Female Footballers

This week Rachael and Kassie sit down to discuss tips and ways that coaches can support female players in specific ways. This is a great episode for coaches of all ages and levels of players. Some takeaways try in your training sessions! Enjoy!

Today we’re diving into a groundbreaking effort out of UC Berkeley focused on a serious issue in sports science: the lack of research and data on women athletes. Despite massive growth in women’s sports over the last few decades, scientists have a glaring blind spot — most of the foundational data used in sports medicine and performance analytics comes from studies on men. That’s what a new UC Berkeley initiative is aiming to change — and it affects athletes at every level. To help us unpack this, we’re joined by Dr Amy "whitey" Hockenbrock who is the associate medical director and associate team physician at UC Berkeley and Dr. Cindy Chang — chief medical officer for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and former head team physician at Cal.

This week we are stoked to have the opportunity to chat with Healthy Sports Parents', Jonathan Carone! Jonathan's mission at Healthy Sports Parents is to cut through the chaos to help parents lead their kids through sports in a way that builds stronger relationships and healthier humans. We chat about how to be a supportive parent and some situations that can feel hard to navigate as a parent on the sidelines. You don't want to skip this episode! Enjoy!

This week Beyond the Game is back with an all new episode featuring Maya and Sierra’s former teammate, Bianca Caetano Ferrara! Bianca talks about her journey through sport, including her Brazilian Youth National Team experience and her National Championship with Stanford in 2019, while prioritizing her mental health, and her pursuit to work in medicine. Enjoy!

We are stoked to once again have Female Footballers mentor and the Northern Super Leagues newest and most fun League Champion, Vancouver Rise's Nikki Stanton!! We catch up with Nikki about her journey from leaving the NWSL and heading to the NSL. She discusses that transition and winning the NSL championship with her new team Vancouver Rise! Enjoy!

We're back for SEASON 10 with an all new episode to kick off 2026! Rachael, Kassie and Haley discuss what's in and out for 2026 and reflect a bit on what a great 2025 we had at Female Footballers! Enjoy!

ICYMI- this episode was fantastic and we have re-edited it to make it even better! Check it out! Let us know what you think in the comments:)

In our last episode of Season 9, we are thrilled to have on our newest mentor, Utah Royals Player, ALEX LOERA! Alex talks about her journey these past two seasons as she battled back to back ACL injuries. In this episode, you can hear her positive outlook and hope for next season as she returns to play! Enjoy!

The journey of an athlete rarely follows a straight path. For Jack Beer, that journey has included winning a National Championship with Georgetown, stepping away from the game to prioritize mental health, and making the leap into professional soccer—twice. From signing with New York City FC II to now playing in Spain with Mérida AD, his career has been shaped by perseverance, self-reflection, and an openness about the mental challenges that come with high-level competition. Enjoy!

We are super excited to have Karlie Lema (our newest mentor!) return to the podcast after her amazing rookie season in the NWSL with Bay FC! She speaks about the highs and lows as well as the lessons she learned along the way. A great episode about shifting your mindset around the roles we play within any given season. Enjoy!

This week our founder, Kassie Gray, dives into the topics we are discussing in our individual and team sessions lately! First up, she discusses burnout, as it's that time of the season. Next, she chats about team culture/conflict and last she chats about transitions. She also gives an update behind the scenes at FF giving some insight into her most recent trip speaking at the She Champions Summit and the recent BIG announcement of our Partnership with the Girls Academy League. Enjoy!

This week, US Beach National Team player, Ali Hall returns to discuss her recent ACL recovery and her return to play process. In a day and age when ACL's are becoming an epidemic, hearing from a pro about the emotional roller coaster can definitely make one feel less alone. Thank you to Ali for her vulnerability and openness to discuss her journey! Check out the US Women's Beach National Team and help them in their fight to get a Beach World Cup!

This week we sit down with sixth year senior at UC Berkeley, Mia Fontana! Mia has defied the odds of injury and returned to play in her final season at Cal, having overcome multiple injuries. This episode is a great reminder that if you have a dream, you shouldn't let anything stop you! Enjoy!

Listeners are in for a treat! Today on the pod we have our newest mentor and US Beach National Team Captain, Jeane Sunseri Warp! We are thrilled to talk to her about her journey from youth soccer to college to body building to discovering Beach Soccer and becoming the US Captain. This is a fun and educational episode, so Enjoy!

This episode is FIRE! We sit down with FF Board member, Former College Coach, current College Recruiting Consultant and overall badass human, JT Thomas! JT takes us through a VERY IMPORTANT and FREE recruiting presentation laying out current NCAA changes, detailing options for the right athletic fit and tools, tips and more on how to get recruited. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE! One of the most helpful jam packed episodes we've ever offered. Enjoy!

This week, we dive into the question that was brought up by the Welcome to the Party Podcast, "Should Parents Watch Practice?" We posted on our social media and had a lot of responses, so we wanted to dive deeper into both sides of this argument. Let us know your thoughts! Enjoy!

Beyond the Game is back with an all new episode featuring a vulnerable episode with none other than one of its hosts, MAYA DOMS! Sierra interviews Maya about her career thus far and how there is more to life than soccer. Her unique perspective shines through and shows how her perspective helps her find success in soccer. Enjoy!

With so many new listeners and followers, we wanted to take a week to give some back story as to how we came to be Female Footballers! We review the early days of FF and take you into the birth of our newest program, Rise and Return! Enjoy!

This week we sit down with mentee McKinley and her mom and FF Board Member, Amy Adams Harding. We discuss the emotional toll that acl injury takes on a female athlete and her family. McKinley opens up about her recovery journey, her emotional state and how the Female Footballers Rise and Return program helped her through this tough experience .Listeners will learn about our newest program and tap into just how difficult a large injury can be on an athlete .Enjoy!

Beyond the Game is back with an all new episode this month featuring Maddi Desiano! Madelyn Desiano is a pro soccer player in the USL playing for Spokane Zephyr FC. She recently wrote a book titled, Bend Never Break, which follows UCLA Women's Soccer's year long quest to win the NCAA National Championship. Through personal stories ad in depth analysis, her book explores topics such as leadership, mental health, team culture and the influence of John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Enjoy!