We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle - HOW TO SAY NO with Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez

Episode Date: October 26, 2021

HOW TO SAY NO with Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez  In this very special conversation, three GOATs and Glennon discuss: 1. What we can learn from Simone’s revolutionary decision at the Tokyo Olympics to choose her physical and mental health over the world’s expectations of her.  2. The tiny decisions that helped Laurie practice trusting herself again after surviving a toxic coach. 3. Why Simone, Laurie, and Abby believe their talent is both a blessing and a curse.  4. The places and times Simone and Laurie create where they have nothing to prove—to remind themselves they are human beings, not performance machines.  5. How Simone and Laurie are a big part of one of Abby and Glennon’s favorite family stories. About Simone:  Simone Biles, one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time, is the first woman to capture five All-Around World Championship titles. She is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history—male or female—with 25 medals overall (19 gold), and is a seven-time Olympic medalist (4 gold). A three-time Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, she earned the rare distinction of having four skills named in her honor—called The Biles.  Simone’s autobiography Courage to Soar is a New York Times bestseller.   Simone advocates for change and supports initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption and childcare. Instagram: @simonebiles Twitter: @Simone_Biles About Laurie:  Laurie Hernandez is a second generation American, as her grandparents are from Puerto Rico, making her the first U.S. born Latina to make the U.S. team since 1984. Laurie is an Olympic medalist, winning both Gold and Silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her book I Got This: To Gold and Beyond and her children’s book She’s Got This are both New York Times bestsellers. Laurie is a fierce advocate for the importance of mental health, and travels the country speaking to the next generation about following their dreams.  Instagram: @lauriehernandez Twitter: @LaurieHernandez About The GOLD OVER AMERICA TOUR (GOAT): Simone and Laurie—and an all-star team of gymnasts—are on the road this Fall for the 35-city Gold Over America Tour, showcasing their fierce talent and athletic brilliance in ways we’ve never seen before… their way! The show emerges from their personal values of empowerment, friendship, positive body image, mental health awareness, and self-confidence. Together, they are a united force proudly representing the sport of women’s gymnastics and inspiring audiences across the nation. More information: https://www.goldoveramericatour.com/goat To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you're doing a dance to your favorite artist in the office parking lot, or being guided into Warrior I in the break room before your shift, whether you're running on your Peloton tread at your mom's house while she watches the baby, or counting your breaths on the subway. Peloton is for all of us, wherever we are whenever we need it, download the free Peloton app today. Peloton app available through free tier, or pay subscription starting at 12.99 per month. Okay, everybody. Welcome back to We Can Do Hard Things. It's happening. I just had to remind myself that I actually do not have to pee.

That's just nervousness. I have to put in. We have today Lori Hernandez and Simone Biles. Oh my god. OK, so we are calling this show Three Goats and also Gleinen. Four goats. Four goats. also Gleinen. Okay, so I mean, it's our joining us today. Our two of the world's heroes and two of Abby and I's personal heroes. It's true. Lori Hernandez and Simone Biles. Lori Hernandez is a second-generation American, as her grandparents are from Puerto Rico, making

her the first US-born Latina to make the US team since 1984. Laurie is an Olympic gymnast, winning both gold and silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her book, I Got This, to Gold and Beyond, and her children's books, she's got this, are both New York Times bestsellers. Laurie is a fierce advocate for the importance of mental health and travels the country speaking to the next generation about following their dreams because of course she does. Oh, we love you Laurie so much. And I have the great pleasure and honor to introduce

Simone Biles. One of the greatest gymnasts of all time and is the first woman to capture five, count them, five, all around world championship titles. She is the most decorated gymnast in world championship history, male or female. Male or female? By the way, she's got 25 medals overall and 19 of them are gold. Okay. And is a seven-time

Olympic medalist with four gold medals. That's like a lot more than you. Oh. Yeah, that's right. Okay. Let me continue. She earned the rare distinction of having four skills named in her honor called the Biles. That's so cool. And then Simone's autobiography, Courage to Soar, is a New York Times bestseller. Simone advocates for change and supports initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption and childcare. And so these two women, Simone and Laurie and an all star team of gymnasts are on the road this fall for the 35 city gold over America tour

showcasing their fierce talent and athletic brilliance in ways you've never seen before their own way Love this the show emerges from their personal values of empowerment friendship Positive body image mental health awareness, and self confidence. So before we get started and actually, you know, let Simone and Lori see, I'm going to tell a little story that you two probably don't even know. No, they do not. They don't remember. But you two are the integral part of one of our favorite family stories.

