Hear Her Sports

Lynn Holzman returned to the NCAA in February 2018 as the vice president of women’s basketball. She is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, operations, and management of women’s basketball in Divisions I, II and III. She serves as the primary liaison to the women’s basketball committees and provides strategic oversight of the site-selection process for each championship. In 2014, Ho...

2x Olympian, Molly Huddle is an American long-distance runner who competes in track and cross-country running events. She is currently pregnant with her second child. She has won twenty-eight USA titles, held six American records, looked down the start line of two Olympic finals, and run four major marathons. Huddle set the American record in the 5,000 meters at the 2014 Herculis Diamond League me...

Favor Anyanwu talks with host Elizabeth Emery about coming from behind in the U19 World Championships, details of being part of USA Volleyball, transferring from USC to SMU after a semester, opportunities in sport, and tips for success. This episode is a terrific insight into being an elite athlete as a college student and what comes next. Favor is a standout volleyball player at Southern Methodis...

Rebecca McConville is a board certified sports specialist and IAEDP approved eating disorder supervisor. She is an internationally recognized expert on REDs (relative energy deficiency) authoring the book Finding Your Sweet Spot - how to avoid REDs. The updated version will be released in 2025. She also created the first of its kind REDs informed provider certification program for clinicians. IN t...

Professional cyclist Veronica Ewers is from a small town in the United States and currently lives and trains in Girona, Spain. Since she began her pro career in 2021, she has raced to stellar results, especially in stage races. Just a few examples are a 4th overall in the Giro d’Italia, 9th overall in the Tour de France Femme avec Zwift, and 1st overall in the Classica Feminina Navarra. Veronica d...

Sports Psychologist Dr. Erin Ayala joins host Elizabeth Emery to discuss the struggles of being a woman involved in male-dominated sports, athlete identity, gravel racing, being prepared to compete, nerves, anxiety, racing with confidence, the pain cave, performance slumps, different types of goals and how they work, plus since it’s the new year, resolutions. With over a decade of research and cli...

This week on Hear Her Sports is writer and runner Katie Holmes. Katie is currently researching and writing a book on Women’s running history with a focus on women who break the rules. Katie is also interested in and researches older women runners, like herself. You can read more about running as an older woman on her blog Run Young 50. In the episode, Katie and host Elizabeth Emery talk about disc...

In this episode of the Hear Her Sports podcast, host Elizabeth Emery sits down with professional squash player Melissa Alves. Despite facing early-season injuries, Melissa has had a remarkable year including a well-deserved victory at the Cape Town Squash Open in late November. The episode delves into Melissa's journey, from her early days on the court to her collegiate career at the University of...

Elizabeth Holden  is a writer, a physics teacher, a travel company owner, an X-Files podcast host, and an avid roller derby player. Her debut novel,  Mighty Millie Novak , was released by Flux Books in 2024. She believes the ideal conditions in which to write a novel are in the dining car of a train traveling through the Alps, with a pot of tea beside you -- though she does most of her writing at...

Natasha Camy is an NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Referee now in her 14th season. She has officiated at the very top level, including in the 2024 Elite 8 game featuring LSU and Iowa, the most watched women’s basketball game in history! She has also officiated in the Conference USA championship, Big 10 conference playoffs, Big 10 final, SEC conference playoffs, WNIT final, WBIT quarterfinal and...

Corrine Leistikow is a 65 year old family physician living in Fairbanks, Alaska. Her passion is being physically active outdoors. She started doing endurance biking and skiing events at age 50, when her children became teenagers. She continues to push her limits as an older athlete. Corrine tells host Elizabeth Emery about her adventures, pushing ourselves as older athletes, staying, why more olde...

In this episode, Iris Slappendel shares with host Elizabeth Emery stories of all things Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift. Iris is a commentator and reporter for Eurosport and is an expert source about the women’s peleton, teams, politics, and racing tactics. Iris raced professionally for 12 years with much success including a Dutch national road race title in 2014. After retiring at the end of 201...

