x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan

Ashley Cain & Dani Aravich

Flame Bearers is a women"s sports storytelling studio. We tell stories via video production, podcasts, and live events and have supported just shy of 400 world-class athletes from 52 countries.In a landscape where 85% of coverage is dedicated to men and the remaining 15% often highlights a narrow segment of women athletes, we broaden the lens to highlight diverse voices. Why? Because we’re here to inspire the next generation of athletes, centering their stories on their terms. Our mission is to

sports personal journals

All Episodes

74:50

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2024/02/28

This episode is co-hosted by Michelle's son, Cody. As Michelle shares, "If you want to know who I am, Cody has been with me through it all." According to Cody, growing up, "my classmates and teachers would pull me aside and say, 'we know who your Mom is,' but for me, she was just my Mom."Michelle was born 6 years before Title IX, and never got to watch women compete growing up. Her hero was Super Bowl champ, Mean Joe Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle. She didn't have a

en-us

36:48

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Tara...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2024/02/22

It’s been a few months since the World Cup, but we committed to telling the stories of the entire first USWNT, so we tracked down one of the two outstanding players. Here she is! Tara Buckley O'Sullivan, grew up doing everything with her twin sister, Moira. The duo would go to their older brother's soccer games, and then their younger brother's games. When Tara and Moira were watching younger brother, Danny play, his coach asked Mrs. Buckley, "why don't you dress your girls up like

en-us

29:52

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2024/02/02

Yes, it’s been a few months since the World Cup, but we committed to telling the stories of the entire first USWNT, so we tracked down one of the two outstanding players. Here she is! Sharon was the first woman to be named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year and according to Michelle Akers, she's the ultimate badass. "You showed up at the game on a motorcycle and picture me, I'm just sitting on the ground, just happy to be there and totally intimidated, but you, Sharon show up on this

en-us

28:06

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Kim...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/28

Kim Crabbe was the first African-American to roster on the USWNT. She was on the 1986 team, but given that we've been telling the stories of the original USWNT trailblazers, Kim needed to be celebrated. According to longtime friend and soccer leader, Samuel Okpodu, Kim is the "Cinderella of soccer...Today everybody's enjoying it, but nobody remembers how it all started. Kim started it all" at a time when black girls didn't really play soccer. According to sister, Kacey, while

en-us

18:33

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/24

Denise was a swimmer, diver, gymnast, and track and field athlete before becoming a soccer player at 14. That said, Washington had strong support for women's soccer at the time, so once she was hooked, she was all in on soccer. Hilariously, Denise and Michelle have a moment where they both share how they felt playing against each other. Hint: they were both intimidated. As Denise offers, Michelle and others were her "idols back then...I tried to get my game up to be able to handle

en-us

15:12

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Pam...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/23

Pam was working in the credit department of JCPenney when she got a call from The Washington Post asking her about making the first U.S. Women's National Team -- she hadn't heard from U.S. Soccer yet, so she wasn't sure what was happening. The Post had the scoop -- she was on the team. The first USWNT. Flash forward and though she's no longer a professional player, she's held onto her competitive spirit. Over the years, she's hiked the Appalachian Trail. 3 TIMES. She jumped into

en-us

21:16

Special Edition: U.S. Soccer Originals (Cindy Gordon)

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/21

*Content Warning: This episode includes stories of sexual abuse. This production contains material of a highly sensitive nature including stories of sexual grooming and manipulation that may be triggering. Resources provided below.* Cindy remembers going to her brothers' soccer games to watch. "They didn't have girls soccer then, and I was dying to play... I remember standing on the sidelines thinking, 'Oh, well, maybe somebody will get hurt and they won't have enough players and

en-us

17:30

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Kathy...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/18

While Kathy (or Ridgey as she was called) had older sisters, she grew up playing with the boys, and doing so in what SHE wanted to wear. Just as Kathy started public elementary school, the rules changed to allow girls to wear pants (Kathy's older sisters had been required to wear dresses or skirts). As Kathy shares, Mom "tried to get me in dresses on picture day, and I would sneak out my brother's hand me downs." Michelle can relate... By fourth grade, Kathy was faster than all of

en-us

24:19

Special Edition: U.S. Soccer Originals (Ann Orrison...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/18

Nobody in Ann's family played soccer, so at 12, she went to the town firehouse to sign herself up -- she strategically jotted down "goalie" because she thought it increased her odds of making the team. Flash forward to UVA, and Ann is playing field hockey to help with the costs, yet she returned home on weekends without games to play soccer. UVA didn't have a women's soccer team at the time. After making the first USWNT in 1985, Ann became an engineer, partially because of the

en-us

29:59

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Kim...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/16

Kim Wyant is used to being the first. She recorded the first USWNT goalkeeper win, the first shutout, the first anterior ACL injury (was the first goalie to be replaced by a field player, shoutout Lori Henry), was one of the first female BMX riders, and as of eight years ago (in 2015) became the only female head coach of an NCAA men’s soccer team (things have changed as we'll hear...) Needless to say, Kim is a Flame Bearer in so many ways. Today we sit down with Kim to discuss her

en-us

15:18

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Lori...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/15

