Lauren Burns won an Olympic gold medal in taekwondo when the sport made its debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. She has a PhD in lifestyle and mindset and a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy), is a mother of two gorgeous children and is the author Fighting Spirit and her self published cookbook Food from a Loving Home.

Lauren was awarded the Order of Australia in 2001 and has a string of international titles and achievements to her name. She conducts regular motivational presentations, active workshops and health and wellness programs and individual performance coaching, throughout Australia and abroad. Lauren is currently working with the Gold Medal Ready program run through the Australian Institute of Sport, assisting athletes preparing for Tokyo and Paris. She also sits on the Scholarship Selection Committee for the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Lauren has always been passionate about food and health. She continues this passion with regular media commitments, articles, blogging and cooking classes. She is currently completing her PhD in lifestyle practices and mindset of elite athletes and has published papers of her work in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Achievements

•     2021 RMIT Doctor of Philosophy (Laboratory and Clinical Science)

•     2019 RMIT Vice Chancellor’s Award, Research Impact

•     2019 RMIT Higher Degree Research – Publication Prize

•     2017 Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Melbourne

•     2017 L’Oréal-UNESCO recipient: For Women in Science mentoring program

•     2015 Scholarship recipient from the JACKA Foundation for PhD research

•     2015 Inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame, Croatia

•     2011 Released and published cookbook, Food from a Loving Home

•     2009 Australian Natural Therapists Association Bursary Award

•     2009 Bachelor Health Science, Naturopathy

•     2007 Olympic Education Ambassador

•     2004 Appointed on The Athletes Commission for the Australian Olympic Committee

•     2004 – 2007 Representative on the Athletes Commission, Taekwondo Australia

•     2001 Best Selling Author, Fighting Spirit

•     2001 Sports Medal Recipient

•     2001 Young Australian of the Year, Nillumbik Shire

•     2000 Taekwondo Australia Fighter of the Year

•     2000 Order Of Australia Medal recipient

•     1999, 2001 Blitz Female Full Contact Fighter of the Year

•     Women’s Team Captain, Australian Taekwondo Team

•     Third dan black belt

•     1999 – Leader Newspaper Sports Star of the year

•     1993 – 2000 12 times National Champion and Australian Team Member

Community Involvement & Associations

2021

Current Member of Jacka Foundation of Natural Therapies

2017 – current

Sports Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) – Scholarship & Mentoring Committee

2014 – current

Nino Early Learning – Nutritional Ambassador; creating seasonal, wholefood, delicious menu’s for Nino’s Centres

2014 – 2015

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program – Teaching teachers involved in the program new recipes

2010 – 2012

Ambassador for the ‘Organic Schools Garden Program’

2004 – 2006

Member on Athletes Commission of both Australian Olympic Committee and Taekwondo Australia

2003 – 2015

Appin Hall Children’s Foundation, regular clinics and workshops (taekwondo and nutrition) for terminally ill or disadvantaged children and families.

2003 – 2015

Appin Hall Children’s Foundation, regular clinics and workshops (taekwondo and nutrition) for terminally ill or disadvantaged children and families.

2001 – 2009

Red Dust Role Models, conducting healthy lifestyle and taekwondo clinics in Indian, Fijian and remote Aboriginal communities.

2001 – 2002

World Vision, Ambassador for Destroy a minefield, rebuild lives campaign (Cambodia)