TGIF | How Simone Biles and the Olympics Highlight the Vital Connection Between Mental Health and Peak Performance
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Dear Community,
This year marked the first time in many that I intentionally sat down to watch the Olympic Games. The thrill of the women's soccer matches had me and my kiddos jumping up and down, crashing into each other in fits of celebration with every goal. Track and field events turned our living room into a stadium, complete with impassioned shouts that I’m sure our neighbors heard (thankfully, this time, I wasn’t shouting at my kids!). And then there was "breaking," a fresh addition to the games. It was fascinating, albeit peculiar, but fun to watch nonetheless.
But where the U.S. truly shined—exemplifying resilience, compassion, empowerment, and awe-inspiring talent—was in gymnastics. My family and I have plans to see a few of the U.S. team’s men perform at UM, but the women... well, let's pause for a moment of silence to honor the GOAT, Simone Biles.
Today, I want to use Simone and what she's taught the world as a springboard to dive deeper into the importance of mental health in physical health.
Mental Health Is Physical Health
The Reset Pillars of Holistic Mental Health Care
While training a new team member (you’ll love her, by the way!), we got into a discussion about how, fundamentally, we must consider the whole person when addressing any mental health concern. At Reset, this is where our pillars of wellness come into play: rest, movement, breath, nourishment, and connection. If someone is consistently sleeping only five hours, eating poorly or relying on highly processed foods, never regulating their nervous system, always glued to their phone, and not engaging with nature or the world around them—it’s a red flag.
Even in her extraordinary greatness, Simone Biles is still human. Her courageous decision to prioritize her mental health sparked a much-needed conversation. But her story is far from unique. Many athletes, often seen as invincible, have shared their battles with mental health, inspiring countless others.
Simone’s acknowledgment that "physical health is mental health" when she took a voluntary break to care for herself resonates deeply. We cannot expect to compete or perform at a high level if we’re neglecting our basic wellness needs. Our physical health is intertwined with our mental agility, resilience, focus, and calm. Likewise, our mental health informs our confidence, courage, motivation, and endurance. We are a unified being—brain and body, mind and physical form—all connected.
Beyond Performance
While peak performance is a cornerstone of athletic training, mental health is far more than just a performance enhancer; it’s the foundation upon which an athlete’s entire experience is built.
The Holistic Athlete: Injury prevention and recovery are deeply connected to mental health. Stress, anxiety, and depression can hinder physical recovery, while a positive mindset can accelerate healing.
Physical Well-being: Mental health directly impacts physical health. Issues such as eating disorders, sleep disturbances, and substance abuse often coexist with mental health struggles, creating a complex web that affects an athlete's overall well-being.
Relationships: Athletes are people first. Strong interpersonal relationships contribute to overall life satisfaction and can help buffer the pressures of competition. However, mental health challenges can strain these relationships, affecting both personal and professional life.
Life After Sports: Transitioning from athlete to civilian can be tough. Mental health support is crucial in helping athletes build resilience and develop coping mechanisms for life beyond their competitive careers.
Boundaries Are Mental Health
One of the main criticisms Simone Biles faced when she chose to take a break was the accusation that she was "quitting" and letting her team down. She's not alone. How many of us have faced backlash when we prioritize our own well-being, especially if it affects others?
Taking care of our own needs is healthy. In a world that often praises self-sacrifice and uses guilt as a weapon, prioritizing yourself is something to be proud of. Disappointing others can actually be a sign of self-respect—it means you’re not abandoning yourself.
Gabor Maté, a renowned trauma expert, speaks to the dangers of living an inauthentic life. When we consistently strive to please others or perform out of fear of rejection or criticism, we live inauthentically. This internalized belief that choosing ourselves is somehow wrong is one of the most normalized forms of self-betrayal and is in fact, traumatic.
Self-Protection Is Not Selfish
Simone Biles once said, "We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do." I want you to pause and reflect on that.
What does it mean for you to protect your mind and body?
Earlier this week, I confessed to my therapist that I was overwhelmed. She confirmed what I already knew—it was palpable. Ugh, not easy to hear, but the truth. I was dreading an upcoming out-of-state obligation, dealing with a pulled leg muscle, battling TMJ for six weeks, and now even struggling with a middle earache. And yes, I had just come off a vacation where I didn’t sleep enough, had too many nights with tequila, and ate so much sugar that I got canker sores. Whoopsie.
What did my therapist tell me? First, she reminded me to give myself grace because, well, vacation is vacation. (And I’m here to remind you of the same.) But she also told me to say "no." She was the third person in three days to give me that advice.
Protecting our minds, our bodies, and our authenticity often starts with one small, powerful word: "no." And as many of you have heard before, "no" is a complete sentence.
What the World Wants from Us
Oh, but the world... the pressure to perform, to please, to feel safe and loved. We all just want to be loved unconditionally. We all aspire to have a sense of self that isn’t built on what others think or say about us. We all want to be seen as the imperfect, beautiful humans that we are—trying our best, trying to enjoy this life.
When we consistently put the world’s demands above our own well-being, we suffer. The constant need to meet expectations and avoid disappointment can lead to burnout, resentment, and a loss of self. People-pleasing becomes a trap, a cycle that’s hard to break.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to live that way. You can choose authenticity over approval. You can choose to protect your mental and physical health, even if it means setting boundaries that others might not like. And in doing so, you’re not just protecting yourself—you’re modeling for others that it’s okay to prioritize their own well-being too.
So, let’s take a page from Simone Biles’ playbook. Let’s give ourselves permission to step back when needed, to say no without guilt, and to prioritize our mental health as an essential part of our physical health. After all, we are whole beings—mind, body, and soul—deserving of care, compassion, and the space to thrive.
In community and support, reminding you that you are never alone.
Hugs.
And this week’s TGIFs…
TOOL — Dr. Nicole LePera may be an Instagram influencer, but she’s one heck of a psychologist. Her content is amazing, and I highly recommend this post if you often feel guilt over choosing yourself and your own needs.
GRATITUDE — A simple reminder that if you want abundance in your life, start getting serious about gratitude. This post was a wonderful kick in the butt this week.
INNOVATION — Sports Performance cannot and is not just about goal coaching and visualization. We must get to the root of repressed feelings and fears. Our team does this as trained sports performance coaches and psychotherapists. Double-whammy boom.
FEELS — Yoga, ya’ll. I found my way back to the mat after 10 days away and I’m so grateful for the teacher who cued an entire legs up the wall ending sequence. Slowing down, deep breathing, letting talking give way to listening… it’s therapy, too, and feels so so so good.