Newly retired LPGA Tour professional and now mom, Emma Talley, joins the Identity Sports Podcast for a powerful conversation on identity, fulfillment, and faith beyond the scorecard.Emma reflects on the role relationships and mentorship played throughout every stage of her journey—from junior golf and college to life on the LPGA Tour. She opens up about winning the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur, and the realization that the joy she expected from such a massive achievement lasted only a couple minutes. That moment began to reveal a deeper truth: the fulfillment we long for can’t be found in accomplishments.In this episode, Emma shares where she ultimately found true contentment—in God’s Word, biblical community, and walking closely with Christ, including participating in Bible studies while on Tour. She explains her love for being a friend to her competitors and reflecting Christ through her actions. By focusing on controlling what you can control, Emma learned how to find joy even in hardship.Emma also opens up about her transition from professional golf to motherhood, and how she now prioritizes time with the Lord amid the beautiful chaos of being a mom. This conversation is a reminder that our identity is not in what we do—but in who we belong to.

The Identity Sports Podcast celebrates episode 50 with an exciting and impactful episode with Jordan Brown, a former Fresno State football walk-on whose journey is defined by faith, perseverance, and a deep re-centering of identity. Jordan didn’t arrive at Fresno State as a recruited athlete—he came as a student, quietly training on his own during his first year with the hope of one day earning a spot on the football team.Growing up in the church, Jordan had a foundation of faith, but when he entered college, he found himself drifting from the Lord. For much of his life, church had been the primary place where spiritual growth happened, and without it, his faith stalled. Everything began to change when he got involved with the football program and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Through community and reading scripture on his own and with others, Jordan began to experience real spiritual growth and saw God opening his eyes to a greater purpose—one rooted in glorifying Him.Jordan shares how he came to understand that God and football are not separate parts of life, but deeply connected. As the Lord worked in his heart, Jordan learned that his identity is not defined by performance, playing time, or outcomes on the field, but by who he is in Christ. He dives into the importance of being in the Word, how Scripture feeds and sustains the soul, and why contentment in Christ is possible in every circumstance—whether chasing a dream, waiting patiently, or walking through a season of refinement.This episode is an honest and encouraging reminder that your value doesn’t rise and fall with success—and that when your identity is rooted in Christ, every season has purpose.

In this episode, Zach Vogel is joined by guest cohost and Lipscomb University Woman’s golf coach, Shannon O’Brien. The two sit down with Brooke Riley, assistant women’s golf coach at Stanford University, to talk about faith, identity, and competing with freedom.

While faith was present early on, God often sat on the back burner, and Brooke’s identity became rooted in being a “Christian athlete” rather than fully walking with Christ.

Everything began to shift during her freshman year of college. After not making the starting lineup her first semester, her identity was stripped away, exposing how much she depended on performance and affirmation. Through discipleship and getting into the Word, Brooke realized what was missing in her relationship with the Lord. By the end of January of her freshman year, she fully surrendered her life to Christ.

Now as a coach, Brooke shares how she lives out her faith through the way she loves and leads her players, and how to compete from a place of being loved rather than defined by performance. We also talk about navigating constant evaluation, freedom in Christ, and how rest itself is an act of worship.

This episode is a powerful reminder that we can pursue excellence, compete to win, and remain fully Christ-centered.