As some of you may know, I was a cheerleader.
Okay, whatever. I was a cheerleader, a competitive cheerleader, but before that, I was a gymnast.
And I liked gymnastics.
I wasn't great. It was kind of an intense environment.
I didn't last very long there.
However, I did pivot to competitive cheerleading.
And competitive cheerleading has some similarities to gymnastics.
And so I've always loved the sport.
You know, I don't have it in me to be, I think, like a really competitive high level athlete.
Like that was never in my DNA.
Did I want it to be in my DNA?
Yes. I just did not have it in me.
And I've always been so fascinated by athletes who do make it there because for me, it was, I don't wanna say it was impossible, but it kind of was impossible for me.
I don't think that it's for everyone.
I don't think everyone has it in them to be a high level athlete.
And so I've always been fascinated by really highly competitive athletes.
And I've not really gotten the chance to talk to many until today.
Today, I present to you Neodytennis, an incredibly talented gymnast.
She went to UCLA for gymnastics.
One of her floor routines went super viral and got so much attention from not only the internet, but also celebrities just because of the passion.
And there was just something so magical about her performance and so she went viral.
And from there, she went to perform at the Met Gala for a D.D.S.
in Stella McCartney. The most incredible Met Gala moment, I'd argue, yet.
She once dreamed of being an Olympian and almost reached her ultimate goal while on the US national team.
However, she did get a severe injury.
She tore her Achilles and it completely changed her path, which is sort of a gymnast's worst nightmare.
She's a story of somebody who, basically in the industry of gymnastics, had a catastrophe happened to her.
And yet she's managed to bloom where she was planted in a way that is so inspiring.
She has a lot of wisdom when it comes to, you know, persevering through, honestly, like earth shattering, injury in her sport, maintaining her love for this work, even regaining her love for this work, which she'll speak to.
And she's now expanded her career.
She works with the D.D.S.
She's modeled for Beyonce's Ivy Park brand.
And overall, she's really involved in, you know, speaking about things that are important to her and just overall trying to do her part and help society as a whole in any way that she can.
And so I'm very excited to bring to you Nea Dennis, the incredible, the beautiful, the talented gymnast, but she's far more than that, far, far more than that.
She's just awesome. And what's her sign?
I'm a Gemini. I'm a Pisces.
Wait, cute. But my moon is Gemini.
Oh, cute. Yeah. I'm like, are you into it?
I am. I love talking about horoscopes because I'm kind of, I like, no a little bit, but I don't know enough to like, same.
What about you as Pisces?
Ooh. If you had to say, I mean, I guess they love to say we're emotional, but I like to use my emotions to my advantage rather than like, you know, like call me a crybaby if you want to, but I'm gonna cry about it and then I'm gonna move on.
Absolutely. Like, let me cry and then that's okay.
I think it's good to be in touch with your emotions and let yourself be, isn't it?
I think that's healthy.
Valid, completely valid.
There is like a, especially with Pisces, so it's like Pisces and Cancer.
Oh, it's crying. But it's like, who says that's bad?
That's what I'm saying.
Gemini's are called two-faced, you know, which I kind of understand because I, I couldn't see certain ways that I am two-faced in a way like, you know, if maybe I don't like someone's vibe which that happens to everybody, right?
They'll never know because I have that two-faced, I'm not gonna, I think that's kind of gorgeous.
I mean, like, I agree. Like, I think it's health, I think it's really, it's useful.
It's useful in so many ways because it doesn't help to have people know that I don't like them.
That's not helpful. I think it depends on the situation, relationship, like who it is because, like if I'm not really gonna see you that often, then it's like, there's no need for you to know.
No. But if it's like an occurring thing, like multiple times, like, I feel like, well, then we can be okay.
I have to address it. Yeah, I was gonna say, I have to address it.
I can't really, I'm not a fake.
Tell me about how you were as a kid.
Were you, were you Pisces coded as a kid?
Like, what was, what was you as a kid?
My God, I was freaking shy kid, like, crying, screaming, hanging onto my parents' leg.
