LSU star Olivia Dunne shot to fame thanks to the NIL policy changes in 2021. With the opportunity to earn money through NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals with brands, came immense fame on several platforms, including social media. However, that fame also brought a lot of negative opinions from people seeking to dismiss the gymnast’s skills. That’s when coach Jay Clark stepped in.

“The main thing is to just keep them you know in the process and not letting them you know in process and not let them get distracted,” said Coach Clark. Clark instructed Dunne to eliminate all the distractions, whether positive or negative opinions from people or the media. While people were entitled to their opinions, Clark told Dunne to focus on her capabilities.

“It’s just about taking our steps forward,” said the LSU gymnastics coach. For the LSU gymnastics coach, the solution was to focus. “Get rid of the brain. Let the body do what it knows how to do,” Clark said in Episode 5 of Amazon Prime’s The Money Game. Olivia Dunne recalled how the negative comments would have a demotivating effect.

“People couldn’t believe that I was actually a real gymnast, that I didn’t just do flips on the beach,” confessed the gymnastics icon. While the 21-year-old didn’t suffer any major, career-altering injuries, she has suffered several. In 2023, Livvy suffered a foot injury and subsequent flare-ups, resulting in missing practice and meets.

As if that wasn’t enough, she also suffered two torn labrums and a torn biceps. However, those out to ‘troll’ Dunne didn’t consider her challenges. “There’s people calling me just mean things, calling me a professional benchwarmer,” said the gymnast. However, Olivia Dunne listened to her coach and didn’t let the negative vices cloud her judgment.

The richest female athlete in the NIL program returned to competition in February 2024. Her goal? To make LSU history by winning the NCAA championships with her team. And that’s exactly what she did. In April 2024, Dunne silenced the doubters, winning NCAA team gold. However, Coach Clark wasn’t the only one who helped her find success.

The ‘mastermind’ who helped Olivia Dunne

While Dunne had to focus on gymnastics, she also needed to grow her brand. The NIL success brought millions of eyes, and the Louisiana State athlete found herself with a 13 million strong following on social media. So, whether the feedback was positive or negative, she couldn’t focus on two things simultaneously. So, elder sister Julz Dunner stepped in to help.

During episode two, The Price Just Went Up, Olvia Dunne credited her sister as the “mastermind” behind her social media empire. “My sister, she deserves just as much as I do… She’s the brains behind the operation,” the 21-year-old confessed. Whether it was the minute details, such as the captions of each post, the music, or selecting the trend, Julz Dunne helped her sister navigate social media fame.

So, while LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark helped Olivia Dunne stay focused in the gym, Julz Dunner helped her block out the doubters looking to bring Dunne down. This is why the 2024 NCAA champion never shies away from crediting those who helped her. What are your thoughts on Livvy’s staunch support system? Tell us in the comments below!