In-Depth, with Nora Vasconcellos

Adidas team rider Nora Vasconcellos speaks to the hurdles she’s overcome with a lifelong anxiety disorder, and how her personal journey with mental health has shaped her into one of the world’s most celebrated female skateboarders. 

With a diagnosis of generalized anxiety at only a few years old, challenges in mental health shaped Nora Vasconcellos’ early and adolescent years, a time she describes as exhausting as she simultaneously navigated an up-and-coming skateboarding career that only continues to soar. 

Despite the odds of often being at battle with her own mind, Vasconcellos has channeled her energy into both skating and art, landing pro team riding spots on Welcome Skateboards and Adidas, (becoming their first female team rider), winning a world title, and partaking in acclaimed art shows—all in under five years’ time.