Strong Girl Talk

Strong Girl Publishing
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Sport
  • Updated weekly

Whether you’re a strong girl yourself or are raising one, this show is for you. Strong Girl Talk exists at the intersection of research and culture for women and girls in sport. Let’s go! Author & Strong Girl Publishing founder Molly Hurford and Dr. Sasha Gollish, Executive Director of Yellow Running Shoes, have teamed up to bring you Strong Girl Talk, a show that covers the latest in sports science with a focus on women and girls, as well as trending topics around gender equity in sports. And every episode kicks off with our wrap-up of top headlines in women’s sport that have us cheering! stronggirl.substack.com

  1. 4 days ago

    New Podcast Series: Why Can’t They Play?—and New Book Day!

    We’re back with a new book AND a new season of Strong Girl Talk! First, our graphic novel, Why Can’t They Play, from the RE.sport team is available now. And because this topic is so important, we wanted to break it down for coaches, parents and athletes with a special podcast series. Why can’t they play? It sounds like a simple question. There are kids who want to play sports. Parents who want to help them play. Teachers and coaches who want to create great experiences for them. And yet, somewhere along the way, a lot of kids get left out. Welcome to Why Can’t They Play?, a Strong Girl Talk podcast presented by RE.sport. For the next couple months, every week we want to ask a pretty big question: What would it take to help more kids play? This season, every episode will be 15 minutes or less. We’ll take something happening in youth sport—something we’re seeing in the research, hearing about in the media, or experiencing in our schools and communities—and unpack it. We’ll talk about barriers. But more importantly, we’ll talk about opportunities. And every episode, we’ll leave you with something practical you can think about or do to help the kids in your life have more opportunities to play. So why call this podcast Why Can’t They Play? It started with a graphic novel by the same name. Why Can’t They Play? uses something familiar to almost anyone who grew up around school sport: the tryout. A kid wants to play. They show up. They try out. And then someone makes the team—and someone doesn’t. We tend to accept that as simply how sport works. But what if we asked a different question - Does it have to work that way? School sport matters because, for many young people, school may be their first—and sometimes their only—opportunity to experience organized sport. But having sport at school doesn’t automatically mean every student has an opportunity to play. We know that girls are more likely to leave sport during adolescence, and many young people face additional barriers connected to things like income, race, disability, body size, geography, transportation, equipment, previous experience, and simply whether the right opportunity exists for them. And sometimes, the systems we’ve built unintentionally make those barriers even bigger. Tryouts are just one example. So this podcast isn’t really about getting rid of competition or pretending every kid wants the same sport experience. It’s about getting curious. Why do we do things this way? Who does this system work really well for? Who might it be leaving out? And most importantly: What could we do differently? Because maybe the question isn’t whether every kid can make the team. Maybe the bigger question is: How do we make sure every kid has somewhere to play? That’s what we’re going to explore this season. Welcome to Why Can’t They Play? Reimaging Tryouts so All Kids Have the Chance to Play. Do us a huge favour and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including: Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishingSasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_ShoesRE.sport - @project_resport Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Why Can’t They Play? A Graphic Novel Reimagining Tryouts So All Kids Have the Chance to Play We worked with the RE.sport team to create a graphic novel that’s research-based and evidence-informed to help kids understand the barriers that their peers may face in sport. It’s available for preorder now, and bulk options (with PDF lesson plan downloads and a tryout assessment) are available for classes and teams. Check it out here. You walk past the tryout poster in the hallway.Some kids can’t wait.Some feel nervous.Some don’t even stop to look. What is stopping some kids from trying out for the team while others don’t think twice? What makes some kids excited, while other kids don’t even consider signing up? Asking “Why Can’t They Play?” seems like a simple question, but it has an incredibly complex answer. All kids should be able to play, but for some, a tryout poster hanging in the hall is just another reminder of why they can’t play. In this graphic novel, a team of researchers breaks down some of the main ways that a soccer tryout can exclude many kids—and why that’s wrong, and what kids, coaches and educators can do about it. When we work together, we can find a way that we can all play. Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

    New Podcast Series: Why Can’t They Play?—and New Book Day!

