Forbes Senior Writer sits down with Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles on this episode of Forbes Talks. Chiles discusses her new memoir, "I'm That Girl," and the experiences that led her to write it, including being stripped of her bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics. Chiles also discusses her business aspirations and desire to build an ‘eternal’ empire.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=
0:00 Introduction
1:33 Jordan Chiles Receiving Support After Paris Olympics
7:54 How Jordan Chiles Maintains Her Mental & Physical Strength For Competing
18:00 Jordan Chiles Dishes On College Life At UCLA
23:12 What Brands Sponsor Jordan Chiles?
29:35 Jordan Chiles' NIL Deal
32:57 How Jordan Chiles Is Building A Business Empire Off The Mat
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=
0:00 Introduction
1:33 Jordan Chiles Receiving Support After Paris Olympics
7:54 How Jordan Chiles Maintains Her Mental & Physical Strength For Competing
18:00 Jordan Chiles Dishes On College Life At UCLA
23:12 What Brands Sponsor Jordan Chiles?
29:35 Jordan Chiles' NIL Deal
32:57 How Jordan Chiles Is Building A Business Empire Off The Mat
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00She's named after the legendary Michael Jordan.
00:03You can find her on the Pinterest app 24-7,
00:06a car lover, sneakerhead, and loves eating
00:09at quality Italian restaurant in New York City.
00:13Diving into the business of Team USA gymnast,
00:16Jordan Chiles, coming right up.
00:18Hello everyone, this is Jabari Young
00:23and I'm here at our Forbes studio
00:25and I am joined by Team USA gym's Olympic gold medalist,
00:29Jordan Chiles.
00:31Jordan Chiles, thank you so much for coming.
00:32You're making a trip all the way from Houston slash LA
00:35where you go to school to join us in New York.
00:37I know you're on a book run, got your memoir,
00:39we dive into that, but how is everything coming?
00:41And thank you for joining us again.
00:42Oh, first off, thank you for having me.
00:45Honestly, this is a, really a dream come true
00:48because Forbes is like literally everything for me.
00:50So I'm like, ah, I'm kind of gagged.
00:53But-
00:54But it's your second time,
00:55what did you write, Our Power Women?
00:55Yes, but still, anything that has to do with Forbes,
00:58I still get gagged.
01:00Like, I don't know, I gotta get used to it, I guess.
01:03But, thank you so much for having me here
01:05and I'm just really honored to finally, you know,
01:10give the world, well I guess I should say
01:13what a lot of people don't know about me, but know about me.
01:15Yeah, we're here, it's Women's History Month, right?
01:18You tell me, because, you know,
01:19I always like to start the theme of the month.
01:22What woman in your life has made a huge impact for me,
01:25maybe from a business standpoint, you know, in your career?
01:28But, you know, honoring women in Women's History Month,
01:30what woman in your life has made a difference?
01:32You wanna say your mom?
01:33I am gonna say my mom.
01:35She is one of many women that have not only uplifted me
01:40but also encouraged me.
01:42I'm a girl's girl, so I love being able to give
01:44other people their flowers when they're needed
01:46and just seeing them thrive and succeed in ways that,
01:49you know, not a lot of people may think that
01:52they would have been able to do it.
01:53So, besides my mom, I mean, my sisters are amazing.
01:58I mean, other artists, other celebrities, other athletes.
02:01I mean, there's obviously my own teammate,
02:03my own best friend, Simone, has done amazing things
02:06within her career and her life as well.
02:08So, seeing that and being able to, you know,
02:10accomplish so much makes me want to be like,
02:13okay, I'm grinding, I'm doing all these things.
02:16But business-wise, I have to say Serena Williams.
02:19Serena Williams.
02:20Business-wise, she has done so much.
02:23And when I mean so much, didn't she just?
02:26Yeah, she purchased a team.
02:27Purchased a team.
02:29Yeah, a shareholder.
02:31She's a part owner of it.
02:32Yes, she's a part owner of Toronto.
02:35And I'm literally like,
02:38this lady has done so many amazing things.
02:40Not just within her career, but also,
02:44which is keeping her name in the limelight.
02:46And I think that's just so amazing
02:47because I want to be able to do that.
02:49I want to be able to continue on, you know,
02:52whenever my career does come to an end
02:53and people still know, oh, Jordan Chiles did this,
02:57Jordan Chiles did that.
02:58So she's definitely somebody I do look up to
03:00in the business standpoint, but also as an athlete.
03:02You know, listen, as you advance,
03:04and again, getting into your birthday plans,
03:07but is there anything as far as at age 23
03:11that maybe you can say now, hey, this is my superpower.
03:14I've identified what my superpower is,
03:16and at age 23, I can say this is my superpower.
03:19At age 23, what is Jordan Chiles' superpower right now?
03:22I think my superpower is being authentic to who I am.
03:26I think showing that no matter where I'm at,
03:29no matter what I'm doing,
03:30I'm not gonna change the person or my personality.
03:33It's always gonna be the same Jordan you see on the mat,
03:36off the mat, walking into a grocery store,
03:41walking into a shopping mall.
