FIERCE Athlete Podcast

In this wrap-up episode, Sam Kelley reflects on the journey of this podcast, exploring FIERCE topics like identity, femininity, the physical, the mental, and the spiritual for female athletes.  FIERCE expresses deep gratitude to its listeners and supporters. To help shape future content, Q&A sessions, and potential guest appearances for the upcoming season, listeners are invited to take a brie...

Darilyn Bixenman, Catholic women's psychologist, is back for another version of “This or That”. Blending fun personal preferences with practical counseling expertise, they navigate a range of topics—from choosing between grueling 3,000-foot bike climbs and marathons to picking favorite spiritual giants like St. Teresa of Ávila. The conversation shifts into deeper waters as Darilyn redefines c...

Get ready for another fun, lighthearted round of "This or That"! In this quick episode, Sam Kelley sits down with recent identity podcast guest, former college swimmer, professional Ironman triathlete and "baker extraordinaire" Rachel Zilinskas. Utilizing a random question generator, they put their similarities and differences to the test—debating everything from blindfolded ca...

As we wrap up the Spiritual “month”, we thought it was time to have a little fun! Get to know Fr. Ben through a fun game of Catholic “this or that”. Learn a priest’s “preferences” but also His perspective! Thank you Fr. Ben for the fun and your Fatherhood!  What would your answers be to these questions? Support the show

Father Ben Keller—a Dominican priest and former college baseball player— is back to explore the powerful intersection of sports and spirituality. He opens up about his grueling battle with an autoimmune disease that shattered his athletic identity, forcing him to let go of pride, embrace weakness, and truly surrender to God's grace. Fr. Ben and host Sam Kelley dive into how the discipline of...

Dominican priest and former college baseball player, Fr. Ben Keller joins Sam on the FIERCE podcast to share his inspiring journey of growing up in Minnesota, navigating his faith on his own as a student-athlete at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and discovering his true vocation during an unforgettable, life-changing conference in Orlando. From running athlete Bible studies to navigating car...

This episode of the FIERCE Athlete Podcast focuses on practically integrating our spiritual life into our athletic training and performance. Athletes spend hours training their bodies, but often far less time on their spiritual lives. What if you could do both at the same time? Sam and Julianna explore how sport itself is a path to prayer, allowing athletes to "pray without ceasing" by v...

What you do to the body affects the soul, and what you do to the soul affects the body. So it's time to talk about the spiritual! Hosts Sam Kelley and Julianna Dalton kick off a new month dedicated to the spiritual life of athletes, exploring how body, mind, and soul must integrate to achieve peak performance and true sanctity. Drawing inspiration from St. Paul's athletic analogies in sc...

Ready to turn your athletic drive into your ultimate psychological superpower? In this episode of the FIERCE Athlete Podcast, host Sam Kelley continues a powerhouse conversation with counseling psychologist Darilyn Bixenman to reveal how female athletes can crush anxiety, build unwavering confidence, and deepen their trust in God. The secret weapon? Self-efficacy—the unbreakable belief that you ca...

In this episode of The Fierce Athlete Podcast , host Sam Kelley sits down with counseling psychologist Darilyn Bixenman to unpack the modern epidemic of debilitating anxiety affecting female athletes. Moving past the typical blame on social media, they explore how constant information overload, perfectionism, and the paralyzing fear of disappointing others leave young women feeling disconnected fr...

Fear is one of the greatest opponents you'll ever face—and it's not wearing a jersey. In this powerful episode, Sam and Julianna expose the lies, strongholds, and hidden fears that keep athletes trapped in their minds and playing from a place of anxiety instead of freedom. Together, they invite Jesus into the darkest corners of the heart, where true healing begins. Through honest convers...

New month= new topic! On this episode of the Fierce Athlete Podcast, hosts Samantha Kelley and Julianna Dalton tackle the mental game. They explore how female athletes can harmonize their physical, mental, and spiritual health to fully embrace their God-given identity. Discover practical strategies to conquer failure, rewire negative thought patterns, and use body language to instantly boost your...

