Welcome to the Big Life, the first-ever podcast that takes you into the insane, everyday lives of Sam and Jordy, two Division 1 soccer players living their best lives in the Big Ten Conference. With an impressive 23 showdowns between these Big Ten conference juggernauts since2000 – 12 victories for the Iowa Hawks and 11conquests for the Michigan Spartans – it’s an undeniable fact that Jordyn and Sam are battle-tested adversaries on the field, yet kindred spirits balancing school/soccer and social life. This very dynamic makes their podcast an unfiltered and exhilarating auditory journey, no less thrilling than witnessing their teams pour their souls into the battle on the hallowed pitch.
The Big Life delivers an electrifying, live insight into collegiate women’s soccer, fueled by current Big Ten players, Jordyn Wickes and Samantha Cary.
Episodes
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
The BIG LIFE is back baby! Sam and Jordyn return for Season 2, and their lives look quite a bit different from when they left off back in November.
In this first episode, Jordyn dives into what spring season looks like at Michigan State. She suffered a knee injury, but things look bright for the rising senior. Sam recounts her whirlwind of a life since the last episode of season 1, including entering the 2024 NWSL draft and moving across the world to Sweden to play professional soccer (yes, you read that right!).
Through ups and downs, Sam and Jordyn are thrilled to be back for season two! Make sure to listen to Episode 1 and tune in each Thursday for new releases.
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
You know when you set out to accomplish something but have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into? That’s a little bit about how the BIG LIFE came to be. Like many of the beautiful things that seem to blossom at Girls Soccer Network, the BIG LIFE started with a DM from Jordyn, who pitched the idea of a podcast focused on college women’s soccer, specifically around the Big Ten. She wanted to talk about things she would have wanted to hear about when she was in high school. Had she ever podcasted? Of course not, but Jen (GSN founder) could sense she was passionate about it. Jen came up with pairing her with Sam because, of course, two people not knowing how to podcast is always better than one! To say it’s been a digital journey feels like an understatement. Having gone through each step–and misstep–both on and off the field with Sam and Jordyn, this season has not just been exciting but has filled a need in the world of content that was just not being addressed: honest, soul-bearing young women competing in the top division of soccer in this country. Each week, they showed up, win, lose, broken nose, on the bench, elated, angry, and even seemingly going bald (yes, this happened). Sam and Jordyn never faltered. While it seems they started to like each other...they always kept the greater purpose of the BIG LIFE in mind: to show the next generation of players what it is REALLY like to play D1 ball.Sam has been trying to get her coach, Dave DiIanni, on the BIG LIFE all season, and he finally acquiesced. It was super interesting to hear about how Dilanni has built this Iowa women’s soccer program into something the school and players can be proud of. Like coach Jeff Hosler of Michigan State (Episode 12), Dilanni came from D2 school Grand Valley and was able to transition and seriously elevate their program’s profile. The relationship Sam and Coach Dilanni have formed throughout Sam’s five-year Iowa career is special, to say the least. It’s a testament to their love for the game and their investment in its future.We at GSN are extremely grateful to be able to end this season and honor both of our incredible hosts with a heartfelt sendoff.
Thank you to our amazing and wonderful sponsor, IDA SPORTS. Not only do they make incredible footwear, they are a company that truly walks the walk (pun intended) in their desire to elevate women's sports. We are honored to be associated with them and grateful for their sponsorship.
OUR LINKS:
Follow Sam Cary IG: @samcary Follow Jordyn Wickes IG: @jordyn_wickes
The BIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast. Check out our website here.
Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes. Follow us on Instagram/FB/Threads (@girlssoccernetwork) Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
Thursday Nov 30, 2023
With the season over for all but for the four teams playing in the College Cup on Friday, it's prediction time. Who's it going to be? BYU, Stanford, Florida State or Clemson? We won't tell you who they picked but you can be sure they did not agree on the outcome.
Iowa Hawkeye Kelli McGroarty shares valuable experience about the process of entering the transfer portal. As a new player on the team late in her college career, Kelli had to learn what her role was and accept that it was different than on previous teams. She talks about evolving into the Hawkeye women's soccer program and, based on her stats this past season - did incredibly well to make an impact in such a short time. Sam and Kelli share about their late-season bonding and the laser focus they had in the post-season.
