Hear Her Sports

In the episode host Elizabeth Emery speaks with Staci Mannella about ski racing legally blind with a guide, training for effective communication, why working with a counselor as an athlete is great idea, and why and how sport has been so important in her life, plus where it is leading her now. 

Staci Mannella is a third year Ball State University PhD. student in counseling psychology with a focus on sport and performance. She is a mental health therapist and mental performance consultant in training at SKADI Sport Psychology. Drawing from her journey as a visually impaired Paralympic skier at the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, Staci brings a unique blend of firsthand experience and academic rigor to her clinical work and research. Staci's academic journey, including a Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College, a Master's of Science from the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, and a Masters of Arts in Counseling from Ball State University, underscores her commitment to evidence-based practice. Her ability to produce, consume, and apply sport psychology research ensures that her clients receive the most effective strategies for optimizing their performance. When she’s not supporting the performance and wellbeing of athletes, Staci enjoys staying active herself! She loves hiking, skiing, spending time with her animals, and enjoying the outdoors. 

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Find Sisters in Sports at https://sistersinsportsfoundation.org/

In 2017, Megan Jastrab was an early guest on Hear Her Sports. She was 15 years old then and just, barely just, imagining her future cycling career. She is now a pro racer with Team Picnic PostNL. She’s also an Olympic medalist and three time Junior World Champion. !!!

In this episode, host Elizabeth catches up with Megan and hears about her recent experiences at La Vuelta Femenina, one of the three women’s stage races called grand tours. Megan shares her thoughts about if La Vuelta should be called a grand tour, growth of women’s cycling since she started, living in Europe, and her love of bike racing despite the rain and crashes.

Megan began riding bikes with her brother Ryan at the age of eleven in her hometown of California. Two years later she competed in her first race, and by the age of seventeen, Megan was Junior World Champion in not only the road race but both the madison and omnium on the track. Hungry for more, Megan joined the national track team and came away from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a Bronze medal in her first ever elite team pursuit, at the ripe old age of 19.
Megan earned a double degree in Exercise Science and Business graduated from Milligan University. She now races full-time, based out of Sittard in Holland.
Be sure to listen to her early episode (Ep18) because it’s still applicable to youngsters wanting to get into the sport.

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Megan coaches. Learn more at https://mile2marathon-ride.com/coach/megan-jastrab/

This week host Elizabeth Emery is talking to Karen Heintz, a starting point guard, with the Houston Angels of the Women’s Basketball League (WBL), which was founded in 1978. In that inaugural year of the league, the Angels won the Championship over the Iowa Cornets. 

Before playing with the Angels, Karen walked onto Texas A&M in 1974, then transferred to Baylor as a sophomore. She is still in the record books at both schools in rebounding and scoring. Karen is also one of the early female athletes to receive an athletic college scholarship. 

In the episode, Karen tells all those stories and we’ll hear what it was like to play in the WBL, Karen’s memories from those days, what she was paid, plus her thoughts on the current momentum in women’s sports. We also talk about coaching because Karen has been teaching and coaching for 47 years. She was a head coach for 34 years, winning 797 games, multiple Regional Finals, and District Championships. 

Karen still plays basketball competitively with the Connecticut Classics, an exceptional 50+ team. They regularly win National Senior Games championships. 

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Follow National Senior Games at https://www.instagram.com/seniorgames1/p/DGVyITkifn0/?locale=id&img_index=1Hear Karen Heintz and Coach Knodal on KHOU television at https://www.khou.com/article/sports/houston-angels-womens-basketball-championship/285-d7d338d2-6532-41d7-9f0f-5b7cbd1cc0f4

Francesca Clapcich was born in Trieste, Italy and now lives in Park City, Utah with her wife (former Olympic and round-the-world sailor, Sally Barkow) and daughter, Harriet. 

In our conversation, Francesca explains sailing, what it’s like to be out on the ocean with dolphins and other wildlife. Then tells tales of the physical and mental preparations for the 2028 Vendee Globe, kid sports in Italy, building a diverse team, belief in yourself, belonging, and being a mom athlete. Our conversation couldn’t have been more full and wonderful. 

Francesca has twice represented Italy at the Olympic Games, is a World Champion, European Champion, Italian Sailor of the Year. In 2023, competing with 11th Hour Racing Team, she became the first Italian to win The Ocean Race, the world’s longest and toughest team sporting event. Francesca is also the first female Italian to compete in the notoriously challenging Solitaire du Figaro, a solo multi-stage sprint around the coastline of France,. There she was presented with the Fighting Spirit award.

She then joined the Italian Air Force in their elite athlete program, where she served for nine years, finishing as a Senior Airman. 

Beyond sailing, Francesca stays active in Park City. She is a qualified ski instructor, a CrossFit and weight-lifting coach, and she volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician in her community for youth events. Francesca sits on the board of the Park City Task Force, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in the community, building programs and events to expand the outreach of the organization, creating a safe place and access to support resources, sport and the outdoors for everyone in the region.

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Follow Francesca on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@FrancescaFrankieClapcich

Danette Leighton is a 30-year sports industry and corporate executive with experience serving both men’s and women’s professional and collegiate sports leagues and teams. Since March of 2022, Leighton has led the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) as CEO, joining the 51-year-old organization, founded by Billie Jean King in 1974.

