What do you do when you’re a female athlete, but have no role models to look up to? You become your own role model.

In this episode of L for Leadership, we speak to Tanvie Hans, professional footballer and co-founder of Sisters in Sweat, a community-driven initiative making sports accessible to women across India. Tanvie talks about how the platform began with a single football session and has now grown into a multi-city network offering weekly activities, workshops, and events.

Tanvie reflects on the gaps she has experienced firsthand in India’s sporting ecosystem — from limited infrastructure to the lack of predictable opportunities for women — and how these challenges shaped the way Sisters in Sweat was built.

Tanvie gives us an inside look at how a grassroots sports community takes shape, what women gain from engaging with sport again, and the practical effort involved in creating safe, inclusive environments.

A thoughtful conversation about sports, community and leadership, Tanvie Hans leaves women who want to pursue a career in sports with three words: don’t hold back.

Credits:

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations.

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai