Simone Biles and the Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles

Tarlin and Mike are back to talk about the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. What initially may have touched on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat across the full span of athletic competition has become a global conversation about lessons to be learned from Simone Biles’ decision to opt-out of the Finals of the Team All-Around, the Individual All-Around, and several of the individual events in Women’s Gymnastics.

What lessons can be learned about empathy, grace, and psychological well-being based on what has happened in Tokyo and how the conversation has reverberated around the world. Does it make sense for us to equate Simone’s decision with taking a “Mental Health Day” or is there more going on here? And what are the ramifications of using elite athletes performing at or close to perfection as models for us to learn from in our day-to-day lives?

It’s a zeitgeisty conversation that we’re happy to lean into. We hope you enjoy listening!

For more great shows like this Subscribe to Running It Back wherever you get your podcasts. And check us out at RunningItBack.fm.