Flame Bearers

Camila goes by Cami, Pirelli, or Pantera Guaraní, the Guaraní Panther; Guarani is the language, and culture of the community of people Camila belongs to, and for Camila, it's important to honor where she comes from. Today, we spotlight Paraguayan track and field star, Pantera, who holds more than a dozen gold and silver medals nationally. Her expertise is Heptathlon, a 7-event competition includin...

The last time we heard from USA Sitting Volleyball star, Nicky Nieves, she was gearing up for the Tokyo Paralympics, hot after winning gold in Rio. We focused on her identity as an Afro Latina and Black Lives Matter (BLM). I asked her if we have made any progress since our last conversation, "I feel like people are more aware of the differences within race. They're more aware of micro aggressions...

We met Nicky Nieves, USA Sitting Volleyball in Season 1. Our conversation focused on her identity as a proud Afro Latina and the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, we catch up with since our last conversation in the fall of 2020. Nicky's full episode launches Wednesday, April 12th.

Masomah is the first female Olympic cyclist from Afghanistan, and getting to the Olympics hasn't just been a battle against her own skills and competitors, but also against the Taliban. In this episode, Masomah discusses her departure from Afghanistan, journey to Tokyo as part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Team, and how she cycles for not only freedom but also for the solida...

Masomah is the first woman Olympic cyclist from Afghanistan. Her fight to compete and to the podium hasn't just been against her own records and competitors, but with the Taliban. Tune in next Wednesday for Masomah's full episode, in which we discuss her rise to Tokyo as part of the Olympic Refugee team, her bold escape from Afghanistan, and how she cycles for not only freedom but for the solidari...

Victoria considers herself a proud "Puerto Rican American." Having grown up in the Houston, Texas area. she "was considered a Latina," but then when she went to Puerto Rico, she "was seen as American." According to Victoria, for some, her personal identity falls in a bit of a "gray area." In today's interview, we spotlight Taekwondo superstar, Victoria Stambaugh. She talks about her Puerto Rican i...

Ritah lost her hand when machete and hammer-wielding thieves broke into her Grandma's house in 2005. Today, Ritah is the African Para Badminton Champion and was one of only four Ugandan Paralympians who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics. Today she opens up about losing her hand, and how she's moved forward (including relearning how to write after becoming left-handed). Her north star? Making t...

Sneak peek of our upcoming episode with Ugandan Para Badminton Champ, Rita Asiimwe. Ritah was one of 4 Ugandan Paralympians who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics. In her episode, she shares about defending her family against thieves who broke into her grandma’s home, losing her arm to these thieves who assaulted her with machetes and hammers, and how she makes the most of every day.

23-year old Qatari track star Kenza Sossé, qualified for Tokyo, and then days before her flight to Japan, tested positive for COVID-19. After years training for the Olympics, she had watch from a room in Morocco. Her response? She "went back to training harder than ever." In today's conversation, Kenza shares for the first time publicly about the pain of her Olympic dreams being deferred and how s...

Sneak peek of our upcoming episode with 23 year old Qatari track and field star, Kenza Sossé. Kenza shares about her experience qualifying for the Games and then testing positive for COVID-19 the week of her departure for Tokyo...In Kenza's full episode, she discusses her bounce back after missing the Olympics, and her commitment to the Arab Women's Movement. Tune in next week for her full story....

We met Manasi Joshi in Season 1, when she discussed losing her leg, rehabbing through badminton, and disability policy in India. Today, we follow up with Manasi since our last conversation in the fall of 2020. We discuss her rise to world #1 in both parabadminton singles and mixed doubles and her hopes for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She also discusses receiving India's Arjuna Award from the Presi...

Sneak peek of our upcoming episode with Manasi Joshi, #1 in Parabadminton singles and doubles. This episode is an Athlete Follow Up with Manasi, who we spotlighted in Season 1. If you would like to hear Manasi's backstory, go back and give her original episode a listen. Manasi's full episode launches 2/2.

