Build your momentum with Ilona Maher

ALEX ROCA: Welcome, everyone, to Women Talk Money, and thank you so much for being here. Today's event is all about momentum. When we look at somebody who's achieved something extraordinary, whether that's earning an Olympic medal, getting a promotion, reaching a financial goal, or maybe just making a major life change, sometimes it can feel like that success happened overnight. But the reality is that momentum is built through the small decisions, the consistent habits, and the people who help us along the way. And that's exactly what we're talking about today.

We have two impressive women with us today-- Randelle Lenoir, VP, workplace regional leader, great to have you back. And of course, we are thrilled to welcome our special guest, Ilona Maher. You may know her from helping lead Team USA to its first-ever Olympic medal in women's rugby, while also bringing millions of fans with her behind the scenes, arguably the best Olympic coverage. Ilona has changed stereotypes, championed body confidence, and encouraged women to embrace what makes them strong and unique.

And she also makes us laugh, reminding us that you can work hard and have fun along the way. From the rugby pitch to the runway, she continues to help redefine what an athlete's career can look like. And we are so excited to learn more about your story, Ilona, and dig more into this topic. Welcome to Women Talk Money.

ILONA MAHER: Thank you so much. Happy to be here. Randelle, you look amazing. And, well, I mean, what a color. I just feel like I could have done more.

ALEX ROCA: We're just happy you're here, Ilona, and Randelle always looks ravishing.

ILONA MAHER: OK. Fine. Fine

ALEX ROCA: I would say, one of the things that I admire most about you is how you encourage women to take up space and go after what they want. We're all about that here at Women Talk Money as well, and we want to help everyone do more with their money and feel more confident about their future. So, Ilona, this one's for you. With that in mind, why do you think it's important for women to take an active role in their finances?

ILONA MAHER: I think this is coming also from a woman who's been single all her life, and I'm 30 years old now. I think it's important because the thought of having to rely on somebody else and needing help from others is a very-- it's a stressful, and I don't think it's a fun place to be in ever. And I think there was a time when women were just looking for marriage or for other people or what that they were told what they should do.

I think we should take an active role because it gives us freedom. It gives us the opportunity to choose what we want our life to look like, where we want to live, who we want to partner with, how we want to build and thrive. So I think it really is on us to have that sort of financial independence and take an active role in making sure we're financially stable.

RANDELLE LENOIR: I love that. One of the greatest privileges that I've had in this career, almost 20 years of helping people with their money, is watching what happens when people move to that point where they experience what you're talking about, Ilona, with that financial freedom. And, yes, it is about the money, but it's about more than that. It's about the choices that open up. It's about leaving a situation that's no longer serving you-- a person, a job, or taking the step to pursue an opportunity that you never thought was possible, just having more control over how you do life. And I genuinely, genuinely want that for everyone. Everyone watching, I want that for you.

I think a couple things can sometimes get in the way. This concept that you need a lot of money to be successful at your money, or you need high income to be successful at your money. And you don't. It's really the habits that give people so much more success, so much more momentum than we think. The habits build the balances, and the habits keep the balances.

And the other thing is, you don't need to everything about money to do it well anymore. You don't need to be an expert. So this idea that you need to study like you're studying for a test to even get started is just not the case. You just need to know what you want, you need the courage to get started, and you need the discipline to stick with it. So really excited for this discussion. There's going to be a lot of parallels. I'm challenging everyone in the audience, an invitation to think about one thing that you can pick up and put into action as we get this conversation going.

ALEX ROCA: Oh, I love that and I couldn't agree more. But before we get into all of that, Ilona, when you hear the word momentum, what does it mean to you? And when do you feel like you started to hit that momentum as an athlete?

ILONA MAHER: I would say momentum-- now, I don't know the full Merriam-Webster definition is, but momentum, to me, it feels like small choices, decisions that continue to build and lead to something great and lead you on that path and continue to strive for the life you want. I think that as an athlete, my whole life, I've been building momentum, whether it was starting from T-ball and parks and rec soccer, to playing high school sports, and then deciding to play rugby. I've just been building that to get to the Olympics. And I think I got to the Olympics because of the young athlete in softball and the dedication I had as a college athlete. So I think that I've hit my stride. Genuinely, I think back to my young girl. And she's the reason I have a medal now because of the choices that she made to bring me to this point.

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely. And you've actually never been interested in making yourself smaller to fit someone else's expectation. It feels like that's part of your momentum. Where does this come from?

