Danusia Francis-Reid: Balancing in the Chaos

In this episode of Flame Bearers, Danusia Francis-Reid, a gymnast who represented Great Britain and Jamaica, joins host Shannon Rowbury to reflect on life after elite sport and the realities of new motherhood. Seven months after welcoming her son Solly, Danusia shares how sleepless nights, baby cuddles, and learning to slow down have reshaped her perspective. She also opens up about the importance of family support, the resilience motherhood requires, and the joy she finds in everyday moments with her son. Danusia shows us all that even when the beam gets narrow, you can still dance.

In today’s Flame Bearers episode, British archer Jodie Grinham reflects with host Shannon Rowbury on winning silver at her debut Paralympics and returning in 2024 to earn team gold and individual bronze while seven months pregnant. Jodie shares how she balanced precision training with raising four children, including leaving her youngest at home during the Games and adapting to constant physical changes during pregnancy. The two also explore fertility struggles, navigating public criticism, and what it truly means to balance an eye for detail and the understanding that parenthood means not always hitting the target.

In this episode, Flame Bearers Founder and CEO Jamie Mittelman looks back on the Making it to Milan season. She reflects on ways that Milan Cortina athletes like Alyssa Liu and Eileen Gu redefined success in their own terms, the visibility void that Paralympic athletes continue to face, and the ways that joy fuels athletes like Liu Jaiyu and Brenna Huckaby. Jamie also looks to what’s next, with a spotlight on Olympic Track and Field athlete and Strong Like a Mother co-author Shannon Rowbury, who will be leading Flame Bearers conversations with athlete moms through the month of May.

In this episode of Making It To Milan, Flame Bearers Founder and CEO Jamie Mittelman sits down with Mia Clerc fresh off her third Olympics, where she competed in alpine skiing for [country not stated in transcript]. Mia Clerc reflects on a life- and career-shaping experience, from connecting with athletes she admires like Federica Brignone and Mikaela Shiffrin to comparing Olympic Village dining across Games — with a candid nod to Korea as her favorite. She shares what it meant to return to the Olympic stage again, the atmosphere inside the Village, and how those moments stack up after three appearances. Now back home, Mia Clerc looks ahead to time with family and friends, while acknowledging that skiing remains one of the deepest loves of her life.

In this episode of MADE it to Milan, our series co-hosts Dani Aravich and Ashley Cain look back on what they learned from this series from the athletes they spoke to leading up to Milan, Dani's own competition experience, and Ashley's experience attending as a fan. Dani shares the intensity of racing seven times in nine days, getting sick midway through competition, and hearing family and friends in the stands after competing at past Paralympics without fans. She speaks candidly about the post-Games blues and a season that stretched from World Cups to training camps across Europe. Ashley describes feeling the energy of packed arenas and witnessing athletes open up in interviews about goals beyond medals, ranging from historic performances to hard lessons on the ice.

We’re taking a look at athletes who made it to Milan, starting with Polina Rozkova, a wheelchair curler representing Latvia, who won Latvia’s first-ever Winter Paralympic medal in Milano Cortina. In this episode of Made It To Milan, Polina Rozkova shares the intensity of that final battle, including equipment challenges with her wheelchair setup, a decisive shot against Italy where she displaced two stones, and how a mid-tournament adjustment from her coach changed everything. After a 12-hour journey home, she was welcomed with flowers, airport celebrations, and messages of support from around the world—though she also faced criticism earlier in the Games for not having the correct team jacket. As she looks ahead, she speaks candidly about funding realities, her goal to move beyond “amateur” status, and continuing to build wheelchair curling in Latvia. Her message is simple and direct: if you want something, try to do it.

In this episode of Making It To Milan, Ashley Cane sits down with Spanish Paralympic alpine skier and world champion parasurfer Maria Martín Granizo-Ferreiro. Representing Spain in alpine skiing, Maria shares how growing up in a ski-obsessed family shaped her path and how she became the first athlete with her disability to compete against able-bodied skiers in her region. She opens up about balancing elite alpine skiing with a world championship parasurfing career, navigating burnout, injury, and personal loss, and fighting for inclusion in competition. Maria also reflects on the mental strength required to believe in herself when others didn’t—and what it meant to qualify for the Milano Cortina Paralympic Games on the very last possible day, securing her place on her own terms.

 In this episode of Making It To Milan, Dani Aravich chats with Brittany Hudak, a Canadian Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete representing Canada, as she prepares for her third Paralympic Games. A two-time Paralympic bronze medalist, Brittany reflects on discovering para sport at 18 after being recruited by a 10-time Paralympian in a Canadian Tire store, and how learning to ski later in life shaped her resilience. She opens up about qualifying for Sochi 2014 after just two years in the sport, evolving into a podium contender by PyeongChang and Beijing, and shifting her focus from medal expectations to process-driven performance in Milano Cortina. Brittany also shares the added layers of being a para athlete—from equipment adaptations to accessibility barriers—and the importance of community, character, and celebrating competitors across nations. 

In this episode of Making It To Milan, co-host Dani Aravich speaks with Polina Rozkova, a Latvian Paralympian who competes in wheelchair fencing and wheelchair curling for Latvia. Polina Rozkova traces her athletic roots back to swimming at age three and shares how she discovered fencing during rehabilitation after her 2009 injury. She reflects on representing Latvia at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and returning to the stage for Beijing 2022, detailing the pressure and pride of competing for her country. Polina also speaks candidly about accessibility barriers in Latvia, financial strain, and training without professional funding. Looking ahead, she explains the debut of mixed doubles wheelchair curling in Milano Cortina and the possibility of making history. Throughout her journey, she credits her late mother, her friend Diana, and her rescue cat Archibald for keeping her grounded.

 In this episode of Making It To Milan, co-host Ashley Cain speaks with Aline Rocha, a Brazilian Paralympian who competes in both the Winter and Summer Paralympic Games. Representing Brazil as a sitting skier in cross-country and biathlon, and as a wheelchair racer on the track, Aline is a soon-to-be five-time Paralympian. She reflects on beginning wheelchair racing in 2010 after being introduced to Paralympic sport by her husband and coach, Fernando, competing at Rio 2016, and becoming Brazil’s first woman to compete at a Winter Paralympic Games in 2018 after learning to ski in Sweden. Aline shares the realities of training for snow in a tropical country, balancing two elite disciplines, leaning on psychological preparation to manage pressure, and setting her focus on a long-awaited Paralympic medal in Milano Cortina.