Some people spend their lives avoiding controversy. Jennifer Sey has spent hers walking straight into it — and refusing to back down.
In this week’s episode of Breaking Battlegrounds, Sey shares how her journey began inside the high-stakes world of elite gymnastics, where abuse was often hidden behind the glitter of medals and the myth of discipline. In her 2008 memoir Chalked Up, she revealed how blurred boundaries, emotional manipulation, and outright physical and sexual abuse were normalized in the sport. The price for her honesty was immediate: shunned by teammates, dismissed by USA Gymnastics, and attacked by the very institutions that should have protected athletes.
That crucible of backlash, Sey explains, prepared her for the public fights she would face years later — from challenging the wisdom of prolonged COVID school closures to advocating for fairness in girls’ sports. What others see as controversy, Sey frames as necessary truth-telling in defense of children.
Today, she continues the fight through grassroots efforts like Protect Kids Colorado, rallying support to put kids’ safety, education, and opportunities back at the center of the conversation.
Listeners can follow Jennifer on X (@JenniferSey) and support her ballot initiative efforts at ProtectKidsColorado.org.
Transcript
**Sam Stone: **Before we let you go, Jennifer, I want to kind of take you back here a little bit. 2008, you wrote your wrote a book called Chocked Up Exposing. Frankly, because I was familiar with this, I worked with a company called SportsTech here in Phoenix that had a high level gymnastics program attached to it. And I became very uncomfortable with it very quickly. We ran a baseball program beside it. And the contrast between the coaching and the two was dramatic.
How much did that fight sort of gear you up and prepare you for these battles you’re taking on now?
**Jennifer Sey: **I mean I didn’t know at the time but absolutely. You know I wrote this book and I was the first gymnast to speak out about abuse in the sport physical, emotional, and then the widespread sexual abuse aswell. And I was absolutely destroyed by my fellow teammates, by USA gymnastics, by U.S olympic committee. But as they attacked me I knew they knew I wasn’t lying.
I knew they knew I wasnt lying and it really just strengthened my resolve and it made me understand that there’s just powerful forces there better protecting their reputation and they care about that more than kids so I just kept going and you know it prepared me for the on plot in the next two causes I would fight for.
**Sam Stone: **Well, we really appreciate everything you’re doing right now and have been doing really since going back to 2008 and earlier, but in the fight with COVID and the closures and now with what they’re doing to girls sports across this country and across the world. Thank you so much for everything you’re doing. Again, give folks the way they can stay in touch with your work and contribute and back up the campaign you’re involved in.
**Jennifer Sey: **Yeah, absolutely. If you follow me on X, Jennifer Say, it’s just my name, S-E-Y, and go to ProtectKidsColorado.org to learn more about the ballot initiatives and help us get signatures.
**Sam Stone: **Fantastic. Jennifer Say, thank you so much for joining us.
Listen to the full episode of Breaking Battlegrounds anywhere you stream your podcasts!