Unexpected Curves

"If you let me play sports, I will learn what it means to be strong". More than 30 years later, those words remain one of the most recognizable messages in women's sports. This week, we catch up with Janet Champ , who started her career at Wieden+Kennedy and went on to build some of Nike's most influential campaigns, including If You Let Me Play . At a time when women's sports received little atte...

Producer and writer Kishori Rajan , co-founder of Viva Maude alongside Tessa Thompson, joins the show to unpack the making of Is God Is , a genre-bending thriller that centers Black women, sisterhood, and rage in ways Hollywood rarely does. This conversation covers a lot of ground. We get into bringing an ambitious creative vision to life, why Kishori is drawn to stories that challenge cultural as...

This past weekend at Coachella, Justin Bieber showed us the future of fame: raw, self-referential, and direct-to-consumer. It was a stark contrast to the "Hard Power" and superhuman sacrifice of Beyoncé’s legendary 2018 Homecoming performance. While the pop world was debating these generational shifts in the desert, a group of women were cracking the same code on a different field of play just a w...

A lot has to come together for an athlete to perform at their best. Coaches, physio, family, talent, work ethic, a little luck, and a lot of faith. Tara Woodhall Davis has all of that, but what sets her apart is her energy. Every time she steps onto the runway, there’s an expectation of performance, and it’s her unapologetic energy that continues to push her to the next level. I caught up with Tar...

A new year often comes with a renewed focus on health. Setting routines, getting organized, and trying to “start fresh.” In sport, that mindset can be powerful, but it can also come with hidden risks, especially for women. In this episode, I’m joined by researcher and athlete Melissa Lodge to unpack the realities of under-fueling and RED-S, why so many female athletes are affected, and how sport s...

What does the rise of Pilates reveal about women, power, and the bodies we value most? This week, I’m joined by fitness instructor, creator, and writer Mary Beth to unpack how her viral New York Times feature connects Pilates to larger political and cultural trends. We talk about going viral, desirability, privilege, and what the most radical future for fitness could look like.

This week we're talking about the fictional characters that made all the athletic girls feel validated, and gave women and girls a chance to see themselves on screen. I'm joined by filmmaker Jac'leen Smith to discuss her short film Flex Venus , inspired by her experiences as a track athlete. Jac'leen is currently crowdfunding for her project. You can find out more about her film, and support her a...

Doping scandals often make headlines with a clear villain and a rule broken. But the story is often more complicated than that. In this episode, I’m joined by Olympian and American record holder Emily Sisson, in the shadow of the recent news that world record holder Ruth Chepngetich tested positive for a banned substance. Instead of focusing on individual choices, we explore the deeper forces shap...

Christina Henderson has been running forever, and now she’s helping shape its future. As the event director of The Running Event, North America’s premier trade show for the running industry, Christina brings together brands, retailers, race organizers, coaches, and media for three days of connection, innovation, and big-picture conversations. In this episode, she shares what it’s like to lead one...

After years of chasing the elusive sub-two-minute 800m, Skylyn Webb finally did it- but not without a long stretch of feeling stuck in the middle. In this episode, I talk with Skylyn about the slow, often invisible middle parts of pursuing a goal, the burnout that nearly pushed her out of the sport, and how letting go became the key to unlocking her breakthrough. We also get into her next chapter...

With record-breaking attendance, viewership, and cultural buzz, the WNBA is no longer just ‘having a moment’, it’s shaping the future of sports. In light of the league’s continued rise, I'm re-airing this conversation with filmmaker Dawn Porter about her documentary The Power of the Dream, which captures the WNBA’s pivotal 2020 season. The film intimately explores how the league’s players used the...

Happy Father’s Day weekend! We’re re-airing a favorite from Season 1, Episode 2 with my dad. This conversation is all about fatherhood, sport, and how the people closest to us can shift the way we see ourselves. We talk about building real-life support for girls beyond hashtags, and the power of relationships that grow through movement. If you missed it the first time around take a listen!

