Laughter Permitted With Julie Foudy

In the Season 8 premiere, "The Athletic" senior writer Meg Linehan joins Laughter Permitted to discuss the findings of an investigation conducted by former deputy attorney general Sally Yates, which uncovered that the National Women’s Soccer League and U.S. Soccer did not take action against abusive behavior and sexual misconduct. The 319-page report detailed how "abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players." Meg offers her perspective on the Yates report, what it was like breaking the NWSL abuse story and what she thinks the future of the sport looks like. "'This guy has a pattern': Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion" by Meg Linehan Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women’s Professional Soccer by Sally Q. Yates

In a special live podcast at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, Hall of Fame USA rugby player Phaidra Knight and 4-time Olympic USA hockey player Angela Ruggerio join Laughter Permitted to discuss Title IX, their experiences in male-dominated sports and what they think everyone should know about Title IX.  This episode was recorded on June 24, 2022, one day after the 50th anniversary of Title IX.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the third bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Mia Hamm and Julie discuss how Title IX has impacted their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, ESPN journalist Katie Barnes joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of Title IX and transgender athletes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, former Women's Sports Foundation CEO Donna Lopiano joins the podcast to give a Tile IX tutorial and discuss the law's impact on women's sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Season 7 finale, two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Briana Scurry returns to Laughter Permitted to discuss her new book "My Greatest Save." Bri opens up about the challenging time she experienced after suffering a concussion in 2010, tells the story of how she pawned her gold medals in order to make ends meet and how she worked her way back to health. In the Lynn Game, Julie and Bri go head-to-head in 99ers trivia and then Julie gives an update on the 99ers Netflix film in the close of the show. Plus, it is once again proven that Carla Overbeck is the best. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special bonus episode of Laughter Permitted, Julie talks with Ally Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Andrea Brimmer to learn about Ally's continued commitment to women's sports and players in the NWSL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three-time Olympic medalist and freestyle skier Eileen Gu joins Laughter Permitted "live" at the espnW NYC Summit to discuss competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics, how she handled media scrutiny and the backstory of how she landed a trick she'd never tried before to win gold in Freeski Big Air. Eileen, 18, also shares what it was like attending the Met Gala and what she's looking forward to this fall at Stanford. In the close of the show, learn a quote Julie has lived by since her high school days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angel City Football Club founders Kara Nortman and Julie Uhrman join Laughter Permitted to talk about how ACFC came to be, the role Natalie Portman played in bringing women's professional soccer to L.A. and what sets the organization apart in the pro sports landscape. As a co-owner of the team, Julie (Foudy) shares what it meant to her to be at the sold-out season opener alongside former USWNT teammates and longtime friend, mentor and fellow co-owner Billie Jean King. Plus, learn the now world famous three claps cheer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three-time Olympic medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her quest to see a viable women's professional hockey league form, how she and fellow players are working to make that happen and what the journey has been like. Kendall also discusses the 2022 Winter Olympics, her incredible performance at the 2019 NHL All-Star Skills Competition and what motivated her to write her book, "As Fast As Her." In the Lynn Game, Julie finds a way to get in her own head, and in Most Pressing Questions, Kendall explains how she squatted her 310-pound, NFL-playing husband during quarantine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buckle up because this episode brings the laughs courtesy of play-by-play trailblazer Beth Mowins! Beth shares what it was like calling soccer with a young Julie Foudy as her color commentator. (A certain handwritten sign from Beth helped Julie to know when to -- ahem -- stop talking.) Find out when Beth knew she wanted to do play-by-play and how she has carved out her incredible career path. To test her skills, Beth is asked to do play-by-play of Julie eating a cinnamon roll, which leads to Beth joining the great “Is a cinnamon roll a donut” debate. In the close of the show, Julie puts it out into the universe that it's time for the pod to get a donut deal and Lynn takes over Questions Permitted to ask Julie about doing color commentary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seventeen-time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters joins Laughter Permitted to share her powerful story of spending her childhood in Ukrainian orphanages before being adopted by her mother, Gay Masters, and moving to the United States. Oksana, who was born with birth defects believed to be caused by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, talks about being introduced to sports in America and how trying adaptive rowing began her on a path to becoming the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time. She also discusses competing in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing while war began in Ukraine and how she found a way to give back to her home country.

