the 94%


94% of women working in C-suite executive roles played sport...


52% at university level*.


Talking to some of your favourite and fabulous women from all walks of life about how their sporting experiences have shaped them in weird, wonderful and often quite witty ways.


With hosts Rachel Shelley (Helena Peabody on TV’s The L Word, gay icon and mother to a teen girl in London) and Dublin’s Nikki Symmons (former international hockey and cricket player for 13 years, Ireland’s first female athlete to come out as gay and a specialised DEI advisor).


In all walks of life, not just the C-Suite, participation in sport from an early age promotes professional excellence, in whatever field a woman moves into. And that’s a fact.


Sport helps develop resilience, discipline and teamwork. Together these form a holy trinity for success.


They discuss the wild and varied parallels they see between competitive sport and their real-life experiences.


How lessons learnt on the pitch shape their behaviour off the field.


How sport has made them the women they are today.


And how they got off the blocks at the very start.


But it’s not just the sporting elite in their new careers that we hear from, although our host Nikki will keep us anchored in that arena. Our guests include high-flyers from the world of entertainment, politics, media and corporate… wherever successful athletes find themselves.


And that’s everywhere. 


*EY Women Athletes Business Network and ESPN W 2014

Rachel Shelley

Rachel Shelley is an actor and the award-winning Head of Audio at Mookville Productions. Known to millions of LGBTQIA+ TV fans as the English heiress Helena Peabody from The L Word, Rachel has created, produced, edited and hosted a vast library of audio docs and podcasts for – amongst others - BBC Radio 4, Resonance FM, TalkRadio, PANTS and podDIVA. She was recently awarded a 30 Years of DIVA Honouree Award for sustained ally-ship throughout her career. As the mother of a young teen, her main passion is female empowerment.

Nikki Symmons

Nikki Symmons is a former Irish international hockey and cricket player, a SEN teacher, and now a EuroHockey Hall of Famer, a public speaker, communication specialist and a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist and advisor. In 2014, Nikki became the first female Irish athlete to come out publicly as gay. Nikki is passionate about creating positive social change and empowering others to embrace their authentic selves.

Additional contact information

94% of women working in C-suite executive roles played sport... 52% at university level*. In all walks of life, not just the C-Suite, participation in sport from an early age promotes professional excellence, in whatever field a woman moves into. And that’s a fact. Sport helps develop resilience, discipline and teamwork. Together these form a holy trinity for success. Hosts Rachel Shelley (Helena Peabody on TV’s The L Word, gay icon and mother to a teen girl in London) and Dublin’s Nikki Symmons (former international hockey and cricket player for 13 years, Ireland’s first female athlete to come out as gay and a specialised DEI advisor) talk to some of your favourite high-achieving women from all walks of life, about how their sporting experiences have shaped them in weird, wonderful and often whacky ways. With a lot of laughter en route. They discuss the wild and varied parallels they see between competitive sport and their real-life experiences. How lessons learnt on the pitch shape their behaviour off the field. How sport has made them the women they are today. And how they got off the blocks at the very start. But it’s not just the sporting elite in their new careers that we hear from, although our host Nikki will keep us anchored in that arena. Our guests include high-flyers from the world of entertainment, politics, media and corporate… wherever successful athletes find themselves. And that’s everywhere. So listen out for episodes with actor Jennifer Beals, Radio 1 DJ and author Adele Roberts, founder of HER dating app Robyn Exton and CEO of Coco Media, Anna Nolan. Follow us on IG the 94% podcast *EY Women Athletes Business Network and ESPN W 2014