Chandra Crawford & Gaby Estrada of Fast & Female

Obstacles & Opportunities

Today we have TWO special guests—Chandra Crawford & Gaby Estrada—who are both involved in the wonderful organization that is Fast & Female! Fast & Female is a Canadian charity on a mission to keep self-identified girls aged 8-14 healthy and active in sports. Fast and Female believes in the power of positive sport experiences and role models to give girls leadership, teamwork and resiliency skills.

Chandra Crawford—an Olympic Gold Medalist and 3x Olympian in Cross Country Skiing—founded Fast & Female in 2005… BEFORE she qualified for her first Olympics. She has an MBA from the University of Calgary, and lives in Calgary with her husband, Jared, their three (soon to be FOUR) kids under the age of six, and their golden retriever Stella.

Gabriela (Gaby) Estrada is the Program Director for Fast & Female and soccer coach. She is the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Guatemala, and took a shining to soccer at a young age. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Science at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, gender and age, looking at the movement-based experiences of racialized women in Scarborough, ON.

In this conversation, we get to hear Chandra & Gaby’s stories as well as all things Fast & Female: its conception, mission, and the impact it has on girls and women across North America. I (Julie) am a REAL (Relatable, Empowered, Active Leader) Role Model for Fast & Female, and I even wore my special F&F shirt and earrings for our chat. ;) We learned so much during this conversation with these two inspiring women… we hope you do too!

Follow their social media @fastandfemale and sign up for their newsletter or apply to be a REAL Role Model at www.fastandfemale.com!