44- My mom, Ann Johnson- On parenting a female athlete, supporting your child’s obsession, and feeding the team

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In today’s episode, I interview my mother,  Ann Johnson. I often get asked by parents about what their kid needs to do to make it to the next level. I believe the driving force must come from the kid, but parents can have a huge impact on a child’s well-being. My mom is one of my biggest supporters and is a big reason I am where I am today. She’s also a freak of nature athlete and can kick my butt in workouts.In our conversation we talk about-her favorite type of workouts, including one that can easily be done at home -why she didn’t get involved with coaches decisions, even if she disagreed  -the most challenging aspect of parenting a female athlete    -her stance on kids playing multiple sports vs specializing on one -why parenting athletes is like being a full time chauffeur    -the delicious meals she cooked for my teammates and the crazy games she had us play while w/ the Portland Pilots, Sky Blue FC, and the Portland Thorns  And more. Enjoy my conversation with my favorite mother in the whole wide world.  Share the loveFollow Ann Johnson:On Instagram:   @annclairejIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

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ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content

39-Caitlin Foord-on sacrificing the “little parties in between for the bigger party at the end”

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In today’s episode, I interview Australian national soccer team member, Caitlin Foord. Caitlin grew up a 2 minute walk from the beach in Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Before Caitlin took up soccer, she participated in athletics, touch football, and surf life saving. At age 9, Caitlin played in her first soccer game at age and scored 6 goals. She hasn’t stopped netting goals since. Caitlin scored a goal in her first appearance with the Matildas. At 16,, she was the youngest Australian player to play in a World Cup and was voted the Best Young Player of the tournament. Caitlin has played in the the Australian W-league with Sydney FC and Perth Glory, in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) with Sky Blue FC, and is is currently playing in the Japan Women’s Football League  with the Vengalta Sendai Ladies. In our conversation, we talk about-the biggest differences between playing in Japan, USA, and Australia-the times she had to sell chocolate bars at school to afford to go to soccer tournaments-the sacrifices her mom, a single parent, made to help Caitlin pursue soccer-why Caitlin hates warming-up-her experience with being burned-out from soccer, and the strategy she used to fall back in love with her sport-why she thinks the Matildas' world ranking has continued to rise-her love affair with music festivals, her dog Peach, and ChipotleAnd more.Enjoy, my conversation with Caitlin Foord!  Show Notes:48 Who is Caitlin Foord  Sky Blue FC2:50 Caitlin’s adjusting to the Japanese culture6:40 Caitlin’s Japanese team - Vegalta Sendal7:24 How does Japanese soccer style compare to US/Australian?11:40 Cailtin’s early soccer travel and struggles of homesickness16:00 Cailtlin’s childhood home,  Illawarra17:40 Cailtin’s young star in soccer v. touch football21:55 Her mom’s single parent support and selling chocolate bars to pay for      tournaments27:23 Australian Nat’l team call up at 16 years old.32:10 Cailtin’s favorite game35:38 Her ability to separate soccer from other aspects of her life40:29 Has she ever been burnt out from soccer?43:20 Are their training things that Cailtin doesn’t like?45:29 Caitlin’s morning routineBrittney Cameron@bcam0047:01 Caitlin’s free time activities48:15 Caitlin’s biggest misconception about herself50:28 Is Caitlin a go with the flow athlete or an overthinker?51:50 Her biggest accomplishment52:45 What does she want to accomplish before she retires? And how does she want to be remembered?53:45 Caitlin’s pregame body and mental prep54:30 How does she deal with a bad game?56:13 Best opponent and best teammateChristie Rampone@christieramponeSam Kerr@samkerr159:38 Best game day chants1:00:39 Biggest life lesson from playing soccer1:01:55 How does Caitlin eat a taco?1:02:58 One simple tip for female athletes1:04:22 Caitlin Foord Follow Caitlin:On Twitter: @CaitlinFoordOn Instagram: @CaitlinFoordCaitlin’s obsession with her dog Peach (Instagram: @BrindlePeachShare the loveIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

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ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content

