Finding Joy & Confidence after Injury with Rebekah Bean Ripley

Rebekah Bean Ripley shares her journey of joy, resilience, and confidence after multiple ACL injuries in gymnastics.

Key Takeaways

Joy and love for the sport are crucial for long-term athletic success and happiness.
Recovery from injury requires resilience and patience, often involving repeated setbacks.
Flexible gymnastics programs like XL can help athletes maintain balance and avoid burnout.
Athletes should reject the notion that strictness and sacrifice are the only paths to success.
Mental health and community support play vital roles in an athlete’s journey.

What the video covers

Rebekah Bean Ripley discusses her gymnastics career, starting from a young age and progressing through various competitive levels.
She shares the emotional and physical challenges of tearing her ACL twice and the long recovery process.
Rebekah emphasizes the importance of joy and fun in gymnastics rather than strict perfectionism.
She highlights the benefits of the XL gymnastics program for flexibility and enjoyment.
The conversation touches on the stigma around choosing less intense gymnastics tracks like Excel.
Rebekah describes how her mindset shifted from strictness to embracing happiness and resilience.
She reflects on the support from family and coaches throughout her journey.
The video includes insights on overcoming isolation and heartbreak after injury.
Rebekah’s story is an example of perseverance, creativity, and finding confidence through adversity.
The podcast aims to inspire athletes to prioritize happiness and mental well-being alongside performance.

Chapters

How did Rebekah Bean Ripley cope with her ACL injuries?

Rebekah coped by embracing resilience, taking one step at a time, and focusing on what she could control rather than the outcome. She put her heart and soul into recovery despite setbacks.

What is the XL gymnastics program and why was it important to Rebekah?

The XL program offers a more flexible and fun approach to gymnastics, which helped Rebekah maintain her love for the sport without the pressure of intense training hours, allowing her to continue longer.

What message does Rebekah share about athlete happiness?

Rebekah emphasizes that the best athletes are happy athletes, advocating for joy, creativity, and balance rather than strict perfectionism or sacrificing childhood for sport.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

And they said, "You're actually done with gymnastics forever." The whole world was like turned upside down. I was like, "What? When you're not cleared, you're not actually able to be in the gym." So, I felt super isolated from the people who were supposed to be my new teammates. I wasn't really allowed in the locker room. It was like this really awkward in-between.

Speaker A

supposed to be my new teammates. I wasn't really allowed in the locker room. It was like this really awkward in between. Going into my freshman year, finally, I'm able to clear. I was feeling really good. And then I felt a

Speaker A

Going into my freshman year, finally, I was able to clear. I was feeling really good. And then I felt a big pop in my left knee. It ended up being a full ACL tear. So that next season, I wasn't quite ready to be competing. So that was two of my seasons that I missed.

Speaker A

summer I actually went back home to St. George to keep training. And when I came back [music] I actually tore my ACL again. [clears throat] And so that was like right there in that moment my biggest heartbreak ever probably because

Speaker A

And then the next summer, I actually went back home to St. George to keep training. And when I came back, I actually tore my ACL again. And so that was like right there in that moment, my biggest heartbreak ever, probably because I had just gone through everything I had to to get back from it.

Speaker A

It took over a year and some trying there putting my whole heart, body, soul into it. And then I tore it again and I knew I had to do the whole process [music] over again. And so I did.

Speaker A

It took over a year and some trying, putting my whole heart, body, soul into it. And then I tore it again, and I knew I had to do the whole process over again. And so I did.

Speaker A

is, I think, best known for her Barbie girl floor routine. Welcome to the show, former collegiate athlete Rebecca Bean Ripley.

Speaker A

Hi everybody. Welcome to the Perform Happy podcast. I am excited today to have somebody on who I think absolutely personifies Perform Happy. You know, this is a person who literally went viral because she is a Perform Happy athlete. So, she is, I think, best known for her Barbie Girl floor routine. Welcome to the show, former collegiate athlete Rebecca Bean Ripley.

Speaker A

Yes. That is my mission with this podcast, with everything I do, is to show that the best athletes are the happy ones. That you don't have to have like this strict, you know, must be perfect, you can't have a childhood, you

Speaker A

Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. And that's like the best compliment, the way you put that together. That's like Perform Happy. I love that. Thank you.

Speaker A

Gosh, I love that. I feel like we could have a whole twohour conversation on that. Like, I love that so much.

Speaker A

Yes. That is my mission with this podcast, with everything I do, is to show that the best athletes are the happy ones. That you don't have to have like this strict, you know, must be perfect, you can't have a childhood, you can't have a life. Like, I actually really want to turn that on its head.

Speaker A

Yeah, so I feel like a huge part of my gymnastics journey has seriously been just loving it and feeling so much joy.

Speaker A

Gosh, I love that. I feel like we could have a whole two-hour conversation on that. Like, I love that so much.

Speaker A

me. It was because I loved it. It was because I wanted to do it. And I know that a lot of other kids don't have that type of experience. And so, it's something that I'm extremely grateful for that I got to grow up that way. But,

Speaker A

Yeah. And so, you are joyful, you're creative, you're a performer. Would you kind of just take us through your story as an athlete of like how you got started to where you are today?

Speaker A

So, kind of your typical gymnast who starts really young. I did, you know, levels four through five or six. I think I think I did four and five and then I actually did XL for a few years. I did

Speaker A

Yeah, so I feel like a huge part of my gymnastics journey has seriously been just loving it and feeling so much joy.

Speaker A

you and having [clears throat] fun. It fit my schedule for my family and so that's why we did XL. that I did that for a few years and then the year after that I did levels seven, eight and nine

Speaker A

I was very blessed to have parents who were very laidback about gymnastics. They were like, "Oh, you love doing this? Great. You can keep doing it." And I never felt any pressure from them. It was truly just coming from me. It was because I loved it. It was because I wanted to do it. And I know that a lot of other kids don't have that type of experience. And so, it's something that I'm extremely grateful for that I got to grow up that way. But, yeah, I started gymnastics when I was probably about 2 or 3 years old.

Speaker A

recruited to BYU which is where I started my collegiate career. Yeah, I wish Excel existed when I was competing. I think I would have stuck with it so much longer. It was literally like just every kid is different and you

Speaker A

So, kind of your typical gymnast who starts really young. I did, you know, levels four through five or six. I think I did four and five and then I actually did XL for a few years. I did platinum, and that was another really huge part of my gymnastics story that I think sets me apart because XL was where I tell people is where I truly fell in love with gymnastics. I love the outlook of XL and that it was about embracing you and having fun. It fit my schedule for my family, and so that's why we did XL. I did that for a few years, and then the year after that I did levels seven, eight, and nine in one year because I was ready to go into the DP program, and then I went into level 10 the following year. I'm sorry, I'm giving you the whole thing. And then I went to level 10, and then I got recruited to BYU, which is where I started my collegiate career.

Speaker A

and this is too many hours for me." And I think that's the reason it allowed me to move into this program where I could enjoy it and have it be more flexible.

Speaker A

Yeah, I wish Excel existed when I was competing. I think I would have stuck with it so much longer. It was literally like just every kid is different, and you all have different needs. And I remember it was just better for my family. It was cheaper, easier schedule. And I think if that hadn't been available to me, I would have quit. I had a moment where I was like, "Oh, I just want to have fun, and this is too many hours for me." And I think that's the reason it allowed me to move into this program where I could enjoy it and have it be more flexible.

Speaker A

one of the top recruits in the nation right now, Galilee Vestinus, who just signed at Utah, what did Excel like from the beginning, her parents were like, let's not go too crazy on this, like let's just, you know, ease in and have

Speaker A

Yes. Well, and it drives me nuts that there are so many people who are like, well, if you can't commit, then just do Excel, or you should. It's sort of like you get demoted out of the DP track. And one of the top recruits in the nation right now, Galilee Vestinus, who just signed at Utah, what did Excel? Like from the beginning, her parents were like, let's not go too crazy on this, like let's just, you know, ease in and have some fun. And so, she was able to just love gymnastics. And then she's like, wait, I want more. Okay, I want to work harder. I want to increase my hours.

Speaker A

Like I'm seeing more and more of those stories that it doesn't have to be that you start at three, you train 500 hours a week, and then you're like broken and bruised and sad by the time you get to

Speaker A

Like I'm seeing more and more of those stories that it doesn't have to be that you start at three, you train 500 hours a week, and then you're like broken and bruised and sad by the time you get to college.

Speaker A

you're t very strict. And so, yeah, I love that that's becoming less norm. And so, that makes me think about your gym, your club. You were in Utah, but you were at a little gym where you were the top athlete. I remember you had said

Speaker A

Yeah. And I, oh my gosh, I actually didn't know that about her. And I love that that's becoming more normalized in the gymnastics world because you're right, all up until then, it's been like you can only be a high-level athlete if you're very strict. And so, yeah, I love that that's becoming less norm. And so, that makes me think about your gym, your club. You were in Utah, but you were at a little gym where you were the top athlete. I remember you had said people were nice to you, that you had kind of this warm environment. Would you talk a little bit about that warm environment and how that kept you in the sport longer?

Speaker A

always so kind, so supportive, just like I'm here to help you with whatever your goals are. And I thought that that was just amazing, a place where I could fall in love with gymnastics. But I will say one thing that was pretty difficult

Speaker A

Yeah, just being in XL and this coach that I had, she was just always so kind, so supportive, just like I'm here to help you with whatever your goals are. And I thought that that was just amazing, a place where I could fall in love with gymnastics. But I will say one thing that was pretty difficult about being in such a small gym and being kind of at the level that I was, was that there weren't other people that I felt like I was learning from. It was kind of I was the one who was setting the standard for the gym, which was pretty difficult for me to try big new skills. There had never been a level 10. So, I didn't have somebody to watch their Jerger and learn how to do that. I kind of had to figure it out myself with coaches who were also learning how to coach level 10. It was a learning process for all of it. But I think that's also what made it so beautiful because we just had this coach-athlete relationship that was able to just grow.

Speaker A

the standard for the gym, which was pretty difficult for me to like try big new skills. There had never been a level 10. So, [clears throat] I didn't have somebody to watch their Jerger and learn how to do that. I kind of had to figure

Speaker A

Well, and I imagine there was some humility in that. I coached a girl who I had never coached beyond level seven, and then she goes to eight, and then she goes to nine, and I'm like, I'm coaching level nine beam here, and I never did level 9 beam. And then she ends up going to UCLA. Like it was this incredible thing where I was like, girl, you and me are learning together. I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm going to ask a lot of questions, and we're going to make sure that we get this right. And I think when coaches have that humility, it can really create a great bond. That's what I've noticed.

Speaker A

just grow. Well, and I imagine there was some humility in that. I coached a girl who I had never coached beyond level seven and then she goes to eight and then she goes to nine and I'm like, I'm

Speaker A

Gosh, I really love that about your story. That is so cool. I love the humility, like you said, that you have to have as a coach as well. I think that's beautiful.

Speaker A

don't know what I'm doing, but I'm going to ask a lot of questions and we're going to make sure that we get this right. And I think when coaches have that humility, it can really create a great bond. That's what I've noticed.

Speaker A

Yep. I was like, hold on, I'm going to go ask the head coach, wait a second, you know, or could you come with me and help me teach this? And I mean, I think the more coaches are open and just being beginners, the better. Even someone who's been coaching 30 years, and you're a coach as well. Are you still coaching?

Speaker A

Yep. I was like, hold on, I'm going to go ask the head coach, wait a second, you know, or could you come with me and help me teach this? And I mean, I think the more coaches are open and just being

Speaker A

Yeah, I coached the level three team at Momentum Gymnastics in American Fork. And it has been like the best experience for me ev

Speaker A

Yeah, I coached the the level three team at Momentum Gymnastics in American Fork. And it has been like the best experience for me ever to coach all the way down to level three to know the like gymnastics fundamentals, how to talk to kids that

Speaker A

age, kind of the mental cues they need to hear. And it's been a really, really good experience to grow as a coach.

Speaker A

Oh my gosh, I bet those kids just adore you. I love them. [laughter] So sweet. How lucky would they be to have you as a coach?

Speaker A

A thank you. That's nice of you. Okay, now let's go injuries because I know that was a big part of your story.

Speaker A

Did you were you injured preol or was it just in in college experienced injuries?

Speaker A

What was your injury story? So, I was actually a pretty healthy kid growing up again because I had that flexibility. It wasn't like crazy crazy strict, but I did have a lower back injury where I had some bulging discs my

Speaker A

junior year of high school. So come into my senior year of high school, it was still something I was managing, but I got really good at like doing my rehab and staying on top of things. So by the

Speaker A

time I was going into college, I actually had no pain in my back. I had managed it. I felt really great, but I had an MRI to get cleared, right? You have to go through the whole doctor process to be able to train as a college

Speaker A

athlete. And they [clears throat] actually sat me down at a meeting and they said, "You're actually done with gymnastics forever because of your back." And I was like whole world was like turned upside down. I was like what? Nothing hurts. I feel great. And

Speaker A

so that was like just the starting point of that injury recovery how things went at BYU story. That was like the first heartbreak of many.

Speaker A

Okay. So obviously you did gymnastics after this point. So what what happened? What happened next?

Speaker A

So going into that next summertime, right? when you're not cleared, you're not actually able to be in the gym. So, I felt super isolated from like the people who were supposed to be my new teammates. I wasn't really allowed in

Speaker A

the locker room. It was like this really awkward in between, but I actually met with a lot of doctors and it actually was a doctor at the University of Utah that they really respected and it was actually a hilarious appointment. I went

Speaker A

in there, he said, "Do a plank. Do a plank on your side. Do a plank on your other side." And he's like, "None of that hurts. You're good." And then I was cleared.

Speaker A

Wow. Okay. Modern medicine is baffling, but okay. [laughter] But yeah, so after that, I'll kind of give you like the brief rundown of the rest of kind of that injury story. Going into my freshman year, finally I'm able

Speaker A

to cleared. I was feeling really good and I actually was competing on vault and floor for BYU for my first like five competitions. And then I felt a big pop in my left knee after my vault. It was a

Speaker A

home competition. I did my vault, which is a front handspring pike calf. It was the best vault I had ever done in competition and I had a huge pop in my left knee and it only hurt for like 20

Speaker A

seconds. And so it was crazy. And then ended up being a full ACL tear. So that tear happened midway through season. And for those listening who maybe don't know much about what an ACL recovery looks like, it's about a year recovery to get

Speaker A

back to your sport, give or take. Everybody's different. But mine took me about a year. So that put me right in the middle of competition season again.

Speaker A

So that next season, I wasn't quite ready to be competing. So that was two of my seasons that I missed. And then the next summer, I actually went back home to St. George to keep training. And when I came back, we were back on BYU's

Speaker A

schedule and I actually tore my ACL again. And so that was like right there in that moment my biggest heartbreak ever probably because I had just gone through everything I had to to get back from it. It took over a year and and

Speaker A

some trying there putting my whole heart, body, soul into it and then I tore it again and I knew I had to do the whole process over again. And so I did I did the whole process. It took me about

Speaker A

a year and a half because it was on the same knee. And so after that, I missed the following season. And then coming into the next season, I felt amazing. I was doing my routines. I was hitting them. My [clears throat] knee felt

Speaker A

great. I actually got to exhibition my Barbie routine for the first time just once in competition. And I did a couple vaults as well. And then I tore my meniscus the next day in practice. So it took me another few months. Luckily,

Speaker A

that meniscus was way easier than any ACL. And after that, I finally had a preseason to train, which I hadn't had up until then. So, I had that preseason, perfected the Barbie routine, and then finally my fifth year as a senior, I

Speaker A

competed at every single competition on both vault and floor. And that was like the best year of my life. Oh my gosh.

