There are many different shades of Julia Mancuso. Julia’s a world-class skier, fitness guru, role model, underwear model, philanthropist, brand ambassador and overall free spirit. Combine them and you’ve got a Squaw Valley girl who never worried about the rules and appropriately found herself exactly where she wants to be – doing what she loves.

And that differs greatly depending on the day. Julia isn’t your typical professional winter athlete. She wore a tiara on the podium during the 2006 Olympics to defy her doubters and spends much of her off-season surfing or paddling in Hawaii. Water is part of Julia’s DNA and this Pisces is most at home in or on it.

Julia – the most decorated Olympic female American alpine skier – broke into the World Cup at age 15 after having grown up in a family whose active lifestyle was infused in everything they did. It’s not surprising that Julia looked to her older sister as inspiration and set her sights first on matching her skiing prowess. Despite dominating the Junior World Championships as a teenager, Julia didn’t find herself on the World Cup podium until realizing that being the best wasn’t about beating older and more experienced competitors. It was about being the best Julia she could be.

And it worked. “Super-Jules” – as she is called by her teammates – has an on-snow resume boasting five World Cup wins, four World Championship podium finishes and three Olympic medals, including a gold in the giant slalom at the 2006 games in Turin, Italy. And while others have called her wins unexpected, Julia’s success comes as no surprise to her. It’s a product of the joy found in her pursuits and her ability to never place a ceiling on her potential.

While Julia always has her eyes on the next big race, her life pursuits cover a much broader spectrum. Julia has launched a women’s underwear line, opened a fitness center and supported a charitable campaign for victims of the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Julia is a sponsored athlete for major brands like Visa, Spyder and Völkl.