Angela D. Coleman, Ìbíyínká Oladojá Oyèwọlá, is a nonprofit executive, social entrepreneur, and scholar-practitioner dedicated to transforming communities through innovation, systems-level thinking, and equity-centered solutions.
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team, led by the GOAT, greatest-of-all-time gymnast, Simone Biles, is the epitome of resilience.
Trauma affects all of us differently. When you are expected to train and perform at such a high level as all professional athletes are expected to do, past traumatic experiences or ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) can take their toll, expressing themselves and triggering you when you least expect it.
Watching the U.S. women’s gymnastics team this summer, with particularly outstanding performances by Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, you would have never believed what Biles and other members of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team went through as survivors of sexual abuse by their team doctor, Larry Nassar.
In 2016, Nassar was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting at least 265 young women and girls[5] under the guise of medical treatment.[6][7] His victims included numerous Olympic and United States women’s national gymnastics team gymnasts.” (Wikipedia)
“How much is a little girl worth?” Simone Biles
Overcoming girlhood trauma is central to increasing your capacity to be well and thrive. More than overcoming degrees of skill difficulty, it is the mental fortitude and resilience that creates such magical moments by the U.S. women’s gymnastics team that were witnessed by the world in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Photo credit: Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera get awarded the gold medal during the medal ceremony for the women’s team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Charlie Riedel | AP)
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