Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy

U.S. women's national soccer team player Catarina Macario joins Laughter Permitted to share her journey of moving to the United States from Brazil at the age of 12 to pursue her dream of playing soccer. She tells the incredible story of what her first day in the U.S. entailed, how she made her way to Stanford University where she won two national titles and the role adversity has played in her life. In the close of the show, Julie shares the most memorable goal she ever scored and Lynn gives an update on her Oura ring.

University of North Carolina women's lacrosse and U.S. women's national team head coach Jenny Levy joins Laughter Permitted to talk about her 28-year career in Chapel Hill, how UNC and Team USA both won championships this year and how she developed and continues to evolve her coaching philosophy. The episode kicks off with a rousing discussion of Oura rings and menopause, and includes a good amount of pickleball discourse. In the close of the show, Julie and Lynn come up with a "Snort-Meter," which shall replace a 5-star rating. (This episode was a 2-Snorter.)

In the Season 8 premiere, "The Athletic" senior writer Meg Linehan joins Laughter Permitted to discuss the findings of an investigation conducted by former deputy attorney general Sally Yates, which uncovered that the National Women’s Soccer League and U.S. Soccer did not take action against abusive behavior and sexual misconduct. The 319-page report detailed how "abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players." Meg offers her perspective on the Yates report, what it was like breaking the NWSL abuse story and what she thinks the future of the sport looks like."'This guy has a pattern': Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion" by Meg LinehanReport of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women’s Professional Soccer by Sally Q. Yates"Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women's Professional Soccer" - E60 film directed by Jennifer Karson-Strauss

In a special live podcast at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, Hall of Fame USA rugby player Phaidra Knight and 4-time Olympic USA hockey player Angela Ruggerio join Laughter Permitted to discuss Title IX, their experiences in male-dominated sports and what they think everyone should know about Title IX. This episode was recorded on June 24, 2022, one day after the 50th anniversary of Title IX. 

In the third bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Mia Hamm and Julie discuss how Title IX has impacted their lives.

In the second bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, ESPN journalist Katie Barnes joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of Title IX and transgender athletes.

In the first bonus episode of Laughter Permitted dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, former Women's Sports Foundation CEO Donna Lopiano joins the podcast to give a Tile IX tutorial and discuss the law's impact on women's sports.

In the Season 7 finale, two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Briana Scurry returns to Laughter Permitted to discuss her new book "My Greatest Save." Bri opens up about the challenging time she experienced after suffering a concussion in 2010, tells the story of how she pawned her gold medals in order to make ends meet and how she worked her way back to health. In the Lynn Game, Julie and Bri go head-to-head in 99ers trivia and then Julie gives an update on the 99ers Netflix film in the close of the show. Plus, it is once again proven that Carla Overbeck is the best.

In a special bonus episode of Laughter Permitted, Julie talks with Ally Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Andrea Brimmer to learn about Ally's continued commitment to women's sports and players in the NWSL.

Three-time Olympic medalist and freestyle skier Eileen Gu joins Laughter Permitted "live" at the espnW NYC Summit to discuss competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics, how she handled media scrutiny and the backstory of how she landed a trick she'd never tried before to win gold in Freeski Big Air. Eileen, 18, also shares what it was like attending the Met Gala and what she's looking forward to this fall at Stanford. In the close of the show, learn a quote Julie has lived by since her high school days.