Flame Bearers

By Founded by Jamie MittelmanSports

Flame Bearers episodes

July 22, 2024 Rock Your Own Style: Kokona Hiraki (JPN)
Watch the video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel ►/ @flamebearers
This interview was conducted with the help of a translator (why at times, we address the question to an interpreter).
At 5 years old, Kokona's parents brought her to a local skatepark and she immediately "wanted to be like the cool skateboarders" she saw there. Flash forward to today, and she's a World champion and Olympic silver medalist. But for Kokona, it's not just about the competition (which she loves) -- it's also about the "artistic side. When people watch films of skates, I want them to look for that."
That's why Kokona is known for always pushing the bounds of what's possible or been done before, trying new tricks and doing them in different spots in the park. She shares, "I want to differentiate and then show my own style."
When asked what she wants to share with her fellow athletes she offered, "Lets make the Paris Olympics awesome with our girl power."
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics and also every Monday at 5am Eastern Standard time through the Olympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
12 min
July 17, 2024 Do It Scared: Giancarla Trevisan (ITA)
Watch the video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel ►/ @flamebearers
Giancarla wanted to be a soccer player when she was younger and got into track to stay in shape in the off season. That said, her love of soccer has stuck with her and in Tokyo 2021, she tried to hop onto the USWNT player bus to meet the players -- security nixed that.
In today's episode, Giancarla talks about intentionally building a positive mindset and surrounding herself with people who make her better. "Just focus on you. It doesn't happen overnight but it's you versus you." She opens up about hormonal challenges that she faced, and developing self confidence. She shares, "it's about confidence and believing in yourself and taking risks..."Everyone is scared. That's normal. Do it scared."
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics and starting this week with a second episode every Monday at 5AM Eastern Time through the Olympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
15 min
July 15, 2024 Vicious & Kind: Regina Salmons (USA)
Regina tried "almost every other sport" growing up, and then she found rowing at age 13. "It felt like home" she shares. Besides the feeling she loved of "pushing off the oar" and gliding through the water, Regina "saw other women who looked like [her]."
A World Silver Medalist in the Women's Eight and 2x Olympian who just missed a medal in Tokyo (4th place), Regina and team are chasing the podium in Paris. Her personal motto is that she's "vicious on the water but super kind out of the boat."
In our conversation Regina opens up about battling societal norms around height for women and girls. In 6th-7th grade, Regina jumped 10 inches, so her legs were always bright red and covered in stretch marks. She was repetitively teased for being the "big girl" and though she would respond with a tough exterior, the words seeped in. Throughout the ups and downs, Regina turned to her close friends and poetry for processing. At the University of Pennsylvania, Regina was the editor in chief of the feminist literary and arts magazine "The F-word" and chaired the poetry workshop group "The Body Electric" named after Walt Whitman's poem. As Regina mentions, having these creative outlets helped her not sizzle out on the water. Today she wants young girls to know "how you feel in your body is infinitely more important than any beauty ideal."
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Thank you to We Row Like This for introducing us to Regina at the Head of the Charles.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics and also every Monday through the Olympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
12 min
July 10, 2024 Guyana's Golden Girl: Chelsea Edghill (GUY)
Watch the video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel ►/ @flamebearers
In Tokyo2020, Chelsea was Guyana's first-ever table tennis Olympian and her nation's flagbearer, so as she heads into her second Olympics, she's coming in with high hopes...and a lot of eyes on her. That said, her path to Paris has focused on "re-finding the joy of table tennis." After Tokyo, things changed. People started treating her differently and everyone felt entitled to weigh in on her matches, so for the last several years, Chelsea has focused on grounding and surrounding herself with people who lift her up, not tear her down. She shares, "You have to be really mindful of the people you have around you."
In today's interview, we discuss how Chelsea first found table tennis (hint: it was an accident), and we explore the other aspects of her life outside of sport. She's a self-described couch potato, nerd, rubik's cube aficianadao, beach lover, and so much more. As she looks to the future, she hopes to continue to build the sports infrastructure of her home country, Guyana. Our money is on Chelsea to do whatever she sets her mind to!
