I found the newsletter I sent you all on July 29, 2021 during the Tokyo Games when Simone Biles did the unimaginable! “All stories are presently being trumped by the bravery of Simone Biles.
As an Olympian, a champion, and a longtime advocate of female athletes, she’s always been a role model and a pillar of strength. But her decision to put her mental well-being before her life’s work and the expectations of the world is by far her greatest demonstration of power. As a society, we applaud doing, striving, achieving, and succeeding, all the while ignoring the consequences, which often include burnout, anxiety, depression, amongst others.
Not to mention the need to then soothe with alcohol, drugs, and food. It is a theme that I explore deeply in my book, Hungry for More.
Simone’s ability to prioritize her mental health over the promise of more success, more medals and more accolades sends a strong message to the rest of us. Those of us who are not in the limelight and are not carrying the heavy weight of an entire country’s aspirations. What Simone has taught us is that in the end, we are all human. We all share the same struggles, the same fears, the same emotions, and the same doubts. She has also taught us that in the end, our own mental and emotional well-being trumps all else, even Olympic medals. And this lesson is gold🥇.”
I was reflecting on all of this, this past week, when she came back to capitalize on that pivotal decision to prioritize her mental health.
Here are some musings I mused about this week:
- The Power of Pause
- The Power of Pivot W
- hy Mental Health Matters (not only to our mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing but to our physical health, and to our professional health- in this case winning a gold medal!)
- The Opportunity in Transparency How Authenticity Serves Us (in how we work, how we lead, how we live, and how we show up in the world)
- Trusting your Intuition
- The Power of Awe
I also share a little relic I found of the Olympics 1984 when Mary Lou Retton won gold. Remember that?
✨ Head over to this week’s HealthBite and listen to my off the cuff musings for this week. I think you might be inspired, as I was, to prioritize your mental and emotional wellbeing.
Your health will be better for it, mind and body!
If you are interested in bringing this message to your team, professional groups or organizations respond to this email and I will send you all you need to set up the most inspirational keynote or workshop.
You can listen to the whole episode here. 👇👇https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/190-simone-biles-olympic-pause-a-triumph-for-mental/id1504295718?i=1000664368041