Outstanding American gymnast with a record number of Olympic gold medals, became a symbol of mental health in sports.
Every Olympic journey is unique. I'm not rushing. I listen to my body and my soul, because they know more than my mind.
Everyone sees only the gymnastics, but not the person who is slowly learning to be herself. That's much harder than any jump.
Coming back to sports was about returning to the love of gymnastics, not the pain of victory. That's completely different.
Mental health is as important as physical health. I didn't understand this immediately, but now I know it saved my life.
I thought America hated me. I stopped breathing. But I learned that you must be honest with yourself before you can be honest with others.
It's easy to win when fighting against someone. But I fought my demons, and that was the hardest victory of my life.
I learned to talk to my pain instead of staying silent. That was the key to my rebirth.