03:42Everything is gonna be the exact same thing,
03:45and I think that's why a lot of people understand who I am,
03:49and they're trying to understand
03:50because it doesn't make sense.
03:51How is she still this spunky,
03:53or she's still being so happy after doing a lot of things,
03:56or enjoying the moment of whether or not
03:59she wants to take pictures with people.
04:01I enjoy that.
04:02That's just who I am.
04:04I was created not only by my parents,
04:06but also by God to be very humble.
04:08I'm not gonna get big-headed.
04:10I'm not gonna do all those things.
04:11I still have a lot to accomplish within my life, I say.
04:14Now, other people may say otherwise.
04:16I've done a million things by the age of 23,
04:19but I feel like I still have a lot to accomplish,
04:22and be seen in different ways,
04:25whether it's in the business area,
04:26whether it's within my sport,
04:28or whether it's in just my life in general.
04:32I'm a college student.
04:34Now, that's crazy to say, right?
04:35I'm a college student.
04:37You're a medalist, Olympic champion,
04:39and now you're also a college student.
04:41That's the crazy thing about your whole journey.
04:43You're still in college.
04:44Yes, but if you think about it,
04:45we were just talking about this, right?
04:47People were just talking about how Megan
04:49was a college student, she graduated.
04:51How Kendrick, people, that whole picture
04:53that went all over Twitter and TikTok,
04:56getting your degree isn't gonna change who you are,
04:59whether you're a rapper, whether you're an athlete,
05:02whether you're becoming a doctor, or any of those things.
05:05It's just gonna give you more knowledge,
05:08and you're gonna retain a lot more things,
05:10and I've developed that while trying to pursue
05:13my own career as being not just an athlete,
05:15but also as Jordan Childs in a different world.
05:19It's really cool to understand those things for yourself,
05:23and I've discovered that being 23 years old.
05:2724, I can't wait to tell you the truth.
05:29Well, listen, you got a new book out, right?
05:30This is a memoir that you've written,
05:33kind of detailing your life as a gymnast.
05:35I'm that girl living the power of my dreams,
05:38and you're going inside.
05:39Take me inside of this memoir, inside of this book.
05:41What will a reader find, right?
05:43I'm walking through Barnes & Noble,
05:44and I see all these amazing books.
05:45There's Michael Jordan's book,
05:47and there's Jordan Childs' book, right?
05:49Why am I gonna pick up Jordan Childs' book?
05:50What am I gonna find?
05:51Well, first off, the cover of the book is immaculate.
05:54It's just, it gives an eye-opener.
05:57Like, I'm screaming.
05:59Like, the photo that they choose of is me screaming,
06:02and it's literally, I'm that girl, right?
06:06And then it says, living in the power of my dreams.
06:10First off, that little quote on the bottom,
06:13it's just like, okay, what dreams?
06:15What dreams is she?
06:16I would be like, what dreams is she talking about?
06:18Like, what dreams does she accomplish?
06:20So, this story, this memoir of who I am,
06:24I wanted to be able to basically tell everybody,
06:28this is me, this is me in a way of showing you my trauma.
06:33I opened up about a lot of things
06:36that really nobody knows unless you read the book.
06:39I've opened up about mental health.
06:41I opened up about suicide.
06:43I opened up about my coach being verbally
06:48and emotionally abusing to me.
06:50I opened up about a lot of things that you wonder,
06:54how am I standing, or how am I sitting in places,
06:58and I'm still this happy girl.
06:59And so, I think I want not only just the readers,
07:03but everybody to understand that you guys can make up
07:06a story of who Jordan is, or you can let Jordan
07:10tell her story in the way it's supposed to be.
07:12And I dive deep into a lot of the things
07:15that people may seem as like, oh, that's snotty,
07:19or something like that, but it's not, that's my life.
07:22I wasn't created to shy away
07:24from something that God gave me.
07:26I was created for it to be seen brighter in areas
07:31that people don't expect it to be in.
07:33So, I just want this story to,
07:36hopefully people will understand me more.
07:38Why write it now?
07:39You're 23 years old, you could've waited until you're 30,
07:41so you got some more life experience.
07:44Are you interested, or are you gonna do the 2028 L.A. Games?
07:47I don't know yet, it's in my brain, it hasn't.
07:51Is that a goal of yours, do you want to do it,
07:53or is it still something you're contemplating?
07:55I would love to, yes, in some way, shape, or form.
07:59Now, mentally, any athlete can say
08:02they can go and do 800 Olympics.
08:05Physically is where I'm at with things,
08:07and understanding that, yes, just because I'm 23.
08:10I've already been in the game for a very long time.
08:13Since you were seven years old?
08:1416 plus years, it's been a time coming.
08:19So, understanding that it's the physical part of my body
08:23that I want to make sure is okay.
08:25Because mentally, yeah, I can tell you, yeah, sure.
08:28So, if you're physically fine, then you will qualify?
08:31Maybe.
08:32So, why write the memoir now?
08:33Why not wait until possibly then?
08:35What was the decision to do it now?
08:37Because I'm 23, right?
08:41I have more life to live.
08:43So, why not tell the first part, my quarter,
08:47almost my quarter of my life,
08:49and not write two or three more books afterward
08:52before I go to heaven or something like that, right?
