Give us a little background on how the two of you met!
Shawn: I met Andrew’s brother, Guy, at the 2012 London Olympics, where he was competing as a professional cyclist. He told me that Andrew and I would really hit it off. At the time, I was living in California competing on Dancing with the Stars and Andrew was living in Nashville. We talked a bit, and eventually put our relationship on hold because life was so busy and I was unsure of how we could make it work. I invited him out to LA, not thinking he would come, and he flew there to take me on a date the next day! For our second date, I came to the CMA Fest and toured Vanderbilt with him, and ended up staying a few more days because we were having so much fun. I remember thinking that he was everything I could have dreamed of and more!
Did either of you ever expect such success from such a loyal following?
Shawn: I always tell people this, but Andrew truly does not get the credit he deserves! He has done so much for our family and our business, and if it wasn’t for him suggesting we start a YouTube channel and a podcast when we did, we definitely wouldn’t be where we are today. Transitioning out of any career is hard, and I am really grateful that we have found this second passion to focus on. It is very meaningful to meet people around town and hear them say that while they enjoyed watching my gymnastics, it is our videos that have encouraged them in their marriage or parenting.
Andrew: At Vanderbilt, I studied civil engineering and business thinking I would build wells in third world countries. This is not what I expected life to look like at all. It’s crazy where we’ve ended up, but I’ve always thought that the world would be a better place if people could learn more about who Shawn really is and see her contagious smile and compassionate heart. It seems like a lot of people fell in love with her, just like I did! I’m glad we took a leap of faith and started on YouTube when we did. We really feel like we’ve gotten to grow up with our audience and getting to hear their stories has been really rewarding for us.
What has been most surprising about your career journeys so far?
Shawn: The most surprising thing is how absolutely content I am at this stage in my life. It has nothing to do with a career, but rather my role of wife and mom. For so long I was constantly working toward a huge goal. Once I got there it was incredible, don’t get me wrong, but I have found much more fulfillment in my titles of wife and mom than I have as Olympian. I am very grateful for that.
Andrew: Shawn has had huge opportunities come her way, but doesn’t take them if it means time away from our family. I gained even more respect for her this year during the Olympics when she was a commentator for Yahoo! Sports. We flew to Paris for the Olympic Games, and she was invited to so many incredible events with people many would dream to meet, but her main goal was to make memories with her family. She would have rather taken our kids to Disneyland than to attend a fancy event, even if it meant it could help her career.
What does a day in your lives look like with balancing your careers and kids?
Shawn: Growing up in athletics, we realized we enjoy having structured schedules. We like to check in with each other every night to debrief the day, every week to sync our schedules, and every quarter to evaluate how things are going and see what changes we need to make! We joke that our house is called “Hotel East” because on top of everything we have going on, we are constantly hosting and inviting people to come stay with us. It feels like we have a revolving door at our house; which may overwhelm some people but we love it this way.”
Andrew: Typically, we try to get a workout in, get the kids to school, and head to work. Our work day could look like interviewing people for our podcast, writing for our book, ideating and shooting content for our different channels, planning upcoming events, or meeting with our team. Everyday is different and that’s the beauty of it. Shawn and I try to wrap work at a decent time so we can be with our kids after school. The most important thing to us is that when we’re all together we are unplugged and intentional.
Athletics are obviously a big focus for the both of you. Do you see any of your 3 children gravitating towards specific sports?
Watching our kids get to find their thing has been so special. People ask if we want our kids to be professional athletes or olympians all the time and we always just laugh and say we will support them in whatever they want to do. Our son, Jett, is really into motocross, which is a bit terrifying, considering he’s only three and a half, but he loves it and it makes him come alive. Our five-year-old daughter has been loving ice skating, something we know very little about. That’s been a blast to watch her grow in the sport. We’re excited to see what our youngest son, Bear, is into once he’s old enough. For now he’ll be spending a lot of time at the ice rink or on motocross courses.
Couple Things, your podcast, has been such a success! What gave you the inspiration for a podcast?
Honestly, we both love love! We love talking about people’s love stories, diving into their relationships, and encouraging people that marriage takes work but is such a gift. We opened up about our painful miscarriage in 2017, and the response from our community was unmatched. It really showed us that people are craving authentic and thoughtful conversations about the hard things a lot of us face. Marriage is hard, relationships go through different seasons, and sometimes you face the unexpected. We wanted to create a place where people could share their stories to inspire others to keep choosing each other. The feedback has been amazing and getting to sit down to talk to each other every week has helped our marriage grow stronger too!
What’s next for The East Family?
Shawn: Andrew always has a new idea up his sleeve, but currently we’re focusing on our book that’s set to launch in Spring 2026! It’s been so fun to write this book together, and we’re excited to see where it goes! We’re still putting a lot of our energy into our podcast “Couple Things” and our business, FamilyMade.
Andrew: I’m finishing up my doctorate in Psychology this year! Shawn jokes that I always take on a big project as soon as we have a baby, and she’s right. I got my pilot’s license this year; so continuing to grow my skills has been rewarding.
Keep an eye on their socials for even more exciting news from The East Family later this month! @shawnjohnson | @andrewdeast
I have found so much fulfillment in my titles of wife & mom than I have as Olympian. It is the biggest honor to raise three kids with my favorite person.
Shawn Johnson stole the hearts of Americans being a four-time Olympic gymnastics medalist. Now with husband, Andrew East, they have easily become a household name in Nashville and across the country. They welcome their audience into their daily lives of fitness, humor, and real conversations on their YouTube channel, social media platforms, and podcast.