time for simone

Simone Biles leaps onto Time Magazine's prestigious list of most influential people

Simone Biles Time 100 Most Influential People 2021

Simone Biles is poignantly profiled by tennis superstar Serena Williams in Time.

Photo by Djeneba Aduayom/Time Magazine

On the very same day she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her abuse by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar (September 15), Simone Biles leaped onto a coveted global list.

The Houston-based Olympian — considered by many to be the greatest competitive gymnast in history — has landed (somersaulted, perhaps?) onto Time Magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People of 2021.

Biles appears on a commemorative cover photographed by Djeneba Aduayom and is filed under the “Titans” section that also boasts Apple CEO Tim Cook, NFL champ Tom Brady, and more. Notably, Biles’ teammate Sunisa Lee also appears on the list, under “Pioneers.”

As with many of the profiles, Biles is profiled by a fellow superstar, in this case, tennis megastar/philanthropist/designer Serena Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

“She’s a master of precision, grace and dominance, and at the age of just 24, she has cemented herself as one of the most decorated American gymnasts of all time,” Williams writes. “But when she’s not on the mat or competing in front of the world, Simone strikes the powerful balance between humility and confidence—she’s enthusiastic yet stoic, believing in her strength, trusting her body and embracing her greatness.”

Williams notes Biles’ total of 32 Olympic and world championship medals, but also declares that the young Houstonian “truly reflects the endless potential of Black women. I wish I had her to look up to when I was younger and trying to realize my dreams,” Williams shares.

Praise continues, with Williams lauding Biles for “living her truth so loudly,” championing mental health, and “setting new standards of beauty, strength and resilience, breaking down today’s image-obsessed stereotypes and encouraging others to do the same.”

As fans are aware, Biles made global news when she pulled herself out of the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo after suffering from the “twisties” and also for her mental health. In a made-for-movies moment, she scored a bronze medal upon her big return.

Aside from the raw, emotionally jarring moments in front of the Senate, Biles has also made more upbeat headlines for her 88-pound gown she recently donned for the Met Gala.

Houstonians will get a chance to see her perform at the upcoming Gold Over American tour coming to Toyota Center on October 8.

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H-Town rising

Houston leaps back into top 50 'World's Best Cities' list for 2025

Photo by Adrian Newell on Unsplash

Houston made a big leap back into the top 50, ranking No. 40, after previously plummeting into No. 72 last year.

Lively Houston has regained its rightful place among the top 50 best cities in the world, according to a prestigious new report by Resonance Consultancy.

The Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing advisors ranked Houston the 40th best city worldwide for 2025 in its annual "World's Best Cities" list.

The report quantifies the relative qualities of livability, "lovability," and prosperity for the world's top 100 cities with metropolitan populations of 1 million or more. New to the 10th anniversary edition, Resonance partnered with global market researchers Ipsos to include perception-based data into the rankings, surveying over 22,000 people in 30 countries worldwide to determine "the most desirable places to visit, live or work."

Houston made a major rebound after plummeting to No. 73 in last year's report. In 2022, Houston ranked No. 42.

Resonance refers to its previous "World's Best Cities" reports and its 2024 "America's Best Cities" list – which ranked Houston in the top 10 – when explaining the Bayou City's successes. The report praised Houston's vast cultural diversity and placed a great focus on its economic prosperity, even going so far as to suggest Houston residents make more money "and can sock more away."

"...[W]here America’s fourth-largest city truly takes off is in its economic heft and wealth, ranking No. 9 globally for GDP per Capita and No. 14 for Fortune 500 companies in town," the report said. "All that rolls up into an overall Prosperity index ranking of No. 36, which is even more impressive given the No. 14-ranked Price-to Income Ratio [of the city]."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin and Dallas also earned spots on the World's Best Cities list for 2025, but only one made a similar rebound from the previous year's rankings. Dallas moved up from No. 66 in last year's report to its current rank as No. 55. Meanwhile, Austin took its first tumble out of the 43rd spot (which it had occupied for two years straight) and now ranks No. 53.

London held onto its crown as the No. 1 best city in the world for 2025, followed by New York (No. 2), Paris (No. 3), Tokyo (No. 4), and Singapore (No. 5).