The Fight to Keep Girls Playing

Summary

Welcome to the Party — "The Fight to Keep Girls Playing"

Podcast Summary

Date: February 3, 2026
Hosts: Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Billie Jean King
Episode Theme:
A celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, featuring stories, stats, and strategies for keeping girls active and invested in sports—both for their own well-being and for the future of women’s athletics. The hosts highlight their personal journeys, community impact, and the vital roles adults play in inspiring and sustaining participation.

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Episode Overview

This special episode is all about the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day—a day dedicated to honoring progress, advocating for continued growth, and ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to compete, have fun, and lead through sports. Abby, Julie, and Billie Jean intertwine their lively banter, legendary experiences, and tangible calls to action for listeners and communities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Documentary Projects & the Importance of Storytelling

• Billie Jean King's Film at Sundance
  • Billie Jean discusses the experience of seeing her story told ("Give Me the Ball") at Sundance and the vulnerabilities and teamwork involved in documentary filmmaking.
  • [01:27 BJK]: "Give me the Ball. They named it Give me the Ball because I guess that's my saying lately. … It just means accepting responsibility and make it happen and all those great things."
  • Acknowledgment of editors and behind-the-scenes crew: "We can't win without them." [02:59 BJK]
  • Nostalgia over archival footage and early memories with Serena and Venus Williams.

2. National Girls and Women in Sports Day: History & Impact

• Origins & Evolution
  • Billie Jean King witnessed the creation of the day; 2026 is its 39th anniversary, with events in every US state.
  • The Women's Sports Foundation (founded by BJK in 1974 with a $5,000 check) is core to the day, having invested $115 million in programming. [09:07 Foudy]
  • The day started as a tribute to Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman and expanded into a national movement.
  • [08:19 Foudy]: "…That was the first time I met [Barack Obama]. And he's like, yeah, I get it."

3. Current State of Play: Opportunities & Persistent Gaps

• Despite progress, girls still have “1 million fewer chances to play sports than boys” in high school. [10:42 Foudy]
• Women’s professional leagues are much younger and less established.
• Billie Jean King: “We’re not even close. … we still have less opportunities than the guys did in 1972." [10:19 BJK]
• Importance of Participation
  • Girls in sports report better mental health: 5x lower rates of disorders for multi-sport athletes.
  • Sports build leadership—half of women believe their leadership skills came from playing sports. [11:14 Wambach]

4. How Sport Shapes Lives Beyond the Field

• Leadership & Life Skills
  • Abby explains relating sports lessons to parenting and real-world situations.
  • Julie recounts team-building and leadership development with Dr. Kuhlenhacker: [12:49 Foudy]: “She would make that leap … what you’re doing applies to life.”
• Community Involvement & Visibility
  • Nationwide, organizations and colleges are activating the day with clinics, workshops, and exposure to non-athlete careers in sports (physical therapy, media, coaching, etc.)
  • Spotlight on inclusivity, particularly through HBCUs and i9Sports’ pledge to reach half a million girls by 2030.

5. Role Models & Adult Influence

• The panel emphasizes that adults' attitudes and actions are crucial to keeping girls engaged in sports.
• [21:45 Foudy]: “That’s the thing, because it creates habits in your kids without them even knowing it, because you’re showing them that.”
• Abby credits her wife Glennon for helping reframe modeling behavior: “It’s not what I say, but how I live.” [20:00 Wambach]
• Modeling healthy activity has ripple effects on children, and growing up seeing relatives stay active inspires lifelong habits.

6. Personal Stories: When Did You Know You Belonged in Sports?

• Billie Jean King: “Anything to do with the ball, I was gone from the womb. … I always felt I belonged to movement and the ball and sports.” [26:38 BJK]
• Abby Wambach: Her soccer journey began with a library book checked out for her eldest sister—“How to Play Soccer.” She knew she belonged after scoring 27 goals in her first three games. [28:15 Wambach], [29:52 Wambach]
• The hosts note that not every kid is a prodigy; persistence and fun matter most, not just early success.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On responsibility and leadership:

  “Give me the ball. … It just means accepting responsibility and make it happen and all those great things.” — Billie Jean King [01:27]

• On opportunity gaps:

  “We’re not even close. … we still have less opportunities than the guys did in 1972.” — Billie Jean King [10:19]

• On impact of sports beyond athleticism:

  “Half of women believe that their leadership skills came from their experience playing sport.” — Abby Wambach [11:14]

• On adult influence in kids’ habits:

  “One thing I know to be true is the way that we model our behavior for our kids, having probably the bigger impact on outcomes and their success.” — Abby Wambach [20:00]

• On early spark in sports:

  “I just couldn’t get enough. … I always felt I belonged to movement and the ball and sports. I just loved it." — Billie Jean King [26:38]

• Julie’s competitive spirit (humorous highlight):

  “This is all that matters in life, is this minute to win it.” — Julie Foudy [31:47]

  • Friendly rivalry plays out with treadmill sprints—Julie vs. Abby—ending in a tie but epic banter.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:01–05:32] Documentary reflections (Sundance, teamwork, BJK’s film)
• [06:40–10:08] National Girls and Women in Sports Day: History and WSF impact
• [10:19–13:40] Status of participation, barriers, and benefits of sports
• [15:10–16:31] Community programs and organizational spotlights (colleges, i9Sports, HBCUs)
• [20:00–23:11] Adult influence & modeling healthy behavior
• [26:13–30:35] First moments of belonging and finding a home in sports
• [39:06–45:40] The “minute to win it” competition (Julie vs. Abby), friendly rivalry, and teamwork
• [45:40–47:18] Reflections on competitiveness, role models, and the enduring fight for equity

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Additional Highlights

• Interactive resources:
  Listeners can visit the Women’s Sports Foundation site for a map of nationwide events. [13:44 Foudy]
• Personal touch:
  Stories about family origins in sports, books from libraries, relatable struggles with motivation, and joy in movement as kids.
• Call to action:
  Everyone is encouraged to get involved, support girls’ athletics, and stay vocal about the need for greater equity.

