July 7, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode, Ashlyn sits down with Diana Flores, quarterback for the Mexican national flag football team. Flag football was recently announced as a new sport in the 2028 summer Olympics, and that’s largely due to Diana and her teammate’s efforts to get the sport recognized. She tells Ashlyn about that effort, how she fell in love with flag football in the first place, and how playing with boys helped her understand her power. She also shares who she is off the field and why she aims to be a role model for any woman chasing wild dreams.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hi everyone, We are back for another week of Wide Open.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Our guest is the.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
One and only Deanna Flores, the captain and quarterback of
Mexico's national flag football team, led Mexico to a gold
metal in twenty twenty two at the World Games. You're
an ambassador of God knows everything under the sun, including
the NFL, and you're just making huge waves in the
world of sports. And I am so, so so happy
(00:40):
you took the time to come on.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Welcome to Wide Open. How are you update? Where are you?
What's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
They are busy much. I'm so happy to be here
and right now back home in Mexico, CD, which is
great starting prepera for what's next to come in terms
of competitions with the national team working on so many
other stuff, clinics and things like that, you know, to
(01:13):
keep growing the sport. Yes, just willing to have fun.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yes, so much is in the future for you, clearly.
I'm sure everything you're doing right now is gearing up
for the first ever twenty twenty eight Olympics in LA
for flag football.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Like, how exciting is that?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
You? Like?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Tell me everything? How do you feel?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I mean, you've dedicated your whole life to reaching this
type of this moment and this type of recognition, to
really get it.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
As an Olympic sport in the Olympic Games.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Like when that announcement was made, I'm sure, like tell
me everything, What were you thinking, how are you feeling,
where were you at all the work you've done.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
It was an amazing moment. I was at hotel and
I couldn't like hold myself like with emotions and everything.
It was like early in the morning or late night.
I remember calling one of my friends from the national
team like I don't know where you are. I don't
know what time is it where you are, but I
need you to, you know, go through this with me.
(02:29):
Because the IOC made like a live stream, you know
when for the votations and things like that, so we
got an assume goal. We had the live on our phones,
you know, the laptop there, just sharing that moment together.
We wait for like an hour just to hear from
(02:49):
their mouths, you know, like say flat football is in
the Olympic program for LA twenty eight. We cried together.
We had such a great moment there because I mean
it was a dream come true, not only personally of
course for me, for my friend at that moment as athletes,
(03:11):
but also for the whole flavootball community around the world.
It is what many generations before us have dream off.
This opportunity is what many women before us dream of having,
and now it's ahead of us. We have that opportunity
to make our dreams come true. I've been playing for
(03:34):
almost twenty years now. I started when I was eight.
It's incredible, I know, a long time now. It's crazy
to say it or to think about it, because you know,
time flies when you do what you love. And you know,
I didn't dream off having a life like this and
all of this amazing opportunities, not because I didn't want to,
(03:59):
but as an eight year old girl born and raised
in Mexico City who fell in love with the sport
that the world used to say it wasn't for girls,
a very very American sport. You know, it just wasn't
on the on the map. I remember, you know, like
(04:23):
seeing all the oldest girls playing this sport and all
the women like before us that paved the way, but
somehow still feeling like we were out of the world,
you know, like we were intruders into a world that
we were not meant to be at it felt everything
(04:47):
is so small, so local, so between us. Yes, so yeah.
I never imagined that the sport could grow this fast
and this speak as it is right now some and
just like the all the amazing opportunities that are right now,
not only the Olympics, of course, it is like the
biggest thing we have right huge, but also you know,
(05:10):
like it's becoming an extension sport in many states in
the United States, scholars scholarships, not only the States, but
in Mexico. I was able to finish my professional career
thanks to a Flavoobleish scholarship, and I am about to
finish my master's thanks to a Flack footballer scholarship.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
It's incredible you've done it. You've really done so much.
And I'll put everything in context. I for the listeners
and for those watching. I heard you speak at the
Hello Sunshine event Shine Away, and I was just so
(05:53):
captivated and so inspired by the way you carry yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
You are very smart, you are.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Very humble, you are very warm and kind, and you
have dedicated so much of your life to inspire other
people and make room for this sport worldwide. And I
mean you were sitting on stage with Alex Morgan, Candice Parker.
(06:24):
I mean, some of the most notable athletes out there,
and I couldn't stop thinking about your story and for
our listeners and everyone tuning in, I would love to
bring it back to the start. I want you to
bring me back to this eight year old. You always
(06:46):
say you started playing at eight and you were was it?
You were a ballerina before that, you were in ballet.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yeah, so before entering into the football world, I used
to do ballet and pretty much because my dad and
my mom was a dancer, so you know, she wanted
her little princess to go through that pad and and
try ballet and gymnastics, which was fun. But but I
(07:18):
think that ivan always that girl, you know, that willing
to make friends and and have fun and have some
action going on. I remember going to my ballet classes
and just getting with all my my friends and saying, okay,
let's let's play. Let's play something. Let's play you know,
(07:41):
hide and see is how you call it. Let's play
you know, these kind of games, little games, and and
seeing all my friends like, what are you doing? We're
here for the for the dancing class, and and I
was really there for the for the game time. Suddenly,
one day my dad came home and one day he
(08:03):
brought me to a football field, and it was my
first time ever at a football field. I didn't know
anything about football. I didn't know what was going on,
but I remember just sitting in the stance with him
and watching to a group of girls or women i
must say, playing around. I just could see them running around, screaming,
(08:33):
having fun being them. And I feel that's what captured
me from the very first time about the sport, that
what I could see in those women was real, real passion,
real power. They were having the opportunity just to be
them like with no you know, restrictions, nobody judging their
(09:00):
nobody in saying, hey you must behave hey, sit down, yay,
you know, and that really excited me for the very
first time. I must say that at that moment, I
was eight, but those women were like older than me.
They were probably like sixteen, seventy seventeen and up. Because again,
(09:21):
at that moment in time, we didn't had a lot
of you know, categories or juth teams or many opportunities
to play the sport. So that's how it was and
I think when you really find your real love, you
know your real passion, noting else care. The Age didn't care.
(09:45):
I was so lucky to enter into a team that
really welcomed me with arms wide open, a coach that
trusted on me since the very first time. It wasn't
an impediment the age for him, and he really he
taught me and my teammates to how to approach the
world and embrace our power since the very first time.
(10:09):
A very interesting thing about my coach, his name is Julio.
I'm very grateful with him because I know that a
lot of who I am today as a woman, as
an athlete is thanks to him. Is that he used
to coach the college team tackle football at the same
(10:31):
time as coaching us. So he used to go with
a man and then with us at that moment. Imagine
we were a club. It was a football club. So
this club had an amazing football field, you know, natural grass,
nice stance, lighting on, amazing. But we were not allowed
(10:54):
to step on that football field just because we were
women playing around you know, I.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Know, it turns me crazy, I know.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
So we used to practice at the backfield, which was
literally a dirt field. My coach used to ask us
every day before practice to bring trash backs, so we
used to spend the first ten minutes probably clinging around
the area so we could play, you know, from rocks
(11:30):
or trash or little you know, glass or things like that.
