Flame Bearers: Best Of Going The Distance

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about: spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, Going the Distance, Natoya Goule-Toppin (Jamaica, 800m) shares her relentless fight through illness and injury to return stronger on the track. Caster Semenya (South Africa, 800m) reflects on reclaiming power and self-love after years of scrutiny and legal battles. Anna Jurt (Switzerland, modern pentathlon) finds joy in the process, learning resilience through failure and persistence. Husnah Kukundakwa (Uganda, paraswimming) opens up about how swimming helped her embrace her identity and confidence despite discrimination. Shannon Rowbury (USA, 1500m) explains how lessons from Olympic competition fuel her work mentoring others in performance and mindset. Together, these women redefine endurance—not just as physical stamina, but as faith, identity, and the will to keep showing up.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @‌flamebearersFollow us -Instagram - / flamebearersFacebook - / flamebearerspodcastLinkedin - / flame-bearersTiktok - / flame_bearersX - / flame_bearersOur Website - https://flamebearers.comLeave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video.If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!Flame Bearers: Pathways to Paris is a finalist for the 5th Annual Anthem Awards! We’re in the running in three categories: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Human and Civil Rights, AND the Anthem Community Voice Award. That last one is where you come in. This award is determined entirely by public support. Voting ends October 30, so please vote today and share with your networks! 

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about: spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.” ✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most. ✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage. ✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage. and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, UE Hispanic Edition, we celebrate Latina pride, identity, and heritage through the voices of three extraordinary athletes. Julimar Ávila (Honduras, swimming) shares how family roots and long hours at the pool shaped her love for the water and her pride in representing Honduras on the Olympic stage. Lavonne Idlette (Dominican Republic, track and field) reflects on her journey from Hampton University to the 2012 Olympics and the unbreakable bond she found with her mother’s homeland. Alejandra Aybar (Dominican Republic, Paralympic swimming) speaks about resilience, respect, and breaking misconceptions around Paralympic athletes. As we close out Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the athletes who proudly represent their heritage — honoring their voices, their journeys, and the cultures that shaped them.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us - Instagram - / flamebearers Facebook - / flamebearerspodcast Linkedin - / flame-bearers Tiktok - / flame_bearers X - / flame_bearers Our Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about—spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.” ✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most. ✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage. ✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage. and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, Resilience and Perserverence, athletes open up about what it costs to keep going and how they rebuild when everything says stop. Canadian bobsleigh pilot Cynthia Appiah shares how the sport helped her find her voice and the confidence to stand up for herself. U.S. wheelchair tennis star Dana Mathewson describes a childhood diagnosis, initial resistance to adaptive sport, and the moment tennis finally clicked. Olympic trampolinist Bryony Page talks about fear, losing confidence, and the practical tools that brought her back to big skills. Chelsea Edghill, table tennis Olympian from Guyana, pushes back on the “it looks easy” myth and explains how mindfulness keeps her centered. Jamaican middle-distance runner Natoya Goule-Toppin recounts a car accident, a lingering nerve issue, and racing her way back to 1:55 form. Malian-French boxer Marine Fatoumata revisits burnout and abuse, then finding a coach and team that respected her and saved her career. And French figure skater Maé-Bérénice Méité remembers an Achilles rupture that ended an Olympic qualifier and how she rediscovered joy by making skating a game again. Together, these stories show resilience as a practice: setting boundaries, seeking support, and choosing to try again.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us - Instagram - / flamebearers Facebook - / flamebearerspodcast Linkedin - / flame-bearers Tiktok - / flame_bearers X - / flame_bearers Our Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about—spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.” ✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most. ✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage. ✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage. and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode  we explore how elite women athletes define who they are in the face of pressure, expectation, and change. You’ll hear Afghan taekwondo champion Marzia Hamidi confront what it meant to lose, and reclaim, her identity when the Taliban banned women from sport. Fran Brown, British Paralympic cyclist, pushes back on “inspiration porn” to assert her professionalism and agency. Asia Hogan-Rochester, Olympic silver medalist with Canada Rugby Sevens, celebrates individuality, glitter, mismatched cleats and all, as fuel for confidence. And Catarina Guimarães (Team USA) shows that power and femininity aren’t opposites, reminding young girls they can love bows and sparkle and still be absolute beasts on the field. Together, these stories reveal identity as both a fight and a freedom, something you own, protect, and proudly bring to the world.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us - Instagram - / flamebearers Facebook - / flamebearerspodcast Linkedin - / flame-bearers Tiktok- / flame_bearers X- / flame_bearers Our Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about—spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.” ✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most. ✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage. ✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage. and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode — My Identity (Part 1) — we explore who athletes are beyond medals and headlines. Two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya says “take me as I am” and challenges narrow ideas of womanhood in sport. Three-time Olympian Shannon Rowbury opens up about the identity shift after stepping away from competition, how she “meditates through movement,” and the power of running community (including her time supporting the San Francisco State team). Claire Taggart, a boccia athlete from Northern Ireland competing for the United Kingdom, reflects on being multifaceted — a woman and a disabled elite athlete — and on boccia’s post-Tokyo move to gendered events giving women new space to shine. This is identity in motion: honest, layered, and unapologetically real.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us - Instagram - / flamebearers Facebook - / flamebearerspodcast Linkedin - / flame-bearers Tiktok- / flame_bearers X- / flame_bearers Our Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about—spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, we continue our global journey through the voices of women athletes sharing heartfelt advice they wish they could give their younger selves. You’ll hear from Olympic Refugee Canoist, Saman Soltani on choosing joy amid hardship, Indian swimmer Chahat Arora on overcoming criticism, and U.S. Paralympian Catarina Guimarães on how setbacks shape strength and more! This episode is a powerful reminder that while every athlete’s journey is unique, the lessons they’ve learned can be applied by all. -------Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us -Instagram - / flamebearersFacebook - / flamebearerspodcastLinkedin - / flame-bearersTiktok- / flame_bearersX- / flame_bearersOur Website - https://flamebearers.com/

