The longest relationship I've had is with law and order.

Welcome to Spinster's, a podcast where we should definitely call our moms after this episode.

I'm Jordan.

I couldn't be more excited for you all to listen to our guest today.

We're talking about the best hood there is, motherhood, but specifically

what it looks like for professional athletes who become moms. A few months ago, I had a chance to

interview WMBA star Candace Parker of the newly crowned champions the Chicago Sky. Yes, we talked a little

bit about the exes and O's of the game, but mostly we talked about

her as a mom to her 12-year-old daughter, Leila. The same year that she won rookie of the year and

MVP, still the only player to achieve this, she found out she was pregnant at only 23. People questioned

if she had already peaked only one year into the W. They doubted that

she could balance being a pro basketball player not only domestically, but also in Russia.

They wondered how she was going to do it all. But she did it. She's still doing it at the highest

level, being a mother to Layla and being a champion.

Because, Candice said, being a mom is her life's purpose. Nothing was going to get in the way of that.

Like Candice's story, there are so many athletes feeling like they are forced to choose between motherhood and professional

sports. We'll get into a few of these stories with sports journalist Shereen Ahmed, a proud

single mother of four, although her cat Tara is her favorite, a podcaster and an award-winning

activist, Shereen knows firsthand that it takes a village to raise a child and a team. Let's welcome

Shereen after the break. Hey, Shereen, welcome to the show. So happy to have you here.

Hi, Jordan. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited.

Yay. Well, let's get into it.

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