General Session

Journeys of Courage: Simone Biles and Jane Pauley on Mental Health

General Session

Saturday, May 21

4 – 5:30 p.m.

At AAPA 2022’s General Session on May 21, witness a highly personal conversation between two professional powerhouses – gymnast Simone Biles and Emmy Award-winning journalist Jane Pauley. Both have chosen to share their mental health journeys with the world and become advocates for mental healthcare.

Simone Biles, considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, was in the global spotlight when she prioritized her mental health over competing in the summer of 2020. And Jane Pauley, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and current anchor of CBS Sunday Morning, revealed in her 2004 memoir that she’d experienced “low-grade depression” and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 50. Eligible for AAPA Category 1 CME credit.

Conversation About Mental Health

Hear both of these women – trailblazers in their fields and in the mental health conversation – speak frankly about their experiences with their own mental health, why they chose to share their struggles publicly, and how they’re working to advocate for mental health care for everyone.

With their examples, as you navigate intense professional and personal pressures, you can choose to focus on your own mental health, seek help, and face diagnoses without shame. Apply their advice, strategies, and wisdom to your own life and to your patients.

Simone Biles

Jane Pauley

Simone Biles

Simone Biles headshot

Simone Biles is as one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time. The first woman to capture five All-Around World Championship titles, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history – male or female – with 25 medals overall (19 gold) and is a seven-time Olympic medalist (4 gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze). A three-time Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, she has earned the rare distinction of having four skills named in her honor – The Biles – in the beam, floor (two) and vault disciplines. Biles’ extraordinary accomplishments have received widespread recognition including TIME 100 Most Influential, Forbes 30 Under 30, Ebony Power 100, People Women Changing the World, USA Today 100 Women of the Century, and two-time Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year among others. Her autobiography – Courage to Soar – was a New York Times bestseller and developed into an award-winning TV special on Lifetime. Biles utilizes her platform to help advocate for change and support initiatives that provide education and assistance for children and young adults associated with adoption and childcare.

Jane Pauley

Pauley Jane headshot

A familiar face on morning, daytime, and primetime television, and one of broadcasting’s most respected journalists, Pauley is host of CBS Sunday Morning. Pauley began her network career as co-host of TODAY for thirteen years, anchored Dateline NBC for more than a decade and hosted her own daytime program, The Jane Pauley Show.

Pauley is the recipient of multiple Emmys, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding achievement. Pauley is a member of the Broadcast and Cable Hall of Fame.

Pauley has written two New York Times bestsellers. A memoir, Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue (2004) and Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life (2014).

A longtime advocate in children’s health and education, Pauley is a member of the Board of Directors of Children’s Health Fund and The Mind Trust and is a highly regarded spokesperson in mental health. She and her husband, Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau, are the parents of three grown children.