Welcome to the Party

Episode: “We Need You To Be Better”: The Talk That Changed Abby Wambach’s Career

Release Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Treat Media
Featured Speakers: Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Billie Jean King (regular), Shannon Box (discussed)

Episode Overview

In this lively and inspiring episode, soccer legends Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy field questions from their passionate listeners, providing heartfelt and sometimes hilarious insights on coaching, team culture, inspiring women in sport, the evolving landscape of women’s soccer, and the critical role of emotional development in young athletes. Abby recounts a pivotal pre–World Cup intervention from teammate Shannon Box that transformed her career—a candid, vulnerable moment that grounds the episode’s theme: the power of honest feedback and support. The energy is authentic, full of camaraderie, mischief, and mutual respect, inviting listeners into the heart of women’s sports both on and off the field.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Team Intervention: The Talk That Changed Abby Wambach’s Career

• Opening Moment ([00:00]):
  • Abby shares a personal story about how Shannon Box gave her some “tough love” before the 2011 Women's World Cup:

    “Shannon Box had to come to my room. I'll never forget this. And she said, ‘Abby, what's been happening? What is going on? Because it's not good enough. And we need you to be better.’”
    — Abby Wambach ([00:00])

  • Julie cheers on Shannon Box for her bravery and leadership.

    “Yay, Shannon Box.”
    — Julie Foudy ([00:09])

  • Abby credits this intervention as life-changing, demonstrating the value of open, honest communication among teammates and the importance of being receptive to feedback.

2. Q&A: “Power to the Party People!”

Listener questions fuel the main portion of the episode, sparking insightful, candid discussions:

Q1: Does Coaching or Talent Matter Most for Team Success?

• Rebecca S. from L.A. asks: How much does coaching truly matter vs. player talent?
  • Julie:

    “The coach sets the tone, it sets the atmosphere, it sets the vibe... It’s a mix of both… but the coach is key.” ([06:04])

    • Points out that “consistently great” teams require strong chemistry and culture, but that’s built by the coach.
  • Abby:

    “The success should always fall on the players’ shoulders and the failures should always fall on the coach’s shoulders.” ([07:16])

    • Shares the “Miracle on Ice” example — that Olympic coaches don’t get medals:

      "...if you’re a strong enough coach and a confident enough coach... all you’re doing is setting them up to succeed. And when it doesn't work out, you didn't set them up right enough." ([08:24])

Q2: Most Inspiring Female Athletes & “Fan-Girling” Moments

• Erica P. asks: Who are the women athletes you’ve fangirled over?
  • Julie:

    “Billie Jean King, I fangirled over. Like, who’s not gonna?” ([10:19]) - Remembers her first Women’s Sports Foundation event in her 20s—mouth agape in awe.

  • Abby:

    “…Now that we’ve gotten to know her, I’m less this way just because I know her more personally. She’s like a person instead of the icon that all of us kind of know Billie Jean King as.” ([11:23])

    • Admires women who do the unimaginable:

      “I love and admire women out there that can do things that—that I know this sounds kind of egocentric of me—but that I know that I could never envision myself doing.” ([12:49])

    • Cites ultramarathoners like Courtney Dauwalter:

      “Her pain cave metaphor and the mentality around how to suffer is really, like, what we’re doing here as a human on this planet.” ([12:25])

Q3: Social-Emotional Development for Young Athletes

• Cassie G. (Female Footballers) asks: What should new coaches know about social-emotional development?
  • Abby:

    “This is an opportunity for all of us... to work on our emotional responses to life, to the world, to chaos, to games, to problem solving—all of it.” ([19:09])

    • Shares how good coaches “test emotionality” by putting players in challenging situations in practice, so they learn to manage frustration and adversity.
    • Candidly admits sometimes she failed at emotional management:

      “Honestly, sometimes I failed. I saw red. My teammates were, like, yelling at me, 'Ice! Ice! Stop!' You know? And I’m just, like, running around fouling people.” ([21:14])

    • Revisits her 2011 World Cup “Shannon Box intervention” in detail ([21:47]–[23:32]):

      “She said, ‘Abby, what’s been happening? What is going on? Because it’s not good enough. And we need you to be better if we’re going to do well in this tournament.’ ...I just was like, damn, that's so good.”

