The Game Changers

Today’s guest is Jodie Ounsley – a professional rugby player and Honorary President of UK Deaf Sport, who will also be a Gladiator in the new series that returns to the BBC later this year.

Jodie is a powerful role model for women and girls and talks openly about her deafness and how it’s impacted her life on and off the pitch.  

 She explains how she’s unintentionally been training for Gladiators all her life and how she’s preparing for the public profile that comes with becoming ‘Fury’ in the new series.

Jodie began her sporting career as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion before representing the UK in athletics at the Deaf Olympics. Five times Coal Carrying Champion, she then moved on to rugby where she’s represented England at 7s and now plays for the Exeter Chiefs in the Premier 15s.

Alongside her success in sport, Jodie was awarded the Young Deaf Sports Personality of the Year and was also included in the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List 2023 which recognised 30 outstanding women in sport. 

Jodie’s videos on TikTok, where she shares her life as a young woman living with hearing loss, have been viewed almost 5 million times.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

The guests featured in the new series of The Game Changers could be the most diverse yet, with Olympic, World and Commonwealth Champions, alongside elite coaches, broadcasters, CEOs, Paralympic GB’s Chef de Mission and a Gladiator! 

The Game Changers podcast features candid interviews with trailblazing women in sport who are knocking down barriers and challenging the status quo for women and girls across society. Along with discussing their careers, what drives them and how they’ve dealt with the toughest challenges, each episode also addresses wider equality issues in sport and beyond.

The popularity of this award-winning podcast continues to grow, in line with the increased profile and appetite for women’s sport. The Game Changers now ranks in the top 5% of all podcasts globally, and series 14, which launches on Tuesday May 30, will be supported by Sport England through a National Lottery Award.

The remarkable line-up for the new series includes: 

• Jodie Ounsley – A professional rugby player who represented England at Rugby 7’s, is Honorary President of UK Deaf Sportand a recently announced Gladiator in the new BBC series
• Eve Muirhead MBE – One of the world’s greatest ever curlers, who won Olympic Gold in Tokyo as the skip for Team GB, and was voted 3rd in last year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year 
• Preeti Shetty – the CEO of Upshot, who’s a director at Brentford Football Club and a passionate advocate for the power of sport to drive social change 
• Penny Briscoe OBE – a former international canoeist, who’s been a driving force in revolutionising parasport as Director of Sport for the British Paralympic Association and Chef de Mission for Paralympics GB
• Louise Minchin – A BBC Breakfast presenter for over 20 years, who represented Great Britain as an Age Group Triathlete and is now an author, podcaster and someone taking on extreme sporting challenges
• Molly McCann, also known as Meatball Molly – a professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in UFC
• And Eilish McColgan – British and European Record holder, 3 time Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist from Birmingham 2022

The series also includes a fascinating panel exploring the topic of women in coaching with:

• Jess Freeman – a community coach with Harlequins Rugby Club 
• Kelly Lindsey – former US soccer player who is now Sporting Director at Lewes FC 
• Giselle Mather – former England rugby player who is now Director of Rugby at Ealing Trailfinders
• And Sarah Kelleher – who captained the Irish Women’s Hockey team and now coaches national sides in England and Ireland 

The Game Changers is hosted by Fearless Women’s CEO, Sue Anstiss MBE, an author, film maker and co-founder of the Women’s Sport Collective. 

Head of Equality at Sport England, Garnet Mackinder, comments: ‘Sport England is excited to be supporting the next season of The Game Changers. The podcast is an innovative way of sparking conversations about tackling inequalities that is aligned to the Uniting the Movement strategy. Hearing from amazing women will help to inspire others to follow in their footsteps and encourage more women to work in sport.”

Previous game changing guests, of which there are now over 110, include Jess Ennis-Hill, Gabby Logan, Katherine Grainger, Lucy Bronze, Laura Woods, Judy Murray, Sarah Storey, Denise Lewis, Shaunagh Brown, Kelly Smith, Clare Balding, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Lizzie Deignan, Emma Hayes, Chrissie Wellington, Maggie Murphy, Sue Campbell and Tanni Grey-Thompson, along with male allies like Ian Wright and Ugo Monye.

The Game Changers is available across all podcast platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Google, or you listen and find out more&

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

To mark the fact that the entire Game On book is now available to listen to free on The Game Changers podcast, today we are sharing a previous episode in conversation with the author, Sue Anstiss 

In this special episode of The Game Changers, recorded in front of a live audience, Sue is interviewed by the rather brilliant Hannah Wilkes from Sky Sports.  

Sue shares much about her own relationship with sport, along with the joys & challenges across her career from sports marketing with Gatorade in the 90’s, dealing with redundancy, building a sports PR agency & then launching Fearless Women.  

Sue talks about the history & impact of the Women’s Sport Trust, what’s happening in women’s sport right now and what needs to change in the future.  

From inequality in pay and board diversity through to investment, visibility and fan engagement, it’s a conversation that addresses so much that’s happening in women’s sport today.  

