A Conversation with Xenya Nikeyenkova
Episode summary
Aired Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Tony Mobley talked with Xenya Nikeyenkova, a gymnastics coach and Mills College biochemistry graduate who served as president of the Disability Advocacy Club. She described starting gymnastics as a baby, coaching ages 3 to 15, and using her science training to break skills into small steps. She also covered travel across Europe and Asia, growing up with several languages, and how tutors and mentors shaped her. The most useful advice was to never be afraid to ask for help, since hearing no costs nothing, and to advocate for access for everyone.
Key takeaways
- Xenya said you should never feel afraid to ask for help. If someone says no, nothing bad comes from asking, and a yes is likely.
- She applied her biochemistry training to coaching by treating every skill as having a starting point and an end, then breaking it into building blocks.
- Gymnastics suits young children because beam, bars and tumbling build coordination. Xenya coaches kids ages 3 to 15, and most of her athletes are between 7 and 10.
- Expressive teaching helped her learn. When she tutored organic chemistry, she used a cartwheel to show how electrons attract and repel.
- Tony encouraged parents to look to their communities for extra support for a child, since some things a parent cannot do alone.
- Xenya’s closing message was that disability is just a word and that people are fighting for access for everybody, not a single group.
Chapters
- 2:30 Welcome and how to ask questions
- 4:15 Meet Xenya Nikeyenkova
- 6:35 Growing up in gymnastics and coaching
- 10:40 High school years and learning supports
- 22:46 Kumon tutoring and a trusted mentor
- 29:12 Biochemistry degree and how she uses it
- 37:00 Travel, languages and body language
- 45:05 Career plans and college during COVID
- 49:09 Self-advocacy and the Mills advocacy club
- 56:16 What is next and message to the world
Notable quotes
“I’ve always been someone that says like you should never feel afraid to ask for help. If someone says no, what are you gonna get from that?”
Xenya Nikeyenkova, at 54:02
“I believe that exceptional people have superpowers because they are able to do some amazing things and they’re also able to do things that are totally unexpected.”
Tony Mobley, at 1:00:05
“Once you figure out what your superpower is, just keep going with that and you’re going to do amazing things.”
Xenya Nikeyenkova, at 59:40
Questions this conversation answered
Why is gymnastics a good first sport for young children?
Xenya said it is one of the best sports to start with because balancing on a beam, hanging from a bar and tumbling over mats all build coordination in younger kids. She also described it as a disciplined sport that gives children an outlet.
How can a science background help you coach or teach?
Xenya said her biochemistry training taught her that everything has a starting point and an end, so she breaks skills into smaller pieces and works out how the building blocks fit together. She applies that to gymnastics and to people.
How can body language help people learn?
Xenya said she learns better from expressive teachers who use their faces and bigger motions. When tutoring organic chemistry, she did a cartwheel to show how electrons attract and repel.
Why should you ask for help even if you might hear no?
Xenya said a no costs you nothing and a yes is likely, so there is little downside to asking. She also said people who say no often just do not know how to help, and that is okay.
About the guest
Xenya Nikeyenkova. Xenya is a gymnastics coach for ages 3 to 15 and a former gymnast. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology with a psychology minor at Mills College, where she served as President of the Disability Advocacy Club.
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