Epicenter of Women’s Sports with Karina LeBlanc

Portland Thorns forward Caiya Hanks chose transformative as her word for 2026. Portland Fire guard Sarah Ashlee Barker chose resilience. In the Season 2 finale, presented by AllTrails, the app for exploring the outdoors, Karina brings these two rising stars together to share their top three moments of the year. Sarah Ashlee picks the buzzer-beater that gave the Fire their first win, the doubleheader day that drew more than 39,000 fans, and the ACL tear she says she’s grateful for. Caiya picks her stoppage-time winner after 14 months away, the strength test that pushed back her return, and the teammates who cheered her through her sprints after training. Caiya compares her injury to a long relationship ending with no closure, then shares what she learned with Sarah Ashlee, who is in the middle of her own recovery. Their conversation turns to what you do when a plan falls apart and who you are when the thing you love is taken away. Then they take over the questions and interview each other about team chemistry and life in Portland. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Commissioners, Olympians, scientists and builders took the stage at The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit presented by Nike, at the Philip H. Knight Campus, Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Karina LeBlanc takes you inside the room for the conversations that defined the day, starting with the announcement of a new partnership between RAJ Sports and Nike.NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman explains why committed ownership and permanent infrastructure come first, and LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler shares why the next era of women's sports calls for thinking exponentially. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce makes the case for investing in athletes long before they reach the podium. Dawn Staley shares what she would change with a seat at the ownership table. Dr. Stacy Sims and the Built for Her panel show what happens when training, facilities and gear are designed around female athletes from day one. Michelle Wie West, Kayla Green and Kim Ng talk about athletes owning their stories and a stake in what they build. Portland's own Sophia Wilson and Bridget Carleton bring it home, and Tobin Heath and Lauren Holiday close the day with a challenge to the audience: there is no ceiling.If you weren't in the room, this one's for you.Featured: Lisa Bhathal Merage, Alex Bhathal, Mel Auguste, Jessica Berman, Craig Kessler, Sandra Idehen, Kim Ng, Sarah Spain, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Dr. Stacy Sims, Dr. Jacqueline Brady, Bridget Munro, Sherri Privitera, Susan King Borchardt, Andraya Carter, Dawn Staley, Scout Bassett, Michelle Wie West, Thayer Lavielle, JT Batson, Kayla Green, Laura Correnti, Sophia Wilson, Bridget Carleton, Tobin Heath, Lauren Holiday, Karina Leblanc   Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Stacy Sims is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who has spent her career closing the gender data gap in sport.Sims is building a large language model trained on female physiology and vetted by academic researchers, and she makes the case for what changes when the science finally includes her, down to the 13-year-old girl still coached like a young boy. Recorded with Karina LeBlanc at The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit presented by Nike, held at Nike’s headquarters during Epicenter Week.For female athletes and non-athletes alike, this episode will open your eyes to how much of what you have been told about your body was never studied on it, and what is being built in its place. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Tobin Heath signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Portland Thorn, and more than 22,000 fans filled Providence Park to send her off, the biggest Thorns crowd since 2024. The morning after, she sat down with Karina LeBlanc, her teammate from that first 2013 season, for a conversation about Portland, what they built here, and the ending she never got to have. Tobin talks about landing in Portland almost by accident, listing it low on her allocation preferences because everyone else wanted it, and walking out for that first game to chants written specifically for her. She breaks down the ingredients she believes this city has that you cannot copy and paste: community, inclusion, craftsmanship, and pride in what is made here. She talks about the freedom to entertain, the tension between the art and science of winning, and what made playing in front of Portland fans different from anywhere else. The conversation also includes a surprise appearance from Christen Press, who joins to reflect on the retirement ceremony, what the moment meant, and Tobin’s legacy.   Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded live at The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit presented by Nike, Karina LeBlanc brings four athletes to the stage who are the proof point of what investing in women's sports gives back: Hall of Famer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley, Paralympian and seven-time U.S. champion Scout Bassett, Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton, and Portland Thorns and Olympic gold medalist Sophia Wilson. Dawn talks about what it means to be a servant to the game, the Nike court in her North Philly neighborhood that is still changing lives decades later, and why women in sports carry a different value system into every negotiation. She makes the case for asking, for fighting for her whole staff, and for what she would do with a seat at the ownership table. Bridget shares how the small things build a culture people want to be part of, and what she wants Portland to remember about year one of the Fire. Sophia opens up about her favorite version of herself, the one walking into the performance center with her daughter Gigi, and seven years of playing in front of the best fans in the league. Scout tells her story of being born in Nanjing, spending nearly eight years in a government orphanage, and finding sport as an anchor in a small Michigan town. She shares what a first sponsorship from Nike meant when she was sleeping on a friend's couch, and why the road to the LA Paralympic Games depends on including athletes with disabilities in how we design, fund, and fill our sports. Together the panel leaves the room with a call to action, and a line from Dawn worth carrying out the door: treat people good and they treat you better. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.