But you know, at that moment in time, I was
so young. For me, I couldn't see like the disadvantage there.
It was just the way it is. It is, Okay,
I need to do this for practice. I'll do it.
I don't care. I want to play. I cannot step there.
(11:52):
I don't understand why, but I don't care. I can
play here. And you know, I now, looking back, I
think that that inn is protected me a lot from
the world and from building like barriers on my mind.
That's why I feel that the way I was so
blessed on the way I started playing and with the
(12:15):
people I started playing with that coach, with those teammates,
with my parents, that really builds that you know, fears
mentality and this powerful and NonStop mentality that has helped
me to go through not only sports journey but life absolutely.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And I think you know, as women growing up in
a man's world, you're never enough, Nothing is ever enough.
You're too you know, small, you're too short, you're too slow. Uh,
(12:55):
you're to this, you're too that. No, you can't do that.
And you're hearing all these things that such a young age,
and a lot of our self worth gets so jaded
at such a young age because we're told and just
like you said, you use the word the innocence, the
purity of a young child, especially a young girl, just
(13:17):
wanting to go out and play and do what she loves.
But everyone always has an opinion about it.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
How did you break through that?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
What built you to have this character, to have this
drive to say, oh watch me, wow?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Well, I'm not gonna lie. It has been a long journey,
you know, a long process with a lot of ups
and downs. I think ironically, as you get older sometimes
it gets harder again because you start getting apart a
little bit of that innocence that I talk about before,
(13:58):
that purity, as you mentioned that, just connection with you
and what you love, and you start hearing more around you,
you know, like all the voices thinking about what other
people think on you and things like that. And I
think I went through that process too. I'm gonna go
(14:20):
back a little bit again to the roots to when
I started, because I think it really has shaped me
a lot. I mentioned already that if there were a
lot of things that I couldn't understand at that moment,
but just to see that even if other people around
(14:42):
me didn't understand what I was doing, my people, my family,
my support system, my coach, and my teammates, we were
living our own world. So that was enough for me.
And not only that, but I had people that really
trusted in me no matter what. Again, my parents, that coach,
(15:09):
not only me, but my teammates. Imagine when I was
ten years old, I remember my coach used to make
us play against the guys. So I was twelve years
old playing against college guys which were nineteen twenty years old,
(15:29):
a flat football match after practice. So for me, it
was like, Okay, this is weird, but we're gonna have one.
For him, it was something about breaking mental barriers, you know,
like why can't you play with man because they're gonna
hurt you. Why you're strong to you practice every day
(15:52):
for this. You are fast too. No, you're not gonna
go fight them because probably they are gonna be stronger
than you. It's normal, But what do you have to
approach that game on the field. What are you going
to do to make that touchdown? What are you going
to do to grab that flag? You know, like it
doesn't matter if he's taller or bigger or stronger. What
(16:14):
do you have? You can be faster, you can be smarter,
you can go one step ahead. And I think I
started learning like that mentality since I was little, not
trying to focus always on what I could do to
approach every situation, what I have on my hands to
approach life, instead of just looking on what's against me,
(16:37):
you know, like what do I have to fight for
instead of all the obstacles. Later on, when I turned fourteenth,
I started playing by first time with boys my age,
but in an all boys league, again being the only
girl because that was the only way, and going through
(17:01):
a different type of challenge, which was getting to understand
by first time or feeling that rejection not only from
my coaches but from my teammates too. I started to
see how society, you know, like shape people's mindsets, and
(17:27):
it was hard at the beginning just not to be
able to understand, like why, like why you don't like me?
Why like I'm nice to you? I love this sport
as much as you. I come here every day and
practice and and it was like a tough moment, but
(17:49):
at the end it has been one of the most
amazing processes I had. I've been able to live and
see like the change of mentality from my teammates and coaches.
They went from you know, she's a girl, you know,
just keep it, keep her in the bench, just keep
her one two plays, Let's see what she can do.
(18:12):
I saw them going from she's a girl to Okay,
this girl can play. Okay, how can this girl be
better than me? Okay, I'm gonna show her, like you know,
like this is our world that she can't to Okay,
she can play. Mm hmm okay, this is not just me. Okay,
(18:34):
to defending me. Then against all the you know teams
there were all boys teams from the comps, you know,
like oh that girl make the catch, Oh that girl
make the touchdown. Remember my teammates saying, oh, yes, and
she's gonna score another touchdown to you because she's so good,
she's better than you.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
You know, I'm laughing because I played with boys until
I was fifteen, So I'm having this experiences through your
lens and I'm laughing because.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I get it, Yes, and that's I think that's the
power of sports. But more or further than that is
the power of how a common passion can unite people
through through hearts, you know, through something bigger. And I
think that experience may helped me to understand that sometimes
(19:25):
what we see has challenges from other people around us
or from the world. It's not necessarily because it's against us.
You know. We sometimes tend to think that way, like Okay,
life doesn't want me to do this, or I have
a lot of No, it's not your fault. Sadly, there
(19:47):
are many situation situations where society people were shaped by
old manners, old thoughts, or paradigms, all these stereotypes. Yes,
it's not your fault, and it doesn't it has nothing
to do with you. So you have to do attached
from all of them and help people change that mindset,
(20:11):
how through just showing up every day, just showing up
what you have in common, rather than you know, all
those warriors that can probably be putting you away from
your goals or from the people around you.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Stay tuned.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I'll be back in just a moment after this brief
message from our sponsors. I name this podcast wide Open
because there comes a moment in sports. As you know
you're a quarterback, being wide open is really separating yourself
from the pack.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
It's that one moment.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
To execute, but it's also the ability to be wide
open off the field. It's the ability to be vulnerable,
to be truthful, to be authentic. What is the one
moment in your life that split you wide open, that
changed it all for you?
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Well, I'm going to mention two moments. Like one the
moment I knew that I loved this sport, that this
was what I wanted to do no matter what, Like,
just decided to bet everything on this, even if we
didn't have like a future you know for this, you
know flavorable. Now it's not a professional sport yet, which
(21:33):
means I and my teammates we don't get paid for
playing the sport or representing our country or anything. But
that didn't matter to me. I knew that this was
what I wanted to do. After the first time I
represented my country. You know that feeling of putting the
(21:54):
uniform on, hearing your national anthem, and knowing that you're
representing some something bigger than yourself and with this with
representing something bigger than myself. I think the other key
moment for me was actually after winning the gold medal
(22:14):
at the World Game twenty twenty two, not only because
it was a moment that was a dream for me
and my teammates and that was a culmination of you know,
a lot of years of hard work, passion and love
for the game, but also we realized that what we
(22:39):
did at that moment was bigger than ourselves, was bigger
than the medal itself. It was bringing home the seat
of motivation, of inspiration, of hope to our young girls
back in our country, to our women, and to our people,
(23:01):
you know, to say, hey, we're able to do this
as a country. We're able to do great things. We
are gold dreams come true. That was the most powerful
message that we brought back home thanks to that gold medal,
(23:24):
and through that journey now I was able to find
not only a strongest passion for the game, but also
my life purpose, which is to rem to remind the
(23:47):
young generations of female leaders that we are powerful and
that we are capable to do anything we want in life.
