Simone Biles Mental Health Advocacy Supports Inclusive Leadership

Simone Biles Mental Health Advocacy Supports Inclusive Leadership

 

I give leaders the awareness, skills, and tools to lead inclusively.

 

Gold medalist Simone Biles advocates for mental health while succeeding in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

 

Trailblazer and Olympian Simone Biles is an inclusive leader. Today, I want to focus on her amplification of mental resources that can help those navigating trauma in the workplace. In particular, Biles, who identifies as a Black female, can lend assistance and support to the more than 60% of Black women in the workplace experiencing challenges that contribute to mental stressors. According to The Hartford, 41% of black workers struggle with finding the workplace an inclusive space supportive of mental well-being. Biles’s attitude towards leveraging mental resources is a positive light to combat stigmas generally surrounding mental health as a challenge. Experts say organizations feel the impact of mental health disorders in the form of lost productivity, work time away interruptions, and more. As such, inclusive leaders can prioritize lessons from Biles’ leadership example to help effectively manage teams in the workplace.

 

Gold Medalist Simone Biles is all smiles in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Simone Biles Is A Mental Health Advocate

Simone Biles’s journey is a testament to the resilience needed to navigate mental health challenges. Her courageous decision to exit the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while at the pinnacle of success to prioritize her mental well-being, followed by a triumphant return to the Paris 2024 Olympics and unprecedented success, inspires many. Post-2020, Biles took on the role of Chief Impact Officer at Cerebral, an online mental health service that promotes a collaborative approach between clinicians and patients. Her mission is clear: she wants to be a ‘barrier breaker for the voiceless.’ By walking the talk (discussing and taking action) around mental health, Biles inspires inclusive leaders to follow suit. Experts say advocacy around mental health can impact laws and increase support and more in the workplace.

 

Additionally, The World Health Organization says 1 in 8 people are navigating mental health disorders, which undoubtedly are surfacing in the workplace. Inclusive leaders keep this in mind while broadening the scope and pushing for more inclusion in the workplace. To learn more about this area, delve into information from the Center for Disease Control.

 

Pebble on beach

A Meditative Practice Is An Example Of A Strategy Inclusive Leaders Can Leverage To Support Teams.

 

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Simone Biles Is A Leader Who Roles Models Strategies For Mitigating Mental Health Challenges

Biles has demonstrated several strategies that support her professional growth and well-being. Her meditative breathing practice (pursed lip breathing) and inspiring self-talk are evident strategies on display during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Additionally, Biles is passionate about the effectiveness of leveraging a therapist to manage work responsibilities. In an interview, she spoke about (“I spoke to my therapist right before I got on the beam”. . . ) leveraging her therapist as part of her regular mental regimen. Doing so normalizes the effectiveness of leveraging resources to succeed. Applause comes because Biles can deliver resounding results. As inclusive leaders, there are ways in which we can bring lessons from Biles forward. For example, vulnerability can occur when talking about additional support we, as leaders, need to succeed, even if that’s a mental health resource like an employee assistance program.