361. A Winning Playbook: Elle Duncan On How To Design Your Dream Life, Stand In Your Power & Catch A Vibe

Hurdle

Emily Abbate

Health & Fitness

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sportscaster host Elle Duncan is on Hurdle this week to talk about career trajectory, from local radio to the national spotlight, and how each step shaped her. She opens up about the pivotal moments that taught her to prioritize her well-being over people-pleasing, including a surprisingly positive layoff and the challenges of working in a demanding market like Boston. She also shares her refreshingly candid perspective that "work/life balance" doesn’t actually exist, and the exciting curveball ESPN threw her right before maternity leave. Plus, Elle discusses the exciting shift for women in sports, her hopes for the future, what it's like to live out a childhood dream, and gives us a sneak peek of what we can expect at her new show, "Vibe Check."

IN THIS EPISODE

(4:25) How Elle handles being crazy busy and navigates being non-stop

(9:58) What the beginning of Elle’s career trajectory looked like

(13:25) Elle talks about why she was grateful for getting laid off from her job at a radio station

(15:50) How Elle processes her biggest hurdles

(19:58) When Elle realized she could no longer be a people please

(21:00) How Elle feels about her reputation

(26:27) Elle talks about what it was like to her working in Boston and how she navigated the challenges in Boston

(37:05) Navigating work/life balance is not a real thing, says Elle.

(41:05) What happened when ESPN offered Elle the 6 p.m. Sportscaster slot, the day before her maternity leave

(44:15) How Elle feels about the influx of excitement and better pay for women in sports

(47:43) What Elle hopes for the future of women working in sport

(49:19) How Elle feels about living out her childhood dream

(54:00) Elle talks about her new show, coming June 30, Vibe Check

SOCIAL

@elleduncan

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I hope that if nothing else, I empower women to be themselves, to speak their mind, to say how they feel, and to be completely unafraid at what happens after that. What's going on, everyone?
0:27.4	Emily Abadi here.
0:28.5	You are listening to another episode of Hurtle, a wellness-focused podcast where I talk to inspirational people about everything from their highest, highs, and toughest moments to essential tips on how to live, a healthier, happier, more motivated life.
0:42.9	We all go through our fair share of hurdles.
0:45.9	My goal through these discussions is to empower you to better navigate yours and move
0:50.5	with intention so that you can stride toward your own big potential.
0:55.2	And of course, have some fun along the way. I am elated to bring you my conversation today for episode
1:03.1	361 with the one, the only L. Duncan. She is a sportscaster hosting sports center five days a week at 6 p.m. She's also an advocate
1:14.5	for woman in sports and famously known for her podcast, The L. Duncan Show, which has sadly
1:20.9	come to an end only for the exciting new launch of the woman-led sports show Vibe Check coming to your TVs on June 30th
1:30.8	on Disney Plus. Now, we chat all about Vibe Check and what we can expect from that, but really
1:36.4	dive into Elle's trajectory to exactly how she landed where she is today, the dream job that she's
1:43.8	had ever since she was a little girl at 12 years old.
1:47.6	I appreciate her vulnerability sharing the low lows and the high highs of that journey, offering up stories like what it was like to get let go for the first time,
1:57.1	and also how it felt to be on air after Kobe's passing and the special moment she shared with her viewers.
2:04.9	Elle's honesty in this episode is unrivaled.
2:07.9	She has worked so hard to be where she is today and offers up so much great advice and takeaways on not only how to design the life that you dream of,
2:19.1	but also how to stay true to yourself along the way. This is an episode that I know I'm going
2:24.9	to revisit time and time again. Make sure if you love what you're listening to,
2:29.2	share it with a friend. Tag us on Instagram. We're over on social at hurdle podcast. I'm over at Emily Abadi. And you know
2:36.3	the drill if you're not yet subscribed to the weekly hurdle newsletter. So much of the same
2:41.1	inspiration and motivation you love from the show. Plus what's going on in my life? Things that I'm
	...

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