So here's the story, all right? When Abby was still trying to impress our children, she invited us all to go to the SPs with her. Okay, so for our listeners who are listening, the SPs are like the Oscars for sporty spices. Okay, they gave each other awards, they do all the things. Our children did not wanna come until they found out that Simone Biles and Lori Hernandez might be going. That's right. Then it became their the

holy grail to go to this place. They are absolutely and utterly obsessed with you too. Okay. So they came, they got so excited. They saw you from afar at the SB's they died. Then the SPs put us in a car. A van. I remember. I also remember this. Yeah, you do. Oh my God. I heard my kids going to die. Okay. So we're sitting in the van waiting to go home and then the door opens. And the fancy people put Simone Biles and Lori Hernandez in our van.

Now my girls actually can't handle their shit. They can't breathe, they can't speak, I'm scared. Sweet Lori Hernandez turns to Tish and says, oh hi, how are you? And Tish can't speak. She just stares at Lori Hernandez. She ghosted you. She was just like, from the way I was. So then Lori Hernandez is so sweet that she then tries to high five.

Tish and Tish cannot move. And he's like, Lori Hernandez, hanging. But then our knight is redeemed because Simone Biles turns to chase and says, I love your shoes. Can I have your snapchat so I can post them? And to this day, that's the most exciting thing that has ever happened to our family. Oh, so they're sweet. So they're sweet.

Lorie, I'm going to start by asking you a question. I know that you are speaking about the importance of mental health on your gold over American tour right now, and I'd like to start there. You took a two-year break from gymnastics after winning gold to recover from an emotionally and verbally abusive coach and to rebuild a healthy relationship with your body. When you told your story in order to have that coach to spend it so she didn't harm other athletes, you wrote about how you were constantly told that you were too sensitive and overreacting that you were crazy for having the feelings you had.

You said, for years, I was taught not to listen to my body or my mind, but now I've learned to trust my gut. And I know that my experience and feelings are valid. No one gets to decide those things for me. Here's to speaking up. So that, Laurie, when I read that a long time ago, is when I became your secret best friend and have been your fan ever since. So what I want our audience to know is that you are a hero of this work.

The untamed work of reversing the universal gaslighting of women to keep us in our place and keep us performing. To say, nope, I'm not crazy. I know. So what does that look for you? What does that look like for you these days? To just practice trusting yourself in the world? Yeah, I think there's probably two things that has made a really big difference over the last couple years. One of them is just making small decisions. Like making big decisions was already a big no. It was like, I'm gonna need my agent, my mom, my sister, whoever to do that for me.

Like, it's, it's, I will not make a decision and God forbid if it's wrong, I cannot handle that. I will crumble and disintegrate, then you will never see me again. And so it just, it became making small decisions, literally like going to Target and picking out a candle or like going somewhere and picking out a shirt and going and picking out what outfit I'm gonna wear for the day because those things would take me hours

just because the idea of making a decision and not being able to trust myself was so heavy. And over the years, you know, kind of now realizing, like then it turned into me saying, is there a way that we can make this event shorter? Is there a way that we can talk about something else? I actually don't like this event, or this day doesn't work for me and being able to say those things,

it took years to get there, but that is also making a decision and trusting your gut. And it was hard to know that about me because I also didn't know who I was. I didn't know that I wanted that day off. I didn't know that that was an option that I could ask for or I didn't know that I don't know. Maybe I wanted to talk about certain things for a really long time and there are other things that I'm just not interested in and I can tell somebody that and so it took a lot of time to get there but overall just making little decisions,

I think is what kick started that. Oh, I love that so much. So Simone, you also famously chose your physical and mental health over the world's expectations of you and your performance from when you withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics. So a little story, my wife, she immediately understood, she often does, that it was the bravest

and most revolutionary thing on earth. And she started talking about it and how you had just begun this revolution of women finally speaking up for themselves. And I really wanted to feel what Glenn and his feeling, but I couldn themselves. And I really wanted to feel what Glenn and I was feeling, but I couldn't. And I felt weird.

So, I ended up happening as I went on a run. And on that run, I realized that what I felt when I watch you do that was jealousy. And I don't know if many people would relate or could relate. But to watch you and women like Laurie and Naomi Osaka, who are brave and wise enough to look right at the world and the powers that be inside your sport and say no enough. I'd rather disappoint you than myself.

My body and soul are more important than your experience of me. I am more than what I can do for you. I never did that in my career. I just follow directions and kept performing even when my body and soul were screaming no. I let doctors keep prescribing me pills and just so I can keep performing by the way. And that actually almost killed me. So I felt jealous because I was watching women you at the highest level do what I wasn't brave enough to do. Oh, how did you do that? You know, in that moment, I had no choice but to do it because selfishly, if I weren't

having the twisties, me having my mental, like, well, being so down in the gutter, I would have kept going. But there was a point where my mind and my body had had enough, and it literally was telling me to stop or else I was going to end something that I started years ago and not be able to walk again. So, I'm it thankfully, my body, I'm in it does sync up to your mental and your wellbeing. So thankfully mine was intact and unfortunately it was on the biggest stage in my career. But at the end of the day, it's like I was worth more than gold medals. I was worth more than gymnastics at the end of the day.

