Podcast Summary: Baby, This is Keke Palmer

Episode: Finding Your Why with Jordan Chiles
Host: Keke Palmer | Guest: Jordan Chiles
Date: November 11, 2025

Overview

In this energizing and deeply personal episode, Keke Palmer sits down with two-time Olympian, world champion gymnast, and author Jordan Chiles. The conversation goes well beyond sports, exploring themes of resilience, identity, systemic injustice, family, sisterhood, and self-empowerment. Jordan shares the story behind her Olympic medal controversy, the challenges of being a Black and Latina athlete in a predominately white sport, healing from trauma, and finding her “why.” Along the way, she and Keke celebrate their cultural heritage, swap life lessons, and share plenty of laughter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life After the Olympics: Finding Fun and Self-Discovery

[01:36–02:23]

• Jordan reflects on her whirlwind year—Nike Super Bowl ad, Time Woman of the Year, and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.
• She emphasizes having fun, exploring her identity at 24, and authentically pursuing opportunities.

Quote:

"I feel like this time of era, being 24, is just having fun. Finding your identity, finding who you are and just enjoying life."
—Jordan Chiles [01:54]

2. Representation and the Power of Women in Sports

[02:23–02:55]

• Jordan recounts experiences at Cannes, meeting industry leaders and discussing the importance of women’s visibility in sports marketing.
• Both women underscore how seeing diverse athletes is inspiring compared to what they saw growing up.

3. Astrology, Personality, and Leadership

[03:12–04:10]

• Keke teases Jordan about her Aries sun and Taurus cusp, leading to reflections on leadership, loyalty, and helping others even to one's own detriment.

4. The Olympic Medal Controversy: Inquiry, Human Error, and Racism

[05:14–07:41]

• Jordan explains the medal being stripped was due to a timing error in submitting an inquiry— a mistake by an official, not wrongdoing on her part.
• The emotional impact was compounded when she received racist backlash and felt the rigging of a system against her.

Quote:

"There’s video proof and all this stuff. So it was a devastating time and...I did go to a deep, deep, deep, deep down under."
—Jordan Chiles [06:56]

• Keke draws parallels with the all-too-frequent experience of Black excellence being questioned or undermined.
• Jordan describes the pain of hateful comments and suicide encouragements from trolls, highlighting the rare reality of an all-Black podium and how that threatened some viewers.

Quote:

"They didn’t want to see three beautiful Black women standing on that podium. They didn’t want to see the fact that we were just dominating."
—Jordan Chiles [08:59]

5. Navigating Intersectional Identity (Black, Latina, Biracial)

[09:18–11:50]

• Jordan has faced both external racism and intra-community comments about not being “Black enough.”
• She shares a formative story about her coach not believing her Latin mother was her mom.
• Jordan embraces both cultures and proudly identifies as Afro-Latina, choosing to write her own narrative.

Quote:

"My identity is something that I am still finding and I'm getting to choose and I get to explore and I get to, you know, embrace."
—Jordan Chiles [11:11]

6. Advice to Young Women Facing Systemic Barriers

[11:57–13:22]

• Jordan encourages young women to hold onto their dreams and keep fighting, stressing the importance of knowing and honoring their personal “why.”

Quote:

"Always believe in the power of your dreams...it honestly has something to do with your own personality, your own, you being authentic to who you are."
—Jordan Chiles [12:44]

Keke asks her “what is your why?” [13:22]

• Jordan’s why: Being a role model and blazing a trail so the younger generation can feel empowered and believe "I’m that girl." [13:23]

7. The Power of Family, Upbringing, and Self-Discipline

[14:25–15:53 / 30:08–33:07]

• Jordan credits her discipline and resilience to her family’s values: “We don’t quit in things...failing, yes, but quitting, no.”
• Shares how her family sacrificed for her career; now she gives back, such as by buying her parents a house.

Quote:

"I didn’t grow up in a family of quitters...we can fail 100 times...but quitting, no."
—Jordan Chiles [14:41]

• Her sisters now work with her as HMU (hair/makeup) and personal assistant.

8. Sisterhood and Support Systems

[15:53–17:20]

• The mutual support with Simone Biles—Jordan stepping in for Simone; Simone supporting Jordan through her controversy.
• Demonstrates how true sisterhood is radical and necessary in competitive environments for women of color.

