Amber Glenn, Ilia Malinin, and The New Friendship Culture in Figure Skating

Amber Glenn, Ilia Malinin, and The New Friendship Culture in Figure Skating

Something shifted in figure skating. And I noticed it before I even knew it was a thing. This episode picks up where we left off with Amber Glenn, but instead of focusing on her individual story, we zoom out to the culture she's helping create around her. Because the friendship culture in figure skating right now is unlike anything the sport has seen before, and we need to talk about it. We start with where figure skating has been in the past; the rivalries, the drama, the infamous Tonya Harding era, and a sport historically defined by cold competition between athletes who were supposed to be enemies. Then we get into where it is now. At the 2026 Milan Olympics I kept noticing something: these athletes were showing up for each other. But what surprised me the most was that it was not just for their own teammates, but for athletes in every country. We talk about Amber Glenn shielding Kaori Sakamoto from the cameras during one of the hardest moments of her career, and what Sakamoto said about Amber publicly at Worlds that brought both of them, and honestly me, to tears. We talk about Alysa Liu and Ami Nakai and a moment in the kiss and cry that says everything about this generation of skaters. Then we get into Ilia Malinin and Cha Jun-hwan; two athletes who suffered devastating losses at these Olympics, and what they both chose to do immediately after. They went to congratulate Mikhail Shaidorov, who had just won Kazakhstan's first ever Olympic gold medal in figure skating. In their worst moments, they chose to act in kindness. Acts we don't see enough of in the world these days. We close with the exhibition gala, Niina Petrokina's absolutely iconic Cell Block Tango moment that somehow involved skaters from four different countries, and why I think the way these athletes support each other might be exactly what pushes this sport further than it's ever gone before. These are some of the moments that grabbed me and inspired me to create this podcast in the first place. So give it a listen, and hopefully you'll get some of those warm feels, too.

The Amber Glenn Episode: Out, Proud, and Unstoppable

This episode is for the LGBTQ family. And honestly, for anyone who has ever felt like they had to hide part of themselves to fit in. This week we're talking about Amber Glenn, three time U.S. national champion, Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most refreshing human beings in figure skating right now. And we are going to get into it. We talk about her journey to coming out as bisexual and pansexual in a sport with a traditionally conservative image, what that cost her, and what it gave her. How being fully herself transformed not just her life but her skating. The role Timothy LeDuc played in creating a safe space for her before she could create one for others. How she has spent years quietly and not so quietly pushing back against the gender norms that figure skating has enforced forever and why that matters way beyond the ice. We talk about what it means to be an older woman in a sport that tends to celebrate youth, and how she got to the Olympics at 26 and made it count anyway. Her outspokenness at the Milan Olympics, because she had something to say and she said it, and I have a lot of feelings about that. The scoring bias against women in figure skating and why she keeps doing her thing anyway. And the backbends. We absolutely talk about the backbends. Amber Glenn is a queer icon and she has earned every single word of that title. This one hit deep for me personally and I hope it does for you too. Trigger warning: this episode touches on mental health struggles, eating disorders, and depression.

The Ilia Malinin Episode Part 2: Resilience Looks Good on Him

We're back for Part 2 of the Ilia Malinin deep dive, and this one hits different. We open with some math, bad math actually, because before we can talk about what happened at the Olympics, we need to establish exactly who we're dealing with and how many hours of work got him there. Spoiler: it's an unhinged number. Then we let Ilia himself set the tone. In his own words, from a recent appearance, he tells us exactly what this whole journey has meant to him; and honestly he describes the thesis of this entire podcast better than I ever could. Then we go back to Milan. To the free skate. To the moment the most inevitable gold medal in decades just... didn't happen. We talk about what it was actually like to watch that unfold, why it was so hard to see, and why he can still look adorable even when he's devastated. Quite the accomplishment. From there we get into what came after; how the world reacted with compassion instead of cruelty, and why that's not an accident. We talk about Simone Biles and the cultural shift she helped create that made space for a 21 year old to fall apart publicly and be met with grace instead of criticism. And then we talk about what Ilia actually did with it. The grace. The sportsmanship. The way he handled the media when they came for him immediately after. The way he showed up anyway, every single time, and inspired everyone around him in the process. The way he deals with failure is honestly one of the most inspiring things I've ever watched, and I really don't think I will ever be over it. In the best way. This is the episode that turned me from a fangirl into someone who is genuinely moved by this person. I hope it does the same for you.

