Being Vulnerable to Drew Barrymore, Olympian Aly Raisman Opens Up on “Army of Survivors” Who Fought Against Larry Nassar

The legendary 2x Olympian, Aly Raisman who recently authored a new book called ‘From My Head To My Toes’, that talks about the importance of consent and other matters, was featured in the American actress and film producer, Drew Barrymore’s show. Aly Raisman who was also awarded the USA Today’s Woman of the Year, has previously been known for the significant impact that she has made in communities and people across the world.

The show which is popular for intelligent optimism and maximum fun, witnessed the retired American gymnast’s wise words that remitted strong beliefs about women’s empowerment in society and her abuse by an ex-USA gymnastics doctor in the past.

Aly Raisman getting vocal about abuse in a talk show

The Drew Barrymore Show on Instagram put up a snippet that covered the American gymnast, Aly Raisman in it. Captioned, “Aly Raisman on the importance of supporting those who come forward with stories of abuse”, the video justified Drew Barrymore being way too thankful to the gymnast for opening up about the abuse that many people go through, but don’t get supported enough eventually.

Lucky that she is one of the few ‘Army of Survivors” who has the right support platform to share her side of the story across the globe, Aly Raisman declared that she is always very mindful of such sensitive issues. During the interview, Drew Barrymore summarized her own childhood experiences, “I didn’t have people protecting me and advocating for me when I was a kid and when I was in a lot of very bizarre hedonistic scenarios and I didn’t like the feeling of that.”

Furthermore, amidst putting light on how important it is to be vocal about it and address such issues, Aly Raisman also shared her own dreadful life experience on the show where she was abused by Larry Nassar, an ex-USA gymnastics doctor, who assaulted girls under the guise of medical treatment. Putting forward this story of her own professional life, her present aim is to empower millions of young girls and women worldwide, who go through such circumstances.

Normalize hard conversations to put a strong impact

A winner of six Olympic medals as the captain of the legendary 2012 “Fierce Five” and 2016 “Final Five” teams, Aly Raisman explained with pride to USA Today, “My parents always used to tell me when I was younger that people will remember me for the kind of person I am, not what place I am on the podium”. Not prioritizing the pride in accomplishing gold medals and national praise, she believes that she’s most proud of having the courage to explore who she is outside of the on-the-field routines.

The 29-year-old retired gymnast also believes that although her goals today won’t triumph in any championship medals, they are way more satisfying and rewarding. “And I want people to remember me for making sports safer and normalizing really hard conversations”, continued Aly Raisman on her journey to empower more girls as she moves ahead with her primary motive of facilitating mental health now.

Read More: “Taking it day by day”: Star Gymnastics Sensation Breaks Silence On Ups And Downs Of Coping With Mental Health