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Tone & Style

• Upbeat, irreverent, celebratory, yet grounded in real advocacy and practical advice.
• Deep camaraderie between the hosts, with plenty of laughter, competitive banter, and mutual support.

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For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

Even if you’ve never laced up a cleat, “The Fight to Keep Girls Playing” makes clear that keeping girls active in sports has lifelong ripple effects—on health, confidence, leadership, and equity. The hosts model just how fun, profound, and ongoing the movement for women’s athletic opportunity is—inviting every listener to join the party and push for progress.

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Useful Resources Mentioned

• womensportsfoundation.org
  Find events, stats, programs, and ways to get involved.
• Check out the event finder map to see National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebrations near you.

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Party Rule #1: Have a sh*t ton of fun—while changing the world for girls in sports.
Party People: Time to get in the game!

Transcript

[Abby Wambach]

Happy National Girls Women's Sports Day, everyone. The way that soccer came into my family, my mom took my sister Beth to the public library, and it was like, how to Play Soccer. And that is how soccer came into the life of the Wombox.

[Julie Foudy]

A book called how to Play Soccer.

[Jules]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

Literally.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, my gosh.

[Abby Wambach]

Are you holding on? You're holding on.

[Billie Jean King]

Whatever it takes, do it.

[Julie Foudy]

She's holding on. Oh, my God.

[Billie Jean King]

Attention, the party is about to commence.

[Julie Foudy]

Welcome to the party. What's up, party people? I'm Julie Foudy.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm Abby Wambach.

[Billie Jean King]

And I'm Billie Jean King Kinger. Yeah, baby Foudy. Bounty abs. What's happening?

[Abby Wambach]

How was Sundance?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. We're dying to know.

[Billie Jean King]

Wow. It was pretty amazing because we. They showed it at this, I think, 1200, the biggest. It's at a high school. The theater. Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

But it's huge. And it was really great.

[Julie Foudy]

And I had some friends there. They said it was amazing.

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, you did? Oh, you little. Well, what are they. Were they there?

[Julie Foudy]

They were like, you have to see Give me the ball. I was like, I know. I want to see. Give me the ball.

[Billie Jean King]

Is that the name of it?

[Jules]

Right?

[Billie Jean King]

Give me the ball. They. They named it Give me the Ball because I guess that's my saying lately. Anyway, for now. I know I'm always saying, come on, give me the ball. Let's go, you guys. Give us the ball. Let's go. And it just means accepting responsibility and make it happen and all those great things, so. But it was amazing experience.

[Julie Foudy]

Is that weird, watching?

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, gosh, don't even get me snow. I mean, because it's impossible.

[Julie Foudy]

You talked about how, like, you share a lot in this.

[Billie Jean King]

I share too much. Yes. And, of course, my memory. I'm going, now, is this really the way it was? And I'm like, yeah, no, I gave it up, man. I gave it up. And they had the camera right here, right in my face like that, and I'm going, do we have to have it so close?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

We had so many great people that worked on it, and they. It's amazing how important that is, though. It's like your team. You know, I'm always looking at teamwork and looking at others that nobody notices a lot of times. And you work people that work behind the scenes. Soto. I mean, I didn't. I never met the editor. And I'm going, Josh is his name. And I'm like, I got to meet him at Sundance, so I was so excited. He did a great job. He's really exceptional. And so, yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And editors never get the love editors.

[Billie Jean King]

No, but they never get anything. So what I did, when we went on stage, instead of talking about the bio and all that, I talked about them as a team and how I always noticed the people behind the camera, and I always watch them all the time. But I do that all the time in everything when I watch.

[Julie Foudy]

I love that you do that, but.

[Billie Jean King]

We can't win without them.

[Julie Foudy]

I know, but, like, we should be talking about you, King. And that's, like, our goal with Abby and I. You got your two biggest hype women next to you that we'll talk about you. Because you never want to talk about you.

[Billie Jean King]

No, it's more important to make things happen.

[Abby Wambach]

How long did you shoot this doc? Like, how long did it take?

[Billie Jean King]

I don't know. Was it a year and a half, maybe? We just never stopped. And then they would change their minds or they would, you know. But, you know, people have to understand when you go and start before you even get an okay or get the team that you want. So it takes years. It's not something that just. What about the movie you did, Abs?

[Abby Wambach]

That was done in a very, very short time for documentary filmmaking, it was like, all in maybe a year.

[Billie Jean King]

But you already had your production people and all ready to go, right?

[Abby Wambach]

No, we didn't.

[Billie Jean King]

You did not.

[Abby Wambach]

Time we got the call, it was like, bang, bang, bang.

[Billie Jean King]

Wow, that's great.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. Our subject was diagnosed with incurable cancer.

[Billie Jean King]

That's right.

[Abby Wambach]

So we didn't know how fast we had to go as quickly as possible. And then we wanted them to come to Sundance last year. And so there was a lot of conversations around how to end the movie. Do we include their death in the movie, but the movie, you know, anyways.

[Billie Jean King]

Well, that's the kind of decisions you have to make constantly with people.

[Abby Wambach]

A lot of people use Sundance and a lot of these film festivals to get these. These films purchased.

[Billie Jean King]

Correct. That's why they're there most of the time.

[Abby Wambach]

Right. And you didn't need that. That help. So you have that support system. And you're going to be going into what, I'm, I'm assuming all these other film festivals throughout the year to potentially get nominated for, you know, an Academy Award. So they are trying to market this movie in a way and have the right timing so that when the voting starts to happen, it's not too new, but it's not too old. It's like a.

