“I do have a BMI of 30—well, 29.3, to be more exact, and I’ve been considered overweight my whole life,” Ilona Maher fired back at a TikTok troll with her signature sass. The Olympic bronze medalist isn’t one to hold back when haters come for her on social media. And why would she? As she clapped back to her troll, “I am considered overweight. But alas, I’m going to the Olympics and you’re not.” Touché.

Since the Paris Olympics, Maher’s unapologetic body positivity, hilarious videos, and fierce mix of power and femininity have catapulted her popularity to new heights! She’s graced the cover of Sports Illustrated’s digital swimsuit issue, earned a spot on Time’s Time100 Next list, walked the Emmys red carpet, and brought her moves to Dancing With the Stars. Her unfiltered approach has won over a huge fan base, making her the most-followed rugby player on Instagram with 4.2 million followers. Maher’s message? Women should embrace their bodies; trolls be damned. But that doesn’t mean she’s immune to vulnerability—she’s candid about her body image struggles, too.

Even Ilona Maher has her off days!

On September 22nd, Ilona Maher dropped a TikTok video asking, “Can I be vulnerable for a minute?” In it, she opened up about her own body image struggles, despite being a fierce advocate for body confidence. “You know I like to keep it real with you, so I just wanted to let you know I’m not feeling too body confident right now. I think I’m making this video more to help myself out.” She even shared the video on Instagram, too, and the response was nothing short of heartwarming. Supportive comments flooded in. One user even said, “It’s so nice to hear someone with your platform sharing this.” It’s that genuine honesty that’s made Maher a role model for so many young women! However, Ilona wasn’t always like this.

She revealed to PEOPLE, that, as a child, she often cried to her mother because she felt like the “bigger girl.” But over time, she learned that body image isn’t about size. Even the fittest people can feel uncomfortable in their own skin. “I just think it’s so normal, because I’ve seen what I would consider the most beautiful, skinniest, six-pack people still have body image issues, and I’m like, ‘What the heck? You’re what we’re all going for.’ And that was a light bulb for me.” Now, the rugby player embraces this lesson, recognizing it as essential for personal growth—but not just her own!

The most followed rugby player passes down her sage wisdom

Ilona Maher told EssentiallySports exclusively that the medal wasn’t even the highlight of her Olympic journey. When we caught up with her at the Paris Olympics, the world’s most-followed rugby player on Instagram explained that her favorite part was meeting so many new people and making a positive impact on others. She mentioned that receiving messages from fans made her feel good and appreciated. And what warms her heart? “When people say I’ve affected their young daughters and made them feel good about themselves.”

In a conversation with the Hollywood Reporter, Ilona also offered wise advice to young women navigating similar challenges. She encouraged them to rise above stereotypes, noting, “As a female athlete, whatever sport I have played or whatnot… I was always told you gotta be this and this and this and I was like, well, I don’t feel that way or I’m not that way, but I still love this sport.” It’s all about embracing who you are while smashing those outdated norms!