Speaker A

Okay, this makes me think of a family that I'm working with in Perform Happy.

Speaker A

And the mom literally today said, "Okay, my kid's back in a boot. She's a level nine and it's like kind of this injury after injury after injury." And she's like, you know, not asking this seriously, but she's like, "At what

Speaker A

point do we just pull the plug because of all of the disappointment and all of the suffering that these poor kids have to go through because all they want to do is just do their sport." Absolutely. What do you say to that

Speaker A

family who's just on this injury roller coaster? Yeah, you know, every kid is different.

Speaker A

And I say this all the time to athletes who are coming back from an injury and it's that quitting isn't a bad thing. It's not a bad thing at all. You kind of have to pick what's important. I think it takes

Speaker A

just as much bravery and strength to walk away from a sport and say, "This isn't worth it to me." But for me in my story, something was telling me to keep going. And you know, that's going to be

Speaker A

different for everybody. But that disappointment happening over and over and over again was the hardest thing that I've ever had to go through in my entire life. And it broke my heart over and over. And I just had a hard

Speaker A

relationship with gymnastics being like, "How do I trust myself? How do I trust my body again?" And every time I talk about it, I get a little bit emotional.

Speaker A

But there's just a lot of emotions and I just tell any athlete, you know, listen to your heart.

Speaker A

And I look at athletes who have come back and come back and come back.

Speaker A

Those are the ones who are the most resilient. They are probably even the most optimistic at the end because it's like, well, what else are you going to throw at me life? I can handle it. I literally can handle this. So, how did

Speaker A

that experience change you as a human? Oh my gosh. Like completely transform me. I actually had this moment. It was a a video on Instagram that my mom sent me. Actually, I don't even remember exactly what it was, but for some

Speaker A

reason, the messaging stuck with me, but it basically I had this epiphany moment where I was like, I don't have control.

Speaker A

But like, you might look at that and feel like it's a negative thing, but to me it was a very freeing thing. I was like, I don't have to stress about this.

Speaker A

I don't have to stress about getting my routines, competing again. Like, that's not my responsibility. The only thing I can focus on is doing my best and trying and showing up and [clears throat] being happy in my gymnastics. I had this

Speaker A

moment where I was like, you know what? I don't care if I compete again.

Speaker A

[clears throat] I don't care if I never do gymnastics again, but for the next amount of time that I have left in my senior year, I'm going to enjoy whatever I have left with it. And that changed everything. I suddenly like took away

Speaker A

that like weight and the pressure that I felt and I started having fun and I started enjoying gymnastics and that's when I physically started feeling better because your mind and your body they're completely connected. When my mind felt

Speaker A

better, my body started performing better and I just focused on having fun and that's why that year was [clears throat] the best year of my life.

Speaker A

My gosh, amazing. I think anybody listening who's had a hard thing, which is pretty much anyone who's been on the planet long enough to have a hard thing, we've all had a hard thing. And that is like I can relate to that so much where

Speaker A

just okay okay universe [laughter] God whatever you want to call it I surrender. I'm not in charge of this thing. I'm just going to like put one foot in front of the other and see what comes next. And that really is just such

Speaker A

a freeing way to live. Especially as an athlete to go, okay, I'm just going to show up today and move my feet. I'm going to show up today and do what's asked of me. I'm going to show up today

Speaker A

if it's like college feels hard or whatever. I'm going to show up today and just sit in the front and listen. I'm just going to do what's in front of me right now and let the rest go. And that

Speaker A

there's so much joy that you can access from living that way. Totally. And that right there is what transformed like my brain for the rest of my life because that lesson took years. It took like years of stubbornness being like, "No, I'm going

Speaker A

to do this because I feel like I have to." And it took years of just like that strictness that I put myself into. And then that last year I was like, "You know what? I whatever." And now I'm

Speaker A

going to carry that throughout. You know, these are things like you have to surrender to the unknown. Just do your best and keep a positive attitude and you know, make goals, have dreams, but you kind of have to be flexible

Speaker A

sometimes with them and see where it takes you. Absolutely. Yes. That's like the best the most healthy way to have big beautiful dreams and yet a kind of a flexible loose grasp on them as you pursue them. Yes. Okay. Let's talk about

Speaker A

Barbie. So, who choreographed this routine? Did you have it brewing for five years before you got to do it? I mean, tell me the story of this, you know, viral routine.

Speaker A

Got it. So, I did. I choreographed it. I did probably like 90% there were some holes that I needed filled. So, my floor coach, Broen Evans, she helped me like finish it, polish it. We worked on it together and like created and finished

Speaker A

Barbie. But, I actually remember I was in the gym. I was working on more of like a hip-hop upbeat because that's what I gravitate towards. And I had one of my friends tell me, she was like, "I love the routines that have a theme."

