Vanessa + Raina/Valkyries, Say Less, Part 2 (S9E2)

In Part 2, we pick up where we left off in Part 1, with the origin story of Raina and Vanessa's show, Valkyries, Say Less. It goes something like this …

The two went to the first-ever Valkyries game, technically a preseason game, at Chase Center, in 2025. Once she discovered discounted tickets, Vanessa got about 20 friends and fellow teachers to join in. Then folks from the Valkyries cme to Vanessa's school, Roosevelt Middle School in the Richmond, for a career fair day. She was decked out in Valkyries merch that she'd already made and had been selling. Vanessa told the team reps how she'd gotten 20 people to buy tickets for the preseason opener. The reps replied, asking whether she'd ever considered season tickets. Once the info was on the table, Vanessa realized that it might be a possibility, even on a public schoolteacher's salary. She convinced the group going to the preseason opener to go in on season tickets with her.

Game day came, and Vanessa compares it to her wedding day. Excitement was all around her. After the game, Vanessa connected with Raina to talk about the experience. Raina shared that, during the game itself, inside what would later become known as Ballhalla, they were scrambling to find information about the players, most of whom were completely new to them. Vanessa knew of the French players (there were three on the team then), of course, but that's about it. Vanessa remembers Raina having the idea for a podcast, based on their simple desire to learn more about the players and share that info.

Raina's story is a little different. They grew up on men's basketball and were skeptical that the WNBA could bring it. Unlike their friend Vanessa, they weren't a "founding guard" (early season ticketholder). And so that preseason game was a massive wake-up call for Raina. They were in shock. The experience was profound, and she needed to better understand and process it. That's where Vanessa came in.

On Mother's Day 2025 (May 11 that year), Raina went to Vanessa's house and the two recorded an intro in the basement. They started with that idea of researching Valkyries players. They wanted to use their roles as educators to teach themselves and other fans who might be hungry for that information. It was casual. They quickly realized that they have different voices and approaches, but excellent chemistry. They published that immediately. It was an introduction episode.

Then came time for a second episode, and that meant work. They decided th