And it was not for me when medals, it was
not for me winning championships or representing my country, which
is one of the biggest donors. It was to be
(24:10):
that role model that I wish I had when I
was young, as an eight year old girl, trying to
look up to someone who looked like me, who played
a sport I loved, who was speaking my language. I
couldn't find a lot, not only in sports, but in
(24:33):
other fields. And it is not because we haven't had
these role models and amazing women through history doing amazing things.
It's because we haven't heard their stories. They didn't have
the platforms. So I feel so blessed to have the
(24:56):
platform today to have the boys to be the boys
for the ones that maybe you don't have it right now.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
I follow you, and I've been following your career now
for quite some time, and I see how much you work,
and imagine if you know you could just dedicate your
time to your craft and be paid fairly for it,
because you know, and I don't know who you owe
this credit to, and you should owe it to yourself,
because you're a very smart, beautiful woman outside of the game,
(25:26):
but you have more brand deals than most people have
in a lifetime already, and you're you know this this
short amount of time and you've diversified, like you've really
your platform and your ability to earn a living and
(25:47):
a name and a brand is going to go far
beyond your playing career because you've done it right.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
How did you figure that out?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Well? Forrisible, you know what, I've been so blessed to
have an amazing team around me in everything I've done,
like not only on the field, but also all the field,
working alongside the NFL and IFAF to make flavorable an
Olympic sport. Just to be able to be part of
that process and navigate for the sport and push the
(26:19):
sport forward. There were a lot of people also behind it.
When it comes to this new like era for me
trying to figure out okay, now what you know, I
have an amazing management team behind me, just more than
(26:42):
trying to figure out, you know, the next steps in
terms of Okay, how are you gonna cream that income?
You know is okay, what do you want to do?
What's your purpose and what's aligned with what you want
to do? And I think that has been the biggest
listening to be able to connect that purpose to many
(27:03):
other people's purposes. You know, because I've learned that somehow,
when you have a clear idea of what you want
in your mind, life is so amazing that brings people
to your life with the same probably same goal or
the same emission or admission aligned to yours. And that
(27:27):
that is what has happened to me working with all
of these amazing runs and there are more gatoryd At
and t Toyota los Cabos and many more. It's because
more than seeing it as a partnership only is okay,
(27:50):
how can I help you build your purpose as a brand,
which I've been so lucky to connect with their mission
on okay, paving a better, frighter future for the girls
out there. That's my goal too, So let's make it
(28:15):
happen together. You know, I always say we are more
than what we do, which for me means I'm more
than a flavorable player. Yes, you know, I am more
than a professionist. We are more than that. So how
do I connect who I am to what I do?
(28:35):
And I'm not gonna lie. It's a it's a NonStop process,
non stop learning process. There are always new things coming,
new dreams, new people. But it's an exciting journey and
I think for me right now, the most important thing
is just keep the main thing, the main thing. I
(28:57):
love that it is a sport. It is the purpose
of building some theory bigger.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Okay, well I want you.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I love that you brought that up because this is
the whole point of this show. It's yeah, because I
think people when when people see us, they always see
us uh in our sport, in the limelight on the field.
They have no idea who we are off of it,
and we're never asked about it. Who are you off
(29:25):
the field? What do you love to do? What are
your hopes and dreams? What do you want to build?
And you're getting your master's in business?
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Yes, so what's marketing and communication? And my master's is
done innovation for enterprise development.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
So yeah, there you go. Tell me, tell me who
you tell all the listeners like, who are you.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Off the field? What? What do you like to do?
What inspires you? What keeps you going? What is the why?
Outside of it? Do you find balance?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Hmmm? Okay? Who I am? Okay? I am an oldest
daughter of three brother and a sister. Three siblings. We
are so they are my biggest my biggest motivation. Love
that and my best friends. My brother is now in Germany,
(30:18):
my sister is living here with me. I share this
passion of sport with them. He is now with the
Sweden national team. So imagine, just to be able to
to be in this flappable world is one of the
biggest blessings. I love to play the piano. I started
(30:40):
playing the piano when I was probably ten, thanks to
my uncle.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Wow, what can't you do? At this point?
Speaker 3 (30:49):
I do it as a hobie. I wish I had
more time to you know, practice, but it is something
I like and really like relaxes me and and takes
me back to you know, my my inner peace and
my sand zone. I love taking runs, Like every time
(31:12):
I go to a new city. I think it is
the best way to get to know a city. Just
go out, take around. You'll see not only the special
places around the city, but also get to see the
people around. And I love that and what motivates me.
(31:35):
I think since I was little, to be honest, I
change profession like so many times, Like I wanted to
be archaeologist when I was probably like twelve, and I
wanted to go to Egypt and all those you know,
(31:57):
like amazing adventures then and I figured out that it
was not all that profession didn't look like that all
the time. So I was like, Okay, no, then I
don't want to do it because I just want the
one part. Then I wanted to study engineering, pharmaceutic engineering,
(32:18):
and I was like one step away to be on
that journey. That's another reason why I really really believe
that we all have a purpose in life, and sometimes
life guide us. It is not like us, you know,
like taking all the decisions and that that's how it
(32:40):
was for me. Literally one week before starting to study
pharmaceutic engineering, I got an offer for this scholarship of
Black Poop or scholarship. I was one of the first
players to have this opportunity, and I didn't thought wise
(33:01):
because sport has been my biggest love always and I
knew that it was gonna be the only way I
could manage to do both at the same time. So
that's how my life changed drastically, from engineering to business
and marketing.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
I honestly I say that when a door opens, you
walk through it. Yeah, you just keep walking through the
doors that open, and you never know what life will
bring you.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Is the truth.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
It is the truth. And that has been to be
honest one of the biggest lessons of my life since ever.
Like sometimes you may be afraid sometimes yeah we never know,
you know what it's gonna be ahead of us. But
if you have this conviction that's something biggest and waiting
(33:54):
for you right in the corner, that makes everything easier,
like every decision, and sometimes it's just taking steps of
faith and to be honest. That's what I've done many
times in my life. And as you said, life always
surprise you if you just do your job, if you
(34:17):
stay disciplined to your goals, if you do if you
do the hard work, life surprise you with a brighter
and bigger future that than quan do what you could
ever conceive. So that has been my journey, and yeah,
that's a little bit of who I am. What keeps
(34:39):
me motivated, I think is to be able to bring
to build connections, to make a positive impact whatever I do.