ILONA MAHER: Yeah, I mean, for one thing, I've just never been small. I'm a big girl. It'd be hard to make myself smaller. There's so many moments I think that have led me to this idea and this belief. I share this story often, and I'll continue to share it. But I was a softball pitcher. I was a fast-pitch softball pitcher, and it was like parks and rec league, and I was pitching. And none of the girls were hitting my balls I was throwing. So then a dad from the other team comes out and says, you know what, she needs to slow her pitches down because none of the girls can hit it. And I remember being like, OK, yeah. Sorry. I can't believe-- yeah, I'll slow it down for them.

And my dad comes out, and he says-- he whips out the rulebook and says, no, this is a fast-pitch league. She's going to pitch it fast. And if your daughters can't hit it, that's their issue. And I think that was my first moment of not having to shrink myself so that others could be comfortable or so that others could-- I don't know if it's be successful or just like could win. To me, my dad and the people around me wanted me to be just who I was, never to shrink to make sure that the other girls could pitch it. No. The other girls should also be encouraged by their fathers, by their mothers, to be better at what they do.

So I think there's been a lot of moments where I've just realized that this is who I am. I remember looking around, even in high school, I think I was a bit of a wallflower. But I would look around, and I would see even the hottest girl, like, oh, she doesn't even think she's that hot. What? That's so crazy. Or even the best athlete boy was like-- didn't think he was that good. So it's interesting when I've always looked around and been like, wow, we're all really insecure in our own ways.

What a radical act of self-love, or what if I just try to be myself in all senses of the word because no matter what, we all have-- are dealing with our own demons. And it's been really cool to take up that space. I think I don't know how to not. There are people who like me. There are people who are not going to like me. And I think that's life. I do a lot of things for the story, for the plot, and just making memories. And you make that by being your true authentic self, I believe.

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely. And thank you for sharing that. I think it goes back to it's those moments that collect over time that give you that discipline, that momentum. Because again, whether we're talking about a financial goal, a career goal, or even an Olympic medal, we don't often see the journey. We see the end result. And you've missed the years of work behind them, the lessons, like the one your dad gave you where it was like, don't make yourself smaller, don't make yourself slower in that league. Now, looking at your athletic career Ilona, what has your path and your goal of really pursuing that excellence taught you about your consistency and your discipline?

ILONA MAHER: I think when people think excellence, athletic excellence or whatnot, they think of it very single-mindedly. Like, it's winning an Olympic medal or being the GOAT in your sport. And to me, I feel like excellence to me has become so much more just that it's the whole person. And excellence is being a good friend, a good teammate, enjoying life, making money, loving what I do.

So I just think that everyone sometimes is so focused, especially for athletes, they're like, you're just focused on that one thing. And I was for a time there when I first got into my sport, was like, all it is is the Olympics. The Olympics are all or nothing. But life is so much greater than that. And as someone who's been to two Olympics, it's amazing. But then once the Olympics ends, it's like, that's it. You're back to regular schedule programming. Like, what are you going to do with it?

So I think for me it was flipping it that it's not just-- it doesn't have to be one thing of what you think being the best is. Consistency and discipline, just choosing to be a great person and to enjoy life, I think, has made me excellent in my sport because of that. And discipline, I think, is something I've just grown up with. I like being great. I like doing amazing things. And with that, you need discipline.

So it's been a-- again, I take it back to the young girl. I really think that she is the reason I'm here. I remember in college when I wanted to go play for the national team, and I was doing nursing. And my younger self was doing two trainings a day and doing clinicals. And wow, what-- I think she's always understood that there will be payoff later if you keep working now.

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely. It's interesting because what I hear from what you've shared is that it isn't just the one thing. It's the accumulation of all of the different facets of your journey that really make you successful. When we talk about discipline and staying focused, I hear so many different parallels to saving and investing. You have to put in the work before you reach your goals, before you get those outcomes that you're hoping for. So, Randelle, I'm actually bringing this one to you. How does that same idea show up when it comes to building that financial momentum?

RANDELLE LENOIR: Yeah. Like you said, so many parallels. I'm thinking about young Randelle at T-ball, and it's incredible to think that you started at T-ball. And you're thinking about-- thinking that your younger self and all of the things that you've gone through to be consistent with those habits that's brought you to these milestones. And I love also that you're rounding it out. It's not just about the milestones. It's the inner game. Both the inner game of, you don't know what that person is dealing with inside, how they feel about themselves as they reach those milestones, that confidence and the foundation that you build with those habits is important.

