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From four-time Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson East and former NFL pro Andrew East comes The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something, to be published on June 9, 2026 by Portfolio Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group.
Teammates by choice and competitors by nature, the duo bring their insight as elite athletes, entrepreneurs, and parents of three to their debut, co-authored book. The Courage to Commit is a bold reframing of commitment in an age of distraction. Blending gripping personal stories with cutting-edge research in neuroscience and psychology, Shawn and Andrew – who will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary this spring – show why commitment matters, how it works, and practical strategies that turn intention into action.
“So often commitment is portrayed as a trap in today’s society, and we want to offer a different perspective that commitment can actually be so freeing and worthwhile, whether that’s commitment to a partner, a job or a hobby," Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East told People Magazine. "Writing this book together has been such a labor of love, and we are so excited to share it with the world!"
This isn’t a book about habit hacks or cold plunges. It’s about choosing what matters and sticking with it. In a culture obsessed with options, the real rebellion is picking your hill—and planting your flag there with conviction. At its core, this book is about the courage to begin, the courage to stay, and when the time is right, the courage to move on with grace—so you can move beyond fear and find the freedom, meaning, and joy we all crave.
The Courage to Commit is available for pre-order. Learn more here: thecouragetocommit.com
Known for their candid conversations about love, life, and parenting, the Easts have cultivated an online audience of 13.8M+ followers across their social media platforms, and through their New York Times-praised podcast “Couple Things.” Since their athletic careers, they’ve focused on building meaningful communities for families, including launching FamilyMade, a media network that offers podcasts, live events, and resources that celebrate family life. In 2024, they introduced the Moment Makers Foundation, and amongst other initiatives, supported Olympic and Paralympic moms and dads with child care assistance, and in 2025, Shawn introduced Beam Kids, a pediatrician-formulated, superpowder for children's growth, immunity, and focus.
Most recently, that same spirit of partnership carried them through a grueling 10-day competition in Morocco on Fox’s “Special Forces” in 2025, where they emerged as two of the five finalists.
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Photo Credit: Jessica Steddom
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About Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East:
Shawn Johnson East is a former gymnast, a three-time U.S. all-around Champion in women’s gymnastics, and the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and team, all-around, and floor exercise silver medalist. She is also the winner of season eight of Dancing with the Stars. Andrew East is a former NFL long snapper and played college football at Vanderbilt. Shawn and Andrew met in 2012, married in 2016, and now live in Tennessee with their three children.
About Portfolio:
Portfolio is an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Portfolio publishes non-fiction books for ambitious people, connecting readers with powerful ideas that inform and improve their lives, in the workplace and beyond. The imprint produces original books in fields such as technology, economics, entrepreneurship, biography and investigative journalism, with a focus on educating and inspiring a new generation of leaders. Notable and bestselling books include Build the Life You Want by Oprah Winfrey and Arthur C. Brooks, The Algebra of Wealth by Scott Galloway, Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday, Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara (Optimism Press), Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick, Slow Productivity by Cal Newport, My Life in Full by Indra Nooyi, Start with Why by Simon Sinek, #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso, and many more.
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