Speaker A

And I was like, "Yeah, I don't really know what theme I would do though." And she's the one that mentioned Barbie. I literally in that moment was like, "Oh my gosh, I have to do that. That's the best idea I've ever heard." And so after

Speaker A

that, I went home immediately and watched YouTube videos on how to move like a Barbie doll and how to look robotic. And I started playing with the idea, coming up with some unique moves I could put in there. And then, you know,

Speaker A

over time, I picked all the different songs and which pieces I wanted where. And I worked with one of the music guys at BYU and we mixed it together and, you know, added the wink at the end, added

Speaker A

the bubble pops and the squeaks. It was it was really a creative collaborative effort where we all kind of put on our hats and created this thing. And then, yeah, just a lot of work. The the first time I ever debuted it was not the year

Speaker A

it went viral. That was when I did it for I exhibitioned that routine and then I got hurt the next day. And so the year after that was kind of great because I could perfect it. Like that was like a

Speaker A

Barbie rough draft. And then the year after that I was like, "Ooh, there's like some holes. Let's fill it in. Let's finish it. Let's perfect it." And that's kind of how Barbie came to be. And it was like the most good luck ever that

Speaker A

that's when the Barbie movie was coming out. That was not planned, but that was like just fate. I swear.

Speaker A

Wow. Absolutely. It's like when you just get drawn to something, you're like, "This is it." You get that like that like gut feeling of proceed, go, green light.

Speaker A

And how fun is it to do that routine? Oh my gosh, it was like again going on.

Speaker A

This was the best year of my life, right? I was already having the best year of my life because I was doing gymnastics and I got to compete. And then on top of that, I got to do such a

Speaker A

fun routine that resonated with people. And I remember thinking it was so weird and so cool that people were having like Barbie signs and they were wearing pink and they were chanting my name and I was like, "What's going on? This is crazy,

Speaker A

but I'm loving it." And it was just awesome. It was so awesome. And did it ever get distracting, you know, kind of having the spotlight on you now once?

Speaker A

I'm going to be honest. I love the spotlight. I feel like I like live I love being in the spotlight and so I always love performing too. It like brings me so much joy to show all the hard work I've done. So instead of

Speaker A

feeling like it was a distraction I was like oh this is my opportunity like I have worked so hard for this. I'm going to go do my thing.

Speaker A

And did you always love performing or was that something that developed over time? I've always loved performing. It's always been something that I've naturally been drawn to, even in like club routines or like compulsory routines when it's the same thing. I've

Speaker A

always had a way of, you know, adding myself and my own personality into it.

Speaker A

And I don't [clears throat] really know where that comes from, but I love it.

Speaker A

And it's, you know, developed more and more over time. But yeah. Yeah. Good. And and I think for anyone out there who's like, but I'm a I'm not a good dancer. I'm not a good performer.

Speaker A

I think even just the attitude that you have of I love performing that's something that you can put that on and go you know what if I did what if I pretend that I love to perform and when

Speaker A

I get on that floor I am out here to put on a show and like I just that mindset of I love to perform exudes in a performance.

Speaker A

Oh yeah. And like even for a kid who thinks that they're not good at it, even though it's something I was naturally more good at, I still had to grow into it. You know, it took time to really

Speaker A

perfect it and figure out what my style is, where I wanted to put myself into it. It's not something that you just have for good. You have to practice it like any skill.

Speaker A

Yep. Absolutely. Okay, let's talk about the mental side of injury recovery. So, a lot of athletes I work with are coming back from injury and there's a fear of injury which creates a higher likelihood of reinjury based on what research

Speaker A

shows. Um, so did you struggle mentally coming back and especially with that vault? I mean, did your brain resist the vault at all?

Speaker A

Yes. So, the mental recovery is so much harder than the physical recovery, like mental and emotional because I think one thing that's that's hard that sometimes coaches forget, I think my coaches at BYU forget this, you know, they kind of

Speaker A

think like it's just gymnastics, but to a gymnast, this is your whole life. this is what you've been working on for your entire life. It's not just gymnastics.

Speaker A

It feels like it's part of your identity. It's not, but it feels like it. And so when you get into these moments when you want it so bad and you can't get it, it's painful. It's really painful. And so that mental recovery was

Speaker A

such a hard shift to go into because like I said before, I had to take it from a I have to do this because it's part of me into and I get to do this and this is fun. But that block going into

Speaker A

that vault. Oh man, there was a lot of mental training that went behind this. I worked with the a sports psychologist on, you know, how to breathe correctly, how to have the right words that I'm saying while I'm doing this fault to

Speaker A

keep myself in the present moment. Because a lot of the times when that fear is there, it's because your brain is in the past or the future. you're thinking of what could go wrong or went wrong before and it turns into the

Speaker A

spiral. And so what he taught me is to use keywords, which are just the words you use in your brain that's going to make you know what to do, make your body know what to do. And so I would say like

Speaker A

chest up, knees up on my run, I would focus exactly on what I was doing in this moment. And then I'd punch the board, chest up, drive heels, you know, I had everything I was saying to myself.

Speaker A

And I think that's what got me through it was staying in the present moment.

Speaker A

And like I said before, surrendering, being like, you know what, I I can't control the outcome. [clears throat] So if I tear it again, it's not up to me. I shouldn't focus on it because that doesn't change my situation.

