Happily Ever NAFter

Mental Health and Passing the Softball Around with Rachel Banham

It has been A LONG TIME HEN FANS, WE KNOW!!! After a busy offseason conclusion, the Happily Ever NAFter gals are finally back and sat down with WNBA vet/old, current Minnesota Lynx player, and Gopher Women’s Basketball Director of Quality Control (she does control the quality there btw): RACHEL BANHAM! The Minnesota native sat with us and chatted about how her and Erika first met and became besties, her journey with mental health as a professional athlete, adapting to new roles, and the importance of NAPS 😴. Barrett’s energy (Brooke’s giant baby) was next level on this episode but be patient because Brooke is mom goals!! As always, follow us on Instagram for behind the scenes videos and photos from Episode 5 - @happilyevernafter

Faking It 'Til Ya Making It, Taylor's Tidbits, and Q&A with The Trio

ELLO ELLO! We're baaaaaaaaack and this time, it's just us <3 (and kinda Brooke's husband, Taylor). Brooke, Erika, and Marybeth welcome our fans with a very botched introduction by MB and feel as organized as ever (whether that is the case or not is up for discussion).  The gals spend this podcast episode talking through various topics surrounding their experiences as former collegiate athletes. Marybeth brings up the topic of what it's like playing for a cold weather collegiate team & traveling mems. Erika talks about Catalyst Softball, our expansion into South Dakota, and our #coolie experience meeting with the Twins at Target Field to talk Catalyst. Brooke busts out the Q&A (Country Henry - LEAVE US ALONE) from our very dedicated HEN fans and all three of us aggressively get on our soap boxes about youth pitchers deserving more, high school softball, and coaching advice! Our first ever edition of "A Tidbit of Taylor" is featured on this episode as Taylor dad-splains to us the importance of never dating a pastry chef and how to avoid icy driveways in the winter.  If you would like to submit a question for us to answer on the pod, fill out our Google form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6RrkkA-OL5r1OLWaMyDMhIVyFRPI4eUNJHOKk_C_cA49G2w/viewform?usp=sf_link As always, follow us on instagram at: @happilyevernafter

Softball Recruiting IS a Dating App with Tyler Peterson

The HEN ladies are back and joined by not one, but TWO men on the pod this week (well, one is Brooke's 1-year-old son Barrett). Tyler is a bestie, reunited coworker, and former professional/collegiate baseball player turned softball hitting player development specialist. Another chaotic episode: we spend way too much time discussing the hot gossip of Tyler’s current relationship status, how he believes **CLICK BAIT** women belong in the kitchen, and Tyler somehow finds a way to connect Marybeth's Hinge "desperation" to the struggles of the recruiting process for high school athletes. We close the episode with a very cancellable version of Brooke's Facebook Memories. Thanks for listening to Happily Ever NAFter! As always, follow us on Instagram at: @happilyevernafter

Environmental Softball, Jen's Fan Club, & Dipping Toes with Becky Smith

The gals are BACK on the pod after receiving validation and rave reviews from a dad and Brooke's husband - that is it. Marybeth gives us an update on her dating life **SPOILER ALERT** she announces she is getting "back on the saddle" of dating(?), we tell the story of how this podcast all started: Brooke mistakenly buying a podcast microphone from Target in September, and Erika is unprofessional enough to think it is okay to make a phone call mid-podcast to our commercial real estate agent after losing track of time (we love you, JP). And also, Applebees.... SPONSOR US!? We make HEN HISTORY with our FIRST EVER guest as we welcome former All-American and University of Minnesota - Duluth softball legend, Becky Smith, to the pod! We get into her background as a former student athlete (and environmental SCIENCE* major, not softball), her unique recruiting process and perspective on making the right choice playing at the next level, our mutual love for her former college coach, the work she is doing now dipping her toes full-time in softball, and her 3 decade relationship with her husband even though she isn't 30-years-old yet. As always, we close out with Brooke's Facebook Memories where she asks her peers to "rate her". If you're here for the Becky content (we don't blame ya), fast forward to: 20:20 You can follow us on instagram at: @happilyevernafter

IT Degrees, Infinity ERA's, & Facebook: Welcome to Happily Ever NAFter

Marybeth is not close enough to her mic, Erika is too close to her mic, and Brooke cannot stop talking about her cousin. All three have no idea what they are doing and welcome you to the birth of their podcast with unorganized, chaotic discussions surrounding topics likeeeee: the male dominated space that is softball, the mental health crisis of student athletes, figuring out our identities post-retirement, MB's self-improvement era, the stress of the recruiting process / finding the right fit, changing our ways in training, our most embarrassing moments on the diamond, and close out with our new favorite segment: Brooke's Facebook Memories. You can follow us on Instagram at: @happilyevernafter