OUR LINKS: Donate to the Big Life to help us to produce this kickoff season and receive a brand new Big Life sticker. Donorbox
Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.
Follow Sam Cary IG: @samcary Follow Jordyn Wickes IG: @jordyn_wickes
Have questions? Go ahead and ask! Send it to scary@girlssoccernetwork.com
The BIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast.
Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes. Follow us on Instagram/FB/Threads (@girlssoccernetwork) Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel @girlssoccernetwork6137
Check out GSN’s other podcast, Give N’ Go with Rohtas Wadera. A new episode just dropped with Alyssa Thompson and Angelina Anderson of Angel City FC.
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Friday Nov 24, 2023
"Episode Sweet 16, but not completely sweet. Sam and Jordyn’s seasons are over, and they reflect on the wild ride of the last few months. Sam’s college soccer journey is officially done and she looks back on her incredible, history-making career as an Iowa Hawkeye. Jordyn, meanwhile, has another year in East Lansing. She is part of a Spartan program that has seen tremendous growth during her time and she has another year to soak up all that Michigan State’s women’s soccer program has to offer.We’re lucky to have IDA Sports as our sponsor. All season they have supported our efforts with the BIG LIFE podcast, and we can’t thank them enough. If you ever wondered if there was really a difference between men’s and women’s soccer footwear, you need to hear Emelia Funnell talk about the amount of thought and research that goes into designing IDA products. we love them because they don’t just have our feet; they have our backs."
Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.
Follow Sam Cary IG: @samcary Follow Jordyn Wickes IG: @jordyn_wickes
Have questions? Go ahead and ask! Send it to scary@girlssoccernetwork.com
The BIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast.
Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes. Follow us on Instagram/FB/Threads (@girlssoccernetwork) Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel @girlssoccernetwork6137
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Monica Wilhelm, our extraordinary guest who played for the Hawkeyes until last season, and our amazing host, Jordyn, speak honestly about how cruel this game can be. It can push you to the outer edges of your sanity if you let it.
Monica's journey of sticking with the game when things just were not going her way is so inspiring. There are so many uncontrollables in life and soccer. It's kind of exactly what Jordyn, who is going through her own soul-searching and a difficult time in the season, needed to hear. In fact, it's worth it for us all to listen to. We learn the most about ourselves during these moments, and find paths like faith and spirituality to get us through these times.
Additionally, Sam and Jordyn talk about the crazy upsets that took place last week and about their upcoming games, with Michigan State going to BYU to play Harvard and the University of Iowa heading to Clemson to play Georgia.
Will they make it to the Sweet 16 next week? We'll love 'em either way. This podcasting journey has been one hell of a ride!
Thank you to our sponsor, IDA Sports. IDA Sports shares GSN's commitment to empowering women in soccer by providing them with the specialized gear they deserve. The company's cleats are designed to address the unique needs and preferences of female athletes, aligning perfectly with the mission of "The BIG LIFE" podcast.
Donate to the Big Life to help us to produce this kickoff season and receive a brand new Big Life sticker https://donorbox.org/the-big-life
Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.
The BIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast.
Follow us on Instagram (@girlssoccernetwork)
Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Thursday Nov 09, 2023
Episode 14 of the BIG LIFE is something we could not have dreamed of back in late August. The twists and turns of this season for both Sam and Jordyn could make even die-hard doubters believe in kismet. We had no clue where this little podcast would take us but to have not just one, but both of our hosts be Big Ten Champions is out of a soccer fairy tale. Or, as we like to say around here - it's called the Cary-Tale, because Sam and those yellow-decked Iowa Hawkeyes are the sleeper story of the season. And Jordyn, who we're calling J-Dub for helping Michigan State win the regular season championship, called it in episode four. Sam, looking for some extra love, point-blank asked her, "Who do you think the sleeper team is," and Jordyn reluctantly told her..."I'd have to say it's the Hawkeyes, Sam." Go figure. These Zoom sessions are sending some serious vibrations into the universe.
