Building the Team | Podcast on RSS.com

Building the Team

Building the Team

by You Can Play Project

Self-Improvement Sports

Season 2

FRNY: Hurdling Non-Binary Exclusion in Running

J is the Race Director of the FRNY LGBTQ+ Pride Run, the largest pride charity run in the world, and is a 9-time marathon runner based in New York. J has championed the inclusion of LGBTQ+ athletes in road running, working with marathons, road races, and at the United Nations General Assembly, to ensure all athletes, especially trans and non-binary athletes, are represented and able to run as their authentic selves.' Front Runners New York (FRNY) is a running club for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and those who are allies. Identifying as LGBTQ+ is not a requirement to run with FRNY. We welcome runners of all speeds, ages, and abilities. Learn more at https://frny.org/

SHOOTOUT: A Groundbreaking Film About Queer Life After The Ice

We got to speak with Allison Majka (writer + director) and Kyanne Hodgson (producer) about a new short film in production: SHOOTOUT. Nicole Blackwell is the captain of the Atlanta Ice Dragons and a fierce competitor on and off the ice. With a championship within reach, she hides a worsening knee injury that could end her career. As the pressure mounts and the stakes rise, Nicole must decide how far she's will to go — and what she's willing to lose — for the team she loves. Learn more at: https://www.shootoutshortfilm.com/

Cutting Edge, Hockey History, and Queer Culture with Dan Gawthrop

Dan Gawthrop has been inside hockey culture for five decades as a kid on the ice, a journalist covering the game, and a gay man who started his own queer hockey club. His new book Cutting Edge: Hockey as Queer Culture traces the sport's slow, messy evolution from macho fortress to something that might actually include everyone. Ren sits down with Gawthrop to talk about what's changed, what hasn't, and why a TV show about two rival hockey players falling in love might be the most radical thing to happen to the sport in years. More about Dan = https://www.danielgawthrop.com/ PRE-ORDER "Cutting Edge" now! https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/C/Cutting-Edge

WNBA, Gene Testing, and YCP Updates with Kurt + Ren

Kurt and Ren are together for the monthly recap concerning WNBA's trans athlete controversy, Ren's excitement about Professional Women's Baseball, and to discuss upcoming ballot measures that affect trans athletes.

PUHL Tournament and Creating Opportunities for All with Jess Duggan

This week on the You Can Play Podcast, we're joined by founder and President Jess Duggan of the Portland United Hockey League to talk about the power of inclusive sport, finding community on and off the ice, and Portland's upcoming Dirty Bird's Tournament! You can learn more about the Portland United Hockey League Here https://www.portlandunitedhockey.com/

World Cup, Gay Games, and YCP Updates with Kurt + Ren

Executive Director Kurt Weaver and Education Director Ren Dawe sit down and discuss the upcoming World Cup, the Gay Games, and some team updates before Pride 2026!

Para Sport + Policies That Work with Alex Mangione-Smith

In this episode, Ren sits down with Alex Mangione-Smith, founder of CP Soccer Arizona, NIRCA’s DEI & Title IX Officer, and a coordinator with one•n•ten, to talk about what it really takes to build inclusive spaces in sports. From adaptive soccer to college policy to LGBTQ+ youth work, Alex shares how access, not just inclusion, shapes who gets to play, and who gets left out. They dig into the gap between policy and lived experience, what coaches often misunderstand, and why small actions can have a lasting impact. You can learn more about Alex's work here: CP Soccer: https://www.cpsoccer.us/ one-n-ten: https://onenten.org/ NIRCA: https://clubrunning.org/

All Caps All Her + Playing With All Your Heart with Zoey Pellowitz

In this episode, we sit down with Zoey Pellowitz (she/her), Youth Hockey Coordinator for the Washington Capitals, to talk about what it really means to coach with care. From growing up in hockey and playing Division III, to shifting from college coaching to working with five-year-olds, Zoey shares how joy, listening, and meeting players where they are can shape confidence and belonging. We explore uncomfortable but necessary coaching conversations, modeling healthy team behavior, navigating queerness in sport, and the power of initiatives like All Caps All Her to bring more girls, women, and families into the game. https://capsyouthhockey.com/all-caps-all-her/

Season 1

Collaborative Questions + Reviving Values with Erin Kennedy

This week on the You Can Play Podcast, we’re joined by Erin Kennedy, CEO and founder of Girls Rugby. We talk about building confidence through sport, expanding access for girls and gender-diverse athletes, and why rugby has become a powerful vehicle for leadership, belonging, and change. https://girlsrugby.org/about/

Flow State and Belonging in Sport Psych with Lauren Bonzell

In this episode of the You Can Play Podcast, Lauren Bonzell (she/her) — a graduate student in Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology at Long Beach State — shares insights from her ongoing thesis on LGBTQ+ athletes’ experiences in recreational and competitive sport. Lauren discusses two key psychological frameworks guiding her work: the Minority Stress Model, which helps explain how chronic exposure to discrimination and internalized stigma affects health and identity, and the Flow State Model, which captures the joy, focus, and motivation athletes feel when they can truly be themselves. She explores how systemic bias, exclusion, and locker-room culture disrupt that flow — and how affirming spaces can restore it. Through her research and personal reflections, Lauren challenges common narratives about fairness and trans inclusion, reminding listeners that the real threats to women’s sports are power imbalances, abuse, and a lack of women in leadership, not transgender participation. As she prepares to graduate, she shares what keeps her grounded: gratitude, perspective, and the belief that every researcher — and every athlete — deserves to know they’re on the right path.

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