Like, don't let me go. Daycare at daycare, like, every single day.
It was like, you know, like, get off my leg.
Like, you've been here before.
Now it's like, you've been here before and you're still doing this, but it's, yes.
So sensitive kid. I'm very sensitive.
Yeah. Like, being a really sensitive kid, what about gymnastics appealed to you because in my head, when I think about gymnastics, right?
It's like, yeah. This is not, this is not a nurturing environment as this is cut throat.
It is. I mean, I think in the beginning, I also did gymnastics as a kid for a few years.
Not as most kids. But like fun, right?
It was fun in the beginning and I think when it started to get gnarly, I think that's when a lot of kids drop off.
Yeah. And I ended up pivoting and doing cheerleading, which weirdly is like also a weird, like, competitive cheerleading.
Yeah, yeah. Which is similar.
Which is also cut throat.
It was cut throat in a different way.
Yeah. Like, because it's not, it's not an Olympic sport.
It isn't. And so there's a different, it's still cut throat, but it does feel different.
Whereas they sort of start to kind of try to figure out, okay, which one of y'all are gonna do it?
Right? And so it does start to get intense and for a sensitive kid, as you were, we'll kept you in it.
So when I initially started gymnastics, I was just having a blast.
Like, I wasn't thinking anything about anything.
I was literally just enjoying the act of flying.
Like, I'm flying, you guys.
Yes. Into the open phone pit, you know, just on the trampoline.
That was just, and also like the epitome to me as like childhood wealth was like having a trampoline in your backyard.
Totally. Like my neighbors had a trampoline in their backyard.
I stayed on the trampoline.
So like, my parents also saw how much joy that that brought me, because I did not cry at gymnastics.
So everybody's like, okay, wait a minute.
We might be on to something here, but, you know, I was having so much fun.
And then I kind of got to like the top, like level 10, at 10 years old.
Yeah, so you're just quick.
I was just, yeah, it just came to me.
It was really natural. And I was just having fun at that time.
And I wasn't really paying too much about anything until my coaches were like, okay, you pretty much reached the end.
Like you got it, like you should do more.
And I'm like, what does that mean?
Like, I didn't know what training for the Olympics meant at the time.
So I didn't know that that meant homeschooling.
I didn't know that that meant training 40 hours a week.
Until I was in it. And then once I was in it, I was like, I'm like, it's too far in it to like kind of drop out like quit now.
Yep. But obviously, Olympics was the main goal for like my whole life since I was like 10.
When did it sort of impact the day to day?
Honestly, damn near from the beginning.
Like, yeah, the minute I started homeschooling, it was like just me by myself.
I was also only child for 10 years.
I have a younger sister now, 10 years apart.
But I started homeschool around fourth grade.
Like, so you were old at fourth?
Yeah. So it became a nine to five literally around like 11, 12 years old.
But my gym friends, you know, I had girls that were my age going through the same things that I was going through at my gym.
So they were like my besties.
My sisters for life still good friends with them to this day.
Cause you know, that's something we bonded over together, bonded through together.
So it's like, we know, we know.
So you have like a unique sort of, you know, like having your first crush.
You're like, you know, in all these things are different because you're in the gym all the time.
Right. So like, what did that look like?
Cause you maybe didn't have a school dance or you, you know, you didn't, like, who's your first crush?
It's like all these things.
I'm curious what that looked like in the gymnastics environment in the gymnastics environment for somebody who was in the gym all the time.
It was like, my crushes were like boys, I would see like in the gym in the gym, but they're usually like brothers of like other girls in the gym.
So it was always complicated.
Yeah, complicated. So it was like a crush from a flower, a crush from a flower.
But also my parents were strict like, A.S.
So there was none of that.
There was none of that. So I actually did go to prom and homecoming.
But this was after I tore my Achilles in 2016.
Yeah. I decided I was like, listen, I need to go to school.
Yeah. I've been in homeschooled like this whole time.
And that was like my junior year.
So I literally had my senior year left.
And then I was like, I'm going to go.