But I also like, you talked about enjoyment. Enjoy it, which we skip a lot. So I think there's so many parallels to that when it comes to money and what I've dealt with people with money. And we have a slide that I want to talk to you real quick about building that foundation, again, about those habits that you actually want to make sure that you're consistent about so that you can enjoy more, like Ilona was saying. Three categories, really, I want everyone to think about. First, debt.

I'm particularly talking about high-interest debt here. So like your credit cards or anything high interest, you want to make sure that you're not limiting your flexibility to pursue other goals with your money. So free up that cash flow, make sure you have a good handle on debt. The second thing that all of us should be building good habits around is emergency savings. So life is going to happen. We know that for sure. So we want a cushion between the unexpected things that happen and come up that could potentially impact the progress that you're making.

So would prevent you just a little bit longer from swiping that credit card or would delay you taking a loan or taking money out of your hard-earned balances in your investment account. So emergency savings is very important. Either $1,000 to start or up to that three to six months that we typically recommend of your essential expenses set aside in cash.

And then third, retirement, taking care of future you. So you can swipe your credit card for a lot of things. But as far as I've helped so many people retire and stay retired, you cannot swipe your credit card to retire. You cannot take a loan to do that. So it's very important that you're consistent to put money away to make your contributions for your future self so that you can be alone and thank your younger self for building those good habits for you.

So none of these require any extraordinary discipline-- or, sorry, decision or expertise. It does require discipline. It does require repeated simple actions. And that's what's going to strengthen your foundation so that you can enjoy more of your life and feel really confident that the basics with your money are handled.

ALEX ROCA: I love that, Randelle. Thank you for going through that. It is one thing to hear about this. But then when you're in savings mode, it can feel like it takes a long time to see any progress. But like a visual, so let's pull one up. And Randelle, can you talk us through this one as well?

RANDELLE LENOIR: Yeah. I love this visual because it gives illustration of something that's hard to explain when it comes to investing, and that's the beginning when you first get started. So if you look at this curve, the curve represents somebody that's consistently contributing towards retirement. So they are making consistent contributions to their account.

If you notice the beginning part of the curve, the curve is slower to start to rise. It, in fact, takes a person seven years to reach their first $100,000. And that's where a lot of people get stuck. They start to think, is this even working? People get discouraged. I've seen people, even worse, give up. And that's the hard part, the inner game that you have to have to be consistent for these bigger goals that we have.

But look at how long it takes for that same person to get to their second $100,000-- four years, if you're following along. That's almost half the time. And why does that happen? Giving your money momentum, money momentum, compounding. So it's not just about the money you're contributing each paycheck at that point that's doing all the work.

So something happens here that you can't see on the chart. But along this, you're feeling a lot more experienced, you're feeling a lot more confident. Those habits are reinforced and those balances build. It gives you that confidence to maybe even do more, but definitely to stick with it longer. So that's why I encourage people to not underestimate the power of just getting started and staying consistent. And I hope that this chart gives you a view of what that's like to start in those early stages. Like Ilona was talking about, to start on those early stages. You can't see it yet, but you know where you're trying to go. Not every decision has to be perfect. You just have to stay on the path.

ALEX ROCA: It's such a good reminder. It's that consistency that gives you that momentum. And such a good one-liner with the money momentum as the compounding. Absolutely love that. Ilona, you have built a platform and a career outside of rugby. How do you stay committed when there might not have been that immediate payoff?

ILONA MAHER: Yeah, it was definitely-- it took some time. But my teammates and I were always trying to make more money. We were always trying to find ways to get sponsorship. Because I am a woman in rugby. This might be a shock. There's not a lot of money in it. But we love what we do. We love what we get to do. We want to keep doing.

But we'd also like to, in many ways, prepare for the future, live comfortable lives, which a lot of us couldn't do on the money we were making, on the money we still make, a lot of us still make. So I was like, how can I make more money? I don't want to fully clock in for a second job because already rugby is full time. So what are the ways where I can just make some more income, some supplemental income?

And I just kind of started posting some videos for fun. But I remember just something in my brain, maybe the business side of me was like, oh, interesting. People are taking notice of this, OK. Like, I'm going to keep posting, and I just kept posting. And within, I think, a-- one video went viral. And within a week, some guy comes up to me. I was at a tournament. This was in 2021.

