More Than An Armband

What do you do when you make a mistake in front of the team you're supposed to be leading? For All-American midfielder Summer Denigan, the answer is simple: next play.

Summer grew up in Union, Kentucky, competing against her two brothers from the moment she could kick a ball. She committed to Florida State as a high school freshman, battled through a season-ending injury, transferred to Georgia, and became a First Team All-American and team captain. Now she's playing her final college season at No. 2 North Carolina, with her sights set on playing professionally.

In this episode, Anja and Summer talk about:

Summer also turns the tables with a few questions for Anja about her own years as a captain, and shares the faith that drives her why.

Plus, in Women Leading the Way: the Golden State Valkyries win the WNBA championship in just their second season, and head coach Natalie Nakase makes history.

Whether you're a first-time captain, a coach trying to build a player-led culture, or a parent of an athlete stepping into leadership, this one's full of things you can use at your next practice.

More Than an Armband is the podcast from Captain's University, helping captains and coaches lead with confidence on and off the field.

Lilly King wasn’t always voted captain, and that included the 2024 Olympic team. In this bonus segment, she talks about what happened after that vote, including the text from teammate Abbey Weitzel that reminded her she was still a leader without the title.

Lilly also explains why being captain can sometimes feel like a popularity contest, and why she kept welcoming rookies and connecting with teammates whether she wore the armband or not.

Then we get into rapid fire:

Her main message: you don’t need the title to have the role.

Missed the full episode with Lilly? Go back and listen to it, then share this one with a captain, coach, or teammate who needs to hear it.

Anyone can learn to be a leader.

Lilly King — Fierce, Fun, and Fostering the Next Generation of Leaders

In this episode of More Than an Armband, Anja sits down with seven-time Olympic medalist and Indiana University swimming legend Lilly King. Lilly traces her path from a competitive Evansville household to becoming one of the most outspoken leaders in American swimming — including the moment at age 12 that convinced her an Olympic career wasn't just a dream, but a plan.

The conversation digs into what it actually means to lead an individual sport wrapped inside a team: how Lilly learned the hard way that being the fastest swimmer in the pool didn't automatically make her a good teammate, the pep talk she gave her Indiana team before Big Ten Championships that she credits with a mindset shift, and the moment she got disqualified mid-meet and had to compartmentalize her own disappointment to support five teammates racing their only event of the day. She also opens up about being the team's go-to spokeswoman on hard topics — including calling out doping — and what it meant to be voted captain by her peers again and again, even in years she wasn't wearing the title.

The episode closes with Lilly's reflections on retiring at the IU Natatorium where her career began, her new chapter mentoring the next generation of swimmers with Lead Sports Co., and her one piece of advice for any young athlete stepping into leadership for the first time: trust yourself.

In this episode:

In this bonus drop from our episode with Angel City FC's Angelina Anderson, she runs through her rapid-fire favorites — her all-time favorite album, the country that stole her heart on a soccer trip, and the surreal moment standing in an empty SoFi Stadium the day before a USWNT game. 

In this episode of More Than an Armband, Anja sits down with Angelina Anderson, goalkeeper and captain for Angel City FC in the NWSL. Angelina opens up about her path from Cal Berkeley, where she was named Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and served as team captain, to the professional ranks and USWNT camp.

They dig into what it actually takes to lead teammates who are older, more experienced, and sometimes your closest friends, including the story of learning to hold veteran captain Sarah Gordon accountable. Angelina also gets honest about a season where a critical teammate shook her confidence, and the mental reframe that helped her lead through it, plus a moment where a younger player held her to a higher standard instead.

The conversation closes on life outside the sport: why Angelina believes having an identity beyond soccer actually makes her a better athlete, and the story behind B-Side, her passion project exploring the overlap between athletes and musicians.

In this episode:

Follow Angelina: @angelinaanderson_ | B-Side: @bsidebyangelina

Listen to this bonus segment where Derek Waldeck shares more about his national championship experience and what players he enjoys watching. 

In this episode of More Than an Armband, Anja sits down with Derek Waldeck, a professional soccer player who has worn the armband at every level of the game — from back-to-back national championships at Stanford University to captaining professional locker rooms across the United States. Derek opens up about what it was like to learn from elite leaders as a freshman at Stanford, and how watching those around him shaped the kind of captain he would eventually become. He gets honest about the shell shock of transitioning from a championship-driven college program to professional locker rooms filled with players pulling in completely different directions — and how adaptability became his most important leadership tool. He also dives into the very real challenge of leading through adversity, imposter syndrome, and the ever-changing landscape of college athletics in the era of the transfer portal. Whether you're stepping into a captain role for the first time or looking to sharpen how you lead the people around you, Derek's perspective is grounded, honest, and packed with practical takeaways.

Key Takeaways:

Listen to this bonus segment of rapid fire questions with Celia Jiménez.

In this episode of More Than an Armband, Anja sits down with Celia Jiménez — former Spanish national team captain, two-time World Cup veteran, NWSL champion with the Atlanta Pride, and now Founder and CEO of Nebula. Celia shares her remarkable journey from a small town in southern Spain where she fought for the right to compete at just six years old, all the way to the world's biggest stages in women's soccer. She opens up about what it truly means to wear the armband, how she navigated divided teams at the highest level, and why she believes peak performance is always a collective achievement — never an individual one. She also shares the leadership lessons that shaped her, from a veteran captain's pre-game pep talk before defending Marta at her first World Cup, to running fitness tests alongside a struggling teammate just to show her she wasn't alone. Now channeling everything she learned on the field into Nebula, Celia is on a mission to build better environments for women athletes everywhere. 

Key Takeaways:

Listen to this bonus segment with Michelle Voiland as she shares her favorite soccer memory and why she loves coaching.