Were you excited? Excited and nervous.
Crying, screaming, throwing up all the things.
All the things. Like just all the emotions at once.
Because I was like, I haven't been here since like six, seven years.
Like this is really crazy.
How was reintegrating back into school?
Honestly, it was okay. I did that in Chicago.
So I'm from Ohio. But I ended up moving to Chicago around 14, 15 years old, mostly for better training.
But also, it was just different.
Like Chicago is different than Ohio.
Like there's nothing going on in Ohio.
And Chicago, there's a little bit more going on.
So it was definitely a bit of a culture shock for me.
But in the best kind of way, I felt like my gym helped me integrate into school.
Because the girls were also going to school at that gym.
Back to sort of, you know, the gymnastics of it all.
I mean, walk me through like, what a day would look like.
In various stages, like, you know, what did it look like, you know, within maybe the first five years.
And then, you know, when you started training for the Olympics, like give me sort of, what did the daily routine look like?
Okay. Realistically. So when I was still in school, it was the full day of school.
And then I would go to the gym from like four to seven, thirty.
And then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym.
And then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym.
And then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then I would go
to the gym, and then I would go to the gym, and then you start again from, you know, after your break, till about six, seven.
Again, another four hour practice.
So yeah, that was like the majority of my life training.
It's two a days, double a days.
It was really common to do two practices when you're training for the elite, and national team and all that.
And then when I moved to Chicago, we never finished on time.
Like I kind of finished on time in Ohio, but Chicago, I never finished on time.
Were they just keeping you until like, yeah, like it was just like, like, yeah, like, oh, no, not good enough.
Like, I'm like, ooh, again.
See, that's interesting.
Like they just, because I mean, I guess it's like, in a weird way, it's probably, there's something psychological there, like you have to get it perfect before you can be done.
It is. And especially if you like keep making mistakes, or like you keep messing up, for example, and assignment will be like, do 10 in a row, and you'll fall on 10.
Yeah. So now you're starting all the way up.
And now you're not leaving until you finish your 10 in a row.
Yeah. But meanwhile, you're getting exhausted.
Yeah. Like, I already did 30.
Yes. Now I'm at 30 and I still, you know, it's wild.
You know, I've watched gymnastics my whole life being in, you know, cheer and joy.
I was like loving it and always watching it.
Of course. And everybody's always so banded up at competitions.
You know, there's a lot of times that people are limping on.
Yeah. And then limping off.
And my thing is always like, do you compete with injury?
Yeah. And then limping off.
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bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little but my coach was like, we're still going to try.
Oh, and I was like, what do you mean?
Because like, you know, you know, your strengths and weaknesses.
Of course. So I knew my strengths were like, floor, beam, and vault.
Not bars. Yeah. Miss Suni Lee was in the in the mix.
Like, I let like, we love Suni like, we know she's going to do her thing when it gets to Mars.
So I was like, let's leave it to the.
Yeah, let's leave it to the.
Yeah, I already knew. So my coach is like, yeah, we're still going to try for Mars.
I was like, this is crazy.
Like, this is crazy. Like, I already know.
Like, where I'm at? Yeah, but how do you dismount off the bars within Achilles?
So that's broken. Yeah, whatever.
Yeah. So that was I came back really early in three months.
I landed on it in three months.
It probably I was definitely not supposed to do that.
But and during that comeback process.
Like, I was in a cast and then she had I was putting on ankle weights on the other foot to like be even and I was like training bars.
So any bars and was really so hard to like find a new rhythm with like 20 pounds added on to me.
He's horrible. And then when I got my cast off, then I was like, I was relearning everything all over again.
Because now I was like so like I was just like flying everywhere.
I was just flying all over the place.
I was like, this is just so much like I could have just like, like we know, like, and I still did it.
I competed and made the routine.
And everyone was like, wow, you know, it was just like a.
You participated award.
Like, it was a lot of like fastest comeback ever.
Like, everybody was surprised to see me there.
And like, I was surprised to see me there too.
Yeah. And so it was just like, yeah, it was hard.
