Despite earning $9.5 million, Olivia Dunne reveals taking inspiration from legendary gymnast Nastia Liukin to build personal brand beyond sports

Despite her impressive earnings, Olivia Dunne recently said she has drawn inspiration from the legendary American gymnast Nastia Liukin to expand her personal brand beyond her career in sports. After winning the historic NCAA Championships title for LSU this year, Dunne decided to stretch her time with the university for one more year.

After the NCAA implemented the NIL policy in July 2021, Dunne skyrocketed to fame as the most followed collegiate athlete on social media. She currently has 5.3m and 153.5k followers on Instagram and X, respectively.

Along with the long strides in gymnastics, the LSU star became the highest-paid female athlete in college sports, collaborating with leading brands, including Sports Illustrated, Nautica, Macy's, and American Eagle. With her success on and off the gymnastics mat, the 22-year-old earned a place on the Forbes 2024 '30 Under 30' list.

According to SI.com, Dunne has amassed a total of $9.5 million throughout her time at LSU so far. Despite her significant achievements, she has set standards high for herself and aims to launch a personal brand, the inspiration for which she gathers from Liukin.

In an interview with flaunt.com, Dunne expressed her admiration for Liukin. The LSU gymnast was mentored by Liukin for a major part of her career. She was also coached by the legendary gymnast's father Valeri Liukin at the Karolyi ranch.

“She grew her brand beyond gymnastics. She loves fashion. She does sports broadcasting,” Dunne said about Liukin.

Nastia Liukin engages with several endorsements. She owns her beauty product with Volition Beauty at Sephora. She also has her own coaching and training academy, a fashionable athletic wear and accessories collection, and the iconic Nastia Liukin Cup, an annual artistic gymnastics competition.

"I get to come up with my own prices" - Olivia Dunne opens up on her process of building her brand on social media

Olivia Dunne of the LSU Tigers warms up at the Dickies Arenas for the NCAA Championship in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo via Getty Images)

In the same interview, Olivia Dunne emphasized building her brand on her own terms.

The 22-year-old said she does not rely on any algorithms and can set her own prices. She also conveyed her love for connecting with the followers directly and educating them about the NIL.

“I don’t need to rely on any algorithms to grow my personal brand. I get to come up with my own prices. It’s super cool to be able to personally connect with the people who follow me and get input from them or teach them about NIL," Dunne said.

Olivia Dunne aims to work in the NIL system after her collegiate gymnastics career ends.