I'm not just an athlete. I'm a human and you guys have to realize that and I knew I was gonna get a lot of backlash and I did. But most of it was a lot of support, love, strength, courage, and that's something that I never felt before in the sport because people always put me on a pedestal. When all I wanted to be was normal, I wanted to be human, I wanted to be looked at as the same as you, I go to the grocery store,

I have bills, I have dogs. I have these things. It's just I do something and I'm incredibly well at it. So why put me on a pedestal? And I always wanted to be seen as normal. So unfortunately it took all of that for people to see me as normal, but it's also really hard for people to understand because they can see physical injury, but whenever it's a mental injury, it's like you can't see it. They can't understand, therefore, it's no longer valid.

And I think America and just the world has a hard time with dealing with that because it's something they physically can't touch, see or relate to. But now we have these amazing athletes speaking up and I think it brings the talk to the forefront and I think that's a really amazing thing. Oh, yes, to all of that. I'm Jonathan M. Hevar. I'm a podcast producer and someone who likes fancy things. But I grew up working class.

My parents were immigrants with factory jobs. And because of that, I think about class a lot. And I want to talk about it. That's what we're doing on my new podcast, Classy. And what did you all eat? You know, trailer food. I was like, girl, we're not doing that anymore. You'll hear from people who told me awkward, embarrassing,

and strangely intimate things about what class means to them. She said, you know, for the house cleaner, I hide the tag on the $6 bread. And I just thought, don't you think she knows that you're wealthy? You're hiding the tags from yourself. Classy. A new podcast from Pineapple Street Studios.

Available now, wherever you get your podcasts. available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Laurie, I need to ask you, I feel a little bit of a kinship with you, because I know that you injured her leg and it forced you to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics. And you may not know this, but I broke my leg on the field five days before our plane was leaving for the 2008 Olympics. So what I want to know is how did you get through that? How did you survive that? Yeah, you know, time.

I don't think there's anything you can actively do besides just give yourself time because it was like going through everything that I had been through taking two years off only to realize that I didn't hate the sport, I hated the environment and I wanted to try it again, but I knew I had such a short time frame and I knew a lot of people weren't going to understand it. I just wanted to try again and I didn't know what was going to happen. I just wanted things to be different. So it's like I moved across the country trained as hard as

possible because I came back really late. So it was like, we had a lot of hustling and making up to do. I also hit puberty pretty heavily and had like, some disordered eating habits. And a lot of it was like binge eating when I was 17. And so having to get back into training after a completely different body change

was really difficult. And all of these things were happening. And then training for two years, we hit 2020, and then in February of 2020, I did a hearing with my old coach. And that happened. They scheduled it on an Olympic year, even though we had reported it four years earlier. And I did this hearing, and I remember we had a camp that was that February and I pulled out just because I couldn't train and my coach was really understanding about that she was like, listen, you can come in, you can walk around the gym and like, that's your cardio. If you want a condition, like, you don't have to do anything, I'm not going to force you

to do anything. I know this is hard. And that was really what I needed was someone to not push me because that was the last thing that I wanted or could have handled. And then COVID happened. So we had another year of training. And then it almost like benefited me just because not having to rush the comeback and to get more skills and I actually got to play around a little bit, which was not something I got to do a lot kind of. And I think I really just fell in love with the sport all over again. And then meet season came.

And it was like we started getting closer and closer and then made championships and landed on a straight leg, hyper-signal, my knee, got a bone bruise, a torn meniscus. And then that was it. And the whole journey was just kind of done. Like, there's no resolve for that. And, you know, of course, going into it, you know, that's a possibility. But when it happens, it's like I had one experience where everything worked that perfectly and I made the team and like we got a gold and I got an individual silver

and then there's a complete opposite of being right there and then getting her and not getting you, not being able to even try at all. Like so. Was it like the worst case of FOMO ever. Like when the whole team leaves and you're like, I guess I'll just watch Netflix. Like how? So actually, it gets worse. Because there was an opportunity

and I want to do entertainment and be on screen and to do acting and different things like that. And so Peacock had mentioned like, hey, we would love for you to commentate just the Olympic Games, specifically gymnastics. And I said yes to it because it was like future me. Like this could be really good for the future. Is it good for me right now?

No, but it could set up the future really well. And I remember getting there and watching the team compete and wanting everybody to do so, but also wanting to be out there and then having to break it down for the world. And that was really hard, that sucked. But. Oh my God. But you did such a great job, Lori.