Leighton was most recently chief marketing officer at the Pac-12 Conference. Prior to her nearly 12 years with the Pac-12, Leighton was with Maloof Sports & Entertainment’s NBA Sacramento Kings as vice president of marketing and brand development, as well as vice president of business operations for the WNBA Monarchs, where she led the business of the World Championship-winning WNBA franchise. She also previously worked for Sony and managed their sponsorship of the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii and was Stanford University’s executive director of the 1999 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

A graduate of the University of Arizona, she was named a Game Changer by Sports Business Journal and recognized for her innovation and excellence by Media Inc. She currently serves as a member of Women Leaders in College Sports Board of Directors.

Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports

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Follow Women’s Sports Foundation on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/womenssportsfoundation/

Find Women’s Sports Foundation at https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/

Read the Play to Lead Executive Summary at https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Play-to-Lead-Report-Executive-Summary-2024.pdf

Narcisse Jordan is a passionate artist, dedicated athlete, and advocate for women in sports. She currently plays for the USA Rugby League team and is a member of the new Women’s Elite Rugby professional team Chicago Tempest. Beyond her athletic achievements, she is a devoted mother who inspires others to pursue their passions on and off the field. 

As the founder of Mom You Play, a platform designed to empower and uplift mothers in sports, Narcisse is committed to challenging stereotypes and highlighting the stories of women who balance motherhood and competitive sports. Through her advocacy, she aims to create a supportive community that celebrates the strength and resilience of sports moms at every level. 

Her work as an artist adds another layer to her storytelling, blending creativity with her love for sport. Whether she’s creating on the canvas or making big tackles on the pitch, her message is clear: women – especially mothers – belong in sport, and they belong at every level. 

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Follow Narcisse Jordan on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kekijordan/

Follow Mom You Play on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/momyouplay/

Find Women’s Elite Rugby at https://www.womenseliterugby.us/

Lynn Holzman returned to the NCAA in February 2018 as the vice president of women’s basketball. She is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, operations, and management of women’s basketball in Divisions I, II and III. She serves as the primary liaison to the women’s basketball committees and provides strategic oversight of the site-selection process for each championship. In 2014, Holzman was appointed commissioner of the West Coast Conference after serving in various leadership roles within the conference office, including executive senior associate commissioner/chief operating officer and senior associate commissioner of governance and administration. Before her conference office tenure, she worked at the NCAA national office for 16 years, last serving as a director of academic and membership affairs.

Holzman serves on various Boards, such as the Board of Directors of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She has also served on numerous other Boards such as Women Leaders in College Sports, San Jose Sports Authority, National Association for Athletics Compliance and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics.

Holzman earned her Bachelor of Science and secondary major degrees at Kansas State University where she was captain of the women's basketball team and a three-time Academic All-Big Eight Team member. She also earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University.

Lynn discusses with host Elizabeth Emery some changes coming up in the March Madness site-selection process, how she ended up working on the administrative side of sports, consequences of the pandemic on women’s sports, the importance of sport for player and fans, the NCAA equity report that came out after Sedona Prince’s weight room TikTok in 2021, and being a natural introvert but learning how to use her voice.

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2x Olympian, Molly Huddle is an American long-distance runner who competes in track and cross-country running events. She is currently pregnant with her second child. She has won twenty-eight USA titles, held six American records, looked down the start line of two Olympic finals, and run four major marathons. Huddle set the American record in the 5,000 meters at the 2014 Herculis Diamond League meet in Fontvieille, Monaco (14:42.64). She also set the American record in the 10,000 meters at the 2016 Olympics (30:13.17). Huddle lives and trains in Providence, Rhode Island.

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Order How She Did It by Molly Huddle and Sara Slattery at https://bookshop.org/a/16267/9780593234259

Find Molly Huddle on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mollyhuddle/

Listen to Keeping Track podcast with Molly Huddle, Alysia Montano, and Roisin McGettigan at https://keeping-track.com/

Favor Anyanwu talks with host Elizabeth Emery about coming from behind in the U19 World Championships, details of being part of USA Volleyball, transferring from USC to SMU after a semester, opportunities in sport, and tips for success. This episode is a terrific insight into being an elite athlete as a college student and what comes next.

Favor is a standout volleyball player at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and a key contributor to the team’s success. Known for her dedication and athleticism, she excels both on and off the court. Favor is also passionate about dentistry and aspires to make a positive impact in the field of oral health. Her drive and well-rounded focus inspire others to pursue their goals with discipline and ambition.

Favor’s successes include being Under Armour All-American, USA Volleyball All-Star Team member, Dallas Star News First Team and Middle Blocker of the Year, and American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom selection, and a member of the USA U19 Gold Medalist team at the World Championships.

Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports

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Read more about Favor Anyanwu on the SMU roster page at https://smumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/favor-anyanwu/14827

Find Favor Anyanwu on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fav_an6/

Rebecca McConville is a board certified sports specialist and IAEDP approved eating disorder supervisor. She is an internationally recognized expert on REDs (relative energy deficiency) authoring the book Finding Your Sweet Spot - how to avoid REDs. The updated version will be released in 2025. She also created the first of its kind REDs informed provider certification program for clinicians. IN this fascinating discussion excellent for athletes, coaches, parents, and other sport team staff members, Rebecca discusses with host Elizabeth Emery about what happens in the body when underfueled, what recovery takes, and how to look for physical, nutritional, and psychological reasons for underfueling.

Get involved and support the show directly at https://bit.ly/supportWsports

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Find Rebecca McConville at https://beccamcconville.com/

Find Rebecca McConville on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaeddietitian/

Find the REDs Informed Provider Directory at https://beccamcconville.com/certified-reds-informed-provider-directory/