This podcast series is all about talking to ‘everyday’ women about their journeys with sport. A few months back, I put out a rather vague and blanket post on some public Facebook groups I’m on, asking if there were any young women out there who wanted to share their story and their experience with sport. They could be of any ability, any age, any sexuality, any race, anything! Unbelievably, I received over 150 responses.
This podcast series is therefore a short collection of interviews I did with various different women. Some are elite athletes, some are newbies to their sport, some do sports I’d never even heard of!
Ultimately, the aim of this podcast is to either encourage you to get active, learn more about the sport we discuss, or simply just be inspired by the stories you hear.
Episode 1 – Mhairi Maclennan
My guest on this podcast is Mhairi Maclennan, who is an elite GB runner. She shared her amazing story with me about how she got into the sport and how she hopes to take it further, but also she very openly shared personal struggles she’s encountered in the sport, as well as wider issues amongst women in the sport.
Episode 2 – Athalia Ibanga
My guest on this podcast is Athalia Ibanga, who is an elite GB Handball player. I spoke to Athalia about her journey in the sport. It’s a sport that perhaps very few of us know much about, or we only see once every 4 years at the Olympics. But Athalia speaks so passionately about her sport and encouraging others to take it up or take an interest. She also shares her very honest experiences with body image as a young woman in the sport.
Episode 3 – Feiya Hu and Lucja Kostrzewa
My guests on this podcast are Feiya Hu and Lucja Kostrzewa, who are both involved in the sport of pole dancing in Edinburgh. It’s a sport that involves so much strength, confidence, and body acceptance. However, it’s also a sport that is often over-sexualised and rife with misconceptions. I loved speaking to Feiya and Lucja about their journeys with the sport and their desire to get more men and women into it.
Episode 4 – Saoirse Healey
The fourth episode of the podcast is out now!! This week I speak with the brilliant Saoirse Healey. As a kickboxer, Saoirse was great to talk to and really open about her journey within the sport. We spoke specifically about people’s gendered misconceptions outside and within the sport, as well as the impact that physical expectations to compete successfully have on your more general self-esteem. I hope you enjoy it and be sure to tune in next week for a story of another everyday woman in sport.
Episode 5 – Mhairi McLaughlin
This week’s episode is with the Great Britain Fencer, Mhairi McLaughlin. I’ve always been fascinated by fencing and its cultural significance and history. Every time the Olympics comes around, fencing is always one of those sports that I get massively into it, even when I don’t really know what’s going on. But it goes without saying, that the sport of fencing, is so much more than just what we see once every 4 years, so I got Mhairi on to tell me a bit more about that and challenge those preconceptions about it. Thank you for listening and be sure to tune in next week for another story about an everyday woman in sport.
Episode 6 – Amani Yousef
This week’s episode is with the amazing Amani Yousef. Amani is a Basketball player, who came from occupied Palestine where her involvement with Basketball had been limited to being a spectator and admirer from afar. When Amani came over to the UK, she was quickly identified as a potential talent and has since gone on to play the sport to a high level. We also spoke about her Grandfather who was a sports journalist who faced much criticism and fear in his job in Palestine. My chat was Amani was so inspiring and a perfect example of how sport at its purest can help with overcoming any adversity. Thank you to Amani for chatting with me and be sure to tune in next for another story of an everyday woman in sport.
Episode 7 – Vaila Chapman
In this episode, we talk to Vaila Chapman. Vaila is an ex-competitive snowboarder and now a skateboarder living in Edinburgh. Vaila has a particularly interesting experience with sport. They competed in snowboarding at the top level when they were younger, but since that, Vaila has gone on to use they/them pronouns, and most interestingly has set up a Queer skating group in Edinburgh. So I wanted to get Vaila on not only to talk about their incredible sporting achievements but also their journey with gender identity through the lens of sport. I hope you enjoyed this episode and be sure to check out the Queer Skate Collective on Instagram.
Episode 8 – Eva Piroth
In this episode, we talk to Eva Piroth. By spot, Eva is a wrestler and we got her on the podcast to dispel all the misconceptions about the sport, especially surrounding women’s involvement. Believe it or not, wrestling is more than just Hulk Hogan and John Cena! I hope you enjoyed this episode and be sure to tune in next week for another story of an everyday woman in sport.
Episode 9 – Sorsha Caldwell and Kirsty Titterton
This week’s two (!) guests are Sorsha Caldwell and Kirsty Titterton, both of whom are involved in the wonderful sport of surfing, just in different ways. Now surfing is one of those sports that everyone wishes they were better at! So we’ve got Sorsha and Kirsty on to talk a bit more about the sport and the different ways you can get involved. I hope you enjoy this episode and thanks so much to both of you for coming on!
Episode 10 – Bekah Johnston
This week’s guest is the lovely Bekah Johnston, who by day is currently training to be a lawyer, working as a paralegal at a firm in Guernsey and by sport is a competitive figure skater turned weightlifter. Now one wouldn’t necessarily think that that is a natural progression, but we had to get Bekah on to tell us a bit more about that transition! We challenge myths around the sport of weight-lifting and discuss Bekah’s place as a young woman in the very male-dominated sport. I hope you enjoy this episode and thanks to Bekah for coming on!
The Level Playing Field 