[Billie Jean King]

It's like a timing, not the whole marketing effort. Like, you have to figure out what are we going to do, where are we going to put it? You know, what do we attend, what do we. It's going to be a lot.

[Julie Foudy]

And it's on espn. We know that.

[Billie Jean King]

So we know at least ESPN plus. I mean, there's going to be a lot of things because it's really owned by Disney. Disney, really?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. It'll go on linear for sure.

[Billie Jean King]

So it's going to go a lot of places, but.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. That is so exciting. Congratulations.

[Abby Wambach]

Thank you.

[Billie Jean King]

So cool. I'll tell the team. Thank you. It's amazing. Yeah, it's amazing. And I'll say, Helen Russell, who was the archivist, she's a dear friend. I think she made a huge difference because she knew where to go and how to find things.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

Talk about being diligent.

[Julie Foudy]

That's a gift, honestly.

[Billie Jean King]

Archivists, God bless them.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

When I first met Serena and Venus, they were six and seven years old. We have some footage of that, if you can believe it, when we had a clinic in Long Beach.

[Julie Foudy]

I can't wait to see it.

[Billie Jean King]

And Serena, you'll see Serena hitting. She's six. She's so sweet. I'll never. I just have to tell this one story, which was not on there because we didn't have it to show, but she was hitting and everybody was watching. We had about a thousand people that day. We were supposed to have 200. We had 1200. I mean, I'm running around every court. So, anyway, I said, can you serve? She looks up at me, she says, oh, yeah. I said, would you be all right showing it? She goes, yeah, yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

She's so sweet.

[Billie Jean King]

I said, go ahead. So she serves. Okay. She has the greatest technique on serve of anybody that's ever lived. Okay. Ever. I've talked to Sampras, all these great male players. We all think she's number one. Her serve was so beautiful at six years old. I said to her, don't change a thing. It's perfect.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay. Coming up, we've got a very special episode because we are celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is Wednesday, February 4th. And if you don't know about it, we're going to get you all up to speed on it because it is such an amazing day. It this annual celebration inspires girls and women to play and be active and to realize their full power. This is the beauty of this day because it has galvanized communities across the country to champion equal opportunity opportunity for girls and women in sports for nearly four decades. It literally may be my Favorite day of the year, Billie Jean. I know. You know, a little something.

[Abby Wambach]

Just a little. Just.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah, well, I was there the first time. You know, we're gonna have our. I think it's our next year's 40th, 39th anniversary this year. And there'll be over like 200 programs all over the country. We're gonna be in every state, every single state will be celebrating doing something. So it's really big. And it's this week, really, even though our day is Wednesday on the Hill. And what we used to do a lot and continue to try to do is go meet with the senators and congress people and talk about Title 9. Yeah. Because that fits there. And I think we used to go.

[Julie Foudy]

I have these old photos, me and Summer Sanders, like pounding the Hill or, you know, me and Dottie Pepper or it was just like all these athletes that would go. And I remember meeting Barack Obama as a senator and pitching to him about Title ix.

[Jules]

Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

Wow.

[Julie Foudy]

Before he was president, that was the first time I met him. And he's like, yeah, I get it.

[Billie Jean King]

I'm not too sure.

[Julie Foudy]

You don't have to. You don't have to put the pitch down. I'm in.

[Billie Jean King]

He's left handed too.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. So in a little history behind it, the Women's Sports foundation, which is the foundation that Billie Jean King found, founded in 1974, baby, with that $5,000 check, right. The Women's Sports foundation is the co founder and steward of the day. They have invested. Listen to this. They have invested the Women's Sports Foundation $115 million to help girls play and compete and lead without barriers. And in the beginning.

[Billie Jean King]

To 115.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, I know.

[Abby Wambach]

Amazing.

[Julie Foudy]

$5,000 to 115. And Kinger, you'll remember, in the beginning it served the National Girls and Women in Sports Day, served as a remembrance, I had forgotten this. Of Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and in, in particular, her dedication to promoting equality for women's sports. And Hyman unfortunately died of marfan syndrome in 1986. And the National Girls Women's Sports Day has since evolved into a national event, as we were saying, with thousands of organizations all over the country celebrating it. So now that you party people know some of the history behind the day, let's really get this party started with some of the reasons as to why this day is so incredibly important. This is your special National Girls and Women in Sports Day edition of our party Starter with all the stats and research by. Brought to us by the Women's Sports Foundation. Okay, Kinger, do you want to start with why this all still matters so much?

[Billie Jean King]

Because we're not even close. Right? Right. I think we still have less opportunities than we. Than the guys did in 1972. Okay. That should tell you everything right there. Like, we have so far to go. And you look at. You look at our pro leagues, how young they are compared to the men's. I mean, that's all you have to think about is history. Like, okay, when did this start, to your point?

[Julie Foudy]

Not to be Debbie Downer here, but. But, like, sometimes the progress you see on TV doesn't actually mean opportunity on the field. Girls in high school still have more than 1 million fewer chances to play sports than boys. So I just want people to hear that. Right. We've made all these amazing strides, but girls in high school, high school still have more than 1 million fewer chances to play sports than boys. And that's the really cool thing about this day. Abs, do you want to talk about why it's so critical?

