I moved away from home when I was fourteen to train at one of the most demanding gymnastics clubs in the country. In 1986 I became the U.S. National Champion.

It Wasn’t About ... Mitcham Jr., Samuel W. Buy New $33.23 (as of 08:37 UTC - Details) But this title came with a heavy price. I trained forty hours a week and subsisted on a forced starvation diet. I was publicly berated by my coaches for gaining a quarter pound. I practiced on a broken ankle for two years. But I kept going.

Finally, beaten down to the point of suicidal ideation, I moved on from the sport and built a life outside of the gym. I started working at Levi’s in 1999 as an entry level marketing assistant and by 2008 I became a vice president. Despite my achievements, the coaching abuse continued to haunt me.

In my attempt to make sense of what I’d endured as a child, I wrote a memoir called Chalked Up (2008). At the time, it was the only first-person account of the abusive training environment in gymnastics. And it included the first public accusation of sexual assault by the 1980’s Team USA coach, Don Peters.

Former teammates and USA Gymnastics leaders dismissed my story as that of a bitter ex-gymnast just trying to cash in. I was harassed by the CEO of USA Gymnastics (USAG) with bullying voicemails.

Core Exercises for Sen... Print, Jesse Buy New $20.00 (as of 08:17 UTC - Details) The gymnastics community was trying to sweep the misconduct and crimes under the rug to maintain their lucrative corporate sponsors. Their attacks only strengthened my resolve.

In November 2016, Larry Nassar, the doctor for Team USA Gymnastics, was arrested on federal charges of possessing child pornography. He was also charged with 22 counts of sexual conduct with a minor. These explosive charges revealed the toxic culture for all to see. After eight years of harassment, I was redeemed.

I was the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Levi’s by this time. I was astonished that companies like AT&T and P&G were maintaining their support of USAG despite the arrest of Nassar and growing evidence that USAG had covered up Nassar’s sexual abuse of athletes for decades.

I wrote to marketing leaders at these companies to suggest that they apply pressure by ending their sponsorship of USAG. No word back.

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