And so. And that injury, I imagine sort of changed your trajectory of where you were going to go from there.
Because I think from that point, it's like, you know, how did the injury impact you sort of long term?
I mean, going back that early, did you decide to then choose college because it felt like.
You know, this is not going to exacerbate an issue.
What was the decision making process of going to UCLA and well, okay, well, I was already verbally committed.
To UCLA, because you know, recruiting starts kind of super early in gymnastics.
Oh, yes. So since we're like at the elite level, like a lot of college scouts come to those meets in the summer.
And you know, they're checking checking you out.
They want you. They want elites to be a part of their program.
Yeah. So I was already committed around 15 or 16 years old to UCLA.
So before I got injured.
And then when I got injured, I wanted to quit.
And I was like, but wait.
Oh, you wanted to fully quit.
I wanted to fully quit. I was like, I'm, you know, like, like at this, I'm done.
Like, like literally everything I trained for just just gone.
I don't blame you. That's like that fast too.
And I was just shut, you know, just a press.
I was in, and a little fun.
As I should. I feel like as I should be.
But there was always that voice on my head.
Like, but you are already committed to UCLA.
And you've always wanted to be a part of a team.
And you always wanted to go UCLA.
And it was like, there was another dream that was still within myself.
That I was like, OK, OK, let's let's let's work towards that.
OK, like let's not give it all the way up.
You know, there's there could be something else out there for me at UCLA.
But I'm really glad that I did kind of push myself to go to UCLA because I mean, I feel like I still made it in a way.
Like I'm still here. You know, kidding me.
Yes. But I also do think it was God's plan in a way because I do think that if I made it to the Olympics at that time, I mentally wasn't prepared for that.
And like what that meant.
But now I've learned so much about myself and who I am as a woman and what the sport is and what the sport means to me and everything else.
So do you feel like in general, you have a love hate relationship with the sport.
Do you feel like you have what was your relationship.
Overall to gymnastics when you were sort of in an uncertain place, right?
You were like, I'm training.
I don't know exactly what for I know exactly what for.
But what's going to happen?
I don't know. Yeah. How did your relationship to gymnastics changed from then to now where, you know, now it's a lot, a lot more of it's in your control.
Right. How has it changed?
So like during that time when it wasn't necessarily in my control, it was, I don't want to say hate because it wasn't fully hate.
But it was definitely like I just like this girl right now.
Yeah. This is not my girl.
But I'm still here and I'm showing up for you.
Can you show it for me a little bit?
Yes. That's how I was feeling.
But then once I kind of got to UCLA, I started to like refine the joy.
Definitely because of my environment.
My coach definitely instilled that and everybody that was there because we had a lot of Olympians on our team.
We had a leads on the team.
So she knew like there's been a lot of trauma coming in and out these doors.
So I know like what you guys are going through.
And this is not that. Yeah.
So like let's adjust to that.
And we're like, Oh, okay, like let's buy into that.
All of us together. For a purpose that was bigger than ourselves.
And that's when it was fun again.
I was like, Oh my god, I'm having a blast here.
That's amazing. Sisterhood like people cheering me on.
And although again, it's still an individual sport and it is competitive.
It was like we're all on the same team.
And like we all wanted to see each other win in the best way in the sport outside of the sport.
Like we were learning like we have layers to ourself.
Like we have other interests like gymnastics is not everything.
Yes, to not take it so serious.
Like that's magic. Yeah.
Seriously. What a beautiful.
And also I would argue probably unusual.
You know, kudos to the coaching.
Yeah. No, that's very different.
She coached the person not the athlete.
Yes. So she was I will never forget the first time I heard that and I would look looking at her crazy.
Like what do you mean not everything?
I got here because of Jermess.
It would not be here if it wasn't.
And she's like, yes, but it's not all of you.
You know, I don't know we can we can so easily pigeonhole ourselves in our lives and become one thing.
Yeah. And I've struggled with that in my career, like being known as one thing.
Being any sort of athlete.
Absolutely is that. And I think it's so rare to find somebody who is in the industry.
