Media inquiries: joanna@flamebearers.com
BOSTON, January 14, 2026 — Flame Bearers, the world’s first global media production company dedicated to championing exceptional women athletes—across sport, ability, and language—announced today the launch of the fifth season of its award winning interview series, in partnership with parasport media collective Culxtured.
In Season 5: Making it to Milan, cohosts Dani Aravich, a Paralympic biathlete and Nordic skier and the cofounder of Culxtured, and Ashley Cain, Olympian and 2X US Champion in pairs skating, go beyond medal counts and scoreboards in learning what it takes for women Olympic and Paralympic athletes to make it to the 2026 Winter Games, and the support systems that make it all possible. While traditional news coverage siloes Olympic and Paralympic stories, Making it to Milan bridges these together by highlighting shared experiences of overcoming obstacles, finding strength in community support, and following one’s dreams. Guests include 3x US National Figure Skating Champion, Amber Glenn, US Ice Hockey gold medalist Hilary Knight, Paralympic snowboard champion Brenna Huckaby, Kenya’s first female Alpine skier Sabrina Simader, Olympic ice dancer champion Kristi Yamaguchi.
“I’m so excited to be cohosting this series with Culxtured, Flame Bearers and Ashley Cain because I find the journey to the Games to be the most interesting thing about the Games,” said Dani Aravich. “I think the athlete who’s going to try to qualify for their first Olympics or Paralympics has just as much value to the movement as someone who’s going for their fifth or sixth.”
“I’m honored to co-host Making it to Milan with Dani Aravich and to partner with Flame Bearers and Culxtured,” said Ashley Cain. “I know what it’s like to prepare for a major competition, and some of the most powerful moments come when the TV cameras aren’t watching. We’re here to bring those stories to light.”
“Flame Bearers is incredibly proud to partner with Culxtured on this series,” said Jamie Mittleman, Founder of Flame Bearers. “Women athletes aren’t a monolith, and their stories start long before they step on a podium. In Making it to Milan, we capture the insights and moments no one sees, from the pep talks Sabrina Simader’s mom gives her before she hits the slopes to Brenna Huckaby finding the balance between motherhood and training for the Paralympics.”
Flame Bearers’ past season, Pathways to Paris, was co-hosted by 6x French national figure skating champion Maé-Bérénice Méité and Flame Bearers Founder Jamie Mittelman. The series followed women athletes worldwide on their journey to the 2024 Paris Games, paired with on-the-ground reporting from Paris, reaching 16 million cross-platform views and won multiple honors, including W3 Gold and Silver, Telly, Anthem, and Davey Awards, and was named a Webby Award Honoree.
Making it to Milan is available on YouTube and all podcasts platforms, with weekly episodes released every Wednesday. Starting on January 30, episodes will be released every Wednesday and Friday.
About Flame Bearers
Flame Bearers is a women’s sports storytelling studio that champions athletes’ voices via video, podcasting, and events. Flame Bearers centers her story in her words. They have worked with 375 Olympians and Paralympians from 55 countries including household names like Sue Bird, Caster Semenya and Becky Sauerbrunn but also hundreds of unsung heroes like Afghan cyclist, Masomah Alizada or 7x Paralympic Champ, Yip Pin Xiu of Singapore. Flame Bearers has won 28 international awards for their work in video, podcasting, and social media.