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. I mean, look, here are just some of the reasons why this work and this day are so important, obviously, to the three of us, because we've made our lives in sport. And we pulled this research directly from the Women's Sports foundation, just so everybody is clear. And if they want to, like, go reference it and research it themselves. First of all, better mental health. The rates of mental health disorders are five times lower for girls who play multiple sports and have played sports for more than five years versus girls who don't play at all. Number two, they're more engaged in all areas of their life. Of their life. 40% of the girls who play sports are more likely to be involved in other extracurricular activities in schools versus 26% of girls who don't. And then, three, the thing that I try to parent my child who's in sport is that leadership skill. I think for me, sports and leadership was the most impactful thing in my life. And so half of women believe that their leadership skills came from their experience playing sport. And so everything my daughter is doing, I'm, like, always trying to reference and relate it to something that is in the real world, not necessarily just like on the soccer field, but, you know, what you just did there. That is such an important quality that's going to help you in your relationships, when you get older, in your friendships as a parent, you know, going out into the working world.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, it's so true. Yeah, that's such a good point, Dr. Kuhlenhacker. Who we've had on. On the pod for New Year's. She used to do all this team building at the camps we used to do during the summer, these leadership camps. And she would. She would sit everyone down after we do these silly, fun team building exercises and these girls, and she would say, okay, I want you to tell me, raise your hand. So something that you just did on the field and how it then applies to life. She would make that leap, like, okay, what you're doing applies to life. And they would. Right, right there, they'd be like, the way I was communicating and not getting mad with my teammate. Even though she was effing up. No, they didn't. Even though she was screwing up, you know, And I just, you know, like, that's how we should communicate in life. We can take care of each other. We can. Correct. But we can also take care of each other. I was like, oh, my God, I'm gonna cry.

[Abby Wambach]

This is it. That's right. That's right. That's so good.

[Julie Foudy]

This is it. Okay. And then we also wanted to give a little shout out to, as. As Kinger mentioned, all the amazing organizations. We're not going to name them all, but there is this really cool link on the Women's Sports foundation website that shows you all the celebrations that are happening around the country on a map. And you can literally. Yeah, you can type in your zip code and say, okay, pull up any events that are happening within 50 miles of me and then it will pull it up. And so it's really cool. And as. As Kinger mentioned as well, like all these colleges and universities now are using it smartly as a tool to get kids out and young girls out to their sporting events. So, for example, you have Bates College in Maine, who on February 8th. And. And this is a week long celebration for a lot of them. And they do it around the women's Women National Girls and Women's Sports Day, which is the fourth. But young girls can join women from. They bring in all these various Bates women's sports teams and they put on a clinic and then they give them lunch in the dining hall. And then they have an opportunity to go watch the Bates women's basketball team compete. So you get a clinic, you get lunch, and then you get to go to the basketball game. And a lot of them are doing that kind of stuff.

[Billie Jean King]

San Antonio, Love B. Is going to give out a lot of T shirts and things.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, yeah, love all that.

[Billie Jean King]

So they get some merch too, you know, sometimes.

[Julie Foudy]

Exactly. San Antonio spurs. The spurs sports and entertainment and local partners are hosting a next gen girls sports takeover day at the Frost bank center which is where the San Antonio spurs and NBA team plays. So the girls will be able to again, they can do hands on career workshops, which I love. They can do clinics, but they can meet coaches, they can meet athletic trainers, they can meet members of the media, pro athletes. And so they can figure out like, and actually learn like, okay, beyond just being an athlete and getting active what those jobs look like and what I could actually do in real life. So that's really cool.

[Billie Jean King]

I like that. I like the fact that HBCU colleges are really involved too. You know, the black colleges and stuff. I like that in universities. No, that means we're inclusive. We gotta be always be inclusive. Think about others and not just ourselves. And yeah, and it's good you meet different people.

[Julie Foudy]

Like, yeah, getting girls who aren't exposed to this typically. Right. Like that's, that's the key to all of this. And finally, i9Sports, a national rec sports league is launching gains are for the girls, which is a commitment to get 500,000 girls playing in their program by 2030. Let's go. I9, let's go.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

All right.

[Billie Jean King]

Go.

[Julie Foudy]

That is your special national girls and women in sports Sports day party starter.

[Billie Jean King]

Let's go.

[Abby Wambach]

We did it.

[Julie Foudy]

We did it.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

And as we know, the numbers are so important, they matter. Participation matters. Keeping girls in sports really, really matters. But there's another part of this conversation that we don't always talk enough about and that is that we adults matter. So one of the biggest influences and indicators on whether girls stay active and in love with sports, it, it can't be reflected in a stat. It's what they're seeing at home and what is being modeled by U.S. adults or should be modeled by U.S. adults. By U.S. adults. Sometimes we don't do a great job at this. So bjk, Abby and I got into this subject the other day while walking on our peloton tread plus powered by peloton iq. So bjk, let's run it back. Abigail. God, I love this. The beauty of working while you work out. And before we get to our discussion, can you let the party people know why we love this beautiful peloton cross training tread plus so much? Powered by peloton IQ.

[Jules]

Well, first of all folks, get on your peloton tread plus if you've got one. We're doing the 30 minute 90s walk with Jocelyn Thompson rule. Love her. And the peloton cross training tread plus, powered by peloton iq to me, some of my favorite things are the real time strength coaching. Jules, you know me, all professional athletes are good at, like, taking the easiest route. And so you need somebody to tell you to get lower. You need somebody to tell you to maybe change your weights to something a little bit more heavy. It tracks your progress. It suggests weights that will challenge you. It also provides personal plans, which I think is, like, really, really important for. For all of us. Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Because weights, even, like, weights, how much you should be lifting, it, it. It. It totally tracks you.

[Jules]

I don't have time to think about what I'm doing. I want somebody to tell me what I'm doing. The swivel screen. Can we. Can we talk? We just can't get enough of this swivel screen. I love this so much. It's been such a staple in our home. I just, like. There's this little click that happens when the tread starts to move. And I hear it sometimes when I'm working, and I'm like, oh, Emma, just got on the tread plus. Oh, just got on the tread plus. It's just, like, it's so great. And. And there's a huge community at our fingertips, like, literally.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, that's what I love, because I need people to work out with. I need an instructor. I need someone to guide me. Izzy got home from winter break, and she was like, what is this beautiful piece of equipment in the garage? I was like, that's right, baby. You know what too is funny is everyone goes, I want to see that peloton tread plus when they come to the house. Where do you shoot that from?