Whenever I go on the field of the field and
just I don't know, like keep keep pushing forward, being
(34:59):
part part of this movement of change and just getting
to see and connect with little girls all over the world.
I've been able to be not only in Mexico, with
the US in Europe in Morocco last year, bringing the
sport to many young girls, and just to see the
(35:24):
joy they have when they first catch up football. The passion,
the power, that's what motivates me to do almost everything
I do.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
This is wide open and I'm your host, Ashlyn Harris.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Thanks for listening. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
I'm a little jealous because I watch your content on
your social channels and.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
You are such a badass.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
The way you move when you play like it is
so fun to watch. I'm like, how do we not
have like a sanctioned professional league.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
This is the most entertaining stuff to watch.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I'm actually a little pissed because we didn't have flag
football when I was growing up. Well, we played like
school games. We used to have it at like recess.
But I would have I would have loved flag football.
I would have fucking lived and I would have been good.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Oh yeah, I bet.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
That was like this should have been my sport. I'm like,
so what do we need to do?
Speaker 2 (36:36):
What do we need? How what needs to happen?
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Because I mean, I only have a few more years
and I want to be a part of this league
so I can come out of retirement. No, but seriously,
how do we speak this into existence? What needs to happen?
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Well, I think we're living a very special moment in time,
not only with the race of women sports, but also
the race of flavorable worldwide. We already talked about the
upcoming Olympic Games and this this is definitely the time
to make it happen. I think that also a lot
(37:15):
of like more brands are looking into the sport as
the opportunity it is, you know, to not only connect
with new people, new fans, but also you know, start
making the will roll for everybody. I think one of
(37:37):
the biggest steps are already like happening slowly, which is, Okay,
build safe places and platforms for the youth to develop
in this sport. Okay, the NFL flatooraball is doing an
amazing job and other like local leagues to make that happen.
Introduce boys and girls. That's the first stage. Then, Okay,
(38:01):
build opportunities, push to make flavorable extension sport wherever you
are at, whatever your state is. It's all about asking
for the sport to be played in your nearest high school,
you know, making that interest get noticed, because that's the
(38:26):
only way we're gonna make it happen. And as more
sentiented states I'm talking in the United States, but also
here in Mexico and around the world, we get more opportunities.
Boys and girls are going to have to keep developing
their selves as athlete in this sport. Then scholarships, which
(38:47):
is already happening, and I've heard that probably it's gonna
become an NCAA sanction sport soon. So that's gonna be
a huge thing and a change for sure for it
female flavooable athletes out there. It's opportunities because sport is
(39:10):
that it opens your doors not only to develop yourself
as an athlete on the field, but also to achieve
your dreams off the field. And flavvootball is an amazing
tool to make that happen. And next step to have
this professional flat football league. The interest is there, Oh god, yeah,
(39:31):
everybody sees the opportunity. It's a huge opportunity. I think
right now it's a matter of Okay, how how do
we make it sustainable? How do we make it real?
How do we make it? Yeah, sustainable in time? We
don't want this for a year or two, or for
here to the Olympics. We want this to say for
years and years for the future generations to come. So
(39:58):
I think a lot of this comes with also giving
the platform to the athletes to tell their stories, to
connect with the people, to just start building that community,
because that's the way interesting the sport will grow, and
(40:18):
that's the way we are going to make this profitable,
to make it sustainable for the next years.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Absolutely, And what's next for you? Like what tell Tell
everyone what's next? Tell everyone how to find you?
Speaker 3 (40:37):
What's next for me? Well, already training with the national
team to make it to the World Games this year
in China. We have World Games in August, we have
Continental Championship, which is qualifier for World Cup next year.
And next year is when the Olympic Journey starts, qualifications
(41:01):
for the Olympics in twenty eight. That's, of course one
of my biggest dreams. I really want to be there.
I'm already working for it to make it happen, So
on that side, that's the goal right now, on the
professional side or off the field, just being able to
(41:24):
keep working with all my partners and friends in different projects,
to keep pushing the sport forward in Mexico. Last year
we had the biggest flaff football camp all women in
Mexico City. We had more than one hundred girls were
needed to learn and play flag football. It was amazing.
(41:48):
So the goal is to keep making it happen year
after year, keep doing it in the States. Of course,
I'm working with a dear friend, Vivis Chapter, which is
former NFL coach and national team from Great Britain, and
putting a series of camps in Europe this year, so
(42:10):
to to keep helping and push the sport forward in
that part of the globe too. And that's what excites
me right now, just to be able to share this
love and passion for the game and keep building opportunities
whatever that means, you know, on off the field. With
all the capacities I have, I think that's my main
(42:35):
goal right now for the next years to come.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Well, we are all rooting for you.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
We are in your corner, So thank you so much
for your time and dedication to your craft. But most
importantly for this younger generation who is going to grow
up want in your name on the back of their jersey.
You're so humble and kind and sweet, and you give
credit to everyone else, and I want to give that
(43:02):
credit back to you, because this sport wouldn't be what
it is without you, and you should know that, and
I hope you do know that.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Thank you. Thank you so much. And I have to
say that I have a huge respect and admiration for
you too. Thank you because I mentioned that when I
was growing up, I didn't have this role model to
(43:30):
follow that played my sport, that looked like me, that
spoke my language. But I found that motivation and inspiration
in women like you. Thank you, like you and your
teammates and your journeys and everything you did for the
sport and for women on and off the field. And
(43:54):
I think that's one of the biggest blessings that we
all have as human beingsnesses to know that or be
conscious that everything we do, even if we don't realize
it at the moment, will always have a bigger impact
on ourselves.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
I'm receiving that, so thank you so much, and thank
you for your time. Everyone another episode of Wide Open
with Leanna Flores. Thank you so much for taking the time.
We are all going to be following you. Tell everyone
where they can find you on your social channels.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Oh yes, so in Instagram like Dianna Flores thirty three,
happy to just build community there to join my journey
in flat football journey around the world. TikTok same username.
Great and yeah, happy to connect with you all there.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Thank you so much for coming on and good luck
with everything. And if you ever need anything, I'm always
in your corner. I'm a phone call in any way
I can help push this forward, get a league started
for you have some type of investment. I am here
because i really believe in what you're doing and I'm
grateful for the work you do in women's sports. So
(45:14):
thank you so much and we'll see you soon.
Speaker 3 (45:18):
Thank you. I'm sending you up bihook.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
Yes ah, I'll see you soon. I can't wait see
you soon.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
Wide Open with Ashland Harris is an iHeart women's sports production.