37-Amandine Henry-On moving to the US, mistranslations, and fake tans

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In today’s conversation I interview French national team footballer Amandine Henry. Amandine signed her first professional contract at 17 years old. She’s competed in 3 UEFA Women’s Champions League finals, was the recipient of the Silver Ball award in 2015, awarded to the the second best player at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She’s played most of her professional career with Lyon in France, but recently finished her second season with the Portland Thorns, helping the team win the 2017 NWSL Championship.Amandine arrived in Portland hardly being able to speak English, but after two season’s abroad, she was able to do this entire interview in English, with only a few misunderstandings.In our conversation we talk about:

  • how Amandine learned english, and the funniest mis-translations with the team

  • the experience playing with boys teams up until age 13

  • the time during her career when she thought about quitting soccer

  • why Amandine doesn’t believe in setting goals

  • how she cooks all of her meals at home with a robot

  • why coming to Portland was the best experience of her entire soccer career, even moreso than playing in a World Cup and winning champions league

  • and she answers several fan questions, both in English and in French

Did you enjoy my conversation with Amandine? Let me know the favorite thing you learned in the comments! Share the loveIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

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  4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive contentFollow Amandine:On Instagram: @henry_amandine6On Twitter: @amandinehenry6 NOTES::46                     Amandine the French soccer legend1:25                    her non english background and her funniest mistranslations2:22                   Subscribe to arrowliving.com for chance to win Amandine’s cleats3:03                    Bonjour Mandy!3:58                    Amandine’s final english test and how she learned the language5:45                    How and why did she decide to play out of France?6:22                    Biggest difference between her hometown and Portland8:42                    Weirdest clothing she has seen in Portland9:08                    What is Amandine’s style of play?10:30           Pregame routines10:56           Favorite song11:34           Why does she write her number on every teammate?12:12           Kendall’s bet with Amandine’s goal scoring13:20           Her St. Tropez obsession13:44           Amandine’s love of fashion15:08           When did she start playing on boys soccer teams?19:24           Her transition to women’s teams20:25           When did Amandine sign contract with Lyon?21:10           Does she feel it’s important to set goals?22:20           How did Amandine handle her first injury?24:01           What does she like to do outside of training?25:30           What’s the hardest thing about being away from her home country?26:24           Favorite part of her career27:42           First thought this morning28:09           Her morning routine29:55           Funniest mistranslation32:03           What is a kitchen robot?33:25           Most rewarding accomplishment34:04           What does she wish she knew as a kid?35:24           Favorite school subject35:50           Has she ever gotten tired of soccer?36:44           Dream meal37:45           What 3 people would she choose as dinner companions?38:10           Most interesting thing she’s learned38:37           Why does she change her socks after a game?40:49           What Portland restaurant reminds her of home?41:40           What advice would she give her daughter?42:50           What will she miss about playing in Portland?43:20           Favorite TIFO43:45           Sinc, Angerer & Tobin - playing against and as teammates44:45           Favorite english phrase45:55           Who are her funniest teammates?48:20           Best memory as a Porttand Thorn

36-Christine Sinclair- On how to be a leader and her recovery from perfectionism

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In today’s episode, I interview the captain of the women’s Canadian national soccer team and Portland Thorns FC striker Christine Sinclair. Christine is a Legend with a capital L. She attended University of Portland (Go Pilots!) While there she was a Mac Hermann trophy recipient and a  2x NCAA champion.  She has received countless other accolades throughout her career including being the a 12x recipient of Canada’s Soccer Player of the Year, 2x bronze Olympic medalist, she’s been short listed for fifa player of the year 7 times, and is the second leading goal scorer in the world, just behind Abby Wambach.But even more admirable than her accolades, is who Christine is as a human. Despite being one of the top players in the world, she is incredibly down to earth. Christine despises being in the spotlight and is a private person in general, but in our discussion she opens up and explains in her own words, she’s actually not a “hermit.”  You’ll see that she’s a little bit weird and quite funny.In our conversation we talk about 

