Ilona Maher
Appearances
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
OK, thanks, guys. OK, I'm going to sign one more thing and then I've got to go take a million pictures.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
I'm so excited to join the Bristol Bears and play Premiership Women's Rugby with and against some of the best rugby players in the world. Just a question. Is it going to be this cold the whole time? It's got a little chilly.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
It is. They see me through an app all the time. They see me that way and connected with me through social media. So getting to see me play, getting to see me in person is like puts more of like a realness to it. Like I am a real person. That is who I am online. It's who I am in real life. And I'm so happy that they all came. We had so many people come out who've never watched a rugby game before.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
This was their first one. So I'm happy that this was a good game, a great day for it.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
I want to talk to you all today about imposter syndrome and why people automatically assume that successful women have it.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
The thing is, like, athletes and women are so versatile. You can be beautiful and wear lipstick. I wear lipstick when I play rugby because I just feel like I don't have to sacrifice one or the other. Like, I can be a beast in the field but also feel beautiful and wear lipstick. I also am smart. I have a nursing degree. I have a master's in business.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
I think for those girls out there, rugby is a really sport that allows you to express yourself in the fullest way possible.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
I want to make that World Cup squad next year, and I want to put myself in the best, most deserving position to make it.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
And I think for rugby as a whole, this is just a shine light on this league as well, because this is a semi-professional league, hopefully it becomes a professional league, so these girls can play rugby, can fill these stands more, and so little girls can dream of being professional rugby players someday.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Learning to play the guitar one handed
You can be beautiful and wear lipstick. I wear lipstick when I play rugby because I just feel like I don't have to sacrifice one or the other. Like I can be a beast in the field, but also feel beautiful and wear lipstick.
House of Maher
Welcome to House of Maher - Launching March 25th, 2025
I am going to need you to give those back. Want us to weigh in on your sisterly struggles? Send us a DM or a voice note on Instagram at House of Mar. Tune in on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes starting March 25th. See you there.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Let's dive on in, shall we? Oh, we're diving in. Breaststroke it. Like a doggy paddle. Oh, yeah, probably. We've never been the best swimmers. Welcome to House Amar, a wave original presented by Samsung. I'm your host, Alona Amar, Olympic medalist rugby player, and no matter how old and mature I get, I will continue to add about two spoonfuls of sugar to my tea and coffee.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But she was, there were like, because it was a Catholic school, there was restrictions on what she could talk about. But she did a good job with it anyway. There was a bit of a shock and awe factor about it, absolutely. Didn't a girl faint in your class? Well, a couple girls fainted. No, sorry. Just one girl fainted. Still friends with her to this day.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And then my mom would walk in and just yell, penis. Yeah.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
These Catholic school kids, like, what is she about to talk about?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I thought she was cool. I feel like I don't remember ever being embarrassed by her doing that. No. I was like, that's my mama. I remember feeling that I should, but that I didn't.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And she'd already given us, like, the sex talk outside. And I remember, like, because she could only say certain things in this because it was, you know, abstinence. Like, that's what the teaching was. Whereas I'm like, that's not the tune you were singing. Like, you're singing safe sex and birth control. And I don't think you're ready now.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But when you are, like, come to me and let's do it the right way. Yeah. And I think because of that, I never felt that pressure to be like, when we did get to high school and it seemed like, everyone was having sex. Like, I was a virgin. We were, you know what I mean? Like, we didn't do that for a while. But because I had my mom who, instead of going, don't do it.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And us being like, well, what is it? Why? It was kind of like, cool. I hear you. Almost made it less cool. Made it less cool. Like how kind of, which maybe she tried it. Maybe that was on purpose.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She worked that on us. But I also don't know if I had the opportunity to do it. I mean, you probably did. Miss Hottie over here. My favorite story. Everyone in high school, oh my gosh, you and Olivia are twins. You guys look so much alike. Tell me why I'm not getting any attention. Tell me why all the boys are barking up Olivia Street and I got nothing. Stop telling me that then. We're not twins.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
There's something wrong here. Something's not adding up. Something's not adding up.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
A little different. You're doing the math. You're doing two plus two and getting eight. Yeah, I was doing the math and I was like, nobody's talking to me. Right. Well, we were also, we saw her grow up first and we were like, Get boobs. All right. Boobs are coming for us. I've been slow to say it, but it's because of her gorgeous boobs. Thank you so much.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You just had to know what points to make. We couldn't get our ears pierced until we were 13. but mom and dad, it's basketball season. And so we have to get it before basketball season or else I'm gonna have to take it out.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I was waiting for that day. I was like, it's in my jeans. It's going to happen to me.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I was like, it's going to come. And you got some. Me on that hand.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
