Flipping and Flying at 40+
How Angela Fuller returned to gymnastics and reclaimed her sense of self
The Reignition Project shines a light on people building meaningful second acts. Have a story to share or know someone who should be profiled? Reply to this email and let me know. 🔥
For 27 years, Angela Fuller dreamt about giants.
Not the oversized ogres of childhood fairy tales, but the advanced gymnastics rotations on the uneven bars – a skill she didn’t get to complete before leaving the sport at 14.
Her soul was made to flip and fly, she believed. But injuries, depression, and the daily grind of adulthood kept her tethered to more grounded pursuits, until a friend’s cancer diagnosis served as a wake-up call: Angela wasn’t fully living.
She found her spark again through a Zumba class, and then, well, things snowballed.
In our conversation, Angela shared how she returned to gymnastics in midlife (yes, adult gymnastics exists!), competed on American Ninja Warrior, and how she now aims to help other women find their way back to themselves.
What did your life look like between leaving gymnastics as a teenager and finding it again as an adult?
I was an athlete when I was young: gymnast, cheerleader, and I even cheered in college. Right after college, I was in a car accident. I could no longer do anything fitness-wise.
I went into corporate America as a recruiter and hated it. I was just trying to move forward.
When I had my second baby, I herniated two discs in my back. I was put on disability, and after an MRI, they told me I should fuse my spine. I was only 31, which seemed too young for something so permanent. So I decided not to. But I was in survival mode, adapting to a life I never planned on.
My soul is made to flip and fly, as silly as that may sound.
How did it affect you, to go from flipping and flying to not being active?
I had a lot of mental health struggles, depression. I gained weight.
I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, “I don’t even know who you are anymore.” I was always active and moving, my entire life. And then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone.
I loved being a mom, but I always felt like I was made for more.
Did you know the depression was tied to being sedentary, or did it feel like this was just adulthood?
I knew it was tied to my inactivity, because I felt like my soul was not alive. I wasn’t doing anything that set my soul on fire. I was just going through the motions.
But I was around a lot of moms who were like, “This is just motherhood. Now we live through our children’s dreams.” So many women put themselves after their kids.
But in my soul, I knew: No, this isn’t just what we do. I’m miserable.
What ultimately sparked your return to gymnastics?
A friend invited me to a Zumba class. I could barely move because of my back, but that single class put the biggest smile on my face. I was sparkling.
When I came home, my husband said, “Whatever you just did, you need to do that every day. You look so happy.” And I thought, “Oh, she’s still in there.”
Then my best friend was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. It was a massive wake-up call. It made me think, “I need to start living. Tomorrow is not promised.”
Watching her fight reignited my fighting spirit instantly.
I hired a nutritionist, did physical therapy, and started strength training. I got in the best shape of my life.
Then I decided to start teaching group fitness because I wanted to give that sparkle to other women. I wanted to help other women see their light.
And then I started to think, “If I can do this… can I do gymnastics again?”
I literally Googled “adult gymnastics” and signed up for a class.
After my second practice, a girl came up and said, “Do you want to join our team?” And I said, “Excuse me? There’s a team?”
We started training and competed soon after.
Take me back to gymnastics at 14. What was it like to leave? Did you have regrets?
I quit gymnastics at 14 due to a bad balance beam injury. I also had abusive coaching. I left gymnastics with a black cloud over it.
It wasn’t my choice to leave. Gymnastics was my love and my joy, and it was stolen from me.
That’s why gymnastics means so much to me today. I’ve taken my sport completely back. It’s mine now.
At 14, I was working on my dream skill, which was giants – where you swing around the bars into a handstand. Because I left, I never got to do it.
And it’s wild. When I came back, I put the straps on and started swinging giants. I had never done them. My coach was like, “Who taught you that?” And I was like, “I literally dreamt about it for 27 years.”
So you’re back: strong, training, competing again. How did you end up on the TV show American Ninja Warrior?