  2. 9 May

    Our Guide to Becoming Unstoppable

    Welcome to Strong Girl Talk, where we dive into the latest in sports science, performance, and well-being—all with a focus on women and girls in sport. This week we’ve got a one off episode - Sasha and Molly were guests for a webinar hosted by Ontario Cycling Women’s Month this May. Before we dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: Based on the research-backed Unstoppable journal Sasha put out with Strong Girl Publishing, Sasha and Molly shared simple strategies and easy tweaks to maximize your training gains, and more importantly, your love of the sport. When girls and women believe they can be unstoppable, there’s no end to what they can accomplish in and outside of sport. They framed the conversation around Sasha’s Pillars of Perfrmance, which include: * Sleep Soundly - Have you thought about the quantity and quality of your sleep? Do you have a sleep routine? Drawing on the research from Amy Bender and Mathew Walker, they also shared Micha Powell’s recovery Strategies from her book Sprinting Through Setbacks. Check out Micha’s Strong Girl Talk episode too! * Feed the Machine - Don’t worry, we won’t go on a chocolate milk rant in this episode? But we do talk about fuelling strategies on and off the bike. We highlight, Stevie Smith’s Book Power Up, and of course we had Steve on Strong Girl Talk! Also check out Stevie’s podcast, Real Fuel. * Moving your body - Sasha is immersed in this daily with her work at RE.sport. She spoke again about the great work that ASICS did and continues to do with the Move Her Mind work. We also highlighted Marley Blonsky’s new book, The Ragtag Best Friends Bicycle Club, and all of Molly’s Shred Girls Books! * Be Present - Do you ever find your thoughts wondering? Especially when they shouldn’t - like maybe when you’re mountain biking, you’re thinking about school or work and all of a sudden a tree jumps out of nowhere!? Molly and Sasha talk about the strategies in Unstoppable to help you stay focused, so you can be and grow your confidence. * Engineer your own life - And finally, since Sasha is an engineer, she brought it back to how you need to think about the priorities in your life, working with your strengths, and the power of habits to make real and lasting change. And just before the conversation wrapped up, Sasha shared a personal story about her first time competing for Team Canada. She talked about how her uniform made her feel confident, strong, and unstoppable, but how a teammate did not have the same experience. It’s why she’s co-leading a study about uniforms. See more below! Does Your Uniform Make You Feel Unstoppable? Or not at all? Researchers at the University of Toronto are conducting a Sport Uniform Study to better understand how uniforms influence athletes’ experiences, including comfort, performance, confidence, belonging, and identity. While uniforms are a central part of sport, there has been limited research examining how they shape athlete experiences across different levels of competition. There are two surveys, one for youth and for those who are 18+, to share their experiences about sport uniforms whether they are positive, challenging, or somewhere in between. By sharing their perspectives, participants will help inform future conversations around athlete-centred uniform design and policies that support performance, inclusion, and athlete well-being. Each survey takes about 20 minutes to complete. Survey Links: Youth Survey: https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=YTH3YJAR3KDC8NXN18+ Survey: https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=8F4JR49M8DCECC4F (Note: while the youth survey is for all sport participants, the 18+ survey is for national team athletes, university and college athletes, and professional athletes). Findings from this will be shared on RE.sport’s website following data collection, likely in Fall 2026. You can also learn more about the study here and RE.sport’s work. If you have any questions about the study, please email the research team at resport.kpe@utoronto.ca. Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including:Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishingSasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

  3. 6 Mar

    Strong Girl Talk is Celebrating International Women’s Day Early!

