The Rising Giant

Join the host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Spanish football pioneer Verónica Boquete, a Champions League winner and one of the players who helped shape the rise of women’s football in Spain.

Join the podcast host Dominika Čonč while she takes you through her journey of becoming a professional football player for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Through ups and downs, she has been following her dreams and carving at times a unique path from a small country Slovenia to the football world's giants. 

Join the host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with World Cup winner, Olympic gold medalist, and US Women’s National Team legend Heather O’Reilly. Heather shares her journey from being a young fan in the stands to earning 231 caps for her country, reflecting on belief, opportunity, and the moments that shaped her extraordinary career.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she talks with Adriana Mori about navigating repeated ACL tears, rebuilding her confidence, and finding joy in the game after thinking her career was over.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Lara Prašnikar, who opens up about difficult periods in her career and how she found a way to trust herself again and return to peak performance.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Finnish international Adelina Engman, who shares her journey from a small island in Finland to playing for top clubs in Sweden, England, France, and Italy, while opening up about injuries, resilience, and the fight for equal pay in women’s football.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Italy’s goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, who shares her remarkable journey from cultural shocks, injuries, and early rejections, to becoming a leader for the Azzurre. She reflects on her experiences in Germany, lifting trophies with Juventus and AC Milan, and breaking barriers to inspire the next generation of female footballers.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Danish international Sofie Junge Pedersen, who shares her unique journey through Denmark’s progressive football system, her time with top clubs across Sweden, Italy, and Spain, and advocating for climate justice, gender equality, and human rights.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Swedish international Julia Karlernäs, who shares her journey from a small town and mixed-gender teams to playing in Europe’s top leagues and the Champions League. Julia opens up about what fueled her relentless drive, how she broke through the noise, and why belief in yourself is the ultimate game-changer.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she reflects on her current off-season break and the inner shift that led her to embrace true rest for the first time in years, discovering how stepping back can be just as powerful as pushing forward.

Join host Dominika Čonč in this powerful and inspiring episode, German international Ramona Petzelberger shares her incredible journey through the highs and lows of professional football. From growing up in a sport-loving family and breaking into the Bundesliga at just 16, to battling a major health setback and finding her flow again in England’s top-tier league, Ramona opens up about the lessons that shaped her career and mindset. She dives into her time at Aston Villa and Tottenham, reflects on the evolving landscape of women's football in Germany, and talks about the inner work that helped her grow on and off the pitch. Now balancing her playing career with studies in sports directorship, Ramona gives us a glimpse into the future she’s building beyond football—and why letting go might be the secret to her best performances yet.

Join the host Dominika Čonč as she reflects on her transformation on and off the field, and why gratitude has become one of the most important tools in her life.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Victoire Cogevina Reynal — entrepreneur, activist, and co-founder of Mercury 13. From growing up in an Argentinian football family to becoming one of the few women owning a professional football club, Victoire shares how she’s building a movement to transform women’s football. They discuss the power of purpose-driven investment, the future of the women’s game, and what it means to lead with vision, heart, and resilience.

Join the host Dominika Čonč as she talks about a major shift in her training: learning to truly listen to her body and adjusting the training based on that. 

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with Slovak national team captain Dominika Škorvánková. From playing with boys in her village to overcoming ACL injuries, Dominika’s journey took her all the way to Bayern München and over 130 appearances for her country.

In this quick kicks episode Dominika shares how expectations and pressure started to creep in and how she dealt with it.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with FC Como Women goalkeeper Katja Schroffenegger. After battling through serious injuries and setbacks, Katja made her way back to the top—playing in the Champions League and earning her place in the Italian national team. A powerful story of resilience and never giving up.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she reflects on a recent shift in her playing position, exploring how embracing change and challenging her own self-perception helped her grow. She dives into the power of our beliefs and how the way we choose to see ourselves shapes our life.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she speaks with former USWNT player, World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist Lauren Holiday. Lauren shares her inspirational journey on and off the football field and how faith played a key role in overcoming obstacles. From undergoing open-heart surgery and being overlooked in her youth to winning all major tournaments, becoming a true leader, and battling a brain tumor during her pregnancy.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she shares insights into her current career journey and how she embraces openness, trusting that life’s surprises ultimately work in her favor.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she speaks with her former teammate and captain of the Romanian national team, Florentina Olar Spânu. Florentina shares her journey from humble beginnings in Romania, where conditions were far from what we see today. With 197 caps, the Romanian legend also reflects on her many years of playing in the Women's Champions League, as well as the challenges and beautiful moments she has experienced as a mother.