Right. Who's actually saying, no, that is not true.
Yeah. You know, you are not just a gymnast.
You are not just like that is not all you mean to me.
Right. And that's not all you are to have somebody.
You know, echoing a really positive and true sentiment like that is it's so rare.
And I think but I do think it probably in a lot of ways makes you it makes you work harder.
Yeah, because you're like, yeah, it motivates you to know that you're not, you know, that you are, you are being seen as human.
Yeah, it pushed me to want to come into the gym every day, even though I was struggling with other things outside of the gym or even inside of the gym.
Like it was, I had people to lean on in there and I had fun in there.
Like and it wasn't the end of the world.
Like it was not that deep.
Like it's okay. That was also yesterday's problem.
Yes. Like let's leave it yesterday.
The whole accomplishing of dreams is so fragile.
Yeah. You know what I mean?
Like at any given moment something could just be ripped out and then it's like, I've been working my entire life for this.
Right. And it's just ripped away.
How have you then sort of taken that fragility and even having a moment, you know, in your own life where you're like, I have to pivot now.
You know, like this injury has changed the way that things, you know, the way that I look at things.
Right. How have you sort of learned to accept how fragile things are and how have you shifted the way that you make goals so that your goals are accomplishable, if you will.
UCLA. Yeah. That's all that was happening at UCLA.
That's when I was changing my mindset, learning like having a more positive outlook on the sport.
My coach encouraged me to journal.
So journaling was very helpful for me and it was big for me.
And that's where I started manifesting and that's when manifestions manifestation started to come true.
And I was like, wait, like this actually works.
Like, okay. Power of the tongue power positive thing being and just like, you know, having that kind of perspective on it helped me a lot just in general, I think in life, but also in the sport where it was like, you know, shit happens, but we're just going to do our best and we're going to like, I mean, it is what it is.
Like it really it is what it is, but also when it comes to like, readjusting my goals, I think my coach encouraged us to just get one percent or one percent better every single day.
And that's something I've always I've definitely been carrying with me outside of school outside of the sport.
Like just little progress is progress.
And to not knock yourself just because you didn't make 10% today, but you still got your 1% and you still moved up and I think that's like more achievable goals because those can vary from day to day.
And it's like when you start your day with the intention of I'm going to get 1% better in this area.
And it's like, okay, that's that's manageable.
I can do that. You know, when you're already more ready to just go ahead and attack that.
And then when you do that, then it's like period, I did that.
Obviously, you had this like viral moment.
Yeah. Okay. Viral moment.
Yeah. Was that something that you expected?
Tell us a story of this viral moment.
So honestly, I manifested it.
But stop. I will not in that way.
Okay. So I was just like I said, I was always kind of inconsistent, but I also felt like I was a great gymnast.
And I felt like I wasn't really getting the recognition that I deserved.
And my time, my era. So I was manifesting that I got the recognition that I deserved this year because I know I know myself like this just feels like my moment.
Yeah. It feels like my year.
And it was my 21st birthday.
And my mom flew into town and we had a meet.
And it was kind of like I had to hang we haven't meet.
But it's also like I love this shit.
I was like, let's let's back it up with my girl.
Let's have fun. Like let's do this.
And I because I was having so much fun and fully bought into that with my friends and my teammates.
I think that's what kind of shined through like in my routine.
And then I went viral. I literally woke up the next day like what's going on?
What's going on? It was like weird.
My phone was glitching and everything.
I'm like, I don't know what's going on.
Yes. And then I finally saw it like because also I didn't post that, you know, it was like the pack 12 network.
Our conference posted that.
So it was like, I had no idea they were going to post that and I had no idea it was going to just get that much attention and that much love.
So it was like, OK, I guess this is the recognition that I asked for exactly what you manifest.
This is exactly what I asked for.
So it was like a blessing.
I feel amazing. Yeah, I feel blessed.
I mean, are you excited about sort of utilizing the internet?
Like this is like a tool for you in a way.
And but it's something that is is new for for athletes.