you got luscious gorgeous hair okay oh yeah whoa it's no it's your brain alona yeah right it's my brain yeah i thought i olivia and i would make fun of each other because i i got like boobs first and i was like sucker yeah look at you over there flat chest loser as soon as mine came they stopped hers boom i said kept growing she's like hold my hold my hold my glass of milk
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You know that feeling when life is coming at you fast and you just need a little help? That's where my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes in. This phone isn't just smart, it's basically my AI-powered sidekick, keeping me on top of everything without missing a beat. Let's dig into one of the features I use the most. I'm trying it all the time. I'm talking about the NowBrief with Galaxy AI.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It's like that friend who always knows what's going on, even when I don't. It reminds me where I need to be, whether it's a big meeting or a concert I totally forgot I bought tickets for. Oh, and it gives me the weather update too, so I'm not out here wearing sandals in a rainstorm.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It's like my phone is a crystal ball that can tell the future and the present, but don't worry, it can't actually tell the future yet. I don't know who I was before I had NowBrief, but I do know she was struggling. She was running late. She was forgetting things. She was taking two different apps just to figure out what day it was. Chaos.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But now, NowBrief has entered my life, and I am suddenly a put-together, thriving individual. I know when things are happening. I have knowledge, and knowledge is power. Long story short, Galaxy S25 Ultra makes my life easier so I can spend less time juggling tests and more time in the moment. And that's what really matters. Hang in there for the disclaimers.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
NowBrief displays daily select information from select apps. Some apps may require internet connection and or consent to access data. Personal data intelligence must be enabled. Galaxy AI features by Samsung are free through 2025 and require Samsung account login.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
you know what let's give a little sex ed class now to our viewers that mom used to give us i have uh some really good ones i think some special ones that you guys didn't get from her she loved an analogy i think she was workshopping for your guys's talk so when she got to me she figured it out she had two to this day she doesn't remember them she's like i wouldn't say that i'm like yes you did this is a vivid memory we were in the car to swim class you said having your period
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Business, mindset, first and foremost. Olivia and I were always very close in age. I say like, when you got to watch the PG-13 movies, I got to watch the PG-13 movies. But you were, you're almost like two and a half years younger than me, but like three years younger than me in grade. So you kind of felt left out.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It's like making an apple pie, you know? You start by making the dough and you put that on the bottom, layer it up the walls, uterine lining, and then you add in the filling and you put it in the oven. And I think that's kind of where I got lost too. Because this one is just kind of, it was supposed to be about how a period happens. So then I guess it goes away by taking away slices.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But the better one, in my opinion. Oh, and then you make another pie. Yeah, then you make another pie. Each month you're making a pie. Oh. And the pie is your uterine lining. Wow. Shedding. And did you understand it? Or were you like every month like, God, womanhood is exhausting. I have to make a pie every month. To be a woman is to perform. To make pie. Do I have to be a good baker?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
What feeling are we talking about, mom? Why does it have to be apple? What is this? Should it be cherry?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Something red? I don't know. But my favorite was her hotel room. Because obviously our Oma and Opa had a motel growing up. So she worked and she would help make rooms and stuff. And so she told me a period is like... I don't know why I needed two analogies. A period is like a motel room. You know, you're expecting visitors. And so you are changing the sheets. You are fluffing the pillows.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You are getting... room ready but the uh the visitor doesn't come so well um oh but the sheets are now old they need to be refreshed this is a nice motel uh oh right so you have to take away all the sheets and you have to wash them and get them out of the room which is the period happening wow My hotel is like one of those cool new, you know, hotels that are like made to look old.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
They're talking about like artsy. Actually, there's like a design. What are those called? Boutique hotels. Boutique. My hotel is like a boutique hotel. Right. Your uterus is a boutique hotel. Anything else you want to add about that? Are we having visitors? No, I keep it ready for visitors for sure. Keep it ready for visitors for sure. You're changing the sheets. Yeah, I'm changing the sheets.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Wow. Yeah, fluffing the pillows. Fluffing the pillows on there. Right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, yeah, it's like luxury. It's a luxury one, yeah. It's a luxury experience, absolutely. Yours, a rundown seedy motel. That's, that's... A Motel 6?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She's prepping a Motel 6. I'm prepping a Motel 6. It's smoking a cigarette. What? There's water stains. Black mold on the tiles. Just to be clear, Olivia is perfect. Just to be clear. Well, somebody watches this. Hey, I saw you describing your Vagina. I'm so excited about this date, but... Could you let me know if anything's happening? Is there, like, a Google Maps link I can see?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Yeah, it was tough because you guys were only one year apart in high school together, going through all the same sports teams. And I was still in middle school. And at that age, that just feels...
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, where this Motel 6 is. I don't know. No. It's actually...
