NBCU Local’s Award-Winning ‘My New Favorite’ Franchise Returned To Showcase Team USA Paralympians for the First Time

NBCUniversal Local’s award-winning My New Favorite multiplatform podcast franchise returned to spotlight Paralympians for the first time. My New Favorite Paralympian debuted new audio and video episodes on Aug. 14 and Aug. 21 ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

An extension of the five-episode My New Favorite Olympian series launched in June, My New Favorite Paralympian is led by 12-time Olympic medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Zena Keita, an NBC Sports Bay Area reporter, host and analyst. The episodes profile a pair of inspiring American athletes who have overcome adversity, broken barriers, and committed to helping others as they pursue Paralympic glory, and includes interviews with the athlete, experts, and those closest to them.

This franchise showcases athletes who inspire others through their remarkable perseverance, resilience and dedication, and nobody embodies these characteristics more than these Paralympians. We’re privileged to share Nick and Sarah’s stories and proud of the impact this series has made over its five seasons.

Lora Dennis

EVP of Multiplatform for NBCUniversal Local

My New Favorite Paralympian episodes:

Aug. 14 – Nick Mayhugh: Losing my best friends, my grandparents

Paralympic sprinter Nick Mayhugh shares the lessons he learned from his grandfather Bill Mayhugh, a popular radio host, and his grandmother Shirley Culpeper Mayhugh, a performer who was signed by the same agency that represented Marilyn Monroe.

Aug. 21 – Sarah Adam: ‘Murderball’ is for women, too

Sarah Adam, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, attempted to become the first woman to ever represent Team USA at a Paralympics in wheelchair rugby, a sport so violent it is nicknamed ‘murderball.’

Coughlin is a three-time Olympian who captured 12 Olympic medals (three gold, four silver, and five bronze) over the course of her decorated career, which ties her with two athletes as the most decorated American female Olympian in history. The most decorated female athlete of the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the California native concluded her stellar Olympic career at the London 2012 Games. Coughlin, who won the World Swimmer of the Year Award in 2002 and American Swimmer of the Year Award in 2001, 2002 and 2008, won sixty total medals in major international competition and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2022.

Keita is a host and analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area’s Golden State Warriors postgame show Dubs Talk Live. She is also a host and contributor to The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, part of The Athletic Podcast Network. A native of Paris and raised in North Carolina, Keita has also worked as a sideline reporter and analyst for NBA G-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area and hosted other basketball shows for the network. She has also contributed to various podcasts across The Athletic Podcast Network and co-hosted several episodes of Peacock’s Brother From Another.

My New Favorite Paralympian is part of the fifth season of a franchise that launched in June as My New Favorite Olympian. The last two seasons, titled My New Favorite Futbolista, showcased international soccer stars competing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. The first season, covering Tokyo 2020, was hosted by Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. The second season featured Olympic legend Apolo Ohno as co-host preceding Beijing 2022.

The My New Favorite franchise’s first four seasons have earned several awards and accolades. My New Favorite Futbolista covering the FIFA Women’s World Cup recently earned a Digiday Video & TV Award for ‘best video podcast’ and won ‘best spoken word series’ at the 2024 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. The season on the FIFA Men’s World Cup was named ‘best spoken word series’ at the 2023 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, earned bronze for ‘best limited sports series’ at the Signal Awards and was a finalist for ‘Best Soccer Podcast’ at the 2023 Sports Podcast Awards.

In 2022, My New Favorite Olympian won Signal Awards for ‘best limited sports series’ and ‘best LGBTQ+ episode’ for its season covering the 2022 Winter Olympics. The first season of the series was also named ’best podcast series’ as part of the 2022 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards.

Nissan is a supporter of NBCUniversal Local’s coverage of Paris 2024, including My New Favorite Paralympian.

Where to Listen & Watch:

• My New Favorite Paralympian is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, TuneIn and iHeart
• Video versions of each episode were be presented on NBC-owned stations’ television, streaming and digital platforms, including the 24/7 local news streaming channels
• Content was also featured on NBC Sports Regional Networks’ platforms
• Listeners can follow to the series here.