Celebrated rugby star Ilona Maher has captivated audiences for the past three years with her athletic prowess, vibrant personality and candid glimpses into her everyday life. She is now everywhere: on the latest Sports Illustrated cover, at the Emmy Awards and of course on Dancing with the stars.

Maher has more than 6.2 million followers across social media, including Instagram and TikTok. She has played a key role in bringing the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team to prominence and winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

After a tough quarterfinal loss at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Maher says she’s approaching the 2024 Games with a fresh outlook. “The last Olympics, I was focused on getting to the Games and being an Olympian, so I wasn’t enjoying the moments leading up to it,” Maher recently told Well+Good. “This time around, I wanted to enjoy this season with my teammates, the laughs on the bus, the conversations we have in the locker room and just playing the game. The fact that (the Olympics) wasn’t my thing was a smart move for me and helped me mentally prepare myself better for the game.”

Now the 28-year-old is taking on 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 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’m just thinking in my comfort zone, it feels like I’m not practicing what I preach.”

We recently spoke to Maher to find out how she starts her day and what keeps her going in her busy schedule.

She starts every day on her phone – yes.

I don’t have that 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 the door, so my mornings are easy. I put in my contacts, brush my teeth, and take a shower. I’ve been using Salt & Stone Bergamot & Hinoki body wash lately, which smells amazing. After my shower, I use Secret deodorant and always wear SPF. When I get ready, I usually wear a big T-shirt – I just love disappearing into a 3XL – or I’ll wear a Skims jacket and Ugg slippers.

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When I want to add something extra, my go-to 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 really stays on through tackles, through my mouthguard, through everything. I really trust it, and that’s what makes me comfortable enough to wear lipstick to play, because I trust that lipstick so much.

Then she gets coffee on the way to training

Coffee for me is a little treat and escape – I just love it. I only have one cup of coffee in the morning and usually go for a vanilla iced coffee. I like my coffee with cream and sugar, and there’s a coffee shop near me in San Diego called Genteel Coffee Co., and they put cold cream on top. It’s just whipped cream with a little bit of 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 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 get pumped up by listening to some music while I drink my coffee. As for audiobooks, I like romance books and fun books that don’t teach me anything, just to let my thoughts escape. When I’m trying to get myself in a good mood, I listen to some uplifting music like Chappell Roan or Sabrina Carpenter.

These 30 minutes are my own “me time” before the day starts and before I get to work with my teammates.

Once she gets to training, she eats breakfast

It’s just basic, like eggs on toast. I usually eat my eggs fried or as an omelette with some vegetables in it.

I usually don’t cook for myself, most of my meals are at the training center. It’s hard to go grocery shopping when I know I’m only going to eat at home once (and three other days at the center). So I usually just go out to eat somewhere like Cava (I love bowls) or I eat downtown.

After breakfast it’s time to get to work

After breakfast we go straight to what we call “ramp-up” which is just a way to get our body ready for the day by doing exercises, stretches and even plyometrics. There is always a moment to really warm up and get our body ready for the day because rugby is a very tough sport and very technical.

Here I do rehab, specifically focusing on my ankles, hamstrings, and knees. I love a good hip flexor opener, and resistance band work is also really important to me. I have a little routine that I do, just a little static stretching routine for about six minutes, to really prepare myself and let my body know that it’s about to go to work. I also always jump on the bike for at least five to 10 minutes to get my muscles moving after sitting still all night.

On days I don’t have a workout, 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 10:00. From the moment I arrive at training I am wearing Brooks sneakers, usually my Levitates or my Glycerins. The Levitates are the reason I started wearing Brooks in the first place, after seeing my physical therapist wearing them, and they’re my go-to for everything from running to weightlifting. I usually reserve my Glycerins for my hot girl walks, but they’re just as versatile.

She prioritizes her mental health every day

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. It was really important for me to stay grounded and not let anything get to me, because knowing that there are millions of eyes on me, it’s normal to worry about dropping the ball, making a fool of myself, doing something wrong, missing a tackle.

I used to talk to my sports psychologist, especially the night before every game, and we would just sit there and do some breathing and some mantras and whatnot, and that really gave me something to hold on to.

And know that not every day is the same

Right now my schedule is a little different with Dancing with the stars preparation. The training for the show starts every day at 9am. But even before that I’ve never liked too much routine or rituals because I get so scared if I don’t do them one day, I feel like I’ve messed up and can’t have a good day. I’d rather just see what happens when it comes.

This interview has been shortened and clarified.