Health / Wellness

The No. 1 Career Lesson We Can Learn From Simone Biles

Standing up for yourself and your mental health is the ultimate sign of bravery.

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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Simone Biles, deemed one of the greatest gymnasts in Olympic history, shocked the world last week when she withdrew from the finals for the individual competition in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She told us via Instagram: “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.” We learned that she was suffering from mental health concerns surrounding “the twisties,” a sudden loss of body control. For any gymnast, control and balance are key to athletic performance, and “the twisties” can be detrimental to both physical and mental health.

Acknowledging her condition, Biles made the conscious decision to withdraw, telling the press, “We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we’re human, too … . We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

As lawyers, we are trained to be competitive, cut-throat, and the epitome of a perfectionist. The athleticism grows within, exercising our minds to be at peak performance at all times — or we risk losing — losing the internship, succumbing to a lower ranking, or losing out on the “gold medal” for the “book award.” It’s ingrained in us from the time we enter law school — realizing that your class rank determines how your peers and professors view you and that grading onto law review is a prerequisite to landing the coveted summer associate role in Biglaw. One test at the end of the semester determines what feels like your self-worth, inherent value, and predicable path. Everyone is watching and waiting with bated breath on the day grades are released to find out who “booked” Civil Procedure or Torts, and who isn’t making it back the next semester. On interviews, you’re asked repeatedly about your grades and required to bring an unofficial transcript with you. Everything is about your performance — not your capabilities.

We talk about mental health in the legal profession, but we overlook the signs of burnout, exhaustion, depression, and broken confidence that comes with the territory of being a lawyer. We keep asking law firm lawyers to bill more, bring in more business, and return to the office in the midst an ongoing pandemic because productivity will be higher, and we “must” return to normal. We forget how the struggle of the last year-plus has taken a toll on so many working parents from two-income households, adding in homeschooling children and social isolation to the mix. For many, the pandemic has left them questioning the joy in their careers, leading to mass exoduses in search of roles that offer remote work and better mental health prioritization.

Yet, when Simone Biles spoke with raw honesty, courage, and transparency, there were people judging her withdrawal as a sign of weakness. We forget about the trauma she’s had to cope with, the physical injuries she’s dealt with along the way, and the pressure of the world watching her at just 24 years old. All of that can take a deep toll.

The No. 1 career lesson we can learn from Simone Biles is that our feelings matter, the way our body feels matters, and how we show up for ourselves (not just the outside world) matters. Taking that break, sharing your story, and having action plans for your mental well-being are key. No one should be afraid to pause, step aside, and take the time they need to in order to heal — whether it’s personal or professional. Remember, we are all fighting our own internal demons, our own self-criticism, and our own negative self-talk. Career fatigue and burnout are very real, and our mental health should never be overlooked. I applaud Simone Biles for showing all of us that standing up for yourself and your mental health is the ultimate sign of bravery.

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Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at wendi@writingguru.net, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.  

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