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Does playing sports lead to success for women? New podcast from L Word star says it does

Pakawich Damrongkiattisak/Getty Images; Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Nikki Symmons at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre on April 19, 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand; Rachel Shelley attends the DIVA Awards 2024 at Grand Connaught Rooms on April 26, 2024 in London, England.

Rachel Shelley and out field hockey star Nikki Symmons explore the surprising statistic in the 94%.

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A new podcast highlights the connection between women playing sports and finding success later in life.

Hosted by former Irish field hockey pro Nikki Symmons and Rachel Shelley of The L Word fame, the 94% plans to explore how participation in sports from an early age helps prepare women for leadership roles across various industries.

The podcast gets its name from a surprising statistic claiming that 94% of women holding C-suite executive roles have a background in sports, with more than half competing at the university level. Through conversations with guests excelling in various fields, including business and entertainment, Symmons and Shelley aim to show how joining a sports team at an early age can help girls develop the skills and confidence to become successful women in their chosen fields later in life.

"Our aim: to inspire women to start or keep playing sport — by revealing the astounding personal benefits and pivotal experiences sport can generate, beyond the physical," they said in a statement promoting the podcast. "Whatever your age, however you identify, women should never settle for less."

Symmons has forged a career for herself in corporate communications and DEI advisory after more than a decade playing and coaching field hockey. In 2014, she became the first female athlete from Ireland to speak to the media about being gay shortly before Ireland legalized marriage equality.

Shelley is well known for her time playing Helena Peabody on The L Word, although she’s spent recent years diving headfirst into the world of podcasting, emphasizing creating content for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, she produced Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey's podcast, Pants. More recently, Shelley cohosted and produced "podDiva," an audio companion to the sapphic Diva magazine.

It’s fitting that the first guest on the 94% is fellow L Word alum Jennifer Beals (listen below), who played basketball and field hockey growing up and has taken up pickleball as an adult.

The first episode is currently available on Spotify.

Listen to the trailer for 94% below.