08:58So, I thought in a way to,
09:01I started my career when I was seven.
09:04In this timeframe of being seven and 23,
09:08my life has gone from literally left to right,
09:11up and down, stayed the same,
09:14or I just was just kind of stuck in a box.
09:18So, I was told as a little kid from my father,
09:23he always told me, every lesson that you learn
09:26is gonna be a part of your book one day.
09:28So, I was like, every lesson that I learned, okay.
09:32Why not now?
09:35I've learned a big lesson throughout my whole time
09:41of being in my career of gymnastics.
09:43And yet, my career's not even over.
09:45You know, I've already accomplished.
09:47I'm a two-time Olympian.
09:49I'm a medalist.
09:51I am a two-time NCAA champion.
09:54I've done so many things.
09:56There's a lot of accolades that have been put
09:57into my resume that I never thought I would accomplish
10:02until I was, I don't know, older or something.
10:05But I felt like now was the time to finally be like,
10:09look, this is Jordan.
10:11This is how Jordan is now.
10:13Let's see what the next 20 years looks like.
10:16Maybe I'll write another book.
10:17Or the next 40 years, maybe, you know.
10:19So, I just felt like it was a beginning
10:21of who Jordan is and showing the world, okay.
10:25A snapshot in your life, yeah.
10:27But listen, for those people who may not be aware
10:31of you and may not follow sports as closely
10:34or didn't see the Olympics, you had to obviously,
10:36the medal, be stripped of you at the 2024 Paris Olympics,
10:40the bronze Olympic medal.
10:42And that's coming off of the silver medal
10:44that you won at Tokyo.
10:45But that Paris game, obviously, that was emotional.
10:48You spoke at our Power Women Summit about that experience.
10:51Did this book help kind of alleviate
10:54any of the leftover emotions
10:55or are you still carrying that pain?
10:57Well, I can tell you I'm way better
11:00than when I was at Forbes for the Women's Summit.
11:04I definitely have developed more of my mental back
11:08to where I could find myself at a capacity
11:11of understanding that I can't do anything anymore
11:14but to continue to fight for what is right for me.
11:17I can't, you know, let myself dive into this hole
11:22knowing that I did everything that I could.
11:25And so, I'm gonna let all the other people
11:28on the outside world figure everything out,
11:29whether that's my lawyer, whether that's my attorney,
11:31because I know that they're gonna continue to fight
11:33and do what's right in their way.
11:35And so, that's kind of where I'm at with everything.
11:39I honestly just, you know, enjoy college.
11:41I enjoy being able to finally find the love again.
11:44I don't know if you recently saw my post on Instagram
11:46but UCLA found, you know, helped me find the love
11:49of competing all over again.
11:51And I really enjoy that because, you know,
11:53losing those things can kind of, it really hurts.
11:56Deep down, it hurts because you don't know
11:59what you're gonna do after if you don't find the love again.
12:02So, you know, I just kind of just let everything be
12:07and I'm just gonna continue on with life.
12:08I can't do anything, that's in the past.
12:10I gotta keep pushing forward.
12:12I have more life to live, so.
12:13What's the biggest positive surprise?
12:15Biggest positive surprise about the reaction
12:18that you received after that?
12:20The support!
12:21The support.
12:22Oh my goodness, I didn't think there was gonna be that.
12:24Like, I knew I had support but my whole timeframe
12:29of being in gymnastics, the one thing I felt like
12:33that I didn't get was the recognition.
12:35So finally feeling like you get recognition
12:38and then it getting stripped away from you
12:41but to realize that on the back end
12:42there is still all that support was like,
12:46in the moment, I couldn't really receive it
12:49because I was going through a lot of emotions.
12:51But now, it's crazy.
12:53Like, I was getting texts, I was getting tweets,
12:55I was having people literally saying
12:57that they were gonna do some crazy things
12:59and I was like, wait guys, like you guys are still,
13:01you know, you're high profile athletes,
13:03you're celebrities, like, thank you guys so much.
13:06Like, I appreciate it.
13:07So, it definitely was the support
13:09and it was seeing how many people would actually ride
13:12all the way to the end and they're still riding
13:14and that's the most amazing thing
13:16any person could really ask for.
13:20Because I, you know, I can feel the love.
13:24Like, I can tell you right now,
13:24when it first happened, my heart was like.
13:27But now, since my heart is finally coming back together,
13:30I'm just like, wow, there's so much love for me.
13:32And people still talk about it to this day.
13:35They're like, you know what, I don't care
13:37but this is what I'm gonna do.
13:38And I'm gonna, you know, duh, duh, duh, duh.
13:39And I'm just like, okay, thank you, I appreciate it.
13:42Like, please don't get in trouble, like, you know.
13:45But I think it's just, it's amazing
13:48and I appreciate every single person
13:50who has been supporting me from the beginning
13:53and is still supporting me now.
13:54So.
13:55With positives come negatives.
13:57What was the biggest negative surprise from the reaction?
14:00People telling me that I pulled the race card
14:05and that it was a racial situation.