Quote:

"When you have that relationship, you can kind of, you know, feel like, okay, we’re both going in the same direction, and we can conquer in both."
—Jordan Chiles [16:57]

9. Writing Her Memoir: “I’m That Girl”

[17:21–25:37]

• Jordan always envisioned writing a book to reclaim her own narrative.
• Details trauma revisited in writing—racist microaggressions, a coach cutting off her braids, and more.
• Publishing the book was cathartic and a way to put down the weight of trauma.

Quote:

“When I close my book and look at the front cover, I get to say, you know, I am that girl. I am that person that went through all of that, but I get to still be..."
—Jordan Chiles [25:05]

10. Body Image, Food, and Injury

[25:37–30:07]

• Open conversation about body image issues and eating struggles in gymnastics.
• Jordan discusses restrictive eating expectations and the weird relationship athletes develop with food—including not wanting to drink water before events because they can “feel it” flipping.
• Coming to terms with food allergies, letting go of standard diets, and learning what works for her own body.

Quote:

"Create your mind to understand that your body is always going to change...it will get to its form when it's needed."
—Jordan Chiles [29:37]

11. Embracing the Role as Family Provider

[31:24–33:07]

• Jordan discusses the pride and responsibility of being the family member who “makes it,” especially for marginalized communities where generational wealth is often absent.
• She’s grown into this role and sees it as her opportunity for uplift, not a burden.

12. Building a Brand & Guiding the Next Generation: Shiro Initiative

[34:00–36:23]

• Jordan’s entrepreneurial spirit started early, learning business fundamentals from her mother.
• Launching “Shiro” to mentor girls/young women, inspired by her late aunt who called her a "woman hero."
• Intends to help young athletes find themselves outside sports.

Quote:

“Basically, Shiro, my aunt passed away...she always told me I was her hero...my woman hero. So that's where Shiro came into play.”
—Jordan Chiles [34:48]

13. Navigating Dating as a Super-Busy Athlete

[36:23–39:34]

• Jordan confirms she’s single and describes the challenges of dating with a demanding schedule.
• Prefers not to date within gymnastics, but is open to athletes in other sports.

14. Playful “Spill the Beams” Game

[39:47–46:07]

• Keke and Jordan play balance-beam-themed truth-or-dare, sharing petty stories, fake excuses, performance regrets, and “Met Gala” poses.
• Lighthearted moments peppered with inside jokes and mutual hype.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On systemic bias:
  "The only other time I've heard people get their medal stripped is because of doping...I'm in awe." —Jordan [07:15]

• On racism in gymnastics:
  "My coach didn't believe my mom was my mom because I was Black, but my mom's Latin." —Jordan [10:49]

• On sisterhood:
  "Her being able to support me in this situation and giving me...tactics, being like, look, I'm here for you, I understand what's happening. We're gonna do everything we can to make sure, and we're gonna continue to fight." —Jordan [16:18]

• On writing her story:
  "People have narratives, right. You can go on Twitter and they can say this and the other. I've gone through a lot of crazy things within my life, which, you know, I can say thank you. But at the same time, why. Why me, God?" —Jordan [18:00]

• On family sacrifice:
  "The first thing I did...I didn't even buy my own self a house. I bought my parents a house." —Jordan [31:24]

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Medal Controversy & Racism: [05:14–08:59]
• Navigating Biracial Identity: [09:18–11:50]
• Advice to Young Women: [11:57–13:22]
• Sisterhood with Simone Biles: [15:53–17:20]
• Memoir Writing & Trauma: [17:21–25:37]
• Body Image & Food: [25:37–30:07]
• Family & Giving Back: [31:24–33:07]
• Brand Building & “Shiro” Initiative: [34:00–36:23]
• Dating & Relationships: [36:23–39:34]
• Game Segment: [39:47–46:07]

Tone & Takeaways

• Empowering: Listeners are encouraged to pursue their purpose (“find your why”) despite setbacks, discrimination, or self-doubt.
• Candid & Uplifting: Both Keke and Jordan share and validate real struggles from personal, cultural, and professional perspectives.
• Funny & Relatable: The mood is balanced by laughter, pop culture references, and an honest glimpse into both women’s personalities.

Closing Reflection

Jordan Chiles exemplifies strength beyond the gold—her story is about forging your path, lifting up others as you climb, confronting systems that put you down, and showing that greatness is defined by authenticity, not approval.
As Keke sums up:

“She is that girl. Not because anyone else said so, but because she knows it for herself.” [46:46]