[Jules]

Said nobody that walks into my house.

[Julie Foudy]

Where do you keep losing? To Abby, from my whole family. All right, now to our chitchat. We wanted to run it back to when we were kids.

[Jules]

And by the way, this is our national Girls and Women's sports Day. And. And we want to talk about the things that might have been hard for us or the things that might have helped us. And. And. And really, one of the things for me, the way that I grew up, my parents weren't, like, into working out. It wasn't the memo that they got right. And so my. My, like, base state is do nothing. Let's just chill. And after I retired, I chose to take, like, a year to a year and a half off of doing anything. Like, I needed a complete body reset. I had some injuries that I was trying to recover from. And about 18 months in, I was talking with Glennon about this because I wasn't feeling really like myself. I was feeling like, blah. And we were just talking, and she was just like, well, look like, you know, one of the things that if you. If you can't get yourself motivated to go do it just for yourself. One thing I know to be true is the way that we model our behavior for our kids, having probably the bigger impact on outcomes and their success. But just by showing them what you do and the way that you live your life gets kind of in there in their psyche as a way that, like, life is supposed to be lived. So it set me off on this really fun, awesome journey. I started walking, and that led me into jogging, and that led me into training for a marathon. And so it's like, for me, one of the most important elements around the way that I parent is not what I say, but how I live.

[Julie Foudy]

It's so important.

[Jules]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And that's the thing, because it creates habits in your kids without them even knowing it, because you're showing them that. And I love that. When I see Izzy and Declan in, you know, over Christmas, for example, it's like, they want to be active. They want to be out. You know, it's not like, hey, I have to organize, you know, the whole family and get them on the tennis court or get them, you know, out there, be doing something. And that becomes a stress for all families. It's like, they want to go, hey, mom, let's go play beach volleyball. Hey, mom, let's go for a hike. Let's take the dog for a walk. And I'm like, yes, it's working. And for me personally, like, if I don't get that in. And you talk about creating space to take care of yourself, if I don't get that in, I get super crabby. Super crabby. And I'm not a crabby human. And I. The other day, I was like, I was growling my son and my husband, and they were like, what is going on? I go, I don't know. I'm just grabbing. Okay. And then I realized I was like, oh, she's. I didn't work out today at all, like, or the last couple days because work's been so busy. So prioritizing that for me and having a community like we have with this peloton Tread plus is huge, for sure.

[Jules]

Yeah. And it's like the small daily choices, Jules, that create, I think, the biggest impacts on how children develop their relationships with themselves and with a healthy lifestyle. Right. They internalize the active, healthy life living in what they see their parents or their Guardians doing. And I think that that's, like, we can't forget about that. Like, how we live matters. All right, you guys, I think that that's it. That's our Run It Back segment, sponsored by Peloton. Peloton is shaping the future of fitness with the brand new Peloton Cross training Tread plus, powered by Peloton iq.

[Julie Foudy]

All right, party people. And when we get back, we're going to dig into the personal side of this National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and we're going to see if three times is a charm. Gosh, please. I'm going to give it one more go to see if I can beat Abby in a minute to win it on the Peloton cross training trip. Plus, do you think I can do this, party people? Because I'm not certain I can. Let's be fully honest about this. I'm going to beat her. I'm going to beat her. I'm going to do it. Who am I kidding? I am going to beat her today. And I might have a reveal for you as well. Okay, so abs and I will get back on our treads a little later in the pod. And I can't believe that it took me until I was double nickels to realize that I could combine work and play together on the tread. So chatting, filming a segment and then calling it work is one of the greatest breakthroughs in my life. And, Kinger, I don't know if you know this, but today is my day. I'm coming for Abby.

[Jules]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

And it's a minute to win it day, Kinger. So we're going to show you that a little bit later.

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, good. I love watching you, too.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we're going to get you a Peloton Tread plus as well, Kinger, so you can do a minute to win it with us. Are you in?

[Billie Jean King]

Are you kidding? Absolutely not. In. I mean, I'll be huffing and puffing within 15 seconds. You guys are. Hey, what's happening? I'm gonna beat you over you. And I'm like, I'm gonna get an ambulance.

[Julie Foudy]

It is kind of pathetic how competitive I still get. I think I know.

[Billie Jean King]

But, you know, I like it because it reflects your personalities, and people really see the real use.

[Julie Foudy]

I love it.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, it's true. Yeah, she.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah. Third time's a charm, baby.

[Abby Wambach]

I won't say this, but she did cheer about me being a little under the weather.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we're gonna talk about.

[Billie Jean King]

She did. Oh, that's so bad.

[Abby Wambach]

You'll see. You'll see.

[Billie Jean King]

It's so real.

[Julie Foudy]

All right, so we've talked about the history of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, how it got started, started, why it's so important, and now let's get into, really, the lived experiences that we've lived. So, Kinger, I have a question for you.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

Can you take us to the first moment in sports when you realized I belong here? Not because someone told me to be here, not because I am being forced to be here, but that you felt it in your body. I belong on this field or on this court or in this gym. When was that?

[Billie Jean King]

Well, the third word my brother and I, Randy, learned as children or had was ball. So it was mommy ball, daddy ball. It was so, I think anything to do with the ball, I was. I was gone from the. From the womb. I think so, yeah. I just couldn't. I just love to kick a ball, catch a ball, throw a ball, same, you know, all that. I just couldn't get enough. And so I always felt I belonged to movement and the ball and sports. I just loved it. But we didn't get into who won or who didn't win. It's just the fun.

[Julie Foudy]

I love when you said that it was never about the outcomes or the wins or the losses. It was just the joy of being out there running and moving and playing with a ball like that. That's when everyone talks about, like, we should just go back to our. Our mindset of when we were a kid and the joy of it, because it can get clunky and cluttered, But.

