Ilona Maher on Confidence, Turning 30 and Life Beyond Rugby: ‘Every Year I Get Hotter’ (Exclusive)
The Olympian and influencer, who just partnered with Perfect Bar, also reveals how she learns from her losses
Olympic athlete Ilona Maher hasn’t just introduced rugby to a new wave of female fans; she’s also become a bona fide celebrity in her own right thanks to her bold personality and proud body positivity. From posing for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to playing rugby with England’s Bristol Bears to competing on Dancing With the Stars to launching a podcast with her sisters, the bronze medalist, who boasts over 5 million followers on Instagram, has been keeping busy since the 2024 Summer Games.
For her latest project, Maher has partnered with Perfect Bar to promote its new Protein + Prebiotics line, featuring healthy bars in Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch and Chocolate Mint Crunch flavors. “These bars use authentic, wholesome ingredients, and that’s what I prioritize as an athlete,” Maher says. “People have been loving protein lately, and I love it too, but in a more chill way,” she laughs. “I like that you can easily take one of these bars to the gym and feel like you’re still eating how you want to, without sacrificing quality.”
Ilona Maher sat down with Woman’s World to discuss how she finds strength and confidence on and off the rugby field.
How Ilona Maher navigates Olympic pressure and mental health
With the recent Winter Olympics, there’s been a lot of discussion about how athletes handle mental health and perform under pressure, and these issues are deeply personal to Maher. “Performing on the field is amazing, but I also prioritize enjoying life,” she says. “It can’t all just be about one thing, because being a professional athlete is a very fleeting moment. I’m honored to be the face of this sport I love so much and I love the pressure, but I’m not going to stop myself from having a lovely dinner with friends.” “There can be a misconception that if you’re an athlete, that’s all there is to you, and you don’t really have a personality outside of being on the field, but I think that personality is what makes an athlete,” she observes.
“I rely a lot on the people around me, like my sisters and my friends,” Maher continues. “I also have a sports psychologist, a therapist and a dietitian, and having people to look to for guidance is great, because it can be very hard to deal with mental health on your own.” “It’s important to ask for help when you need it, and if you open up to people, they can open up to you as well,” she says.
“I try to be very real about things in terms of how I’m feeling,” Maher notes. “Every day, I stay aware of things that might have upset me and situations that could’ve been handled better, and I learn from those experiences. I’ve definitely learned from my losses. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, I lost in the quarterfinals, which was really tough. Because of that loss, I used every subsequent game leading up to the Paris Olympics as a way to get better. I was more mentally prepared when I went to Paris and went into my bronze medal match than I’d ever been. In losing, you learn a lot, and I’m still constantly getting better.”
The meaning behind Ilona Maher’s ‘Beast Beauty Brains’ mantra
Ilona Maher is a fierce advocate for women in sports, and her Instagram bio features the hashtag #BeastBeautyBrains. When asked what this tagline means to her, she says, “As women, we’re often put in a box. We’re told to be one thing. I don’t want to be seen as just a rugby player—I don’t align with that. I want to be a beast on a field while also being beautiful and smart.”
“My teammate and I came up with ‘Beast, Beauty, Brains’ while on a van ride to a team event, and it stuck with us. We can be all these different things. You can go to the gym and be a beast, but you can also wear lipstick and do whatever you want. We’re so much more than the box we’re put in,” Maher says, and for the record, her lipstick of choice is Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink—“I wear it when I play rugby, and it literally stays on while I’m tackling people!”
Outside of rugby, Maher loves “drinking iced coffee, going on long walks, hanging out with my sisters and reading a good book”—recent favorites include “witchy fantasies” like Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli and One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig—and she’s been enjoying “yapping with my sisters” on their podcast, House of Maher.
Why Ilona Maher is excited for her big birthday this year
Maher will be turning 30 later this year, and she says, “I’m really excited. I’m not the biggest birthday person, but I feel like every year I get hotter, I know myself better and I feel more confident, so I’m excited for what 30 will bring.” “I’ve never been afraid of aging, because I look at my mom and my aunts, and as they’ve aged, I’ve seen how much more they know about themselves and how comfortable they are with the lives they’ve built. It really does seem to get better,” she emphasizes.
Unlike many women in her demographic, Maher avoids comparing herself to her peers. “I had a basketball coach in fourth grade, and he told us, ‘Respect all, fear none.’ I remember trying to understand it during practice, and then I got it,” she says. “I respect my opponents, and I respect other women, but I don’t fear them. I’m not scared of the progress they’re making or the success they’re having.”
The year ahead is looking bright. “I love the idea that your biggest accomplishment is your next one, so I’m excited to see what else I can accomplish,” Maher says. “Even if the accomplishment is feeling peaceful and living a good life, I’m excited for it.”
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