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Our producers are Carmen
Borca Correo, Emily Maronov, and Lucy Jones. Production assistants from
Malia Aguidello. Our executive producers are Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan
(45:58):
and Emily Rudder are editors are Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder,
And I'm your host, Ashlyn Harris.
Hi everyone, We are back for another week of Wide Open.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Our guest is the.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
One and only Deanna Flores, the captain and quarterback of
Mexico's national flag football team, led Mexico to a gold
metal in twenty twenty two at the World Games. You're
an ambassador of God knows everything under the sun, including
the NFL, and you're just making huge waves in the
world of sports. And I am so, so so happy
(00:40):
you took the time to come on.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Welcome to Wide Open. How are you update? Where are you?
What's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
They are busy much. I'm so happy to be here
and right now back home in Mexico, CD, which is
great starting prepera for what's next to come in terms
of competitions with the national team working on so many
other stuff, clinics and things like that, you know, to
(01:13):
keep growing the sport. Yes, just willing to have fun.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Yes, so much is in the future for you, clearly.
I'm sure everything you're doing right now is gearing up
for the first ever twenty twenty eight Olympics in LA
for flag football.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Like, how exciting is that?
Speaker 3 (01:38):
You? Like?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Tell me everything? How do you feel?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
I mean, you've dedicated your whole life to reaching this
type of this moment and this type of recognition, to
really get it.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
As an Olympic sport in the Olympic Games.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Like when that announcement was made, I'm sure, like tell
me everything, What were you thinking, how are you feeling,
where were you at all the work you've done.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
It was an amazing moment. I was at hotel and
I couldn't like hold myself like with emotions and everything.
It was like early in the morning or late night.
I remember calling one of my friends from the national
team like I don't know where you are. I don't
know what time is it where you are, but I
need you to, you know, go through this with me.
(02:29):
Because the IOC made like a live stream, you know
when for the votations and things like that, so we
got an assume goal. We had the live on our phones,
you know, the laptop there, just sharing that moment together.
We wait for like an hour just to hear from
(02:49):
their mouths, you know, like say flat football is in
the Olympic program for LA twenty eight. We cried together.
We had such a great moment there because I mean
it was a dream come true, not only personally of
course for me, for my friend at that moment as athletes,
(03:11):
but also for the whole flavootball community around the world.
It is what many generations before us have dream off.
This opportunity is what many women before us dream of having,
and now it's ahead of us. We have that opportunity
to make our dreams come true. I've been playing for
(03:34):
almost twenty years now. I started when I was eight.
It's incredible, I know, a long time now. It's crazy
to say it or to think about it, because you know,
time flies when you do what you love. And you know,
I didn't dream off having a life like this and
all of this amazing opportunities, not because I didn't want to,
(03:59):
but as an eight year old girl born and raised
in Mexico City who fell in love with the sport
that the world used to say it wasn't for girls,
a very very American sport. You know, it just wasn't
on the on the map. I remember, you know, like
(04:23):
seeing all the oldest girls playing this sport and all
the women like before us that paved the way, but
somehow still feeling like we were out of the world,
you know, like we were intruders into a world that
we were not meant to be at it felt everything
(04:47):
is so small, so local, so between us. Yes, so yeah.
I never imagined that the sport could grow this fast
and this speak as it is right now some and
just like the all the amazing opportunities that are right now,
not only the Olympics, of course, it is like the
biggest thing we have right huge, but also you know,
(05:10):
like it's becoming an extension sport in many states in
the United States, scholars scholarships, not only the States, but
in Mexico. I was able to finish my professional career
thanks to a Flavoobleish scholarship, and I am about to
finish my master's thanks to a Flack footballer scholarship.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
It's incredible you've done it. You've really done so much.
And I'll put everything in context. I for the listeners
and for those watching. I heard you speak at the
Hello Sunshine event Shine Away, and I was just so
(05:53):
captivated and so inspired by the way you carry yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
You are very smart, you are.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Very humble, you are very warm and kind, and you
have dedicated so much of your life to inspire other
people and make room for this sport worldwide. And I
mean you were sitting on stage with Alex Morgan, Candice Parker.
(06:24):
I mean, some of the most notable athletes out there,
and I couldn't stop thinking about your story and for
our listeners and everyone tuning in, I would love to
bring it back to the start. I want you to
bring me back to this eight year old. You always
(06:46):
say you started playing at eight and you were was it?
You were a ballerina before that, you were in ballet.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yeah, so before entering into the football world, I used
to do ballet and pretty much because my dad and
my mom was a dancer, so you know, she wanted
her little princess to go through that pad and and
try ballet and gymnastics, which was fun. But but I
(07:18):
think that ivan always that girl, you know, that willing
to make friends and and have fun and have some
action going on. I remember going to my ballet classes
and just getting with all my my friends and saying, okay,
let's let's play. Let's play something. Let's play you know,
(07:41):
hide and see is how you call it. Let's play
you know, these kind of games, little games, and and
seeing all my friends like, what are you doing? We're
here for the for the dancing class, and and I
was really there for the for the game time. Suddenly,
one day my dad came home and one day he
(08:03):
brought me to a football field, and it was my
first time ever at a football field. I didn't know
anything about football. I didn't know what was going on,
but I remember just sitting in the stance with him
and watching to a group of girls or women i
must say, playing around. I just could see them running around, screaming,
(08:33):
having fun being them. And I feel that's what captured
me from the very first time about the sport, that
what I could see in those women was real, real passion,
real power. They were having the opportunity just to be
them like with no you know, restrictions, nobody judging their
(09:00):
nobody in saying, hey you must behave hey, sit down, yay,
you know, and that really excited me for the very
first time. I must say that at that moment, I
was eight, but those women were like older than me.
They were probably like sixteen, seventy seventeen and up. Because again,
(09:21):
at that moment in time, we didn't had a lot
of you know, categories or juth teams or many opportunities
to play the sport. So that's how it was and
I think when you really find your real love, you
know your real passion, noting else care. The Age didn't care.
(09:45):
I was so lucky to enter into a team that
really welcomed me with arms wide open, a coach that
trusted on me since the very first time. It wasn't
an impediment the age for him, and he really he
taught me and my teammates to how to approach the
world and embrace our power since the very first time.
(10:09):
A very interesting thing about my coach, his name is Julio.
I'm very grateful with him because I know that a
lot of who I am today as a woman, as
an athlete is thanks to him. Is that he used
to coach the college team tackle football at the same
(10:31):
time as coaching us. So he used to go with
a man and then with us at that moment. Imagine
we were a club. It was a football club. So
this club had an amazing football field, you know, natural grass,
nice stance, lighting on, amazing. But we were not allowed
(10:54):
to step on that football field just because we were
women playing around you know, I.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Know, it turns me crazy, I know.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
So we used to practice at the backfield, which was
literally a dirt field. My coach used to ask us
every day before practice to bring trash backs, so we
used to spend the first ten minutes probably clinging around
the area so we could play, you know, from rocks
(11:30):
or trash or little you know, glass or things like that.