To keep Cary-Tale and J-Dub a little humble, we brought on UCLA's Ally Cook, who knows a few things about titles. Last year, she was part of the epic Bruin team that won almost every trophy they could, including the big one - the Natty, in a game we're still recovering from. Ally is a killer forward who this year has scored nine goals and won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week multiple times, as well as being named on the All-Conference First Team. She may be a lethal striker, but she's also an incredible human who loves to give back to the next generation. Ally was a Soccerista United mentor this past, and she was loved by the girls in our community who had her as their squad leader. This ia a winning episode if there ever was one. Have a listen and please share the BIG LIFE and leave us a review!
Thank you to our sponsor, IDA Sports. IDA Sports shares GSN's commitment to empowering women in soccer by providing them with the specialized gear they deserve. The company's cleats are designed to address the unique needs and preferences of female athletes, aligning perfectly with the mission of "The BIG LIFE" podcast.
Donate to the Big Life to help us to produce this kickoff season and receive a brand new Big Life sticker https://donorbox.org/the-big-life
Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.
TheBIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast.
Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's GSN Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes.
Follow us on Instagram (@girlssoccernetwork)
Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Thursday Nov 02, 2023
Episode 13 features Erica Suter, who we believe to be the top female fitness trainers specifically for girls in soccer in the U.S. Known on social media as “@fitsoccerqueen” Erica’s approach to helping girls grow their game as their bodies grow develop is transformative. Her awareness of how girls mature and the timing of how they should be training and when, is not just smart and practical, but should be the industry standard. Sam and Jordyn as Erica a slew of questions about training, fitness speed and agility and Erica’s answers will have you wanting to buy her book and share it with the young player in your life.
Sam and Jordyn didn’t shy away from from talking about last week's upset. If you didn’t hear, Iowa beat Michigan State 2-1, after losing to them 3-0 the week before. We can say it here - no one expected the number 1 team to go down to number 8, but as we all know, that’s soccer, and anything can happen on any given day. Where that leaves both of them now? Well we feel it’s a glass half full scenario. The Spartans get an extra week off before the NCAA tournament starts and with the win, Iowa has punched their ticket last minute and has pushed their way in. They now get to play Penn State on Sunday.
They each talk about the week leading up to the game, and what each other their mentality was. It really was a unique scenario and made for a compelling storyline. In true sporting fashion, Jordyn gives Sam major accolades for FINALLY being recognized in the post season as Big Ten Second Team Defender of the Year.
OUR LINKS:
Check out Erica Suter’s book: The Strong Female Athlete
Visit Erica’s Website:
Follow Erica on Instagram: @fitsoccerqueen
Thank you to our sponsor, IDA Sports. IDA Sports shares GSN's commitment to empowering women in soccer by providing them with the specialized gear they deserve. The company's cleats are designed to address the unique needs and preferences of female athletes, aligning perfectly with the mission of "The BIG LIFE" podcast.
Donate to the Big Life to help us to produce this kickoff season and receive a brand new Big Life sticker https://donorbox.org/the-big-life
Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.
TheBIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast.
Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's GSN Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes.
Follow us on Instagram (@girlssoccernetwork)
Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
Thursday Oct 26, 2023
We’re calling episode 12 the “Groundhog Day Game” because, you guessed it, Sam and Jordyn have to play each other AGAIN! The good news is that both Iowa and Michigan State qualified for the Big Ten Tournament, and the bad news is they’re never getting rid of each other. We may have talked about the rivalry so much that we manifested for it to happen twice! Congrats to both teams, but let's give a special shout-out to Michigan State for winning the title in back-to-back seasons. Jeff Hosler, the team’s highly respected coach, shares a little bit about his own soccer journey and how he was able to lead the Spartan women to two championship titles in two years.
This week's topics include recruiting, scouting, social media, and setting yourself up for success!
OUR LINKS:
Please subscribe to the BIG LIFE wherever you love to listen.
Follow Sam Cary IG: @samcary Follow Jordyn Wickes IG: @jordyn_wickes
Have questions? Go ahead and ask! Send it to scary@girlssoccernetwork.com
The BIG LIFE is a Girls Soccer Network podcast.
Subscribe to Girls Soccer Network's Newsletter to stay posted about upcoming episodes. Follow us on Instagram/FB/Threads (@girlssoccernetwork) Follow us on Twitter @girlssoccernet
Subscribe to our YouTube channel @girlssoccernetwork6137
Check out GSN’s other podcast, Give N’ Go with Rohtas Wadera.