Mia Atkins is a TV host in Charlotte who is the fiancee of American Olympic gymnast Sam Mikulak. He is competing in the Olympics for a third time and plans to retire after Tokyo ahead of their wedding.
“He’s going to take some time off first,” Atkins told WCNC, adding that he plans to move to North Carolina to live with her. “This has been his whole life. He’s been doing gymnastics since he was two years old and has never stopped.”But he plans to go back to school to study sports psychology because that’s something over the past year with all the hardships that everybody has gone through, him specifically, as an athlete he realizes that he needs to be a resource for people going through what he has gone through.”
Atkins added, “He said he’s feeling great. He said he’s ready. He’s feeling excited about it! I’m just proud to be with him and just cheer him on, then I’m proud to have him back with me and not lose him all the time like I do right now.”
Here’s what you need to know about Mia Atkins, Sam Mikulak’s girlfriend:
1. Mia Atkins Met Sam Mikulak After the 2016 Olympics Through His Teammate’s Sister, Who Was in Atkins’ Sorority at Arizona State
Atkins and Mikulak met in 2016 after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics through one of her sorority sister’s at Arizona State University. Her stepbrother was a teammate of Mikulak, Atkins told the Charlotte Observer. Mikulak was on a gymnastics tour and ended up hanging out at the Alpha Phi sorority with Atkins.
“I didn’t know a single thing about gymnastics. Nothing,” Atkins told the Observer. “I didn’t care about sports at all. It was just not my thing.” She said after they clicked during conversation at the college party, he invited her to his show the next day, and she was shocked by his “crazy flips.” She told the newspaper, “I still have I think some videos on my phone from when I went and saw that show, of me being like, ‘Ohh my gosh. Who is this guy?’”
They soon began dating. He credits her with helping balance his life, telling TeamUSA.org, “In stressful times, it’s something that I can look towards and gives me a little more energy and a little more confidence and just makes me a little happier.”
2. Atkins & Mikulak Are Getting Married on New Year’s Eve in Colorado
Mikulak proposed to Atkins on Catalina Island in California in July 2020. He wrote on Instagram, “Engaged to my best friend! You are the love of my life and forever isn’t long enough!!” She wrote on her Instagram, “Can’t wait to spend forever with my person.”
According to their wedding website, Mikulak and Atkins are planning to get married on December 31, 2021, in Colorado.
“She’s been a great resource for my emotional health, and not having her around all the time is tough. Our relationship is strong. I love gymnastics. The things I want most will prevail,” Mikulak told Flo Gymnastics.
Atkins told the Observer the couple has embraced therapy and have grown as a couple through that, “I think it’s probably been one of the best things that we have done, because now we are able to support each other more and understand each other more because we’re taking the time to focus on ourselves and focus on growing as individuals, so that we can be stronger as a couple together.”
Atkins told the newspaper she has at times been frustrated at being reduced to “Sam Mikulak’s fiancée,” but he said the tide could change as he enters retirement and can “ride off Mia’s coattails for getting such a sweet job,” on TV.
“That’s what I always say to myself: This is his time, but I’m gonna make my way up to a big national show someday,” Atkins told the Observer. “And he’ll be ‘Mia Atkins’s husband.'”
3. Atkins, Who Grew Up in the Chicago Suburbs, Graduated From Arizona State With a Degree in Broadcast Journalism in 2017
Atkins grew up in Illinois in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has two sisters. Atkins was also the director of finance for the Alpha Phi sorority at Arizona State from 2014 to 2015, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Atkins graduated from South Elgin High School in Illinois, according to the school’s website. Her interest in journalism began then, when she was a part of the high school’s Broadcast Education and Communication Network Academy.
“I don’t think I would have realized that this is my passion without the Beacon Academy. The first time I sat at the anchor desk, I just knew I wanted to do this. I feel it definitely set me ahead,” she said in a story on the high school’s website. “I can’t even imagine having any regrets. I made great friends, great contacts. My teachers were passionate. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
4. Atkins Worked at TV News Stations in Arizona & Colorado Before Beginning Her Job in Charlotte in 2021
Atkins began her career in TV journalism as a broadcast intern at KPHO in Phoenix, Arizona, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was then a reporter at Cronkite NewsWatch from August 2017 to December 2017. She moved to Colorado Springs to work as the host of the morning lifestyle show Living Local at Fox21 News, her LinkedIn profile says.
In April 2021, Atkins began a new job as the host of the Charlotte Today show at WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to her biography on the news station’s website, “Atkins is thrilled to be a host on Charlotte Today. Mia has always loved lifestyle TV. Before coming to Charlotte, she was a host on the morning lifestyle show ‘Loving Living Local’ in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During her time in Colorado, she won two Colorado Broadcaster’s Association awards, started a sponsored travel show, and met some amazing people.”
She wrote on Instagram in March 2021, “The past few years on Loving Living Local have been truly amazing. thank you to all of my coworkers, viewers, family and friends for all the support. on to the next journey, see you soon Charlotte.”
In July, Atkins wrote on Facebook, “Three months in and I’m loving every minute of it 🤍 so thankful to be in North Carolina on the Charlotte Today team!”
5. Atkins & Mikulak Have 3 Rescue Dogs, Marshall, Lily & Barney, Named After the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Characters
According to her bio on the WCNC website, “Some things to know about Mia: She is OBSESSED with her dogs Marshall, Lily and Barney. Yes, they are named after ‘How I Met Your Mother’ characters! All three are rescue dogs, something Mia is very passionate about. Mia also loves to travel and has been to 10 different countries including Belize, Switzerland and Iceland. Mia is a big Harry Potter nerd and loves to eat.”
On Instagram on July 8, 2021, Atkins wrote alongside a photo from her engagement to Mikulak, “One year of being engaged to the best person I know 🥰 we’ve had the most amazing adventures, gone through the hardest of times, and loved each other deeply through it all. I’m so thankful for how we build each other up and I know we will continue to do this for the rest of our lives. I love you.”
She wrote on Instagram on Valentine’s Day in 2020, “My rock, my soulmate, my best friend. You make me laugh when I want to cry, & you make me cry with laughter. Our relationship is full of support, compassion, honesty, complete weirdness, & more love than I could have imagined. You are everything to me. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
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Mia Atkins, Sam Mikulak’s Fiancee: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know