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
beautiful what the hell no yours is good it's fine so funny there's good analogies though she's like i'm proud of that we get that was a period analogy yeah any like water your garden to bloom no i think she knew that that needed to be really clear oh don't mess around of like i do remember the first time again this was the same car right to swim practice
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
and she was busy and she was telling me she was like so you know a penis can actually fit into a vagina and i remember at that age i was like and like why would it do that i was like cool fun fact why i didn't understand what she was saying i was like Just a unique coincidence? Like, what's going on? Why are you telling me this? Did she open the conversation with that? I think maybe.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Because it was silence in the car. She was like, did you know? And I was like, I'm in my swimsuit ready to go. I'm just trying to swim some laps for you. Can we talk about this another time? You said we could go to the dining hall at the cool college afterwards. You can make your own creamy soft serve. Creamy. We're from Vermont. It's called a creamy. It's not soft serve.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
so huge that like distance between us like and you know i was still like beginning puberty and you guys were kind of at the tail end of course we're not going to connect we had our periods yeah no we're getting blood women yeah we're women i was jealous of everyone else in the hall right right Wait to start bleeding. Every time I go, I was like, please, please, please, let there be blood.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
We, I don't remember if we got any analogies, but we loved those American Girl books. The Care and Keeping of You. The Care and Keeping of You. They've changed them. I actually loved reading those.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I'd sit there and just read. We shared the same one. Went down through hands. It's still in my room to this day. My daughter is getting that book. Because they've changed it. I think they took out... Like, the tampon insertion. I was just thinking about that part. But I can't, like, how many girls did that book help? Like, I can only imagine. You know what I mean?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Who didn't have a mom that was, like, as helpful as ours or, you know, as informational. Like, that must be so, like, how to check your, like, breasts for cancer, for things that I, like, stuck with me to this day that I'm like, oh, yeah, I should check my breasts because the Care and Keeping of You American Girl doll book told me, the illustrated guide, taught me how to do it.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I do remember looking at the... Maybe I manifested my rack because there was... Like images in it. We gotta pull this book. We need the care and keeping of you available right here. Where it was the bra fitting, but it was also like that breasts come in all shapes and sizes. And like, it was like different girls looking in the mirror. And I've never been like, I want that one.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
As if it was a toy catalog before Christmas. You didn't do it as hard as I did.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Stars, gold stars. This would be great. But we've always been open about talking about that, talking about our love lives with each other and how that all works, even with our mom. I think she's gotten to a place where she always wanted to be a place for us to share things like that without judgment so that we would come to her.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So I think even in those talks with us, she made it so that it was like, this is something you're going to do. It's okay to do. By doing that, we were more open to sharing with her, knowing she's not going to judge us. Like, that was really important for us. And even to this day, I mean, I call her up. She probably regrets that now. She probably regrets that. I call her up.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I'm like, Mom, you're never going to believe this. You're never going to believe what happened. She's probably like. I tell the story. I called Mom the day after I lost my virginity.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
heterosexual debut sorry my sexual you didn't lose anything i first off wrong you up with the girls oh yeah i told you the story i was in a parking lot and then i remember it vividly and then mom was at we had family over i was like mom i gotta talk to you she's like all right i'll go upstairs she goes upstairs to the bathroom and i'm like mom i lost my virginity and she was like okay oh Wow!
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Mind you, she's an adult woman. Yeah, yeah. This was in my 20s. And I was like, so you're probably going to need to schedule a gyno for me right now. I imagine I'll be pretty busy from now on.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Motel is open. Hotel is open. I'm changing the sheets.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
i just think that's probably the way it is so we'll get that in get some stuff you know i'm gonna be busy so she she accepted the news was like of okay you know be safe and blah blah blah and i'll get that scheduled for you i guess i don't know she goes back down to sit at the date table with like the family friends there and she's silent she's silent like just like catatonic she's like catatonic doesn't sleep a wink that night whereas i'm like that dead look at wild
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Legs first. I am here. But yeah, she's always been that. We can talk to her about pretty much anything to the point where I'm like, I probably shouldn't have shared that. No, that's good. I would continue to. But then she did. She stepped up and helped and she got you the appointment. I got the gyno. Got the birth control.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Today's the day, yo. But we have gotten over that because that was tough for you growing up, being kind of, not like an outcast, but it definitely was. No, what's the word for it? In a way, we treated you like an outcast at times. Yeah. Because it's four... Not that dramatic. We weren't that mean. Four-ish years between you and I. Whoa, five-ish. Five-ish? You're four and a half.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Yeah. Yeah. It's special to have that sort of relationship with your mom. But I think, yeah, she was very comfortable talking to us about it. And she was also, I mean, people, your whole thing is body positivity, body appreciation and living in the body that you're in. And you're always, you know, pushing that messaging, which is so important.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But it's like we also did, we were raised with a naked mom. She was naked around us, right? Like she would get changed in front of us. We would see what a woman's body looks like.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
in all of its forms and you know having being pregnant and then giving birth and moles and and stretch marks and to us that was so beautiful and we got to experience like what a woman's body is and now being in a woman's body I love and appreciate it because I saw it in all of its forms whereas I have friends who you can sometimes just tell they weren't raised with a naked mom.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
They are not comfortable in their skin. They're not comfortable with other women in that way at all. So I think we're very lucky to have been raised with a mom who, even if maybe she wasn't feeling as, like, You can't be body positive all the time. But she didn't ever put that on us. And she still, like, just was. She just existed. And she never, never talked about our bodies in any type of way.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She never talked about her body in any type of way when we were growing up. And I think that sticks with you. Absolutely. All of our features were made to feel the most beautiful. Our height, our shoulders, our athleticism was always spotlighted as this amazing trait that we have.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I remember, you know, obviously I have fairer skin and freckles. Well, you have freckles too, but mom and dad would always be like, and those are so beautiful. You really shine. And I always felt so beautiful. And I'm so glad I had that basis because I know other people who have freckles that constantly cover them with foundation. For me, that is a wild sentiment.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I'm like, why are you covering them up? That's your face. It's beautiful. So they really made me appreciate who I was at a young age. I saw this thing online where it's like start to compliment girls more about like their smarts and whatnot instead of how they look.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I think there's a balance there like because I see so many girls and I also like, oh, you're so pretty and whatnot. But I started to say like, oh, you look so strong or you look so...
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
you know you look so smart or something like that so i've seen that that that's like kind of a change that can be done because we focus so much on beauty at times there's so much more to to person but it's so simple yeah simple i think mom did a good job was like well your your shoulders are doing so well like you get to you're doing amazing sports because of these big shoulders or oh you're so smart you should do this so i think there's like a a balance and i'm learning every day too how to like handle you know young fans how to talk to myself and whatnot
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I think you do a great job with your young fans. Thank you. You love seeking them out. No matter how tired you are, you're there. You're crouching down with them, telling them how cool they look and how strong they look and what they can do, asking if they play sports. That's got to be so... But I think that's how mom would have acted.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
That's how mom, if she was like that, she would have said all those things as well. So for all our listeners, you are strong. You are smart. You are important. You are beautiful. I don't know if we can use that.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
That's a house of more original. And her thing for us the past couple of years, which I love, and it connects all of us, is we are adult women. And I think she started to be like, what do I get them for Christmas? What do I get? I got pots and pans from Costco at 22 years old. I was like, well, that's our wrap on fun birthdays, huh? OK. So it was adulthood from here on out. Great pots and pans.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You'll learn living's not the best with math. All right. All right. It got so much better with age. And I think, especially once I graduated high school, I personally noticed a huge difference in our relationships. Yeah. It just, like... We were on the same level. You could see me as an adult. Yeah, absolutely. I see you as a best friend. Did you guys just see?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I have them to this day. I was like, you'd actually be really excited to get that, wouldn't you?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But I was in college. So I was like, OK. Come on. But now she gives us sister jewelry every Christmas. It's a new thing. She started with these initial necklaces because you actually started it. You bought us those little initial necklaces at some gift store in Australia or somewhere on tour. But they got green really fast. They were not good metal. But we loved them. You started something.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You started something. Remember, you got those little tiny... I still have it. See, I don't... That sounds, I think it's coming back. What the hell, man? It's coming back.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But you started and mom saw those and she's like, I'll get them like real ones that they can have for life because like actual pieces of jewelry is something that we can carry with us for the rest of our lives and we use and not just be like, oh, whatever. It's just another, you know, gift. So she got us those in real gold.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And then every Christmas from there, she makes us a piece of sister jewelry. And so we each like we're kind of we're blinged out currently. Like this is all the necklaces you see us wearing.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
are what she had made for us and they're each in our own metals like i don't know what what's your metal i'm a yellow gold because i was wearing a lot of yellow gold a lot of gold um i am nervous of like what if i don't think i look good in gold one day no this is my assigned metal forever you're good you're good with your coloring you'll be like one of those color matches and they say never wear gold again
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Why are you wearing gold? You're a spring. You're a spring. Throw out all your gold. Turquoise only. And so then mine is white gold because I wore a lot of silver jewelry anyway, and yours is titanium gold? Titanium. Something like that, because Ilona would wear this one titanium ring that our mom got for her 30th nursing anniversary, basically.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So now she makes all of our jewelry in those color schemes. But we're kind of being like, hey, we're kind of running out of jewelry space here. What, are we going to go on to brooches? I got almost every finger with a ring on it. Yeah, she also has a lot of Olympic rings, and she has national championship rings. So her hands are quite heavy. Pimpin'. Wade.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But our latest one is this one here, and it says coffee, tea, wine, which is the flow when we're home in Vermont. We start the day with coffee, and we go into tea later in the afternoon, and then wine as we wind down our day. That's just how we like to live our lives, and I think we're also going to do this show in much the same way.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Start with a jolt of energy, bit of caffeine, the coffee to start. We'll have a bit of tea time.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
later on and then we'll wind things down which i just think is i love that the perfect way to welcome people into our house because that's how we do things the house of mar the house of mar as you all know we are very online so i thought we'd kick things off with us out in the wild touching grass being real what's been going on Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I love being mean to my best friends. You two are very similar, too. As you've gotten older, you've almost gotten more similar.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
same humor same references same references sometimes they'll just be having a conversation and i'm up to date on what's happening in the world too but they they'll be riffing off each other and just say it ping-ponging we do we are close in that way but it is funny because we as close as we are and as much on the references as you are up you are also an old lady in many ways like
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It's crazy that you have the most prolific social media presence when you are also the least technologically sound. Would you say? Yeah. I'd agree. Sometimes you do something online. I'm like, I don't know how to do that. Same. It surprises us every time. And then other ways, she's like, I don't really know what a cloud is. What's going on with that? What's that up there?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Thank you. Thank you. you know, posted the videos and it just showed the power I guess I have and made me want to keep doing it. I think it was like interesting at times. It's always interesting. It's a weird battle I have to kind of deal with of like play rugby or do things outside that would make me so much more money. Like if I could, I would just be an athlete.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Yeah. But that has been really cool that we have grown so close over the years. Yeah. But I think that did start younger when we were growing up. One thing that our family always put in for us was every single night, we had to sit down at the table and have family dinner. It didn't matter if our mom worked 12 hours, if our dad came home from a shift, he was cooking chicken.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But I've said it so many times before, I'm just not going to make, you know, money being an athlete. So as as a rugby player, as a female player, I have to do so much more off the field. And it gets to the point where it's almost like rugby you have to do it more for passion. Whereas I could be making this and this and doing this outside, yet I love this game.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
