Game On: This Is What Makes Olympic Gymnast Jordan Chiles Feel Like A Strong Woman

As an Olympic silver medalist and longtime member of the U.S. Women's National Gymnastics Team, you may think that confidence is something that comes easy to 22-year-old athlete Jordan Chiles. 

Just scroll through her Instagram, and you'll see a fun-loving, bright, strong woman. But as she told me during a virtual meeting recently, that certainly wasn't always the case. "Growing up, I didn't have confidence whatsoever—not in my sport, my beauty, nothing," she told me. 

Jordan Chiles: Being a strong woman is being authentic in who you are. It's about finding the beauty and passion in how you want to live your life.

Chiles: I think the biggest thing that makes me feel confident is my beauty, whether it is from my smile to the way I'm styling my hair. 

Chiles: I am not a diet type of girl. I had a lot of trauma in the past around that. 

I had to change my perspective around food and incorporate little things here and there that make me feel good. Obviously, I do make sure I put the right food—the right fruits, the right vegetables, good protein—into my body because I lose a lot of calories as an athlete. 

So while those are the main things I focus on, I can say I do have "cheat" meals here and there, whether it's ice cream or cookies. 

Chiles: I think the biggest thing is knowing how much strength I have through my support system, like my family and friends. Obviously, life isn't a straight road, and there are bumps in it, so just having those encouraging words from people helps.

Knowing that no matter where I go, no matter where I'm at, I can be just who I am. That has a big impact for me.

Chiles: Other than taking naps, the thing I focus on the most is what I can do to release toxins from my body. For that, I love taking Epsom salt baths.

I also think it's important to relax and release negativity too. I want to get it all out of my system so I can go into the next day or my next practice with a more positive mind.

Chiles: I'll go walk around at a park. I love the outdoors. If I could be in the wilderness for a while every single day, I would do it. 

Chiles: When I was younger, I did some crazy things. For example, I would wake up at 5:30 a.m. every morning for a cardio workout before going to practice. Or one time, I tried an all-fruit diet. Don't ask me why I did that. 

Chiles: I'm really proud of the fact that I've found this new confident side of me. When I was younger, I wasn't allowed to use my voice a lot in my sports. Or I was always ashamed of what I looked like. So being able to embrace who I am makes me proud. 

Chiles: My mom and my coach. 

My coach was able to give me a lot of confidence in myself. Growing up, I didn't have confidence whatsoever—not in my sport, my beauty, nothing. So having somebody like her, helped me immensely.