Barrier Breaking Women is a podcast hosted by A.J. Andrews, a Rawlings Gold Glove Award-winning professional softball player. AJ takes listeners on a journey by giving them access to the mind of barrier-breaking women in the sports world discussing the highs and lows of their career and personal lives. This podcast is center stage for every woman blessed with melanin or characteristics outside of the status quo in sports who have decided to uchange the “it is what it is” mindset into “it is what I make it.”
On this episode, A.J. chats it up with the first black ice hockey coach in NCAA history, Kelsey Koelzer. The two discuss Kelsey's path to hockey, people being shocked that she's articulate, and the importance of representation in sports. How did you mela-win this week?
On this episode, A.J. chats with Rachel Balkovec, the first woman to be a full time hitting coach in the history of professional baseball. The two dive into Rachel betting on herself and literally going broke in the process, changing her name on her resume, and what more she wants to accomplish in professional baseball.
A.J. talks with Barrie Breaker and Women’s Football Hall of Famer, Odessa Jenkins. The two dive into the significance of women's tackle football, being "beautiful for a black girl" and the fear of being lazy.
On this episode, A.J. is flying solo and wants listeners to get a better understanding of who she is and why this podcast is special to her, and also why it's important to recognize and celebrate Barrier Breaking Women.
A.J. and Trisha dive into when Trish first fell in love with her skin and who she is, being discriminated against for being an Asian woman in golf, and pivoting from golf to a social media content creator.
On this episode, A.J. talks with professional hammer thrower, Janee Kassanavoid; the two dive into Janee pivoting from her dream of being a chef landing into throwing the hammer, celebrating Native Americans in sports, and what it means to peak at the right time.
On this episode A.J. talks with Batouly Camara; the two dive into the importance of overcoming what you choose to fear, why it was important for her to wear her hijab while on the court, and "making your own space at the table".
On this episode, A.J. talks with two time track and field Olympic Gold Medal winner, Natasha Hastings. The two dive into what it means to give yourself space to fail, defining your own success and not comparing yourself to others and why it was difficult to announce she was pregnant with her first child.
On this episode, A.J. talks with female football/rugby phenom, Santi Deck. The two unpack how black women are scrutinized in the media for their body types, never comprising who you are, and the significance of Santia being the first woman to sign a multimillion-dollar contract to play professional tackle football
On this episode, A.J sits down with the first Arab American female driver for NASCAR, Toni Breidinger. The two dive into Toni feeling like she has to prove herself more than others in her sport, turning negative comments into motivations, the "boys club' of racing, and also Toni teaches A.J. how to not catch your hair on fire.
On this episode, A.J. chats it up with Barrier Breaker and pro soccer player, Ali Riley. The two unpack why having representation is important to young athletes, how Ali learned to stop wanting a different body type and embraced her own body as is, and the two also dive into changing the narrative in which the media speaks about women in sports.
A.J. sits down with barrier breaker Jennifer King, the first Black woman to hold a full-time coaching position in the NFL. The two discuss Jennifer's journey of achieving her dream of coaching in the NFL, what it means to be a Black woman on the NFL field, and learning how to "fail forward".
Welcome to the very first episode of Barrier Breaking Women! On this episode, A.J. sits down with the first Black player to compete in the National Women's Hockey League and the second woman ever to be a NHL pro scout, Blake Bolden. The two discuss what it is like being a Black woman playing hockey and the microaggressions dealt with along the way, how Blake pivoted when her goal to be the first Black Olympic player to represent the national team was taken away, and also what Blake hopes to see for the future of Black girls in hockey. How did you"Mela-win" this week?
Hey! I'm A.J. Andrews, and you're invited to my show Barrier Breaking Women; B.B.W is for the melanated to be celebrated. On this podcast, listeners will gain new perspectives of what it truly means to be a minority woman in sport, and what these phenomenal women had to endure in order to compete with, and against the majority.
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