14:09And I think it was hard for me to really understand
14:14why that was even a question or why that was even a thought
14:18because I am just as talented as the other girl,
14:23as much as she is as talented as I am.
14:25And it just so happened things didn't go
14:28the way that they wanted to.
14:29So, you know, that was just one thing
14:31that I wish people didn't go straight towards.
14:35And try to figure out the full story
14:37before trying to create something.
14:40It's like my book.
14:41I'm, the reason why I'm putting my book out
14:42is because people like to create things
14:44and not really understand what the value
14:47or what that person's actually going through
14:50and just make something up
14:51rather than hearing the full story.
14:53So that was the negative that I got out of it.
14:56But I overcame that because it was like,
14:58you know what, this is my life.
15:00This is how I'm living.
15:01I'm living lavish.
15:01I'm living flawless.
15:03As you can tell, all black.
15:04Look at me.
15:05Like, we're doing big things over here.
15:08Like I was time on the top of the year.
15:10Sports Illustrated, like I could keep going.
15:11Like, you know?
15:12So that was one thing I had to just kind of be like,
15:15you know what?
15:16People are gonna say what they're gonna say.
15:17And I'm just gonna continue on with life.
15:19Like, I have a whole career.
15:22I have a whole life to live.
15:23I'm only 23, guys.
15:24Yeah.
15:25Soon to be 24.
15:26Yeah.
15:27Where you are, I have been.
15:28Where I am, you will be.
15:30Yes.
15:30How much did you rely on that?
15:31That's a quote from your granddad,
15:33Gene Vasquez.
15:34He passed away.
15:34God bless his life in November 2023.
15:36Yes.
15:37You have that tattooed on your left forearm.
15:38Yes.
15:39How much did you rely on that saying
15:41from your granddad to get you through that?
15:42I relied on it a lot because it is true.
15:45I mean, my grandpa, he went through a lot of things
15:47that we probably would have never been able to go through
15:50at his age.
15:51And he was somebody that we all looked up to,
15:54not just me, my older sister.
15:56That was, my older sister was literally his daughter.
16:00Like, he was, loved her.
16:03And it was just, you know,
16:05something that we all understood.
16:08Now his passing was, it was very hard on me
16:12because every single time,
16:14my grandpa has only been to one competition
16:18in my whole career.
16:20And it was something that I was very honored
16:24and happy that he at least came to one
16:25because he always told me, you know,
16:28I don't want to come because I feel like I'm bad luck.
16:30Yeah.
16:30And to know that your grandpa was feeling that,
16:32I was like, okay, like,
16:33I don't know how to help you with that, you know,
16:35but he always felt like if he wasn't there,
16:38I would be perfectly fine.
16:40Yeah.
16:41So having his quote on my forearm just means, you know,
16:48where you are, I have been,
16:51and where I am, you will be.
16:52And I know at some point in time we will meet again
16:55and I will be able to tell him every accomplishment
16:57and everything that he believed that I could do, I did.
17:01And that, you know,
17:03I know he's always watching over us,
17:05not just me, my whole family.
17:07Yeah.
17:08Wherever we're going, especially my mom.
17:09And definitely being able to understand
17:13that my grandpa was a light
17:15in a lot of things that we did within our lives.
17:19And he's just always there.
17:21So.
17:22So you're 24 now and you're in college too, right?
17:25Yes.
17:26You're at UCLA.
17:26Yes.
17:27What's college like life?
17:28And let me ask you, why did you drop business
17:30from your major?
17:31You were majoring in that at Fresno.
17:32You just, you left it aside.
17:33Why'd you do that?
17:34So, well, first off, college is hard.
17:37It is.
17:38I'm going to tell everybody.
17:39It is.
17:40College is hard.
17:41And being a student athlete, it's even harder
17:43because baby, you have to flip or, you know,
17:47do your sport and do school and make sure your grades
17:49are good to be able to do your, that's a lot.
17:52But you know what?
17:53We conquer, we strive.
17:54We go beyond our measures
17:56and we are going to uplift everybody.
17:58So.
17:59I love the confidence.
18:00I am in school and it's actually really fun
18:04being in college.
18:05I've always wanted to go to college
18:06ever since I was younger.
18:07UCLA has always been my dream school to go to.
18:09So.
18:10Why UCLA?
18:11I'm a city girl.
18:13I love LA.
18:14LA is just, you know, it's that girl.
18:16You sound like, listen, Vancouver, Washington
18:17is way behind me.
18:18I'm like, okay, I'm a city girl now.
18:20Like, I'm a lady.
18:21Hey, I'm a H-Town hottie and I'm a city girl, okay?
18:26We was just talking about H-Town,
18:27restaurants and all of that.
18:28Exactly.
18:29You can't tell them where we go though
18:30because I don't want people sneaking up on you.
18:31No, we're not doing that.
18:32We can't tell people where we go.
18:33I'm not telling nobody about where the Houston spots are
18:35or nothing, unless you meet me in person,
18:37then I might give you a little incentive.
18:39But, so yeah, UCLA has, it's just really,
18:43it was really, I used to, okay,
18:46I used to want to be a zoologist.
18:48So UCLA, obviously the zoos there,
18:51there was a lot of things that, I'm an animal lover.