Right. It's being like, OK, we now we can utilize the internet to sort of for a completely different career trajectory.
Yeah. So, you know, what's your sort of relationship to social media?
Would you say it's overall positive?
Would you say you're just kind of like, it is what it is.
And how have you seen it impact other athletes?
Like do you feel like social media has impacted other athletes?
Or do you think? Absolutely.
I mean, you know, NIL rule started and which is, you know, college athletes can get paid for name, image, and likeness, which literally started a month after my season ended.
Oh, my senior year after I was going viral and doing all the things.
So it was feeling like, like, damn, like I just missed out on a lot to like an opportunity to really cab it like actually make some money off my sport.
Like, literally, you don't make money in the sport unless the Olympics.
Yeah, or will now college.
Yeah. So it is definitely impacted athletes, I think positively, but also could have been negative.
I mean, like, I know like when I was at UCLA, I always wanted to be making money.
Like I of course was ineligible because I did a photo shoot for a friend for her clothing line.
And they were like, oh, she's using your net your face, like your image, you're like this, you're in eligible.
So I was like, oh my god, she has to take that down.
Like she's starting her, you know, her little clothing line that she's passionate about and I was helping her out.
And it was fun. Because I also like to model and you know, I have other hobbies.
I have other. So it's like, you know, it would that was really frustrating.
So I think now that there's a lot more lenient, like there's a lot of freedom to like find other things that you're good at outside of your sport.
So I think that's really great.
And obviously capitalize off of that and make money and like set yourself up for success.
Like, totally, they don't really prepare you for the real world after I mean in college.
It's true. They don't they just kind of send you out after they don't they just be like.
And then the ghost like, yeah, fully disavvy.
What is what's your gymnastics routine today?
Like right now in this moment today.
It's just I do it when I feel like it's it's fun.
Yeah, it's definitely fun.
Amazing. I mostly do it because like an entertainment industry.
A lot of people love the fact that I can flip and of course, it's a cool skill.
Yeah. So I keep up with it so that I don't like buzz my ass on set.
Yeah. Oh, I thought you were a gymnast.
Yes. Yeah. I thought you had skills.
Oh, I do. I do. So yeah, I definitely keep up with it.
And it's like I said that muscle memory is really deep.
So I don't have to like kill myself and training for real to know that I still have skills.
Well, also, you're like, you know, you don't need to be doing like the most insane fucking quadruple fold double.
Could never anyways. Yeah, but especially it's like now you're an entertainment.
You don't, you know, you're the skills that you are comfortable with are that's in so that works so well for the space.
It's exactly like you don't need to be doing a quadruple double 1000%.
So like now you have completely shifted to being, you know, a public figure going to the Met having those iconic performance.
I literally remember hearing because I was around.
I was doing the interviews on the corner.
Right. And I heard this like the marching, the marching band and I was like, this is never happened.
She's like, hello. I was like, what is going on?
And then I watched later and I was like, this is fucking epic.
This is the most epic thing I've ever seen.
It was about, you know, tell me about going to the Met.
Also tell me about, you know, your relationship to fashion.
Like, are you, what's your fashion vibe?
Like, what's like, are you into it?
Yeah. Yeah. I love fashion.
I feel like because I've always been in a leotard like my whole life.
I feel like that's why I'm drawn to it more because it's like, obviously it's a way to express yourself.
And, you know, there's no limits to fashion.
So it's like, there's so many things that you can do and you can find yourself in that.
So I definitely resonate with that.
But I'm like, boom, Megala, Stella McCartney calls me.
Yes. In the back of her Uber.
She's like, in the back of her Uber.
She's like, Mia, so I can't make it to the Met Gala this year.
It's my birthday. Can you represent me?
Am I being punk like literally like pull the cameras out?
Like I'm being punked right now.
Like, would you need? Yeah.
She's like, no, I really can't go.
Like, can you represent me?
It's going to be you and two other people.
Like, yes, like immediately.
Yes. Like, what do you need me to do the best?
It's like the coolest thing ever.