But you know, at that moment in time, I was
so young. For me, I couldn't see like the disadvantage there.
It was just the way it is. It is, Okay,
I need to do this for practice. I'll do it.
I don't care. I want to play. I cannot step there.
(11:52):
I don't understand why, but I don't care. I can
play here. And you know, I now, looking back, I
think that that inn is protected me a lot from
the world and from building like barriers on my mind.
That's why I feel that the way I was so
blessed on the way I started playing and with the
(12:15):
people I started playing with that coach, with those teammates,
with my parents, that really builds that you know, fears
mentality and this powerful and NonStop mentality that has helped
me to go through not only sports journey but life absolutely.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And I think you know, as women growing up in
a man's world, you're never enough, Nothing is ever enough.
You're too you know, small, you're too short, you're too slow. Uh,
(12:55):
you're to this, you're too that. No, you can't do that.
And you're hearing all these things that such a young age,
and a lot of our self worth gets so jaded
at such a young age because we're told and just
like you said, you use the word the innocence, the
purity of a young child, especially a young girl, just
(13:17):
wanting to go out and play and do what she loves.
But everyone always has an opinion about it.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
How did you break through that?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
What built you to have this character, to have this
drive to say, oh watch me, wow?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Well, I'm not gonna lie. It has been a long journey,
you know, a long process with a lot of ups
and downs. I think ironically, as you get older sometimes
it gets harder again because you start getting apart a
little bit of that innocence that I talk about before,
(13:58):
that purity, as you mentioned that, just connection with you
and what you love, and you start hearing more around you,
you know, like all the voices thinking about what other
people think on you and things like that. And I
think I went through that process too. I'm gonna go
(14:20):
back a little bit again to the roots to when
I started, because I think it really has shaped me
a lot. I mentioned already that if there were a
lot of things that I couldn't understand at that moment,
but just to see that even if other people around
(14:42):
me didn't understand what I was doing, my people, my family,
my support system, my coach, and my teammates, we were
living our own world. So that was enough for me.
And not only that, but I had people that really
trusted in me no matter what. Again, my parents, that coach,
(15:09):
not only me, but my teammates. Imagine when I was
ten years old, I remember my coach used to make
us play against the guys. So I was twelve years
old playing against college guys which were nineteen twenty years old,
(15:29):
a flat football match after practice. So for me, it
was like, Okay, this is weird, but we're gonna have one.
For him, it was something about breaking mental barriers, you know,
like why can't you play with man because they're gonna
hurt you. Why you're strong to you practice every day
(15:52):
for this. You are fast too. No, you're not gonna
go fight them because probably they are gonna be stronger
than you. It's normal, But what do you have to
approach that game on the field. What are you going
to do to make that touchdown? What are you going
to do to grab that flag? You know, like it
doesn't matter if he's taller or bigger or stronger. What
(16:14):
do you have? You can be faster, you can be smarter,
you can go one step ahead. And I think I
started learning like that mentality since I was little, not
trying to focus always on what I could do to
approach every situation, what I have on my hands to
approach life, instead of just looking on what's against me,
(16:37):
you know, like what do I have to fight for
instead of all the obstacles. Later on, when I turned fourteenth,
I started playing by first time with boys my age,
but in an all boys league, again being the only
girl because that was the only way, and going through
(17:01):
a different type of challenge, which was getting to understand
by first time or feeling that rejection not only from
my coaches but from my teammates too. I started to
see how society, you know, like shape people's mindsets, and
(17:27):
it was hard at the beginning just not to be
able to understand, like why, like why you don't like me?
Why like I'm nice to you? I love this sport
as much as you. I come here every day and
practice and and it was like a tough moment, but
(17:49):
at the end it has been one of the most
amazing processes I had. I've been able to live and
see like the change of mentality from my teammates and coaches.
They went from you know, she's a girl, you know,
just keep it, keep her in the bench, just keep
her one two plays, Let's see what she can do.
(18:12):
I saw them going from she's a girl to Okay,
this girl can play. Okay, how can this girl be
better than me? Okay, I'm gonna show her, like you know,
like this is our world that she can't to Okay,
she can play. Mm hmm okay, this is not just me. Okay,
(18:34):
to defending me. Then against all the you know teams
there were all boys teams from the comps, you know,
like oh that girl make the catch, Oh that girl
make the touchdown. Remember my teammates saying, oh, yes, and
she's gonna score another touchdown to you because she's so good,
she's better than you.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
You know, I'm laughing because I played with boys until
I was fifteen, So I'm having this experiences through your
lens and I'm laughing because.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I get it, Yes, and that's I think that's the
power of sports. But more or further than that is
the power of how a common passion can unite people
through through hearts, you know, through something bigger. And I
think that experience may helped me to understand that sometimes
(19:25):
what we see has challenges from other people around us
or from the world. It's not necessarily because it's against us.
You know. We sometimes tend to think that way, like Okay,
life doesn't want me to do this, or I have
a lot of No, it's not your fault. Sadly, there
(19:47):
are many situation situations where society people were shaped by
old manners, old thoughts, or paradigms, all these stereotypes. Yes,
it's not your fault, and it doesn't it has nothing
to do with you. So you have to do attached
from all of them and help people change that mindset,
(20:11):
how through just showing up every day, just showing up
what you have in common, rather than you know, all
those warriors that can probably be putting you away from
your goals or from the people around you.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Stay tuned.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I'll be back in just a moment after this brief
message from our sponsors. I name this podcast wide Open
because there comes a moment in sports. As you know
you're a quarterback, being wide open is really separating yourself
from the pack.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
It's that one moment.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
To execute, but it's also the ability to be wide
open off the field. It's the ability to be vulnerable,
to be truthful, to be authentic. What is the one
moment in your life that split you wide open, that
changed it all for you?
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Well, I'm going to mention two moments. Like one the
moment I knew that I loved this sport, that this
was what I wanted to do no matter what, Like,
just decided to bet everything on this, even if we
didn't have like a future you know for this, you
know flavorable. Now it's not a professional sport yet, which
(21:33):
means I and my teammates we don't get paid for
playing the sport or representing our country or anything. But
that didn't matter to me. I knew that this was
what I wanted to do. After the first time I
represented my country. You know that feeling of putting the
(21:54):
uniform on, hearing your national anthem, and knowing that you're
representing some something bigger than yourself and with this with
representing something bigger than myself. I think the other key
moment for me was actually after winning the gold medal
(22:14):
at the World Game twenty twenty two, not only because
it was a moment that was a dream for me
and my teammates and that was a culmination of you know,
a lot of years of hard work, passion and love
for the game, but also we realized that what we
(22:39):
did at that moment was bigger than ourselves, was bigger
than the medal itself. It was bringing home the seat
of motivation, of inspiration, of hope to our young girls
back in our country, to our women, and to our people,
(23:01):
you know, to say, hey, we're able to do this
as a country. We're able to do great things. We
are gold dreams come true. That was the most powerful
message that we brought back home thanks to that gold medal,
(23:24):
and through that journey now I was able to find
not only a strongest passion for the game, but also
my life purpose, which is to rem to remind the
(23:47):
young generations of female leaders that we are powerful and
that we are capable to do anything we want in life.
