Her Call Podcast

It is my pleasure to platform Leslie Tamayo, a wrestling official from Tucson, Arizona! Leslie has officiated matches at the collegiate and international levels and is a leader in her field. We had a great conversation about the nitty-gritty of moving up on the mat, as well as how Leslie meets the challenges of motherhood and her full-time job alongside the pressures of officiating. Leslie will be...

What a pleasure it was to talk with track official Wendy Wortmann from Hartington, NE, who is fresh off another Nebraska State Track Meet. After a storied track career as an athlete at Doane, Wendy started working as a track official and has logged 21 straight years at the annual championships in Nebraska. Wendy and I talk about what it takes to be a good track official, how to balance her love of...

I am thrilled to put this podcast into the world! Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling is a former NBA official with a pretty amazing officiating resume. But what strikes me even more is Lauren’s thoughtfulness and wisdom—and you will see what I mean when you listen in! Lauren worked in the NBA for 10 years, as the third female to ever don the stripes in the league. She talks about the journey that brought he...

On the podcast this month is Brittney Hageman from Omaha, Nebraska! Brittney is an accomplished soccer official who works both high school and NCAA Division I matches. Of her many accolades, none compares to her “soccer grand slam.” Listen in to learn more about this amazing achievement! Brittney also gives back to the game through her work with the Nebraska Referee Development Program , where she...

Greta Langhenry is a two-time honors graduate of the Wendelstedt Umpire School and the MiLB Advanced Course. In 2019, Greta became the first female umpire in history to work in the Coastal Plain League and the Florida Collegiate Summer League. 1 That being said, Greta is, first and foremost, a flat-out good human being. Harry would be so proud. And I’m proud to know her as well. Muhammad Ali said,...

If there’s one thing I hope you’ve learned from this podcast, it’s that officiating takes grit, and Christin Benson is chock-full of it. Christin is a high school and college wrestling official from Omaha, Nebraska. Although she has worn the stripes for a short period, she brings insight and perspective well beyond her years of experience. Christin and I had a great discussion about overcoming dou...

The Her Call Podcast is one year strong, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this milestone with some of my favorite people and dearest friends. Shannon Eggers, Brooke Schwartz, and Nicole Wagner are basketball officials who have become my “tribe” — that small group of people who show up through thick and thin. Shannon, Brooke, and Nicole share their hard-earned wisdom about how to survive...

When you meet a swim official, you are most likely meeting someone with a generous heart and the volunteer spirit. Andrea Kelley exemplifies this ethos to a T! Like so many swim officials, Andrea started officiating to help out at her kids’ swim meets. What began as an act of kindness has bloomed into, as Andrea calls it, an “expensive hobby”. Andrea is warm-hearted and generous. She is also quite...

Calling all moms, friends of moms, spouses of moms, kids of moms—do I have a podcast episode for you! This is an episode for anyone and everyone, because we all know a mom, and there are a lot of them in the officiating ranks. Laura Praus, a volleyball official from Nebraska, and I tackle our experience as reffing moms in this open, honest, and vulnerable conversation. Laura is also a board member...

I want to reintroduce two football officials to you on this month’s podcast! Kelli Kaps (Sutherland, NE) and Heather Lee (North Platte, NE) spoke with me recently about their seasons. We had a ton of fun chatting about how they got started as officials, what they’ve been surprised about, and how gosh dang hard it is to find a good pair of football officiating pants. Kelli and Heather are two footb...

The purpose of Her Call is to advocate for greater female presence in sports officiating. Achieving that goal takes a village, and I’m glad to have Ron Higdon as a part of this village. Ron understands the benefit of adding females to the officiating ranks, and he is intentional toward advancing this goal. He brings a wealth of experience from his coaching days to his current position, and he has...

If you were around when Her Call launched in September 2024, you might remember my story about this week’s guest (read that story here ). Kim Kwapnioski, a volleyball official from Columbus, Nebraska, joined me again in June to continue our conversation. We discussed her experience, spanning 32 years as a registered volleyball official, and her more recent roles as an NSAA Evaluator and NHSOA Boar...

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Jennifer Schwartz, Executive Director of the NSAA. Jennifer discusses her 25-year career with the organization, shares some of her proudest moments, and offers encouragement to officials. Jennifer is a seasoned professional, innovative, and kind-hearted. I so enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you do too! To sign up for the NSAA Officials Summit on A...

Sandra Serafini is a former FIFA soccer referee and current evaluator and trainer of soccer referees around the world. She also enjoyed a 17-year career in academia at Duke University with an emphasis in neuroscience/neurosurgery. Simply put, Fini, as she is known by those around her, is, as they say, kind of a big deal. It was an honor to interview such an accomplished person, but talking with Sa...

You are going to love this episode! Sara Sinani, a track official from Olathe, Kansas, talks about how starting a race is much more than just shooting a gun. We get into the nitty gritty of her craft and have a wonderful conversation about balancing our officiating lives with our relationships and careers. I highlighted Sara on the Her Call platform in March—you can read that piece here . Sara is...

I introduced Megan Herz to you on the Her Call Platform last week, and this week we will continue the conversation! In this episode, I talk with Megan about how she learns her game, and she gives some suggestions for networking. We also talk about officiating at the college level. We discuss camps and clinics, the challenges of working at this higher level, and how this challenge can make us bette...

Her Call is a community for female sports officials and those who support them. In this episode of the Her Call podcast, I interview Jacque Tevis-Butler! She is the head girls soccer coach at Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and the founder of the Nebraska Women’s Athletic Leadership Alliance ( NWALA ). Jacque talks about what makes a great sports official from her perspective as a coa...

Her Call is a community for female sports officials and those who support them. In this episode of the Her Call podcast, I interview Dana Pappas, Director of Officiating Services with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Dana brings her almost 30 years of experience as an advocate for officials to this wide-ranging conversation. We discuss the usual topics: recruitment...

Her Call is a community for female sports officials and those who support them. In the inaugural episode of the Her Call podcast, I interview Nate Neuhaus, Supervisor and Coordinator of Officials with the Nebraska School Activities Association. We discuss recruitment, retention, and support of sports officials. Listen to learn more about Nate and what he does with the NSAA! If you live in Nebraska...