Herlights

Latest Episodes:

EP 312: Vanderbilt Women's Basketball Head Coach Shea Ralph Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Shea Ralph, the head coach of Vanderbilt women's basketball and former UConn star. A standout multi-sport athlete in high school, she set 17 state basketball records and was named USA Today's National High School Player of the Year in 1996. At UConn, she led the Huskies to a national title in 2000 and earned NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors, despite a career marked by multiple ACL injuries. After assistant coaching stints at Pitt and UConn, Ralph took over at Vanderbilt in 2021, quickly revitalizing the program and leading the Commodores to their first NCAA Tournament in a decade.

Foley and Ralph talk about her basketball lineage, ACL injuries, playing and coaching at UCONN, building the Vandy program, navigating NIL challenges and more. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

Follow Shea Ralph: https://www.instagram.com/coachshearalph/

EP 311: Ice Hockey All-Star Madison Packer May 27, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Madison Packer, a six-time NWHL/PHF All-Star and the all-time leading scorer for the Metropolitan Riveters. She helped lead the Riveters to an Isobel Cup championship in 2018 and finished her career ranked second in league history with 129 points. She won the 2011 NCAA National Championship at University of Wisconsin and took home two gold medals at the IIHF U18 Women's World Championships. Off the ice, Madison co-hosts the podcast "These Packs Puck" with her wife, Anya Packer.

Foley and Packer talk PWHL hockey playoffs, the highs and lows of league changes, parenting, retirement and hosting a podcast with her wife. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

Madison Packer: https://www.instagram.com/mpacker14/

EP 310: Race Car Driver & BSI Racing Owner Shea Holbrook May 13, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Shea Holbrook, champion race car driver and the owner and team principal of BSI Racing, a professional motorsports team based in Daytona Beach. Shea is featured in the Amazon Prime Docu-series, First to the Finish — a six-part docuseries that delves into the high-stakes world of professional motorsports through the eyes of three pioneering women.

Shea is a seven-time Pirelli World Challenge winner and became the first female to win a major touring car race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. In 2017-2018 she raced full-time in the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series. The following year she earned one of the most prestigious opportunities in her career—becoming one of only two Americans to qualify for the W Series, a ground-breaking all-female Formula 3 championship.

Foley & Holbrook discuss her experience making the docuseries, the state of women in motorsports, balancing her life on and off the track, mentorship and the challenges of competing in the Mazda MX5 Cup Series. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

Shea Holbrook: https://shearacing.com/

First to the Finish: https://www.amazon.com/First-Finish-Season-1/dp/B0DR5JCBRD

Mazda MX5 Cup Series: https://www.mx-5cup.com/

EP 309: Live from Austin with Molly McCage & Khat Bell Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Molly McCage and Khat Bell, League One Volleyball stars, join host Erin Foley onstage at 1972 women's sports pub in Austin, Texas. McCage and Bell are teammates on LOVB Austin, recently winning the championship in the league's inaugural season. This power duo also won the NCAA Volleyball championships at UT Austin in 2012, both receiving All-American honors.

Foley, McCage and Bell discuss LOVB's first season, playing overseas, hype music, trash talking, the popularity of women's volleyball and what lights them up on the court.

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

LOVB: https://www.lovb.com/

Molly McCage: IG @mollymccage

Khat Bell: IG @_khatbell

1972 Women's Sports Pub: https://1972pub.com/

EP 308: See Her Be Her Director Jean Fruth Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Jean Fruth, the director and producer of See Her Be Her, a documentary exploring the global landscape of women's baseball. The film follows seven amazing players from the US, Japan, Cuba, Canada, South Korea, Uganda and Puerto Rico as they battle for the World Cup Championship. The doc spotlights the incredible talent and resilience of the players, along with their fight for gender equality for all female athletes.

Foley & Fruth discuss the making of the film, how the players were selected, the twelve-city theater tour, the current state of women's baseball and more. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

Jean Fruth: https://www.jeanfruthimages.com/

Grassroots Baseball: https://www.grassrootsbaseball.org/

EP 307: WNBA Legend Penny Toler Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Penny Toler, a former WNBA basketball player, coach, and executive. As a player, she made history by scoring the first basket in WNBA history in 1997 while playing for the Los Angeles Sparks. After retiring, she transitioned into a front-office role and became the Sparks' general manager, a position she held for two decades. Under her leadership, the Sparks won multiple WNBA championships.

Beyond basketball, Toler has continued her leadership career in the entertainment industry and is currently the General Manager of the historic Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena.

Foley and Toler discuss the formation of the WNBA, Toler's first bucket, playing overseas, her incredible run as the GM of the Sparks, music, comedy — this episode has it all. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

EP 306: The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Sabreena Merchant, a fantastic women's basketball staff writer for The Athletic. She previously covered the WNBA and NBA for SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, High Post Hoops, and Dime Magazine. She's an alum of Duke University, where she wrote for the independent student newspaper, The Chronicle.

Foley and Merchant take a deep dive into women's college basketball. Duke's back-to-back upset victories, UCLA's revenge and the continued success of South Carolina and Uconn. Plus, Juju's dominance, bracket busters and a sneak peak at the upcoming WNBA season. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinfoleycomic

Email the show: erin@herlights.com

Sabreena Merchant: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/sabreena-merchant/

EP 305: New York Liberty Legend Sue Wicks (Best of) Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes Sue Wicks, WNBA legend and Hall of Famer. This episode was originally recorded in 2019 and quickly became a fan-favorite. Wicks was a member of the WNBA's first draft class and help build the league. She dominated on every court - from Rutgers University to European Leagues to the New York Liberty. She's a Hall of Famer, a gay icon and now an oyster farmer in Long Island. Her stories are truly epic. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social Email the show: erin@herlights.com

EP 304: WNBA Vet and Sports Agent Jacki Gemelos Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Erin Foley welcomes Jacki Gemelos, a former professional basketball player and current VP of Talent Representation at Disrupt the Game, a sports agency focused on empowering athletes and fostering diversity in sports management.

Gemelos was a McDonald's All-American and Miss Basketball in California, making her one of the most sought after high school players in the country. She played at USC and went on to play in the WNBA and overseas with clubs in Italy, Greece, and Spain, despite battling multiple knee injuries that interrupted her career at every level.

After retiring, Gemelos was an assistant coach for the New York Liberty before becoming a certified sports agent. She is now a key figure at Disrupt The Game — negotiating player contracts, securing endorsements and using her firsthand experience as a former pro to guide and support athletes at all levels.

Foley and Gemelos discuss her amazing experience playing overseas, overcoming five ACL tears, coaching in New York, Unrivaled, advocating for her clients and full circle moments.

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social Email the show: erin@herlights.com

EP 303: Soccer Legend Brandi Chastain Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

Host Erin Foley welcomes soccer icon Brandi Chastain! Chastain is a former USWNT player, coach, and sports broadcaster, best known for her iconic game-winning penalty kick in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup final, which secured the championship for the U.S. and became a defining moment in sports history.

Chastain earned over 190 caps with the U.S. Women's National Team, winning two World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals. She is also a co-founder and investor in the NWSL's Bay FC. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Foley and Chastain discuss her love of golf, playing in celebrity tournaments, speaking tours, NWSL vs international leagues, celebrating small victories and who she would partner with on the Amazing Race. Enjoy!

Follow Erin on Social! Instagram: @erinkfoley Bluesky: @erinfoleycomic.bsky.social Email the show: erin@herlights.com

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