Flame Bearers

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En este episodio de Flame Bearers, la presentadora Janelly Farías conversa con la capitana de la selección nacional de fútbol de México, defensa del Washington Spirit y su pareja, Rebeca (Rebe) Bernal, en una conversación profundamente personal y pionera. Rebe, una figura legendaria y cuatro veces campeona de la Liga MX Femenil, se abre para hablar sobre su complejo proceso de salir del armario, sobre cómo lidió con el miedo a las expectativas familiares y sobre el papel vital que desempeñan los espacios seguros en la salud mental de un atleta y en su rendimiento en el terreno de juego. Juntas, exploran la dolorosa realidad de tener que soportar la homofobia, tanto en México como en Estados Unidos. Rebe se enfrenta a la vulnerabilidad que supone darse cuenta de que su propia voz es lo suficientemente poderosa como para cambiar vidas, dejándonos con una hermosa visión de lo que significa brillar con autenticidad, tanto dentro como fuera de la cancha.

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In this episode of Flame Bearers, host Janelly Farías sits down with Mexican national soccer team captain and Washington Spirit defender Rebeca (Rebe) Bernal for a deeply personal and groundbreaking conversation. Rebeca (Rebe) Bernal, a legendary four-time Liga MX Femenil champion, opens up about her complex coming out journey, navigating the fears of family expectations, and the vital role that safe spaces play in an athlete's mental health and on-field performance. Together, they explore the painful reality of enduring homophobia in both Mexico and the United States. Rebeca (Rebe) Bernal reflects on the vulnerability of recognizing that her voice carries the power to change lives, and shares her vision of what it means to shine authentically on and off the pitch. 

 In this episode of Flame Bearers, host Shannon Rowbury sits down with Mirai Nagasu, a two-time Olympic figure skater and bronze medalist, to talk about her legendary career on the ice, transitioning into coaching, and navigating motherhood. Mirai Nagasu shares her journey from making history as a young national champion to why she famously kept her Olympic medal in her underwear drawer before eventually putting it on display to inspire the next generation. Together, they also explore the physical realities of pregnancy, bringing her five-day-old son to the rink in a baby carrier, the striking similarities between an athlete's support team and a mother's “village,” and why it’s time for sports media to move past curated perfection. 

In this episode of Flame Bearers, host Shannon Rowbury sits down with Femita Ayenbeku, a Paralympic sprinter representing the United States, to talk about her rapid rise in track and field, motherhood, and competing at the highest level. Femita shares how she received her first running blade in 2015, made her first Paralympic team just seven months later, and went on to become a three-time Paralympian. Together, they also explore balancing elite sport with raising two children under two, navigating the Paralympic Village as a breastfeeding mom, the importance of showing the full reality of Paralympic athletes in media coverage, and how motherhood reshaped Femita’s sense of purpose and resilience.

In this episode of Flame Bearers, Danusia Francis-Reid, a gymnast who represented Great Britain and Jamaica, joins host Shannon Rowbury to reflect on life after elite sport and the realities of new motherhood. Seven months after welcoming her son Solly, Danusia shares how sleepless nights, baby cuddles, and learning to slow down have reshaped her perspective. She also opens up about the importance of family support, the resilience motherhood requires, and the joy she finds in everyday moments with her son. Danusia shows us all that even when the beam gets narrow, you can still dance.

In today’s Flame Bearers episode, British archer Jodie Grinham reflects with host Shannon Rowbury on winning silver at her debut Paralympics and returning in 2024 to earn team gold and individual bronze while seven months pregnant. Jodie shares how she balanced precision training with raising four children, including leaving her youngest at home during the Games and adapting to constant physical changes during pregnancy. The two also explore fertility struggles, navigating public criticism, and what it truly means to balance an eye for detail and the understanding that parenthood means not always hitting the target.

In this episode, Flame Bearers Founder and CEO Jamie Mittelman looks back on the Making it to Milan season. She reflects on ways that Milan Cortina athletes like Alyssa Liu and Eileen Gu redefined success in their own terms, the visibility void that Paralympic athletes continue to face, and the ways that joy fuels athletes like Liu Jaiyu and Brenna Huckaby. Jamie also looks to what’s next, with a spotlight on Olympic Track and Field athlete and Strong Like a Mother co-author Shannon Rowbury, who will be leading Flame Bearers conversations with athlete moms through the month of May.

In this episode of Making It To Milan, Flame Bearers Founder and CEO Jamie Mittelman sits down with Mia Clerc fresh off her third Olympics, where she competed in alpine skiing for [country not stated in transcript]. Mia Clerc reflects on a life- and career-shaping experience, from connecting with athletes she admires like Federica Brignone and Mikaela Shiffrin to comparing Olympic Village dining across Games — with a candid nod to Korea as her favorite. She shares what it meant to return to the Olympic stage again, the atmosphere inside the Village, and how those moments stack up after three appearances. Now back home, Mia Clerc looks ahead to time with family and friends, while acknowledging that skiing remains one of the deepest loves of her life.

In this episode of MADE it to Milan, our series co-hosts Dani Aravich and Ashley Cain look back on what they learned from this series from the athletes they spoke to leading up to Milan, Dani's own competition experience, and Ashley's experience attending as a fan. Dani shares the intensity of racing seven times in nine days, getting sick midway through competition, and hearing family and friends in the stands after competing at past Paralympics without fans. She speaks candidly about the post-Games blues and a season that stretched from World Cups to training camps across Europe. Ashley describes feeling the energy of packed arenas and witnessing athletes open up in interviews about goals beyond medals, ranging from historic performances to hard lessons on the ice.

We’re taking a look at athletes who made it to Milan, starting with Polina Rozkova, a wheelchair curler representing Latvia, who won Latvia’s first-ever Winter Paralympic medal in Milano Cortina. In this episode of Made It To Milan, Polina Rozkova shares the intensity of that final battle, including equipment challenges with her wheelchair setup, a decisive shot against Italy where she displaced two stones, and how a mid-tournament adjustment from her coach changed everything. After a 12-hour journey home, she was welcomed with flowers, airport celebrations, and messages of support from around the world—though she also faced criticism earlier in the Games for not having the correct team jacket. As she looks ahead, she speaks candidly about funding realities, her goal to move beyond “amateur” status, and continuing to build wheelchair curling in Latvia. Her message is simple and direct: if you want something, try to do it.

In this episode of Making It To Milan, Ashley Cane sits down with Spanish Paralympic alpine skier and world champion parasurfer Maria Martín Granizo-Ferreiro. Representing Spain in alpine skiing, Maria shares how growing up in a ski-obsessed family shaped her path and how she became the first athlete with her disability to compete against able-bodied skiers in her region. She opens up about balancing elite alpine skiing with a world championship parasurfing career, navigating burnout, injury, and personal loss, and fighting for inclusion in competition. Maria also reflects on the mental strength required to believe in herself when others didn’t—and what it meant to qualify for the Milano Cortina Paralympic Games on the very last possible day, securing her place on her own terms.