And he goes, oh, you're that TikTok rugby girl. And I remember that was a lightbulb switch of wow, what the power that had for me to just post a few videos and already for people to have seen me-- I was in Spain-- to have seen me and to know me as that. And I think something switched. I was like, OK, this is something. And so I just continued to post, post, post, which is a very, I think at times, vulnerable, cringy, sometimes people would say thing because you're putting your whole self out there. But I knew that it was for a bigger purpose. I knew that I think something could come from it.

So then in Tokyo, I posted a ton. Because one thing I always knew is that people are made at the Olympics. Michael Phelps, Simone Biles are the best in their game, and they're the best in their game objectively. The numbers don't lie. My sport is a very subjective sport. We're also not one of the top in the world that we might win, and people also don't take really notice of rugby so we could win, but people wouldn't have taken notice.

So I knew that the Olympics would be a time where I could do something. So I posted all these videos. And then from the Olympics, the Tokyo Olympics, the Paris Olympics, I continued to post, post, post. And it's so interesting to see how much my deals have changed since then. I think I met-- my first deal was like-- I think I got a $3,500 deal with Maybelline. And I was like, we are up. We are making money. This is it.

And I just remember seeing that small check-- not. That's a [INAUDIBLE] sorry. That's a great check. But I remember seeing that, and then I was like, OK, let's keep building. Let's see what we can make. And so from then till now, how I've been able to raise that price tag of what I've offered through consistency, through continuously posting because I know that the payoff would come.

And my agent and I, we love to just talk about how much we've both grown together from a deal before the Paris Olympics, which was this much. And now we've absolutely, I think, done times 50 of that, plus that. So I knew in my head that this would be a way that I could continue playing rugby comfortably. But it did take consistently posting, consistently putting myself and my personality out there.

ALEX ROCA: That's excellent. And then as you built that name for yourself, as you started getting more opportunities, did you start thinking differently about your finances? As you said, you grew substantially from one Olympics to the other. What was that learning curve like? And were there any hard money lessons that you learned along the way?

ILONA MAHER: Yeah. I mean, I will say I'm not the most financial forward person. And I recently saw this video of Anne Hathaway where she said, she goes, it's not cute for women to not be financially literate anymore. I think it used to be like, oh, I just don't know. What do I do? And she said, it's not cute anymore. And I remember I took that and I was like, you're so right. That's not cute. And I need to be more of an active participant in my own finances.

So I think before that, and before even now, all that I'm doing with my money is, I was great at making money-- doing deals and bringing the deals in from the ad and the TikTok. So great at making money. What I learned and what I've had to do better at is managing money, and investing. And I think one of my-- it wasn't even a hard lesson, but as I was shopping around for financial advisor, my dad was on the call with me. And I told my financial advisor what I had in savings. And my dad was like, Ilona, are you crazy? Well, you have that much money in savings. That should be this and that. What if the bank [MUMBLES] So that was my lesson. I was like, oh, right. I need to be doing more, and I need to take an active role in this.

But yeah, I come from a family of savers. So my Oma is a saver. She's like, save your money, save your money, save your money. And so my sisters and I, we got-- I mean, we got good at saving. I would make barely-- I think my first paycheck from [INAUDIBLE] was like $2,400 a month. And I was like, we're up. And I paid about $500 in rent, and then I still was able to save a lot of that. I had make very small choices where I don't spend as much money when I was back in the day.

So I had to shift that mindset of now, yes can make money, but how can you invest it? Where can it go that you can just now not have to sign for the big deal, the big ad, but actually have your money making money so that's not something you have to continuously look for and hope that you get a deal here, a deal there?

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely. I would say that-- how can I say this? Having that financial security and having that mindset is huge. I think sometimes people save and save. And actually, the research shows us that women are fabulous savers. A lot of people's omas were like save, save, save. And women tend to be fabulous savers. But sometimes they have a hard time taking that second step. And you said it beautifully, I want to make sure that my money is working hard for me. I want to make sure my money is making money for me. Now, I want to bring it back to you, Randelle. Thinking about that investing visual that you shared earlier, when we're saving towards longer-term goals, what are some of the investing mistakes that we may want to avoid?

