Building the Team

This week on the You Can Play Podcast, we're joined by founder and President Jess Duggan of the Portland United Hockey League to talk about the power of inclusive sport, finding community on and off the ice, and Portland's upcoming Dirty Bird's Tournament! You can learn more about the Portland United Hockey League Here https://www.portlandunitedhockey.com/

Executive Director Kurt Weaver and Education Director Ren Dawe sit down and discuss the upcoming World Cup, the Gay Games, and some team updates before Pride 2026!

In this episode, Ren sits down with Alex Mangione-Smith, founder of CP Soccer Arizona, NIRCA’s DEI & Title IX Officer, and a coordinator with one•n•ten, to talk about what it really takes to build inclusive spaces in sports. From adaptive soccer to college policy to LGBTQ+ youth work, Alex shares how access, not just inclusion, shapes who gets to play, and who gets left out. They dig into the...

In this episode, we sit down with Zoey Pellowitz (she/her), Youth Hockey Coordinator for the Washington Capitals , to talk about what it really means to coach with care. From growing up in hockey and playing Division III, to shifting from college coaching to working with five-year-olds, Zoey shares how joy, listening, and meeting players where they are can shape confidence and belonging. We explor...

This week on the You Can Play Podcast, we’re joined by Erin Kennedy , CEO and founder of Girls Rugby . We talk about building confidence through sport, expanding access for girls and gender-diverse athletes, and why rugby has become a powerful vehicle for leadership, belonging, and change. https://girlsrugby.org/about/

In this episode of the You Can Play Podcast , Lauren Bonzell (she/her) — a graduate student in Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology at Long Beach State — shares insights from her ongoing thesis on LGBTQ+ athletes’ experiences in recreational and competitive sport. Lauren discusses two key psychological frameworks guiding her work: the Minority Stress Model, which helps explain how chronic...

In this episode of the You Can Play Podcast , David Thibodeau — a longtime swim coach, Canada Games board member, and policy professional for the Government of Canada — reflects on what it means to bring your full self to sport. David shares his journey from coming out as an athlete to later coming out as a coach, and the fears that came with being openly gay while working with young swimmers and...

In this episode of the You Can Play Podcast, Brock Robinson Barclay — lifelong athlete, hockey and baseball coach, and sport management professional — joins us to talk about how culture is built, one small moment at a time. Drawing on experiences across locker rooms, teams, and community events, Brock shares how trust and teaching are the foundation of a healthy team environment. From addressing s...

In this episode of the You Can Play Podcast, David Smith — a strength and conditioning coach, mental performance coach, and sport & exercise science lecturer — joins us to explore the intersection of performance, psychology, and inclusion in sport. David shares lessons from years coaching across disciplines — from cheerleading to football to basketball — and how every great team starts with tr...

In this episode of the You Can Play Podcast, Jonas Worth — Canada West Commissioner, soccer coach, and lifelong educator — joins us to talk about what it really means to model the values we teach. From coaching through injury to addressing harmful language on the field, Jonas shares how small choices — a word, a tone, a question — can shift a team’s entire culture. He reflects on the difference be...

This week on the You Can Play Podcast, we’re joined by Kao Lawrie , the organizer behind This Tournament Has Everything? We talk queer joy in sport, building inclusive competition from the ground up, and what it actually takes to create spaces where everyone can show up fully. https://tthe2025.mailchimpsites.com/ This Tournament Has Everything (TTHE) hockey tournament is a women’s/trans/two-spirit...

This episode of the You Can Play Podcast features Juliana Jack (she/her) — a student advocate, assistant volleyball coach, and founder of McMaster University’s LGBTQ2SA+ Athletic Advocacy Group (LAAG). Juliana joins us to talk about accountability in coaching, and how reframing discipline as an opportunity to teach, not punish, can help young athletes grow in confidence and character. Drawing from...

In this episode, Ren sits down with members of Denver Lipstick Lovers, a queer recreational soccer league, to talk about how community, care, and sport intersect. Together with the You Can Play Project, they explore what it means to build teams rooted in trust, belonging, and laughter — on and off the field. https://www.instagram.com/denverlipsticklovers/?hl=en

We sat down with Sammi Silber -- the Capitals beat reporter for The Hockey News. She has been covering the team since 2017-18. Sammi is also the captain of the HNA's Ghost Pirates and a You Can Play ambassador! Learn more about Sammi: thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals dcbackcheck.com Twitter/Bluesky: @sammisilber Insta: @Samshockey79

Listen to Nico Onore's journey as a gender non-conforming sailor and skipper, as they prepare for the upcoming Mini TransAt: a race across the Atlantic.

This Tournament Has Everything⁠ (TTHE) hockey tournament is a women’s/trans/two-spirit/non-binary inclusive draft style hockey tournament being held on the Sunshine Coast, in ch'atlich (Sechelt). You Can Play's Program Director Ren sat down with organizer and hockey player Kao to discuss the upcoming third annual TTHE tournament. February 28th - March 2nd, 2025 Sunshine Coast Arena located at 5982...

We introduce our new podcast and two of our team members, Ren Dawe and Kurt Weaver. We cover the origin of You Can Play and our backgrounds that brought us all to this amazing work.