Express to Success

Sarah Spain is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning radio host, TV personality and writer. She is the host of “Spain and Company,” airing weeknights on national ESPN radio, host of ESPN’s “That’s What She Said” podcast, a writer for espnW.com, a regular panelist on “Around The Horn” and “Highly Questionable” and a “SportsCenter” reporter.  Listen in as Sarah and Taina talk the treatment of female sports reporters in todays industry, finding the right opportunities to build your career, the importance of networking and much more.

Margaux Alvarez, an outstanding athlete, competed in the CrossFit Games, NBC Titan Games and is now both a coach, trainer and small business owner of G.O.A.T Wines sits down to shre her experiences. Succesful in both athletic competition and running her own business, Margaux discusses the many challenges of competing as an elite athlete and training, while also sharing the business managment side of creating and owning a business where she has built it from the ground up.

Ami Houde, a professional moto cross athlete, has competed on dirt bikes, monster trucks and you name it! One of the most succesful motor sport athletes in the industry, Ami began her career at the age of 3 when she began dirt bike racing. A native of Canada and graduate of Winnipeg University, Ami turned pro in 2017. She shares her experiences from being one of the first women to drive a monster truck to winning dirt bike races, all while keeping everything in perspective.

Polina Edmunds, a now retired professional figure skater, is a decorated figure skating champion. Polina was the 2015 Four Continents Champion, CS US Classic Champion and two time US National Silver Medalist. Polina was the youngest athlete to represent the United States in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Polina currently hosts her own podcast, @bleavpodcasts where she discusses the many issues that young athletes face in their career. Polina shares an inside look at what being an elite athelte at such a young age took and is actively working to bring light to the issues that many young female athletes face in society and how to overcome these obstacles.

Arielle Chambers is a multi-media journalist, host, and social media manager based in New York City.  She utilizes storytelling to amplify the voices of women and magnify their excellence. Intentionally staying on the women's side of things, Chambers seeks to show girls and women, world-wide, that their potential is limitless.

 

Chambers has since dedicated her efforts to grassroots coverage and the utilization of social media to close the coverage gap. She has served as a reporter for the WNBA and NCAA women's basketball, covering multiple WNBA All-Star games, NCAA Women's Final Fours, and ACC Women's Basketball Tournaments. For the 2019 WNBA Draft, Chambers was chosen to be the WNBA digital news host and delivered #WNBANews. She also has experience in hosting and was the Connecticut Sun's back-up in-arena host for the 2018 season.

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Earlier 2019, Chambers spearhead Bleacher Report's new platform, highlightHER and has grown it from the very beginning to now over 70,000 followers and counting. HighlightHER has been the fastest growing women's sports platform for the majority of 2020 and the potential is limitless. 

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Gabrielle Reece, a volleyball legend, inspirational leader, New York Times bestselling author, mother and fitness expert sits down to discuss the many aspects of her storied career and success after retirement from volleyball. The former professional beach volleyball player was Nike’s first female spokeswoman and Nike's first female athlete to design a shoe. Gabby attended Florida State University where she played two seasons before accepting offers from the modeling world. Despite the demand of modeling and competing, Gabby set two school volleyball records for FSU that still stand today. She is the Creator of HIGHX®, Co-Founder of XPT® and Executive Member of Laird Superfood®.

Traci Callahan, a current professional volleyball athlete, is a graduate of Concordia University, Irvine, where she was named Female Athlete of the Year (2009) and a 1st team All-American 3 straight seasons (2006-2009). In 2005, she was the NCAA Freshman of the Year.  In 2015, she was the Assistant Beach Volleyball Coach at Florida State helping guide them to a 2nd place finish in the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championships.

Traci began playing on the AVP in 2012, qualifying for the AVP Championships in Santa Barbara, CA.  After a 4 year break from competition (2015-2018), Traci returned to the AVP in 2019, finishing 7th in her first tournament back on tour. In 2020, she and her partner Crissy Jones were the only qualifying team to make all three main draw events in the AVP Champions Cup Series, with a 5th place finish in the Wilson Cup and 7th place finishes in the Monster Hydro Cup and the Porsche Cup. Their only losses came to teams that made the finals. In 2020, Traci competed in her first FIVB event (finishing 5th), and will continue to play both domestically and internationally in 2021.

Dr. Jen Welter is the first female to coach in the NFL. In the summer of 2015, she served as a linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals, a period of time defined by the bond she has formed with the players. Widely known as a trailblazer and pioneer in professional football, becoming the first woman to coach in the NFL was only her most recent first. She most recently served  as a defensive specialist for the Alliance of American Football (AAF). Following her record-breaking accomplishment with the Cardinals, Welter became the head coach of the first Australian women’s national team in 2017. Widely known as a trailblazer and pioneer in professional football, Welter became the first woman to play running back in a men's professional football league with the Texas Revolution. Welter has served on the advisory board for the NFL’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game for Life Academy since 2017. She holds a doctorate degree in Psychology, a Master’s in Sport Psychology, and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College.

Shana Dobson, a pioneer in the UFC flyweight division, began her professional career MMA career in 2016. She holds a an overall record of 4-4. Shana participated in the Ultimate Fighting Championship Series 26 and in her promotional debut she defeated Ariel Beck by TKO on the season finale. Shana was the biggest betting underdogs in UFC history to win a fight. Shana is one of the proffesional MMA fighters who has paved the way for so many young athletes aspiring to be in her shoes. Shana shares her journey through the UFC, her experience on the Ultimate Fighting Championship Series and how she has used her platform to impact the athletic community.

Natalie van den Adel, a member of the Dutch National Team and a professional hooper on Ensino Lugo in the Spanish League sits down to discuss her journey from a young age in the Netherlands to her short time in the United States and then returning to play professional basketball overseas. Natalie is an accomplished pro hooper having won the silver medal in the 2018 FIBA 3X3 Tournament. As the EuroLeague Qualifiers and Olympic Qualifiers approach she shares some of her greatest achievements and osbtacles she had to overcome as she leads her national team to potential history.