RANDELLE LENOIR: Yeah. My mind is making me think, Ilona, about what you said about women being such a great savers. And I feel so fortunate to have started off in this business at a pretty young age to see a different pathway. But it still reminds me of like, I had this friend early on when I was an advisor, and she just had irons in the fire everywhere. Are you talking about we're up? Every year was we're up another level. She was doing everything, really, really good at making money. And she approached me a few years after I started and said, I need help trying to figure out what to do with my money. I feel like it's good, but maybe you have some ideas. So she came to me.

And would you know, she had a large sum of money in a savings account that was making way less than what I feel like what she wanted for her goals. And I was just shocked, if I could just transport my knowledge to all of my friends. That's what I wanted to do because-- and I think there's a thread there with what you're saying, we get really good at the advice that we give about money when we're really young.

So we're going to make the money, and we're going to save it. But a theme of both your career and, like, let me level it up. Let me get to social media. And let me level up these different things that I'm doing. And then what you talked about with your money is, it's about consistency, yes. But it is about trying to pursue. What's that level up? Be curious about what's going to take things to the next level? And I think that that would be one of the mistakes that we make.

Just because something feels like it's working for the long term doesn't mean that that's the best that it can be. And the good news is, you don't have to check your own homework on that. You don't have to do any guesswork on it. Ilona, you mentioned talking to a professional. That's what we want to help you with for free. Anybody out there that wants to think about, what is that level up? You'll get some of that from this discussion. But don't ever think that what you're doing is all that you can do to get to your goal.

So just try to pursue that next we up, for sure. I love that.

ALEX ROCA: I love that too. In fact, it makes me think about, when we think of leveling up and having that financial conversation with a professional, Ilona, I'm curious, is there a moment when you realized, I need to level up my money game, and I don't really have to figure this out all on my own?

ILONA MAHER: I think there was a bunch of moments, and I think I continued to put them off. Because I was seeing the money come in, I was like, we're good. Oh my gosh, that's awesome. I have that money and continues to put it. So there was a bunch of moments. But I wish I'd just been taking that first moment sooner and taking that step to look for a financial advisor and look for help in that realm.

I think the moment was that I just had a realization, OK, so say the deal stopped tomorrow, say I don't get any deal, I don't get an offer to do a six-figure TikTok deal tomorrow and it dries up, what's my backup plan? Yeah, I have this money in savings, but am I going to slowly chip away at that and then have nothing left?

And that realized for me is I've always been very future oriented. And that was like, you can't do this on your own. I, again, not in a cute way, was just not raised financially literate in some sense of the word. So it took me to go out and find somebody else. And actually, I was talking to my financial advisor and we were discussing-- I've always been a team sport athlete. I've always played on a team. And on a rugby pitch, I'm known for busting through people for a stiff arm.

I don't kick; I have other people kick. For me, I don't really go around the wing like. That's not my job. My job isn't really speed. So when you put it in a sport context, which is something that is so me, an athlete through and through, is that, well, that's OK that I might not know fully what to invest in. Because on my team, I have other people who do that for me. So that means that I need to start spreading out and finding other members of my team who are good at that. I need to find my kickers. I need to find my wings.

So I started out first with finding an agent, who helped me still bring in deals. But with her, then we look towards a financial advisor. So I've slowly kind of been building my adventures. Because I am realistic in that I don't know everything, and it's OK that we don't know everything, but let's find the resources of people who do know that sort of-- who are good at that. If you want to learn about rugby and social media, you come to me. If you want to learn about money, go to Randelle.

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely. And I love that because I feel like sometimes, we feel like successful people do everything on their own. But that's rarely true. Randelle, I want to pass it to you. Can you talk a little bit more about the importance of asking for help with your money and in your career as well?

RANDELLE LENOIR: Yeah, I love that. What I'm taking from. What you just said, Ilona, is the power of a team and how so many of the most successful people out there-- you know what you do well, and you focus on doing that better, excellence there, mastering that. And then the things that you need support with, get other people to jump in and support, especially with money, because. Money can be so emotional, so deeply personal. It's hard to be completely self-aware about how that's getting in the way, no matter whether a little bit, or even I've seen people who a lot and it can get in the way.

So having a team around you can really take you to the next level. We have a slide that will share visual about different types of professional you can put together to build your team. And just like in my career, it's just like what Ilona was talking about. In my personal career, I've been able to be successful with a wide variety of people knowing what I know and being able to say, I don't know when I don't know, being able to ask for help, asking questions, asking key people, in my life who I've built relationships with that is not a weakness. That is in fact a strength.

