After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about: spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, With a Little Help, Cynthia Appiah (Canada, bobsleigh pilot) shares how her coaches guided her through her toughest season back to the podium. Asia Hogan Rochester (Canada, rugby sevens) reflects on rebuilding team culture, healing from injuries, and rising to Olympic silver. Natoya Ghoul Toppin (Jamaica, 800m) draws strength from her faith to overcome fear and rebuild confidence. Marine Fatoumatta Camara (Mali, boxing) tells of choosing to represent Mali and becoming the country’s first female boxing medalist. Husnah Kukundakwe (Uganda, paraswimming) recalls qualifying through lockdown determination with her mom and coach. Giancarla Trevisan (Italy, 400m) shares how training partners and patience led her from injury to a personal best. Fran Brown (Great Britain, para cycling) describes how friendship and opportunity reignited her path to elite sport. Together, their stories show how belief, mentorship, and community transform self-doubt into collective strength.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us -Instagram - / flamebearersFacebook - / flamebearerspodcastLinkedin - / flame-bearersTiktok - / flame_bearersX - / flame_bearersOur Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video.If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!
All content for Flame Bearers: UNEDITED is the property of Jamie Mittelman and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about: spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, With a Little Help, Cynthia Appiah (Canada, bobsleigh pilot) shares how her coaches guided her through her toughest season back to the podium. Asia Hogan Rochester (Canada, rugby sevens) reflects on rebuilding team culture, healing from injuries, and rising to Olympic silver. Natoya Ghoul Toppin (Jamaica, 800m) draws strength from her faith to overcome fear and rebuild confidence. Marine Fatoumatta Camara (Mali, boxing) tells of choosing to represent Mali and becoming the country’s first female boxing medalist. Husnah Kukundakwe (Uganda, paraswimming) recalls qualifying through lockdown determination with her mom and coach. Giancarla Trevisan (Italy, 400m) shares how training partners and patience led her from injury to a personal best. Fran Brown (Great Britain, para cycling) describes how friendship and opportunity reignited her path to elite sport. Together, their stories show how belief, mentorship, and community transform self-doubt into collective strength.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us -Instagram - / flamebearersFacebook - / flamebearerspodcastLinkedin - / flame-bearersTiktok - / flame_bearersX - / flame_bearersOur Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video.If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!
We want to hear from YOU. Whether you’ve watched a full interview, tuned into our social content, or rooted for women athletes from afar — you’re part of our community. Take our 5–10 min Community Survey: https://lnkd.in/eJBi3Xme
------
“You have to come to accept that you’re going to crash—and you’re going to crash a lot.”
For Canadian bobsleigh pilot Cynthia Appiah, pushing limits isn’t a metaphor—it’s daily reality. From Olympic heartbreak to recently coming in Fourth at World Championship, Cynthia’s journey has been defined by grit, reinvention, and resilience.
Originally a hammer thrower and shot putter at York University, Cynthia didn’t see herself going beyond collegiate track. But everything changed one summer when the Ontario bobsleigh team hosted open tryouts—right on her campus. “I was already here. I might as well try it out,” she remembers. The testing included sprints, jumps, lifts, and medicine ball tosses. Athletes who hit 600 points were invited to continue—and Cynthia did. “That pretty much got the ball rolling to where I’m at now.”
But it hasn’t been smooth. When she was named an alternate just two weeks before the 2018 Olympics, she was crushed. “I basically paused my life...to put every single ounce of strength, every dollar, blood, sweat, and tears into this.” The decision devastated her—but it also lit a new fire. She transitioned to pilot, took the wheel, and found her voice: “I will always credit bobsleigh with me finding who I am as a person and finding my voice.”
Today, she’s a pioneer in women’s monobob—an event leveling the playing field with standardized equipment—and she’s fourth in the world going into the next Olympics. In this episode, Cynthia shares what it takes to stay in the game: managing brutal financial barriers, crashing (literally), and keeping the faith when doors slam shut.
Her advice to up-and-comers? “Really tap into your network. You don’t know who might be the door that opens for you.” And to her younger self? “I wish I knew how to use my voice sooner and be more comfortable in my skin.”
This is a raw and powerful conversation about failure, comeback, and why Cynthia refuses to let the sport—or the system—define her.
Photo credit: Sportsnet.com
--------
Flame Bearers is a multimedia movement, illuminating the unsung stories of elite women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video, and live events and have worked with over 350 exceptional women athletes from 55 countries and counting.
For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► /@flamebearers
Follow us -
Instagram - /flamebearers
Facebook - /flamebearerspodcast
LinkedIn - /flame-bearers
TikTok - /flame_bearers
X - /flame_bearers
Our Website- https://flamebearers.com/
Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video. If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!
Flame Bearers: UNEDITED
After nearly 400 conversations with Olympians, Paralympians, and trailblazing women athletes from 55 countries, one thing is clear: no two stories are alike. Some athletes train with world-class facilities, others without basic equipment. Some are household names, others are fighting for visibility in sports you’ve never even seen on TV. And yet, across all these differences, certain themes echo again and again.That’s what this new Best Of series is all about: spotlighting both the range of experiences and the threads that connect them. We’ve pulled together the most powerful moments across years of conversations, including:✨ Best Advice to Younger Selves — from “give yourself grace to be a beginner” to “don’t dim your light for anyone.”✨ Best Stories of Resilience — tales of athletes coming back from devastating injuries, near-misses, and moments when the world doubted them most.✨ Best Moments of Role Modelship — athletes lifting the next generation, mentoring teammates, and carrying entire communities with them to the world stage.✨ Best Stories of Identity & Joy — how athletes embrace who they are on and off the field, from glitter on the track to pride in their heritage.and many more!You’ll hear voices as different as the sports they represent, yet together, they reveal what it really takes to rise to the top. This isn’t just one story. It’s hundreds woven together. And this is just the beginning.In this episode, With a Little Help, Cynthia Appiah (Canada, bobsleigh pilot) shares how her coaches guided her through her toughest season back to the podium. Asia Hogan Rochester (Canada, rugby sevens) reflects on rebuilding team culture, healing from injuries, and rising to Olympic silver. Natoya Ghoul Toppin (Jamaica, 800m) draws strength from her faith to overcome fear and rebuild confidence. Marine Fatoumatta Camara (Mali, boxing) tells of choosing to represent Mali and becoming the country’s first female boxing medalist. Husnah Kukundakwe (Uganda, paraswimming) recalls qualifying through lockdown determination with her mom and coach. Giancarla Trevisan (Italy, 400m) shares how training partners and patience led her from injury to a personal best. Fran Brown (Great Britain, para cycling) describes how friendship and opportunity reignited her path to elite sport. Together, their stories show how belief, mentorship, and community transform self-doubt into collective strength.Flame Bearers is a women's sports storytelling studio, illuminating the unsung stories of exceptional women athletes from around the world. We tell stories via podcast, video and live events.For more videos about elite women athletes, subscribe to our YouTube channel ► / @flamebearersFollow us -Instagram - / flamebearersFacebook - / flamebearerspodcastLinkedin - / flame-bearersTiktok - / flame_bearersX - / flame_bearersOur Website - https://flamebearers.com/Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video.If you like the content, subscribe to our channel!
