Epicenter of Women’s Sports with Karina LeBlanc

Hosted by Olympic medalist and sports executive Karina LeBlanc, Epicenter of Women’s Sports is a podcast delivering conversations at the intersection of women’s sports, business insights, and leadership. This podcast is your all-access pass to the rise of women's sports. Karina takes you behind the scenes with championship-winning athletes, front-office trailblazers, cultural changemakers, and bold investors who are driving the fastest-growing space in sports. Created in Portland, a city that didn’t wait for women’s sports to have its moment. It helped create one. Each episode is designed to inspire action and deliver tangible leadership insights, showing how everyone has a role to play in building the future of women’s sports.

Epicenter of Women’s Sports with Karina LeBlanc is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 23 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Epicenter of Women’s Sports with Karina LeBlanc, a business show with 23 episodes published.

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  Episode #22

  Tobin Heath: Forever a Thorn

  Sep 3, 20261h 1m

  Tobin Heath signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Portland Thorn, and more than 22,000 fans filled Providence Park to send her off, the biggest Thorns crowd since 2024. The morning after, she sat down with Karina LeBlanc, her teammate from that first 2013 season, for a conversation about Portland, what they built here, and the ending she never got to have. Tobin talks about landing in Portland almost by accident, listing it low on her allocation preferences because everyone else wanted it, and walking out for that first game to chants written specifically for her. She breaks down the ingredients she believes this city has that you cannot copy and paste: community, inclusion, craftsmanship, and pride in what is made here. She talks about the freedom to entertain, the tension between the art and science of winning, and what made playing in front of Portland fans different from anywhere else. The conversation also includes a surprise appearance from Christen Press, who joins to reflect on the retirement ceremony, what the moment meant, and Tobin’s legacy.   Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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  Episode #21

  Dawn Staley, Scout Bassett, Bridget Carleton & Sophia Wilson: The Proof Point

  Aug 27, 202641 min

  Recorded live at The Epicenter: Women's Global Sports Summit presented by Nike, Karina LeBlanc brings four athletes to the stage who are the proof point of what investing in women's sports gives back: Hall of Famer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley, Paralympian and seven-time U.S. champion Scout Bassett, Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton, and Portland Thorns and Olympic gold medalist Sophia Wilson. Dawn talks about what it means to be a servant to the game, the Nike court in her North Philly neighborhood that is still changing lives decades later, and why women in sports carry a different value system into every negotiation. She makes the case for asking, for fighting for her whole staff, and for what she would do with a seat at the ownership table. Bridget shares how the small things build a culture people want to be part of, and what she wants Portland to remember about year one of the Fire. Sophia opens up about her favorite version of herself, the one walking into the performance center with her daughter Gigi, and seven years of playing in front of the best fans in the league. Scout tells her story of being born in Nanjing, spending nearly eight years in a government orphanage, and finding sport as an anchor in a small Michigan town. She shares what a first sponsorship from Nike meant when she was sleeping on a friend's couch, and why the road to the LA Paralympic Games depends on including athletes with disabilities in how we design, fund, and fill our sports. Together the panel leaves the room with a call to action, and a line from Dawn worth carrying out the door: treat people good and they treat you better. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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  Episode #20

  Sarah Ashlee Barker & Megan DiLeo: No Egos, All Fire

  Aug 4, 202645 min

  Portland Fire standouts Sarah Ashlee Barker and Megan DiLeo sit down with host Karina LeBlanc for a raw, inspiring, and laugh-out-loud conversation about faith, family, and the ultimate power of joy. Both are playing the best basketball of their careers, and it comes through in how they talk about the game, their teammates, and what drives them beyond the court. SAB and Megan open up about what grounds them: a next-play mentality, an identity rooted in more than performance, and a genuine care for each other that shows up every possession. SAB shares how a knee injury at 13 shaped who she is today, and Megan talks about getting back to her roots as a post player and earning the trust to make the game-winning stop in last year's Finals with Vegas. They dig into Alex Sarama's constraints-led approach and what it means to get comfortable being uncomfortable, the culture Bridget Carlton sets from the top, and why this team plays with no egos and shares the ball like few others in the league. The conversation opens up to the bigger moment women's sports is living in right now: sold-out arenas, the first performance center built for women, and what it means for the next generation of little girls to grow up thinking all of this is normal. Plus a rapid-fire round, the story behind Megan's dog Pancake, and a whole lot of joy. Follow these women, support women's sports, and remember: the best is yet to come. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.  

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  Episode #20

  Sarah Ashlee Barker with Megan & David DiLeo: Their First Interview as Newlyweds

  Jul 28, 202612 min

  Fresh off their wedding, Portland Fire forward Megan DiLeo (formerly Megan Gustafson) and her husband, professional basketball player David DiLeo, join Karina for their first interview as newlyweds. With teammate Sarah Ashlee Barker joining Karina, they talk about what it will be like hearing "Megan DiLeo" announced for the first time at Moda Center, the Iowa summer league that first connected their families, how the proposal went down, and life after saying "I do." Stay tuned for Part 2, where Karina sits down with Sarah Ashlee Barker and Megan DiLeo to talk about playing for the Portland Fire, team leadership, and the lessons they've learned through the first half of the season. Editor's note: This conversation was recorded before Sarah Ashlee Barker's injury. Everyone at Epicenter of Women's Sports is wishing Sarah Ashlee a successful recovery, and looking forward to more of these authentic moments with her. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.  

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  Episode #18

  Reilyn Turner: Defining Moments and Playing to the Standard

  Jul 8, 202630 min

  Reilyn Turner has wanted to play professional soccer since she was two years old. In January, the dream came true: a first USWNT cap and a goal to open the scoring, with family in the stands in Southern California. The road to that moment runs through Portland. In this episode, Karina and Reilyn look back on what brought her to the Portland Thorns: a rookie year in Louisville, a contract extension, her first home, and the rose that waits every time she scores at Providence Park. Behind all of it are her mom and grandma, both single moms, whose work ethic shaped her. Reilyn talks about chasing the standard of the national team, what representation means to her, the header game she wants to be remembered for, and why having fun has carried her further than anything else. Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.  

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