After the tragic death of her husband Shane in 2009, Sherry McConkey had to change in order to continue to thrive. Shane McConkey, regarded as the most influential skier in the world, believed that if you have the courage to be authentic, anything is possible. In this very authentic talk, Sherry discusses how the legacy of Shane empowers her daily to discover a new and better version of herself.
An avid world traveler, Sherry McConkey was born in Ireland, raised in South Africa, and began her global journey in 1989. After traveling through Europe and Canada, she landed in Lake Tahoe, CA, which she still calls home.
A passion for the outdoors connected Sherry to legendary free ski pioneer Shane McConkey. The two were married in Thailand in 2004 and their greatest creation, Ayla, came along in 2005. Shane passed away in 2009.
Through both her life with Shane, and his death, Sherry has come to believe that with desire, passion, and a goal, anything is possible. Despite the grief after losing him, Sherry knew she wanted to carry on Shane’s legacy. She turned moments of sadness into inspiration and used the power of positivity to build The Shane McConkey Foundation, and Executive Produce the movie, McConkey.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at