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With biathlete Deedra Irwin, host Elizabeth Emery talks about how hard it is to perform perfectly on a specific day, how she thinks about balance in a bunch of scenarios, and how she found financial and mental security for greater performance. Deedra has fascinating insight into being a returning Olympian and everything that goes into making an Olympic team.  Deedra grew up running competitively in Northeast Wisconsin. She started skiing at 16 years old to help stay in shape for running during the winter. She decided to be a 3 sport athlete at Michigan Tech and while there competed in 2 Nordic Skiing NCAA championships and U23 Worlds for Team USA in 2015. She then skied professional with the Sun Valley Ski Education Gold Team for 2 seasons after college. In 2017 she attended a US Biathlon Talent ID camp and decided to take a chance on Biathlon. Short after she made the X-team and joined the Vermont National Guard in 2019. Deedra qualified for her first Olympics in 2022. In her debut race at the 2022 Beijing Olympics she raced to a historic 7th place in the Women's 15km Individual shooting 19/20. This is the best Olympic finish in US Biathlon history. Since the 2022 Olympics Deedra has been the top female athlete for the US Biathlon Team and in the 24/25 season was ranked top-40 in the IBU World Cup standings. She is now preparing to race in her second Olympics in Milano-Cortina 2026.  Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Follow Deedra on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/deedrablu Follow Deedra on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/deedrablu/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marta Colosio is an Italian postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research focuses on neuromuscular function and performance fatigability in young and older adults, as well as in individuals with metabolic disease. She studies how exercise, training interventions, and nutritional supplementation influence muscle health, and how sex differences shape these responses. We talk about what is the best behavior to improve the way that we live in old age.  Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Follow Lidia on Insagram at https://www.instagram.com/carta_molosio/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lidia Cusack is an emerging professional cyclist who has made her mark in both road racing and cyclocross. She began racing at a young age on her local club team in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and quickly moved into the national and international scene. After graduating high school, Lidia took the bold step to move to Europe to pursue her cycling dreams.  Her dedication paid off with impressive results in UCI events, World Cup races, and World Championships. Notable achievements during her junior years include victory at the prestigious Druivenkoers - Overijse road race and a commanding cyclocross World Cup win in Dublin.  Her 5th place finish at the 2024 Cyclocross World Championship further solidified her status as a rising star in the sport.   As a U23 rider, Lidia is staying patient while challenging herself among elite competitors - knowing that results will come with experience. In her future Lidia dreams of having a long and healthy career, winning a monument on the road, and winning an elite cyclocross world title. She also aspires to be a role model for future American female cyclists, showing them that it is possible to succeed at the highest levels despite barriers that come with being an American in a very Euro-focussed sport. Aside from racing her bicycle, Lidia loves spending time outdoors - mountain biking, backpacking, skiing, sailing, and anything else that brings her to nature. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Follow Lidia on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lidia.cusack/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Betty Kellenberger and her five sisters grew up in a farming family. She attended Central Michigan University and then taught for 40+ years in Carson City, Michigan. Her summer breaks were filled with traveling, often by bicycle. She pedaled across every state in the US and every province in Canada. Betty has also ridden in China, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. She’s been on a couple of archeological digs, studied at numerous universities, lead a Boy Scout troop to earn their cycling badge, served four terms in public office before the desire to travel demanded her attention.  In September of 2025, at 80 years old, Betty became the oldest woman to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. She tells us all about her AT hike, shares words of wisdom and personal philosophy, plus much more.  Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Follow Betty on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/betty.kellenberger.16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Bonebrake was born in France and started swimming on a team when she was six years old. When she was ten, her family moved to Costa Rica, where she joined one of the country’s top swim teams and competed at the national level until she was 18.  After taking a short break to focus on school, she rediscovered her love for swimming while earning a master’s degree. That’s when her lifelong connection to the water truly came back to life. Not long after that Vanessa found open water swimming and it completely changed her path. She’s completed several endurance swim races, including the True Width of Lake Tahoe, Swim Around Key West, and Escape from Alcatraz, among many  others. Vanessa is also a proud Sea Dreamers Ambassador, where she helps inspire more women to dive into open water swimming and raise awareness for ocean conservation. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFollow Hendrika on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vaneswims/ For more information about Sea Dreams go to https://seadreamers.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hendrika de Vries is a retired family therapist, a teacher, and a writer, chronicling her life experiences with oppression and resistance in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, migration, competitive swimming, and misogyny in 1950s Australia. A fierce feminist and activist, de Vries infuses her writing with historical depth and personal perspective on challenges facing women and anyone deemed other. She is the author of When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew, award-winning memoir of her WWII childhood. and OPEN TURNS: From Dutch Girl to New Australian, which tells the story of her coming-of-age experience as an immigrant and a champion swimmer in 1950s Australia. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times and the LA Times. She lives in Santa Barbara, CA. Find out more about her at www.agirlfromamsterdam.com. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFollowHendrikaon Instagram athendrika.devries.92/ and Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19131035.Hendrika_de_Vries Find out more about Hendrika on her website at https://agirlfromamsterdam.