When asked to recall her first soccer memory, Lori shares her team’s post-game tradition: whether they won or lost, 6-year old Lori and team would go to the nearby hamburger establishment and chow down on free french fries. And while the teams have changed over the years, Lori’s love for the game has only kept growing. Flash forward to 1985, and Lori had "no clue what to expect" when it came to the national team. According to her she was "so happy, surprised and excited to be a part

en-us

24:07

Special Edition: U.S. Soccer Originals (Emily Pickering)

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/14

Emily grew up as #7 of 8 kids so she always had someone to play with...and she played every sport possible, particularly enjoying team sports. Older sister, Aimee describes Emily's "quiet strength" and "natural leadership" at a young age. Coach Mike Ryan called Emily a "maverick" because she tucked in her shirt sleeves, and wore her soccer socks down. "Mike was considering not taking us because he considered us mavericks" she shares, speaking of herself and co-host Michelle Akers

en-us

18:44

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Tucka...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/10

Margaret (or as she goes by in soccer, Tucka) grew up in Palo Alto, California, where there were three teams for players ages 10-16. Tucka made the All Star team as a 10 year old, and she didn't stop there... She shares about her time at Cal (currently tied with Alex Morgan at #3 for most goals scored), moving abroad to Germany and getting a job at a shoe heeling company, and the realities of pro life: "numbers were spray painted on the hotel doors." But according to Tucka, they

en-us

19:08

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Lori...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/09

When Lori Henry talks about her six year run on the USWNT, she talks about the "little moments along the way," the moments she says that changed her life. She describes making the first team, being the last name called and not hearing it, but having her teammates jump on her in a pig pile. Even the way Lori introduced herself to us was full of humility, "Lori Henry, defender on the '85 original team and made it to the World Cup in '91. Oh, and the captain." Getting there was quite

en-us

17:20

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Linda...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/08

Linda Gancitano was the first girl on her high school boy's soccer team, so she got to play alongside her younger brother, Nick. According to Nick, even at an early age, Linda "never took any guff from anyone" and would slide tackle the biggest male forwards. Flash forward to University of Central Florida (UCF) and Linda was a veteran on the team when Michelle Akers joined -- ironically, the entire time, Michelle thought she was going to get cut. Linda shares that the team had an

en-us

17:49

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/07

Stacey Enos is one of the three original University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels to blaze the trail to the USWNT. Stacey was actually the FIRST Tar Heel to earn a cap for the USWNT, but Stacey was used to being the first, or the only one doing something. "I had to play with the boys. I couldn't be afraid. When you got knocked down, I had to pick myself back up," she says. Stacey was the '85er responsible for the recent reunion of the 1985 team, the first reunion since the

en-us

23:11

Special Edition: U.S. Women's Soccer Originals (Ruth...

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/08/04

"What a gritty bunch, you know?" was Ruth Harker's response when asked about her team, the original USWNT. Ruth grew up with her Mom and older brother Steven (who she calls the Harker 'golden boy') who would put peanut butter on her face and hold her down while their dog licked it off. She was a tough cookie who once allowed to play sports, whole heartedly threw herself into them all. She started in goal because she started playing at 14, and "didn't have any foot skills" and the

en-us

30:13

Sofia Goggia (Italy): Defying the Downhill

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/06/21

Sofia grew up wanting to do everything her older brother, Tommaso did, so when he took to the slopes, she begged her Mom to let her join. At 6, she forecasted her future: she wanted to be a famous ski racer who would win World Cups. Flash forward to today, and she's crowned the 'queen of speed' with 3x World Cup Downhill title wins and 2x Olympic medals including the first for Italy in her discipline (downhill). That said, Sofia wants her episode to focus on her comebacks, and how

en-us

22:03

Yip Pin Xiu (Singapore): Swimming & Solidarity

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/06/08

Yip Pin Xiu is a "born and bred city girl', having grown up in Singapore with her close-knit family flying kites, playing in the sand pool, and at five, getting in the with her brothers. Swimming started as a family activity. Fast forward to 2008, and Pin Xiu became Singapore's first ever Paralympic gold medalist. She now has 5 Paralympic golds and 5 World Championships. She was the first para athlete inducted into Singapore’s Sports Hall of Fame (2015) and a proud inductee of the

en-us

34:46

Sam Mewis & Lynn Williams (USA): Soccer & SNACKS

Flame Bearers: Making It To Milan ·

2023/05/24

Sam Mewis grew up flipping over rocks in the woods of Massachusetts hunting for salamanders, while Lynn Williams grew up on a pecan farm with her "huge family of non-farmers" in Clovis, California. Flash forward and the two are inseparable. According to Sam & Lynn, they're in a "very serious platonic friendship." As former roomies who dominated the field together, gone through injuries and covid together, and yes, even podcasted together, they've seen each other through it all. As

en-us

165 results

Similar Podcasts

Keeping Karlsson Fantasy Hockey Podcast

Elan Dubrofsky and Brian Kom

Daily Fantasy Sports by Ship It Nation

Ship It Nation

Fantasy Football Today

CBS Sports, Fantasy Football, FFT, NFL,...

Bring The Pain

Heat00veride

ESPN SportsCenter Update

ESPN