Speaker A

Absolutely. And it's not one of your key words. No, not one [laughter] of my key words.

Speaker A

No no no. Oh. And the mind wants to go to the worst case. That's what we're wired as humans to think about everything that could go wrong. It's a survival instinct. We need it. It's helpful. Fear is like a really useful thing to have as

Speaker A

an athlete. It's so important that in those critical moments, we train our minds to focus on what is important in this moment that will keep us safe, which the threat is not it. That's absolutely.

Speaker A

Unless you're like literally being chased by a tiger, but even then, you don't want to focus on the tiger. You want to focus on the way out.

Speaker A

I'm running away from it. Yes. Yep. On where you're headed. Not I'm bad at this or I can't do that. You want to be like and go.

Speaker A

Yes. Absolutely. That focus on the technique is so critical when there are those perceived threats happening in the brain.

Speaker A

I do want to add one more thing too because one thing that was also important to me was to not shove my feelings away, you know, like I had to let myself grieve. Like even though I was when I started being healthy again

Speaker A

and getting to do gymnastics, I remember being angry and being like, dang, like I have teammates who have gotten to do four years of this, learn how to fail, learn new skills. And so I had to let myself be sad about it for a little bit.

Speaker A

You know, feel those feelings and then accept them and move forward from them. And I think that's a really really important step for anybody going through an injury recovery is to feel it. Don't shove it down. Feel it. It's okay.

Speaker A

Absolutely. It's so important because it's like I think of it like whack-a-ole or like shaking up a like a a plastic soda bottle that you're like, "I'm fine.

Speaker A

I'm fine. I'm fine." You're shaking this thing up and then all of a sudden the cap comes off and you explode. Totally.

Speaker A

And so it's so important especially I think with fear to just let it out a little bit. It's like you let that little of the where you share and you talk you let it out you journal you know

Speaker A

whatever you talk to a coach you talk to teammates just getting it out is so important and giving it space.

Speaker A

Absolutely. Like I I work with a lot of parents and the parents always want to just like fix it and fix it and make it better make you happier and make you you know send the right email or the right whatever to

Speaker A

make the kid happy. It's like, well, no, actually, they just need to be sad with you.

Speaker A

Absolutely. They need to be mad with you. They need to be like at their wit's end and giving up. And that's why that mom, you know, was like, "Well, how much is too much?" I'm like, "Well, she can handle this. We

Speaker A

know she can handle this." And absolutely, she just needs you to be there in it with her, which can be so painful as a parent, but it's part of that healing process is to acknowledge all of the reality of the

Speaker A

situation. Absolutely. And you know, I've never been a parent to a gymnast. I hope one day I'll get to be, but as the gymnast, that's the best thing you could have from a parent. And I feel like that's

Speaker A

what I had from my mom and my dad was just constant support. And they told me all the time like through those injuries, they were like, "You got it.

Speaker A

You can do it." But again, they would say, "You don't have to. It's not something that you're being forced to do. This is up to you. But if you want it, you can do it." And that's exactly what I needed. And I think that every

Speaker A

athlete needs is just being told you can handle it if [clears throat] you want to.

Speaker A

Yes. The autonomy piece. When an athlete feels like they're doing it because it's what I've always done or it's who I am or what's it's what's expected of me or my family's made all these sacrifices, that's when burnout happens.

Speaker A

Absolutely. Even if you're passionate about it, burnout is around the corner if you're not doing it for yourself.

Speaker A

Yes. Did you ever have any glimmers of that as an athlete? I mean, I would just say through the injury recovery, that was the burnout. It was more of an emotional burnout that was like, what's the point of recovering if I'm just going to get

Speaker A

hurt again? Like, why am I doing this? I had a [clears throat] lot of that with every injury being like gh like is is this a sign? Am I supposed to stop? But it was just, you know, again, believing

Speaker A

[clears throat] in myself, taking one step at a time, seeing what I'm capable of, and that's just what it takes. And that word is just resilience. It's just to keep trying. I failed over and over and over again, but with resilience, you

Speaker A

can do anything. You just keep showing up. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Speaker A

Yeah. And that back to that grit. If you know you're there for you, I'm doing this cuz I want to be here. Then you know that extra conditioning, that extra PT, that extra time. It's like, okay, I'll do it. You get this inner strength

Speaker A

that comes from deciding, I am doing this because I want to. Yes. Period. And yes. period.

Speaker A

I want to do it. And that's why and that's like, you know, parents were like, I need I want to motivate my athlete. I really want to get her like to want to do the PT and to want to take

Speaker A

the private lessons. And I'm like, well, that's not for you to do. I ask her, does she want it?

Speaker A

Yes. Exactly. That was my exact question was like, what does she want to do? And if she has to have a season where she's underperforming because she didn't apply herself in these ways, that's life, right? And I'd rather she learns that at

Speaker A

12 than at 30. [laughter] Yes. So, I'd love to hear your take on motivation. You know, if you're if someone's like feeling down or feeling like, oh, I can't do it, feeling kind of negative. What are some great tips of

Speaker A

how to kind of find that internal motivation? Yeah. And, you know, again, it's going to be different for every kid. You know, if there's a kid, there might be someone really struggling and the answer for them, take a day off. take a day to

Speaker A

breathe, reset, recover. But for another kid, they might need you to say, "Hey, you can do this and you got this.