After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about—spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.-------Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us -Instagram - / flamebearersFacebook - / flamebearerspodcastLinkedin - / flame-bearersTiktok- / flame_bearersX- / flame_bearersOur Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video.If you like the content,  subscribe to our channel!------

We want to hear from YOU. Whether you’ve watched a full interview, tuned into our social content, or rooted for women athletes from afar — you’re part of our community. Take our 5–10 min Community Survey: https://lnkd.in/eJBi3Xme ------------ Olympian, designer, entrepreneur, and new mom—Nina Ligon wears many hats, and she’s learned not to box herself into just one. As Thailand’s first female equestrian to compete at the Olympics, Nina broke barriers at the London 2012 Games in the sport of Three-Day Eventing. But when the competition ended, her real journey was just beginning. “I didn’t want to define myself as the horse girl anymore,” she shares. “I wanted to discover who I was beyond that.” In this deeply personal conversation, Nina opens up about what came next—from stepping away from sport cold turkey to diving into Stanford’s design labs, launching a career at Headspace, earning her MBA from Yale, and ultimately founding her own company, Generation Sport. Rooted in her own frustrations as a young athlete who never felt like uniforms were made for her body, Nina is now on a mission to build better sportswear with and for girls and women. “Young female athletes are under so much scrutiny in a way they’ve never been before. We’re here to support them.” She shares the challenges of letting go of an identity that once defined her, the emotional pull of starting over, and what it means to lead as a new mom and business owner. “Being an entrepreneur gives me the flexibility to spend time with my son—but it also means the pressure stops with me.” Nina’s message to fellow athletes in transition? “Let go of the need to be great right away. Be a beginner again. Be curious. That’s where everything starts.” — Flame Bearers is a multimedia movement, illuminating the unsung stories of elite women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events and have worked with over 270 Olympians and Paralympians from 55 countries and counting. For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearers Follow us — Instagram: / flamebearers Facebook: / flamebearerspodcast LinkedIn: / flame-bearers TikTok: / flame_bearers X: / flame_bearers OUR WEBSITE: https://flamebearers.com/ Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, do subscribe to our channel! 

