For the 100th episode of our podcast, we’re joined by Vanderbilt Athletic Director Candice Lee. On the eve of the 2026-2027 academic year, Sports Business Journal’s national AD of the Year talks about growing up in a military family, her journey from student-athlete to intern to AD, the state of college athletics, and the importance of the Vanderbilt Sports & Society Initiative.

Vanderbilt sociology professor and former US Olympic Boxing Coach Dr. Christy Halbert introduced an unusual course last semester: Leadership Through Boxing. Students strapped on gloves, put on headgear, and challenged themselves like never before. Two students even took what they learned in the classroom and applied it in a collegiate boxing tournament. Dr. Halbert and students Katerina Krizner, William Masferrer, and Wyatt Levi join the show to discuss how the experience taught lessons on courage, compassion, and community.

Vanderbilt women’s soccer coach Darren Ambrose had a front-row seat at the World Cup, serving on the field maintenance crew at the championship game. He joins the show to discuss this once-in-a-lifetime experience, allegations of FIFA corruption, and the differences in the growth of men’s and women’s soccer in the U.S.

Ryan Middagh is director of jazz studies and Beth Wiese is associate professor of tuba and euphonium at Vanderbilt’s acclaimed Blair School of Music. Both were part of a 100-piece band assembled to record music for EA Sports’ popular College Football video game for the third consecutive year. Middagh and Wiese join the show to discuss this “only in Nashville” experience.

Karim Zidan, Sports & Dictators Program Lead at the Human Rights Foundation, is an author and investigative journalist who focuses on the intersection of sports and politics. He is the founder of Sports Politika, a media platform dedicated to his niche, and host of Power Plays, a podcast examining historical connections between FIFA, the World Cup, and authoritarianism. He joins the show to discuss that history and the highs and lows of the 2026 World Cup on and off the field.

In May, Vanderbilt assistant athletic director Nate Bell helped lead a group of Vanderbilt student-athletes to Iceland for an immersive week of sightseeing, learning, and team-building. Bell, along with Thomas Jones of the Vanderbilt football team and Bailey Ratzburg of the women’s swimming team, join the show to discuss the highlights and meaning of the trip.

AnnaSofia Dickens is a teenage author, singer-songwriter, and flag football player from Southern California who has become a national advocate for the sport she loves. She joins the show to discuss flag football's explosive growth in the US and internationally and her work to grow the game.

Kelsey Davis, Episocpal priest and co-founder of Christian Athlete Circles, joins the show to discuss her work to provide an inclusive and non-proselytizing resource for college athletes. A former collegiate, national team, and professional soccer player, Davis says "being an athlete is a great gift and a great challenge. In a world centered around the commodification of bodies, high-pressure environments, and ruthless schedules, it is extremely difficult to simultaneously train and perform at a high level while trying to live a life that is centered and intentional with meaningful conversations around your experiences."