    Quick Strong Girl Publishing announcement, we just made some major updates to our website over at StrongGirlPublishing.com! We also have a new newsletter over there where we’ll be sharing book updates, discount codes and giveaways, so do us a huge favor and bop over, check out the site and subscribe to the shop newsletter! We’ll still do podcasts and articles over here, but we’ll have the best Strong Girl Publishing goodies there. Welcome to Strong Girl Talk, where we dive into the latest in sports science, performance, and well-being—all with a focus on women and girls in sport. This week Sasha and Molly go down memory lane with the Winter Olympics, talk about the Winter Paralympic Games (which start today), the Arctic Winter Games in the Northwest Territories, all with the emotion and energy you expect in our gender equity conversations. Before we dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: . This is also the wrap up to Season 1 of Strong Girl Talk. Molly and Sasha are pressing paws (see what we did there with our dog-love) as we think about the future direction of our pod. In today’s episode, we start with a celebration of International Women’s Day, this Sunday, March 8th, and this year’s theme of Give to Gain. We highlight the challenges many women face in the tension of where to give our time. As we wrap up our conversations about the Winter Olympics we shifted our focus to the Winter Paralympics. The Winter Paralympic Games get underway today. Tune in to watch the 655 athletes, across 6 Sports in 79 events including, men’s and women’s para alpine skiing, men’s and women’s para biathlon, men’s and women’s para cross-country, open para ice-hocky, men’s and women’s para snowboard, and mixed wheelchair curling. On Sunday March 8th, the Arctic Winter Games get started in Whitehorse, Northwest Territory. The Arctic Winter games are comprised of 20 sports, in four categories: Traditional Sports, Nordic Sports, Indoor Sports, and Ice Sports. In the mean time, connect with on social media and follow along the Strong Girl Society newsletter for updates. Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including: Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishing Sasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

  4. 6 Feb

    ⛷️ It’s the Winter Olympics Breakdown Episode!

    Welcome to Strong Girl Talk, where we dive into the latest in sports science, performance, and well-being—all with a focus on women and girls in sport. This week Sasha and Molly talk all about the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina … well Molly asks Sasha about the Winter Olympics since she’s the resident sports-nerd and Molly was curious to know more. Before we dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: New to the Winter Olympic Games? Feeling overwhelmed by all the sports, events, and rule quirks? Don’t worry, Sasha’s got you. Consider this your cheat sheet for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano, starting today! In this jam-packed episode, we break down: 🏔️ The 8 official sports - Biathlon, Bobsleigh (including Skeleton), Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge Skating (Figure Skating, Short and Long Track Speed Skating), Skiing (Alpine, Freestyle, Snowboard, Cross-Country, Nordic Combined, and Ski Jumping), and Ski Mountaineering (plus how we group them to make it easier: Sliding Sports, Ice Sports, Skiing, etc.) 🥇 The 116 medal events—including 8 new events with a focus on gender equity like Women’s Large Hill Ski Jumping, Women’s Double Luge, Mixed Team Skeleton, and Dual Moguls 📊 The not-so-great gender equity stats:🥇 Medals: 54 men’s gold medals, 50 women’s gold medals, 12 mixed gender medals, because some sports are still men-only 👀👫 Gender Balance: Total Athletes = 2900 (100%), Male Athletes 1538 (53%), Female Athletes 1362 (47%) 🧊 What even is Ski Mountaineering?! And why Nordic Combined might finally be on its way out… Plus: Olympic hot takes, a little history (did you know Winter and Summer Olympics used to be in the same year? And that Figure Skating was a summer sport?! ), and shout-outs to the Strong Girls we’re watching this Games. 🎿 Whether you’re a casual viewer or a full-blown Olympic nerd, this episode will get you ready to cheer, cry, and argue over scoring systems with confidence. And this is just the beginning. Over the next 16 days, follow along with us on Instagram as we spotlight our favourite Strong Girls of the Games and break down each sport, one event at a time. Plus, if you’re looking for some Olympics inspiration consider these Strong Girl Publishing Books:- Sasha’s Unstoppable Mental Performance Journal to help you create a winning mindset (or order in bulk to help your team create a winning mindset)- Stevie’s Power Up to help you or the athletes in your life fuel for their best performance- Vanessa’s Finding Grace to help you or those in your life use self-compassion as a way to spur better outcomes- Molly’s Shred Girl’s Series and Running As Fast as We Can, which are great fiction books to inspire the athlete’s in our life- Micha’s Sprinting Through Setbacks, who better to learn from than an Olympian herself! Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including:Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishingSasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 23 Jan

    Behind the Scenes from Our Shred Girls Book Club with She Sends Kate Courtney!

