Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy

In the Season 6 premiere, two-time NCAA champion, four-time WNBA champion and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird joins the Laughter Permitted party. Sue shares what she did when she felt a plateau in her career, how she doesn’t set individual goals and lives by an 80/20 approach. She also talks about what it was like winning a fifth gold medal alongside BFF Diana Taurasi at the Tokyo Olympics and tells the story of how fiancé Megan Rapinoe found a way into the gold medal game. In the close of the show, Julie does a deep dive into her love affair with the Toto toilet.

Cue the crowd noise because Laughter Permitted is back! Julie and Lynn share highlights of Season 5 and hand out some Dopie Awards.

Get ready to be inspired, uplifted and walk away with new “Hacker-isms” -- aahhhh!!! In the Season 5 finale, Dr. Colleen Hacker returns -- again! -- to Laughter Permitted. Dr. Hacker, who is an expert in the psychology of performance and professor at Pacific Lutheran University, discusses how lessons she teaches Olympic-level athletes can be applied in everyday life, and are particularly relevant in the wake of the pandemic. With her signature style, Dr. Hacker explains the idea of stress-related growth, how we’ve all experienced a version of “pressure training” this past year and what steps can be taken to implement positive action into life.

MMA fighter Amanda Nunes joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her dominance in UFC, what is left for her to do in the sport and how becoming a mom has helped her in the cage. In a new Lynn Game, Amanda takes on Julie in a “Trash Talk Off.” At the end of the interview, Amanda’s baby daughter, Reagan, joins the party, and in the close of the show, Julie and Lynn consider how much money it would take for either of them to step in the cage with Amanda.

WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Candace Parker joins Laughter Permitted to talk about starting her 14th WNBA season for the Chicago Sky, what drives her and lessons she learned from Pat Summitt. Candace shares the best parts of being back in her hometown of Chicago -- it’s possible her mom has done some of her laundry -- and explains why, at the age of 35, she considers what her legacy will be. Also, find out where the fun happens during TNT broadcasts, and why fishing might not be in Candace’s future plans. In “Questions Permitted,” Julie and Lynn go down another riveting food rabbit hole to talk over whether a hot dog is a taco or sandwich.

Arizona head basketball coach Adia Barnes joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her style as a coach, the “double middle finger moment” and what went into upsetting UConn in the semifinals. Along with sharing the realities of life inside the NCAA tournament bubble, Adia tells the full story of pumping breast milk during halftime of the national championship game. Plus, find out why Adia has her players take etiquette class, and off the top of the episode, Adia's five-year-old son Matteo makes a cameo with his guitar.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion and 5-time Olympic medalist Venus Williams joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her fight for equal pay in tennis, where her entrepreneurial spirit comes from and what continues to drive her as player. Venus describes her bond with Serena and how Serena's daughter, Olympia, might be the most athletic in the family. Plus, Venus invites Julie to be on team "Bad Guys" and explains that while the Olympics might be in her future, pickle ball most likely isn't. In the close of the show, Julie and Lynn share the soundtrack to their lives, which leads to a lot of Julie singing. You've been warned! (Oh, and Julie thinks there are 12 planets.)

Two-time world champion surfer Tyler Wright joins Laughter Permitted to talk about how a battle with a crippling virus led her to become an activist within the sport of surfing. Tyler gets candid about the lows she experienced while enduring two years with post-viral syndrome, and explains how she’s now using her platform as a top surfer to affect real change. In Most Pressing Questions, Julie asserts herself as Tyler’s personal cheerleader for a surf competition in San Clemente this September, and in the close of the show, Julie and Lynn debate whether cereal is a soup.

Veteran journalist and longtime CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin joins Laughter Permitted to talk all about her new book "Huddle." Brooke shares the inspiration behind writing her first book, breaks down the concept of a huddle and how women across the country are huddling to harness their collective power. Along with explaining the virtues of huddling -- from support to sponsorship -- Brooke gives ideas on how all women can find their way into a huddle. Plus, Julie goes into why lack of cheddar cheese was her tipping point during her playing days, and Brooke recalls the moment she learned the lesson to, "Go with your gut and speak the F up for yourself."

Legendary softball pitcher and two-time Olympic medalist Cat Osterman joins Laughter Permitted to talk about how a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics impacted her life, and why she decided to come out of retirement for the 2020 Olympics. Cat shares her strategy for overcoming “mental mountains,” particularly in the past year with the pandemic and Olympic delay. As an official member of the Dope Village, Cat weighs in on the great “is a cinnamon roll a donut” debate, and Julie teaches Cat her Soccerettes’ Green Machine song. (Yes, this means more of Julie singing...)