  • How everyone can be a leader, and what it takes to become one

what it was like surpassing her idol Mia Hamm in all-time goals-scored-The impromptu speech she gave in the locker room to her distraught teammates during the Olympics-How the loss of multiple family members completely change her perspective on soccer, and allowed her to take her game to the next level-Why she slurps mustard before and during the half-time of games with Emily Menges  (Emily also makes a guest appearance!)-The method she uses to become a world-class finisher-Why she named her achilles tendon “Clarence” I’d love to hear what you learned from this episode. Please leave a message in the comments! Show Notes:57 Who is Christine Sinclair?3:45 Charlie, the love of her life!5:15 How did Christine choose University of Portland9:00 How was winning the NCAA women’s soccer championships?10:05 What is Sinc’s top moment in her career?11:15 Other sports played by Christine11:45 When did she know soccer was her main sport?13:25 Was she always a standout player?14:04 Did she have goals from the beginning of her career?14:35 What players did she idolize?15:32 When did she know she would play in a world cup?15:44 What did it feel like to surpass Mia Hamm’s goal scoring record?18:02 Why is Christine so well liked by teammates?19:45 Does Sinc like being a leader?21:05 Can everyone be a leader?22:32 What is Christine’s memories of the 2012 London Olympics26:57 Why doesn’t Christine like being in the spotlight?28:15   Her perspective on social media30:28 How does she deal with her competitiveness?31:40 The importance of team bonding36:29 Her battle with being a recovering perfectionist37:55 How has Sinc learned to play more freely?40:10 What would she tell her 18 year old self?42:14 Sinc’s favorite coffee shop43:42 Favorite restaurant44:38 How has she dealt with body pain?50:40 Christine’s stats & records55:03 What does Sinc like about Portland, Oregon56:31 Her morning routine58:34 What is the biggest misconception about Christine?59:31 What one belief does Christine have that others think is crazy?1:00:20 Favorite failure1:02:21 Greatest accomplishment1:04:32 How has she developed her amazing finishing skills?1:06:00 What is Sinc’s one simple tip for female athletes1:07:30 Favorite downtime activity1:08:15 What does Christine enjoy most about scoring goals1:08:45 pregame rituals & superstitions1:09:57 What 3 Thorns players would she choose to be with on a deserted island?1:10:24 Has there ever been a moment when she wanted to quit soccer? Share the loveIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

  1. Click HERE
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ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content  

Why Mana Shim cops people’s digits while pursuing her dreams

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Today is the Hawaiian hibiscus’, sunflower soul Melana Shim’s  birthday. Awhile back, we ventured out to the Oregon Coast to surf. Mana’s a ripper, and I’m a Grade A wannabe, novice. But I was stoked because Mana told me she’d give me some pointers once we got out in the water. We paddled together past the break, and less than a minute later,  Mana rode a wave into the shore like a princess galloping off into the distance. We never reunited in the water again, as Mana was fully engulfed in catching the biggest breaks, and I couldn’t keep up with Mana’s ravenous paddling. No hard feelings though, I became best buds with the whitewash.Three and a half hours later, Mana came running out of the water, with a jack-o-lantern sized smile on her face. She apologized for losing track of time and said she invited some new friends over for a bonfire. I asked how they were going to come over. She pointed to her red board. The person’s phone number was etched into the front of it with wax.[embed]http://youtu.be/r0bx-XqiJWI[/embed]Classic Mana, always living for connection. The people came over, and we indeed had wonderful conversation amongst a bonfire. This type of scenario is standard protocol for Mana, who claims she can tell from the first few minutes of interaction if she’ll vibe with the person. Playing sports competitively, it’s so easy to get caught up in grinding and doing whatever it takes to reach our dreams. But, once our body breaks down or we decide we want to pursue other passions, we will only be left with the memories. And the ones we tend to remember, are the ones with strong emotional ties. Mostly involving other humans. And sometimes teammate’s dogs (shoutout to Christine’s Sinclairs dog, Charlie. Such a stud). A few weeks ago, Mana made the choice to leave Thorns FC to pursue a opportunity to play in Sweden. This decision is difficult for any player, but especially for someone who cherishes relationships as much as Mana. But sometimes you gotta do the scary thing and take a leap of faith. In conjunction with chasing our dreams, we always have the choice to slow down and take in the in the sunflowers, the waves, the people. For more Mana Shim: Click HERE for an exclusive podcast interview.Click HERE for an exclusive written interview.Share the loveIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

  1. Click HERE
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ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content