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Brown OAM is Australia’s most successful female road cyclist. She recently retired from the sport as Olympic and World Champion in the Individual time trial. In 2024, she reached the pinnacle of her career, winning Olympic gold in Paris, becoming World Champion in the Individual Time Trial, and claiming victory in the prestigious Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Brown is now part of the SBS commentary and podcast team, and president of the board of The Cyclists' Alliance. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Follow Grace on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/_g_brown/ Find out more about The Cyclists’ Alliance at https://cyclistsalliance.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Emalee Nelson Stone and host Elizabeth Emery discuss the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens' 131-game winning streak during the 1950s and how that impacted women’s basketball today.  Dr. Emalee Nelson Stone is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of sport, history, society, and culture. Specifically, her research examines the sporting experiences of American women. She has presented her work at numerous national and international academic conferences. Her writing can be found in various academic journals, including The International Journal of Sport History, Sport History Review, the Journal of Sport History, and The Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics. Recently, she served as a speaker and facilitator at the U.S. Soccer Federation's SheChampions Summit during the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. Currently, she is engaged in two book projects through Texas Tech University Press. The first project explores the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens' 131-game winning streak during the 1950s. The second project investigates the landscape of Texas collegiate women's sports during the 1970s within the context of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). She received a BA in Geography and MA in History from Texas Tech University, an MA in American Studies from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and a PhD in Kinesiology from The University of Texas at Austin. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFollow Emalee on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/emaleenelsonstone/ Find out more about Emalee at https://education.utexas.edu/faculty/emalee_nelson/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Georgia Hall won the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2018, just five years after triumphing in the R&A Women’s Amateur Championship. Georgia’s victory wasn’t just special because it was her first major, but also because her dad Wayne caddied for her that week. A superb final round of five-under-par featured numerous highlights, and Georgia was the first British winner of the event since Catriona Matthew clinched the title at the same venue in 2009. Georgia, who began playing golf aged seven after her dad took her to a driving range near their Bournemouth home, doubled her LPGA win tally when she triumphed in the Cambio Portland Classic in 2020. The three-time European Solheim Cup player is a two-time Ladies European Tour order of merit winner, in 2017 and 2018. Georgia lost to Celine Boutier on the first extra hole of a play-off in the LPGA Drive On Championship in March 2023. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFollow Georgia on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/georgiahall23/?hl=en Find out more about AIG women’s open at https://www.aigwomensopen.com/royal-porthcawl-2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexa Brabec grew up in Steamboat Springs, CO where she trained with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. In 2020, she qualified for the US National Team for the first time. After graduating high school, Alexa moved to Lillehammer, Norway to train with the Norwegian Team as a part of a partnership between the US and Norwegian Teams. She competed in the first women's Nordic Combined World Cup in 2020 in Ramsau, Austria, the first Youth Olympic Games for women's Nordic Combined in 2020 in Laussane, Switzerland, and the first World Championships for women's Nordic Combined in 2021 in Oberstdorf, Germany.  Some highlights of her career are winning two silver medals at the 2024 Junior World Championships in the Individual and Women's Team Event, which were the first US women's Nordic Combined medals at Junior Worlds, a 4th place finish in the 2025 Seefeld Triple World Cup, a 4th place finish at the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, which is also the best US women's Nordic Combined finish at World Championships, and finishing the 2024/25 World Cup season ranked 9th in the world.  Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Find Alexa at https://awesomesaucelex.wixsite.com/alexabrabecFollow Alexa on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lex_brabec/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the episode host Elizabeth Emery speaks with Staci Mannella about ski racing legally blind with a guide, training for effective communication, why working with a counselor as an athlete is great idea, and why and how sport has been so important in her life, plus where it is leading her now.  Staci Mannella is a third year Ball State University PhD. student in counseling psychology with a focus on sport and performance. She is a mental health therapist and mental performance consultant in training at SKADI Sport Psychology. Drawing from her journey as a visually impaired Paralympic skier at the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, Staci brings a unique blend of firsthand experience and academic rigor to her clinical work and research. Staci's academic journey, including a Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College, a Master's of Science from the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, and a Masters of Arts in Counseling from Ball State University, underscores her commitment to evidence-based practice. Her ability to produce, consume, and apply sport psychology research ensures that her clients receive the most effective strategies for optimizing their performance. When she’s not supporting the performance and wellbeing of athletes, Staci enjoys staying active herself! She loves hiking, skiing, spending time with her animals, and enjoying the outdoors.  Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcastFind all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFind Staci at https://stacimannella.com/Follow Staci on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/staciskier96Follow Staci on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/staciskier96/Find Sisters in Sports at https://sistersinsportsfoundation.