18:53So I was like, okay, UCLA could work
18:56because I also am business minded.
18:59I get that from my mom.
19:00So I was like, okay, at some point I want to open up a zoo.
19:02Like, there was a lot of things
19:03that were going through my brain.
19:04You wanted to open up a zoo?
19:05I did want to open, yeah.
19:06But I wanted the zoo to be like an interactive zoo.
19:09And I wouldn't keep the spaces so small.
19:12It would be like a bougie zoo.
19:14Well, you teach the animals to do gymnastics?
19:16Oh, I would love to.
19:16Oh my God, that would be a great zoo.
19:18Exactly, and you can interact with them
19:21and you can take pictures.
19:22We might have to cut this out
19:23and develop some IP from this, yeah.
19:26Don't, hey, I'm still thinking about the zoo.
19:28Zoology is still in my head, okay?
19:31So life at UCLA, though, the campus life,
19:33I mean, it's hard, but it's good, though.
19:34I love it, I go around on my scooter.
19:36Yes, don't come for me.
19:37Campus is a mile radius.
19:39I need a scooter everywhere
19:40because our classes are really far.
19:42But I enjoy it, I love it.
19:44I literally love everything about it.
19:46It's so gorgeous.
19:47I get to meet new people.
19:49I think that's the biggest thing,
19:50especially as somebody who is a high-profile celebrity.
19:57I hate saying that, but.
19:58It's true, it's true.
19:59Yeah, but I don't consider myself famous.
20:01Like, not one bit.
20:02I judge people off of lives.
20:03You know people who do like sports, who know that.
20:06One of my producers, he said,
20:07Jordan Chiles, she's coming here today.
20:09I'm like, you know nothing about sports.
20:10You know who she is, so it's true.
20:12Well, I appreciate that, I do.
20:14You get all the hard work, so congratulations
20:15for that start, though. Thank you, thank you.
20:16So I do enjoy just people asking me questions
20:21and why am I at school and all these things.
20:23But to come back to why I dropped business,
20:26I wanted to do business, just business in general.
20:30But our major is business econ.
20:32I didn't wanna do the economics part of it,
20:35so I was like, okay, what's a different way
20:38that I can still be in the business area,
20:40but not with economics?
20:42And the only thing that they had was a minor,
20:44which was management.
20:45And I was like, hmm, I don't really wanna do that.
20:49So then I went to communications,
20:50because I could still be a good outlet
20:53to help with business and all those interviews
20:56and all those things.
20:57So I was just like, okay, let's do that.
20:59Then I was like, no, these classes are,
21:01no, I'm not really interested in these classes.
21:03So then I went to sociology.
21:06And sociology was really cool,
21:07because you find the different dynamics
21:09of the social part and the political part
21:12of how people think.
21:14And in an interesting way, you can go up to someone
21:18and be like, oh yeah, for instance, their pronouns.
21:22And some person can say one thing,
21:24and you're just like, oh, automatically,
21:26oh, you're a female.
21:26But in their brain, they're like, no.
21:29It was just really cool to see it.
21:31But then I just was like, okay,
21:32this is getting too deep.
21:33I don't know if I can do this.
21:34So then I came with African American studies,
21:36because I really enjoy being able to find
21:39more about my culture and more about the community
21:41and how really everything started
21:43from the beginning of who we are as people.
21:46And it's been really fun.
21:49I've been an Asian American.
21:51You're sticking with this now.
21:52And I'm sticking with this now.
21:53Okay, you can't change now.
21:54I'm not changing.
21:55You already did like three times now.
21:56No, I'm not changing.
21:57I'm keeping my major.
21:58Because they might kick you out.
21:59Like Jordan, you change it too many times, right?
22:01Okay, they might kick you out.
22:03So African American studies is where you'll stay.
22:04African American studies is where I'm staying.
22:06Because I also do have a mother
22:07who is very business minded.
22:09Absolutely, absolutely.
22:09And so she has taught me a lot since I was younger.
22:12Like we would sit, I would sit in her office
22:14and basically draw just random things.
22:18And she would be like, okay,
22:18she'd be on the phone typing away
22:20and saying all these crazy things.
22:21And I'm just like, what's a W-9?
22:23What's a W-2?
22:25What's a 1099?
22:25We're like, taxes, what?
22:27What are you talking about?
22:28And so it's cool that she was able to explain that to us
22:31at a young age.
22:33So I understand, you know, yes, you have taxes.
22:35Unfortunately, my birthday is tax day.
22:37It's April 15th.
22:38That's right, yeah.
22:39So, you know, I'm just understanding those things.
22:41So I was just like, you know what?
22:42If I have somebody who is very knowledgeable in that area,
22:46I feel like she could help me in a lot of ways.
22:48So where I felt like I really didn't need to do business,
22:52econ, and that I could just, you know,
22:54kind of develop my business
22:57and basically manage and boss myself
23:00and make a brand for Jordan Childs.
23:03So basically, I do have a business
23:04called Jordan Childs, Inc.
23:05And I just develop things under Jordan Childs, Inc.
23:09and kind of just enjoy my life.