So if you're not sure what kind of help you need, check this out. Financial professionals, investment managers, taxes, attorneys for estate planning, all sorts of things, it's good to have these people in your pocket so you don't have to make these big decisions by yourself. And then from a career standpoint, just to build out a little bit more, I use that Avengers, Ilona. I call it my personal board of directors, and how important it is to invest in relationships.

Relationships are so important. From your friends-- I'm single as well, so even more. My friends and my family hold me down on the days that I need it. I can be vulnerable with these people, but I need mentors who sharpen me and challenge me and help me build perspective that I wouldn't have on my own. You need advocates that will say your name and rooms and bring those opportunities your way. So the consistent pursuit of good relationships, both professionally and financially, is really a game changer that I want everyone to think about. What are you doing to dedicate time to build the right relationships in your life for your success?

ALEX ROCA: Oh, I love this. And it's such a good segue, because we've talked about this. It is rarely a solo story when we do find success. And you've built something really special, Ilona, with your sisters, which I love. I have two sisters as well, and I love the House of Ma. And obviously, rugby is also a team sport. And I know we've talked a little bit about this, but I want to hear your perspective on how important other people have been in helping you build and capitalize on your momentum throughout your career.

ILONA MAHER: Yeah. I mean, I, starting off, did a lot of it on my own. It was just playing rugby. As I built, my first-- I would say, the people who really helped me are my sisters and are my family. My older sister is now actually my manager. I call her my elite employee. But after the Tokyo Olympics, when things were starting to pop off a little bit, I started to work with this one guy who-- one of those sports agents who say, yeah, we're going to do these big stuff for you. It's going to be great. And just remember that he never promised on what he was saying, so that's going back to the point of really wanting to connect with the people in your team.

I wanted somebody who, when they go into a boardroom or when they go somewhere to talk about me, they're representative of me. And I want somebody who had my voice, who had my-- who just knew me so well. So for a while, there was just my sisters and I. My older sister would look over the emails; she'd find a deal. She would send the contract to my younger sister, and we were just a little business. And then realized, well, we're-- the next Olympics coming up. Paris coming up. Let's maybe expand our team. Let's think about getting an agent. After our last experience with an agent, we were very picky.

So that's when I found my agent, Rheann, who her and I have built the most beautiful relationship. She's somebody who I will send anywhere, and I know that she will advocate for me. And she's someone who I want people to know, yeah, she's working for me. That's my girl. And I have so many times when brands will come up to me like, we love working with your agent. And that's who I want to represent me in a room.

So after that, working with Rheann so much, building my team, she said, we're doing some big stuff here. I think it's time to get a financial advisor. And I met this woman who, she works with, athletes. She was a D1 basketball player. And I think you should just take a call with her. And I said, yeah, let's do it. And we took a call with her. It's an energy I get from people. It's not going with the first one. I took many calls with other agents, I took many calls with some financial advisors, and I thought she was great.

So I had her and immediately when I had her, again, she was like, OK. Have that much money in savings. That's very spooky. Here's what we're going to do. So having her help me with that. With her, I then got a tax guy who I-- so many different calls with him. I just think you need people who you enjoy, who you resonate with, and who also are going to challenge you, I think. Are going to challenge you and say, no, we actually should try to do this, and who maybe are going to challenge each other.

I think sometimes I like that my tax guy and my financial advisor talk and have to figure it out and go for what's best for me, because I have heard so many stories of people who maybe have gotten-- I don't know if the word is swindled, but with people who they don't trust. And I think it's important to still understand what's going on in your finances, but you need people who you can trust, because I think that that's just what continues to make me successful and feel good about where I'm putting my money, who's bringing me the deals, who is helping me to make big decisions like what to invest in.

ALEX ROCA: I'm so glad that you brought that up because I think sometimes people feel stuck. Like, they go, and they talk to one person, and they feel like, well, now that's my financial advisor. And that couldn't be less true. Finding the right financial advisor, the right tax accountant, whatever it is that you're looking for, whatever position you're filling in your board of directors, it has to be a good fit. And I kept thinking; it's somebody that want has your back.

I want to make sure that my agent or my advisor in any capacity has my back. And so thank you for sharing that because it's a good reminder to all of us. I think today, so many people can relate to the fact that careers aren't linear anymore. You spoke about this a little earlier, about how there isn't just the one path to achieve your goals. And I think your career is such a great example of that.