[Billie Jean King]

I try to think about those. I try to think about those. Like the first time I went to a rec park to get instruction in tennis. Didn't know anything about it. I'll just never forget at the end of that session, that's when I decided I wanted to be number one in the world. And I'd always. I'd already.

[Julie Foudy]

Were you 4 years old?

[Billie Jean King]

No, I was 10 or 11 around when I was turning 11.

[Julie Foudy]

After that clinic, you're like, okay, I want to do this. Not just I want to do this is like, I want to be number one in the damn world.

[Billie Jean King]

Did you get into because of friends, Parents? How did you.

[Abby Wambach]

Parents.

[Julie Foudy]

Parents?

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah, your parents. What about you?

[Julie Foudy]

Siblings.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, siblings, Siblings, Parents. Actually, my mom. I'm the youngest of seven. And the way that soccer came into my family was that my sister Beth, the eldest, wanted to learn how to play soccer. And so my mom took my sister Beth to the public library, and they checked out a book, and it was like, how to Play soccer. And that is how soccer came into the life of the Wombox. And we were all, like, pretty athletic.

[Julie Foudy]

A book called how to Play Soccer.

[Jules]

Yes.

[Abby Wambach]

Literally.

[Julie Foudy]

My gosh, I did not know that story.

[Billie Jean King]

I went. I went to the library in elementary school and checked out every tennis book. There's all three of them, or two of them. I couldn't get enough. But I love the. But I love history.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

And I love knowing the champions and what made them tick. And.

[Abby Wambach]

But it's interesting thinking about this idea of, like, when you felt like you. You. You belonged somewhere like that. I do think that sport, to me, it feels like a home. And I remember the very first time I went and played in an organized team because I'm the youngest of seven. So I'm playing sports all the time out in the backyard with my brothers and sisters. Right. And they would look at me a little bit weird sometimes, like, how does she know how to do that at that age? Like, what is that going on with this kid? And I could perceive. I couldn't. I wasn't conscious of it, but I could perceive that there was something weird to them about me and my athleticism. And it felt like. Felt good. I was like, oh, wow, I'm surprising these people. Right?

[Billie Jean King]

Oh, that's good.

[Abby Wambach]

And so then when I went to my first soccer game and I scored nine goals, and then I went to my second soccer game and I scored another nine goals, and my third, I scored 27 goals in my first three games. And I thought, yeah, this is the place that I think I'm gonna.

[Billie Jean King]

Well, you're successful, which I think does help.

[Abby Wambach]

Totally. Totally.

[Billie Jean King]

Also, it really helps. You know, most kids drop out of sports because they're. They feel they can't live up to their parents.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

Right.

[Billie Jean King]

Aspirations for them. And they need to. Parents need to back off, relax. Don't get into scores. Don't get into. And just. Did you have. Did you have fun today or tell me about your day?

[Julie Foudy]

Everyone's trajectory is different. Right. You may not be scoring 27 goals in your first three games, and that's fine. Like, it can take you a while. So you shouldn't give up on a sport if it's not clicking, if you're not finding success at the very beginning or. Right. Like, my parents were always like, you want to play flag football? Try it. You want to play softball, Try it. You want to play volleyball, Try it. And I know that's not always the case for a lot of families where they're. They're opening doors for their kids. Stay right there, party people, because when we come back, Will I finally beat Abby? Will I. In a minute to win it? I just want you to stick around to find out. I might also have a reveal underneath this jacket to show you. What do you think, Kinger? Do you believe in me?

[Billie Jean King]

Yes, I believe. Yes, of course I do. Go for it. Come on. This is leadership moment. Come on.

[Julie Foudy]

You believe in me, right, Kinger? See? Kinger believes in me. Let's go find out.

[Billie Jean King]

I also believe in you, but I also believe in. And Abby believes in you. And I believe in. Hey, we have to believe in each.

[Julie Foudy]

Other every single time I lose, but this. I think three times is a charm. I'm just saying.

[Billie Jean King]

But look at the exercise you're getting. God, just don't do results again.

[Julie Foudy]

It's like, this is about results, people. This. This is all that matters in life, is this minute to win it. Stay with. Abigail. You know, near and dear to my heart is Billie Jean King's foundation she founded in 1974 called the Women's Sports Foundation. I'm a past president, past board member, current gala emcee for a very long time. So good at it, as we know. It's because I love them so much. The Women's Sports foundation has fought to break barriers to access and opportunity in sports for more than 50 years because they believe this simple truth, which we all believe. When girls play, they lead, and we all win. And as we know, like sports are bigger than just being games. They're one of the most transformative tools we have to build a stronger, happier, healthier community. And the Women's Sports foundation, what I love about them is they've done all this research to back it up. So the research proves and shows that girls who play sports are more likely, as we know, to excel in school, lead in business, thrive in life. And here's the sad thing, however, is that the opportunities are still not equal, and they're actually far from equal because you have girls in high school who have 1 million fewer opportunities to play than boys in high school. And this is what's so concerning. We talk a lot about on the. On the podcast. Girls are dropping out of sports two times the rate that boys are dropping out. So beyond the research and the advocacy, the Women's Sports foundation works to break down these barriers, to create community programs to keep girls involved in playing sports. Their goal is simple. It's to ensure that every girl and woman has the chance to play, compete, and lead all things that Abigail and I care about. Deeply. You too can help. Go to womensportsfoundation.org and check them out. Abs. Here's what I've learned the hard way. When you run a business, I mean, and you know this well, doing it yourself quietly turns into doing absolutely everything yourself.