Everything just snowballed. As I started teaching group fitness, someone brought up American Ninja Warrior. Said they could see me on it. I thought, “There’s no way. I’m too old.”
But I took my son to a ninja class and realized adults could train too. I loved it instantly.
I applied for the show and got rejected three times. Finally, in 2023, I got the call. The best part was that it was filmed in LA, where my best friend lived.
She wasn’t doing well, but she came to cheer me on. She passed away eight months later.
She was always my biggest cheerleader. When I said I wanted to do the show, she was all in. Every time I got rejected, she was like, “You’re applying again, right?”
So, for her to see the dream fulfilled, it was magical.
Talk to me about what adult gymnastics looks like for you now, and what opportunities exist. If somebody wants to return to gymnastics, what might that look like?
I compete through the NAIGC. Their motto is “For the Love of the Sport” which is perfect for me.
I’m an Omnithon gymnast, meaning I compete in women’s all-around, men’s events, trampoline, tumbling, everything.
Last year I made history as the oldest gymnast to complete an Omnithon at nationals. I placed second in the nation.
And there’s no age division - most of the people I compete against are half my age.
How do you stay injury-free?
I want to do this forever, so I take it very seriously.
I have a strict nutrition plan. I eat very clean – that’s a huge part of it, because in midlife we have so much inflammation.
I weight train three to four days a week and teach fitness classes. I take supplements and do infrared sauna. Most of the work is outside the gym.
And I’m honest: if you want to go back into gymnastics, you can. But try to get in the best shape of your life first. The injury rate is higher among adults.
How has all of this changed how you think about purpose?
When I was younger, it was all achievement. I needed validation.
In midlife, it’s about impact.
I want people to say, “I did this because I saw this woman do this.”
I want to inspire women. I feel like we need to see another woman do something to believe we can.
My purpose is impact - helping women get their sparkle back and love themselves. Because if they love themselves, they can do anything.
What advice do you have for people in midlife who want to start something new but don’t know how?
Start before you’re ready. You’re never really going to be ready.
My favorite question to any woman is, “What haunts you in your dreams? What have you always wanted to do?”
I remember my first gymnastics class, I sat in my car and almost didn’t go in because of self-limiting beliefs.
You’re not going to be good at first. That’s okay. It’s never too late. And never give up.
I’ve been rejected a ton, especially with American Ninja Warrior. It would’ve been easy to say, “I guess this isn’t going to happen.”
But I’m grateful I went for it. It took four years.
What’s next for you? What are you looking toward now?
That’s always the million-dollar question.
My life has kind of been a snowball. I don’t necessarily plan.
This year, I’m going back to Nationals and attempting the Omnithon again. It was very hard last year, but I want to see if I can do it again.
I also had a few pre-cancerous scares this year. I had some growth removed. That reignited me, too, just reminding me that life isn’t promised.
Right now, we’re good. Everything was removed. But I want to accomplish it again, because I don’t know what the future holds.
Follow Angela:
P.S. How old is too old to learn the back handspring?
A fun fact about me is that one of my many regrets in life is quitting gymnastics at age seven, just before learning to do a back handspring. I’d taken gymnastics for three years at that point and loved it. But there was a competition or some public performance looming, and I didn’t have the confidence then to perform on cue. I’ve been kicking myself ever since.
Flipping and flying is also in my blood, and I dabbled in a few aerial/gymnastics classes before the pandemic, but never got into a routine. Speaking to Angela inspired me so much, and a quick Google search revealed an adult class just a few miles down the road from me. So, once the LA Marathon is over in a few weeks, I’ll let you know if I have a new hobby. 🤸♀️
I love this. Stories about doing the unexpected or changing your life or your views always get me. So happy for her and living in hope that her friend is somewhere, still cheering her on.
"Start before you’re ready." Thank you for those words & for your courage to reignite that fire inside you.