Adam Rippon talks life after the Olympics: 'It feels like a weight lifted off my shoulders' (Exclusive)

Adam Rippon will forever be thankful for his time in the Olympics, but he's grateful to have that time in his rearview.

Since competing at the 2019 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the 29-year-old star has transformed his two weeks in the spotlight into a full-fledged career in show business. Between his popular YouTube channel, his stint on "Dancing With the Stars" and his appearance in Taylor Swift's "You Need To Calm Down" music video, Rippon has proven to be one of the industry's most versatile and entertaining stars, and his successes over the past year have come as a relief.

"It feels like a weight off my shoulders," Rippon told AOL at the New York stop for Delta Air Lines and American Express' #DeltaAmexPerks Perktoberfest Tour. "There have been a few times when I’ve been promoting my book, and some of my newer followers will see that and I’ll see in the comments that they’ll be like, 'I didn’t know he went to the Olympics.' Which is crazy, but love it. I want that to become my fun fact."

Rippon's aforementioned YouTube channel, which he launched earlier this year, has injected him into a whole new world, which has forced him to cultivate a whole new set of fans who, just like his new Instagram followers, might not even know that he made history at the 2018 Olympics as the United States' first openly gay athlete to medal at the Winter Olympics.

In other words, his foray into YouTube has afforded him a fresh start that many could only dream of.

"I didn’t come up in that world, but what I’ve learned -- and it’s kind of scary going into a new platform when you have a following [somewhere else] -- is that you start at zero, you have to find a new audience and learn from trying new things," Rippon explained. "All social media, if you use it in the right way, can be a great way to connect, and you can break down a lot of barriers."

He also tries to break down those walls with in-person interactions with fans. Rippon told AOL that he'll often get comments or tweets from fans who said they were too nervous to come up to him in person, adding that he encourages everyone to come up to him if they see him in public, as he considers "making people smile" to be part of his job.

In order to do that, though, he has to make sure to take ample time for himself to recharge.

"I don’t have to think about being ‘on,’ but, at home, I’m a quiet person and I love to have my alone time. I’m an introverted extrovert. I’m not about going out and partying. I don’t feel recharged from that. I love getting dinner with friends, but other than that I stay home," Rippon said. "No matter where I am, no matter what happens, whomever I meet I’m always giving them 100 percent, so sometimes I do need those days. We all go through that, because you want to give people your best and make people smile, so I try to take time for myself so I’m able to do that."

While that may sound like an unexpectedly tall task for someone like Rippon who is always on the go and seemingly always working on a new project, the former figure skater explained that his near-constant travel back-and-forth from Los Angeles to New York (which he says is a weekly occurrence) actually forces him to stay on top of his self-care routine.

"What helps me a lot when I’m traveling often is that, as soon as I get somewhere, I take a shower and throw on one of those sheet masks, so you wash that travel off and moisturize right away," he said, adding that he doesn't have a favorite face mask brand.

"Whatever’s the cheapest at Duane Reade," Rippon laughed. "The most important thing is that it’s on."

Find out more about the #DeltaAmexPerks Perktoberfest Tour here.