This conversation is hosted by Maé-Bérénice Méité, 2x Olympian and 6x National Figure Skating Champion from France. This series Flame Bearers: Pathways to Paris celebrates women from around the world seeking to compete in this summer's Olympics and Paralympics.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
17 min
July 03, 2024 Find Your Superpower Marta Pen Freitas (PRT)
Marta was the "little Chinese" girl, but when she found track, she was better than everyone (including the guys), so she became "the fast girl." According to Marta, running was what made her different and special. "When you find something that you can hold onto, you're going to show off your superpower." For Marta, that was running.
Marta grew up speaking Portuguese, with a Portuguese name, eating Portuguese food, living in Portuguese culture, yet her Mom spoke Chinese and was from a different culture. This was a challenge. According to Marta, "When I was a kid, all I wanted was to be the same. And now I want to embrace everything that is a part of me...I wish I was more different."
Today's episode focuses on identity, and how Marta has evolved from wanting to blend in to wanting to express her full self. We talk about how she found track, her work ethic, and hopes for the future of women's sport.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
17 min
June 26, 2024 Defying the Taliban: Marzieh Hamidi (AFG)
Watch the video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel ►/ @flamebearers
Marzieh, the daughter of two Afghan parents, grew up as a refugee in Iran. "They treated us differently" she shares, which eventually led her family to move back home to Afghanistan. In her home country, Marzieh joined the Taekwondo national team and quickly climbed the ranks, where she remained until the 2021 Taliban takeover. That's when everything changed...
Women can no longer go to school, the gym, or even outside without a male chaperone. As Marzieh shares, "The Taliban told me not to come back to the gym and if I did, they would do what they wanted with me."
She had to flee the country and has since lived in France, where once again, she's a refugee. Despite settling into a new country, home is always on her mind; "I have to use my freedom to talk about Afghan women...Nobody will kill me here if I talk about the Taliban and the problems." So that's what she's doing. In today's episode, Marzieh shares what she wants the world to know about Afghan women (+ shares three asks below).
As Marzieh looks to the future, she's not going to sugar coat things. Right now, no she's not hopeful for the future of Afghan women, but she shares that "after the dark, always comes light."
Marzieh has three asks of you:
1. Write about Afghan women in your social media. Flame Bearers has graphics that you can share to support Marzieh and other Afghan women. DM us and we will share so you can post.
2. Donate to nonprofits working on the ground in Afghanistan. A few organizations to consider: World Food Program, International Rescue Committee, and Save the Children
3. If you're in a position to hire, employ or support a refugee in your community, do so.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics.
Photo credit: Laura Sciacovelli
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
16 min
June 19, 2024 The Knockout Queen: Marine Fatoumata Camara (MLI)
Watch the video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel ►/ @flamebearers
What does it take to be the FIRST? To dream beyond what's considered possible? Marine Fatoumata Camara is the first and only elite female boxer from Mali. As she shares, she's gone "where people didn't expect her to because they didn't know what was possible."
As of the time of this recording, Marine was on her way to Olympic qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, seeking to become Mali's first female Olympic boxer. Since our interview, she's secured her spot, becoming the first of hopefully many Malian women boxers. While she's the first, she's committed to not being the last.
In our conversation, Marine shares about her upbringing including challenging assumptions about who can box, navigating toxicity and stress, and building the sports infrastructure for a country with limited resources and cultural precedent for boxing. Marine is used to kids high-fiving her in the streets (they see her as a role model); she's also familiar with the burdens she shoulders as the FIRST (though she won't call them that). She shares, "The slightest thing that you can do could have an impact on someone you may never meet." She's hyper-focused on being her best in the ring, but also her best outside of it because the future is watching.
Marine gushes how she's working towards a world where women and girls can be whoever they want to be. Here's to you, Marine! You're literally changing the face of boxing, and we're with you every step of the way.
In this interview we also sit down with Marine's close friend, Laurianne to get her inside take on Marine.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
19 min
June 12, 2024 Beats Break Barriers: Sunny Choi (USA)
