Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy

Laughter Permitted takes an out-of-this-world journey to SPACE! In the Season 9 premiere, NASA Astronaut Nicole Mann joins Laughter Permitted while aboard the International Space Station. Col. Mann shares what it means to be the first Native American woman in space, how the mental toughness she gained as a soccer player at the Naval Academy helped her during two spacewalks and what message she'd share with us all back on Earth. Julie asks the hard-hitting question about showering in space, Lynn requests a ride in an F-18 with Col. Mann when she returns to Earth and we all learn that microgravity is fabulous for your Superwoman impersonations.

Laughter Permitted is back! Julie and Lynn share highlights of Season 8 and hand out some Dopie Awards.

In the Season 8 finale, renowned mental skills expert, author and Pacific Lutheran University professor Dr. Colleen Hacker returns to Laughter Permitted for a record fifth time to discuss the power of setting intentions for your year, how to use daily visual cues to help achieve your personal pursuits and why expressing gratitude is vital in life. Dr. Hacker also takes on Julie in an epic rematch of Know Your 99ers in the Lynn Game (it gets real, real quick). So listen in because Flash Class is once again in session!

What if I told you...women in Iran *can’t even go to a soccer game.* They’re banned from stadiums. New from 30 for 30 Podcasts, ‘Pink Card’ tells the tale of Iranian women who dare to risk it all – for the simple right to watch a soccer match. Creator Shima Oliaee (Oh-lee-eye) reports on generations of women – who’ve fought to take back their stadiums – and their joy of the game. ‘Pink Card’ will forever change how you see fandom and freedom - keep listening for the first episode and binge the full season now in the 30 for 30 Podcasts feed.

Award-winning podcast producer Shima Oliaee joins Laughter Permitted to discuss her 4-part ESPN 30 for 30 podcast series "Pink Card," which centers on women's rights in Iran over the course of three generations. Shima shares how women fighting to attend men's soccer games in Iran became emblematic of their pursuit of freedom, the motivation behind the series and the impact she hopes it has. In the close of the show, Julie and Lynn have a special announcement about the Season 8 finale.

WNBA Champion, 2-time WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist A'ja Wilson joins Laughter Permitted to discuss winning an WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces, what it was like being coached by Dawn Staley and Becky Hammon and how she developed a leadership style that worked for her. Plus get the "tea" on the Aces' post-championship celebrations and hear an incredible story about A'ja's statue on the campus of her alma mater, the University of South Carolina. In the close of the show, Lynn gets a serious case of the giggles while she and Julie discuss a bronze plaque in the likeness of Brandi Chastain.(Producer’s Note: It’s possible Lynn messes with Julie a bit in the Lynn Game.)

Marathon pioneer Joan Benoit Samuelson joins Laughter Permitted to talk about being the first woman to win gold in the marathon at the 1984 Olympics, how running is about storytelling for her and, at the age of 65, what her next marathon goal is. Joan also shares what she was thinking when she was about to win an Olympic gold medal and explains why it's important for everyone to run their own race. The Lynn Game proves to be a close battle with a metaphor for life built into it.

Six-time WNBA all-star and coaching trailblazer Becky Hammon joins Laughter Permitted to talk about winning a WNBA championship in her first season as coach of the Las Vegas Aces, how fun played a role in the team's success and what she learned as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich. Becky also shares why she got into coaching and how she came to accept herself as a person. Plus learn about Becky's love of shoes and expert knowledge of the 90s. In the close of the show, Lynn breaks down Julie's latest attempt at doing the worm.

World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Cindy Parlow Cone joins Laughter Permitted to discuss her role as president of U.S. Soccer and how she is working toward a culture shift in the game in the wake of the Sally Yates report. Cindy shares what it took to get the women's and men's national teams to equal pay and what she learned about leadership while playing with Julie, Carla Overbeck and Mia Hamm on the U.S. women's national team. In a highly competitive Lynn Game, Cindy and Julie go head-to-head in "Know Your 99ers."

NBC host and reporter Rebecca Lowe joins Laughter Permitted to talk about covering the Premier League, the ups and downs of her career in sports journalism and how she is seeing football fandom grow in the United States. A newly minted American citizen, Rebecca gives a hilarious assessment of the use of wreaths on doors in the United States (now known as the “Wreath Rant”), and shares why she enjoys it when things go awry on live TV. Plus, enjoy a Ted Lasso-themed Lynn Game!