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Simone Biles credits her parents with much of her success. While speaking at WOBI's World Business Forum in New York City on Nov. 5, the 11-time Olympic gymnastics medalist said her parents did several things when she was growing up, and even to this day, that helped her succeed while staying grounded. "They never really cared or ever talked about medal placement, podium placement, none of that," she said. "They would always just kiss me goodbye and say, 'Good luck, have fun, be safe.' And I think that's why I have been so successful." Biles also recalled her parents insisting on taking her and her siblings on vacation despite pressure from coaches to practice the entire summer. Having that time away was important so she "didn't burn out," she said. Her parents knew "how much it meant to the kids and how beneficial that was to get us out of that element and to go on vacations and one, to spend time with family but two, to have those memories with the family," she said. Biles' advice for parents to help their children succeed? "Make sure they're having fun, they're loving what they're doing because when they're doing that, then they're going to succeed," she said. Today, though Biles is the most decorated US gymnast in history, her parents still treat her normally, which has kept her "humble and grounded," she said. "My dad, if you ask him, he still doesn't understand whenever I go and do stuff like this," she said, referring to her speaking appearance at the forum. "He's like, 'People want to see my daughter? Why my daughter? It's just Simone.'" Biles joked that her success hasn't spared her from household chores when she's home with her parents. "They didn't care if I won whatever medals. I wasn't immune to anything, not the dishes," she said. "'I know you just got off that flight,'" Biles recalled her parents telling her. But "'it's your night to do the dishes.'" Biles has previously shared advice from her mother that was also instrumental in her success. Her mother encouraged her to focus on being the best version of herself, rather than comparing herself to others. "Being the GOAT was never the goal," Biles wrote in her commencement address for Washington University in St. Louis in May. "All I ever wanted to be was the greatest Simone that I could be. My goal was to be the greatest Simone Biles of all time. I wanted, and still strive for it today. And when I start to get in my head and doubt myself, I reflect on what my mom instilled in me from a very young age, and that is to be the best Simone that I can be, each and every day." Want to level up your AI skills? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It's new online course, How To Use AI To Communicate Better At Work. Get specific prompts to optimize emails, memos and presentations for tone, context and audience.
