We love celebrating women at the top of their game. in our Game starts In this series, we’re interviewing top athletes about their healthy habits, covering everything from the nutrients that make them feel strong to the moments that bring them joy. PS: Read our digital journal for more information Game starts .
Carli Lloyd is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion who helped define an era in U.S. women’s soccer. Her dominance on the world stage and headline-grabbing moments such as her performance at the 2015 World Cup not only elevated the team but helped push women’s sport into the mainstream in new ways, driving awareness, investment and cultural relevance that continues to grow today.
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As excitement builds for the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the Americas, Lloyd is preparing for his role as Fox Sports’ lead studio analyst, stepping into a high-pressure, fast-paced full-scale event coverage rhythm where preparation, precision and insight are as important as ever.
In this conversation, she shares how she prepared for it all, the healthy habits that keep her grounded, how motherhood has reshaped her priorities, and what she wears while doing it all.
mbg: All of us here in the United States and the Americas are very excited about the World Cup! You will be a Studio Head at Fox Sports. How do you prepare for marathon coverage?
Carly Louder: It starts to feel very real. There are now over 60 days until the competition, so my preparations are really starting to accelerate. Now that the playoff games are over, the next step is getting familiar with the team, the players and how they play — how they attack, defend and all those little nuances.
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It’s going to be very exciting and I’m excited to be playing in the men’s World Cup as a woman. I’m very grateful to Fox Sports for taking the lead on this and showing a real commitment to this. They first covered the World Cup during the 2015 World Cup, and their coverage – awareness, features and more – played a huge role in getting us all the support. When we won, I didn’t know it would have been as big as it was without their coverage.
So, yeah, I’m really excited to be a part of it.
mbg: Knowing the team and their style of play, I’m sure it’s not completely different than when you’re on the field. It can be really fun to be on the other side of it, though.
Leod: Oh yes, absolutely.
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mbg: I know you’re working with Tek Gear from Kohl’s and I wanted to hear about your must-have pieces and why you love them.
Leod: Growing up, I always followed her to Kohl’s. It’s a one-stop shop so you can buy almost anything you need.
Now, for me, being a mom and having a family, I appreciate the affordability of these products and the pieces fit my style perfectly. I don’t have to wake up, do my hair, put on makeup, and get dressed for a 9-5 job, so being able to have athleisure and comfortable clothes is key.
Tek Gear is great. I love the Tek Gear Super Stretch High Waist Leggings and the Essential Core Raglan Sleeve T-Shirt. Plus, they offer a seamless low-impact sports bra and woven running shorts that I can layer easily.
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Whether I’m going to the grocery store, going to the park with my daughter, or taking her for a walk, I can wear these pieces for everything. Then I like to spice it up with some casual shoes—my Nike Dunks or Jordans.
mbg: I love talking to athletes about how they prepare mentally. You don’t play anymore, but I’m curious what you do to get yourself in the zone, both when you were playing and now when you’re mentally preparing to be on TV.
Leod: It’s pretty similar actually – the preparation – I don’t know what the difference is other than doing it to the best of my ability. You can’t continue to be successful on television, especially as a sports studio analyst, if you’re not prepared. You need to brush up on everything that happens in and around the game.
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So for me, it’s something that’s carried over from my career and is now integrated into my career in television.
Psychologically, I was still mentally prepared. The difficulty in the studio is that sometimes you have 15 or 20 seconds to say everything you need to say before a commercial break or something. Or sometimes the game is longer and it cuts into the show, so you really have to know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it.
In the days before I go into the studio to cover a game, I mentally rehearse and prepare. I’ll think through what I want to say, or if I notice something during the game, I’ll write it down.
It’s everything I do – speaking engagements, interviews, podcasts. This is how I’m wired. Even though it’s not playing on the field, it still translates in a lot of the same ways.
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mbg: Of course it can be translated! I want to talk about healthy habits. What habits make you feel most powerful?
Leod: Pilates. In fact, I started when I was pregnant with my daughter, and even before that. I just love it. During this hour I can turn off my brain and really be in tune with my body. It’s not meditation per se, but you do lose track of everything that’s going on. So that’s a big thing for me.
Other than that, I’m really trying to stay active as much as I can – get out and play golf. I have always enjoyed golfing, and my husband and I sometimes take our daughter with us in a stroller. She loves being there. Or we go to the park for a walk as a family and enjoy nature. That’s the extent of it.
I’d love to get a massage a few times a week if I could. This used to be a routine part of my career, but now it’s not so easy to keep up. A lot of the things I used to do in my career were part of my job and a high priority, and now things look a little different.
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mbg: I know firsthand that as a mom, staying active can be challenging. How do you find the time and balance to do this?
Leod: I would say the first few months of having her were probably the most challenging. I’m just so independent and it was a very hard adjustment for me. Even just 10 minutes of alone time can feel difficult. I was nursing her, so the first few months were really, really hard.
But as she’s gotten older, she’s been taking two naps a day – she’s always been a great sleeper and a great nap – and now she only takes one nap, which is about two and a half to three hours, which is amazing. As soon as she went down, I felt like my husband and I were like ships sailing in the night. He goes and does what he needs to get done and I do the same thing.
You just need to adjust. We are not a priority right now. When you have children, you pay more attention to them.
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It’s not that I don’t do anything for myself, or that my husband and I don’t spend time together, but things just change. Priorities change, and that’s okay.
I also try to let go of the need to check everything off my list. I try not to put too much pressure on these things and instead remind myself to enjoy the moment. Things get done when they are done. You don’t get times like this again, so my mentality has definitely changed from where I’ve been in my career to where I am now.
mbg: I wanted to ask you about the future of women’s sports. From my perspective, they have never looked bigger or brighter. The popularity of women’s soccer – and Team USA in particular – is a driving force. So, what are you most excited about when it comes to the future of this sport or women’s sport in general?
Leod: I’m a little envious. I feel like when I retire, things are going on this huge trajectory – moving so fast, so fast – it’s amazing, that’s what it’s all about. Previous generations paved the way and this group will pave the way for the next generation.
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It’s great to see players getting what they deserve in terms of respect, market value, and finances. Being part of women’s sport is no longer about charity, and I think that’s what’s really exciting.
I’ve always followed a variety of sports—tennis, LPGA, WNBA, and of course football—and it just keeps growing. There is still much work to be done. The salary structure is better, but we don’t talk enough about issues like retirement and health insurance after retirement.
If your partner or spouse doesn’t have this coverage through work, it’s important for you to find out. Many men can fly off into the sunset when they’re done, but women usually still have to stay relevant and involved.
I’d like to see more support in the retirement phase – whether it’s some kind of benefits system. In the NFL, if you play for a certain number of years, you get benefits. In Major League Baseball, you can receive long-term benefits and retirement benefits.
This is a very important part of the conversation because we can’t play forever. So while we’ve made real progress, there’s still work to be done to make it better.