We want to hear from YOU. Whether you’ve watched a full interview, tuned into our social content, or rooted for women athletes from afar — you’re part of our community. Take our 5–10 min Community Survey: https://lnkd.in/eJBi3Xme ------ “You have to come to accept that you’re going to crash—and you’re going to crash a lot.” For Canadian bobsleigh pilot Cynthia Appiah, pushing limits isn’t a metaphor—it’s daily reality. From Olympic heartbreak to recently coming in Fourth at World Championship, Cynthia’s journey has been defined by grit, reinvention, and resilience. Originally a hammer thrower and shot putter at York University, Cynthia didn’t see herself going beyond collegiate track. But everything changed one summer when the Ontario bobsleigh team hosted open tryouts—right on her campus. “I was already here. I might as well try it out,” she remembers. The testing included sprints, jumps, lifts, and medicine ball tosses. Athletes who hit 600 points were invited to continue—and Cynthia did. “That pretty much got the ball rolling to where I’m at now.” But it hasn’t been smooth. When she was named an alternate just two weeks before the 2018 Olympics, she was crushed. “I basically paused my life...to put every single ounce of strength, every dollar, blood, sweat, and tears into this.” The decision devastated her—but it also lit a new fire. She transitioned to pilot, took the wheel, and found her voice: “I will always credit bobsleigh with me finding who I am as a person and finding my voice.” Today, she’s a pioneer in women’s monobob—an event leveling the playing field with standardized equipment—and she’s fourth in the world going into the next Olympics. In this episode, Cynthia shares what it takes to stay in the game: managing brutal financial barriers, crashing (literally), and keeping the faith when doors slam shut. Her advice to up-and-comers? “Really tap into your network. You don’t know who might be the door that opens for you.” And to her younger self? “I wish I knew how to use my voice sooner and be more comfortable in my skin.” This is a raw and powerful conversation about failure, comeback, and why Cynthia refuses to let the sport—or the system—define her. Photo credit: Sportsnet.com -------- Flame Bearers is a multimedia movement, illuminating the unsung stories of elite women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and have worked with over 350 exceptional women athletes from 55 countries and counting. For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► /@flamebearers Follow us - Instagram - /flamebearers Facebook - /flamebearerspodcast LinkedIn - /flame-bearers TikTok - /flame_bearers X - /flame_bearers Our Website- https://flamebearers.com/ Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, subscribe to our channel! 

“I’ve realized that the only competition I really have is myself.” At just 18 years old, Amy Thompson is already rewriting the narrative of what it means to be an elite athlete. A British F41 shot putter gunning for the LA 2028 Paralympics, Amy is more than a powerhouse on the field—she’s a fierce advocate, scientist-in-training, and pianist who refuses to be put in a box. She shares, “People with dwarfism are often boxed in just as they're seen as being incapable...Anyone with dwarfism has equal opportunity... to be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do.” Amy first discovered para sport through the Dwarf Sports Association at age 8 and won gold at her first international competition in Italy by 15. But the journey hasn’t been easy. After losing her coach to cancer, she found a new calling: biomedical science, with aspirations to study oncology. “It was quite difficult, because he was the one that brought me to my first ever international competition...but I know I can move on.” In this episode, Amy opens up about battling media misrepresentation, reclaiming language around disability, and why young athletes should stop comparing themselves to others. “You’ve always got to know that they’re not going to affect you as much as you can affect yourself.” From underfunded competitions to under-covered sports, Amy wants the world to stop underestimating para athletes. Her call to action? “Do your research. Learn about the athlete. We work just as hard—if not harder—than anyone else.” --------- Flame Bearers is a multi media movement, illuminating the unsung stories of elite women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events and have worked with over 350 Olympians and Paralympians from 55 countries and counting. For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearers Follow us - Instagram - / flamebearers Facebook - / flamebearerspodcast Linkedin - / flame-bearers Tiktok - / flame_bearers X - / flame_bearers Our Website- https://flamebearers.com/