Katie Moon is two time World Champion and a two time Olympic medalist. At the Tokyo Olympics she won a gold medal and in Paris 2024 she won silver. Katie graduated from Olmsted Falls High School where she started her pole vaulting career. She returned there this summer to host the inaugural Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic. She went to the University of Dayton and then transferred to Ashland Universi...

Katie Moon is two time World Champion and a two time Olympic medalist. At the Tokyo Olympics she won a gold medal and in Paris 2024 she won silver. Katie graduated from Olmsted Falls High School where she started her pole vaulting career. She returned there this summer to host the inaugural Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic. She went to the University of Dayton and then transferred to Ashland Universi...

This is a bonus episode of a cross posting of a Casual FC podcast episode featuring a deep dive into the world of Angel City FC, with discussions on its unique charm, importance of community, inclusivity, and fan culture. The discussion, involving Catherine Dávila from the Angel City front office, covers her diverse career journey and underlines the integral role of the community in shaping the te...

Amanda Sobhy is the highest ranked American born squash player ever. She is the first US player to win a world championship title, which she did on her 17th birthday at the 2010 world junior championships. She graduated from Harvard University in 2015 with a remarkable 62-0 undefeated college career, three team titles, and four individual titles.  As a professional squash player, Amanda reached a...

In the episode, decathletes Adeline Audigier, Patricia Mehlich, and Roséva Bidois who all represent Team France tell host Elizabeth Emery what it was like to compete in the inaugural Women’s Decathlon World Championships that took place in Geneva, Ohio at Spire Academy on August 3rd and 4th, 2024. These championships were historic and a big step towards achieving their goal of bringing the women’s...

Adeline Audigier was born in the city of Marseille in the South of France. She is about to turn 32 and is living her second athletic life as a decathlete. Before turning to decathlon, she was a heptathlete. She grew up in a sporty family. She and her brother and sister do dozens of sports. She has a degree in EHS (Environment, Health, Safety) engineering, was a professional firefighter, and is now...

Pole Vaulter Gabi Leon was one of the most successful student-athletes in the history of University of Louisville. She competed for the Cardinals from 2017 to 2022, finishing her career as the program record holder in both the indoor and outdoor women's pole vault. During her time competing for Louisville, Gabi was a four-time NCAA All-American, won two individual ACC championships, was recognized...

Mechelle Lewis Freeman is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Mass Communications. At USC, she was a member of the 2002 Women’s Outdoor Track & Field team who, brought the first National Championship in any sport to the university. After a successful marketing career, she transitioned back to an athlete to pursue her childhood dream...

Lynn Holzman returned to the NCAA in February 2018 as the vice president of women’s basketball. She is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, operations, and management of women’s basketball in Divisions I, II and III. She serves as the primary liaison to the women’s basketball committees and provides strategic oversight of the site-selection process for each championship. In 2014, Ho...

Annie Villareal, the vibrant force behind the Rippedgrandma brand, is not your typical personal trainer. With a background in pharmaceutical sales, Annie took a leap of faith 17 years ago, embarking on a journey of personal reinvention. Inspired by her love for sports and movement, she shed 60 pounds, rediscovered her passion for running, and even completed the Big Sur Marathon at the age of 50. A...

Vanese Barnes is a 2023 Women’s Sports Foundation Tara VanDerveer fellow with Tufts University Women’s Basketball team. At the same time Vanese was a part of a two-year Future Leaders Fellowship program at Tufts, where she earned her master's degree in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership within the Tufts Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in addition to her coaching duties.  In 2019, Vanese earned...

Mary Ellen Kelly is credentialed as a registered dietitian and board-certified sports dietitian. She holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition from Boston University, where she was a 4-year member of the NCAA Division 1 varsity women’s track and field team. She earned her master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University and completed her clinical training at the James J. Peters Vetera...

AJ Hurt's passion for skiing and ski racing began at a very early age. Growing up in North Lake Tahoe, Palisades Tahoe was her winter playground. At four years old, she entered the Team Palisades Tahoe and fell in love with the sport. With a father who has been a member of the Squaw Valley Ski Patrol for the past 30 years, Hurt was raised a true member of the Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley...