The journey of an athlete rarely follows a straight path. For Jack Beer, that journey has included winning a National Championship with Georgetown, stepping away from the game to prioritize mental health, and making the leap into professional soccer—twice. From signing with New York City FC II to now playing in Spain with Mérida AD, his career has been shaped by perseverance, self-reflection, and an openness about the mental challenges that come with high-level competition. Enjoy!
We are super excited to have Karlie Lema (our newest mentor!) return to the podcast after her amazing rookie season in the NWSL with Bay FC! She speaks about the highs and lows as well as the lessons she learned along the way. A great episode about shifting your mindset around the roles we play within any given season. Enjoy!
This week our founder, Kassie Gray, dives into the topics we are discussing in our individual and team sessions lately! First up, she discusses burnout, as it's that time of the season. Next, she chats about team culture/conflict and last she chats about transitions. She also gives an update behind the scenes at FF giving some insight into her most recent trip speaking at the She Champions Summit and the recent BIG announcement of our Partnership with the Girls Academy League. Enjoy!
This week, US Beach National Team player, Ali Hall returns to discuss her recent ACL recovery and her return to play process. In a day and age when ACL's are becoming an epidemic, hearing from a pro about the emotional roller coaster can definitely make one feel less alone. Thank you to Ali for her vulnerability and openness to discuss her journey! Check out the US Women's Beach National Team and help them in their fight to get a Beach World Cup!
This week we sit down with sixth year senior at UC Berkeley, Mia Fontana! Mia has defied the odds of injury and returned to play in her final season at Cal, having overcome multiple injuries. This episode is a great reminder that if you have a dream, you shouldn't let anything stop you! Enjoy!
Listeners are in for a treat! Today on the pod we have our newest mentor and US Beach National Team Captain, Jeane Sunseri Warp! We are thrilled to talk to her about her journey from youth soccer to college to body building to discovering Beach Soccer and becoming the US Captain. This is a fun and educational episode, so Enjoy!
This episode is FIRE! We sit down with FF Board member, Former College Coach, current College Recruiting Consultant and overall badass human, JT Thomas! JT takes us through a VERY IMPORTANT and FREE recruiting presentation laying out current NCAA changes, detailing options for the right athletic fit and tools, tips and more on how to get recruited. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE! One of the most helpful jam packed episodes we've ever offered. Enjoy!
This week, we dive into the question that was brought up by the Welcome to the Party Podcast, "Should Parents Watch Practice?" We posted on our social media and had a lot of responses, so we wanted to dive deeper into both sides of this argument. Let us know your thoughts! Enjoy!
Beyond the Game is back with an all new episode featuring a vulnerable episode with none other than one of its hosts, MAYA DOMS! Sierra interviews Maya about her career thus far and how there is more to life than soccer. Her unique perspective shines through and shows how her perspective helps her find success in soccer. Enjoy!
With so many new listeners and followers, we wanted to take a week to give some back story as to how we came to be Female Footballers! We review the early days of FF and take you into the birth of our newest program, Rise and Return! Enjoy!
This week we sit down with mentee McKinley and her mom and FF Board Member, Amy Adams Harding. We discuss the emotional toll that acl injury takes on a female athlete and her family. McKinley opens up about her recovery journey, her emotional state and how the Female Footballers Rise and Return program helped her through this tough experience .
Listeners will learn about our newest program and tap into just how difficult a large injury can be on an athlete .Enjoy!
Beyond the Game is back with an all new episode this month featuring Maddi Desiano! Madelyn Desiano is a pro soccer player in the USL playing for Spokane Zephyr FC. She recently wrote a book titled, Bend Never Break, which follows UCLA Women's Soccer's year long quest to win the NCAA National Championship. Through personal stories ad in depth analysis, her book explores topics such as leadership, mental health, team culture and the influence of John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Enjoy!
This week we sit down with Associate Head Coach at the University of Portland, Maite Zabala. We chat with her about her own college (Go Bears!) and pro career, how much empathy plays a role in her coaching and some insights into the college game. Enjoy!
Kassie and Rachael sit down to discuss the Euros, injury and more in this episode about interesting happenings from this summer in soccer. Enjoy!
Beyond the Game is BACK with an all new season and episode featuring the amazing USWNT and Washington Spirit player ANDI SULLIVAN! Andi discusses her career, pregnancy and how she handles the mental challenges within the game. This is a great episode! Enjoy!
Welcome back to the Female Footballers Podcast, SEASON 9!! After a short summer break, we are back with a special first guest. She's former USWNT World Cup Winner, a college coach, the Executive Director of Seattle Reign Academy and the US Women's Deaf National Team head coach, please welcome Amy Griffin! We discuss her personal playing journey, her coaching career and her views on the future of women's soccer. Enjoy!
This week we sit down with one of our newest Mentors, Arianna Manrique! Ari is a former UC Berkeley captain and Cal's newest assistant coach! Ari dives into her journey from her youth days at Top Hat in the South to the USYNT and her recruitment to Cal. We are so thrilled to have Ari join our Female Footballers Family! Enjoy!
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are incredibly grateful to have a venerable and honest conversation around the struggles we face within sport. NWSL players Bethany Balcer (Racing Louisville) and FF Mentors, Cari Rocarro (Chicago Stars) and Kennedy Wesley (San Diego Wave), answer some important questions around mental health in soccer. Originally a webinar, we hope you enjoy this converted podcast episode and remind yourself that you are a person first, player second. Enjoy.
We are so excited to have on the Commissioner of the Girls Academy, Patricia Hughes aka Trish the Commish! Trish speaks with us about her journey as a player for the Irish National Team a collegiate coach, and now the Commissioner of the Girls Academy. We discuss what defines success for the GA and the work they are doing to create a female specific holistic player centered environment. A great episode and an even greater person! Enjoy!
This week Sierra and Maya welcome on Dr. Kimberly O'brien! Kimberly is a Harvard educated, founder and Director of Better Together and Unlimited Resilience! She talks about tools on how to navigate the mental health struggles we face in sport. This episode is powerful, helpful and awesome so please give it a listen!