And it was not for me when medals, it was
not for me winning championships or representing my country, which
is one of the biggest donors. It was to be
(24:10):
that role model that I wish I had when I
was young, as an eight year old girl, trying to
look up to someone who looked like me, who played
a sport I loved, who was speaking my language. I
couldn't find a lot, not only in sports, but in
(24:33):
other fields. And it is not because we haven't had
these role models and amazing women through history doing amazing things.
It's because we haven't heard their stories. They didn't have
the platforms. So I feel so blessed to have the
(24:56):
platform today to have the boys to be the boys
for the ones that maybe you don't have it right now.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
I follow you, and I've been following your career now
for quite some time, and I see how much you work,
and imagine if you know you could just dedicate your
time to your craft and be paid fairly for it,
because you know, and I don't know who you owe
this credit to, and you should owe it to yourself,
because you're a very smart, beautiful woman outside of the game,
(25:26):
but you have more brand deals than most people have
in a lifetime already, and you're you know this this
short amount of time and you've diversified, like you've really
your platform and your ability to earn a living and
(25:47):
a name and a brand is going to go far
beyond your playing career because you've done it right.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
How did you figure that out?
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Well? Forrisible, you know what, I've been so blessed to
have an amazing team around me in everything I've done,
like not only on the field, but also all the field,
working alongside the NFL and IFAF to make flavorable an
Olympic sport. Just to be able to be part of
that process and navigate for the sport and push the
(26:19):
sport forward. There were a lot of people also behind it.
When it comes to this new like era for me
trying to figure out okay, now what you know, I
have an amazing management team behind me, just more than
(26:42):
trying to figure out, you know, the next steps in
terms of Okay, how are you gonna cream that income?
You know is okay, what do you want to do?
What's your purpose and what's aligned with what you want
to do? And I think that has been the biggest
listening to be able to connect that purpose to many
(27:03):
other people's purposes. You know, because I've learned that somehow,
when you have a clear idea of what you want
in your mind, life is so amazing that brings people
to your life with the same probably same goal or
the same emission or admission aligned to yours. And that
(27:27):
that is what has happened to me working with all
of these amazing runs and there are more gatoryd At
and t Toyota los Cabos and many more. It's because
more than seeing it as a partnership only is okay,
(27:50):
how can I help you build your purpose as a brand,
which I've been so lucky to connect with their mission
on okay, paving a better, frighter future for the girls
out there. That's my goal too, So let's make it
(28:15):
happen together. You know, I always say we are more
than what we do, which for me means I'm more
than a flavorable player. Yes, you know, I am more
than a professionist. We are more than that. So how
do I connect who I am to what I do?
(28:35):
And I'm not gonna lie. It's a it's a NonStop process,
non stop learning process. There are always new things coming,
new dreams, new people. But it's an exciting journey and
I think for me right now, the most important thing
is just keep the main thing, the main thing. I
(28:57):
love that it is a sport. It is the purpose
of building some theory bigger.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Okay, well I want you.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I love that you brought that up because this is
the whole point of this show. It's yeah, because I
think people when when people see us, they always see
us uh in our sport, in the limelight on the field.
They have no idea who we are off of it,
and we're never asked about it. Who are you off
(29:25):
the field? What do you love to do? What are
your hopes and dreams? What do you want to build?
And you're getting your master's in business?
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Yes, so what's marketing and communication? And my master's is
done innovation for enterprise development.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
So yeah, there you go. Tell me, tell me who
you tell all the listeners like, who are you.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Off the field? What? What do you like to do?
What inspires you? What keeps you going? What is the why?
Outside of it? Do you find balance?
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Hmmm? Okay? Who I am? Okay? I am an oldest
daughter of three brother and a sister. Three siblings. We
are so they are my biggest my biggest motivation. Love
that and my best friends. My brother is now in Germany,
(30:18):
my sister is living here with me. I share this
passion of sport with them. He is now with the
Sweden national team. So imagine, just to be able to
to be in this flappable world is one of the
biggest blessings. I love to play the piano. I started
(30:40):
playing the piano when I was probably ten, thanks to
my uncle.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Wow, what can't you do? At this point?
Speaker 3 (30:49):
I do it as a hobie. I wish I had
more time to you know, practice, but it is something
I like and really like relaxes me and and takes
me back to you know, my my inner peace and
my sand zone. I love taking runs, Like every time
(31:12):
I go to a new city. I think it is
the best way to get to know a city. Just
go out, take around. You'll see not only the special
places around the city, but also get to see the
people around. And I love that and what motivates me.
(31:35):
I think since I was little, to be honest, I
change profession like so many times, Like I wanted to
be archaeologist when I was probably like twelve, and I
wanted to go to Egypt and all those you know,
(31:57):
like amazing adventures then and I figured out that it
was not all that profession didn't look like that all
the time. So I was like, Okay, no, then I
don't want to do it because I just want the
one part. Then I wanted to study engineering, pharmaceutic engineering,
(32:18):
and I was like one step away to be on
that journey. That's another reason why I really really believe
that we all have a purpose in life, and sometimes
life guide us. It is not like us, you know,
like taking all the decisions and that that's how it
(32:40):
was for me. Literally one week before starting to study
pharmaceutic engineering, I got an offer for this scholarship of
Black Poop or scholarship. I was one of the first
players to have this opportunity, and I didn't thought wise
(33:01):
because sport has been my biggest love always and I
knew that it was gonna be the only way I
could manage to do both at the same time. So
that's how my life changed drastically, from engineering to business
and marketing.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
I honestly I say that when a door opens, you
walk through it. Yeah, you just keep walking through the
doors that open, and you never know what life will
bring you.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Is the truth.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
It is the truth. And that has been to be
honest one of the biggest lessons of my life since ever.
Like sometimes you may be afraid sometimes yeah we never know,
you know what it's gonna be ahead of us. But
if you have this conviction that's something biggest and waiting
(33:54):
for you right in the corner, that makes everything easier,
like every decision, and sometimes it's just taking steps of
faith and to be honest. That's what I've done many
times in my life. And as you said, life always
surprise you if you just do your job, if you
(34:17):
stay disciplined to your goals, if you do if you
do the hard work, life surprise you with a brighter
and bigger future that than quan do what you could
ever conceive. So that has been my journey, and yeah,
that's a little bit of who I am. What keeps
(34:39):
me motivated, I think is to be able to bring
to build connections, to make a positive impact whatever I do.
