A great new podcast from two-mom couple and former pro hockey players Madison and Anya Packer looks at raising kids, forming queer families, and balancing being a professional athlete and parent. Even if you’re not a pro athlete, though, you’ll likely find it an interesting, fun, and useful listen.
“Life as a professional athlete and a mom isn’t something you typically see represented, especially for queer families like ours, and that’s exactly why we created ‘Moms Who Puck,’” said Madison Packer in a statement. “Anya and I are proud to bring our story and those of other trailblazers in sports and parenthood to listeners everywhere. We hope this podcast resonates with people, whether they’re parents, athletes, or anyone learning to balance life’s big moments.”
“We’re so excited to share our experiences on ‘Moms Who Puck’ as both athletes and parents, and to connect with others navigating the beautiful chaos of family life,” said Anya Packer. “This show gives us a space to explore the highs, the struggles and the lessons we’re learning as a family, and we’re thrilled to join the iHeart Women’s Sports Audio Network to help bring more conversations about LGBTQ+ families and women in sports to the forefront.”
Madison retired a week ago after one season with the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL’s) New York Sirens. She previously played collegiate hockey at the University of Wisconsin, and spent eight seasons with the New York Riveters (later the Metropolitan Riveters) of the National Women’s Hockey League (later the Premier Hockey Federation) in its inaugural season, where she was captain and a four-time all-star.
Anya played collegiate hockey at Boston University, then joined the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Later, she became one of the founding members of the NWHL/PHF, playing three seasons with the Connecticut Whale. She then stepped away from playing to give birth to the couple’s two children, then came back to the sport as general manager for the Metropolitan Riveters and executive director of the Players Association. There, she earned a Forbes 30 Under 30 award as a leading voice in the fight for better working conditions, pay, and recognition for women’s hockey players.
In the first episode, the couple introduce listeners to themselves and their family, and talks about becoming parents via IUI (intrauterine insemination), Anya’s two pregnancies and multiple miscarriages, and how they support each other and their kids now that they’re parents (including while Anya was solo parenting and Madison was preparing for the second PWHL season, before she decided to retire).
The second episode brings in guest and hockey star Meghan Duggan, three-time Olympic medalist (including one gold), and director of player development for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, who was also Madison’s team captain at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Meghan has three children with her spouse Gillian Apps. The three women talk about navigating parenting with young kids; raising kids who are kind, respectful, and inclusive in the face of a world that often isn’t; being the birthing or non-birthing parent; and much more.
Subsequent episodes include NWSL soccer star and queer mom Ashlyn Harris, Peloton instructor and fitness coach and mom Kirsten Ferguson, and PWHL star and mom Natalie Spooner, with others to come.
While some of what the podcast covers is specific to queer parents, much is also applicable to parents of any identity. Similarly, the Packers and their guests give us a look behind the curtain at what it’s like to be a professional athlete in women’s sports, but also offer useful insights and advice for working parents in any field. The vibe is chatty, conversational, and relatable.
As a former collegiate fencer who has done serious stints of several other sports as well (though not professionally), and an avid fan of the PWHL, WNBA, NWSL, and women’s sports generally, I love the intersection of topics that the podcast covers, and am betting that many readers here will, too. Give “Moms Who Puck” a try on your favorite podcast app. I’ve quickly made it a regular listen in mine.
“Moms Who Puck” will join iHeartMedia’s Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN), the first-ever audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Check out some of their other podcasts, and stay tuned for “Moms Who Puck” guest Ashlyn Harris’s own “Wide Open with Ashlyn Harris,” coming in January 2025.