The Ilia Malinin Episode Part 1: Be Unapologetically Yourself

If you watched the 2026 Winter Olympics and found yourself completely unable to look away from a certain 21-year-old American figure skater, hi, same. This week we're diving into Part 1 of a two-part deep dive on Ilia Malinin, also known to the world as the Quad God, and I have a lot of feelings and opinions. We start at the beginning: how he grabbed my attention at the Olympics and wouldn't let go. Then we get into something I apparently feel very strongly about — the completely unhinged take that Ilia Malinin isn't artistic. I will die on this hill. If you've seen I'm Not a Vampire you know exactly what I'm talking about, and if you haven't, please go watch it immediately and then come back and apologize to him. We also get into who he actually is off the ice; his background, his lineage, how Russian is his first language and what that tells you about where he comes from. His style, both on and off the ice, because this young man is a bold dresser and I respect it deeply. How emotionally vulnerable and expressive he is, and why that makes him such a genuinely great example for young men right now. The artistic risks he takes. The unapologetic way he just is exactly who he is at all times. And obviously. The cats. The quad cats. The gift that keeps on giving. We could not skip the cats. Then we get into the accomplishments, because the hype is real and earned. What he's actually attempting technically, how hard he's pushing the sport of figure skating, and just how insane the Olympic media spotlight was on this kid going in. He's talked about it himself recently and honestly it puts a lot in perspective. This one ends on a high note, but next week, Part 2, we talk about what happened when the inevitable didn't happen. And why that ended up meaning even more to me than the gold medal story ever could have.

Origin Story - Blame the Olympics For This

It all started with an Xfinity upgrade. Truly the most unglamorous beginning to an origin story ever told, but the rest is good I promise. In the first episode of My Emotional Support Figure Skating, I take you back to where it all began — the 2026 Olympics, a free Peacock subscription I had no idea what to do with, and a childhood memory of watching pairs figure skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics that apparently never fully left me. Turns out figure skating was always in there somewhere. It just took 20 years and a cable bill to wake it back up. I break down my first impressions going in completely blind, no context, no prior knowledge, just vibes. Shoutout to Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir for being the only reason I understood anything that was happening. Genuinely could not have done this without them. We get into the skaters who caught my eye immediately, and yes, I do acknowledge that Olympic athletes are objectively hot, and then we move on like adults (well, sort of I'll probably bring it up more). Kevin Aymoz, JunWhan Cha, and then Ilia Malinin, who I initially heard called the Quad God and thought okay chill dude, but then I watched his short program and immediately understood why he earned that title. The song choice, the tongue, the tricks, the "It" factor. Plus, those blue eyes, that thick blonde hair and great complexion (see I told you I'd bring it up again). It was game over for me. Then the women's free skate, and the moment I became an Amber Glenn fan, which started with a camera catching her hyperventilating against a wall before her skate and me going oh. I know that feeling. Her artistry, her triple axel, and what it meant to see someone be so real in that moment. We close on the men's free skate. The gut punch. Watching Ilia's face as everything unraveled in real time, recognizing something in him that felt deeply familiar, and then watching what he did after... Which is where this whole podcast really begins. This is the origin story. Of the obsession that was fueled by the inspiration these amazing human beings give me. This is not just for skating fans, but for anyone who just needs a little joy and inspiration in their lives. If that's you, welcome. You're in good hands.