The stuff that you've had to build on the outside. Yeah. Whereas I think what you're saying is like, male athletes, if you play in the NFL, you make a certain type of paycheck where you can just play the sport that you love. Whereas you've played the sport that you love while building stuff on the outside and now you're at that
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
not a crossroads because rugby is your love and your passion but the money that you make in rugby versus the money that you could make to help set yourself up for the future you know instead of playing a sport that is just so brutal it's tough on the body but at the same time like i think it is so tough on the body that it is right now it's like you're playing it now and these are the years to be doing it so i think your head's in the right place to be continuing on
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I'm your host, Olivia Amar, a content creator, creator of Girl Dinner, and severely lacking vitamin D. And I'm your host, Adriana Amar, human rights advocate, and I still haven't stopped talking about my two study abroad experiences. Two of them, wow. There's so much you don't know about us. Let's do a little background. So a lot of people think that I am the eldest sister.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It is hard though. And we, you know, you and I were chatting about it a lot this season. Like I'm putting my body on the line for something that is giving me a lot, but at times I feel like I'm giving it much more. Like I'm going out there every day with the possibility of, you know, getting injury as happens with any sport, but there's that possibility every time.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
To the point where I was like, can you just order a box of pizza?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I'm like, gosh, why am I doing this to myself? Like, you know, I could be, I could be,
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
just living and and making a living doing you know media now yet i get tackled every day and i sit for him and i tackle other people and it's a lot on the body for i guess for a lot of my teammates they're putting their whole bodies on the line for very little reward for a lot of them it's semi-professional a lot of them aren't getting paid if they're getting paid it's very little a lot of them are working full-time jobs we have doctors and nurses on our team and teachers so like
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
we're in rugby doing this for passion but at what time can it be like for as a job as a career because nobody calls rugby their career or they say it but it's really not a career you do it for this kind of fleeting moment and then i have teammates from sevens who have gone back to desk jobs who are you know back into the workforce like it never happened like we never traveled the world playing rugby together but i think this was the best option for me i've met so many great people one of my favorites is sarah byrne who's
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
In front of the TV, like a normal family dinner.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
you know, one of the best players, my personal best player in the world, I think. And I want other people to know that as well. But I think What was so great about the Bears is we have so many amazing players on there. Abby Ward, Jazz Joyce from all sorts of countries. I got to learn so much from all of them. And it just set me up for success.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Please. But I think now, being an adult, looking back on that, how much of a foundation that built for us as a family and as people to have that amount of face-to-face time just with one another, with our parents, to tell them about our days and have people that cared and knew what happened the day before and what was coming, I think it's just, it formed us into the people that we are.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I think also they were really happy that I was there for what I could bring. It sounds like you found a really wonderful new team culture and community on the 15s team. And I wonder... You're going to go back to the Sevens team maybe one day and it's going to be a whole group of girls. Are you ever nervous to go into a new team again with this amazing experience you've had here?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Yeah, I think this experience was unlike any other. I felt so much a part of the team from the moment I was there. And when I go back to I don't know if I'll go play for Bristol Bears again. I think it was a lot to move over here to England to be two hours away from London and whatnot, because my livelihood, everything is over in America, in New York or L.A., where I do shoots and deals.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So it's like it was very hard to manage that because we had to pass up on so many things while I was here in Bristol. But. I think this was, again, Dancing with Stars was a moment in time. This was a moment in time for me that I'll always remember.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And when I go back to Sevens, I think, again, I'll just be learning a whole new group of people and seeing how, I guess, I fit in, seeing where I fit in. I know you talk a lot about... That rugby, you're doing it almost for a passion and that, you know, you're not making, you can't really make a livelihood out of just rugby and you can go into entertainment at this point.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Do you ever worry about no longer having that rugby, current rugby player title attached with it? I think that's one of the reasons why I came here to Bristol to play because I don't want to be just known as a content creator influencer. I'd always, I hate it when people just say that about me. Oh, she's just an Instagrammer.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Oh, she's like, one guy commented on a video of me, on a video of Bristol Bears, like, oh, were you going there to see the Instagrammer or are you going to, you know, watch the team? First of all, I'm an Olympic medalist. First of all, I'm a great rugby player, but people sometimes forget about that and just put me in that box.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I think it's important to be known as an athlete, especially in America. Like we love athletes. We think athletes are the top of the top. We love a winner. And I'm proud to be, yeah, I'm proud to be an athlete. Something that I've always kind of really associated with my sense of self. And I want other people to know that.