Seriously, the coolest freaking thing ever.
She's like, okay, well, we're going to make history then.
And I was like, what do you mean?
She's like, well, we're going to open the Met Gala and you're just going to do your thing.
And I was like, well, what does that mean?
Yeah. Because do you want to double back on this like a double back flip on the stairs or just a handstand?
Yeah. Like, what are you talking like, what do you mean?
Yeah, she's like, no, you're flour.
It's basically like the flour team that went viral.
She's like, I want to see that.
But as best as you can on the stairs.
Yeah. She's like, I already have the marching band.
It's live. It's going to be live.
The marching band is a local band.
They're amazing. You're going to love them.
And you're going to rehearse with them like in the week leading up to the Met.
And I was like, so this is like, this is already happening.
Like, this is already in the works.
Yeah. I said, yes or no. Like, whether I said you know, somebody was going to somebody was going to do it.
Yeah. But I'm glad it was me.
I'm so honored that it was me.
It's, I mean, it's already scary enough.
Yeah. You go to the Met. It's already scary enough.
Like to go and then to have to now perform as well.
It's just like darn it to start it.
No, it was. I was shaking in my boots.
It's so scary. However, you nailed it.
My question is, were you more nervous for that than you were for say, you know, one of you.
You know, one of your more frightening competition.
Absolutely. You were so you were more frightened.
Yeah, that by far. I don't like the cake.
Like I was standing there.
Like they allowed my parents to come like to the red carpet too.
So they were across from me on the other side.
I'm like, stand there like, I don't know if I could do it.
Like, I don't know. I could go.
I was like, look, the marching bands coming like you're.
She's like you're egging me on like you're.
It was definitely good to see them because it's like, you know, it's a Mac Alex.
Like people you look up to all your inspirations like some room full of your icons, your favorite people are like.
It's so good to see just.
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I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I I want to look feminine, but I want to be comfortable like, so it was just about like trying different things.
It was like, you know, fail.
I failed. And that was not it.
And it's just like, I'm still figuring it out.
Like, I'm still finding out like, okay, my torso is actually really small.
Like, I don't need to be wearing jeans that go up to my boobs.
It's like, why am I wearing that?
I'm so good at it. I'm so good at it because I'm, I mean, like, I don't know.
I was, I was really a small, I was a small girl.
Yeah. And I like, I don't know.
And I always felt I did not feel feminine growing up.
And I, I still even in some ways like an Emma Tomboy.
And it is tough like figuring out, all right.
How can I feel me feel comfortable, but show my feminine side as well.
And it's so tough. You know, so many people struggle with that.
So it's like, it's such a, you know, but I feel like it's just, it is.
It's trial and error. What do you think you go to outfit is right now?
I would say now I go from like, I, when I decide on fashion, it's like what I'm feeling for the day.
Like, how do I feel today?
What color am I feeling like?
What does my, what color does my mood feel like?
You're going with your gut.
Exactly. My intuition.
I love that. Are you an intuitive person in general?
Very. I am a Pisces. Oh, sorry.
We're really psychic and like, yeah, sorry.
Back to the pie. We're kind of psychic and a little, yes.
Very intuitive and like, my dreams, my dreams are crazy.
And that's like another story for another day.
Maybe we should come back on in like a month and just go through every single crazy dream you've ever had.
Let's do that. I've never had ones that predict the future.
Yes. I'm literally in California because of my dreams.
Did you, did your dreams say you must go or did your dream?
Imagine you there. If that makes sense.
I was already there. And there was like, I had it seen LA before for real.
Like, I knew about UCLA.
Obviously as I was getting recruited.
Yeah. But I hadn't seen California.
It was a random part of California.
It wasn't like UCLA specifically.
It was actually, it was pepper dine.
Oh, so I was like, my dream was like a road trip.
I was just driving in the mountains.
I just really just a nice magical dream.
It felt like magic because there's no mountains in Ohio.
So I felt like I was in such a foreign place.
And I'm like, wow, like this is so amazing.
And I looked to my left and was a castle, like a castle building with like a rock in front.
