Women Are Players Too

In this episode of Women Are Players Too, we sit down with Lara Murphy — CEO of Calgary's only female-run commercial construction firm and newly named CEO (and co-founder) of Calgary Wild FC, one of six founding clubs in Canada's brand-new professional league, Northern Super League (NSL). The NSL's inaugural 2025 season has already shattered expectations: over 275,000 tickets sold nationwide, with...

For more than three decades, Kim Lavender has been shaping the fitness experience for Canadians — first as an athlete and personal trainer, and now as the head of Group Experience at GoodLife Fitness. Kim's story began on the playing field in the 1980s, when girls in sport were often told they didn't belong. She played on boys' teams, faced pushback and harassment, and kept showing up anyway. That...

Candice Combdon's story is one of transformation — from uncertainty to confidence, from "wallflower" to warrior. A Team Ontario wheelchair tennis athlete who represented Canada at the 2023 World Team Cup qualifiers in Mexico, Candice lives with spina bifida and uses both a day chair and a sport chair while training in adaptive fitness and competing at an elite level. She just completed the Toronto...

In this re-aired conversation from the PWHL's first season (it's a good one!), host Eva Hartling sits down with two standout figures in women's hockey—PWHL Ottawa Charge goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer and former Team Canada goaltender turned PWHL front-office leader Genevieve Lacasse. Both Olympic gold medalists, Emerance and Genevieve share their journeys from elite competition to shaping the fut...

In this episode of WOMEN ARE PLAYERS TOO, host Eva Hartling shares a special conversation originally recorded for THE BRAND IS FEMALE podcast with hockey trailblazer Manon Rhéaume—the first and only woman to play in an NHL game, who now works for the LA Kings. From breaking barriers with the Tampa Bay Lightning to taking part in the Olympics and mentoring the next generation of players, Manon has...

Host Eva Hartling sits down with Emma Maltais, forward for PWHL's Toronto Sceptres—and one of the standout players from the league's historic first two seasons. Recorded just after the inaugural season wrapped last year, this conversation captures a pivotal moment in women's hockey—when the Professional Women's Hockey League was still a bold new experiment, and athletes like Emma were helping brin...

In this episode, host Eva Hartling sits down with Annie Larouche, President of Montreal's new women's soccer club in the inaugural season of the Northern Super League (NSL). With a career spanning close to three decades in professional sports, Annie is one of the rare women to have held leadership roles in multiple major franchises in Quebec, including the Alouettes and the Alliance de Montréal. N...

In this episode, host Eva Hartling sits down with one of Canada's brightest young soccer talents: Nikayla Small, a dynamic midfielder for AFC Toronto in the inaugural season of the Northern Super League (NSL). Born and raised in Pickering, Ontario, Nikayla's journey has taken her from local pitches to international stages, and now back home, where she's making history in Canada's first professiona...

In this episode of WOMEN ARE PLAYERS TOO, host Eva Hartling sits down with Karell Émard — former pro hockey player, coach, analyst, and PWHL agent who's now officially Chief, Athlete Strategy & Innovation with Collective Pivot — to talk about her incredible journey through the game and her ongoing impact on the future of women's hockey. From playing on boys' teams as a kid, to captaining St. Lawre...

Welcome to the first episode of WOMEN ARE PLAYERS TOO, the podcast that's all about the women who aren't just playing the game in pro sports in Canada – they're changing it. In this inaugural episode, host Eva Hartling sits down with Jessica Campbell, a true history-maker in hockey. In July 2024, Jessica shattered one of the toughest glass ceilings in sports, becoming an assistant coach for the Se...

Professional women's sports in Canada are on the rise, and WOMEN ARE PLAYERS TOO is here to capture this historic moment. From the PWHL's groundbreaking debut to the WNBA's expansion to Toronto and the Northern Super League's impact on women's soccer, this podcast dives into the stories behind these game-changing milestones. Join host Eva Hartling for bi-weekly conversations with the athletes, coa...