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So I think this was for me solidifying myself as a rugby player in what is the traditional form of rugby. it's almost like a double-edged sword of like, you love rugby so much, but you have to put your body on the line for it, but it's still rewarding to have that title of rugby player. Yeah, which is crazy that you're like an Olympic medalist in a sport, but it's rugby sevens.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So it's like the people like over here are like, okay, well that's that, whatever. Like this is, I remember being like, welcome to English rugby when you broke your nose and stuff. It's like, okay.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It also kills me because you won three national championships as a 15th player. The game has changed a lot. In college, yeah. You've got some exciting things going on. You've also been really trying to up your personal game, your personal brand. And I think it's really paid off for you. I'm trying.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I kind of, I had sort of like a, like a moment of like coming into the light where I was like, yeah, if I want to, if I want to make content and I want to travel the world doing that, I need to make content and travel the world. It's not just going to happen. You got to do it to do it. But I've always,
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
made silly little videos on youtube you know terrible edits if you watch my stuff from over 10 years ago but like i did that and i put that out there and then slowly but surely but i think like anyone posting is a very daunting thing and i always credit you and how much i mean you're very different the way you approach things it's kind of like hey i got something to say i'm going to say it i'm going to post it and that's that and that's why people relate to you and that's why you feel so authentic to people is you just are like you know what post it post it post it and that's how i came up with girl dinner
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And it's like an hour each night to like,
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
was i had a thought i was realizing and i was like i can't be the only person that does this you know my one friend was like hey i do that too and i was like yeah i think a lot of women people probably do that and i looked a mess recorded myself making that video and i remember having this moment was like oh i don't look good normally i'd edit i don't think i'll post it and i was like if a loner were here right now she'd say post it so i posted it
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
connect and bond you know and i'm so glad we had that and i think you know that also attributes to like how close we are now yeah big big family dinners every night sit down at the table and even if you're not making the your own food like we'll do it where we get takeout and we sit around the table so yeah and that's also turned like my ideal form of fun as an adult is a dinner party controlled environment sitting down with friends there's wine there's food we're not out in the
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And it, obviously, like, it's just what it is today. It's in the dictionary. It's so exciting. I get to make food content. What did you just tell us you're something? I learned I'm a, maybe I'm going to pronounce it wrong, though. That's dumb. But I'm a neologist. Neologist. Yeah. Neologist.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
That's a big word, birdie. over there. Yeah, big word over here. Okay, what about master's degree over there? N-E-O-L-O. Neologist. Neologist, yeah, yeah. So that's someone that invents or creates new words or phrases, and you're especially bad if it is then in the dictionary, which... I'm putting that in dating profiles. Put that up there. It's on my resume. For sure.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I mean, I don't have a resume right now. Sorry, did somebody try to take you from me? If I did. For those that don't know, Olivia is my manager as well. Right. So she is my top employee. Employee of the month. Employee of the month every month for the past year now. My Christmas gift, I kept saying, was an employee appreciation. It's part of my benefits package. So,
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She does that for me and she handles like all my emails and she does so much for me, allowing me to do my best on the pitch and whatever. But now she's gotten like offers to go. I think you possibly had an offer to go to Hong Kong Sevens. Hong Kong Sevens, which is so exciting because that's just for me and the audience that I've built and the content that I make.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
It's not, you know, I obviously have a large rugby following. I mean, that is because I travel the world watching you play, but it's not attached to you. It's just me. It's an offer for me to go and experience and capture the weekend. And I'm like, I would love that. I've never been to Hong Kong. So hopefully that works out.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I've done a lot of work with Cherry Bomb Magazine, which we all just were the cover stars for. Cover Girls, which is our first ever magazine cover together, which is so special that it's at home at Cherry Bomb, which is also my first magazine ever that I've been a part of. Really went from zero to 100. Thank you guys.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And I mean, they have their event up in April, their annual Jubilee celebration, which I'll be going to in New York City. And it's just so exciting to be in spaces full of women in that way. I mean, always on my vision, I make a vision board at the beginning of every year and it's the background on my laptop and it's the background on my my phone.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So you're always like seeing what you're working towards. And I always have like a little portion that's about events and I want to go to more things and meet people and, you know, I guess networking, but also just like making connections.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And the Cherry Bomb events, like Jubilee is unbelievably cool, powerful, incredible women in the culinary and media space in one room talking, just being themselves. And yet it's so inspirational. It's just women. It's again, it's a space of female enjoyment and just being like, oh, look at how much farther we can all get when we work together. I'm emotional.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I'm on the edge of tears the entire time and it's essentially a conference with delicious food and Bev in New York City. So I have that coming up and I'm just loving it. I'm proud of myself for putting myself more out there. It wasn't a quick process. I learned from you, but I'm still getting better about it and just putting it out there, but truly just realizing you can't do it unless you do it.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So Do what you got to do. It's like everything you want is maybe it's on the other side of like being cringe or embarrassment, right? And the only people that are going to judge me are the ones that are wish they could be doing what I'm doing and don't have the balls to. The massive...
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
the cojones in your case i still have that little voice in my mind i've always like someone from high school could see this and i'm like who cares who cares i don't see them right you're fine it doesn't matter yeah get past that because it's holding you back what's that thing that's like the people that matter won't mind and the people that mind don't matter boom ours stay there write that down write that down folks
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
House of Mar original. Thanks so much for coming over and watching our first episode of House of Mar, a Wave original sponsored by Samsung. Be sure to watch and subscribe on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
i just love doing that and having a conversation around a table i will say and even when i go on like dates with people it's like how well can you hold the conversation because have you been on dates with men recently no they're not asking questions really no one's very one-sided so like to me in our head table it was like i'll ask question you'll ask a question like that's how i was raised and i'm always interested but sometimes it feels like i'm just interviewing
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
interviewing men for a job or something. And then are they like, I had a great time. And it's like, yeah, no, duh. Can we do this again? You talked about you the whole time. But that's something that we've grown up with value so much. And I think seeing our parents' relationship and that they communicate and they have fun together till like, you know, at their age.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I think that's important when you go on dates and they're not asking you questions back. Yeah. Dad does talk a lot, but it's because he knows a lot. Oh, that guy does talk. He does. Yeah. But he knows a lot. He knows a lot. Truly one of the smartest people I know. Sometimes you just have to supply him with the questions you want to be asked.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I'll call him up, I'll ask him, and then I'm like, okay, my turn. Yeah. No, I'll see something going on in the world or I'll hear some kind of historical thing. I'll be like, God, I got to ask Dad about that. He's going to love talking about it. He's going to love talking about it. He's going to love it. He's going to love it. But yeah, no, we were very close.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
We had very cool kind of birthday parties. Yes. Our mom loved a themed birthday, but not a theme like you would expect.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
No. Like I had one of my favorites growing up was this fairy themed party. I had it too. You had it and you had it, but in a separate location many years later. And once again, she'd honed her craft. But she went in.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
And, like, I'm pretty sure, obviously, like, maybe not the best thing for the earth, love the earth and everything. But it was, like, this nature walk that she brought my whole party through. But she had gone through beforehand and dropped marbles and sparkly things and little gems. And, like, there were things along the way.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
There was, like, a pin the braid or pin the crown on a princess, like, that she had nailed to a tree in the middle of the walk. That nail is there to this day. Yeah. I went on that a few years ago. Mom found the nail. Yeah, I walk by it every time. I go, there's the nail from my sixth birthday party. And then there was a hidden treasure chest underneath that.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
We were following a map to this treasure chest that was buried under the slide at the playground. Incredibly just like intricate, magical stuff that like made our childhood magical in that way. She did that for you, right? Well, legend has it there is so glitter at Ethan Allen Homestead from those legendary parties. I've had a fairy with party. I had a mermaid birthday party.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I don't know if it's maturity, how beautiful I am or whatever it is, the vibe I give off, but I am not. I am a classic middle child. It's true. The oldest over here, we got Olivia coming in at a roaring 30 years old. See, that was disgusting.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Oh, you remember that with the big mermaid sign? With the cutout? Like the cutout one?
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
That just, like, brought something out of me. My most favorite, though, is, fun thing about me, I love a grocery store. You know that. I love roaming the halls of a grocery store. Especially in a foreign country. Especially in a foreign country. I love an expensive grocery store so I can, you know, judge the prices and whatnot, see how fresh it is. A general store. A general store.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I don't even eat tin fish, but I got to look at the tin fish. The beautiful packaging. This cheese was made right down the road from the Cal Bessie. All the hens are named. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Anywho, okay, so my birthday party, our local shopping market in Vermont was called the Hannaford's. Shout out, New England. Shout out, Hannaford's, New England. New England. Comfort place.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
My mom went, I don't know why she thought of this idea. I had a birthday party at the supermarket. Me and a bunch of my little friends went to the deli counter. We went into the bakery. I think I was employee of the month. I think I got assigned being employee of the month. You wore little name tags.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
We were walking through Hannaford's. Yeah, I remember that. I mean, that was awesome. You saw the freezer. I wonder what happened when she was like, hey, I got a great idea for my kid's birthday party. Who'd she know at Hannaford's to make it happen? Who did she have to talk to? I've been... She probably knows some people.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She be talking to the butchers. Yeah, she do. And let people slice in the ham. She loves to chat them up. She does. And who thinks of that? But she knew that you loved a grocery store. So she was like, let's make that happen. Even as a young kid, what a weirdo. Yeah. I just love to grow. I don't even have money. No, yeah. What was I buying there? Right, right, right. You just liked it.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You're there for the free cookies. But dad does too. Dad loves just to wander around a grocery store. He'll just like go. And I think also me to this day, I don't buy lots of things at once to like stock up. I'm very fortunate to live close to some grocery stores that I just like, oh, I feel like this today. So I'll go gather those little supplies.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
So I'm always just like gathering little by little. And that's what dad does as well. He goes and like buys a loaf of bread. He's like, oh, I'll go back to the store. We love that. Being an adult is just when is the next time you're going to go to the grocery store.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
That's just planning. Planning when you're going to head to the grocery store again. I go probably three times a day. And you, you got to put a backpack on to get to New York City. There's a hill when you come up to my apartment. And by the end of it, my shoulders are aching. But I still go. I've got friends who get groceries delivered. And I don't want to do that. I want to see what's there.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
No thrill. No thrill. At all. Let me walk the halls.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Do I spend way too much money by doing that? Yes. If it's on sale and it's a little something I've never tried before, I'm getting it. I'm getting it. I'm spending $40 on just weird stuff. Let's explain our mom a little bit. She is... The best cook in the world. Oh my God. I'll put money on it. Yeah. I say that's how we got to be the size we are. That and pints of milk at dinner.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I put in my rider that that wasn't supposed to be discussed. I love it. Yeah, I am the oldest. Classic. I think I'm a classic oldest. Yeah, absolutely. You hit every box. Every box. She is our little mommy when our mommy's not there. She makes us food. She tucks us in. She tucks us in. She cleans up after us. You see the kind of money Alona's bringing in, and it's just, yes, I do the cooking.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Every night, like two glasses of milk.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Chug, chug, chug. Everyone's like, ew, milk. I'm like, okay, well, I'm from Vermont. What do you want me to drink? She got two gallons of time. Yep. That is water.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
amazing cook she can like you can say hey mom i want like a chicken curry with a little bit of this and that and she like just can create it she'll literally commune with the universe and be like got it and then she makes the most amazing stuff from scratch too like she's not buying anything she's like putting the ingredients together like if it starts with flour it's starting with flour she doesn't grow it herself
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
she's a homemaker. She loves bringing people in, cooking for people. Olivia's really gotten that now. She loves to cook for people, loves to make people feel comfortable. And my mom cooks with butter, milk. Or whenever you come back for like in between training and you're wanting to get greens and she's like, Well, I'll make you Brussels sprouts. And I watch her make it.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I'm like, there's a lot of butter in that. I don't know if that's what Alona meant when she wanted the greens. No, she cooks with love and full fat. It's absolutely amazing. She is our biggest supporter. Whenever people ask her a question about me, they're like, tell us a little bit about Alona. She's like, you know what? I actually have three daughters. And all of them are so amazing.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She just won bronze. Like, what? Tell us about Alona. She's like, well, she is great. But Adriana, she has a windowless room in New York City that she is so proud of. And Olivia, she's on the internet, right? Like, she's so... And then she'll get to you. She's like, she needs the world to know there's three. She has three amazing babies. To the point where you've had to be, like...
