🤸
Simone Biles's Hobby Journey
b. 1997
Most decorated gymnast in history, 37 World and Olympic medals, mental health advocateHobby Timeline
Childhood
Gymnastics (discovered on a daycare field trip at age 6)Finding stability in training
Teens / Competition Years
Reading (Hunger Games series)Movies (Divergent, Pretty Little Liars)Spending time with friends
Olympic Career / Withdrawal (2021)
Mental health advocacy (after withdrawing from Olympics citing mental health)
Post-Break / Comeback
Horseback riding lessonsIce skatingPilatesLong walksTherapy and spa days with husband
Surprising hobbies
- ✦Horseback riding and ice skating — never had time before due to 24/7 gym training
- ✦Values 'doing nothing' as a radical act after years of constant training
- ✦Hunger Games superfan
- ✦Her 2021 mental health withdrawal ultimately fueled her greatest comeback
How hobbies shaped their career
Her 2021 withdrawal and discovery of life outside gymnastics ultimately fueled her return — she came back stronger and more dominant than ever. Horseback riding and new physical activities kept her body engaged without gym pressure. Finding hobbies helped her redefine her relationship with gymnastics: 'now it's just a part of what I do.'
"Whenever I find hobbies and do little things outside, that's when I'm the best version of myself. In the gym, that's when I'm the most successful."
Map your own hobby journey
What hobbies have shaped your life? Create your own timeline.
Start your timeline →