You were really, really, they were like, replace anybody like Lori needs to commentate all of this. You were getting really good reviews. You did a great job. Thank you. I mean, it's got to be so hard talking and kind of criticizing or critiquing some of what your teammates are actually doing, knowing that you kind of in some ways wanted to be out

there. Simone, I want to ask you, what has it been like to be on tour with some of your former teammates and current teammates? Like, how is this to a good? And how are you hoping to get out to the audience? Like, what is your, what are your messages? Yeah, for our show, I feel like there's a lot of realness and honest to it. The storyline is absolutely amazing. We're having fun, but we also go through those anxiety depressions and it's how we get out of that. And I think that's what's so special about the show that we portray, but it was really nice seeing Lori. I hadn't seen her in a really long time. I we see each other at camps, but it's like more business. We're competing against each other. It's like not the most serious environment.

Yeah, so to kind of have that rekindled friendship, like in 2016, and we were having so much fun, kind of like sisterly love has been amazing. It's a really fun environment. There's no competition. We're just trying to provide and shed like a golden light in such a hard time. COVID, whatever anybody else is going through and just have fun. Oh, you're, you created a whole new environment for it,

which is so awesome because Lori, you said that it took you a while to figure out. I don't hate the sport. I just hate the environment, which is by the way, what I figured out in every area of my life. I want to ask both Laurie and Simone, like when I was younger, I wanted to quit soccer. I think I was like 14 years old. And I missed my friends and I wanted to have like a normal life. And someone I loved and who is dear to me looked at me once and said, Abby, you can't quit. You've been given a gift and others would kill to have, right?

So you need to do this for all of us. And I remember feeling like, oh, what a burden. This is right. And that sentiment that my talent meant that I owed something to the world was, it was a beautiful blessing because it kept me going when I wanted to quit, but it was also a heavy curse

because it took away my choice in life. It made me feel like my life wasn't, was chosen for me and it didn't matter whether I love soccer or not. It was like my destiny and responsibility. So, do either of you feel like your talent and your greatness is both a curse and a blessing? Very much so I feel the exact same. If you want to quit, people kind of push that

on you. Like you've been given this God-given talent. Don't waste it blah, blah, blah, but it's like if I'm not enjoying it, then it's a burden. Like it's hard. So I do feel in a way. It's been the biggest blessing in my life because look what it's given us and the opportunities that it's hard. So I do feel in a way. It's been the biggest blessing in my life because look what it's given us and the opportunities that it's brought. But on the down end, it's like people don't get that we go through these depression modes and this and that and it's from our sports because sometimes we're not enjoying it. But then on the other hand, they're like, well, look at the life you've been given and it's like, but I worked my ass off for it. It's like it wasn't handed to me. I had to work extremely hard. And so there is definitely both of those sides that I see that it's hard and

it's a blessing, but sometimes it can be a curse. I think people see us do incredible things, and they think, wow, I would never be able to do that. I have to let them know how crazy this is, or like, that's in human. Like, this is nothing like I've seen before, and then it's like immediate, you are now here, and I am here. I have created this disconnect between you and I. You and I are not human. I am human.

What you do, crazy, could never touch it. But the fact in the matter is, we are human. What you do, crazy, could never touch it. But the fact in the matter is, we are human. And when the expectation is put on us to do something superhuman essentially, which is what we do. And gymnastics and in every sport, we train hard as hell. And there's this idea that, oh, you're a different breed.

Oh, you're a different thing. And it's like, no, I'm a human. I work my ass off to get here. I am you, but a different font. Like, yeah. Yeah. Yes. And I think that's where the burden comes from.

Because then we have this expectation, not only if we want to quit essentially, then we have other people blaming us for not giving them what they want, which is entertainment or this that the other. So it is really hard to find the happy medium. Oh, well, I mean, yes. But what you need to know is regardless of what the circumstances are, we're surrounding Tokyo, all of that. I mean, I have threads with friends who, after that,

we're just like, wait, no. No, thank you, no to that and also that. And additionally, no again. And no, no, no. A lot of us didn't know we could quit. Well, yeah, there's this idea that if you, I don't like the word quitting because I feel like it has such a negative connotation to it.

Like if you don't wanna do something anymore, you can choose to stop doing said thing and then do something that makes you happy. You're not a quitter. You are choosing your own happiness. And I hate when people are like, Oh, you quit or, Oh, I just quit. She's a quitter. He's a quitter. They're a quitter. Whatever it is. Like that is not it. You chose to stop. Yeah. It wasn't in accident. It was an intention. And I hate that shit. So here's why you hate that word, Lori. The origin of that word is quietist and it means to set yourself free.

