Kayla Nicole Reveals the Biggest ‘Challenge’ of Dating an Athlete — and the Advice She Has for Women Who Are (Exclusive)

Kayla Nicole was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce before calling it quits in May 2022

Kayla Nicole is reflecting on her past relationship.

The social media influencer opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about the "challenges" of dating a professional athlete and what she's learned from doing so following her on-again, off-again relationship with Travis Kelce, which ended in May 2022.

While chatting about her victorious season on Fox's Special Forces: World's Toughest Test on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Nicole explained that she was "proud" of herself upon winning the reality quasi-military training competition series because she did it with her "own grit and grind."

That's something she said was overlooked while dating a high-profile figure. "My success has been attributed to people that [she] was in close proximity to," she says, explaining, "That's something that happens to women all the time, especially just in the entertainment industry and public fields."

Related: Who Is Travis Kelce's Ex-Girlfriend? All About Kayla Nicole

When Nicole dated Kelce, she shared that she never identified with the term that's commonly used to define partners of professional athletes. "I never referred to myself as a W.A.G." she makes clear.

"I feel doctors' wives don't call themselves D.A.G.s... You know what I mean?" the sports broadcaster poses. "I don't know why that even became a thing aside from the TV show, but I get it."

Nicole went on to list the difficult aspects of pursuing a romantic relationship with an athlete, including the time consumption of their commitments to the team and constant travel for games.

"I think that dating an athlete is a choice and can be a challenge for any woman because I think that their schedules require a lot," she says. "Especially if it's long distance and you find yourself kind of putting your goals and your dreams on the back burner to support theirs."

Nicole concludes, "So I think finding that balance in life is definitely a struggle."

Related: Kayla Nicole Admits 'Exhausting' Online Trolling Over Travis Kelce Relationship Makes Her 'Question' Herself

Reflecting on her past and all that she's overcome to date — including the online negativity she's faced in the wake of their breakup, much of which she learns to tackle throughout Special Forces — Nicole has advice for those in a relationship with a professional player.

"So to anyone that's dating a pro athlete, I always say, 'Girl, put you first. Love your man down — but also remember who you are and what your goals are too,'" Nicole shares, noting that romances in the public eye aren't always what they may seem.

"I think too, we make it seem like it's such a glamorous lifestyle, but it's another human and it's another man," the influencer adds. "And I will stand on this hill that dating men in general is a challenge. So I don't care what his job is... If he's an athlete, a doctor, a lawyer, he works at FedEx. Good luck."

Nicole concludes, "It’s men that are the problem these days."

Related: Travis Kelce's Ex-Girlfriend Kayla Nicole Shares Praise for Him Ahead of Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship

Elsewhere in her interview with PEOPLE, Nicole opened up about whether she's ready to find love again having been vocal in the past about the "overwhelming" public attention she received after her split from Kelce.

"Love is one of the best parts of life," Nicole says of whether she's healed enough to open herself back up to a new romance. "I would never close myself off to ever experiencing love again."

She adds, "I think too, with love comes heartbreak and with heartbreak comes love. It's one and the same, and I would take the risk of heartbreak over and over if that meant that I get to experience love again."