Riley Gaines says new podcast was part of God’s plan: ‘He prepares those who he calls’

OutKick’s Riley Gaines, the former NCAA swimmer who became a leading voice opposing transgender participation in women’s sports, never dreamed of hosting her own podcast — yet here she is. 

"The Riley Gaines Show" debuted on Wednesday with a timely interview with independent journalist Nick Shirley, who went viral for putting a spotlight on alleged fraud that has taken place in Minnesota. The much-anticipated launch comes after Gaines previously hosted OutKick’s "Gaines for Girls," but her show has been rebranded in conjunction with Fox News Media’s new media expansion that also includes "Ruthless" and "Will Cain Country."

Gaines never imagined that speaking out when she was forced to compete against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022 would have afforded her so many opportunities to continue making an impact for women. She was also forced to share a locker room with Thomas and has since dedicated her energy to saving women’s sports. 

"Flashback to four years ago when I was a college senior, I had been accepted into dental school to be a dentist. This is like a 180 — I think that's actually an understatement from what I had intended to do," Gaines told Fox News Digital. 

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"God kind of just laughs in your face when you make plans for yourself. I never felt qualified for this, never felt equipped for this, necessarily, at the beginning, but that's not really how God operates," Gaines added. "I think quite the contrary, he doesn't call those who are already prepared, he prepares those who he calls." 

The 12-time All-American collegiate swimmer said that she didn’t realize how passionate she was about the gender ideology movement until it impacted her and her teammates, but it continued to grow and intensified even more last year when she had a daughter. 

She is grateful to find herself in a position to host a Fox News podcast as the platform continues to emerge as an effective way to reach the masses, particularly the younger generation. 

"That's something that I hope I can help Fox build out upon reaching younger people, specifically younger women," Gaines said. "That is just a passion of mine at this point, and something that I feel credible and qualified to do now. And I wouldn't have said that four years ago."

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Gaines said she sharpened media skills by watching, and learning from, a trio of current and former female White House press secretaries. 

"First and foremost, Dana Perino. This is a woman who has, I think on a personal level, just one of the kindest hearts that I've ever seen, especially someone of her caliber. Just a really, really great person," Gaines said, noting that Perino’s recent book "I Wish Someone Had Told Me: The Best Advice for Building a Great Career and a Meaningful Life," helped her tremendously. 

"It was so helpful for me because she talked to other people who were mentors in her life and it gave advice on how to build a great career and a meaningful life," Gaines said. 

"And that, of course, could extend beyond media," she continued. "But I took so much of what she said and try to utilize that in my own life and in my career." 

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Gaines also pointed to White House press secretary-turned Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany as a source of inspiration. 

"She's inspiring to me, beyond her media role, but as a Christian. So, I really, really look up to her," Gaines said. 

Gaines also looked up to current press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who she hopes to sit down with on "The Riley Gaines Show" in the near future. 

"Her ability to so effectively put members of legacy media, especially left leaning legacy media, in their place right there on the spot. She’s an inspiration and role model to me," Gaines said, noting that it’s "super-duper cool" to see a fellow young mother in such a prominent role. 

"So those are the three women in media who I have really valued and looked up to. And I think for different reasons for each of them," Gaines said.

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Gaines said the decision to rebrand the popular "Gaines for Girls" podcast to the "The Riley Gaines Show" was to broaden both the content and audience of her program. While she hopes to expand her reach, Gaines will continue to cater to young women because they are a "very dire demographic to the conservative cause." 

"The Riley Gaines Show" aims to offer clear, unapologetic insight into culture, politics, faith and motherhood.

"I’m super excited for the opportunity to continue to build and develop. I think there's lots of opportunities ahead to keep making real impact," Gaines said. 

New episodes of "The Riley Gaines Show" will be available every Wednesday and Friday on YouTube and wherever podcasts are available.

Watch more content from "The Riley Gaines Show" on Gaines' YouTube page.