Whenever I go on the field of the field and
just I don't know, like keep keep pushing forward, being
(34:59):
part part of this movement of change and just getting
to see and connect with little girls all over the world.
I've been able to be not only in Mexico, with
the US in Europe in Morocco last year, bringing the
sport to many young girls, and just to see the
(35:24):
joy they have when they first catch up football. The passion,
the power, that's what motivates me to do almost everything
I do.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
This is wide open and I'm your host, Ashlyn Harris.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Thanks for listening. We'll be right back.
Speaker 1 (35:49):
I'm a little jealous because I watch your content on
your social channels and.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
You are such a badass.
Speaker 1 (35:56):
The way you move when you play like it is
so fun to watch. I'm like, how do we not
have like a sanctioned professional league.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
This is the most entertaining stuff to watch.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I'm actually a little pissed because we didn't have flag
football when I was growing up. Well, we played like
school games. We used to have it at like recess.
But I would have I would have loved flag football.
I would have fucking lived and I would have been good.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Oh yeah, I bet.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
That was like this should have been my sport. I'm like,
so what do we need to do?
Speaker 2 (36:36):
What do we need? How what needs to happen?
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Because I mean, I only have a few more years
and I want to be a part of this league
so I can come out of retirement. No, but seriously,
how do we speak this into existence? What needs to happen?
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Well, I think we're living a very special moment in time,
not only with the race of women sports, but also
the race of flavorable worldwide. We already talked about the
upcoming Olympic Games and this this is definitely the time
to make it happen. I think that also a lot
(37:15):
of like more brands are looking into the sport as
the opportunity it is, you know, to not only connect
with new people, new fans, but also you know, start
making the will roll for everybody. I think one of
(37:37):
the biggest steps are already like happening slowly, which is, Okay,
build safe places and platforms for the youth to develop
in this sport. Okay, the NFL flatooraball is doing an
amazing job and other like local leagues to make that happen.
Introduce boys and girls. That's the first stage. Then, Okay,
(38:01):
build opportunities, push to make flavorable extension sport wherever you
are at, whatever your state is. It's all about asking
for the sport to be played in your nearest high school,
you know, making that interest get noticed, because that's the
(38:26):
only way we're gonna make it happen. And as more
sentiented states I'm talking in the United States, but also
here in Mexico and around the world, we get more opportunities.
Boys and girls are going to have to keep developing
their selves as athlete in this sport. Then scholarships, which
(38:47):
is already happening, and I've heard that probably it's gonna
become an NCAA sanction sport soon. So that's gonna be
a huge thing and a change for sure for it
female flavooable athletes out there. It's opportunities because sport is
(39:10):
that it opens your doors not only to develop yourself
as an athlete on the field, but also to achieve
your dreams off the field. And flavvootball is an amazing
tool to make that happen. And next step to have
this professional flat football league. The interest is there, Oh god, yeah,
(39:31):
everybody sees the opportunity. It's a huge opportunity. I think
right now it's a matter of Okay, how how do
we make it sustainable? How do we make it real?
How do we make it? Yeah, sustainable in time? We
don't want this for a year or two, or for
here to the Olympics. We want this to say for
years and years for the future generations to come. So
(39:58):
I think a lot of this comes with also giving
the platform to the athletes to tell their stories, to
connect with the people, to just start building that community,
because that's the way interesting the sport will grow, and
(40:18):
that's the way we are going to make this profitable,
to make it sustainable for the next years.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Absolutely, And what's next for you? Like what tell Tell
everyone what's next? Tell everyone how to find you?
Speaker 3 (40:37):
What's next for me? Well, already training with the national
team to make it to the World Games this year
in China. We have World Games in August, we have
Continental Championship, which is qualifier for World Cup next year.
And next year is when the Olympic Journey starts, qualifications
(41:01):
for the Olympics in twenty eight. That's, of course one
of my biggest dreams. I really want to be there.
I'm already working for it to make it happen, So
on that side, that's the goal right now, on the
professional side or off the field, just being able to
(41:24):
keep working with all my partners and friends in different projects,
to keep pushing the sport forward in Mexico. Last year
we had the biggest flaff football camp all women in
Mexico City. We had more than one hundred girls were
needed to learn and play flag football. It was amazing.
(41:48):
So the goal is to keep making it happen year
after year, keep doing it in the States. Of course,
I'm working with a dear friend, Vivis Chapter, which is
former NFL coach and national team from Great Britain, and
putting a series of camps in Europe this year, so
(42:10):
to to keep helping and push the sport forward in
that part of the globe too. And that's what excites
me right now, just to be able to share this
love and passion for the game and keep building opportunities
whatever that means, you know, on off the field. With
all the capacities I have, I think that's my main
(42:35):
goal right now for the next years to come.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Well, we are all rooting for you.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
We are in your corner, So thank you so much
for your time and dedication to your craft. But most
importantly for this younger generation who is going to grow
up want in your name on the back of their jersey.
You're so humble and kind and sweet, and you give
credit to everyone else, and I want to give that
(43:02):
credit back to you, because this sport wouldn't be what
it is without you, and you should know that, and
I hope you do know that.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Thank you. Thank you so much. And I have to
say that I have a huge respect and admiration for
you too. Thank you because I mentioned that when I
was growing up, I didn't have this role model to
(43:30):
follow that played my sport, that looked like me, that
spoke my language. But I found that motivation and inspiration
in women like you. Thank you, like you and your
teammates and your journeys and everything you did for the
sport and for women on and off the field. And
(43:54):
I think that's one of the biggest blessings that we
all have as human beingsnesses to know that or be
conscious that everything we do, even if we don't realize
it at the moment, will always have a bigger impact
on ourselves.
Speaker 1 (44:10):
I'm receiving that, so thank you so much, and thank
you for your time. Everyone another episode of Wide Open
with Leanna Flores. Thank you so much for taking the time.
We are all going to be following you. Tell everyone
where they can find you on your social channels.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Oh yes, so in Instagram like Dianna Flores thirty three,
happy to just build community there to join my journey
in flat football journey around the world. TikTok same username.
Great and yeah, happy to connect with you all there.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
Thank you so much for coming on and good luck
with everything. And if you ever need anything, I'm always
in your corner. I'm a phone call in any way
I can help push this forward, get a league started
for you have some type of investment. I am here
because i really believe in what you're doing and I'm
grateful for the work you do in women's sports. So
(45:14):
thank you so much and we'll see you soon.
Speaker 3 (45:18):
Thank you. I'm sending you up bihook.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
Yes ah, I'll see you soon. I can't wait see
you soon.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
Wide Open with Ashland Harris is an iHeart women's sports production.
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Our producers are Carmen
Borca Correo, Emily Maronov, and Lucy Jones. Production assistants from
Malia Aguidello. Our executive producers are Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan
(45:58):
and Emily Rudder are editors are Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder,
And I'm your host, Ashlyn Harris.
Host
Ashlyn Harris
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