Right. It always had a positive connotation. It only had a negative connotation during the, when the industrial revolution happened, when everyone decided that we should be machines. Yep. So you are correct, quit is a choice. Like I know thank you, I value my community. The part I think that irritates me the most is when

like the haters call me quitters. It's like you guys have wanted to see me fail for seven years. And I finally did failure in your eyes. And you're still mad at me. I don't get it. Like how are you gonna go and judge her for choosing an option? I'm like, you fuckers didn't even try. And you're going to go and like, Yes, bash on her career and be like, oh, she's acquitted. Did you try?

Did you know? No, no, sit down. That's the thing. I'm between the drafts. You guys wanted to see me fail. I failed in your eyes. And then you're still mad that I failed. Like, what else do you want?

That's the unfortunate problem that I just don't understand. Successful women only have a certain length of runway, right? Yes. Unfortunately, don't go away because they're telling you to. Go away because that's your choice, right? Right. Right. choice right? Right, right. Okay, speaking of good things, we are completely obsessed with the pictures, someone that you post if you. You're beautiful. So there's something about your relationship.

It just feels beautiful and triumphant, and just feels like a way of you publicly claiming your own humanity. This is for me. This love is mine. I get to be human too. So tell us about Jonathan. And how do you keep that love protected from the world?

Because it feels like you do. And what I also want to know from you too is what are the other things in your life that you feel like are just yours and yours alone? I feel like first of all, he's absolutely amazing, loves me through thick thin. He just loves me for me and who I am and not what I do or who the world perceives me as.

So I think that's really special. But I also think we keep our love protected, not only because I feel like you could put your relationship out there and I feel like we don't do that as much because that's something sacred to us. But it's also because we're so busy. So whenever we're at the house because we do live together, we're just like either watching Netflix or a movie

or outside in the pool or playing with the dog. So a lot of that stuff doesn't get documented, but it's also it's like we don't have to prove to anybody how much we love each other because we know Home is home and that's us in our dogs. And so I think that's very special The kind of relationship that we have and we are always cooking dinner for each other together relationship that we have and we are always cooking dinner for each other together and our schedules are kind of hectic but it works and we make time for each other and so I think that's also the beauty of love. It is. Look at some older, good boundaries. No, I think we do, but I also feel like we're in a point in our lives and in age in our lives where we have nothing to prove to anybody. Like, we live with each other, we're doing great,

we don't really argue and if it is, it's about like who took which charger from the kitchen? That's right. I feel like that's literally the biggest arguments that we have. He was running around the house before I left for tour, claiming a charger was his, and I'm chasing him, I'm screaming, like, that's my charger! And he's just cracking up, and I'm like, I swear, like, I'll order you a new one on Amazon,

and I'm just like fighting about that stuff, and I think it's people, people don't realize that, but we're at an age, people are like, why are you even dating him? He doesn't post you on his Instagram, and it's like, I'm sitting next to him right now. I'm just sitting next to him for four hours.

We stare at each other. Like, we have nothing to prove to anybody. And I'm at Instagram is beautiful and it can be beautiful. But we have nothing to really prove to anybody. Oh, so good. Hey, man, what about you, Laurie? What keeps you human? What are your things that remind you that you are a human being and not just a gymnastics machine? Yeah, I think everybody in my inner circle between my person and my friends and my family, like those moments when we're at home and the same thing we're watching Netflix and we're doing absolutely nothing and we're making tea and everything is very quiet and mellow Um, it is quite the opposite of a gymnastics world or gymnastics me. It is loud

You have your hair and makeup done. You're walking around and leotards like my cheeks are out Like Just there's a lot of performance that's happening before you get into the arena. It's so forceful. I'm like, I have to break my hair because everybody breaks their hair. There's just a lot of performance happening and it's like when we're home, I look like I just crawl down out of all fours

from under the bed and I have like one sleeve out and like my leggings, one leg is pulled up and one is down and I plop down with the ball of popcorn. I'm like, all right, what are we watching next? And they're like, you get to pick today. And it's just, that is something that gymnastics could never touch. And that is something that is sustainable. And it lasts as long as we want it to. And gymnastics cannot give me that. And it feels really good. Yeah. You have nothing to prove there. Those are your books.

I love my dogs. They're the, my dogs are the people who, the less I do, the more I love, they love me. Don't you have a dog named Honey, Lori? I do. We actually switched to Naiman Chubaka because she got a little crazy and when her hair grows out, she looks like a little Ewok. So if we go chewy, she listens and responds a little bit better to that.

But yes. Oh my God, the dog previously known as honey is now Chubaka. That's amazing. OK, so both of you, we are raising three kids. And most people who are raising kids have them in some kind of institution, church, school, team, something, right?