23:12Yeah, well, let's go into Jordan Childs, Inc., right?
23:14I mean, listen, you're a Nike athlete,
23:16if I'm not mistaken, right?
23:17So you have a sponsorship deal there.
23:19What other deals do you have?
23:20We got stocks, crypto.
23:21Take me inside your portfolio.
23:22What do you got here?
23:23So I actually would love to learn about stocks.
23:29I would love to learn about crypto.
23:30Oh, you come to the right place.
23:31And I would love to learn everything
23:32that has to do with putting your money,
23:34like, I just am all about, okay,
23:36putting your money in the right place
23:38because anything can happen.
23:40If a zombie apocalypse comes,
23:43people are gonna start figuring out,
23:45I mean, they already are,
23:45but they're gonna try to figure out
23:47anything they can do to get people's money.
23:49So I'd just be scared kind of to put my money in places
23:53because I'm like, I don't know what's gonna happen.
23:55But honestly, just really trying to figure out,
23:58okay, what's the best way to make sure your money
24:04is not only, my dad taught me this, actually.
24:06He's trying to figure out the way
24:08to where your money's not just sitting
24:10in your bank account, but it's valuing itself, right?
24:13Because you value yourself.
24:15That's how I see it, right?
24:16You can go get yourself a bag here.
24:17You can go do, so how can you do that with your money?
24:19Your money is constantly going to elevate
24:22and you could have millions in your bank account.
24:26So just trying to figure out those things.
24:29And I think stocks would be really cool.
24:30My grandpa, actually, my mom's stepdad,
24:33he one day taught me, I was sitting at his computer
24:37and he was like, okay, so this is how it works?
24:39Then I was like, uh, sure.
24:43So I think now that I'm, because I was younger,
24:45so I think now being able to kind of figure that part out,
24:48I would love to do that.
24:49But.
24:50It's important, it really is, at 23.
24:51Other than that, other than that,
24:55I have a athlete collective.
24:57It's not quite out and it's called SheRo.
25:01And basically, SheRo is a mentorship program
25:05to help athletes in understanding
25:08that they are more than just their sport, right?
25:11I am more than just my sport.
25:13My sport doesn't define who I am.
25:15It's just something that is a part of me.
25:17I have other things, whether it's fashion,
25:19whether it's, you know, I like driving nice cars.
25:21I love cars, I like motorcycles, those type of things.
25:24So just being able to give them the ability
25:27to understand, okay, at the age of 18,
25:30what are you gonna do?
25:31You're gonna go off to college,
25:32and how can we make your name already something
25:35leading into college?
25:36How can we, you know, have money flowing in
25:39in a way to where your college funds or something,
25:43you're just like, okay, cool, this is great.
25:45Like, what else do I have to do?
25:46What else can, you know, kind of making a name
25:47for yourself before you get into college.
25:49So helping them build their brand.
25:50Exactly.
25:51So that's basically how this mentor,
25:54it's a program that I'm giving to a few athletes that I,
25:58this.
25:58Is it non-profit or for-profit?
26:01It's a non-profit.
26:02It's gonna be non-profit.
26:02Yeah, so it's just gonna be able to kind of give them
26:06the ability to be like, look,
26:08if I wanna become a cool nail tech,
26:10I'm gonna go do that.
26:11I'm gonna open up a salon.
26:12I'm gonna go do those, you know?
26:13Like, just giving them the real world,
26:16because we don't learn that in school.
26:17We don't learn about taxes.
26:18We don't learn about where you're, you know.
26:20Well, we used to.
26:21They stopped teaching it, though, you know?
26:22That is true, but in my time.
26:24Yeah, today, they're cheating the young people today.
26:27Yeah, y'all don't have any super classes.
26:29No, we didn't get to learn about those things.
26:32So just giving them that understanding.
26:34And then also, I'm into mental health.
26:37So if they ever need anything to,
26:39whether it's, you know, they're having a bad day
26:41or just need some advice,
26:43just being able to bring in other mentors
26:45to help them with that and just show them
26:47what the real world is all about.
26:49Well, what if I'm a brand?
26:50You know, obviously Nike, you say yes to Nike.
26:52But what if other companies wanna start doing business?
26:55What do you wanna see from them?
26:56What do you wanna hear?
26:57My biggest thing is understanding
26:58that I'm authentic to who I am.
26:59So if you understand my authenticity
27:01and you understand the fact that I'm not gonna change
27:04anything that I'm doing to pursue your brand,
27:09then that's like the best partnership.
27:12Like for me, for Nike, for instance, right?
27:14They understood that I am an outgoing, spunky person,
27:17will do anything, have a very creative mind.
27:20So, and they know I'm not gonna change who I am
27:23in different spaces, whether I'm doing interviews,
27:25whether I'm doing photo shoots,
27:26like that's the type of brand that I want to be with.
27:29And they understood that.
27:30So I was like, okay.
27:31And I've always wanted to be a Nike athlete
27:33ever since I was little.
27:34It's a full circle moment.
27:34I mean, I am named after Michael Jordan, so.
27:36There you go, and you're on the roster now too.
27:38So the business of the Olympics, right?
