After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.
That’s what this new Best Of series is all about—spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. 

We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:
✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”
 ✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.
 ✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.
 ✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.
 and many more!

You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.

In this episode  we explore how elite women athletes define who they are in the face of pressure, expectation, and change. You’ll hear Afghan taekwondo champion Marzia Hamidi confront what it meant to lose, and reclaim, her identity when the Taliban banned women from sport. Fran Brown, British Paralympic cyclist, pushes back on “inspiration porn” to assert her professionalism and agency. Asia Hogan-Rochester, Olympic silver medalist with Canada Rugby Sevens, celebrates individuality, glitter, mismatched cleats and all, as fuel for confidence. And Catarina Guimarães (Team USA) shows that power and femininity aren’t opposites, reminding young girls they can love bows and sparkle and still be absolute beasts on the field. Together, these stories reveal identity as both a fight and a freedom, something you own, protect, and proudly bring to the world.

Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.
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