• Loading stock data...
Sunday, July 6, 2025

Kelley O’Hara and Just Women’s Sports Launch Female Athlete Podcast

  • After launching Just Women’s Sports in January, founder Haley Rosen has added Kelley O’Hara to the company’s impressive list of female athlete contributors.
  • O’Hara will be hosting the company’s first flagship podcast series, The Just Women’s Sports Podcast, which will debut on July 21 and feature Alex Morgan.
kelley_ohara_kicking_ball
Photo Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Although she has since put down her cleats to start running a company, Haley Rosen is still very much connected with the soccer world. 

From playing at Stanford to her jump into the NWSL, the now-retired Rosen has always maintained close relationships with many former players – including fellow Stanford soccer alumna Kelley O’Hara. 

O’Hara’s list of on-field accomplishments is lengthy: the 31-year-old has won the Hermann Trophy for collegiate soccer’s top player, was a top-three draft pick in the-then Women’s Professional Soccer League and, most famously, ustwo-time World Cup champion with the United States women’s national soccer team. She also continues to play for the Utah Royals FC in the NWSL.

When they first met, Rosen spoke with O’Hara if there might be a way for her to join as an advisor for her new media company, Just Women’s Sports. Founded in January, Just Women’s Sports is a website and newsletter dedicated to addressing the limited exposure of women’s sports in the U.S. According to a study conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center, 40% of all sports participants are women, yet women’s sports receive a mere 4% of all sports media coverage.

As their conversation continued, the idea arose for O’Hara to host her own podcast for the company: The Just Women’s Sports Podcast. It will feature female athletes discussing major moments throughout their respective careers and topics like LGBTQ+, race, and playing while parenting. The series will debut on July 21 and feature O’Hara’s close friend and USWNT teammate Alex Morgan.

“What excited me about the podcast was getting a chance to have candid conversations with athletes I admired and respected,” O’Hara wrote in an email. “I love hearing people’s stories, and, on top of that, female athletes don’t get enough media coverage, period. As I have gone through my career, I have realized if you don’t like something or think it should be done differently, you can’t sit around and wait for someone else to do it better, you have to be the one to do that.”

Throughout Just Women’s Sports’ nascent history, Rosen has turned to grow the platform by bringing on female athletes who can authentically cover the women’s sports industry. Recent stories on the Just Women’s Sports website include North Carolina Courage forward Lynn Williams talking about the NWSL restart and WNBA player Renee Montgomery on why she is sitting out the upcoming season.

The lack of live sports has not had a negative impact on the Just Women’s Sports’ weekly newsletter, which has maintained a click-through and open rate of 11% and 40%, respectively.

“Sports are interesting, and these athletes are amazing, but it’s also really interesting because we don’t talk about women’s sports,” Rosen said. “We’re uncovering a lot of topics that we don’t often talk about with sports.”

Both O’Hara and Rosen are looking forward to The Just Women’s Sports Podcast premiere, which has been months in the making. The podcast planning began in early 2020, and recording started in the first weeks of March. O’Hara was preparing for an abundance of recording sessions to jumpstart the series.

ohara_talking_into_microphone

Q&A: USWNT’s Kelley O’Hara On Switch From Pitch To Podcasting

Long known for her soccer skills and LGBTQ+ activism, Kelley O’Hara can…
July 21, 2020

Once COVID-19 eviscerated live sporting events, O’Hara and Rosen waited nearly two months before recording podcast episodes. The entire production process has been done remotely, with O’Hara recording the interviews via Zoom before sending it to Just Women’s Sports’ podcast and recording audio partners.

Although this is O’Hara’s first foray into the podcasting space, she felt at ease talking with female athletes across women’s sports about their unique journeys.

“It’s a bit different because a lot of times you have media people who are asking questions who have never lived in an athlete’s shoes,” O’Hara said. “I don’t know how to say that nicely, but you just get a connection. The conversation – sometimes it probably comes off better than if you’re talking to just a reporter because it’s athlete-to-athlete, peer-to-peer – I think that hopefully, that will come off well in all of our episodes because we have shared experiences.”

When O’Hara completed her first-ever episode with Morgan, she was more surprised than nervous about the experience. Even though the duo has risen through the ranks to become FIFA World Cup champions, she left the interview knowing more about her friend than she did beforehand.

“I felt like I found pieces of her that I never really thought about before or never recognized,” O’Hara said. “I feel like that’s a good interview when you know someone really well, and then you pulled something out that maybe you didn’t even realize before.”

us_womens_soccer_team_celebrating

Women’s Sports Outlets Turn To Classics and Collaboration In Sports-Less World

In a matter of weeks, all of the progress that was made…
March 31, 2020

One of the topics that O’Hara touches on is Morgan’s pregnancy journey before giving birth to her first child, Charlie, on May 7. It might have been the first time that the soccer star ever interviewed a friend, but Rosen believes that made the conversation especially compelling.

“I’ve literally never heard an athlete speak on that before,” Rosen said. “I think it’s really powerful, important, and a big part of sports. With Kelley, she’s real and genuine, and I think that brings so much to the podcast. It’s been really cool to see these athletes open up and be real.”

With O’Hara coming on board as an athlete partner, Rosen sees The Just Women’s Sports podcast as her company’s first flagship series. Later episodes will feature female athletes like Hilary Knight, Breanna Stewart, April Ross, Candace Parker, Chloe Kim, and Mikaela Shiffrin.

Rosen also hopes that O’Hara’s work will further her company’s momentum for the remainder of the year. When she launched it in January, the first and second quarters of this year were about laying the foundation – going forward, she is looking for Just Women’s Sports’ female athletes to grow the company through podcasting.

“We want to bring in the athletes to sort of cover themselves,” Rosen said. “Who better to cover women’s sports than the athletes in the space? That’s 100% where we want to go next – as much as we can work with the athletes in this space in creating content and making sure our content resonates with them.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
Manchester City

Manchester City Pockets $50 Million for Early Club World Cup Elimination

Saudi side Al-Hilal will bank at least $35 million in its quarterfinal run.
Nov 16, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang celebrates during a team celebration lap after the playoff semifinal match against NJ/NY Gotham FC at Audi Field.

Michele Kang to Lead Lyon As UEFA Delays Multi-Club Ownership Ruling

Lyon’s Europa League fate remains unclear as Michele Kang replaces John Textor.
December 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium.

California Finds Money for World Cup, but 49ers Remain Tens of Millions..

The NFL team promised to cover costs of games at their stadium.

Featured Today

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”
June 29, 2025

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
exclusive

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.
July 2, 2025

As NBA Free Agency Quiets, Focus Shifts to Potential Extensions

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million extension.
Nike banners featuring Caitlin Clark are installed along the eastern side of Des Moines' Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
July 2, 2025

Caitlin Clark’s Signature Shoe Could Be $100 Million Business: Sneaker Expert

Clark’s shoe could rival top NBA signature lines.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
Nov 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) celebrates a shot in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
July 1, 2025

Malik Beasley’s Messy Offseason Includes $2.25M Suit From Ex-Agency

The former Pistons player is not having a good summer.
July 1, 2025

Gauff, Pegula Out at Wimbledon in Nightmare Start for American Women, ESPN

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, entering Wimbledon.
Dewanna Bonner
exclusive
July 1, 2025

WNBA Cutdown Deadline Could Spur Deals for DeWanna Bonner, Emma Meesseman

The two big-name free agents could find their WNBA homes in July.
Shai
July 1, 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Becomes NBA’s First $70 Million Player

The superstar could’ve waited for an even bigger deal next year.