So one of your teammates recently said of the abuse inside gymnastics, all we needed was one adult to do the right thing. Yeah. Okay. Every conscious adult heard that allowed and clear from all of you. So how do we make our institutions safer for our children? Like what is it that you needed one adult to do? you should safer for our children. Like what is it that you needed one adult to do? Speak up, not break a law. Like what, would it, even if it costs you your job,

at least you can go home, sit down on your couch and be like, I did the right thing and I protected hundreds of girls, but instead you kept that inside and hundreds of us were abused. That I don't think I'll ever live with and I don't get how, they have to be sociopaths to sit down at home and think they did the right thing.

I would never, if I see anything, it's like I go to Cecil. I go to my parents, like I speak up, even if it's little, like, that just blows my mind. But my parents have done. My parents actually do own a gym. They built it kind of after all of that little bit before, but they wanted it to be completely transparent. So all of our viewing windows can see the whole entire gym

to stop that abuse of any sort. And so you'll think like the coaches are joking with the athletes, but from upstairs, maybe the parents look like it's yelling, so they'll call down to the coach. And so they're like, are you yelling? I'm like, they're yelling on my daughter. They're like, no, no, we're joking.

So now that the coaches aren't allowed to have phones on the floor, this and that. But there are different ways in doing it, but if you just have one adult that speaks up, especially if they have kids, that's what worries me the most is some of these parents had kids. And I mean, you should do the right thing because I know Lori and I had spent the majority of our lives in the time of our days with our coaches. So we kind of become daughter like to them because we're with them more than our

parents. So it's just it's a crazy world out there. Yeah, it was just one one person who's witnessing it like completely different situation, but being at the gym and hearing my coach scream at the top of her lungs that we would get noise complaints from the parking lot because they could hear her and another coach being in the gym and coming to me afterwards because I was crying because I hated that because I was a child and what child wants to be yelled at that loudly. Right. And her saying, I remember it like it was yesterday. Her saying, you know, she just wants the best for you. Oh! And it's like, well, she can not yell at you that way. Yeah, and it's like, she just wants, oh, like she pushes you this hard because, like, she wants you to be great and da-da-da.

And I'm like, did you hear the words she said as she, I'm like, it's not even like she said anything nice and then yelled it with quote, quote, quote, passion. Like she said something really messed up and then proceeded to yell it and you're telling me that she's doing this because she wants the best for me. It's the equivalent of like, when little kids are at school and they're like, oh, he's being mean to you because he likes you.

Like, no. No, that's not how it goes and I just had that person looked and said, you know what, seeing an adult yell at a kid is not the way to go. And then telling somebody about it, or coming to me and saying, are you okay? That seemed really scary,

because I now have to do that for little me when she was right there and she could have done that. But... I read that you said that, Laurie, and that, like, what you are doing right now is for little Laurie, and for all the little Laurie's. I mean, what you are doing right now is for little Lori, and for all the little Lori's. I mean, that you have become what you needed when you were younger, both of you,

and what the hell better thing can we do? What better thing can we do? It's just... Well, and it gets really confusing as an athlete because I know, in my experience being pushed requires, or so I thought, like we rationalize all of this stuff. And one day, Glennon said, well, it just made me stronger. That's what I said. Well, it made me stronger, it made me who I was. And she said, could you imagine not having experienced

some of that, how much more strong you probably could have been? Yeah, I think about that a lot. Because it made you stronger as an athlete, but weak as a person. And I think people take advantage of that. That's what it means. Retweet. I think also some people, like, some people probably look at the experience and they feel bad and they don't know what to say.

And they're like, well, it made you stronger. And I'm like, actually, no, it just really made things a lot worse. Like, not much came from that except for the fact that now I have time to work on myself. And it is so painful to have to become the thing that you need it at that time. It is a personal process. And so I think people are like, oh, but that makes you stronger. I'm like, that actually didn't have to happen. But thank you for the kind of words. That's right. So maybe we stop that though. Maybe we stop just assigning that. It's

another form of like women have to be grateful all the time. Well, I was abused, but I guess it made me stronger. No, it didn't. Yeah. We don't have to suffer. People can treat us well, and that can make us strong. That's right. So I have to ask, because I know we don't have to suffer. People can treat us well and that can make us strong. That's right So I have to ask because I know we don't have a ton of time left and I have I have to know this because We are people who have been training for a whole lifetime I didn't understand how weird that life is until I retired and experienced how other people live. And I spent my entire career desperate for more freedom.

And then when I got it, I felt literally paralyzed. And you lost your mind. Terrified of that freedom. So, I mean, literally for decades, I had a daily itinerary slipped under my hotel door back when they used paper for folks, told me what to eat, what to do every hour, right? I literally didn't know how to create a day for myself.