[Abby Wambach]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

And eventually that stops feeling brave and scrappy and it starts feeling exhausting, as you know. And that's why QuickBooks has been such a relief. Because QuickBooks gives you an actual team, AI agents and trusted experts. So doing it yourself no longer means doing it alone. I am such a fan of that. Accepting the support you and your business so critically need and deserve. And there's a reason so many people trust QuickBooks. Right? Everything works together. It's all in one place. The data is connected. Your books stay accurate. You actually get real insights you can use in real time. So instead of just juggling a million tools and kind of guessing your way through things, you get to make smart, confident decisions about your business. Outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks. Learn more about Intuit [e-mail] Abigail Every winner. I hit this point where I'm like, every sweater I own is either like stretched or. Yeah, yeah. Old or it looks worn. And it, it, the sweater is like begging for retirement. So I've been rebuilding my basics. I don't know about you. And on, on Quint and because it's basically like a one stop shop. And I know like the Mongolian cashmere one is so popular and you can see why because it's so soft and it's so nice. That one I love. But I also just recently got the organic cropped cotton cardigan. So Izzy was home for the holidays. Saw it, came in and I showed it to her. I was like, look what I got. She's like, mom, that would be perfect for Eugene, Oregon. I'm taking it. I was like, no. So I gave away my, my cotton cardigan. It's so cute. To Izzy. So I think that everyone, if you want a little refresh, this is, this is where you need to go refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Don't wait. Go to quinte.com welcome to the party. For free on your order. And 365 day returns now available in Canada as well. That's Quint. Q-U I N C.com welcome to the party. To get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quint.com welcome to the party. Okay, party people. Today we have got to Abigail. Shout out the people who kept us literally on the field. Oh. Throughout our Careers. So literally, the people who taped us up, rebuilt us, rehabbed us, got us back out there, and we were always able to perform at our best thanks to the medical professionals who always had our backs and our knees and your ankles. And the list goes on and on. It's true. And that's absolutely the case with legendary skier Lindsey Vonn. And as we've been following and talking about her epic return to the 2026 Winter Games, she's already, as we know, one of the goats. But now she's coming back after devastating injuries. And I'm thrilled to watch her because we know she's gonna crush at the Olympics in Milan. And Lindsay's amazing medical team and the entire USA medical team will be wearing awesome uniforms from figs. This company makes kick ass scrubs normally. And then their Olympic uniforms are next level. They are the official outfitters of Team USA's medical team. And the great news is you can wear the Team USA collection too. It's cool, it's functional. Ups your scrub game for sure. Check out the limited edition Team USA collection and get 15 off your first order at wherefigs.com with code FIGS RX F I G S R X. That's wherefigs.com code FIGS RX.

[Abby Wambach]

I'm actually gonna go get those right now. That sounds so exciting.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

Finally I get my long awaited rematch with Abigail on the peloton Cross training tread plus bjk. As you know, Abby has narrowly beaten me both times we've done it.

[Billie Jean King]

I know it's narrowly, though.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, narrowly. I mean, it's a one minute flat road.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay, One minute.

[Julie Foudy]

Yep. Whoever goes the furthest wins.

[Billie Jean King]

I remember that.

[Julie Foudy]

So I lost the first two by like 1/100th of a mile. I was just gonna make this up, I think, and one time. But no, it was close, whatever it was. But I do feel that three times is a charm. And because you taught me pressure as a privileged kinger, I told Abby she wanted to change it up because she keeps beating me. And I said, no, no, we're gonna do the exact same challenge for the for the third time. And Billie already told me she believes in me. So let's get right to it. This is my third time doing this, so I needed a little extra motivation. So this is my reveal. This is going to be my motivation. I'm going to try and knock it naked to the party people or at least my headphones. I don't know if you can see it, Jules.

[Jules]

You might, you might get me today.

[Julie Foudy]

Can you see My shirt. It says Julie will one day win. A minute to win it. Could it be today? Okay. My only hope, y', all is Abby is feeling a little under the weather today, so I couldn't be more happy about that.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

I'm not gonna do it. Okay. All right, here we go. I really tried not to talk. Three, two, one, start. So hard for me. Come on, baby. Get there, get there.

[Billie Jean King]

This is already a challenge right here.

[Julie Foudy]

Takes a while to get it going. She said I wasn't gonna talk.

[Billie Jean King]

You're talking a lot. That's taking oxygen.

[Julie Foudy]

I stopped. Then I was like, lock in. Okay.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah, you're locked in, but it's in the 40 seconds already when you walk in. Oh, I think maybe you should go into long distance running.

[Julie Foudy]

Oh, gee. Oh, God. Are you holding on? You're holding on.

[Abby Wambach]

You were holding on.

[Billie Jean King]

Can you hold on? Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Do it.

[Julie Foudy]

Holding on. She's holding on.

[Billie Jean King]

Well, I think. Well, AB's legs are a lot longer, so you gotta make it up. Those little twinkle toes.

[Julie Foudy]

She's holding fast.

[Billie Jean King]

Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast. Think fast.

[Julie Foudy]

She's holding.

[Jules]

Cut. Plate.

[Billie Jean King]

I love it. Oh, this is hilarious. You can't get.

[Jules]

Did I lose?.16.

[Julie Foudy]

He tied. Oh, God.

[Billie Jean King]

Are you kidding me?

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Billie Jean King]

You tied well. That's better than before.

[Julie Foudy]

My sister Chrissy, who's a really good runner. Yeah, she was sending me videos of, like, better form on a treadmill. She's like, you can't keep losing to Abby. Like, I know. I've got a shirt. I said, chrissy, I've got a shirt. She's like, a shirt is not gonna help you any better form. All right. Is it, Ty?

[Billie Jean King]

Well, Ty, that's great, you guys.

[Abby Wambach]

Okay.

[Billie Jean King]

Abby was under the weather with an asterisk.

[Julie Foudy]

Wait, wait, Jack, Jack, edit this in. Do you remember when Abby was on both rail like this and. And Heather. Heather was like, Abby or. No, was it Alex?

