Johansson learned to swim and dive in Stockholm's municipal baths. She attended them on free tickets given at her public school, as all Swedish children were then required to learn swimming and diving. She won the Swedish titles in 1910, in the breaststroke, and in 1911, in the 100 m freestyle and high diving. In 1913 she emigrated to the United States, where she first worked as a shop assistant. There she married the Swedish diver Ernst Brandsten who also competed at the 1912 Olympics. The couple trained divers, swimmers, and the water polo team at Stanford University from 1915 to 1948 and operated the sports and recreation Searsville Lake Park. They were both inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame: Brandsten as a diving coach in 1966[4] and Johansson as a diver in 1973.[3][5]
