Back with another solo episode - this one is about what i've learned throughout my career. This isn't just sports broadcasting related, it's applicable to all positions in the industry!

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro

00:22 - 10 things i’ve learned during my 10 year career in the sports industry

01:09 - #1 “Love what you do + you’ll never have to work a day in your life” is BS

05:16 - #2 Don’t think you can’t get a job in an industry that you don’t have formal education in

08:30 - #3 The great thing about technology these days is that if you want a job that doesn’t exist yet, YOU CAN DO IT

12:19 - #4 Be authentic, don’t try to fit in a box

18:26 - #5 Who you are > what you know

20:14 - #6 Be easy to work with

22:12 - #7 People don’t really tell you how much you’ll have to sacrifice

27:18 - #8 Your idea doesn’t need to be perfect before you execute it - JUST START

31:22 - #9 Don’t look at what people are doing and think, “When I get to that point, I’ll be happier” because you won’t be

34:27 - #10 Use your story, your experiences to connect with others. We all have a story - don’t shy away from it being part of your work

"Every single day, week, there's a question mark of self doubt but I also think that's what sort of drives me." - Lori Waran, President of NASCAR's Richmond Raceway. 🏁 That's the theme of this episode - allowing yourself to dive into other career opportunities, even if it's in a different industry than the one you've worked in or even if it's something you hadn't imagined yourself doing. The world evolves and so do we! So allow there to be change in your life because it may just lead to something incredible. 🫶 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:22 - Welcome in Lori Waran, President of NASCAR's Richmond Raceway + the first female president of this track 00:52 - Lori talks about her unique path into the sports industry 04:24 - “If you want things to stay the same, things must change.” 05:38 - How she navigated taking a job in sports after working in a different industry, how she overcomes obstacles + have the confidence to do something different. 10:22 - What has she learned about herself in her journey as track president? 11:24 - Finding a balance of pushing yourself but also giving yourself credit for your accomplishments 13:54 - Did becoming the first female track president at Richmond Raceway factor into her decision? 15:39 - Is there pressure to succeed as a track president with a unique background? 17:19 - Advice for women in the sports industry 19:02 - 3 questions to get to know Lori Waran 19:25 - Question #1: How do you define success? 23:29 - Question #2: What’s one of the best feelings in the world? 24:33 - Question #3: Hobby you’d like to pick up or recently picked up?

WE'RE BACK!!! 2024 brought lots of big changes in my life + career - but now that i'm finally settled into a more normal routine, i'm ready to get the pod running again!

I'll be doing a mix of solo episodes + guest episodes moving forward.

This episode is all about my journey to get to where I am now - enjoy! 🫶

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:22 - WE'RE REVIVING THIS POD!

01:25 - Introducing myself - how I got into sports + journalism

08:00 - First step in my career: studying journalism in college (University of Maryland - go terps!)

14:27 - Next step: reporter + videographer for D.C. United in MLS

18:14 - Next step: freelancing opportunities

19:00 - 2024 WAS MY YEAR 🥳 from becoming a full-time freelancer to accepting a new job with CBS Sports Golazo Network

31:35 - How this podcast will look moving forward

In this episode, i’m highlighting a soccer club in the DMV (D.C., Maryland Virginia - NOT THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES). Frederick Skyline C.F. competes in the UPSL, which is in the 4th tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. I speak with owner of the club, Joel Ramirez, who talks about his journey in starting a new soccer club. He's also president of Skyline Soccer Union, an organization that makes soccer affordable for the youth. There were some technical difficulties on the video side of things, but the audio was still perfect - SO WE KEEP ROLLLLING ON! Enjoy 🙌 ⚽️

TMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:22 - Claudia gives a brief background about this episode

02:29 - Introduce Joel Ramirez, Owner of Frederick Skyline C.F. How did he start the club?

05:28 - How the message, philosophy + values of the club is implemented?

06:56 - How the semi-pro club balances being competitive but also being a safe space for its players

09:06 - How the club is a safe space for Joel

11:02 - How he navigates the challenges + self doubt

13:24 - What he’s learned about himself along the way

15:32 - How the city of Frederick + Frederick Skyline support one another

16:33 - Is it intimidating for Joel being the youngest in the room?

17:21 - Joel’s connection to Frederick

19:19 - Did he ever hesitate in starting Frederick Skyline?

20:17 - Joel also started Skyline Soccer Union to give opportunities to kids to play

23:26 - Why did he start Skyline Soccer Union?

25:10 - What does a normal day look like for Joel + what are his roles with the clubs

28:24 - What’s the long term goal for Frederick Skyline?