Just before this interview Sue was shortlisted as a Changemaker in The Sunday Times Sportswomen of The Year Awards in 2020. Since then she was recognised on the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List 2023 as one of the 30 most influential women in sport.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers with a National Lottery award. 

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

In this moving and thought-provoking episode of The Game Changers, I talk to Maria Bobenreith, Executive Director of Women Win, to explore how sport is being used to enable young women to exercise their rights across the world. 

We consider how sport enables girls to develop their innate leadership, the power of joy to transform even the toughest lives and how nationalism trumps sexism when it comes to success on the world stage. 

Maria describes powerful examples of how sport is driving social change across the world, and openly shares her learnings from her previous role as a former Global Director of Community Investments at Nike.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers podcast through a National Lottery award.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

What’s the difference between ‘sports development’ and ‘sport for development’ and how are organisations using sport as a tool to generate social change.

This chapter explores the powerful impact sport can have on the some of the most prevalent problems affecting women in the global South such as gender based violence, childhood marriage and lack of education opportunities.

We consider what it is that makes sport so powerful, and talk to leaders in the space including Radha Balani, Lex Chalat, Maria Bobenrieth and Katie Sadlier, who generously share their expertise. 

Examples of current programmes for women and girls are also highlighted, along with the incredible impact they are making in places like Kenya, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Uganda, Sudan and Brazil.

The episode finishes with the conclusion to Game On and my thoughts on the way forward for women’s sport and how we can all play our part. 

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

This chapter considers the inequalities we see more broadly in women’s sport - across all ages and abilities – and what’s finally being done to address this. 

From little girls not allowed to join the boys playing football in the playground, teenage girls unable to play a sport they love because clubs don’t have girls teams, through to older women uncomfortable about exercising in public for fear of ridicule.

Why are girls already less active than boys at just 7 and how does this difference widen as they move from childhood to adolescence?

I explore the great work that is now being done to address these issues from leading sports organisations and schools through to race directors and charities.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast through the National Lottery.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

Moya Dodd, one of the most influential women in global sport. 

Former vice-captain of the Australian women’s football team, Moya served on the board of Football Federation Australia and Asian football's governing body, before she became one of the first women to join the FIFA Council, where she took a lead role on gender reforms.

Moya still sits on FIFA committees along with the IOC Athlete’s Entourage Commission. She is Honorary President of Women in Sports Law, Chair of Common Goal and serves on the board of Barefoot to Boots.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

In today’s chapter we address the lack of racial diversity in women’s sport – from grassroots participation through to our national teams and boardrooms.

Why don’t England’s national teams in sports like cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football and hockey reflect the ethnic diversity of our society?  

What did it take for sport to finally wake up to the issue, what’s being done to address it now, and who are the inspirational women driving change?

This chapter explores some of the factors that might impact participation through to elite pathway including income, education, the location of elite training centres, along with very practical elements such as the sportswear on offer and profile of role models.

We can all be more intersectional in our approach. Just as we call for more women on sports boards, women in sports media and women in elite coaching, we must also ensure those women who have been excluded in the past are also at the table, and that our pathways to elite sport are open to all young women, whatever their race or ethnicity.
Thanks to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast through a National Lottery grant

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

Today we re-release an episode with Maggie Alphonsi, one of rugby's greatest female players.

 Having helped England win a record breaking 7 consecutive Six Nations crowns and the 2014 World Cup, Maggie has gone on to be as influential off the field as she was on it.

Maggie talks openly about how rugby changed her life, her experience of representing her country and how it felt to break new ground as the first woman to commentate on men’s rugby at a World Cup.

Thank you for Sport England who support The Game Changers podcast through a National Lottery grant.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production

‘I hate the word homophobia. It’s not a phobia. You’re not scared. You’re an arsehole’. Morgan Freeman, 2012

Sport can be an incredibly inclusive space, welcoming women whatever their sexuality – and in many cases providing a haven for a young woman, potentially normalising her identity in a way she may not have experienced elsewhere.

And yet sadly, society’s perception of LGBTQ+ women can also be the very thing that drives girls away from sport, with National Governing Bodies historically choosing to downplay the high percentage of queer women in their national sides.

In this important chapter of my book ‘Game On – The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport’, I explore the history of LGBTQ+ women in sport and its impact on participation, and how a more inclusive society today sees high profile gay athletes like Megan Rapinoe no longer penalised by sponsors in the way Billie Jean-King and Martina Navratilova were in the past. 

I talk to Kate Richardson-Walsh and Casey Stoney about the issues of stereotyping in women’s sport, and consider how tough it can be to explore the subject of transwomen’s inclusion in sport with the constant vitriol surrounding any discussion of the topic. 

Thank you to Sport England for supporting The Game Changers podcast through a National Lottery grant.

Thank you to Sport England who support The Game Changers Podcast with a National Lottery award.

Find out more about The Game Changers podcast here: https://www.fearlesswomen.co.uk/thegamechangers

Hosted by Sue Anstiss
Produced by Sam Walker, What Goes On Media

A Fearless Women production