The Interview —

Nastia Liukin, Olympic Medalist

Well, quite a lot! I commentate for NBC Olympics, have created a business and app called Grander, started a lifestyle website and blog, have worked with hundreds of incredible brands, and done lots of keynote speeches, gymnastics camps, and clinics around the world. I guess I would say I’ve become an entrepreneur and continue to build my brand! 

I can’t say I have a really typically day, any day. I travel almost every single week to a different location, so those days aren’t very typical. But when I am home in LA or in Detroit with my boyfriend, I like to wake up early, get in a workout right away, and catch up on my emails and social media. Then I typically have a call with my manager to see if there are any projects or campaigns we need to work on or shoot content for.

I would say my parents, both in my gymnastics career but also now my professional work career. Seeing the success they have had in their own careers (as athletes but also in business) has always inspired me.

I would say to live in the moment. When I was younger, I always wanted to rush through things. When I was 12, I wanted to be 13 to be a teenager. Then 16 so I could drive. Then 18 to be an “adult” and so on. I would tell myself to enjoy each moment and not worry so much about having a plan. I have always been a big planner, and in those few years, I’ve really realized that sometimes even when you think you have a plan, life happens, and then that plan totally changes.

Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that I don’t wear leotards, scrunchies, and sweatpants every day. But no because I still love leotards/bodysuits, scrunchies, and sweatpants. I also wear more makeup on my “work days” when I have a shoot or I’m on camera than when I was competing. But I also still believe in “less is more.” The days I don’t have to be on camera, I try not to wear an ounce of makeup. I typically just like a vitamin C serum, my celery green cream moisturizer, and lip balm. 

Pilates, Corepower Yoga, and working out with my trainer, Chase Weber, when I’m in LA, and my trainer, Joe Holder, when I’m in NYC. 

My go-to would be a hot bath and a glass of red wine. I take a bath every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. For some reason, it just makes me destress and decompress. 

I always use Spotify and love the “Today’s Top Hits” playlist or the “Beast Mode” playlist.

For fashion, this summer I’ve really been loving a good shorts-and-blazer matching set. And for beauty, I really have been loving the new product I created with Volition Beauty, the Celery Green Cream moisturizer. 

I would say my personal life is what makes me most happy. At times, I’ve struggled to balance of my personal life and work life, and while I’m SO excited about all the projects I’m working on in my professional career, I’m also finally feeling like I’m figuring out how to balance everything.