I literally just lifted her up. She has her right to dinner. That's exactly right. That's right. So do you think about life after gymnastics? And what are your hopes and dreams for the next phase? What do you want to be and do? I'm so curious.

Like if you even have started that process. I feel like it's hard because like you said, we have our daily schedules, and if it's not in the gym, it's by our agencies, and but it's also things that we love and we chose to do. But at the end of the day, life without a schedule, even on my Sundays and stuff, I give myself a schedule because I don't know how to work without one. I feel lazy, useless, but then other days it's like, no, I'm gonna take this day to rot and do nothing

and I have to appreciate that. So I do think it is hard, but if I have a hope for my future would definitely be to help foster kids and the foster care system. Because that's something that I feel really passionate about. But other than that, I feel like I've dedicated my whole life to gymnastics. So it's time to give myself some knee time before I figure out the next thing.

Yes, please. What about you, Laurie? Yeah, I think just following curiosity, I, you know, me and my person made a vow that like, we would never do anything that we thought we would, we were stuck in. Like as soon as you hit the point where you feel like you're trapped and like, you don't want to be there and that you wish you were doing something else, like you desperately wish you were somewhere else. That's it. We're going to do something different or we're going, something's got to change.

But I would love to go to college and hopefully study acting and screenwriting and animation and stuff like that just because I think it's so much fun and I find a lot of joy in it. But I've also kept in mind like, okay, if one day you wake up and you hate it, we're going to do something else.

And there's, I'm sure there's something that I'm curious about. And I'll just follow it and see where it goes. And then if I hate that thing, there's more. So. Oh, great. I love it. We were at this place recently. We saw this rock that said, bloom where you are planted.

We're like, but we're not plants. People have like, we can move. That's a good philosophy for plants and that's it right we can change our circumstances. But I think in today's age we're so kind of brainwashed of that and it's almost forced upon us and we think that's the only way to live life is you have to hate it because you're either making money or this and that but it's like no we can find other things just because you have a degree in this doesn't mean that's what you have to hate it because you're either making money or this and that. But it's like, no, we can find other things just because you have a degree in this. Doesn't mean that's what you have to follow through it. There are a lot of different avenues for us as a person. And that's how we actually grow. Mm hmm. That's right. And that's what you're doing right now with this tour.

I mean, it's so wonderful because there's nothing I like to see you keeping that love that you have, or you know, with of gymnastics, but then doing it your way with your people is so. Creating the world in which you need. Yeah. In which you're needed in order to be safe, to be free, and to be happy.

Like that's what you all are doing. You're trying to show the world what you need, right? They don't have it. If there is nothing out there, go ahead and make it. And that's what y'all are doing. It goes. It goes. I look good in my brain.

Yeah. Our friend Cameron Esposito told us the story the other day that she was working with this personal trainer who was really young like 25 or something. She said, well, what are you going to do? Where are you going to work next? And he said, I think I'm going to quit personal training because I just feel like I've helped enough people. And I was like, that's the most the most revolutionary thing I've ever heard. I've done it.

You two have helped enough effing people. And if you want to just dance off into the sunset and follow your curiosities forever, that's what you freaking should do. Okay, so we need to get into some rapid fire questions because I love the rapid fire, so sorry if you don't love them. Also, we just want to know what you guys like consume,

because we just want to be more like you. We want to have what you're having. So tell us what does your perfect day look like right now? Your perfect day. Morning, tonight. What would you do? Oh, if I could have a perfect day, it's definitely at the beach. That's where I most feel free.

Oh, I most feel free. Love it. I love that for you. My perfect day would be sleeping in, having morning coffee, doing some kind of podcast, binge watching movies, and then eventually having to go outside just because it that feels right. And then coming back inside. I love it. I used to get grounded outside Lori when I was little because I hated the outside so much. Okay. What's your favorite movie? Both of you? Oh, minus any comedy movie. I love, I love to laugh. I like, you know which one you go first. Well, come on. Okay.

I have three, well, technically four all-time favorites that they all tie together. It's tangled, the spy who dumped me for getting ceremonial and silver linings playbook. It's amazing. She knows the inner. It's good. I heart right now. I know. I love it.

Good picks. I can't even remember what it is, but it's on Netflix. She was in, she went to New Orleans with girls. Something great. No, no, she took like, there was like four girls they went to New Orleans and they went on, they were like partying in New Orleans. I know what you're talking about. We're gonna figure it out. We're gonna find out the title. We'll put it in the show.

We're gonna fix it. I love that what we say. We're gonna put it in the show. I know we actually don't even know what the hell that is. Gross trip. Gross trip. Gross trip. Gross trip.