    At Strong Girl Publishing, we recently shared a virtual Shred Girls book club featuring book 3 in the series, Jen’s Bumpy Ride, and two-time World Champion racer Kate Courtney of She Sends joined readers and author Molly Hurford on a Zoom session to talk all about the book and what winning really means to her—and to the Shred Girls! In Shred Girls: Jen’s Bumpy Ride, there’s bikepacking, gravel racing, and more importantly, Jen has a major decision to make: Should she stick with the Shred Girls, or join the local cycling team that promises to make her faster, and help her to become a pro cyclist? Kate shared her experience finding her first team and teammates, how she decided to start the She Sends Foundation and race under her own team banner last year, and how she sets big goals and smaller race-specific ones. Our virtual book club was a total blast, and we wanted to share a few of our favorite moments with all of our listeners. If you get anything from this, consider making a donation to She Sends here. They are doing awesome work and supporting so many cool, grassroots initiatives to get more girls on bikes! Before you dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: . We also chat about Vanessa Coulbeck’s recently released book, The Mirror Diaries: Finding Grace, and the accompanying workbook. And while you’re on Strong Girl Publishing Shopping don’t forget to order a copy of Unstoppable - so you too can be unstoppable in 2026 - and Stevie Lyn’s Power Up. Plus if you missed the book club with Kate Courtney, but you still want to feel like you were part of it, grab a copy of Jen’s Bumpy Ride. Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including: Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishing Sasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 9 Jan

    Hello, 2026! What’s Your Word of the Year?

    Welcome to Strong Girl Talk, where we dive into the latest in sports science, performance, and well-being—all with a focus on women and girls in sport. This week Sasha and Molly welcome you to 2026 and share with you their ‘words’ of the year. We’re also celebrating the first book in our Mirror Diaries series by self-compassion and body image researcher Vanessa Coulbeck coming out in just a couple of days. Preorder for book one, Finding Grace, and the accompanying workbook, Beyond the Mirror is here. We also had Vanessa on Strong Girl Talk explaining why self-compassion isn’t just a nice idea, it actually provides you a performance edge. Before we dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: . In this episode, Sasha and Molly are debriefing post-holidays with some honest ups and downs, then digging into the Word of the Year concept. Molly talked about Strong Girl Publishing’s GIRLS TO THE FRONT 2026 mantra, but shared in this episode how her personal word is going to be FUN. Meanwhile, Sasha debated using Unstoppable (you know, like her amazing journal!) but ultimately settled on COURAGE. What’s your word? Finally, as we said, it’s just days away from the release of Vanessa Coulbeck’s The Mirror Diaries. And while you’re on Strong Girl Publishing shopping, don’t forget to order a copy of Unstoppable - so you too can be unstoppable in 2026 - and Stevie Lyn Smiths’s Power Up. Plus if you missed the book club with Kate Courtney this week but you still want to feel like you were part of it when we release the episode next week, order Molly’s Shred Girls book, Jen’s Bumpy Ride. Plus, if you want to hear Sasha gush over Molly and all her work with Strong Girl Publishing, head over to the Athletics Ontario Podcast hosted by Strong Girl Publishing Fan, John Shep. In this interview Sasha shares with John how meaningful working with Molly is, more about how you can be Unstoppable in 2026, plus, she admits she’s willing to be second on the podium in the Molly fan club! Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including: Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishing Sasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 22/12/2025