This weekend, thousands of women will take to the streets of Los Angeles for the Nike After Dark Tour LA. In this episode, we catch up with Ayahna Wilbon, founder of Frnds Table and a first-time half-marathoner. Her journey to the starting line is personal, but it also mirrors a broader shift happening across the country. More women are moving on their own terms and redefining what wellness and fi...

Nia is many things. An Ivy League graduate, U.S. champion, Olympian, and singer-songwriter. In this episode, we dive into the unique intersection of songwriting and sport. Nia shares how music has shaped her mindset as an athlete, and how she balances the grind of elite competition with the vulnerability of creative expression. We also get into what it means to chase multiple dreams without compro...

The NCAA sports machine is built to celebrate the All-American dream. But sometimes, that narrative sidelines the very international athletes who help keep it running. In this episode, Olympian Síofra Cléirigh Büttner shares the quiet determination that carried her from Ireland to the elite ranks of collegiate running at Villanova University.

Vanessa Fraser isn’t just a fast runner, she’s also a savvy strategist who’s taken control of her own career. From going pro without an agent to juggling corporate work between training blocks, Vanessa shares what it means to be both a competitor, and a career architect.

Teenage girls are often the creators of the most influential slang, and cultural trends, yet in sports, their voices are mostly absent from the dominant narrative. In this episode i'm joined by author, and cultural critic Soraya Chemaly to explore how the language we use in and around sports reflects deeper systems of power. We unpack how phrases like “you throw like a girl” or “she’s too emotiona...

With more money flowing into athletics than ever before, today’s athletes are navigating a space where impact and influence are key to success, but the support to manage it doesn’t always keep up. In today’s episode, I’m joined by Briana Nelson, co-founder of B3 Consulting & Management Agency, to dive into how she’s reimagining what it means to give back in sports.

38 episodes in, it’s time to rewind. Today’s bonus episode is about the spark that started Unexpected Curves, how it’s evolved, and where it's going.

Ten years ago, Emily Infeld won bronze in the 10,000 meters at the World Championships in Beijing. A breakout moment and a historic podium finish for American women’s distance running. In this anniversary episode, Emily looks back on that moment and the years that led to it: the injuries, the pressure, and the complex feelings that came with crossing the finish line ahead of expectations.

One of the wildest moments in track and field history unfolded at the 2016 Olympics during the women’s 4x100m relay. From baton fumbles and lane chaos to lost spikes and late-night second chances, Olympic gold medalist English Gardner takes us behind the scenes to relive the race that nearly unraveled, but ultimately made history.

For decades, the mile has been a proving ground in distance running, but its legacy has mostly been written by men. The four-minute mile? Iconic. But when Diane Leather became the first woman to break five minutes, the world barely noticed. Women’s records have never carried the same cultural weight. That’s where Sharada Maddox comes in. As co-founder and race director of the Crenshaw Mile, she’s...

Achieving your dreams can be just as terrifying as not chasing them at all. In this episode I'm joined by Olympic gold medalist and World Champion Courtney Okolo to talk about what happens after you reach the pinnacle of your sport. We discuss the transition from dreaming to achieving—and then to redefining what comes next. Spoiler alert! Success isn’t just about reaching a goal—it’s about continu...

All roads lead to the 800 meters. Success in sports—and in life—often comes down to making the right choices. But how do you know what’s truly right for you? For middle-distance star Sage Hurta-Klecker, the right path is guided by what excites her. In a sport where speculation runs wild and every great performance sparks talk of untapped potential in other events, Sage has learned to tune out the...

In 2024, Olympic silver medalist Courtney Frerichs was just weeks away from competing for her third Olympic team when an ACL tear shattered her plans. Women experience ACL injuries at significantly higher rates than men, yet research on female athletes remains limited. In this episode, Courtney shares the emotional highs and lows of recovery, and how shifting her mindset to “dreaming small” has he...