27:40Obviously you get medals and you get participation money.
27:43You don't get money if you win.
27:45I mean, you break it down for people who don't know,
27:48like that man on the bus was wondering,
27:50there's Jordan Childs, let's see if she got the Olympics,
27:52but how's she making some money?
27:53How do you get, what does that look like from the Olympics?
27:55Like, how do they pay you?
27:57So basically they pay by placing, third, second, and first.
28:01And how that works is you,
28:05obviously our team as a whole gets paid.
28:08We get a sum, the All of USA gets a sum.
28:13And so basically how it works is
28:16whatever medal placing you get is,
28:18there's a number that goes with it.
28:20I'm just gonna throw something out there,
28:22maybe like five, 10, 15, right?
28:24And so basically with each medal you get,
28:26you get a portion of the money,
28:29but obviously everything is divided.
28:33And so for you get first place,
28:35say that's 15 that goes to you.
28:37You get another first place, that's another 15.
28:39So it's by medal.
28:40And that's kind of how we get paid.
28:44But it's kind of hard to explain
28:47because not every sport gets the same amount.
28:50Yeah, it's different.
28:51It's all different.
28:52So gymnastics, we're like, okay.
28:55But since at first, like if this was my,
28:59before the NIL, since I'm in college,
29:03I wouldn't, excuse me,
29:04I wouldn't have been able to take the money
29:06because that's against college rules.
29:08But now since the NIL has.
29:10That's right, you are eligible for NIL.
29:12You're NIL?
29:14Yes.
29:14How's it working for you?
29:15Is that like lucrative?
29:16Like, is that good?
29:17It's, I give it a 50-50.
29:20Okay, like what is the misconceptions about there?
29:23Because people think the athlete,
29:24oh, y'all can make all the money in the world.
29:25No, no, no, it's just different.
29:26It depends on the athlete and the sport.
29:28Okay.
29:29I have to say that.
29:30Only because I don't play basketball,
29:32especially men's basketball.
29:34Yeah, but you, Jordan,
29:35you're picking up some basketball players.
29:35But listen, but listen,
29:37a majority of the stuff that I do isn't really NIL.
29:41It's all from pro side of things.
29:43So the very first NIL deal I ever did
29:49was back in, like, when it first came out.
29:52So I was like, okay, this is cool, this is great.
29:54But the only reason why I say it's 50-50
29:56is because they have to see it in a way of like,
30:01as a gymnast, we're not, you know,
30:03we can't just flip all the time.
30:06Like, we're not basketball players,
30:08we're not football players,
30:09especially on the men's side.
30:10Like, it just gets seen differently
30:12when it does come to NIL.
30:15And it's also a good thing
30:17because now athletes, for instance, like Angel Reese,
30:21she had the ability to go to, you know, school,
30:25get into, go to Chicago Sky,
30:27and it's like, she can still have NIL and pro as well.
30:33So it like, it just varies in a different way.
30:37But, I mean, I think it's an upcoming thing,
30:40and I think once they figure out their audience
30:42and what they have to do and all those things,
30:44I definitely can say, like, it's a great thing.
30:47I think people are taking it in a good way,
30:50but I feel like some may,
30:52are still trying to figure out how to work everything.
30:55Well, you have, just alone on Instagram,
30:571.5 million followers, right?
30:59How do you leverage that?
31:00Do brands come to you and they offer deals
31:02for you to post their stuff?
31:03I mean, how does that work?
31:04Do you leverage that at all?
31:05I don't do anything with my social media now.
31:09I can say now.
31:10My mom's probably laughing on the other side.
31:12I was gonna say,
31:12because your mom used to handle everything
31:13with the social media.
31:14Well, okay, so with that, she did handle it,
31:18and then by the time I turned 17 or 18,
31:21I said, okay, look, ma'am,
31:22you can't have my social media.
31:23I'm old enough.
31:25So I took it back,
31:27and then, now everything's kind of gotten a little crazy.
31:31Yeah, you had to give it back to someone.
31:32So she's taking it back,
31:34and she's doing all the social media stuff,
31:37but when it comes to brand stuff,
31:38I have an actual email that my agents get.
31:44So people can email them,
31:46or they may know my agents already,
31:49and they're just like, look,
31:51we have so-and-so, da-da-da,
31:52and they'll negotiate that way.
31:54Now, on the PR side, my publicist does all that.
31:58She is always pitching, doing,
32:00I don't even know how she gets
32:01half of the things that she does.
32:03She's like, okay, we have this, this, this.
32:04I get at least five emails in the span of two hours.
32:09Do you say no to some people?
32:10I do.
32:11Yes.
32:14I do say no to some people, yes.
32:17But you say yes a lot.
32:18But I say yes a lot only because
32:21I feel like I'm comfortable.
32:22Yeah.
32:23That's gonna be, it's gonna come back and bite you, though,
32:25so you can't say yes too much.
32:26Yes, I learned that.
32:28Yes.
32:29Simone has told me that.
32:30Yes, is that the biggest thing she taught you?
32:31You have to say no sometimes?
32:34But I'm just very, I'm very kind-hearted.
