The Rising Giant
The Rising Giant: incredible journeys behind features unique and inspirational stories of women football players who became professionals and are taking football to the next level.
Women from all over the world share their unique stories of their struggles and triumph in this beautiful game.
Follow along as history is being created and get inspired to follow your dreams.
Episodes
21 episodes
#21 Quick Kicks: Pressure is only created by our minds
In this quick kicks episode Dominika shares how expectations and pressure started to creep in and how she dealt with it.
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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6:45
#20 Katja Schroffenegger: Playing the Long Game – From Setbacks to Champions League and Italian National Team
Join host Dominika Čonč as she sits down with FC Como Women goalkeeper Katja Schroffenegger. After battling through serious injuries and setbacks, Katja made her way back to the top—playing in the Champions League and earning her place in the I...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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1:02:51
#19 Quick Kicks: You’re As Strong As You Believe You Are
Join host Dominika Čonč as she reflects on a recent shift in her playing position, exploring how embracing change and challenging her own self-perception helped her grow. She dives into the power of our beliefs and how the way we choose to see ...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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6:05
#18 Lauren Holiday: The Pressure to Perform on the USWNT, Empowering Others, and Finding Strength in Faith
Join host Dominika Čonč as she speaks with former USWNT player, World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist Lauren Holiday. Lauren shares her inspirational journey on and off the football field and how faith played a key role in overcoming ob...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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28:37
#17 Quick Kicks: Staying Open and Trusting That Every Situation Works in Your Favor
Join host Dominika Čonč as she shares insights into her current career journey and how she embraces openness, trusting that life’s surprises ultimately work in her favor.
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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8:32
#16 Florentina Olar Spânu: From Playing in the Streets of Romania to Champions League, 197 National Team Caps, and Balancing Motherhood
Join host Dominika Čonč as she speaks with her former teammate and captain of the Romanian national team, Florentina Olar Spânu. Florentina shares her journey from humble beginnings in Romania, where conditions were far from what we see today. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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45:19
#15 Quick Kicks │ Are you having fun?
Join the host Dominika Čonč as she talks about one of the fundamental questions we should all be asking ourselves and the wake up call she received about it.
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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13:30
#14 Nadine Nischler: From Serie C to Serie A and Italian National Team– The League’s Biggest Surprise
Join host Dominika Čonč as she speaks with her FC Como Women teammate Nadine Nischler. Coming form serie C and scoring 7 goals so far in her first year in the serie A, Nadine became the biggest surprise of this season and also earned her first ...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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34:34
#13 Quick Kicks | The Mental Game: Dealing with Not Playing
Join host Dominika Čonč as she opens up about her current club situation, navigating the challenges of not playing, and how she stays focused, motivated, and ready for her next opportunity.
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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13:23
#12 Natasha Dowie: From an Incredible International Career to Becoming Liverpool FC’s First Female Ambassador
Join host Dominika Čonč as she chats with her former teammate and English international Natasha Dowie. They dive into Natasha’s incredible journey across some of the biggest continents and leagues in women’s football at the time. She shares the...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:00:40
#11 Quick Kicks │ Beyond the Starting XI
Join host Dominika Čonč in another Quick Kicks episode as she dives into the importance of every player on the team, not just those in the starting lineup. From the bench to the training ground, we explore how the collective effort of the entir...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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3:53
#10 Dejana Stefanović: Battling Spinal Injury, Overcoming Eating Disorders in Professional Football, and Transforming Her Mindset to Living Her Dreams in WSL
Join host Dominika Čonč in an inspirational conversation with Serbian national team and Brighton & Hove Albion Women midfielder Dejana Stefanović. Dejana shares how her self-believing mindset helped her reach one of the best women’s leagues...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:10:52
#9 Quick Kicks │ Beyond the Sidelines: The Mindset Shift Driving Women’s Football Forward
Join host Dominika Čonč in our new short episodes series Quick Kicks as she dives into the incredible growth of women’s sports. From greater media coverage to skyrocketing fan support and the broader mindset shift that’s changing the game for w...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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8:14
#8 Mária Korenčiová: When Love for the Sport Takes You on a Journey You Never Believed Was Possible
Join host Dominika Čonč for an engaging conversation with professional football player and former teammate, Mária Korenčiová. A key member of the Slovakian national team, Mária shares her journey from a time when women’s football was still unde...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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50:53
#7 Bonus Ep. │ Dominika Čonč: Overcoming Burnout as a Professional Football Player, Leaving AC Milan, and Dropping the Victim Mentality
Join the host Dominika Čonč in this bonus solo episode as she opens up about her time in AC Milan, facing burnout as a professional football player, and how it all made her drop out of the victim mentality.
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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20:00
#6 Rachel Cuschieri: Out of a Small Island and into the Big Leagues, Dealing with Injuries, and Growing as a Player
Join the host Dominika Čonč as she dives into a conversation with her at the time teammate and roommate at UC Sampdoria, Rachel Cuschieri. Rachel is a professional football player from a small island of Malta. She spoke about her journey of bec...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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27:27
#5 Emma Lipman: Self Discovery and Spiritual Growth Through Football
Join the host Dominika Čonč in a discussion with Malta Women’s national team captain and Como Women’s Serie A football player, Emma Lipman. Learn how she broke out of her comfort zone, made her mark in international football, and discovered a s...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:09:10
#4 Claire Falknor: From the USA to Europe, Soccer to Football, Overcoming One Obstacle at a Time
Join the host Dominika Čonč while she talks with a current UDG Tenerife player Claire Falknor. Claire is a former University of Florida, FC Bayern, Huston Dash, Sevila FC and Sporting de Huelva player. She also played for USWNT youth teams. Tun...
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Episode 4
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56:17
#3 Lara Prašnikar: Making a Name for Herself and Becoming The Best Scorrer in German Bundesliga
Join the host Dominika Čonč while she talks with her national team teammate and best scorer of the German Bundesliga. Find out how she went from Slovenia straight to one of the best leagues in the world and what she needed to go through to beco...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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30:58
#2 Natalia Gómez Junco: Using Football as a Vehicle to Navigate Through Life and a Polygon for Growth
Join the host Dominika Čonč in a discussion with a professional football player from Mexico, Natalia Gomez Junco. Find out what Natalia's journey was like to become a professional football player, the role of football in her life, and the chall...
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1:01:10
#1 Solo episode: How I went from a small Slovenian town to the top football leagues and clubs
Join the podcast host Dominika Čonč while she takes you through her journey of becoming a professional football player for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Through ups and downs, she has been following her dreams and carving at times a u...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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49:26