Speaker A

Believe in yourself." But I think the best thing is just those motivational words. And then I ask like any of my level 3es when they're having a hard day or they feel like they can't do it, I just tell them to come up with a power

Speaker A

statement, something they can say to themselves. I am brave. I'm confident. I can do this. I got this. And I say, okay, but you have to believe it. If you don't believe it, there's no point in saying it. And so I make them create

Speaker A

something like that and so that it comes from within. You know I can say it first but then I say okay now you say it and they have to repeat it so it becomes something they believe and they can

Speaker A

continue. And that could be tricky too because some of us I notice especially real smart kids very sensitive very smart kids they kind of sort of speak for myself here like I'm like but wait a second you know I'm always the I'm like

Speaker A

the head of the debate team in my own head around positivity. And so it's like you got this and my brain's like no I don't you know so so how do you approach that when it's like positivity is just

Speaker A

not landing with this one. So this is another thing I actually love talking about because positivity does not have to mean lying to yourself.

Speaker A

There's a difference between saying like I know I'm the best athlete in the whole world and saying I can try my best on this next turn. I can try my hardest and I believe that I'm going to give my full

Speaker A

effort. If you go too far to where you don't believe it, then it's counterproductive cuz like you said, you're the own judge in your head and you can smell the BS, you know, and be like, uh, I don't know if I fully

Speaker A

believe that. And that's when you kind of go like, no, okay, we got to reward that, you know?

Speaker A

Yep. And I like to look at it like a spectrum of positive to negative instead of, you know, so many gymnasts specifically, we're so black and white.

Speaker A

We're so like pass or fail. I hit handstand or I failed. I made it or I failed. I'm positive or I failed. And it's like, whoa. Can we find the gray of if I'm the best in the world is not

Speaker A

available to you right now. What are some facts that you can't argue with? You know, I've done it before. Is that a fact? Okay, great. We can say that I got this. Doesn't feel true. Okay, I can lift my leg. You know, I can push

Speaker A

through my left foot. those types of kind of technical check-ins and like you talked about your keywords can be very helpful if your mind is like what if I can't it feels off it feels weird it's like okay all those feelings are not

Speaker A

actually necessarily factual in the moment so what can you root into that is tangible and you can't argue with it and I think you know those words can be really helpful now do you ever notice though that some kids are not audio

Speaker A

learners and they struggle with words yes I worked with one athlete, the keywords just weren't working with her.

Speaker A

Her brain liked to go other places. Like every kid is so different. And so I actually learned so much from her in this moment because she told me, she was like, "You know what really works for me is to sing a song in my head right

Speaker A

before I go for my skill." I was like, "Wow, I would love to like watch you do that and tell me a little bit about your process." And it was awesome because she was singing a song. It was a Michael

Speaker A

Jackson song. Oh, it was beat it. And she was trying to beat her fears. She was singing and her hair said, "Just beat it, just beat it. And it was her way of saying she could do it while also

Speaker A

distracting her brain at the same time from thinking about what could go wrong. And she would sing that song up until she went. And I think that was just a really cool moment for me as a coach to

Speaker A

go, you know, not one way works for everybody. You know, every [clears throat] kid is different.

Speaker A

Everybody needs a different approach and some creativity, but every kid can get better. Every kid is coachable.

Speaker A

Absolutely. And I think you you've said that a bunch today and it's like 100% true. And I always tell kids, 10% of you are going to resonate with this and 10% of you are going to resonate with this.

Speaker A

And and so, you know, when coaches are like, "Everyone sit and visualize three routines, you're going to have 10% of kids who can do it well." And the other 10 are like, "I got to pee. Oops, I forgot." And then they're like they're

Speaker A

blasting off to space in their mind or, you know, they're trying or it's a little dark or foggy. And it comes down to like dominant senses a lot of the time. Some kids are super visual, some are more audio, some are more

Speaker A

kinesthetic. And so like the kesthetic kids are going to struggle with imagery because they feel like they're not doing it right because they're feeling it in their body but they're not seeing a movie in their mind. That's why it's so

Speaker A

important to take it you know so individually. It's like there's so many kind of like here's how you break through fear like here are my three steps and it's like I okay [laughter] and anytime I give advice like that I

Speaker A

always say this is what works for me. You have to learn yourself. It's a constant road of learning how to trust your body and your mind. But like my step process for overcoming fear might work for some people, it might not for

Speaker A

others, but you can use bits and pieces maybe of what works for me and put in what works for you. But it's really developing a relationship with yourself where you can trust yourself and you've learned what works.

Speaker A

Yes. 100%. And that's like the foundation from my perspective is awareness. So, as soon as you realize this doesn't work, you don't go, "Oh, no. I'm broken like I did and I quit." Like, "Oh, the thing that works for

Speaker A

everybody else didn't work for me. I can't do it." Instead, it's well, what does work?

Speaker A

Let's find if it's not this, we can cross that off the list. Great. On to the next. And it's all about that, like listening to yourself and just getting super creative and, you know, communicating and all that. So, I'd love to talk a little

Speaker A

more about kind of what you're doing with athletes now as you're giving back and you're in this sort of mentor role.