32:37I feel like when it,
32:38when I feel like I know your energy
32:40and I know that it's gonna be good
32:43and it's gonna be good for me,
32:45then I'll say yes.
32:46But no, there have been times where I've said no.
32:48Yeah.
32:49You have to.
32:50And I have to because I'm just like,
32:51eh, it's not on my brand, it's not me.
32:54I'm sorry.
32:55I just can't do it.
32:57I had Coco Goff and we were talking
32:58and I asked this question I'll ask you
33:00and I said, you know,
33:01if you had to pick one word
33:03to define your business empire
33:05and what you would like it to be,
33:06what word is that?
33:07She said timeless.
33:09She wants her business empire to be timeless, right?
33:12What is Jordan Childs?
33:13What's your one word?
33:14What do you want your business empire to be?
33:19She said timeless.
33:25Eternity.
33:26Eternity.
33:27Why eternity?
33:29Because I want to be able to still have a business
33:31whenever my life is done.
33:33Ooh.
33:34I love that.
33:35I still want to be known and have some-
33:37Like Michael Jackson,
33:38like he's still getting paid even though he's dead.
33:39I like that.
33:40Some sort of income,
33:42whether it goes to my children,
33:43whether it goes to my grandchildren,
33:45whether it goes to my nieces and my nephews.
33:47Nice.
33:48That's true generational wealth, right?
33:49You're still passing on.
33:51Eternity.
33:52Oh, that's a good one.
33:53Yeah, I love that.
33:53My dad's probably like, yes, on the other side.
33:57Got the million dollar question.
33:58First, have you made a million dollars?
34:02Yes.
34:03You have.
34:03Have you spent a million dollars?
34:08I couldn't tell you.
34:09Oh, okay.
34:09So, all right.
34:10So, we'll ask you,
34:11what's the biggest thing that you've purchased
34:12so far you've made a million dollars?
34:13The biggest thing you purchased
34:14or anything you would do differently?
34:16So, the biggest thing that I've purchased
34:19would probably be my house for my parents.
34:20Okay.
34:21Yeah, the house is in Houston
34:23and it's a pretty good, it's a decent house.
34:25Yeah.
34:26Basically, a gift to them of something that, you know,
34:29they had to sacrifice a lot for me
34:31and I wanted to be able to give back to them.
34:33Did you say, hey, here's your house,
34:34don't ask me for no money ever again?
34:37They actually don't ask me for anything.
34:38Okay.
34:39They're scared.
34:40Yeah, what are you just taking anyway?
34:41They know your account.
34:42No, they don't have my account.
34:44They don't?
34:44No.
34:45Oh, man, you gotta give your mom an account number.
34:46No.
34:47Well, how do you take care of business
34:48if something happens to you?
34:49My sister.
34:50Your sister?
34:51My personal assistant.
34:51Okay, the one that was doing your makeup in here?
34:52Nope, that's my HMU.
34:53That's, oh, okay.
34:54So, it's another one.
34:55Yeah.
34:56Oh, okay.
34:57She's my personal assistant.
34:57And trust me, she be calling my mom,
34:58what is she buying right now?
35:00What is she doing right now?
35:01And I'm like, Jade, I'm perfectly fine.
35:03Yeah, well, you're in New York,
35:04so you gotta go splurge in the city.
35:05Oh, I did already.
35:06That's right.
35:07Well, we got quality Italian dinner reservations.
35:09Exactly.
35:10And you're taking care of the bill.
35:11That Chanel bag you just saw earlier?
35:12Yeah, that's yours.
35:13I just got her yesterday as my Olympic gift to myself.
35:16Nice.
35:17So, yeah.
35:18Yeah, absolutely.
35:19Well, listen, I get you out of here on good to great,
35:20right, because you're in New York,
35:21you got time, you got things to do.
35:23Yes.
35:24What's the difference between a good gymnast
35:26and a great one?
35:29There's no difference.
35:30I think everybody who has talent
35:32and everybody who has a gift
35:33has the ability to become great if they want to.
35:36It's about the dedication.
35:37It's about striving for something greater.
35:40And if they have the mindset and the mentality
35:43to push forward into becoming an amazing athlete,
35:47then they can.
35:48So I don't consider anybody good, I don't consider,
35:51but it's the same thing to me.
35:53There's no two different,
35:54because you have the ability
35:56to really make your dream come true,
35:58if you want to do it.
35:59That's on you.
36:00It's your life.
36:01It's how you want to pursue something.
36:04So, yeah.
36:05Now, there's a difference between a goat
36:08and a great athlete.
36:09That's how I would see it.
36:10Yeah, well, I'm gonna get you back here
36:11once we do something.
36:12You'd make that billion dollars,
36:13and you definitely need a goat.
36:14Oh, I got you.
36:15Absolutely.
36:16Jordan Childs, thank you so much for the time.
36:18Congratulations.
36:18Happy birthday, right?
36:20Cheers to your 2024. In a month.
36:22And good luck.
36:24We'll see you in LA in 2028.
36:24I'm telling you, you're gonna be there.
36:26Yeah, we'll be there celebrating.
36:27Appreciate the time.
36:28Thank you so much.
36:29Jordan Childs, right here at Forbes.