Former World No.5 Daniela Hantuchova traded her tennis racquet for a microphone when she retired from the sport in 2017, and the player-turned-TV commentator is expanding her growing media empire with the release of a podcast series entitled, The Real DNA.
"The reason behind launching a podcast was that I love to communicate and learn from all the inspiring people I have in my life. I thought it would be nice to able to share their stories and their real ‘DNA’ with our listeners.” said the two-time BNP Paribas Open champion, who has worked as an analyst for Amazon Prime UK in addition to producing her own web series for Tennis Channel.
“At the end of the day one of the things I cherish the most in life is being able to sit down and have a cup of coffee with people I love - my family, friends, and people I admire – and listen to their stories and their experiences in life.”
MORE: My Inspiration: Miloslav Mecir, by Daniela Hantuchova
A longtime podcast listener and first-time host, Hantuchova aims for an equally intimate environment with DNA, not only a play on her first name but also a nod towards just how deep she plans to take listeners.
“I believe the most inspiring people I’ve encountered in life share certain core values as humans that have helped get them where they are – whether it was in sports or somewhere else. I want my listeners to get to know these people and understand those core values. To me, the person we become while we’re doing something is more important than where we end up.”
Promising a guest list that includes both athletes and academics, the Slovak has drawn particular inspiration from motivation speaker Jay Shetty, who hosts a podcast called On Purpose.
“He gets pretty deep into things, but at the same time he makes a lot of fun too. He achieves a nice mix of providing a learning experience as well as a joyful listen for his audience."
The Real DNA released its first episode on Sunday on Spotify, the start of what she hopes to be both a fun and fruitful journey.
"Just like everything in life, you never know how things will evolve at the beginning or where things will take you, so I’m just excited to see where this new experience leads.”
