Simone Biles turned heads at the Tokyo Olympics when she made the bold decision to step back from competition to focus on her mental health, citing the ‘twisties’ as a major factor. Since then, she’s become a huge advocate for mental health in gymnastics, openly sharing how therapy helped her bounce back and get to Paris with a clearer, healthier mindset. Now, it seems one of her old teammates has taken a page out of Simone’s playbook.

Aly Raisman, who competed alongside Biles in Rio, has just opened up about her own mental health struggles. Aly’s been vocal before, sharing that she’s battled anxiety for most of her life, and she’s been a strong advocate against abuse in the sport, particularly in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal. But this time, she’s revealed dealing with a condition—something that, as she explains, needs to be addressed differently from other mental health challenges.

Aly Raisman shares her take on how mental health challenges aren’t one-size-fits-all

On the ‘Get my OCD’ podcast, Aly Raisman opened up about her gradual journey with therapy, revealing how she bounced from therapist to therapist until she found someone who actually specialized in her condition. She shared how, in the beginning, her usual therapists would give her solutions that, well, weren’t exactly on point. Aly Raisman said, “If I said I’m having anxiety, did I shut the stove off? They would say, well, you should take a photo of it so that when you get nervous later, you can go back and check.” But then she met an OCD specialist, and the reaction was priceless.

“When I saw an OCD specialist, she was absolutely horrified that they told me to do that,” explained Simone Biles’ former teammate. Dr. Patrick McGrath, NOCD’s Chief Clinical Officer, who joined the gold medal-winning gymnast on the podcast, agreed, noting how OCD is all about those repetitive, compulsive behaviors, so a photo or sticky note just adds fuel to the fire, triggering even more doubts. Imagine the chaos if the photo was taken yesterday, but today your brain’s telling you, “What if you didn’t actually turn the stove off?”

Aly Raisman has truly stepped into her power in recent years, bravely speaking out about her experiences and using her platform to destigmatize mental health challenges. It’s incredibly inspiring to see her following in Simone Biles’ footsteps, advocating for mental health awareness and education. Athletes like Aly—who openly discuss their struggles—carry immense influence, showing just how impactful vulnerability can be. The Paris Olympics hat trick gold medalist Simone Biles is the biggest example of this as well.

Simone Biles’ mental health talk? It might’ve just saved lives.

Simone Biles seems to be a lifesaver, in a literal sense. After she decided to prioritize her well-being at the Tokyo Olympics finals, Simone intensified the conversation on mental health. Many athletes are now opening up about their struggles. This has also helped the general public a lot, as it has reduced the stigma around the whole thing. Thus, Simone seems to have begun the creation of a culture of prioritizing mental well-being. A survey conducted by the Child Mind Institute confirmed this.

Sharing their findings on Instagram, they said, “Mental health conversations are breaking through. In a recent survey of 1,000 women by @femalequotient, 63% said they felt more inspired to prioritize their mental health after Simone Biles openly discussed taking time off for her well-being. Additionally, 61% reported feeling more comfortable being transparent about their struggles.”

This is an incredible achievement, as it means that Simone directly inspired 630 people to prioritize their mental health and potentially saved lives. While her sporting legacy stands out on its own, these things are no less than that and should be considered at the same level. It is the reason why Simone Biles is one of the most impactful athletes of our generation.