Brenna Huckaby Urges Followers to Prioritize Their Mental Health

The gold medalist advises to never rely on outside validation for one’s self-worth.

Brenna Huckaby continues to prove she’s the mindset queen we all need. The three-time Paralympic gold medalist who was featured in the 2018 SI Swimsuit Issue has inspired fans and followers with her determination and drive. We think her most recent IG post has the power to do the same.

The snowboarder shares that she was actually at her lowest when she won the 2018 Paralympics. In the post she thoughtfully captioned, “From 2016 to this day 2018 I believed once I won my gold medal I would feel happy. I was so stressed out about achieving this outcome that all of the season leading up to the games I suffered from idiopathic illnesses from excruciating stomach pain to blindness in the eyes. I thought once I got these medals the stress would dissolve and I would be happy.

I was so wrong…”

Huckaby continues to describe that while she felt “relief” after winning gold, the feeling that she was finally “good enough” was fleeting. However, the experience came with a silver lining: it led her to therapy.

“When I returned home I fell into a massive depression… This led me to my therapist. From the day I began my mental health journey I made it a point to never rely on outside validation to dictate my worth. I know that no media, award, degree or career will make me “worthy” because I already am worthy despite it. I find happiness in the process because the process is your life and the achievement is just a fleeting moment in it.”

If the 2018 Paralympics were a challenging experience for her, the road back to the Games was not any easier. Huckaby had to petition to compete in the 2022 Beijing competition when her event classification was eliminated. Ultimately, she prevailed in her fight and won two medals (gold and bronze) in March. Huckaby writes that the 2022 Games were different.

“All of this story to say…

If you’re not happy now, you won’t be happy when you achieve what you’re looking for.

Because of this mental health and self love/worth healing 2022 was an amazing Paralympic games experience because I knew regardless of where I finished I was still full of love, happiness, and worth.

It’s time to prioritize your mental wellness ❤️”