Emma Hayes: “If You Can’t Change the System… Change It”

About this episode

Emma Hayes discusses redefining women's soccer and her innovative approaches to coaching and athlete support.

Julie, Abby, and Billie Jean King kick things off with the Billie Jean King Cup, the “World Cup of women’s tennis”, and what makes playing for your country hit different, from pressure to pride to full-on chaos in the locker room. Then, U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes joins the party, and this one goes way beyond X’s and O’s. From building a dynasty at Chelsea to winning Olympic gold in her first 10 games with the USWNT, Emma is now focused on something even bigger: completely redefining how women’s soccer is built. She breaks down her “female lens” approach, why 95% of sports science is still based on men, how that impacts everything from injuries to performance, and what it actually takes to design systems that work for women. We get into her groundbreaking approach to supporting athletes through pregnancy, the return of stars like Sophia Wilson and Tierna Davidson, and how she’s building a scalable blueprint that could change the entire future of the women’s game. Plus: the personal side of Emma, balancing motherhood, coaching at the highest level, and why this job isn’t just about winning…it’s about legacy. Follow @welcometothepartyshow on: YouTube —…

People in this episode

Hosts: Julie, Abby, Billie Jean King

Guest: Emma Hayes

Topics covered

• women's soccer
• Billie Jean King Cup
• coaching
• sports science
• athlete support
• legacy

Keywords

• women's soccer
• Emma Hayes
• Billie Jean King Cup
• sports science
• coaching
• athlete pregnancy
• legacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chelsea, U.S. Women’s National Team

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