You're an athlete, an entrepreneur, a podcaster, and you've been pretty open, even in today's conversation, that's been out of necessity. You've also said that being a female rugby player often requires doing 10 times as much off the field. Can you share more about what that experience has been like for you?

ILONA MAHER: I will never get to sign $1 million deal for--

ALEX ROCA: Don't say never.

ILONA MAHER: [INAUDIBLE]

ALEX ROCA: Don't say never.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

ILONA MAHER: No. Sorry, not--

ALEX ROCA: For the sport.

ILONA MAHER: --for my sport. I'm signing $1 million deal. Don't you worry, Alex. I'll never sign $1 million deal to play rugby. With how our sport's going, it's just-- I mean, maybe, but it's not an NFL team, is what I'm saying. Is that when these boys get out of college, or even when they're in college, they get to come out, and they can sign a $20 million deal.

That's just not something that's right now in the feas-- I'm planning to maybe retire in the next four years. It's just not feasible right now. So it's just wild that I put in just as much work as these other athletes, whether it's NFL, NHL, I mean, a lot of male athletes who, right out of college, they get to sign that. I remember my first contract when I was not getting paid.

Then I got $100-- I've got $800, and I was like, we making some money. Then I got $2,400 a month. Then I was like, we are up. Let's keep going! That's the reality of many women's athletes, and that's the reality a lot of my teammates still. And a lot of my teammates still don't get paid, and they live in team housing. A lot of them are living really month to month, and half of their salary goes to their rent, and then they have nothing really to invest and save.

And so I saw that, and I said, I just don't want to live like that. I want to live comfortably, so I have to do more. It's for all-female athletes, we have to do more in most of the sports we play, whether it's social media. I have teammates who have second jobs. I have to make all the videos. If I could just sign the $20 million deal and just play my sport, you wouldn't see me on social media, all right? I'd be living in my big mansion, chilling out.

So for me, I have to do it. Even though I have more followers than some of these other guys, more people know my name. It's just the reality of women in sports. I have to be funny. I have to be pretty. I need people to see me so that I can get more deals in. So I'm just working so much more. I can never just focus on how good of a player I am. Or I could, but that wouldn't lead to security in life. I have teammates now who retire and they genuinely can't find a job.

I have a teammate who was a three-time Olympian. She was a captain when we won our medal, could not find a job to save her life. And we were told, if you're an Olympian, everybody's going to want to hire you. It's going to be great. And I was, I was like, that's just not true. We retire, and sometimes we have nothing, and we're left out to dry. We give our bodies, our time, our youth, sometimes to a sport, and it's a very fleeting thing. And once it's done, it's done and you're back to real life. And so when my time is done, I want to be fully prepared to take on life how I want to.

ALEX ROCA: And I'm curious-- good. I wanted to hear if you had any thoughts on what she said.

RANDELLE LENOIR: Yeah, it's hidden, because I grew up in a household where I was told that from the get-go, you have to work 10 times as hard to get just the same. Don't expect it to come easy. And I think the blessing in that is it's given me so much. I had a goal in my mind. I'm going to be resilient-- it's given me resilience. It's given me discipline. It's given me confidence. But to that same point, I knew, I didn't want to be on that grind forever, right?

ILONA MAHER: Yeah.

RANDELLE LENOIR: I want to get off this bus at some point in time. And I think that that's where some of the steps that I've learned to take financially and the steps that I've learned to help others take financially can get you to a point where you can use all of those great things that you've developed from all of the grinding that you've had to do to get where you are and focus it on what's going to be the best for you and to say no to the things that you don't have to be over diligent about. And I think that's where we're all trying to get right. So that was such a-- it hit me because I definitely relate to that.

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely, it did me as well. Ilona, I'm curious, especially as you think about potentially retiring in the four years-- personally, I hope that doesn't happen, but up to you.

ILONA MAHER: Rugby hurts. I might have to do it. My body.

ALEX ROCA: That's fair, that's fair. I've seen some matches. It's scary. Let me ask, though, as you decide on the different opportunities that are brought up to you, which ones do you decide to pursue, and which ones do you pass on? And quick follow to that is, what advice would you give someone who's going through some type of career change?

