"Having a good support system is so important" - When LSU sensation Olivia Dunne revealed her secret behind successfully balancing fame and college
LSU Tigers gymnast Olivia Dunne is no stranger to fame and success. One of the highest-earning NIL athletes, Dunne boasts an immense following on social media platforms, with more than $5 million followers on Instagram. She also has $3.3 million in NIL deals to speak for her brand value.
A few months ago, in an interaction with On3, Dunne revealed her secret to balancing fame and college. She gave her family, especially her sister, credit for helping her manage it all.
"I would say having a good support system is so important," Dunne said. My family stands behind me, and my mom helps me."
"My sister helps put together videos and sends them to the brand while I'm at practice or competing, so she's definitely a huge component in my everyday life, helping me with these brand deals. But having a good support system and compartmentalizing your day so you don't get overwhelmed." [2:10 onwards].
Dunne also gave credit to LSU College, which has a separate NIL department that helps their student-athletes get NIL deals.
"Yes, LSU has helped in so many different ways," Olivia Dunne said. "They have so many amenities for all of the LSU student-athletes and help with NIL, helping navigate the whole thing because at first, it was just so unprecedented. It was such a new area for everyone, even for myself, and they've helped so much." [0:14 onwards].
Olivia Dunne wants to have her own brand after graduation
The LSU gymnast is in her senior year of college and is looking forward to working with more brands while focusing on her gymnastics career.
However, Olivia Dunne also mentioned that she would like to have her own brand someday.
"Yeah, I mean I have one more year of school at LSU and one more year of gymnastics, my whole life, which is insane to me," Dunne said.
"So, I'm hoping to just have a good last year at LSU. But after school, I would definitely like to have my own brand. Yes, I love working with brands, but I would like to have my own thing, my own product one day. I'm not sure exactly what that is yet, but I definitely feel like I can do something entrepreneurial. So, I would like to have my own product." [3:10 onwards].
Olivia Dunne has also set up the Livvy Foundation to help her fellow female student-athletes get NIL deals.
On a personal front, she's dating Paul Skenes, who was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 MLB draft.