Breaking the Ice

Courtlyn Fazakas, girlfriend of Brett Ferguson, who plays for the Guildford Flames in the EIHL, joins me on Breaking the Ice today! In this episode, she reflects on her journey from small-town life to navigating the perks and challenges of moving abroad with her partner and building a career and sense of purpose in a new country. In this episode we chat about:  Shifting from corporate life to fitn...

In this episode of Breaking the Ice, Rachel Novak, girlfriend of Michael Cichy, who plays for the Fife Flyers in the EIHL, joins me! Rachel and Michael have been in a long-distance relationship for over eight years. We dive into the challenges, lessons, and strategies of maintaining a strong relationship while apart, focusing on the unique struggles that come with the hockey lifestyle.   In this e...

Today is a minisode with me, your host!  Here are some things I chat about in this episode: Missing big life moments during the hockey season (weddings, babies, trips to see family) Sacrifices that we make as significant others in this lifestyle  Not trying to fix or get to the bottom of your feelings and just letting yourself feel them Our travel day over to the UK Navigating our kids having a ha...

We all know it best, the hockey life is chaotic and this absolutely can make it challenging in your relationship when there are always additional stressors at play. Today on the podcast I have couples therapist, Tracy Dalgleish, who is a podcaster, author, and a force in the online space! In this episode we talk about: Learning to tune into your own needs when you are living in constant chaos How...

Natalie Miller, wife of JT Miller who plays for the Vancouver Canucks, joins me on Breaking the Ice Podcast today. If there's one episode that will make you laugh, this one is it.   In this episode we talk about: Long Distance, Call Ups + Send Downs Being A Mom Away from Home + Postpartum  Losing a Parent During the Hockey Season and Signs She Has Received from Her Mom Since She's Passed How Getti...

Sarah Bross, wife of Zack Bross, who finished his last season in the Del3, joins me on Breaking the Ice Today! In this episode, we chat about:  Long Distance in college and what she would go back and tell her younger self What made them take the leap to Europe The importance of getting things in writing + doing your due diligence Culture Shock Recognizing the positives of this lifestyle while you'...

Emmeli Rakell, wife of Rickard Rakell, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, joins me this week on Breaking the Ice! Emmeli and her husband are Swedish and have spent a portion of their lives living in the US, while Rickard plays in the NHL.   In this episode we talk about:   What it was like for Emmeli moving to the US, while hardly speaking English   How isolating it can be to not have other pe...

Haley Palve, wife of Oula Palve, who plays hockey in Tampere Finland, joins me on BTI and shares her personal journey with infertility and IVF with me. Throughout this episode, we dive into: What it was like experiencing infertility + how it affected her mental health What led her to choose the IVF route and the steps that she took to get there What she wishes she knew about IVF before she started...

Join me in this episode of real, authentic conversation with Laura Caggiula, wife of Drake Caggiula, who plays in the AHL for the Bakersfield Condors. If you're a mom or just curious about the challenges of motherhood in the hockey lifestyle with two children under two, this episode is just for you! Laura and I share our experiences of raising two children under two in an open and honest dialogue....

Megan McIlvane, wife of Matt McIlvane, who is the head coach for the San Diego Gulls, joins me on the pod today for a much anticipated coach's wife episode!   In this episode we talk about SO much but to name a few:  Leaving her passion and career to move to Europe with her now husband Her take on whether coach's wives and player's wives should be friends The time commitment of a coach's wife A po...

Dana Oleksuk, wife of Travis Oleksuk, who finished last season in Rosenheim in the Del3, joins me on the podcast for the third time! Our husbands played together in Austria for two hockey seasons and in this episode we caught up and updated each other on our lives. In this episode we talk about:  Not having a contract this late in the year and what that looks like for each of us The possibility of...

Hi guys! I hope you all are having a nice summer at home. As always, I wanted to be open with you about some of the things that I have been struggling with postpartum this time around. I am so grateful that I have this safe space to share about my life and hope that I can help someone with this episode.   How I was diagnosed with Postpartum OCD + Anxiety I talk about some of my triggers and how I...

Carli Husson is a spirit baby medium and energy healer that I had a session with a couple months before I conceived my daughter. I loved our session so much that I knew I HAD to have her on the podcast so here we are!   In this episode we chat about: What a spirit baby is How she started with this work and how her spiritual journey began  How she prepares for a reading  Signs from our spirit babie...

