Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova
Five-time Grand Slam champion, entrepreneur, and bestselling author Maria Sharapova brings her trademark intensity and drive to a weekly podcast that challenges how female ambition is defined and discussed. In each episode of Pretty Tough, Sharapova sits down with high-achieving women across industries for candid, wide-ranging conversations about their pursuit of excellence without apology. Inspired by Sharapova’s own journey as a world-class athlete and entrepreneur, the show serves as a space where discussions about peak performance, career strategy, wellness, and leadership aren't diluted by gender-specific expectations and where being gritty and being female aren't seen as contradictory states of be...
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Christine Dorfler: From Army Captain to the NFL’s CFO
<p>What does it take to manage the finances of the world’s most powerful sports league? In this episode, Maria sits down with Christine Dorfler, the CFO of the NFL, for an unfiltered look at the business behind the game.</p> <p>From her journey as an Army Captain to navigating the complex financial landscape of the NFL, Christine shares the leadership lessons and high-stakes decision-making that keep the league growing. We dive into the "Billion-Dollar" choices that impact everything from international expansion to the game-day experience. And of course ‘The Taylor Swift Effect.’ </p> <p><br></p> <p>All th...
Amy Astley on Working Alongside Anna Wintour and Building Brands
<p>This week on the show, editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest Amy Astley reflects on her path from aspiring ballerina to journalist to leading some of the most influential publications in fashion and design, including Architectural Digest and Teen Vogue. She opens up working alongside Anna Wintour, navigating high-pressure creative environments, learning to trust her instincts, and her thoughts on what it truly means to be a “taste maker.”</p> <p><br></p> <p>Together, Maria and Amy talk about perfectionism, ambition, mentorship, self-doubt, and the pressure women often feel to prove themselves in leadership roles. They also discuss taste, storytelling, soci...
Ashley Graham: How AI, Plastic Surgery, and GLP-1s Are Changing Beauty Standards
<p>This week on the show, model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham joins Maria for a conversation about confidence, body image, ambition, and self-worth. Ashley opens up about navigating criticism in the fashion industry and impossible standards placed on women — especially in industries built around image. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Together, Maria and Ashley talk about perfectionism, motherhood, changing bodies, identity, resilience, and how to spot a good business opportunity. It all adds up to an inspiring conversation around how to live unapologetically.</p> <p><br>All that and more on this episode of Pretty Tough.</p> <p><br></p> <p>P...
Dr. Becky: Raising Resilient Kids in an Overwhelming World
<p>Clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy — better known as Dr. Becky — joins Maria for a conversation about parenting, resilience, confidence, and emotional growth.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Dr. Becky shares why she believes struggle is an essential part of development, how parents can stay grounded during emotional moments, and why perfectionism often starts much earlier than we think. Together, she and Maria talk about self-worth, boundaries, anxiety, shame, and the pressure parents feel to “get everything right.”</p> <p><br></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices</p>
Chelsea Handler: Unfiltered, Independent, and Always Evolving
<p>Comedian and best-selling author Chelsea Handler has built a career on saying exactly what she thinks, regardless of the consequences. From stand-up comedy and bestselling books to hit television shows, she’s never played by anyone else’s rules.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Maria and Chelsea first connected at the 2012 Olympics and have been friends ever since. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Maria explores what drives Chelsea’s independence across every chapter of her life and how she continues to evolve through therapy, travel, and psychedelics. They discuss reinvention, freedom, and what it really means to live life on your...
Willow Bay: Reimagining the Future of Women’s Sports
<p>Willow Bay has spent her career telling powerful stories. Now, she’s helping reshape who gets to be at the center of them.</p> <p>As a longtime journalist and now the dean of USC Annenberg, Willow has worked across nearly every major television network, building a career at the intersection of media, leadership, and storytelling. Alongside her husband, Disney CEO Bob Iger, she’s also the co-owner of Angel City FC, one of the most valuable teams in women’s sports.</p> <p>Willow also shares her perspective on why giving athletes the tools to tell their own storie...
Gabriela Hearst: Redefining Luxury Without the Hype
<p>Gabriela Hearst is one of the most purpose-driven designers in fashion. She’s built her career slowly, intentionally, and entirely on her own terms. You may know her for dressing icons like Laura Dern, Jodie Foster, and Zoë Kravitz, or for redefining luxury through sustainability, from the first carbon-neutral runway show to creating a line made from 100% recycled cotton.</p> <p><br></p> <p>But her story begins on a cattle ranch in Uruguay, where quality, durability, and respect for the land shaped everything she does today.</p> <p><br></p> <p>In this conversation, Maria and Gabriela discuss the...
Jeanie Buss: Inside the $10 billion Lakers sale
<p>Jeanie Buss is the most powerful woman in the NBA. As Governor and longtime controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, she has protected one of the most valuable brands in sports through tragedy and transition. Now, she explains why, after all these years, her family decided to sell 85% of the team for $10 billion.</p> <p>On this episode of Pretty Tough, Jeanie sits down with Maria for one of her most candid conversations yet. She takes Maria behind the scenes of the secret Luka Dončić trade — kept hidden from LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Mark Cuban, and even Luka...
Zoe Saldaña: How I Became the Highest-Grossing Actor of All Time
<p>Welcome to the very first episode of Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova! For her debut interview, Maria sits down with Hollywood’s highest-grossing actor of all time, Academy Award winner Zoe Saldaña. </p> <p>You probably know Zoe from starring in some of the most iconic movie franchises of our lifetimes — Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy. But she’s also taken on roles in indie films and different genres. Just last year, she won an Oscar for Emilia Pérez, becoming the first Dominican-American to do so.</p> <p>Maria and Zoe get into how she went...
Introducing Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova
<p>Why can't unapologetic ambition coexist with elegance and femininity?</p> <p>Maria Sharapova is ready to flip the script.</p> <p><br>On her new podcast, Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova, the tennis champion and entrepreneur hosts conversations with high-achieving women like Zoe Saldana, Jeanie Buss, and Chelsea Handler about what it means to pursue excellence on their own terms.<br>Pretty Tough drops Wednesday 4/22.</p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices</p>
