How It Started

Samantha and Joslyn can remember talking basketball with each other as far back as 2017, when Dawn Staley became only the second Black basketball coach to win an NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship with the University of South Carolina. Samantha had the idea to take conversations that she had with friends and turn them into a fan-driven women’s basketball podcast. Ultimately, the time was just not ideal and the concept was shelved for an unknown later date. Six years later, after the Women’s Division 1 National Championship game in 2023 (LSU vs Iowa), Samantha felt the calling to reignite her idea of a fan-driven women’s basketball podcast. With the help of her good friend Joslyn and her marketing expert brother Adam, Samantha’s idea turned into a movement. Beyond the Bleachers quickly became a space for women’s basketball fans to listen, share stories, and talk loud and proud about all things women’s basketball and draws fans from all around the world. I guess it’s how they say…the rest is herstory!