And then boom fast forward to like a couple years ago.
I'm out here just driving just to drive.
And I'm like, deja vu, like what I've been on this road before.
How do I know this story?
I was like, if I turned my head to the left and I see a building right here in a rock.
And it was like pepper dine universe.
No. And the rock was like the pepper dine sign.
I chose no like actually.
So that's you're like you are intuitive beyond.
Yeah. I feel really connected to the stars and astral plane.
Honestly, no, but that's a really, really beautiful place to be seriously.
And it's like to be tapped into your own sort of spiritual.
You know, whatever that is.
It's so important. And I think it's something that everyone should strive for.
And you're totally you're there.
You're so there. Thanks.
God, I think my last question is, what are you excited about right now?
Like what is the future look like for you?
And I always am like, when somebody asked me that, I'm like, I'm not telling you shit.
That's a whole point is that I'm not, but of what you can tell me, what are you excited about?
What are you sort of working on?
And what sort of your overall, I guess, goal, goal now, you know, what has, what has changed?
And that gymnastics is not just me, even still like as I've graduated and it's like, I'm known for gymnastics.
Like, oh, you're that gymnastics girl.
Yes, but yes, but there's more, you know, so I'm actually, I'm now an ambassador for Adidas.
And I've done many campaigns for them.
And the goal is to be the face of the brand.
And the best thing again, it's all spam.
It's email. Okay, you know what to do tonight.
Okay, but I would really love to bring Leotard's back because they actually have been discontinued because the market has gotten smaller.
But now gymnastics is popping off again.
And I'm like, okay, it's time to bring these back.
And it's time for me to design them.
Yeah, that's what I would love to do.
That's something I'm really looking forward to.
But I really just do love working with Adidas.
Like, they hear me. They see my goals.
They hear my dreams. And they do everything they they can to like make them happen for me.
So I'm excited to travel some more.
I've been traveling a lot like this whole summer.
Like I actually been in my bed a total of two times like in a few months.
But they've all been great amazing travels.
And I'm like, I need to see more of the world.
And especially the way you couldn't do that for years.
What would you have had time to do that except for for competition?
Exactly. I was going to say we traveled the world, but only for gymnastics meets only business trips.
And there was no time to site see be a regular person.
Yeah, Taurus, food, yeah, the desserts try to make a room.
Oh my god. How dare I eat a macaroon on a gym.
No, some gelato on I feel like they were probably feeding you like what just like chicken.
No, when I tell you we were like sneaking bread like on a way means I would like like still a little role and like seven in my like like like trying to show me out of there so quick like we would literally still bread like I feel like it was you what were they feeding you it was mostly just chicken and veggies.
Yeah, that's and rice that gets old definitely gets old over time.
Yeah, maybe out of unsauce.
Yeah, no, no, no. Okay, so you want to travel.
Yeah, you know, you're excited about honestly designing Leo's with a date is would be fucking epic.
That because I also think to you know to be a gymnast and to then design.
Yeah, gymnast for gymnast totally I think a lot of times you know things get designed by designers who maybe aren't they're amazing at designing but they aren't they don't know exactly because also functionality is very important as well.
So it's like as a gymnast I know what I'm looking for it needs to stretch and wants to be comfortable but also a little a little compress.
Yeah, like a little tight.
Yeah, but not too much because I need to breathe.
Yeah, there's a balance.
It's a balance. But you're going to know that balance better than you know, then it that would be so.
So I would love to see you like have a whole gymnastics line like designed soap on right so bomb that we also iconic iconic.
I would be like, can you I get that and I'm wearing it and everyone's like what's happening with that I'm just wearing it cute and that's going to be like the like the whole theme of the brand is like I can wear it outside.
Yes, but also can work out in it or also you know do whatever you need to do whatever you need to do in it.
I don't know you're not judging I don't I'm not judging for everything for everything anything goes.
I love anything goes. That's a perfect way to rock.
Thank you so much for doing.
Oh my gosh. I had a blast.
So fun. Such a huge fan.
