Simone Biles got candid about mental health and going to therapy in a new interview with Hoda Kotb on her Making Space podcast on Wednesday, July 31. While talking to the daytime talk show host, Simone, 27, gave a play-by-play of her day leading up to winning the gold medal with Team USA for the all-around women’s gymnastic events at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The win came just three years after Simone stepped away from some Olympic events due to mental health during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The gymnast opened up to the Today host about all the ways that going to therapy has helped her and made her feel stronger going into the games this year. After the win, Simone admitted to reporters that she had kicked off the day with a therapy session. “At the beginning of the day, I started off with therapy this morning, so that was super exciting. I told her I was feeling calm and ready and that’s kind of exactly what happened,” she said, per People. “After I finished vault, I was relieved. I was like, ‘Phew,’ because [there were] no flashbacks or anything.”
While chatting with Hoda, the Olympian admitted that she felt like it was important to embrace therapy, explaining how it’s part of her daily life. “I think we used to think of therapy as a weakness, and now I think of it as a strength. And if there’s somebody that can help me deal with what I’m going through, then that’s what I need to do. And now it’s a daily part of my routine,” she said.
Simone withdrew from the individual events at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health, and dealing with “twisties,” a mental block that can mess with a gymnast’s sense of perspective. “After the performance that I did, I didn’t want to go into the other events, so I thought I would take a step back,” she said in July 2021. “t’s very unfortunate that it has to happen at this stage because I definitely wanted this Olympics to go a little better, but again, we’ll take it one day at a time and we’re going to see how the rest goes. Physically, I feel good. I’m in shape. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment.”
Now, Simone has returned and already won a gold medal with Team USA for the all-around women’s event.