Brittany Lincicome is one of the most successful players in LPGA history. In her rookie season (2005), she led the tour in driving distance earning her the nickname, "Bam-Bam." Brittany has gone on to win eight titles in her LPGA career with two major championships and nearly $ 10 million in prize money.

In this episode, Lisa and Karen talk with Brittany about Lexi Thompson's performance on the PGA TOUR, LPGA purses that need a raise, and balancing life on tour as a mom.

They discuss:

00:00-12:15 - Lexi Thompson playing on the PGA TOUR & why it was controversial to some.

12:15-21:30 - How the PGA TOUR could boost the LPGA Tour in a heartbeat.

21:30-27:20 - What can/should be done about longtime LPGA tournaments that haven't increased their purses and remain under 2 million?

27:20-28:32 - What the players need to do to promote change.

28:32-33:34 - The challenges of being a Mom on tour.

33:34-end - Wrapping things up.

Anyone who follows golf knows JoAnne "Big Mama" Carner. One of the game's greatest champions recently made history by breaking her age of 84 by shooting an 80 in the opening round of the U.S. Senior Women's Open – good enough for a mention on ESPN.

Click here to watch the clip on ESPN

During her remarkable career, Carner captured 43 LPGA Tour titles, two U.S. Women's Opens, five scoring titles, and was named Player of the Year three times.

On this podcast, we discuss:

00:20 - Her desire to still compete

01:55 - How her swing has changed over the years

03:05 - Getting lessons and accolades from Sam Snead

05:40 - The professional game during her prime vs. now

07:05 - The increased prize money tradeoff and losing the fun of competing

08:10 - Turning pro later than most

09:55 - Her most proud moments

11:10 - Boycotting the U.S. Women's Open

12:15 - Being called "Big Mama" and how it came about

14:15 - Living through the Billy Jean King era of equality

15:40 - Playing aggressively

18:25 - Benefits of sometimes being a dumb golfer

20:15 - The key to longevity in golf and life (hint: vodka)

22:10 - Having her husband's support on the road

25:05 - Being recognized or dismissed as just an old lady on the course

26:00 - Closing thank yous to this incredible woman

The topics this week include:

-Broadcast issues

-Why being "grateful" is hurting the tour

-Pay inequality

-Lack of media outlets & other critical thinkers to address important issues

-Transparency and being too careful

-What can the players do

Mary Ann Sieghart is the author of the best-selling book, The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About it. 

She spent 20 years as Assistant Editor and columnist at The Times and won a large following for her columns on politics, economics, feminism, parenthood and life in general. She has presented many programmes on BBC Radio 4, such as Start the Week, Profile, Analysis, Fallout and One to One. She chaired the revival of The Brains Trust on BBC2 and recently spent a year as a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. She has chaired the Social Market Foundation think tank, is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London, and sits on numerous boards. She was Chair of the judges for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022.

Lisa & Karen are joined by the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, for an in-depth discussion of his mental health journey, what he learned in therapy, and his upcoming memoir (which Karen is helping him write).

They Discuss:

@ 0:26 - What it's like to be introduced as "the greatest Olympian of all time."

@ 1:49 - Why he chose a woman (Karen Crouse) to help him write his memoir.

@ 7:11 - The difficulties of writing a memoir and the old wounds it opens. But it's also been an opportunity for personal growth and opening new doors.

@ 9:50 - Why he chose to go public with his mental health struggles in 2015, just months after returning from rehab, and what he learned from his time there.

@ 12:08 - What it was like for his family to go through it with him as a famous athlete and why he didn't want to hide his struggles anymore.

@ 16:05 - Being vulnerable in group therapy with a bunch of strangers.

@ 19:42 - How it felt to be free for the first time and on a level playing field with other people who were fighting similar battles as he was.

@ 21:24 - Why it's important for people to get help and speak out on their own timeline–not anyone else's.

@ 26:58 - How the mental health discussion has changed over the years and the role he played in reducing the stigma surrounding it.

@ 33:40 - How going through therapy actually fueled him.

@ 36:15 - Why he doesn't regret what he's been through and his mission to keep moving the conversation about mental health forward.

@ 39:59 - What he does on days that he isn't in a good mental space.

Sally Jenkins, a longtime sports journalist and columnist for the Washington Post joins Lisa & Karen for an in-depth discussion on my topics including Sally's new book – The Right Call.

They discuss:

The PGA Tour/Saudi Merger (00:10 - 18:00)

Sally's Book, The Right Call (18:00 - 36:00)

Growth for the LPGA Tour (36:00 - 47:00)

The Challenges of Writing on a Deadline (47:00 - end)

About Troublemaker

When longtime sports television personality Lisa Cornwell went public about the misogynistic culture that she and other women faced during their time at Golf Channel/NBCUniversal, she had no idea the impact it would have in the sports world and beyond.

With a powerful foreword from Hillary Rodham Clinton, her tell-all book Troublemaker: A Memoir of Sexism, Retaliation, and the Fight They Didn’t See Coming takes readers inside the boys’ club of sports media and reveals the way powerful corporations cover up wrongdoings. For her, what began with sexism and retaliation exploded into a public smear campaign and, ultimately, her dismissal.

Lisa also shares the unlikely yet formative touchstones of her life: a close friendship with Tiger Woods when both were nationally ranked junior golfers; her cousin, Bill Clinton, being elected President of the United States; and the private demons she battled as a young adult that almost cost her everything.

Candid and compulsively readable, Troublemaker is a timely story of fighting back against the sexist cultural norms that are still deeply embedded in our society. It will resonate with anyone who has experienced unfair treatment in the workplace due to their gender, race, orientation, and more.

Even though most people don't know a transgender person, everyone seems to have an opinion... and more often than not, it isn't positive. While the world debates transgender transitioning and transgender athletes, we wanted to hear from someone who's been through it.

Hailey Davidson transitioned seven years ago and explains what life is like for her on and off the course as she continues to chase her dream as a professional golfer, despite the many obstacles. She opens up about discovering her transgender identity, how her family and friends reacted, dealing with the criticism on social media, mental health & the challenges of being a transgender athlete.

They Discuss:

:57 - When she first started questioning her gender identity.

1:50 - How she discussed her thought/feelings with family and friends, being so young.

3:20 - It was a confusing time and the mixed emotions of going through puberty.

4:38 - Who was first person she talked to about it?

6:25 - She details the first discussion about it with her parents.

8:17 - After going back-and-forth and questioning her gender identity for years, Hailey finally came to terms with it and made some difficult decisions.

13:51 - The conversation shifts to golf. What was her swing speed before she transitioned?

14:41 - She was a long hitter before transitioning... comparisons.

15:16 - What was her swing speed one year after transitioning?

17:02 - Seven years into transitioning: What's her swing speed now?

18:52 - Where's the advantage? Comparisons to LPGA players in terms of length.

19:26 - Has she faced challenges from people not wanting her to complete? Hormone and blood work?

23:11 - The impact on all transgender athletes after the Lia Thomas (Penn swimmer) story came out.

25:49 - How does she deal with the hatred and horrible things that people say to her and about other transgender people on social media?

28:56 - What should we do when posting this episode: Should we turn off comments on social media?

30:42 - What's next? How do we make this fair for both transgender athletes and female (at birth) athletes?

34:26 - How all of this has affected her mental health...