Being able to reinvent herself is something Mary Sanders has taken pride in throughout her life journey.
She’s gone from an Olympic gymnast to a star Cirque du Soleil acrobat, and now works as an entertainment executive for Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec. She’s also a mother of two who has overcome struggles to create her own path.
That ability to reinvest herself motivated Sanders to write her memoir, 9 Lives by 35, published by Dundurn Press, and she’ll be hosting the official book launch Thursday at Old Town Hall in Newmarket.
After filming much of Olympians at Heart — for which Sanders was executive producer — in Newmarket, she teamed up with the town to host her book launch.
Along with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, there will be a fireside chat with a surprise moderator and a book reading. Tickets are $10, with all proceeds being donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.
“My father passed away from cancer when I was eight and write a lot about that in my book,” said Sanders. “He was my coach, my mentor, and my everything. I didn’t want to profit off ticket sales and what better way to spend the money than to donate to charity. Everyone knows someone with cancer or someone that’s passed away from cancer.”
What motivated Sanders to write the book was her need for a creative outlet during the pandemic.
“I’m used to being artistic,” she said. “COVID was very hard and I had two kids during that time. Being at home was taking a toll mentally so I started writing.”
Sanders said the book poured out of her and no matter how tired she was, she continued to write and ended up with 80,000 words in less than two months.
“I had the time to sit there and write and I dialled in,” she said. “It was extremely therapeutic.”
In 2004, Sanders was the sole rhythmic gymnast representing the U.S in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. She had the best finish of any North American and went on to achieve the title of the best Rhythmic Gymnast in all of the Western Hemisphere.
Writing the book opened up a lot of things from the past, said Sanders, and she touches upon the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of convicted predator Dr. Larry Nassar in her memoir.
“I really dove into all the emotions of my life,” she said. “It was a bucket list thing I wanted to do because everyone I know is from one part of my life. I’ve lived many lives and wanted to summarize it in a way so anyone who doesn’t know me from my gymnastics life or my now life can kind of see who I really am.”
Sanders said she also wrote the book for her kids to one day see who she really is and everything she’s gone through.
“That was my passion behind it,” she said.
It’s been a three-year process and as Sanders reflects on it, she said it hasn’t been easy writing a book and getting published, but that all you need is one yes.
“I have days where I’m just so excited it’s finally coming out because a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this,” she said. “Then, there’s days where I’m like, ‘oh my god, what did I do,’ because you have to be so vulnerable and open yourself up. There’s stuff in this book that even my best friends don’t know. So it’s scary, but super exciting.”
Sanders calls the experience surreal and says her goal with the book is to motivate those who feel stagnant in their life to make a change.
“Set a goal and go for it,” she said. “I hope it can help people find their path in life because I’ve hit many roadblocks at many different times in my life. I hope it inspires people.”
The book launch is Thursday, Oct. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford St., and tickets can be purchased here. Learn more about Sanders here.