Yes, very good. What about your most favorite book you've ever read? Or just what you're reading now, because that's stressful. I just finished a book. That was 835 pages. It's called Priority The Orange Tree. or just what you're reading now, because that's stressful. I just finished a book. That was 835 pages. It's called Pryory, the Orange Tree.

And it is incredible. I love fiction books. It was the most mind blowing thing I have ever read. I will now be disappointed with every other book I read. Oh my God. Can you just hit the title more title, Lori? Can you say the title again? What was the title?

Pryory of the orange tree. Okay. I'll be getting it. It's good. It's good. What about you? I don't. I don't really read.

That's okay. Guess what I do. I do. I never really read a lot, but now in my retirement, I have to run so that I stay fit and healthy. And so I listened to books on tape. That's how I. Oh, that books on tape. That's how I got so smart. That's how I was one of my favorite ones that I did read would be the sub to our of not giving a

love. That was a great book. Simone, you could write that. Do you guys have any favorite podcasts you're listening to? Okay, so the girls got their eyes hooked on. Go ahead. Oh no, I was just saying like this one. I love listening to you guys chat. And so I'm just like, oh my god, it's happening. The girls are what's happening. So this one, and then armchair expert, just feels like a fly ball.

Yep, so fun. You guys have so much time, I guess, since I was still training, I just slept or ate or I was at the gym. Yeah, Simone, everyone else on Earth has a lot more time than you do. That's kind of what I really do feel like that right now. But the girls kind of are getting me hooked on a podcast called serial.

And it's like there's like murder crime, mystery, so. Oh my gosh. Look at him. Okay, so listen to me. Like when podcast, this is before podcast where I think this is back when I was still playing serial came out. And it was like it blew our whole team away. Right.

I ended up sitting next to the creator of that podcast. And it was like, that was like my, that was my claim to fame moment. I was like, oh, I love that podcast. She loves murders. I just feel like life is scary enough. And we don't need to add it is, but it's so interesting. Yeah, it is. I like reading the murder mysteries. Okay, music. And then we're going to we're going to let you go music. What kind of music

do you listen to? Right now, my favorites would probably be dogecat, Meg the Stauyan. Yeah. Those are our sons, maybe two favorite people. Okay, and Laurie. I like anything that could be played on a road trip in the early morning. There's a song called Little Giant that I have been nonstop listening to. And the lyrics are adorable and it feels like in your hug. Okay.

So your next right thing, people people is to follow every single thing that Lori Hernandez and Simone Biles do. Find their tour. Additionally, go to the Goethe tour. Bring your kids. This is the good stuff. Is it called the Gold Tour? The Goethe tour.

Is it for real called the Goethe tour? Yes, because G-O-A-T. That's a gold over America tour. That's right. And Simone and Lori are like to end with this. When Abby retired, Barack Obama tweeted out congrats to the goat. And Abby called her agent so sad and upset

because she didn't know what a goat was and she thought that Barack Obama was making fun of her. I was like, what does that mean? And he's like, greatest of all time. How about Ali? What? And I was like, oh, so that's good. That's a good thing. He's like, yes, it's a good thing. I'm like, Oh, so that's good. That's a good thing.

He's like, yes, it's a good thing. I'm like, oh my gosh. We love you. We believe so strongly in you. We just want to be your aunts or your big sisters. And we want you to know that we will be in both of your quarters forever. And please let us know if you need anything in the world. We will be in your corner forever.

Thank you so much. Thank you guys so much. Thank you guys so much. This is wonderful. We love you both. Yes. We love you too. Thank you so much.

Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day.

Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. Have a great day. I walked through fire, I came out the other side I chased, desire, I made sure I got once my And I continued to believe that I'm the one for me And because I mine, I walk the line Cause we're adventurous and heartbreak So man, a final destination

That we stopped asking directions And some places they've never been And to be loved we need to be known We'll finally find our way back home And through the joy and pain That our lives bring We can do a heartache I hit rock bottom, it felt like a brand new star

I'm not the problem sometimes things fall apart And I continue to believe the best people are free And it took some time, but I'm finally fine. Cause we're adventurous and heartbreak. So man, a final destination with that. We stopped asking directions So places they've never been And to be loved we need to be known We'll finally find a way back home And through the joy and pain

That our lives bring We can do a hard thing This world finishes in heartbreak somewhere, we might get lost but we're only in that room Stopped asking directions Some places may have never been To be loved we need to be long We'll finally find our way back home And through the joy and pain We can do hard things, yeah we can do our thing. We can do hard things, is produced in partnership with Kaden's 13 Studios. Be sure to rate, review, and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Odyssey, or wherever you get your podcasts, especially be sure to rate and review the podcast if you really liked it.

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