- US Women's National Team superstar
Kelley O'Hara is hosting a brand-newpodcast for JustWomen's Sports . - Each week, O'Hara will speak with different iconic athletes about their paths to success and the untold stories they've accumulated along the way.
- The show's premiere episode features an interview with USWNT icon Alex Morgan and future guests include Chloe Kim, Candace Parker, and Breanna Stewart.
- We spoke to O'Hara and Just Women's
Sports founder Haley Rosen about dream interviewees, the power of athlete-to-athlete conversations, how to improve the women's sports media landscape, and more.
Kelley O'Hara is busy.
A household name in the women's
But somehow, O'Hara has managed to add yet another venture to her very-full plate. She is teaming up with Just Women's Sports — the digital media platform seeking to combat the shortage of women's sports coverage in traditional media — to host a podcast.
Each week, O'Hara will speak with iconic athletes about their paths to success and the untold stories they've accumulated along the way. The show's premiere episode features the first interview with USWNT icon Alex Morgan since she gave birth to her first child. Future guests include snowboarding sensation Chloe Kim and WNBA superstars Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart.
We spoke to O'Hara and Just Women's Sports founder Haley Rosen ahead of the podcast's release date about dream interviewees, the power of athlete-to-athlete conversations, how to improve the women's sports media landscape, and more.
Check out our Q&A with Kelley O'Hara and Haley Rosen below:
Meredith Cash: What originally attracted you to the opportunity to host a podcast for Just Women's Sports?
Kelley O'Hara: [Haley and I] got put in touch because Haley was interested in bringing me on as an athlete advisor for Just Women's Sports. After a couple of months of missing each other and not getting in touch, we finally spoke on the phone and had a long conversation. I was just picking her brain to understand the vision and what she wanted the future of Just Women's Sports to look like. Through that conversation, she brought up the potential or the idea of doing a podcast, and I just candidly was like, "Oh, I love podcasts!" And she says, "Would you want to host one?" I was like, "I mean, maybe." And she was like, "Okay, great! You'd be a great host!" I was hesitant because this is something I've never done before, but through some back and forth figuring it out, I decided to come on board.
This has been many months in the making, and I'm really excited for the launch, but the thing that drew me in was 1. I love hearing people's stories. I love hearing how people become successful because I know personally that it comes with a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I find all those things fascinating. And the ability to sit down peer to peer, athlete to athlete, I think is very unique and doesn't happen often. I think that's the best way you can tell your story because you create a space that's comfortable, and you can probably be a little more vulnerable than you would be speaking to a traditional media outlet. On top of it, I want sports coverage for females to be better. I've learned through my years as a professional that if you want to see something change, you have to be the one to do it. You can't look around and expect somebody else to do it for you. So here we are.
Cash: A major goal of the podcast is to "create a safe space for open, candid conversations." How do you intend to foster that level of comfort for guests on the pod?
O'Hara: There's aspects of my life that I keep private, but I also feel very comfortable … you know there's aspects of it that I keep private, but for me, there's a very big difference between sitting down with a reporter or journalist and talking about something and then sitting down with a fellow athlete. It just is a different vibe and a different conversation. What we're doing isn't trying to bring out some bombshell or anything, it's just genuinely being like what do you feel comfortable talking about and I think that because I'm a fellow athlete and I know that that is part of being in the spotlight, I think that we facilitate an environment that allows people to be open if they want to be.
Haley Rosen: We did an interview with Chloe Kim, and the first question that Kelley asks, Chloe was sitting up super straight, and she was very formal and gave some answer. And then she kind of took a breath and looked at Kelley and leaned back and was like 'Nah, nah, that's my media answer, let me give you the real answer. I think that story just really summarizes this podcast. And I honestly just give Kelley a ton of credit because she is a really excellent host and she makes people comfortable, and she asks really thoughtful questions. I just think it's been just awesome content. And this is her first time doing interviews. She's like a total natural.
Cash: How much of your vision for Just Women's Sports involves getting at candor in your conversations with and coverage of athletes?
Rosen: Yeah, 100%. That's why when we launched the company, one of the first things I did was filled out athlete partners. Really what it is is sort of an advisory board of athletes. The idea for that was twofold. One, these are women who are super-elite in their sport, and we want them to gut check is this content resonating with them. Does it feel authentic to the space and their experience in the sport? And then two was, I think for so long in addition to a lack of media coverage, the coverage that has existed has really boxed these women in. We insist on throwing pink and glitter at women's sports and reducing them to only being role models for young girls, which they are, but they're rich, real people. Our goal is to sort of get out of the way and authentically cover women's sports. I think the best way to do that is getting the athletes involved.
Cash: Kelley, do you see a future in media for yourself down the line?
O'Hara: At this point in my life, I don't rule anything out. I've really enjoyed the conversations that we've recorded so far. I leave each one feeling inspired and super thankful. It's a good, positive energy that I get out of it. I don't consider myself a part of media. I just kind of feel like I'm a facilitator of conversation. TBD on the future of media in my life.
Cash: Of the athletes you've recorded with thus far, which interview are you most excited for listeners to hear?
O'Hara: Oh, that's hard. Genuinely I've enjoyed every single conversation. They've all been different and unique in their own way. They've just been great. I wouldn't be able to pick one because I really have enjoyed every single one.
Cash: Who is your dream athlete to interview on the podcast?
O'Hara: Ooooo. I think I said this in another interview, but I think Serena Williams would be awesome because she's truly the GOAT in the sports world.
Fans can tune into the Just Women's Sports Podcast hosted by Kelley O'Hara on all podcast platforms including
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher.
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