Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy

In the Season 9 finale, Astronaut Nicole Mann joins Laughter Permitted to talk all about her experience living and working aboard the International Space Station. Nicole shares everything from what it was like reentering the Earth’s atmosphere to how she slept in space to the importance of being a good teammate. Plus, she describes the vantage point she had of Earth while in space and what it was...

Julie and Lynn are joined by Chief Marketing and PR officer of Ally Financial, Andrea Brimmer, to discuss how Ally is at the forefront of supporting and investing in women's sports.

Two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist Becky Sauerbrunn joins Laughter Permitted to share what being a team player means to her (there's a great story involving the flute), the difference between a floor raiser and ceiling raiser and the leadership advice she received from Carla Overbeck. Becky also talks about the current state of the Portland Thorns in the wake of the Sally Yates...

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Carolyn Peck shares hilarious stories about her mom at her basketball games, her thoughts on what coaches are wearing on the sidelines these days (Kim Mulkey might come up) and why she turned down Pat Summitt to attend Vanderbilt University. Carolyn also discusses being the first Black coach to win an NCAA women's basketball championship with Purdue in 1999...

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes OBE joins Laughter Permitted to discuss the joy she experienced covering the Euros for ESPN (a fire pit is involved!), her winding path to Chelsea (a clairvoyant is involved!) and how she finds time to recharge amidst the overstimulating profession of coaching (a Beyonce concert is on the calendar!). Plus, Emma does a deep dive into her emphasis on understanding the mens...

In honor of Laughter Permitted's 103rd episode, 103-year-old and Loyola University men's basketball team chaplain Sister Jean joins Laughter Permitted to share the secret to her longevity, the excitement she experienced during the Ramblers run to the Final Four in 2018 and why she finally decided to write her book, "Wake Up with Purpose: What I’ve Learned in My First 100 Years.” Sister Jean also d...

Legendary sports journalist and author Sally Jenkins joins Laughter Permitted to discuss how she crafts her columns, the importance of exploring "what's bugging you" and the advice she gives to up-and-coming journalists. Sally also shares the impact Billie Jean King and Pat Summitt have had on her life and delves into stories from her latest book, "What Sports Teach Us about Work and Life," out Ju...

Soccer legend and Olympic gold medalist Christine Sinclair joins Laughter Permitted to discuss her historic career, and how she and her fellow Canadian national team members are in a bitter fight with Canadian Soccer for support. Julie shares the PTSD and empathy she feels as she watches Christine and her teammates go through their battle. Christine also explains why she chose to get way out of he...

In the 100th episode of Laughter Permitted, members of the 1999 World Cup champion team come together to swap stories from their playing days, including pranks, the impact head coach Tony DiCicco had on them and how they stay in touch to this day thanks to a text chain. Also, a "Know Your 99ers with The 99ers" Lynn Game goes a bit off the rails and The 99ers answer questions submitted by fans. Mos...

NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year Naomi Girma joins Laughter Permitted to share her reaction to high praise from Megan Rapinoe, what she has learned from veterans on the USWNT and how she was introduced to the game of soccer by her dad and the Ethiopian community in the Bay Area, where she grew up. Plus Naomi and Julie swap stories about their moms and Naomi discusses her Stanford d...

Laughter Permitted takes an out-of-this-world journey to SPACE! In the Season 9 premiere, NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann joins Laughter Permitted while aboard the International Space Station. Col. Mann shares what it means to be the first Native American woman in space, how the mental toughness she gained as a soccer player at the Naval Academy helped her during two spacewalks and what message she'd s...

Laughter Permitted is back! Julie and Lynn share highlights of Season 8 and hand out some Dopie Awards.

In the Season 8 finale, renowned mental skills expert, author and Pacific Lutheran University professor Dr. Colleen Hacker returns to Laughter Permitted for a record fifth time to discuss the power of setting intentions for your year, how to use daily visual cues to help achieve your personal pursuits and why expressing gratitude is vital in life. Dr. Hacker also takes on Julie in an epic rematch...

Award-winning podcast producer Shima Oliaee joins Laughter Permitted to discuss her 4-part ESPN 30 for 30 podcast series "Pink Card," which centers on women's rights in Iran over the course of three generations. Shima shares how women fighting to attend men's soccer games in Iran became emblematic of their pursuit of freedom, the motivation behind the series and the impact she hopes it has. In the...

WNBA Champion, 2-time WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist A'ja Wilson joins Laughter Permitted to discuss winning an WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces, what it was like being coached by Dawn Staley and Becky Hammon and how she developed a leadership style that worked for her. Plus get the "tea" on the Aces' post-championship celebrations and hear an incredible story about A'ja's statue on the camp...

Marathon pioneer Joan Benoit Samuelson joins Laughter Permitted to talk about being the first woman to win gold in the marathon at the 1984 Olympics, how running is about storytelling for her and, at the age of 65, what her next marathon goal is. Joan also shares what she was thinking when she was about to win an Olympic gold medal and explains why it's important for everyone to run their own race...

Six-time WNBA all-star and coaching trailblazer Becky Hammon joins Laughter Permitted to talk about winning a WNBA championship in her first season as coach of the Las Vegas Aces, how fun played a role in the team's success and what she learned as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich. Becky also shares why she got into coaching and how she came to accept herself as a person. Plus learn about Becky...

World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Cindy Parlow Cone joins Laughter Permitted to discuss her role as president of U.S. Soccer and how she is working toward a culture shift in the game in the wake of the Sally Yates report. Cindy shares what it took to get the women's and men's national teams to equal pay and what she learned about leadership while playing with Julie, Carla Overb...

NBC host and reporter Rebecca Lowe joins Laughter Permitted to talk about covering the Premier League, the ups and downs of her career in sports journalism and how she is seeing football fandom grow in the United States. A newly minted American citizen, Rebecca gives a hilarious assessment of the use of wreaths on doors in the United States (now known as the “Wreath Rant”), and shares why she enjo...

U.S. women's national soccer team player Catarina Macario joins Laughter Permitted to share her journey of moving to the United States from Brazil at the age of 12 to pursue her dream of playing soccer. She tells the incredible story of what her first day in the U.S. entailed, how she made her way to Stanford University where she won two national titles and the role adversity has played in her lif...

University of North Carolina women's lacrosse and U.S. women's national team head coach Jenny Levy joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her 28-year career in Chapel Hill, how UNC and Team USA both won championships this year and how she developed and continues to evolve her coaching philosophy. The episode kicks off with a rousing discussion of Oura rings and menopause, and includes a good amoun...

In the Season 8 premiere, "The Athletic" senior writer Meg Linehan joins Laughter Permitted to discuss the findings of an investigation conducted by former deputy attorney general Sally Yates, which uncovered that the National Women’s Soccer League and U.S. Soccer did not take action against abusive behavior and sexual misconduct. The 319-page report detailed how "abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a...

In a special live podcast at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, Hall of Fame USA rugby player Phaidra Knight and 4-time Olympic USA hockey player Angela Ruggerio join Laughter Permitted to discuss Title IX, their experiences in male-dominated sports and what they think everyone should know about Title IX.  This episode was recorded on June 24, 2022, one day after the 50th anniversary of...

In the third bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Mia Hamm and Julie discuss how Title IX has impacted their lives.

In the second bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, ESPN journalist Katie Barnes joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of Title IX and transgender athletes.