WHY UCLA MIGHT BE THE TEAM NOBODY WANTS TO PLAY

00:00:00 Cold open: “If they’re not booing you…”
00:00:44 Abby’s Oscars recap
00:08:53 Angel City’s big home opener win
00:14:13 Welcome to the March Madness Party bracket challenge
00:25:32 NWSL attendance records and weekend results
00:30:19 Oksana Masters makes Paralympic history
00:31:10 Women’s hockey is booming
00:39:03 Lauren Betts and Charlisse Leger-Walker join the show
00:44:28 How the UCLA dance performance went viral
00:49:52 Lauren Betts on NIL, confidence, and identity
00:52:13 Abby’s advice for handling pressure
01:02:20 “Do you feel like you’re going to win this thing?”
01:08:20 Why Julie wants UCLA to win it all
01:08:32 Julie’s hilarious basketball hat

This week on Welcome to the Party, Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach are joined by two stars from one of the hottest teams in the country: UCLA’s Lauren Betts and Charlisse Leger-Walker. With March Madness here and the Bruins looking like a serious title threat, the conversation gets into confidence, chemistry, pressure, and why this UCLA team feels different. Lauren opens up about handling the spotlight, embracing her identity on and off the court, and why she believes this team is ready for the moment, while Charlisse shares how the squad’s viral dance routine came together, what makes this group so close, and how joy has become part of their secret sauce. Julie and Abby also bring the usual party starter energy with stories from Abby’s night at the Oscars, Angel City’s huge 4–0 win, Savvy King’s emotional return, and all the latest women’s sports headlines. It’s funny, heartfelt, competitive, and full of the kind of energy that makes this show such a good time.

Follow @welcometothepartyshow on:
YouTube — @welcometothepartyshow
Instagram — @welcometothepartyshow
TikTok — @welcometothepartyshow
Email — partypeoplequestions@gmail.com

Keep the Party Going:
Join our Welcome to the March Madness Party Bracket Competition: fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer

Abby’s Documentary about the life and death of poet Andrea Gibson; Come See Me in the Good Light:
tv.apple.com/us/movie/come-see-me-in-the-good-light/umc.cmc.27uh51l7oh3ghql2gxb6xvb1s

Angel City Star Savy Kings’ charity:
savykingofhearts.org

UCLA Hoops Documentary, You See LA:
youtu.be/Ga0OcgAn9jg

Follow Oksana Masters:
instagram.com/oksanamasters

Follow the Paralympic athletes:
instagram.com/paralympics

NWSL Results:
nwslsoccer.com

Bras for Girls:
brasforgirls.org

Witness History, PWHL’s First Nationally Televised Game: usatoday.com/story/sports/hockey/2026/03/12/pwhl-womens-hockey-national-tv-broadcast/89106087007

Follow and Hype up our Welcome to the March Madness Party Bracket Competitors:

The RE-CAP show: re-website.com/pages/recapshow and social: instagram.com/re__inc

The Women’s Game: youtube.com/@WomensGameMiB and social: instagram.com/womensgamemib

Good Game with Sarah Spain: iheart.com/podcast/1119-good-game-with-sarah-spai-185664375

Time Wasting: justwomenssports.com/time-wasting and social: instagram.com/reel/DVjV3A7j3Ll

Coach Jackie: instagram.com/jcubedhax and TikTok: tiktok.com/@jcubedhax

COMPETE against all these great pods ⬆️ and our WttP squad; Abby, Julie, and Billie Jean King. Here’s the link to our Welcome to the March Madness Party bracket challenge: fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer

Thank you to our sponsors:
-Ally’s got you covered. Ally Bank, Member FDIC
-Join us and CARE this International Women’s Day and Women’s History month to help level the playing field for women. Sign the pledge at ⁠care.org/pledge
-Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ at onepeloton.com onepeloton.com