Celebrated rugby star Ilona Maher has captivated the public over the past three years with her athletic prowess, vibrant personality, and candid glimpses into her daily life. She’s everywhere right now: on the latest Sports Illustrated cover, at the Emmy Awards, and, of course, on Dancing With the Stars.
With her social media following surpassing 6.2 million on Instagram and TikTok, Maher has played a pivotal role in bringing attention to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens team and winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
After a tough quarterfinal loss at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Maher says she approached the 2024 Games with a refreshed mindset. “The last Olympics, my focus was just getting there and being called an Olympian, so I didn’t enjoy the moments before,” Maher told Well+Good recently. “This time, I wanted to enjoy this season with my teammates, the laughs on the bus, the talks we have in the locker room, and just getting to play the game. Not making [the Olympics] being my whole thing was really smart for me and helped me prepare myself more mentally game-wise.”
Now, the 28-year-old is tackling a new challenge: Dancing With The Stars. “I’m so far out of my comfort zone,” she says as she wraps up her first week of practice. “Rugby is my comfort zone; I love tackling and running.” And despite initial doubts, she felt compelled to join the show. “I had a lot of reservations, but I thought it would be hypocritical of me because I tell all these young girls to try rugby and to try something new and to get out there. So if I’m just thinking in my comfort zone, it felt like not doing what I preach.”
We caught up with Maher recently to find out how she starts a typical day and what keeps her grounded through her busy schedule.
She starts every day on her phone—yup.
I don’t have that inspirational morning routine. I wake up at about 6 or 6:30 a.m., and I hate to say it, but I check my phone first.
Then, she gets ready for the day
I typically have about 30 minutes to get out the door, so my mornings are simple. I put in my contacts, brush my teeth, and take a shower. I’ve been using Salt & Stone Bergamot & Hinoki body wash as of late—it smells delicious. Out of the shower, I use Secret deodorant and always apply SPF. When I’m getting ready, I’m typically wearing either a big T-shirt—I just love to be swallowed up in a 3XL shirt—or I’m wearing a Skims robe and Ugg slippers.
When I want to add a little something extra, my go-to favorite lipstick is the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in the shade Self Starter. This is the lipstick I wear to play rugby—it genuinely stays on through tackles, through my mouth guard, through everything. I really trust it, which is what makes me comfortable enough to wear lipstick while I play because I trust that lipstick so much.
Next, she picks up coffee on the way to training
Coffee for me is a little treat and escape—I just love it. I just have one coffee in the morning and typically go for a vanilla iced latte. I love coffee with cream and sugar, and there’s this coffee shop by me in San Diego called Genteel Coffee Co., and they do this cold cream on top. It’s just heavy cream with a little sugar in it, and I love it on an iced coffee.
She uses her commute to training as ‘morning me time’
I always love to have my coffee on my ride to the training center. The training center is about 30 minutes from where I live, so for me, that kind of becomes a time where I just get to relax.
I listen to an audiobook or get myself hyped up by listening to some music while I drink my coffee. In terms of audiobooks, I love romance books and fun books that I’m not going to learn anything from just to let my mind escape. If I’m trying to get myself in a good mood, I’ll listen to some pump-up music like Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter.
These 30 minutes are my own “me time” before starting the day and before getting in with my teammates.
Once she gets to training, she eats breakfast
It’s just basic—like eggs on toast. I generally have my eggs either fried or as an omelet with some vegetables in them.
I typically don’t cook for myself—most of my meals are at the training center. It’s hard to buy groceries when I know I’m only going to eat dinner at home once (and eat dinner three other days at the center). So I really just go out to eat somewhere like Cava (I love bowl places), or I’ll eat at the center.
After breakfast, it’s time to get to work
After breakfast, it’s straight into what we call “ramp-up,” which is just a way of getting our bodies ready for the day by doing exercises, stretches, and even plyometrics. There’s always a time for us to really warm up and get our bodies ready for the day because rugby’s a very hard sport and very technical.
This is where I do rehab, especially focusing on my ankles, hamstrings, and knees. I love a good hip flexor opener, and resistance band work is really important to me, too. I have a little routine I do, just a little static stretch routine for about six minutes, to really prime myself and let my body know it’s about to start working. I also always hop on the bike for at least five to 10 minutes to get my muscles moving after being stagnant all night.
On days I don’t have training, I do CorePower hot yoga. I wish I stretched more, but I don’t, so I count the yoga session as my stretching for the week.
Finally, the real training begins
The first training will be around 9:30 or 10 a.m. I’m wearing Brooks sneakers from the second I arrive at training, typically either my Levitates or my Glycerins. The Levitates are what got me into Brooks in the first place, after I saw my physical therapist wearing them, and they’re my go-to for everything from running to lifting. I typically reserve my Glycerins for my hot girl walks, but they’re just as versatile.
She prioritizes mental health daily
I don’t use any meditation apps, but I do work closely with a sports psychologist. Especially during the Olympics, even the first night I arrived, I saw my growth start to happen. It was very important to me to stay grounded and not let anything get to me because knowing I had millions of eyes on me, it’s normal to worry about dropping the ball, embarrassing myself, doing something wrong, or missing a tackle.
I met with my sports psychologist a lot, particularly the night before each game. And we literally just sat there, did some breath counting and some mantras and whatnot. That really grounded me.
And knows that not every day looks the same
At the moment, my schedule’s a little different with Dancing With The Stars preparation. Training for the show starts at 9 a.m. each day. But even before this, I’ve never liked having too much of a routine or rituals because I get so afraid if one day I don’t do them, I feel like I’ve messed up and can’t have a good day. I prefer to just see what happens as it comes.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