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2017, Megan Jastrab was an early guest on Hear Her Sports. She was 15 years old then and just, barely just, imagining her future cycling career. She is now a pro racer with Team Picnic PostNL. She’s also an Olympic medalist and three time Junior World Champion. !!! In this episode, host Elizabeth catches up with Megan and hears about her recent experiences at La Vuelta Femenina, one of the three women’s stage races called grand tours. Megan shares her thoughts about if La Vuelta should be called a grand tour, growth of women’s cycling since she started, living in Europe, and her love of bike racing despite the rain and crashes. Megan began riding bikes with her brother Ryan at the age of eleven in her hometown of California. Two years later she competed in her first race, and by the age of seventeen, Megan was Junior World Champion in not only the road race but both the madison and omnium on the track. Hungry for more, Megan joined the national track team and came away from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a Bronze medal in her first ever elite team pursuit, at the ripe old age of 19.Megan earned a double degree in Exercise Science and Business graduated from Milligan University. She now races full-time, based out of Sittard in Holland. Be sure to listen to her early episode (Ep18) because it’s still applicable to youngsters wanting to get into the sport. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Follow Megan on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/meganjastrab/ Megan coaches. Learn more at https://mile2marathon-ride.com/coach/megan-jastrab/ Find out about La Vuelta Femenina at https://www.lavueltafemenina.es/en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week host Elizabeth Emery is talking to Karen Heintz, a starting point guard, with the Houston Angels of the Women’s Basketball League (WBL), which was founded in 1978. In that inaugural year of the league, the Angels won the Championship over the Iowa Cornets.  Before playing with the Angels, Karen walked onto Texas A&M in 1974, then transferred to Baylor as a sophomore. She is still in the record books at both schools in rebounding and scoring. Karen is also one of the early female athletes to receive an athletic college scholarship.  In the episode, Karen tells all those stories and we’ll hear what it was like to play in the WBL, Karen’s memories from those days, what she was paid, plus her thoughts on the current momentum in women’s sports. We also talk about coaching because Karen has been teaching and coaching for 47 years. She was a head coach for 34 years, winning 797 games, multiple Regional Finals, and District Championships.  Karen still plays basketball competitively with the Connecticut Classics, an exceptional 50+ team. They regularly win National Senior Games championships.  Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFollow National Senior Games at https://www.instagram.com/seniorgames1/p/DGVyITkifn0/?locale=id&img_index=1Hear Karen Heintz and Coach Knodal on KHOU television at https://www.khou.com/article/sports/houston-angels-womens-basketball-championship/285-d7d338d2-6532-41d7-9f0f-5b7cbd1cc0f4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Francesca Clapcich was born in Trieste, Italy and now lives in Park City, Utah with her wife (former Olympic and round-the-world sailor, Sally Barkow) and daughter, Harriet.  In our conversation, Francesca explains sailing, what it’s like to be out on the ocean with dolphins and other wildlife. Then tells tales of the physical and mental preparations for the 2028 Vendee Globe, kid sports in Italy, building a diverse team, belief in yourself, belonging, and being a mom athlete. Our conversation couldn’t have been more full and wonderful.  Francesca has twice represented Italy at the Olympic Games, is a World Champion, European Champion, Italian Sailor of the Year. In 2023, competing with 11th Hour Racing Team, she became the first Italian to win The Ocean Race, the world’s longest and toughest team sporting event. Francesca is also the first female Italian to compete in the notoriously challenging Solitaire du Figaro, a solo multi-stage sprint around the coastline of France,. There she was presented with the Fighting Spirit award. After studying nautical construction in high school, Francesca went on to earn a degree in sports science at San Raffaele University in Rome, with a thesis on Olympic Performance. She then joined the Italian Air Force in their elite athlete program, where she served for nine years, finishing as a Senior Airman.  Beyond sailing, Francesca stays active in Park City. She is a qualified ski instructor, a CrossFit and weight-lifting coach, and she volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician in her community for youth events. Francesca sits on the board of the Park City Task Force, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in the community, building programs and events to expand the outreach of the organization, creating a safe place and access to support resources, sport and the outdoors for everyone in the region. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/givetoHHSpodcast Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletterFind Francesca Clapcich at https://www.francescaclapcich.com/ Follow Francesca on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/francescaclapcich/ Follow Francesca on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@FrancescaFrankieClapcich Learn more about 11th Hour Racing at https://11thhourracing.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danette Leighton is a 30-year sports industry and corporate executive with experience serving both men’s and women’s professional and collegiate sports leagues and teams. Since March of 2022, Leighton has led the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) as CEO, joining the 51-year-old organization, founded by Billie Jean King in 1974. Leighton was most recently chief marketing officer at the Pac-12 Conference. Prior to her nearly 12 years with the Pac-12, Leighton was with Maloof Sports & Entertainment’s NBA Sacramento Kings as vice president of marketing and brand development, as well as vice president of business operations for the WNBA Monarchs, where she led the business of the World Championship-winning WNBA franchise. She also previously worked for Sony and managed their sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii and was Stanford University’s executive director of the 1999 NCAA Women’s Final Four. A graduate of the University of Arizona, she was named a Game Changer by Sports Business Journal and recognized for her innovation and excellence by Media Inc. She currently serves as a member of Women Leaders in College Sports Board of Directors. Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports Find all episodes http://www.hearhersports.com/ Sign up for Hear Her Sports newsletter at https://bit.ly/HHSnewsletter Follow Women’s Sports Foundation on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/womenssportsfoundation/ Find Women’s Sports Foundation at https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/ Read the Play to Lead Executive Summary at https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Play-to-Lead-Report-Executive-Summary-2024.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices