The Greatest Contributions You’ll Never See: How Every Role Drives the Win
Joanna Lohman wasn’t the star who scored the winning goal. She didn’t have her face on the Wheaties box. But behind the scenes, Joanna Lohman was the heartbeat of the team – the culture-setter, the connector, and the glue that made greatness possible. The real game-changers aren’t always in the spotlight.
Great teams win because every role matters. The most impactful contributors are often the ones who create the conditions for greatness, setting the stage so others can shine, and turning individual brilliance into collective victory.
Joanna’s story is a wake-up call for every organization chasing big wins. Most companies aren’t fighting for a World Cup or an Olympic medal, but they are fighting for success, continuous improvement, and a stronger and more resilient company culture. And that takes more than a star player. It takes a team where every role matters and every person plays to their highest value.
To win big, every business needs employees who embrace their unique role and give it their all, and every leader needs to see, value, and reward the work done in the shadows that makes the success in the spotlight possible.
True leadership is not about always being in the center of the action. Not everyone gets to be the wizard. Some are warriors who are essential to creating the conditions where others can thrive and are essential to the win.
In this inspiring and motivating keynote, Joanna shares how she learned, after nearly 40 years of chasing the spotlight role, that her true power came not from stepping aside but from stepping into the position that demanded a different kind of strength and unleashed a skill set that elevated everyone around her. This keynote challenges audiences to recognize the unseen contributions that fuel success and embrace roles that unlock maximum impact, not maximum visibility.
Great teams win because every role matters. Joanna Lohman will make sure your audience never forgets it.
Core Messages:
- Your role is not lesser—it’s different, and equally essential
In elite sports and in business, success is never a solo act. Joanna’s career all the way from youth soccer to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team taught her that every role, from the star striker to the defensive anchor, from the visionary CEO to the front-line team member, is indispensable. The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story. Behind every game-winning goal is a chain of moments and contributions that made it possible. Your role may not come with the loudest applause, but without it, the big win is never possible.
- Impact is measured in outcomes, not in spotlight
The highlight reel never tells the full truth. In sports, the media captures the goal, but not the defender’s stop or the midfield pass that made it possible. In business, the public sees the product launch, not the late-night problem solving or the quiet innovation that fueled it. Joanna drives home the point that true influence is about creating outcomes that matter, and that the work done in the shadows is often the very foundation of success
- Leaders must create the conditions for success
Great leaders do more than recognize top performers. They identify and support the people whose impact might not always be obvious but is always critical. Leaders who provide clarity, resources, and recognition for all roles unleash higher engagement, better collaboration, and sustained performance across the entire team.
- You don’t have to be the greatest to be great
The magic happens when every player embraces the role they are best suited for. Tom Brady is widely recognized as the G.O.A.T. But a team of 11 Tom Brady’s would be the worst team in the history of the NFL. Real greatness comes when each player leans into the role they’re best suited for, sharpening their unique strengths and embracing the fact that success depends on a blend of different talents. When everyone plays their part to the fullest, the whole team wins.
Ignite the Human Behind High Performance: Unleash Your Authentic Excellence
The truth is, inside every high performance lives a human. Behind every presentation of excellence, lives a process of growth. We are all built for greatness but not everyone is willing to reach for it. Are you?
In this compelling keynote, Joanna moves audiences beyond inspiration and into something far more powerful: ownership. This experience is for individuals and teams who sense they’re capable of more—but haven’t yet unlocked what’s holding them back. It doesn’t ask for harder work, only more intentional alignment.
At the core of the keynote are two uncomfortable questions most high performers avoid: What stories are shaping my performance? and Where is my energy actually going? Through the lenses of perception and preparation, Joanna reveals why some people consistently separate themselves from the pack—not through talent alone, but through clarity, control, and deliberate investment of focus.
The final—and often most overlooked—key explores the relationships that quietly determine success or stagnation. Because no one sustains excellence in isolation. This keynote challenges audiences to rethink how they lead, connect, and perform—leaving them wanting to understand not just what ignites performance, but why it so often burns out.
- Authenticity is your greatest competitive advantage
High performance doesn’t come from fitting in—it comes from showing up as the fullest version of yourself. Through her own journey from the U.S. Women’s National Team to global stages, Joanna reveals that authenticity isn’t soft; it’s catalytic. When you stop shaping yourself to meet external expectations and start aligning with who you truly are, your decisions get clearer, your impact gets stronger, and your excellence becomes undeniable.
- Growth is gritty, imperfect, and absolutely necessary
We often idolize the polished outcome, but the real transformation happens in the muddy middle. High performers don’t avoid struggle—they move through it, knowing the setbacks, confusion, and vulnerability are what forge their strength. Joanna emphasizes that when you embrace the messiness instead of hiding it, you unlock deeper resilience, richer insight, and a more sustainable path to greatness.
- Human connection fuels high performance
Behind every breakthrough is a team, a mentor, a conversation, or a moment of courage shared with someone else. High achievers don’t grind alone—they build environments where honesty, belonging, and trust ignite performance. Joanna underscores that when leaders create space for people to be seen, supported, and human, they unleash levels of creativity, courage, and commitment that no strategy alone can produce.
- Excellence is not perfection—it’s alignment
Perfection is performative; excellence is personal. You don’t elevate your performance by becoming someone else—you elevate it by becoming more you. Joanna shows that when your values, actions, and ambitions align, you stop chasing validation and start generating true impact. Greatness isn’t about doing everything flawlessly; it’s about doing the right things in a way that is uniquely, unapologetically yours.