29:18 - Running the business side of the club

31:05 - 3 questions to get to know Joel better

31:13 - Question #1: What is a memory you treasure?

32:09 - Question #2: How would you define success?

33:00 - Question #3: How do you hope to be remembered?

I'M GOING TO TST!!! (aka The Soccer Tournament) It's a 7v7 winner-takes-all tournament in Cary, North Carolina from June 5-10. The prize? A MILLION DOLLARS 💸 I'm going down to work with Luis Nani's team - Nani FC - to create content for their social channels + mine. LET'S DO THIS! This interview is with the team's Head Coach, Fabio Ivan Barros - he's a former player + now part of the coaching staff of Mount St.Mary's women's soccer team. We did the same interview in English + Spanish.

TMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

00:22 - Claudia talks about going down to TST (The Soccer Tournament) in North Carolina to work with Luis Nani’s Team. What is TST + what will I be doing there?

07:45 - Interview in English starts

07:49 - Why was Nani FC formed?

09:09 - What value does Nani see in participating in the tournament?

10:08 - What is Nani FC’s goal in the tournament? Besides the million dollar prize!

10:49 - Players on the roster + how everyone’s different backgrounds will contribute into a successful team

12:21 - How did the team recruit their players?

13:28 - How are Fabio + Nani feeling about their team?

14:08 - Fabio’s playing + coaching background

15:24 - What will the team do leading into the games to build chemistry?

16:31 - Excitement over the tournament + what fans can expect from Nani FC

17:50 Interview in Spanish starts

17:54 - Por qué Nani creó su propio equipo?

19:34 - Qué valor ve Nani en participar en el torneo?

20:28 - Cuál es el objetivo del Nani FC en el torneo? Además del premio del millón de dólares!

21:22 - Jugadores en la plantilla + cómo los diferentes orígenes de cada uno contribuirán a un equipo exitoso

22:04 - Experiencia como jugador y entrenador de Fabio

23:21 - Qué hará el equipo antes de los juegos para encontrar su química?

24:25 - Lo que los aficionados pueden esperar del Nani FC

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro

00:22 - Welcome in Lauren Markwith, Presenter, Host + Content creator

01:25 - What she’s been up to the past couple years

04:45 - Importance of having multiple skills

07:14 - Working on her personal brand while building brands for companies

09:15 - Being her authentic self when creating content

11:26 - How she takes care of her mental health while running social media channels

13:16 - Growth of women’s soccer coverage

14:46 - What’s contributed to the growth?

16:07 - What else can be done to continue growing it?

18:00 - Is it up to women to keep growing women’s soccer?

20:29 - The shift from traditional journalism to social media host

24:00 - How she found her niche

25:44 - Representing Latinas in sports

29:45 - 3 questions to get to know Lauren better

30:11 - Question #1 :How would you define success?

31:52 - Question #2: If you could live in a country, which would it be?

33:13 - Question #3: How would you describe yourself to some who doesn’t know you?

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro

00:22 - Welcome in Michelle Sanchez, Bilingual soccer reporter covering Austin FC

00:49 - Growing up in Texas + her journalism background

06:41 - Highlighting the “nitty gritty old-school journalism” in Spanish-league TV

09:01 - How times have changed for reporters

14:30 - How the way reporters dress has evolved

16:00 - Claudia’s personal story about how important it is to have multiple skills

18:02 - How Michelle has adapted over the years

21:26 - Journalist vs Entertainer vs Influencer

30:50 - Opportunities for Latinx coverage in sports

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction

00:22 - Welcome in Gaby Lozada, Director of Communications for Tampa Bay Rowdies

01:42 - Her background, growing up in Minnesota + where her love for sports came from

05:40 - How she got into the sports industry

12:11 - Getting a job she almost didn’t apply for

15:59 - What her job with Minnesota United was like

17:55 - Feeling like herself in that role because she was able to fully embrace being Latina + using her Spanish

18:54 - The difficulties faced when speaking Spanish with people from different countries + having to translate on the fly

25:23 - The difficulties faced as a women in sports

31:00 - How to navigate through those moments of self-doubt

33:00 - While you may face issues with players, the majority of them understand what we do + help us out

35:56 - Everything she learned in her first year working with Minnesota United

37:00 - How are Latinas in PR unique? What do they bring to the table?

44:48 - 3 questions to get to know Gabby better

45:38 - Question #1: When’s the last time you surprised yourself?

49:36 - Question #2: What are you still prove to yourself?

51:20 - Question #3: The best compliment you’ve received?