    The Holiday Episode! Surviving the Season, Thriving in the New Year

    Welcome to Strong Girl Talk, where we dive into the latest in sports science, performance, and well-being—all with a focus on women and girls in sport. This week Sasha and Molly talk all things holidays. Whether you’re excited or a little bit stressed, we bring you some holiday cheer. Before we dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: This week we talk about the holidays, what we like, what we love, and how we manage the stressful moments. We also talk about goal setting; don’t forget our practical tips for goal setting. Whether you are a resolution person or not, it’s a good time to think about what matters to you, and also who matters to you. No matter how you holiday, in this episode we remind you to practice some self-compassion and self-gratitude. A few weeks ago we chatted with Vanessa Coulbeck about self-compassion as an edge. So as you go about your gift giving and receiving we hope you have us in your ears while you’re shopping, exercising, or lounging whatever way you holiday. Now if you need a few last minute gifts …. we recommend an IOU for one or two (or all) of the Strong Girl Publishing books; so print out a photo and it will arrive early in the new year. We recommend:- Vanessa Coulbeck’s The Mirror Diaries and workbook and her ‘‘ swag- Sasha’s Unstoppable Mental Performance Journal- Molly’s Shred Girls Series, and Sasha’s favourite Running As Fast as You Can- Stevie Smith’s Power Up- Marley Blonskey’s Rag Tag Bicycle Friends pre-order, plus check out her episode on Molly’s other podcast, The Consummate Athlete Podcast Let us know what you want to us to talk about in 2026 - guests, sport science topics, sports updates - we’re here for you and what you want to hear more of. Until early 2026 … We wish you all a very Happy holidays! Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including: Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishing Sasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 12/12/2025

    Project Unlaced is Changing Lives for Young Women Athletes

    Welcome to Strong Girl Talk, where we dive into the latest in sports science, performance, and well-being—all with a focus on women and girls in sport. This week Sasha and Molly interview Mia Lerner, founder of Project Unlaced, an initiative dedicated to educating young athletes about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) and eating disorders in sports. Keep scrolling to learn more and to check out our new author gift guide from Stevie Lyn Smith, RD + author of Power Up! Before we dive in, do us a huge favor and make sure you give the podcast 5 stars and click follow: . Mia shares her own story of struggling with REDs and anorexia as a young athlete—and how those experiences sparked a movement to make sure other girls don’t feel alone. We talk about what support should look like, how to talk to coaches and parents about these issues, and why performance isn’t the only measure of athlete health. Whether you’re a young athlete, a coach, or a parent, this conversation is packed with insight, heart, and the reminder that you don’t have to wait until it gets “bad” to ask for help or to offer it. Come for the inspiration, stay for the truth bombs. Mia and her work through Project Unlaced do all the little things to make things easier for those who need it most. Thanks Mia! Follow Mia on Instagram: @Mia_Lerner_ @Project_Unlaced We also wanted to share this article from the Sport Information Resource Centre, Preventing Eating Disorders among Young Athletes, which landed in Sasha’s inbox the day of the interview. And Stevie Smith’s book, Power Up, is out! Order her book here and listen to our SGT episode with Stevie! (She was also on Mia’s podcast last week!) Speaking of Stevie, it’s time for her gift guide! What’s on her list? * Oofos recovery slides — am a new convert! * Stasher reusable silicone bags — bigger ones to put all my snacks in when I travel/am on the go! * Thinksport SPF 50 —sweat and water resistant, always on my face after having surgery for skin cancer * Briotech Skin Spray — post-workout spray to help prevent zits! * My nonprofit of choice: Friends of the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter * And of course, Power Up: A Young Woman’s Guide to Winning with Sports Nutrition! Sasha’s mental performance journal, Unstoppable, is also available now. Don’t forget to listen to our episode all about the journal. Remember you can follow Molly and Sasha on Social Media including: Molly - @mollyjhurford @stronggirlpublishing Sasha - @SGollishRuns @Yellow_Running_Shoes Listen, Subscribe, Rate + Review on Substack | Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Get full access to Strong Girl Society at stronggirl.substack.com/subscribe

See All (43)

Trailer

About

Whether you’re a strong girl yourself or are raising one, this show is for you. Strong Girl Talk exists at the intersection of research and culture for women and girls in sport. Let’s go! Author & Strong Girl Publishing founder Molly Hurford and Dr. Sasha Gollish, Executive Director of Yellow Running Shoes, have teamed up to bring you Strong Girl Talk, a show that covers the latest in sports science with a focus on women and girls, as well as trending topics around gender equity in sports. And every episode kicks off with our wrap-up of top headlines in women’s sport that have us cheering! stronggirl.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Strong Girl Publishing
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Strong Girl Publishing
  • Show Website
    Strong Girl Talk

You Might Also Like