    • On being coachable:

      “Because I had been put in so many hundreds, thousands of environments by good coaches who challenged us on purpose so that we can take feedback, I was ready for that moment and I got my shit together.” ([23:14])

    • Also credits the role of teammates as “coaches.”
  • Julie:

    “The one thing that should be your North Star... you are given this gift to be able to plant a seed on a daily basis.” ([24:42])

    • Stresses how a coach often spends more time with players than family, and the lessons they teach reach far beyond sport:

      “What are you teaching them about? Because that’s what they need in terms of their social emotional development. How are you being a good teammate? How are you celebrating others? How are you taking care of others while competing with others?” ([25:20])

    • “You’re going to have to compete, but you’re also going to have to collaborate. And the two can go hand in hand.”

Q4: Is the Full College Experience Over for Top Soccer Prospects?

• Susan B. asks: Are top players forced to skip college now for pro success?
  • Julie:

    “I do think, sadly, the days of top players having a full college experience is over... and that makes me very sad.” ([33:39])

    • Cites Lindsay Horan passing up UNC for Europe as an early milestone, and the increasingly young age of signings in today’s game.
    • Notes that right college program can still provide elite development, but the pro system is increasingly the pathway for the very top.
  • Abby:

    “The top, top players coming out of high school, I would say the top 10%, will probably not finish their college careers.” ([35:28])

    • Emphasizes the role of community, camaraderie, and development that comes through playing with one group over time—something now under threat due to NIL, transfer portals, and early pro moves.
    • Shares her own experience:

      “I would never have done well had I... went professional too soon. I needed the experience to develop.” ([36:53])

  • Julie adds a warning to ambitious kids/parents:

    “Make sure like—that’s legit... I’d hate for you to give up that full college experience and go on to the professional experience and go, ‘this isn’t at all what I wanted it to be.’” ([38:50])

    • Both reflect fondly on their transformative college years and urge caution for young players and families.

3. Lighter & Memorable Moments

• Abby’s “Airplane Gross” in New York ([01:12]):
  • Abby’s opening tale of hotel water-mains breaking in NYC, brushing teeth with a water bottle, and debating showering in brown water sets the fun, candid tone.
• “I have trouble saying my ahs” — the ‘Wadeo’ Story ([40:53]):
  • Abby tells a sweetly hilarious family story about her daughter’s challenges with pronunciation, ending with the child’s deadpan:

    “We all have challenges. And I have trouble saying my ahs.” ([41:34])

• On ‘Fan-Girling’ Billie Jean King ([10:19]):
  • Julie’s “catching flies” mimed awe around BJK—a recurring moment of respect and playfulness.
• Abby on coaching youth and “fake-out” fitness punishments ([20:25]):
  • “Winners get to get some water and the non-winners have to do some sort of fitness... but it’s the experience of curating some sort of problem, some sort of situation that they have to figure out how to manage.”

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On Honest Feedback:

  “She said, ‘Abby, what’s been happening? What is going on? Because it’s not good enough. And we need you to be better.’”
  — Abby Wambach, recounting Shannon Box ([21:53])

• On the Coach/Player Dynamic:

  “The success should always fall on the players’ shoulders and the failures should always fall on the coach’s shoulders.”
  — Abby Wambach ([07:16])

• On Coaching’s Impact:

  “The one thing that should be your North Star... you are given this gift to be able to plant a seed on a daily basis.”
  — Julie Foudy ([24:42])

• On the Changing Landscape of Women’s Soccer:

  “I do think, sadly, the days of top players having a full college experience is over... and that makes me very sad.”
  — Julie Foudy ([33:39])

• On Being Starstruck:

  “Billie Jean King, I fangirled over. Like, who’s not gonna?”
  — Julie Foudy ([10:19])

• On Enduring Team Bonds:

  “My Stanford soccer group is still to this day so strong with how many of us hang out and, and are friends together still.”
  — Julie Foudy ([39:42])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Shannon Box’s intervention with Abby
• 06:02 — Q1: Coaching vs. Talent
• 09:49 — Q2: Most Inspiring Female Athletes/“Fangirl” Moments
• 18:32 — Q3: Social-Emotional Development for Young Athletes
• 33:09 — Q4: College Experience vs. Going Pro
• 40:53 — Abby’s “Wadeo” family story
• 42:00 — Listener feedback encouragements, wrap-up comments

Conclusion

This episode of “Welcome to the Party” blends deep honesty, powerful stories, and genuine camaraderie—showcasing how vulnerability and laughter build community both among elite athletes and their fans. Abby’s story of “the talk” with Shannon Box exemplifies the critical impact teammates and coaches have on personal and professional growth. The listener Q&A format brings the broader sports community directly into the conversation, making the podcast feel like a true gathering of “Party People.”

For anyone passionate about women’s sports, team culture, leadership, or simply sharing a laugh with legends, this episode is a can’t-miss.