Earlier this year, Kate Langbroek sat down with Faith Ward, an Australian–New Zealand dancer who went from thinking an unexpected message was a scam to becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. With the hit series now out on Netflix, we're revisiting this episode to give fans the scoop of what was really going on off-screen. 

Faith takes us behind the uniform to talk candidly about what it actually takes to make it — and stay — inside the world’s most recognisable cheer squad. From the brutal audition process and constant scrutiny, to discipline, image control, and the realities of pay, Faith shares what the public rarely sees.

We talk ponytails, pressure, pay rises, and perfection — the details that reveal how much is demanded of the women who wear the uniform, and what it costs to belong to such a powerful global brand.

This is a behind-the-curtain conversation about ambition, sacrifice, identity and what happens when the glamour meets the reality.

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What To Listen To Next:

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• Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive Father
• Listen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself Out
• Listen: Maisie Peters Has Moved On From Mid Men
• Listen: EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Browitt Survived The White Island Volcano. This Is Her Mother’s Story Too.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Faith Ward

Host: Kate Langbroek

Executive Producer: Bree Player

Social Producer: Olivia Colman

Video Producer: Julian Rosario

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.