Cheers to ONE HUNDRED Episodes of Breaking the Ice! It has been my absolute honor to be the host of this podcast and communicate with the amazing women in this community daily. In this episode I talk about:   100th episode + how there has been EIGHTY THOUSAND downloads since I started! Winning the championship + what the experience was like witnessing it in person How the starts aligned on the day...

Jackie Gendron, wife of Miles Gendron, who plays in the ECHL for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, joins me on Breaking the Ice today. In this episode we chat about: TikTok and how Jackie grew her following majorly once she moved to Norway for her husband's job and started sharing about their day to day there How Jackie met her husband in high school and has traveled with him for 11 years Remote jobs:...

Maggie Kestner, wife of Josh Kestner, who plays for Rauma Lukko in Finland, joins me on Breaking the Ice today. In this episode we chat about: Losing your identity in this lifestyle The challenges emotionally when isolated so far away from home The common misconceptions that people have about hockey Missing big life moments back home during the season Visa Issues Trying to get out of Russia right...

Emilie Blum, wife of Jonathon Blum, who plays for Red Bull Munich in the DEL, joins me for a long overdue episode of Breaking the Ice! In this episode we talked about: The show, Hockey Wives, and how Emilie was cast for it One Year Contracts and the uncertainty of it Not having any control as a hockey wife Schooling for Kids Abroad How to make friends outside of hockey Transitioning from a house y...

Tara Kampfer, wife of Steven Kampfer, joins me on Breaking the Ice today.   In this episode, we talk about: Her experience going on The Bachelor ABC and all the behind the scenes details How she felt watching herself back on tv  How she met her husband and moving around in this hockey life Living in Russia and playing in the KHL during COVID The war in Russia + Brittney Griner Follow Tara on Insta...

Alyssa Flynn, wife of Brian Flynn, who finished his last professional season in the AHL with the Utica Comets joins me for todays episode of Breaking the Ice. In this episode we talk about: Self Care for Moms How postpartum is not just the first three months after having a baby How to support a new mom postpartum in our lifestyle Pregnancy Loss Abroad The healing power of food Plant Based Nutritio...

Stefany Jenks, wife of AJ Jenks, who finished his last professional season in the ECHL playing for Fort Wayne Komets, joins me on Breaking the Ice to share all about their experience in the wild wild west, aka the ECHL. In this episode, we chat about:    The unpredictability in minor league hockey and what it has taught her about herself Being ghosted by a team when it comes to resigning with them...

Buckle up, I’m ready to share my birth story! For those of you that have followed my pregnancy journey, my daughter was breech and I chose to have a scheduled c-section here in France. I share the highs and lows of my hospital experience, as always, UNFILTERED.   In this episode I talked about:   -The surgery + what it was like having a c-section   -My childcare falling through a few days before m...

Layne Gibbons, wife of Kyle Gibbons, who plays in Val Gardena in the Alps Hockey League, joins me on BTI for the SECOND time. I felt we could all use a light hearted and funny conversation and I knew she was my go-to girl! In this episode, we talk about: Visa Issues and Flying Super Late in our Pregnancies Finding Dog Sitters + Baby Sitters Abroad Funny Situations with Teams ALL THINGS POP CULTURE...

Danielle Nyquist, wife of Gustav Nyquist, who plays in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets, joins me for a wonderful episode all about SLEEP. Danielle is a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and owns her own business, Sov Gott Sleep (which means sleep tight in Swedish) In this episode we talk about ALL things baby + toddler sleep including: What drove her to create a career around sleep Health...

It's been a MINUTE. I recorded this solo episode because I felt it was about dang time to update you guys on what has been going on for the past month and a half. I wanted to share the real and true hardships of this lifestyle and some of the additional stressors we have been dealing with.  Making a complete lifestyle shift (going from off-season to season and vice versa) can be really draining. I...

Suz Lundeen, girlfriend of Joe Howe, who is currently the assistant coach at Yale but played his last professional season with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL, shares all about their journey through retirement.   Suz + Joe were both hockey players, who retired at the same time, and faced all the challenges that came with this, together. In this episode we talk about:   The frustration element...