Join the host Dominika Čonč as she talks about one of the fundamental questions we should all be asking ourselves and the wake up call she received about it. 

Join host Dominika Čonč as she speaks with her FC Como Women teammate Nadine Nischler. Coming form serie C and scoring 7 goals so far in her first year in the serie A, Nadine became the biggest surprise of this season and also earned her first Italian senior team call up. 

Join host Dominika Čonč as she opens up about her current club situation, navigating the challenges of not playing, and how she stays focused, motivated, and ready for her next opportunity.

Join host Dominika Čonč as she chats with her former teammate and English international Natasha Dowie. They dive into Natasha’s incredible journey across some of the biggest continents and leagues in women’s football at the time. She shares the obstacles she faced throughout her career and her recent breakthroughs on the men’s side of the game. Natasha had the honor of wearing the England shirt and representing her favorite club, Liverpool, where she made history as the club’s first-ever female ambassador.

Join host Dominika Čonč in another Quick Kicks episode as she dives into the importance of every player on the team, not just those in the starting lineup. From the bench to the training ground, we explore how the collective effort of the entire squad drives success and why every player’s contribution is essential to the team’s triumphs.

Join host Dominika Čonč in our new short episodes series Quick Kicks as she dives into the incredible growth of women’s sports. From greater media coverage to skyrocketing fan support and the broader mindset shift that’s changing the game for women everywhere.

Join host Dominika Čonč for an engaging conversation with professional football player and former teammate, Mária Korenčiová. A key member of the Slovakian national team, Mária shares her journey from a time when women’s football was still underdeveloped in her home country to playing in some of Europe’s top leagues. She opens up about the challenges she faced, the misconceptions surrounding women’s football, and her deep love for the game that has taken her on an incredible adventure.

Join the host Dominika Čonč in this bonus solo episode as she opens up about her time in AC Milan, facing burnout as a professional football player, and how it all made her drop out of the victim mentality.

Join the host Dominika Čonč as she dives into a conversation with her at the time teammate and roommate at UC Sampdoria, Rachel Cuschieri. Rachel is a professional football player from a small island of Malta. She spoke about her journey of becoming a pro footballer and playing in five different countries, in top leagues. They dive into her struggles with injuries and her pride in wearing a national team jersey, all while being an inspiration for younger Maltese generations.

Join the host Dominika Čonč in a discussion with Malta Women’s national team captain and Como Women’s Serie A football player, Emma Lipman. Learn how she broke out of her comfort zone, made her mark in international football, and discovered a spiritual path driven by her passion for the game.

Join the host Dominika Čonč while she talks with a current UDG Tenerife player Claire Falknor. Claire is a former University of Florida, FC Bayern, Huston Dash, Sevila FC and Sporting de Huelva player. She also played for USWNT youth teams. Tune in and find out how she faced and navigated the challenges of cultural shock, big team competitions and used football as an outlet for facing trauma, release of emotions and freedom of expression.

Join the host Dominika Čonč while she talks with her national team teammate and best scorer of the German Bundesliga. Find out how she went from Slovenia straight to one of the best leagues in the world and what she needed to go through to become one of the best strikers.

Join the host Dominika Čonč in a discussion with a professional football player from Mexico, Natalia Gomez Junco. Find out what Natalia's journey was like to become a professional football player, the role of football in her life, and the challenges she faced on the way.

Join the podcast host Dominika Čonč while she takes you through her journey of becoming a professional football player for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Through ups and downs, she has been following her dreams and carving at times a unique path from a small country Slovenia to the football world's giants.