians, Burns is finding time to perform speaking engagements, attend events for the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), and even connect with fellow Taekwondo Olympian, Caroline Anderson, now the Lead Psychologist for the Australian Olympic Team. 

“Tokyo was an iconic games in that it had no spectators, athletes were training in their loungerooms, it was incredibly unique and historic,” she says. “But this time around it’s exciting for people to participate in the festivity of the Olympics again.”