Watch the video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel ►/ @flamebearers
Sunny Choi grew up as a gymnast and first watched the 1992 Olympic gymnastics in her sparkly Little Mermaid tutu. On the drive to her first gymnastics class, 3-year-old Sunny asked Mom if she was going to win a gold medal. This summer, she finally has that chance...but in a different sport.
Sunny found 'breaking' when she was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania (note: don't call it breakdancing or everyone will know you're a newbie). One night when walking around campus, she saw Freaks of the Beat, a cool-looking breaking troop, and given her gymnastics background, was convinced to give it a go. She fell in love with the "creative elements of breaking," free flowing reactionary movements that in many ways stood in opposition to her well practiced gymnastics routines. As Sunny shares, when breaking, "you don't know what music you're going to get, so you can come in with a plan, and then throw it out the window."
In this conversation we hear how Sunny has defied stereotypes as an Asian-American woman in a male dominated sport, and also how her smiley-disposition has also challenged norms (breaking is known for its aggression). She shares how she's breaking has been about "figuring out who I am."
Sunny is the Pan-American Games Champ, so is coming in with high hopes for that gold medal she dreamt of in her Little Mermaid tutu.
We also hear from Sunny's parents. This conversation is hosted by Maé-Bérénice Méité, 2x Olympian and 6x National Figure Skating Champion from France. This series Flame Bearers: Pathways to Paris celebrates women from around the world seeking to compete in this summer's Olympics and Paralympics.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics.
Photo credit in podcast tile: The Players Tribune and Sam Maller.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
17 min
June 05, 2024 Meet Our Athlete Co-Host: Maé-Bérénice Méité (FRA)
Maé-Bérénice Méité is a 2x Olympian and 6x National Figure Skating Champion from France who is also an entrepreneur, artist, content creator, and so much more. She's deeply passionate about sharing the behind-the-scenes realities of being a world-class athlete, including the challenges and struggles.
Maé-Bérénice co-hosts our interviews in Flame Bearers: Pathways to Paris celebrating women from around the world seeking to compete in this summer's Olympics and Paralympics. So, before we jump into those conversations, meet our rockstar new co-host, Maé-Bérénice.
Episodes drop every Wednesday at 5am Eastern Standard Time through the Paralympics.
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Flame Bearers is the world's first media and production company specifically illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and are working towards a world where people feel more represented, empowered, and enlightened about the power of community.
Learn more on our website: flamebearers.com
Watch & subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch a video version of this episode ► / @flamebearers
Follow us on social media for exclusive behind the scenes content:
Instagram: /flamebearers
Facebook: /flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin: /flame-bearers
Tiktok: /flame_bearers
X: /flame_bearers
12 min
May 13, 2024 For The Future of Women's Track: Caster Semenya (ZAF)
2x Olympic Gold Medalist and 3x World Champion, Caster Semenya has made headlines since winning the 800m at the 2009 World Athletics Championships at the age of 18, yet the media (and many of her fellow athletes) wouldn't gracefully acknowledge her generational talent for what it was, but rather started accusing her of being a man. This was news to Caster, someone who was born a woman and grew up a woman her whole life. Given her muscular build, speed, deep voice, and color, Caster didn't look like what many believed a woman "should" look like.
Wednesday is a landmark court case determining the future of women's track and field. For the last decade Caster has been fighting to compete without changing her natural body. The IIAF (formerly World Athletics) mandated that in order to compete she had to reduce her natural testosterone levels, which according to Caster, left her feeling "like the walking dead." To hear more of the backstory from Caster's perspective, check out our season 1 episode elevating Caster right before the Tokyo Olympics. This Wednesday, May 15th, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is examining Caster's appeal against regulations requiring female athletes with high testosterone levels to take medication.
In our conversation Caster shares "Let's stop allowing people to give us a view or an opinion of how a woman should look like. You are born with your differences, I'm born with my differences...We need to celebrate one another." That is the world we are working towards with you, Caster.
14 min

About Flame Bearers

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Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio. We tell stories via video production, podcasts, and live events and have supported just shy of 400 world-class athletes from 52…