11-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles speaks with Student Life’s former Editor-in-Chief, Nina Giraldo, after delivering the commencement address May 12. (Anna Calvo | Staff Photographer)

Simone Biles sat down for an interview with Student Life following her speech at Monday’s commencement ceremony, where she spoke about leadership, managing pressure, and the importance of being the “greatest you of all time.” The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. 

Student Life (SL): What made you accept the invitation to speak at WashU?

Simone Biles (SB): My husband is actually from St. Louis, and so we know how amazing this school was, not to mention that it is on Olympic grounds. It was really a no-brainer — it just felt like home.

SL: How did you decide what to speak about?

SB: I tried to relate back to the kids as much as possible, and also give props to first–generation graduates. I know the graduates haven’t been to the Olympics, but I know that at this time in your life you might feel a little bit lost because you only have school, and then you have to think about what it looks like beyond.

SL: During the speech, you had everyone do a breathing exercise, where they all took a pause to take a deep breath. Is that a go-to for you? What techniques do you have in the chaos and pressure of your career?

SB: Before I even started the speech, I got there and took a deep breath. I find myself doing breathing exercises a lot — first through therapy, but I also do it on the competition floor if I feel my heart racing. I know this is such a big moment for so many people and they might be feeling anxious, so I wanted to do it all together to just get it out of the way. I know whenever I’m nervous, I’ll talk a little bit faster, so it also got me to slow down.

SL: The prevailing theme of the speech was to stay true to yourself, or to be the best “you” you can be. You’ve talked previously about the backlash you received when you made the decision to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics. What or who in those moments made you stay true to yourself?

SB: My parents, as well as my coaches, doctors, and everyone surrounding me. I’ve had such a great support system, and I knew they would support me 100% in whatever that decision was. Obviously it was hard, but I knew it was best for me. I know that these kids, after graduating, might feel that they’re pressured to do something when they might not be ready to, or they might not want to just yet. That’s okay — take a deep breath, take a step back, take some time to yourself and then figure it out, because at the end of the day we’re all trying to figure it out together. I think it’s really easy to compare ourselves to others, and so that’s why I did that part in the speech. I think a lot of people can relate to [conversations about] mental health, and at this point they might feel lost after school and [with] no sense of direction. But I think it’s just super special that I can relate in such a way, even though what happened to me was on a big stage.

SL: What most stood out to me from your documentary series, and now when you talk about relatability, is how you want to be viewed as human, given the tendency for athletes and celebrities to be put up on a pedestal. Do you feel like you have achieved that?

SB: I’ve always tried to be open and honest with my fans, viewers, and family about what I’m going through so that they can relate. We do get put on a pedestal, but at the end of the day we’re just human. It’s not like I came here on a private jet. I was in the airport, and I dropped my dogs off at their doggy daycare. The only thing I have a really hard time doing is getting groceries sometimes.

SL: Do people recognize you most places you go, like on flights?

SB: Yeah. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time, because if I don’t feel like talking and I go out to the grocery store, there’s at least five people that come up to me. But other than that, it’s such an honor, and I know kids look up to me and they see that if I look like them and can do it, then they can too. I never shy away from it now, I just embrace it.

SL: You are very vulnerable in public spaces. What do you wish more people knew or understood about you?

SB: I think the main thing I try to let people understand is that I am human, and I can relate to others a lot more than people might think. I think I put a lot of relatable content out, like I’m learning how to cook better and do all these things that people don’t usually think we do.

SL: In your speech, you mentioned how you wanted to go into nursing. If you weren’t a gymnast, is that what you would have done?

SB: If I’m going to be completely honest with you, I would have gone to college, but I think I would have dropped out. I think it would have been hard. In school I was good, I had straight As and I really studied, but I think I would have just loved to flip. Gymnastics took me [on] the right path. But yes, my dream was to be a nurse or work in the neonatal intensive care unit. We have a lot of nurses and doctors in our family, and my mom was one of them, and I just thought that was the coolest thing and I wanted to help people.

SL: Reflecting back on your career, what are specific moments that jump out at you? What, after all of this, do you most remember?

SB: A huge moment for everyone would be Tokyo, because I put myself first and got the proper help that I deserve, and that’s the most courageous I’ve ever been. I also have to mention 2016, because that was my first Olympics and I was 19 and had so much fun. Obviously the last one, 2024 in Paris, because I just really embraced the whole entire process, and I got to live in the moment. I don’t think I’ve done that in previous years.

SL: What does that mean for you to live in the moment?

SB: I took so many videos and TikToks, and I just really had fun rather than stress the whole entire time, because at the end of the day whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. I don’t have that many photos from 2016 because we were so focused in the gym, and I just was so stressed out that I couldn’t wait for it to be over. This one, I was like, ‘Man it’s over, that was so much fun.’ I just look back at all the pictures and I really was enjoying myself.

SL: As the designated greatest of all time in gymnastics, who do you look to for inspiration? 

SB: It’s always been my mom and my dad because they’ve just worked so hard, they’ve been married for 47 years, they own their own businesses, and I just thought they were the coolest people growing up. They made so many sacrifices that helped me and my sister get to where we are, and we are adopted as well. I would say in sports, definitely Serena Williams, Lebron James, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant — just some of the greats that also looked like me and I could relate to. I wanted to be just like them, not necessarily to be the greatest in my sport, but I wanted to do good things inside and outside of my sport, [like] where I work a lot with kids in foster care.

SL: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

SB: Congratulations to everybody. Thank you guys for giving me this opportunity, and this is the start of a beautiful new life [for the graduates].