Naomi Osaka Read by Megalyn Echikunwoke

Rebel Girls

Stories For Kids, Education For Kids, Kids & Family

4.5 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 October 2021

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Once upon a time, there was a girl from Japan with arms so strong she could serve a tennis ball at more than 120 miles per hour. Her name is Naomi Osaka - a powerful professional tennis player who has taken the sport by storm and has become an advocate for mental health. Naomi has been ranked No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. About the Narrator Megalyn Echikunwoke is an actor, writer singer and dancer. Discovered at a high school theater camp by a Hollywood manager, she got her start in the industry at 14. She has a striking presence with an undeniable talent through her range of portrayals of characters in television, film and the theater. Though she was raised by a widowed, single mother who worked as a registered nurse on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, she is of Igbo-Nigerian, German, Irish and Scandinavian descent. She is also the granddaughter of a Igbo tribal leader which technically makes her African royalty. Inspired by her many cultural influences, Megalyn believes in the power of art and storytelling to expose injustice, shift culture and heal communities. Credits This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and is based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Camille Stennis. Sound design and mixing by Camille Stennis, Lu Miranda and Craig Billmeir. This episode was written by Jestine Ware and fact checked by Joe Rhatigan. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. Haley Dapkus is our Production Manager. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. A big thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this show possible! For more, visit rebelgirls.com. And if you like what you heard, don’t forget to rate and review this episode, and share it with your friends! Until next time, stay REBEL!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Wow! Did you know you can read more about this Rebell and other young change makers
0:05.7	like her and our new book Rebell Girls 100 Inspiring Young Changemakers?
0:10.3	Get your copy now wherever books are sold and find out how girls everywhere are making
0:14.7	this world a brighter place. Thanks for listening and stay Rebell.
0:24.3	Once upon a time, there was a girl from Japan with arms so strong, she could serve a tennis
0:31.8	ball at more than 120 miles per hour. Her name is Naomi.
0:41.2	Naomi walks out onto the tennis court. She's 18 years old, competing in the Australian
0:47.6	open. She has headphones covering her ears. They mute the sound of the crowd, the reporters,
0:54.3	the other players and coaches. With the headphones on, it's all just a dull roar.
1:03.1	Naomi had always been shy around people. She doesn't like large crowds or people looking
1:09.7	at her. Sometimes it makes her feel worried, anxious and embarrassed when so many people
1:15.6	come to watch her play. But now, it's time to get to work.
1:23.1	Naomi takes off her headphones and shrugs off her jacket. She bounces the ball in front
1:28.9	of her a few times and then tosses it into the air. Her arm comes down hard. Her first
1:37.0	serve flams inside the white lines and then out of the other players reach. She won
1:42.2	her first point of the game. But Naomi doesn't let up until sweat pours down her face and
1:47.2	all her muscles ache. She came to win. And she does.
2:05.7	I'm Megalyn Etchukunwoke and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. A fairy tale
2:11.8	podcast about the Rebel Women Who Inspires. On this episode, Naomi Osaka, a powerful professional
2:19.2	tennis player who has taken the sport by storm and has become an advocate for mental health.
2:28.0	Naomi's parents, Francois and Tomaki met in the 1990s while Francois, a student from Haiti,
2:36.0	studied in Japan. The couple moved to a bigger city, Osaka, Japan, to start a new life
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Rebel Girls, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Rebel Girls and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.