Using Gymnastics to Embrace Individuality, Build Confidence, and Open Doors ft. Auburn Gymnast National Champion Derrian Gobourne

Women on the Mic

In this episode, Kaavya talks with Derrian Gobourne--a gymnast at Auburn University. Derrian was the first ever gymnastics national champion at Auburn in 2019 (as a freshman!!). She details winning the national championship in vault, competing against Olympians, and how she gets ready to shine in big moments. Many people admire Derrian’s bright and confident nature, so she gives her advice on what it takes to love yourself. Of course, they chat about her teammate at Auburn--Suni Lee--and what it was like to watch her win Gold in Tokyo. With respect to Tokyo, Derrian explains how important mental health and the mind are in gymnastics and praises Simone Biles for setting a precedent for everyone to put their mental health first. Kaavya and Derrian also go into NIL as it relates to the NCAA and Derrian’s new partnership with Salute Leos as well as her own clothing line. Finally, they discuss the importance of diversity in gymnastics, the work Derrian is doing with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, and implementing gymnastics programs at HBCUs.