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
We've had to step in. You can talk about Alona. It's fine. Please. We're like, mom, don't mention us. Please. It's about Alona. Like, if she's winning, we're all winning. So talk about Alona, please. Unless we're at a rugby tournament and, like, we're at a restaurant about to go in. And she's season opening with the waiter. And she's like, we're actually here for, yeah, the rugby. My daughter.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You can find her online. And then she gives him a sticker. I'm like, mom, that guy doesn't know who I am.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
She has my stickers. She'll give them out to anybody who recognizes me. So I'm there taking a picture and then I walk away. It turns out she's back behind me like... I have to order them like special for her. I mean, my favorite fact about our mom, though, is we grew up. Nobody believes us. Quite socially awkward, except for her. She was quite cool.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You got better than us for sure.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
You make friends easier than we do.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
yeah i know that's true so we went to a very tiny catholic school in vermont from alone and i preschool to eighth grade yeah so a large chunk of our you know young lives right and growing up and the school the people we went to school with stayed the same but like did get smaller and smaller as we went um so i graduated one of six people how many did you have nine one of nine people i graduated one of six with one boy in my class in eighth grade
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Hate to beat you, one of five. Wow. And one year it was four because someone went to a different school. That's crazy. But then they came back. But then the school closed due to under attendance. Crazy. What? I don't understand that. That's crazy. But it was so like these people were like our siblings growing up. Like I had my sisters and they were in the other classrooms.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
But then the small core of people, like those were our siblings growing up. So we only socialized with them. We didn't really socialize outside. So when we did end up going to the public high school, It shook us to our core. Shook us to our core. To our core. I mean, except for her, so she got to go to public middle school, though. Yes, and I'm so glad for that. It was... It was a war.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Yes, I do the cleaning. Yes, right, right, right, right, right, right, right. And then we have the baby over here. The little baby.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I think I may have lost. I lost many battles, maybe the war itself, but I came out and actually I am still friends with most of my to this day from middle school. And it was just like, I was so confident and ready in sixth grade. I was like, I'm going to make friends. I had my sights set high for the popular girls, which is why middle school wasn't so difficult.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I think it would have been difficult no matter what, because Middle school girls are brutal, especially in public school. I don't know what your experience was. Oh, no. Yeah. Yeah. But it was it was tough, but it made me stronger. And then going into high school, I had established friendships and high school is kind of just fine. Not us. Not us, no. Adriana was actually cool.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I still remember the first time I talked to a boy in high school, vividly. Shout out Alex, walking in the hallway next to him. I was so tense, so nervous. I was like, Really cool. And it was just a normal encounter. It was a normal encounter. We were just going from class to class, but I only had three boys in my class and they were like my brothers.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
I would also say classic baby. Classic baby. I mean, you two, though, but being younger than me, you each got to do the things sooner than I got to do in my life. Especially you. When I got to do it, then you got to do it. But I couldn't do it two years ago. And her especially, too. Well, I was also really good at convincing our parents. I knew how to argue.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Like the thought of any, like when I went to public middle school for sports, they were like, oh, and then I kissed this boy. I was like, y'all are kissing boys. That's not me. You guys are layering lacy tank tops and kissing boys. That's crazy. And there's pushup bras involved. Whoa, not me. This is the other side. I gotta put my jumper on for real. Yeah, we gotta put our little uniforms on.
House of Maher
Our Teen Years, Ilona’s Rugby Journey & Sex Ed Lessons From Mom
Amen. And we went to a Catholic school. Fun fact, back to our mom, she was a sex educator at a Catholic school. Yep. Yep. Very fun fact. I actually didn't mind it. She was a school nurse. She was a school nurse, yes. She just came in to teach sex. Absolutely. Some random woman. Meena Kumar. She was like, I'll do it. Oh, she's doing it. I know what I'm doing. I'll talk about it.
The Headlines
The Tariffs Are On, and Trump Suspends Ukraine Aid
It is completely normal, completely natural. It does not take away from your athletic ability.
The Headlines
The Tariffs Are On, and Trump Suspends Ukraine Aid
Women's rugby is changing and it's really, I think, making the world and people a better place. I don't know what I'm saying, but please keep coming out and supporting and fill these seats.