Speaker A

Yeah. You know, it's been a really really great year for me. I launched my business which is called Gymnastics Mindset Mastery and it's kind of everything that we've talked about. It's a really safe space for kids to ask

Speaker A

questions, to fail, to get better, to learn how to overcome fears and mental blocks and how to be a competitor and a performer. And there's so many things in there that I feel like when I was a gymnast, they just weren't talked about,

Speaker A

you know, like it was just you're learning all the physical things of gymnastics. And it wasn't until college when I worked with a sports psychologist that I was like, wo, the mental stuff actually makes you physically better.

Speaker A

And so I wanted to create something where I could make that more known and, you know, give back to the gymnastics community. And it's been the most fulfilling work that I've ever done. I love hearing from these kids that I'm

Speaker A

able to help them even though it's through a screen. I'm able to help these gymnasts become better and to believe in themselves and it's my favorite work that I've ever done.

Speaker A

Yeah. Well, obviously I same boat, you know, we're on the same page here. Yeah. Like being a coach and, you know, having a kid try something mental, I was like, whoa, that worked. Okay. It's like you just see kind of the mind magic

Speaker A

sprinkling into what these kids are able to do. And what I really appreciate is that so many people are kind of like coming out and are like, I can help with this and I can like let's talk about

Speaker A

your mind. Let's talk about your mind. When I was quitting because of fear, it was because there was no solution.

Speaker A

So even just the increased awareness around the importance of mental tools for kids is really encouraging from my perspective.

Speaker A

I think so too. And I think that's been another, you know, big part of my story, too, is I'm on social media and I I post these gymnastics tips. And I think that it's a really great way to reach a

Speaker A

larger audience of just like, you know, for one kid, seeing one video, it might make something click. Like that one video my mom sent me. I don't even remember what it was, but I remember it was life-changing. And so I think just

Speaker A

being a person within the gymnastics community that is bringing positivity and love, I think that just is the best thing for gymnasts, [clears throat] just to have an outlet where somebody is telling you you can do it. This is

Speaker A

possible. And so I'm very grateful to have a platform that I can use for good.

Speaker A

Absolutely. And I think the more that we can continue to educate, you know, parents on what is a what's an acceptable, what's a healthy coaching environment and what's possible as far as, you know, these comebacks and the more hope the better is my

Speaker A

totally. So, [clears throat] if you could give one little nugget to that, you know, 12-year-old girl who wants to be a college gymnast who is, you know, riding the roller coaster of life and things not always going her way. What

Speaker A

would be your bit of advice? It's so freaking cheesy, but follow your dreams. If your heart is telling you something, it's there for a reason. But, you know, like I said before, be flexible.

Speaker A

Surrender a little bit. Keep working towards your dreams. Believe that you can do it and see where that takes you.

Speaker A

Just because you have one goal here does not mean that's the only thing that you're going to do. You can always pivot. When I had that injury, it felt life shattering, but I pivoted and I tried again. When I had another injury,

Speaker A

I didn't know what to do or if I should quit, but I pivoted. You can always pivot. But don't stop chasing what your dreams. Don't stop chasing what you want in life.

Speaker A

I [clears throat] think one other thing that I would love to just call out is like you went to school for advertising and then the doors closed. You were trying to get a job in advertising. It just wasn't working. It wasn't working.

Speaker A

Mhm. And then social media, you end up using your skills in a very different way than we had anticipated.

Speaker A

I'm so glad that you brought that up because I would have forgotten to speak about that. But yeah, I went to school for advertising. My whole career goal was to get a job as an art director and do the whole corporate girl thing. I

Speaker A

couldn't get a job. All of my classmates were getting them. I was really confused. I didn't understand what was happening. I was just as qualified for these positions. And looking back now, I'm so grateful because now instead of

Speaker A

advertising for another company, I get to do it for myself and I get to use my creative brain to make content to help other people. And it was hard at the time. It was really hard to pivot, but I

Speaker A

was able to pivot and figure it out and something better came of it. Yep. And honestly, in my experience, it's always how it goes. When doors are closing, it's cuz that's not the path you're supposed to be on. And when

Speaker A

things when you get on the right path, it's like doors just fly open and you walk through them.

Speaker A

Yeah, I love that that's not happening. You're just not there yet. You're not on the right path yet. So just like keep walking. Keep walk. And the dream, keep the dream alive because I mean it's so powerful what can happen when you're driven by

Speaker A

your passion. Yeah. I just think that dream and that fun and that playfulness that is what it is. That's just amazing.

Speaker A

And I think when you can follow that, like literally follow your heart, follow your dreams. It sounds cheesy, but it's so true. That piece inside of you is speaking to you for a reason. Follow it.

Speaker A

See where it takes you. You might not go exactly where you think, but you're going to go somewhere great. Always.

Speaker A

Absolutely. Well, Rebecca, this has been so inspiring and so fun. If people want to find you, if they're not already following you, how do they find you on the internet?

Speaker A

You can go to any of the socials, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube. It's all just Rebecca Bean. It's spelled R E B E K A H B E A N.

Speaker A

[music]

Topics:Rebekah Bean Ripleygymnastics injuryACL tear recoveryathlete resiliencejoy in sportsXL gymnasticscollegiate gymnasticsmental health in sportssports confidenceComplete Performance Coaching

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