Jamie Mittelman - Giving Voice To Women Athletes

Jamie Mittelman is the founder of Flame Bearers, the first and only global storytelling platform for women Olympians and Paralympians. Flame Bearears champions elite women athletes, using sport as a conduit for issues such as disability bias, mental health, and pay equity. We host a podcast with listeners in 47 countries, create short form video content, and host online and virtual events.

We have a conversation we talk about how she started the podcast, and then she shares with us one of her episodes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[01:50] - Introducing Jamie Mittleman - host and founder of Flame Bearers storytelling platform.

[02:27] - Listen as Jamie shares her story and why she started Flame Bearers.

[04:10] - How did she end up at the Harvard Kennedy School and studying the intersection between business and government?

[06:17] - Things she’s learned and challenges she’s faced navigating the world of business and government.

[07:28] - Has she had any moments where she felt her work truly matters in the world?

[08:44] - Did she go into her college education with a plan for what she wanted to do?

[10:10] - Where did the shift from policy to mission-based work come from?

[11:37] - Why pursue the Olympic committee?

[13:04] - How did she decide on a podcast for her storytelling platform and how did she come up with the idea and format?

[16:50] - Examples of the types of athletes they feature and the topics they speak on.

[18:06] - Why they’ve been extremely fortunate due to the postponement of the games due to the pandemic.

[19:07] - What has she learned through this process?

[21:17] - Which of her athlete guests has she been most excited to chat with?

[23:41] - Jamie introduces her podcast episode with Sarah Davies.

[25:15] - Thank you so much for listening to the interview portion of this episode.

[26:22] - Welcome to Flame Bearers with Sarah Davies, the barbell queen.

[28:04] - Listen as Sarah shares her accolades and exceptional ability.

[29:03] - How did she get into weightlifting and why does she love the team dynamic?

[30:47] - What kinds of stereotypes does she face as a woman weightlifter and beauty pageant contestant?

[33:43] - Learn about two of the women in Sarah’s corner who keep her motivated.

[36:28] - How she’s working to change the IWF through her chair as the Athlete’s Commission and Executive Board.

[38:54] - Corruption within the sport isn’t just impacting the sport in the U.K.

[41:52] - How did these doping issues become such a big problem in the sport?

[44:10] - The video Sarah Davies filmed to speak out about corruption within the IWF.

[45:33] - Learn how the anti-doping movement knows that Sarah is affecting change.

[47:00] - Is there hope for change within the sport and the IWF?

[49:29] - What does all this change mean for athletes like Sarah?

[52:05] - Sarah’s advice for women everywhere.

Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.com

Websites:

al4ep.com

flamebearerspodcast.com

Other Jamie Mittleman & Flame Bearers links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flame-bearers/

Instagram: @flamebearers

Twitter: @flame_bearers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlameBearersPodcast

Podcast: Flame Bearers

Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino Cattaneo

Dino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneo

Podcast Instagram – @al4edp

Podcast Twitter – @al4edp

Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edp

Music

Susan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

Podcast Episodes

Sarah Davies (Great Britain): The Barbell Queen Defying Convention

Deja Young (USA): Mental Health & Choosing Life

Athlete Follow Up: Deja Young-Craddock (USA): Turning Postpartum into Power

Sue Bird (USA): Bigger Than Basketball

Diede de Groot (NED): Conquering the Courts & Finding Her Voice

Caster Semenya (South Africa): Who Decides Who's Female and Why?