The Sports Bra: Inside the 1st Women’s Sports Bar Franchise with Founder Jenny Nguyen
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Jenny Nguyen, the visionary Founder and CEO of The Sports Bra - the world’s first sports bar dedicated entirely to women’s athletics. From playing collegiate basketball and spending 15 years as an executive chef to taking a radical 5-year hiatus of self-described “maxin’ and relaxin’,” Jenny shares the raw, authentic path that led her from the couch to a nationwide movement.
Born out of pure frustration when she and her friends had to watch the 2018 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship tucked in a sports bar corner with no audio - that night she said it out loud: we need our own place. “The Sports Bra” began as a running joke and transformed into a cultural powerhouse. She bet her life savings of $27,000 dollars, but every bank said no. So she asked the community and they showed up: her Kickstarter hit its goal in 9 days and closed above $105,000. She opened The Sports Bra (affectionately known as 'The Bra') in April 2022 and brought in nearly $1M in her first 8 months.
Jenny breaks down the scrappy realities of launching during the pandemic, overcoming traditional lending barriers through crowdfunding and community grit, and turning a single neighborhood haven in Portland, Oregon into a groundbreaking, women-led franchise empire. Now, backed by Alexis Ohanian (AO), Co-Founder of Reddit and husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, she’s built The Sports Bra into a successful franchise. For Jenny, it’s always been about having a young girl or woman who walks in, sees women on every screen, and knows that could be her.
Key Highlights:
💥 From Kitchen to Couch: How a life-changing trip to Vietnam inspired Jenny to leave an exhausting executive chef career and spend 5 years intentionally unemployed before finding her next calling.
💥 Spark at the Sports Bar: How Notre Dame’s legendary 2018 buzzer-beater and the indignity of having to beg for a muted corner screen birthed the concept and tagline: "The Sports Bra: We Support Women."
💥 2020 Catalyst: How watching WNBA players speak out in the “Wubble” ignited Jenny's drive to align her twin passions for basketball and food to make a tangible social impact.
💥 Scrappy Entrepreneur's Playbook: Launching a business using NerdWallet guides, making Keynote pitch decks on an iPad, securing $40K in handshake loans, and navigating systemic SBA loan biases.
💥 Power of Community & Kickstarter: Shattering an initial $49K crowdfunding target in just 9 days after a pivotal write-up from Eater PDX, ultimately closing at over $105K.
💥 Unlocking the Franchise Vision: Moving past fears of brand dilution to recognize franchising as the most authentic way to empower local communities, backed by an investment cohort of 98% women.
💥 "Starting Five" Expansion: Preparing to open the next wave of Sports Bra locations across St. Louis, Indianapolis, Boston, Portland (Maine), and Las Vegas.
"My dreams for The Bra feel like they outweigh my fears for The Bra. If one kid walks through the door and feels like they belong, they feel seen, they look on the screen and they see grown-ass women playing a sport that they love, and they see grown-ass adults cheering for said women - if that made her feel like she could play, and then the whole place burned down, would it be worth it? In my mind, 1,000% yes." - Jenny Nguyen
Special Shoutouts in this Episode:
Her Parents ❣️
Her Partner / Girlfriend ❣️
Her Uncle ❣️
Her Former Chef / Mentor
Her Landlord
Arike Ogunbowale, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Nneka Ogwumike, & Chiney Ogwumike
Listen in and join the conversation with host, Erica Lockheimer and co-host, Elizabeth Wendorf-Bloesser.
🎧 Sound Credits: Elad Marish with Swell Sound.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introducing Jenny Nguyen
06:16 - The Vietnam Epiphany: First-ever PTO, community soul-searching, and choosing intentional unemployment
13:41 - The 2018 NCAA Finals & The Spark: Muted TVs, a buzzer-beater, and coining "The Sports Bra"
21:06 - Pandemic reflections, wrestling with purpose, and doing the risk assessment
27:31 - NerdWallet Playbook: Credit cards, 47-question business plans, and hard-hitting validation from an old mentor
35:51 - Unlearning Chef Armor: Shedding ego, seeking outside help, and leaning into the LGBTQ+ community
43:11 - Funding Hurdles: Loan denials, systemic lending biases, handshake loans, and finding a home on Broadway
51:26 - Immigrant Parents & Fear-Based Love: Cultural survival instincts, panic attacks, and the support of family
59:41 - The $49,000 Kickstarter & Viral Tipping Point: Eater editorial, news stations, and blowing past $105K
68:16 - Opening Day & DM From Alexis Ohanian: April Fools' launch and a life-changing tweet
76:31 - The CBS Sunday Morning Breakdown: Imposter syndrome and emotional vulnerability
83:46 - Franchising The Bra: Announcing the "Starting Five" expansion cities
88:51 - Final Wisdom & Shoutouts: Trusting your gut, tuning out the naysayers, and closing reflections
