Celebrated rugby star Ilona Maher has captivated the public over the past three years with her athletic prowess, her vibrant personality and her candid insights into her daily life. She is currently everywhere: on the latest Sports illustrated Cover, at the Emmy Awards and of course on Dancing with the stars.

With over 6.2 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, Maher has played a crucial role in bringing attention to the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team and helping them win a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

After a tough quarterfinal loss at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Maher is approaching the 2024 Games with a fresh mindset. “At the last Olympics, my focus was just to get there and be called an Olympian, so I didn’t enjoy the moments leading up to it,” Maher recently told Well+Good. “This time, I wanted to enjoy this season with my teammates, the laughs on the bus, the conversations in the locker room and just the game. It was really smart of me not to be my thing (at the Olympics) and it helped me prepare better mentally for the game.”

Now the 28-year-old is facing a new challenge: Dancing with the stars. “I’m so far out of my comfort zone,” she says at the end of her first week of training. “Rugby is my comfort zone; I love tackling and running.” And despite initial doubts, she felt compelled to take part in the show. “I had a lot of reservations, but I thought it would be hypocritical of me because I’m telling all these young girls to try rugby and try something new and get out there. So if I just think in my comfort zone, I feel like I’m not practicing what I preach.”

We recently caught up with Maher to find out how she starts a typical day and what keeps her going despite her busy schedule.

She starts every day on her phone – yes.

I don’t have an inspiring morning routine. I wake up around 6 or 6:30 and I hate to say it, but I check my phone first.

Then she gets ready for the day

I usually have about 30 minutes to get out of the house, so my mornings are simple. I put in my contact lenses, brush my teeth and take a shower. Lately I’ve been using Salt & Stone’s Bergamot & Hinoki shower gel – it smells delicious. Outside of the shower I use Secret deodorant and always wear sunscreen. When I get ready, I usually wear either a large t-shirt – I just love sinking into a 3XL shirt – or a Skims robe and Ugg slippers.

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If I want to add something special, my favorite lipstick is the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in the shade Self Starter. This is the lipstick I wear when I play rugby – it really stays put, even when I’m tackling, through my mouth guard, through everything else. I really trust it, and that’s why I feel comfortable enough to wear lipstick when I’m playing, because I trust this lipstick so much.

Next, she gets coffee on the way to training

Coffee for me is a little indulgence and an escape from the everyday – I just love it. I only drink one coffee in the morning and I usually have a vanilla iced latte. I love coffee with cream and sugar and there’s this coffee shop in San Diego where I live called Genteel Coffee Co. and they do this cold cream on top. It’s just cream with a little bit of sugar in it and I love it on an iced coffee.

She uses her way to training as “morning time for herself”

I always like to have a coffee on the way to the training center. The training center is about 30 minutes from where I live, so for me it’s a time where I can just relax.

I listen to an audiobook or tune in to music while I drink my coffee. As for audiobooks, I love romance novels and funny books that I don’t learn from, but just get my mind going. When I’m trying to get in a good mood, I listen to uplifting music like Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter.

These 30 minutes are my personal “time for me” before I start the day and before I meet with my teammates.

As soon as she comes to training, she has breakfast

It’s very simple – like eggs on toast. I usually eat my eggs either fried or as an omelette with some vegetables in it.

I don’t usually cook for myself – I eat most of my meals at the training center. It’s difficult to go grocery shopping when I know I’ll only eat dinner at home once (and at the center on three other days), so I just go out to eat somewhere like Cava (I love bowl restaurants) or I eat at the center.

After breakfast it’s time to go to work

After breakfast we start with the so-called “ramp-up”, which means warming up the body with exercises, stretches and even plyometrics. There is always a time when we warm up properly and prepare our bodies for the day, because rugby is a very tough and technical sport.

This is where I do my rehab, focusing especially 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, just a little static stretch for about six minutes to really prepare myself and let my body know it’s about to start working. I also always get on the bike for at least five to ten minutes to get my muscles moving after they’ve been stagnant all night.

On days when I don’t work out, I do CorePower Hot Yoga. I wish I could stretch more, but I don’t, so I count the yoga session as my stretching for the week.

Finally the actual training begins

The first workout is around 9:30 or 10 a.m. From the second I arrive at practice, I’m wearing Brooks sneakers, usually 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 weight lifting. I usually save my Glycerins for my hot-girl walks, but they’re just as versatile.

She places daily emphasis on mental health

I don’t use meditation apps, but I work closely with a sports psychologist. Especially during the Olympics, even on the first night after I arrived, I could see myself evolving. It was very important for me to stay grounded and not let anything upset me, because when I know there are millions of eyes on me, it’s normal to worry about dropping the ball, embarrassing myself, doing something wrong or missing a tackle.

I would often meet with my sports psychologist, especially the night before every game. And we would just sit there, counting breaths, saying mantras and so on. That really grounded me.

And know that not every day looks the same

At the moment my schedule is a little different with Dancing with the stars Preparation. Training for the show starts at 9am every day. But even before, I never liked having too much routine or rituals because I’m so scared that if I don’t do them one day, I’ll feel like I’ve messed it up and I won’t be able to have a good day. I prefer to just see what happens, as it comes.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.