Time for a good film review session! This week we recap three months of life-changing insights on what it means to be a daughter of God in the world of sports. Moving beyond the "charge forward" mentality of an athlete, Sam dives back into the core pillars of identity, femininity, and the sacredness of the physical body. From the danger of defining yourself by your past to the "acti...

It's time to change. It's time to love our bodies. In this unique episode, host Sam Kelley gets practical and leads a transformative exercise aimed at healing self-image and overcoming the toxic cycle of body comparison and self-hatred. Designed specifically for female athletes, this "body scan" prayer is a tool Kelley has used for over a decade to shift her perception of her o...

Dealing with an injury is an inevitable, yet often ill-equipped, part of an athlete's journey. In this episode, host Sam Kelley shares seven transformative tips for those currently sidelined, drawing from her own experience of seven orthopedic surgeries. Whether you are facing physical injury, chronic pain, or even "injuries of the heart," this discussion offers a roadmap for integr...

Your body is not something to fix, you are someone to honor. Sam and Julianna continue talking about the Physical, and dive into exactly what that statement means and why. Reflecting on scripture and the nature of God dwelling in us, they give both theological and practical ways to honor the bodies that God gave us. If you struggle to treat your body well, if you struggle with stress, if you strug...

New Month = New Topic. The Physical. In this episode Sam and Julianna explore the intersection of physical identity and faith, focusing on how female athletes can integrate their physical, mental, and spiritual lives to honor God. They discuss the common struggles female athletes face, such as being reduced to physical measurements or facing pressure to conform to specific body types, which often...

Episode Summary: In this powerful follow-up conversation, Sr. Mary Grace and Sr. Zion Joy from the Sisters of Life return to explore the profound gift of femininity within the world of athletics. Often, female athletes struggle to reconcile their physical strength with their feminine identity, sometimes viewing the two as mutually exclusive. This episode deconstructs those misconceptions, illustra...

Sister Mary Grace and Sister Zion Joy from the Sisters of Life join the FIERCE Athlete podcast to discuss the intersection of athletics, femininity, and faith. In Part 1 of a 2-part series, both sisters share how their backgrounds in sports shaped their spiritual lives by teaching them the value of sacrifice, the drive for greatness, and the importance of having goals beyond worldly achievements....

In this episode of the Fierce Athlete Podcast, Sam Kelley and Juliana Dalton delve into the practical application of true femininity within the world of sports. Building on their previous foundational discussion, they explore the dichotomy between active receptivity and the "spirit of death" found in being closed off or self-focused. The conversation challenges common misconceptions abou...

Can femininity and competitiveness and faithfulness co-exist? Co-hosts Sam and Julianna explore this question as they shift to a conversation about femininity in sport. Today they explore the ways the feminist movement has shifted our view of women. They contrast the modern-day view and actions of women, to God’s actual design for women in our amazing femininity. They also discuss the need for tru...

We all want to compete more freely. In this episode, host Samantha Kelley welcomes back FIERCE coworker who is a former All-American swimmer and professional distance triathlete Rachel Zilinskas to delve into the concept of "running free". The discussion centers on a profound message Rachel previously wrote regarding true freedom, which she defines as being possible only when one allows...

Professional triathlete Rachel Zilinskas joins the FIERCE Podcast to share a gripping story about the core of athlete identity. She recounts her journey from being a two-time national champion swimmer at Georgia to navigating the brutal physical, mental, and spiritual demands of being an Ironman athlete. After overcoming a series of debilitating stress fractures just to make it to the starting lin...

How do the opinions of others—coaches, teammates, fans, and parents—shape who we think we are? In this episode, Sam and Julianna explore the dangerous temptation to define one’s self-worth based on external feedback rather than a God-given identity. They discuss the "fine line" between constructive athletic feedback and personal opinions that can destroy an athlete's confidence or w...

Episode Summary: Identity | Beyond Performance This is where we must begin. Who am I beyond my athleticism? In the season premiere of the revamped FIERCE Athlete Podcast 2.0, hosts Sam Kelley and Julianna Dalton dive deep into the concept of identity beyond the scoreboard.  Many athletes fall into the trap of defining their entire worth by performance, stats, or starting positions. But what happen...