Simone Biles

As soon as I heard that Lizzo posted a video in response to hateful comments, I wasn’t surprised. But, I should have been. It doesn’t sit well with me that I’ve become accustomed to updates about the harm done against Black women, especially those with celebrity status. Meghan Markle. Simone Biles. Serena Williams. Michelle Obama. [...]

“Don’t judge me because my struggle does not look like yours.” – Anonymous Anyone who is even slightly aware of the Olympics has seen the multitude of stories about Simone Biles and her decision to step away from competition. At the height of her career and with so many expectations upon her, she did not [...]

This past week, I’ve been glued to the Olympics. My favorite Olympic sport has always been gymnastics, and that has generated one of the biggest news stories of the Games so far after Simone Biles, unarguably one of the most successful gymnasts of all time, pulled out of the team final after one routine. Until [...]

When news broke of Simone Biles’ withdrawal from her program during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, I couldn’t help but think that’s how it should be. When you’re struggling mentally, having one of those tough days, you should be able step back to catch your bearings. I know I do. The problem is, the stigma is [...]

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” — Audre Lorde. Dear Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka: thank you. I am writing to express my gratitude to you both for being radical about your mental health and self-care. It takes courage to be unafraid to set healthy [...]

I have been enthralled with gymnastics my entire life. I can recall watching Mary Lou Retton in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with bated breath, amazed at how someone so tiny could be so powerful. I enrolled in gymnastics shortly after that but had a mishap during a front flip in which I almost broke [...]

I was working in a very stressful job at my state’s Public Health Division. I had a high-profile job and had a myriad of responsibilities including supervising a staff of 26 and a budget of 17 million. I carried out my duties responsibly and was promoted three times in three years in addition to an [...]

Black girls are magic. But, we are human too. This past Tuesday morning, alongside my daughters, I watched Hoda Kotb tearfully break the news that Simone Biles was withdrawing from USA Olympics gymnastics team completion. My youngest daughters, ages 4 and 7, are gymnasts. We stand for Simone Biles. She is a leader both on [...]

As someone who didn’t always put their mental health first, having people like Simone speak up about her struggles makes a world of difference. Simone Biles, a gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast, left the women’s gymnastics final at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Her team cited a “medical injury” before in a press conference indicating that it [...]

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, who was recently named ESPN’s Most Dominant Athlete of the Year, opened up about her mental health on Tuesday’s segment of Good Morning America. Biles was one of over 156 gymnasts sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar, a former USA gymnastics doctor who was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison in January. When [...]