Valkyries, Say Less cover art

Valkyries, Say Less

Valkyries, Say Less

By: Vanessa & Raina
Listen for free

About this listen

🎙️ Valkyries, Say Less

Hosted by Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely & Raina Mast


Two former high school/D3 hoopers turned San Francisco moms, teachers, and entrepreneurs (we're tryin!) team up to bring you the podcast you didn’t know you needed — all about our brand-new hometown WNBA heroes: the Golden State Valkyries.


We’re here for the vibes, the victories, and whatever’s cooking at concession! Whether you’re a WNBA superfan or just here to figure out which Valkyrie to cheer for, this is your go-to pod for:


🏀 Player + coach back stories and behind the scenes

🍔 Chase Center eats + recs

🗞️ Bite-sized basketball updates (no ESPN deep scroll required)

🎧 Tidbits, laughs, and insider energy only Ballhalla locals can bring


Valkyries, Say Less” is where Bay Area pride meets courtside fun. Press play and hang with us! It’s going to be a good time.

© 2026 Valkyries, Say Less
Basketball
Episodes
  • 🎙️BONUS VSL EPISODE 16: Mid Post-Season Update!
    Jan 23 2026

    Send us a text

    After two months of pure hanging out without hitting record, we finally reunited in our glorious Bunkbed Studios for a mid post-season check-in. It felt so good to be back together. Way overdue! And...in a twist for sesason 2, we are introducing video soooo check out this episode on our new ValkyriesSayLess YouTube channel.

    We cover a lot in this episode, including the huge honor of the Valkyries naming Vanessa a "Keeper of the Realm", an award given to only five season ticket holders out of more than 11,000. We also talk about two incredible events we were lucky to be part of at Rikki’s, our beloved women’s sports bar in the Castro: the Chronicle Books reveal and an Unrivaled watch party hosted by the Valqueeries.

    And finally, we check in on how we’re actually doing as well as give an update about the Collective Bargaining Agreement, because those both super matter too.

    So tune in. Say less. Say more. We love our listeners, loved seeing so many familiar and new faces at Rikki’s, and we truly cannot wait for season two of the Valks to begin. 💜🖤🏀


    Support the show

    Thanks for listening to "Valkyries, Say Less"!

    The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and not affiliated with the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries, or any official organization.


    🎙 Co-Hosted by Raina Mast — multimedia artist, educator, musician, and of course...ex-hooper.

    🎙 Co-hosted by Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely — meditation and PE teacher, writer, founder of Big Belly Breathing, and of course...ex-hooper.


    Follow along for more episodes, courtside convos, and community love as we celebrate the Golden State Valkyries and everything they stand for. We’re all in for our players—and we stand with the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) in their fight for a stronger Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the higher salaries they deserve!

    PAY THE PLAYERS.

    💜 Follow us on Instagram & don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share if this brought some lavender joy to your day!

    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Special Feature: Coach Natalie Nakase on "Section 415" with Kerry Crowley
    Nov 4 2025

    Send us a text

    Exciting news!

    We’ve teamed up with Section 415, the brand-new Bay Area sports podcast from The San Francisco Standard, to share their latest episode featuring an interview with Golden State Valkyries Head Coach Natalie Nakase.

    Section 415 is hosted by sports editor Kerry Crowley and offers insider interviews, sharp analysis, and fresh reporting on local teams — including the 49ers, Giants, Warriors, and of course, the Valkyries. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday on all major podcast platforms.

    🎧 Listen to the episode with Coach Nakase here.

    Support the show

    Thanks for listening to "Valkyries, Say Less"!

    The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and not affiliated with the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries, or any official organization.


    🎙 Co-Hosted by Raina Mast — multimedia artist, educator, musician, and of course...ex-hooper.

    🎙 Co-hosted by Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely — meditation and PE teacher, writer, founder of Big Belly Breathing, and of course...ex-hooper.


    Follow along for more episodes, courtside convos, and community love as we celebrate the Golden State Valkyries and everything they stand for. We’re all in for our players—and we stand with the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) in their fight for a stronger Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the higher salaries they deserve!

    PAY THE PLAYERS.

    💜 Follow us on Instagram & don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share if this brought some lavender joy to your day!

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • 🎙️ Episode 15: “Kaitlyn Chen, the Valkyries' Biggest Joy Burst AND... our Season Finale for this Historic Inaugural Season!"
    Oct 20 2025

    Send us a text

    This episode is our last episode of this year's historical inaugural season for the Golden State Valkyries. We're gonna talk about so many things...where the players are going in the off season, the CBA negotiations, how to watch overseas games AND we're highlighting Kaitlyn Chen, our incredible rookie who was on the team, then off and then BACK ON! She sports jersey #2.

    Tune in to learn why she's the best. We love you, KC! 🖤💜🏀

    Thank you to our inspiring WBB community, especially our fellow basketball nerds out there:


    • Head to 30secondtimeout.com to get free daily women's basketball snippets of the most important news!
    • Connect with basketball lover and natural researcher Brianna Mitchell Carter on Threads: breezym91
    • Check out Amanda Wegner’s amazing research on every W player: spreadsheet and fandom wiki
    • Sign up for Eric Apricot’s smart substack column Valkyrie Nation


    Keep supporting the players! Read more about the WNBA’s Players Association (aka their union) and the collective bargaining agreement process: https://www.wnbpa.com/thecba


    Would you like to support the work of Raina and Vanessa? Please contribute to “Valkyries, Say Less!” to help us out with the costs of running a podcast. Or check out our other projects: Vanessa’s mindfulness program www.bigbellybreathing.com and Raina’s ceramics www.rainamast.com


    Support the show

    Thanks for listening to "Valkyries, Say Less"!

    The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and not affiliated with the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries, or any official organization.


    🎙 Co-Hosted by Raina Mast — multimedia artist, educator, musician, and of course...ex-hooper.

    🎙 Co-hosted by Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely — meditation and PE teacher, writer, founder of Big Belly Breathing, and of course...ex-hooper.


    Follow along for more episodes, courtside convos, and community love as we celebrate the Golden State Valkyries and everything they stand for. We’re all in for our players—and we stand with the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) in their fight for a stronger Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the higher salaries they deserve!

    PAY THE PLAYERS.

    💜 Follow us on Instagram & don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share if this brought some lavender joy to your day!

    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
No reviews yet