Sports is more than just wins and losses – it’s a reflection of culture, influence and power. In an exclusive one-on-one conversation, journalist Shari Nycole sits down with Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles at the ESSENCE Stage to dive deep into her journey and her impact beyond the balance beam.
The 16-time All-American artistic gymnast recently returned to the UCLA gymnastics team for the 2025 season after taking a break to train for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But she didn’t just return – she dominated, scoring a perfect 10 and winning the NCAA uneven bars title with a nearly perfect overall score of 9.9750. “I’m in awe of myself,” Chiles shares as she sits pretty in pink and relishing in her success on the main stage. She also takes the time to give the audience an inside scoop on the idea behind her Prince-inspired floor routine that had everyone talking.
“Prince is very iconic. He has his own melodies. He has his own ability just to be him. Whether it’s from his purple jacket, to the way his makeup is, to the way he dances. Understanding that side of culture really brought inspiration to me,” Chiles shares. “He’s also very artistic. Our [sport’s] full name is ‘artistic gymnastics’ for a reason,” she continues. “And the way Prince really expresses himself unapologetically through art and through his presence is really inspiring.”
Nicole then switches gears to ask Chiles about her own unapologetic energy, which she admits she did not always have. “That authenticity really came from understanding that no matter what space I put myself in, it’s either people are gonna like it, or they’re not,” says Chiles. “My father always taught me to never be that person that’s just too scared to insert yourself into a space you know you’re supposed to be in. He also taught me to be the brightest star in the sky – don’t let anyone dim your light under any circumstances.”
The pairing also took the time to go beyond the pages of Chiles’ New York Times best-selling memoir, “I’m That Girl: Living the Power of my Dreams,” a project that she says taught her the importance of letting her trauma be written out instead of keeping it inside. “There were a lot of things that happened at a young age that I didn’t realize was still hindering me to this day,” Chiles shares. “Writing my book was definitely a huge process because I didn’t realize all these things were still stuck to me. I was bawling my eyes out because I was like, ‘Wow, these things actually happened to me.” On a more positive note, she adds, “But now, I can finally close my book, look at the cover, and be like, “You know what? You are that girl! You are that person that you get to wake up every morning and feel confident about.”
Chiles says it also served as a way for her to never have to continuously relive her trauma again. “Now, if people ask about it, I just tell them to go read my book, or go listen to it. I don’t want to explain it anymore because those things are now in the past, and I can just let them be and forever be done with that.”
It is no secret that some of Chiles’ past trauma includes struggles with her mental health. Nicole shares an excerpt from Chiles’ book that states, “There was no price that you could put on my mental health and wellbeing, but that’s what everyone around me seemed to be doing – even me.”
“What does safety look like for you now?,” Nicole asks, to which Chiles then responds with another life lesson from her father. “My dad always told me there are people that are there for seasons, and then there are people that are there for eternity,” she says. “I think I realized, through that process, that my mental health is more important than any relationship, than any friendship. If I have to take a step back, I’m going to take a step back, and that is okay.” Looking at the silver lining, she now views her checkered past as a necessary learning lesson.
“I understand that yes, what I went through back then was crazy, but also, I wouldn’t be the strong, independent woman right now if it wasn’t for that.” She continues, “Now does it suck? 100 percent. But God created us in ways that we’re able to conquer anything that is thrown at us. So I think now, it’s being able to take those moments and flip them.”
Accomplishing in 24 years what most of us will never, the two-time Olympian is just getting to a place where she can say she is proud of herself. “I don’t think I’ve ever woken up one day and been like, ‘I’m proud of you.’ That just doesn’t sound right because I feel like I haven’t done everything I want to do for me to say that,” Chiles shares. “Realizing now, with strength and resilience, I can say I am proud of myself and I’m proud that I was able to accomplish so much already at the age of 24 and that I get to inspire not only the generation above me but also the younger generation as well.”
Ending on a positive note, Nicole pours into Chiles on behalf of all women of color, saying, “All of us want to thank you right now for being amazing, for being an incredible example, for being beautiful, for being a bold, badass businesswoman. At 39, I personally have been encouraged by your journey as well. We all thank you for that at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture.”
Reflecting on her second ESSENCE Festival of Culture appearance, Chiles categorizes it as a complete whirlwind. “I wish I could come every year,” she says, noting that this time last year, she was training for the 2024 Olympics. “I say that not only as just being an advocate for who we are as people, but especially being a woman of color, which is something I’ve wanted to embrace more to show everybody that we dominate in spaces that a lot of people don’t even understand. I hope people got a lot of good nuggets from it and that I can continue to inspire and encourage.”