Liu Jiayu goes by Birdie because of the height she gets in the half-pipe -- she FLIES. That said, it hasn't always this way. Liu Jiayu started snowboarding at age 11 when the sport didn't really exist in China, so she didn't have people on the mountain she could copy or learn from...she spent her first day falling down the mountain: "It was the kind of day I'll never forget" she says. Flash forwar...

We heard from quite a few of you that you liked our sneek peaks of upcoming episodes, so given our bi-weekly publishing schedule, we'll drop trailers for who is next in the off weeks. Next week we spotlight Chinese snowboarding phenom, Liu Jiayu. Here's just a bit of what you can expect. Tune in next Wednesday, January 18th for her full story!

We met Alejandra when she did a Flame Bearers social media takeover in the lead up to the Tokyo Paralympics, showing us a day in her life. Alejandra now shares her more including how she went from not knowing how to swim to Paralympian in 7 years. "In 2015 when I started swimming, there was no national para team...so I was responsible for 100% of the resources to compete and train. I had to work 9...

We want to honor Alejandra's story to the best of our abilities, so because of the holidays and New Year, we will publish her episode next Wednesday, 1/4. That said, here’s a bit of what you can expect. Tune in next week for her full story!

Dr. Seun Adigun is the first African to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. She spearheaded the first female bobsled team from her country, and track and field runner but that’s not all, she’s also a biomechanist, chiropractor and founder. According to Dr. Adigun, "You have to pave the way so that others can follow." She's deeply dedicated to making sure that while she was the first, s...

Every 4th episode this season, we’ll circle back with an athlete we’ve previously worked with to update you on her life and what we previously discussed. In Season 1, Deja focused on her ongoing battles with mental health and her attempted suicide. In this new episode, we discuss Deja’s life two years later. She opens up about the huge relief she felt after the Tokyo Paralympics, the birth of her...

We want to honor Deja’s story to the best of our abilities, so because this week is Thanksgiving in the United States, we will publish her episode next Wednesday, 11/30. That said, here’s a bit of what you can expect. Tune in next week for her full story!

Alexa is a 2x Olympian (Tokyo and Rio) and the first Mexican woman to win a World Championship Medal. She's one of the 100 most powerful women in Mexico (via Forbes Magazine), yet according to her manager, Frida Martinez, "She doesn't know she's a role model. That's her superpower. She doesn't know she's that big." In this episode we hear about Alexa's tumultuous rode to Tokyo, her recovery after...

Diede de Groot has won 31 majors, is the current world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, and achieved a Golden Grand Slam: winning all four major tournaments in a calendar year (2021). She's also a force off the court; Diede advocates for people with disabilities and adaptive clothing. "It's not always easy to find the proper clothing for people with disabilities." As Diede has racked up record-b...

Sue is one of the most iconic athletes in the world: she's been a professional athlete for 20 years, won 5 gold Olympic medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) and has become one of the most outspoken advocates for social change. Further, between her Olympic and FIBA World Cup medals, she holds the most medals of any basketball athlete in the world (male or female). She also holds 4 WNBA and 2 NCAA...

Flame Bearers: Keeping the Fire Burning spotlights women Olympians and Paralympians who sought to compete in the Tokyo Summer or Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In this season, we discuss what happens AFTER the Games, when the fans and cameras go home. We’re going beyond the glamour to see how these women stay focused when the focus isn’t on them. First full episode drops Wednesday, Octob...

Simidele (Simi) was the first African and black woman to compete in Skeleton at the Olympics, and more recently, the first African to take home gold at an international bobsled competition: "We don't have the facilities [in Nigeria], and we don't have the equipment, so to know that I was going into that space with a lot of barriers, and to know that I was still able to win was very symbolic. It sh...

In light of Russian war on Ukraine, this special edition episode is different than our normal episodes. In an effort to elevate Ukranian voices and the connection between sports and politics, we speak with three elite Ukrainian athletes: Valentina Molchanets (Professional Triathlete and European Champion, Aquathlon, U23), Vita Oleksiuk (Paralympian, Currently #5 in World Paratriathlon ranking, 10t...