[Jules]

It was Alex.

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah, right.

[Julie Foudy]

Alex Morgan was like, first one, because.

[Abby Wambach]

I thought I was gonna fall off at the end.

[Julie Foudy]

That's what I was.

[Abby Wambach]

Very end. Not during. And up here, you were, like, holding on at the 32nd mark.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah. But she's not ready to tip over. And she had to hold her balance. She would have been off. The peloton would have been in. Geez Louise, look at her.

[Julie Foudy]

Look at her. And king her. This is Abby when she wasn't even feeling well.

[Billie Jean King]

I was like, I know.

[Julie Foudy]

God.

[Billie Jean King]

She was a superstar, right?

[Julie Foudy]

Super excited that she was not feeling well.

[Billie Jean King]

You did text us. I mean, I can't believe how mean.

[Abby Wambach]

And competitive me a couple hours later. And she was like, I'm really sorry if I said that. I was excited that you were sick.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah. Right after the fact. That's when everybody's really nicey nicey.

[Abby Wambach]

And it was true that I was not feeling that good. I actually almost threw up after the minute to win it.

[Billie Jean King]

Really?

[Abby Wambach]

Yeah. Well, here's the thing. I do know what I've done wrong, and now I know what speed I need to actually run at.

[Billie Jean King]

I didn't think, can you share with us or you're not sharing?

[Abby Wambach]

Well, I'm not sharing anymore.

[Billie Jean King]

That's what I figured.

[Abby Wambach]

I think I gave her too much info the last go around. And so now she knows what. What. What speed to go.

[Julie Foudy]

The problem is, is I felt like I was gonna fall off. My sister actually was like, you cannot keep losing to Abby. Chrissy is a really good runner, and she's like. So she sent me all these, like, you have to stay upright and stride instead of long strides, you're just up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah. And use your arms as pistons.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah.

[Abby Wambach]

Knee dry.

[Billie Jean King]

Really. Right. But then you had to catch the ra. You know, had to hold on or you're gonna fall off. So. So I'm glad you held on.

[Julie Foudy]

Did you see. Did you see who's behind me on the peloton?

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah, I saw that. My photo was.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, that's Kinger. We slapped the King or, like, high five before.

[Billie Jean King]

That was very sweet.

[Julie Foudy]

I forgot to do that. We're like, Kinger.

[Jules]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

You're in. You're in my. You're my inspiration on that treadmill.

[Billie Jean King]

Okay.

[Julie Foudy]

Guess it didn't work.

[Billie Jean King]

No pressure.

[Abby Wambach]

I will say this. Even though you touched the handlebars, I am glad.

[Billie Jean King]

Are you allowed to do that in the race? It doesn't matter, right?

[Abby Wambach]

I mean, technologically, no. Technically, no. But we're not like. This isn't for a medal here. Although. Pride.

[Billie Jean King]

Are you sure? Maybe we should get a couple of. Oh, I think we better think about.

[Abby Wambach]

But I will say congratulations on not losing again.

[Julie Foudy]

I know. Did you even see my shirt?

[Billie Jean King]

No. What does it say? I can't read.

[Julie Foudy]

I wore it. I don't know if you can see it here.

[Billie Jean King]

I can't see it. Julie.

[Julie Foudy]

One day. When a minute to win it. But just not just.

[Abby Wambach]

This day still hasn't happened.

[Julie Foudy]

This day.

[Billie Jean King]

See, this is what people really realize after hearing the segment is how competitive we all are internally. No matter What? The age and people out there who. And people who exercise know this. I mean, they just know it. You got to just suck it up. Give me the ball, baby.

[Julie Foudy]

Give me the ball.

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah, baby. Accept responsibility.

[Julie Foudy]

That's right. Okay, party people, don't forget to subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel. Click that little bell icon so you get updates when our new episodes go live.

[Abby Wambach]

And if you could take one minute, we would so appreciate it that. If you could just rate. Leave a comment and subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. And be sure to follow us on TikTok and Instagram welcome to the Party show, where Billy, Julie, and I will bring the party straight to your feed. Shout out to Kate Diaz for our theme music. You're the best, Kate. Okay. If you want to learn more or get involved, head to womensportsfoundation.org yes. And then, Jules, what are you so excited about?

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, so when we ask people to rate, subscribe, and leave a comment. I haven't checked our welcome to the Party page in a long time.

[Abby Wambach]

Huh?

[Julie Foudy]

Huh?

[Jules]

Yes.

[Julie Foudy]

We made it. We made it to 1,000, baby. Kinger, we have been trying to get to 1,000 likes.

[Billie Jean King]

Five stars.

[Julie Foudy]

1,000 five stars. Yeah. As you know. And so we're there. We made it.

[Billie Jean King]

That's huge. Yeah. Well, we. I just appreciate when people write and tell them what they want. Yeah. Ask us. Ask her for what you want. You know, that's really important because we want to do what you like and what you want to hear about.

[Julie Foudy]

Yeah, we want to know. We want to hear.

[Billie Jean King]

It helps us a lot.

[Julie Foudy]

We want to hear from you. Okay, pause together.

[Abby Wambach]

Pause together.

[Julie Foudy]

Are you guys ready?

[Billie Jean King]

Yeah.

[Julie Foudy]

Okay, Kinger, you want to count us in?

[Billie Jean King]

1, 2, 3. Give me the ball.

[Julie Foudy]

Give me the ball.

[Abby Wambach]

Happy National Girls Women's Sports Day, everyone.

[Jules]

You.

[Billie Jean King]

The journey to equality is not easy. It's not quick, it's not done. We're fighting to level the playing field.

[Abby Wambach]

Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Initial Digital is our production partner, and you can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party YouTube channel and follow us at welcome to the Party show on Instagram and TikTok. Thanks for listening.