Ep. #552: Haley Shapley on the Legendary Women Who Changed Sports

For centuries, women were more or less excluded from organized athletics, relegated to more “feminine” tasks like being homemakers or taking care of children.

A lot has changed.

Women have their own leagues and divisions in all sports now, and while the WNBA might not ever be as popular as the NBA, for example, things are more equal now than they’ve ever been.

But it’s been a gradual process that took many iconoclastic women to get to this point.

To learn more about the culture of women’s strength and the history of women in sports, I invited journalist Haley Shapley on the podcast.

In this episode, we discuss Haley’s new book Strong Like Her, which offers a deep dive into the world of women’s athleticism throughout history. We chat about . . .

- How she got involved in women’s sports and why she wrote the book
- How you’re in control of your body and can avoid getting bulky
- The differences in how women and men are treated in sports
- Unique challenges women face like being paid less and lack of sufficient maternity leave
- The different dimensions of athleticism and why men are viewed as more athletic

Let’s get to it!

4:57 - What inspired you to make this book?

7:21 - How was that experience for you personally?

17:24 - What were some of the most inspiring stories you wrote about?

28:50 - What are your thoughts on the challenges that women face today?

39:13 - Where can people find you and your work?

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Mentioned on The Show:

Haley Shapley’s New Book - Strong Like Her: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strong-Like-Her/Haley-Shapley/9781982120856
Haley Shapley’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleyshapley/
Haley Shapley’s Website: https://www.haleyshapley.com/
Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/

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