Today’s episode is brought to you with the support of New Balance. 👟

In this inspiring episode, we chat with Stacey Leawood, who just a few years ago, made headlines as the world’s youngest NBA player agent. who made a remarkable leap from small-town Newfoundland to managing athletes in the world’s top basketball league. Stacey takes us on her incredible journey of perseverance, self-belief (or delusion), and innovation, sharing how she broke into the world of sports management with no prior connections and little formal guidance.

From a childhood dream of playing in the WNBA to an unexpected turn towards NBA agent work, Stacey opens up about the grit required to make it in a male-dominated industry and how she navigated obstacles, including studying a 600-page collective bargaining agreement to pass the NBA agent exam.

We dive into her first big break, securing an NBA contract for her client through sheer determination and resourcefulness. Stacey's story offers valuable insights for anyone looking to break into the sports industry, showing that with confidence, resourcefulness, and a willingness to learn, anything is possible.

Key topics include:

• 🏀The role and responsibilities of an NBA agent
• 🏀Stacey’s unconventional path into sports management
• 🏀The importance of persistence and self-belief
• 🏀Behind-the-scenes of signing NBA contracts
• 🏀Lessons on building genuine relationships and career longevity

Stacey’s journey is a powerful reminder that success isn’t linear - sometimes, the best way to break into an industry is to make your own path.

Listen in for an episode filled with inspiration, hustle, and real talk on breaking into sports

Find Stacey online:

• 🏀 Stacey Leawood on LinkedIn and Instagram @StaceyLeawood
• 🏀 Leawood Sports & Entertainment: https://leawoodsportsentertainment.com/

🌍 Stay Connected with – and support – The Mettleset

• 📥 Newsletter: Sign up here for athlete stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and women’s sports news from MENA and beyond
• 📸 Instagram: @themettleset
• 💼 LinkedIn: The Mettleset on LinkedIn

Credits:

• Host: Dawn Barnable
• Guest: Stacey Leawood
• Produced by: The Mettleset

🚲 The Mettleset is a multimedia platform and online community dedicated to sharing stories of underrepresented athletes and underreported sports from the Middle East and beyond. With a mission to diversify the sporting ecosystem, it is the first and only sports platform in the Middle East to put women in sport first, while also featuring niche sporting communities such as action and endurance sports.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Dawn

Today’s episode is brought to you with the support of New Balance. 👟

The third edition of the Saudi Games concluded in October 2024, leaving a lasting legacy in the hearts and minds of those who took part.

Some 9,000 local and expatriate athletes competed in 52 sporting disciplines, among them Elisa Grassi. The Italian expat, competing in her second Games, took gold in the women’s road cycling event.

Grassi, 28, is originally from northern Italy. A biomedical researcher by profession, she discovered a passion for cycling not at home, but after moving to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

She says embracing cycling was the “best decision” of her life.

In this episode of The Mettleset Podcast, Dawn talks to Grassi about her not one, but two Saudi Games gold medals. She shares her journey from biomedical research to cycling, the challenges she faced, and how her decision to embrace cycling led to her success. Elisa reflects on her second Saudi Games experience, where she clinched her second gold medal, and the strong support from her teammates and coach.

This episode was originally published in October 2024.

Find Saudi Games Gold Medalist, Elisa Grassi at (@greli_)

🌍 Stay Connected with – and support – The Mettleset

• 📥 Newsletter: Sign up here for athlete stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and women’s sports news from MENA and beyond
• 📸 Instagram: @themettleset
• 💼 LinkedIn: The Mettleset on LinkedIn

Credits:

• Host: Dawn Barnable
• Guest: Elisa Grassi
• Produced by: The Mettleset

🚲 The Mettleset is a multimedia platform and online community dedicated to sharing stories of underrepresented athletes and underreported sports from the Middle East and beyond. With a mission to diversify the sporting ecosystem, it is the first and only sports platform in the Middle East to put women in sport first, while also featuring niche sporting communities such as action and endurance sports.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Dawn

Today’s episode is brought to you with the support of New Balance. 👟

** Originally aired 27 May, 2024 and worth a (re)listen**

Hello everyone.

Today’s guest is one of the region’s most prominent sports journalists.

She and I met years ago while I was working in public relations, managing the communications for Yas Marina Circuit for the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Reem was working as a journalist with Sport 360.

Since that time, Reem’s career has flourished. She is a sports writer, columnist and video journalist for UAE's The National and Saudi Arabia’s Arab News, a tennis contributor to CNN and Eurosport, a contributor to wire agency AFP, as well as other outlets including The Guardian US, BBC News, Dubai Eye 103.8, Al Arabiya, and Wimbledon.com. She regularly interviews some of the world’s and region’s most famous athletes and travels the world to cover a range of sports stories, not just tennis as she clarifies in our chat.

Most recently, Reem became the host and concept creator of the podcast Abtal, a series dedicated to Arab athletes and their journeys to the Paris 2024 Olympics - linked below.

In our chat, we discuss:

• 🎙️ the state of sports media and why it's important to adapt and learn
• 🎙️ some of her most memorable moments as a sports journalist including Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur & Maradona just to name a few
• 🎙️ her new podcast Abtal
• 🎙️ what advice she’d give aspiring sports journalists
• 🎙️ who to watch for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris
• 🎙️ the shift in sports journalism and why that’s a good thing for women’s sports,
• 🎙️ and what more is needed to really level the playing field when it comes to fair and equal coverage of women athletes.

This is a must-listen for anyone working in women’s sports or anyone with aspirations to do so!

Useful links:

🔗 Reem on Instagram

🔗 Reem’s new podcast Abtal

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Dawn