Five-time Olympian, 10-time X Games gold medalist and snowboard cross star Lindsey Jacobellis joins Laughter Permitted to talk about winning two gold medals at the Beijing Games, her experience with the media over the years and how she adjusted her mindset at this past Olympics to focus on her own goals. The "Lynn Game" features questions about the 80's with another enthusiastic cameo by Swaggy, and in the close of the show, find out what Julie said to make Lynn snort. There's also bad singing (it may or may not be the Green Machine song)...

Five-time Olympic medalist, bobsledder and overall rad human Elana Meyers Taylor joins Laughter Permitted to talk about becoming the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history, how she dealt with a Covid diagnosis upon arriving at the Beijing Games -- the story is something else -- and how she went from being a college softball player to a top-level bobsledder. Elana also shares what it is like being a professional athlete while raising her son, Nico. In the close of the show, Julie shares a "Hacker-ism" Lynn hasn't heard before that applies to Elana's journey at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

WNBA All-Star Layshia Clarendon joins Laughter Permitted to talk about being the first openly non-binary and transgender player in the WNBA, the warm embrace they have received from the Minnesota Lynx franchise and what life was like inside the 2020 "Wubble" season. Layshia also discusses the freedom of living your truth (that's where the "gold" is), how she and her wife are raising their chid in gender expansiveness and why humanity needs to be considered when discussing transgender athletes. Such an important and enlightening conversation on so many levels. In the close of the show, Lynn takes over Questions Permitted to ask Julie about her recent visit to the White House for Equal Pay Day.

In the Season 7 premiere, NWSL and Danish national team star Dr. Nadia Nadim joins Laughter Permitted to talk about earning her medical degree while playing professional soccer and share a detailed account of how she fled Afghanistan and the Taliban as a child with her mother and four sisters. She also recalls her first encounter with soccer at a Danish refugee camp and how she fell in love with the game. Nadia then competes with Julie in a “Lynn Game” about random medical stuff, gives a taste of her ability to speak nine -- yes, nine! -- languages and blows Julie and Lynn away with her perspective on making progress in life. What a way to launch the season...enjoy!

Laughter Permitted is back! Julie and Lynn share highlights of Season 6 and hand out some Dopie Awards.

In the Season 6 finale, Dr. Colleen Hacker once again returns to the Laughter Permitted party to discuss aspirational challenges, the power of choice and what she'd like members of the Dope Village to take with them into 2022. As an authority on the psychology of peak performance, Dr. Hacker is a master of making complex concepts digestible, relatable and actionable. Turns out her mental skills expertise translates to a Lynn Game on The 99ers as Julie finds out firsthand. Stay tuned for the close of the show in which we get one final Toto toilet update. 

Award-winning sports journalist Malika Andrews joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her role as host of ESPN's NBA Today, reporting from inside the NBA bubble during the 2020 season and how the experience helped propel her career forward. Malika is also open about adversity she faced in her adolescence, and how she credits her college best friend with helping her find journalism. Things get competitive during a Lynn Game about coffee and Swaggy once again shines, despite initially being locked out of Julie’s office. And enjoy some really, really bad singing in the close of the show. 

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her new $22.4 million contract, her purpose as a coach and the story behind giving pieces of the 2017 national championship net to Black coaches across the country. Stay tuned as Dawn and Julie bond over a mutual love -- their dogs. Swaggy once again makes her presence known on the pod and we learn about Champ Staley's Instagram account and why he doesn't follow anyone. Plus, find out what goes into being a GOAT and who makes the Starbucks runs for the coaching staff at South Carolina.