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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
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Jenna Tonelli

From USWNT Icons to Media Stars, Mewis Sisters Find Freedom in New Podcast

“Welcome to the Mew-niverse,” said Kristie Mewis, one part of the new sister-led podcast, Mewis Squared, on the Men in Blazers Media network. Alongside her sister, Sam, the two have swapped their cleats for microphones and ventured into the growing space of player-led women’s soccer media—with a sisterly flair. 

The pair are just the second set of sisters to suit up simultaneously for the U.S. women’s national team. Now, after multiple World Cups and Olympic medals between them, they’re ready to show the world another side of themselves while staying close to the game that shaped their lives—regardless of whose idea it was.

“That’s actually a contentious topic [of whose idea it was] because I proposed it over a year ago,” says Sam Mewis, who joined Men in Blazers with her own women’s soccer-specific vertical, The Women’s Game, in 2024. “I said to Kristie, you and I should do a podcast, I had been hearing about the Kelce brothers podcast, and I was like, we would just be really funny with this! I ran it by Kristie and she goes, ‘Oh yeah, I already thought of that.’”

“Yeah, I will claim it, but I think you obviously get the credit because you verbalized it first,” Kristie Mewis replies. 

The loving, sisterly bickering is highly relatable to anyone with siblings, but it’s their shared stories of growing up around the beautiful game, their experiences for club and country, and their commentary on the current state of soccer that has drawn viewers in. 

From there, the show came together quite quickly. Sam, who retired from soccer in 2024 after a long-term knee injury, and Kristie, who is currently taking a break from the game after the birth of her son, Jagger, with partner Sam Kerr earlier this year, were able to jump right in, giving the world a bit more insight into their lives as sisters and former pros.

“I get so many comments saying they didn’t realize that I am the younger sister, and I think we totally subvert the older-younger sister stereotype,” says Sam. “I’m organized, I do the logistical, behind-the-scenes work for the show, and Kristie is more of the free, wild child who got in trouble more, and I do think people like seeing it.” 

Even with the subversion of the sisterly roles, the Mewis sisters are more alike than their differences might show. They said they want their show to capture what it’s like to be a sister, be a family and what that means for their core values. The Mewis sisters are built from the same cloth, and while an ocean may currently separate the two Massachusetts natives, they want to bring their close bond to their audience in a way that fans may not have seen from them before.

“For so many years, Sam and I took the approach of being really professional through social media and the way we presented ourselves,” Kristie says. “I feel like as professional athletes, you can seem unrelatable because you become this image [that people see when they stream games], whereas now Sam and I want to show people who we truly are and what our dynamic is—that we’re just relatable sisters who go through the same problems that everybody goes through, and that was really empowering for us.”

As Mewis Squared finds its footing in the landscape of player-led media, which includes shows created by some of their former teammates, they know what sets them apart is their unique relationship with one another.

“What we’re trying to do is have a really player-centric take on the USWNT, the NWSL, the WSL and global football in general,” Sam says. “We are pretty far researching in what we cover, but Mewis Squared is unique in that we’re sisters, we are talking about soccer topically, but also historically. It’s our chemistry and relationship that make our show unique.”

“When people are listening to us, I want it to feel warm and cozy,” Kristie says. “When you’re putting your headphones in or sitting down and relaxing, you will choose something to watch on TV or listen to that makes you feel good. What Sam and I want to bring is just that, for people who just want to listen to Mewis Squared to laugh a little bit.” 

Most important for the Mewis sisters, they have relished the ability to feel in control of their image. For so long, the two said they felt like buttoned-up versions of themselves, not wanting to say anything out of line and become a viral headline. With Mewis Squared, that has all changed. 

“As a player, you do not feel in control of how you're perceived in the media or trust that a journalist is going to make you look great—they’re just trying to get their story read,” Sam says. “As I started podcasting, I actually learned that the audience likes me better as myself rather than I was this vanilla version, and I feel so much more free to be honest and authentic because I’m in control of the narrative and the story.”  

This ability to be themselves and control their stories is at the core of why the Mewis sisters believe player-led media has taken off in women’s sports. It provides an alternative insight into their lives and personalities that traditional media often cannot capture.

“I think it was just the time, an era where you just kind of had to be safe with everything,” Kristie says. “It’s such an empowering time now to be able to express my true self and real thoughts.”

USWNT’s Kristie Mewis celebrates a goal with Sam Mewis against Mexico.
The Mewis sisters are the first pair of sisters to play in a World Cup and Olympics together. | Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Much of the change in the media landscape has been due to the rise of social media. Many of the younger players in leagues across the world have taken to their own platforms to tell their stories, using social media in tandem with traditional media, which can often be overwhelming for players, especially in a matchday setting. 

“I feel like when I interview somebody, I have to warm them up a little bit at the beginning and make sure they realize that it’s just me, they know me and they can be comfortable with me,” Sam says. 

“I love what Sam and I are doing now because we’re kind of that generation where it was buttoned up, and now we’re millennials putting ourselves into Gen Z a bit, if that makes sense,” Kristie says. “So it’s fun for us and for me to step away from that buttoned-up self and be a bit more of myself.” 

Five episodes in, the show on YouTube alone is garnering tens of thousands of views per episode, and the feedback has been positive from guests, viewers and, most importantly, the people who made all of this possible—Robert and Melissa Mewis. 

“Well, our parents love it!” Sam says. “They watch every episode.”

“Sam and I still have so much more to bring,” Kristie says. “It’s exciting, fun, and I think everyone’s enjoying it—or at least I hope so!”


More Women’s Soccer on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as From USWNT Icons to Media Stars, Mewis Sisters Find Freedom in New Podcast .

As Kristie puts it, they want the show to feel like being on a FaceTime call with them. It’s natural, easy and it pulls you in as if you’re in the room with them getting the gossip and chatting about your favorite sport. 
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