ILONA MAHER: I've tried to be pretty picky, and I now have the opportunity to be very picky with the deals I choose to do. I think at the beginning of my fame, success, what you want to call it, I was a little bit more like, yes! Oh, that's money. That's $2,000 Yeah, I'll take that. Yeah, yeah, whatever it is. And I would like review a movie or something like that. I like, this movie wasn't even that good.

But I did still, even at that time knew that women-- my fan base is women. Women are the best fans to have because they are a trusting fan. And if I tell women you should buy this product, women believe me, women love me. They trust me. So it felt like a personal responsibility to not just sell something to these women that I wouldn't use. Because you can lose their trust very easily if I say, go buy this product, and it's actually not a good product or whatever it is. They know, And it's also the number that women are the-- they're like the money. They have to hold the money in the house, usually. They're the ones spending the money in the household. I don't remember the statistic, but I heard it.

They're the ones who are buying the food, buying the kids clothes. They're the ones who are doing all of this. So they're the ones who are looking at me, oh, I'm promoting a sunscreen. They're buying sunscreen I'm promoting. So I want to always be really genuine, and I use the word authentic, in what I'm promoting, because my fans are looking towards me for that authenticity.

It's very cool to be at a place where I get to pick and choose the deals I want. And I will never promote something that I don't believe in. For example, sports gambling, I will never promote. I don't promote weight loss drugs. I don't have an issue with them. I just think that it's not what I use. There's a lot of money in it. And I was talking to my teammates, and I was they said, so what would you have to be paid to promote one of those weight loss drugs?

And I said right now, genuinely, I just would not do it. You could give me-- and it's crazy to say, but I have the privilege that you could say for millions of dollars would you promote this? And I would say, no, I think I have the-- my fans are looking towards me, and it's not where I am in my life that. I'm using that I don't think it'll change, but I have a responsibility to them. And I love that I am so trusted by women, so I would never want to let my girls down. That would be a big nightmare.

For someone starting a new job, I think that-- I love this thing my dad always tells me. He talks about inertia. And he says, inertia is just kind of saying the same. The scientific term, I'll have to look it up for you. But inertia is just here, you're comfortable, you're just doing the same. And so when I was making some decisions in high school, he said, do you want to get stuck in inertia? You want to make a change? And so I decided to go play rugby.

And then when I was at my first year of rugby at one college, he was like, you don't like it there. Do you want to get stuck here? Do you want to get stuck here? Because you can keep going here, or do you want to make a change, and I made the change. And then again, I was stuck in this pattern of Is OK. So do you want to just go to nursing, and you can go nurse or do you want to maybe try out for the Olympic team? You want to get stuck here or do you want to make the change? And to me, that's something I always think of. Is like, how exciting is it that it's changed? And every little decision I've made has led me here.

So for those starting a new job, do you want to get caught or do you want to make the change and see what's possible? I made so many little changes. I was going to be a nurse, and I decided to go try out rugby and Olympics and look where it's gotten me. So I think, get yourself out of that state of inertia and try something new.

ALEX ROCA: Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that. And I just looked at the time. We could talk to you all day. I know. But I want to make sure, if you could answer quickly, what would be the one takeaway for both of you? I want to hear both your answers. What is the one takeaway that you would want our audience members to leave with today? Ilona, I'll start with you.

ILONA MAHER: It's what we've been talking about, I would say, is build the team. Whether the team is your friends, it's the finding a great financial advisor, finding a great tax guy. You can't do everything on your own. And I know that women, we've been taught you have to. Everything, you have to be perfect in everything you do. I'm not perfect in everything I do. I'm very successful because I've had people to rely on.

ALEX ROCA: Thank you for that. And, Randelle.

RANDELLE LENOIR: I'm going to bring it back to what I said at the beginning, because there are so many different gems here. Is to pick the one thing, not 10, not 5. Don't try to be perfect about it or over diligent about it. Just one thing. We're coming to the end of 2026, and we all want 2027 to be better. We want to be more confident. We want to be in a really, really good spot with our money. So what's the one thing you heard today or the idea that you picked up on that can get you where you're trying to go? Get started and prepare for 2027? And just in addition, to pull a thread on what Ilona said, find somebody that's going to help, whether it's a friend or a professional.

ALEX ROCA: Awesome. Great takeaways. Ilona, Randelle, thank you both so much. What an energizing way to kick off our fall event series.

And just as a final reminder, you can access help at any time using our phone number. Again, Ilona, Randelle, thank you. And thank you all for watching, thank you for joining, and we'll see you again real soon. Have a wonderful rest of the day.