Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Bode.
Natalie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story begins in Panama City Florida, where I was born, before moving to Brenham, Texas at the age of two (where I call home). When I was three months old, my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer. By the grace of God she survived, but it did change her life forever. She moved to San Antonio, about three hours away, when I was in elementary school. By that time, and for the rest of my childhood, I grew up living with my father in my small town and as the youngest of three girls, then eventually after my dad got remarried, the third of five in a big family.
My upbringing also gifted me with strong intrinsic motivation, and a sense of urgency in advocating for myself and for what I want. I knew early on that I was in charge of my dreams and making them happen. In every way, I always had a desire to do more, and this resulted in me garnering nearly every athletic and academic achievement I could. I was recognized in the state of Texas as an elite athlete and scholar, as well as the Brenham High School Female Athlete of the Year. Although these sound cool, make no mistake– I am from a tiny town with less than 20,000 people, so not as cool as it sounds! Haha. It’s a small place, but it gifted me with so much, including becoming a dreamer and visionary. I love my quaint home town, but I always wondered what I could create once I left it.
My senior year, I was rejected from my dream school of UNC Chapel Hill. Instead, I spent a year at the University of Florida. It was never a question that I would attend school out of state– I have always had a spirit of fierce independence, and I worked three jobs simultaneously the summer before college to help save money: From 8am to 12pm I was a nanny at a crossfit center, from 4pm to 12am I worked as a janitor at a Planet Fitness, and on the weekends, I worked a 12 hour shift making calls as a telemarketer.
I had a great experience at Florida my first year, but in my heart, I knew I still wanted to be at UNC. I felt called to be there. I studied my butt off my freshman year, made all A’s, knew I had done everything possible– and was waitlisted. Three weeks before my sophomore year, I found out I was accepted from the waitlist and I never looked back. The delayed gratification of this pending achievement made me cherish it even more. I knew the achievement was a direct result of tested faith and countless hours of dedicated focus. Many, many parties were missed to put in the hours in the library.
Few things are effortless for me. Nearly everything is a result of my willingness to put in the work.
My three years at North Carolina were some of the best of my life, even with COVID-19 invading half of that experience. I arrived on campus sophomore year, and was a live reporter for UNC Sports Xtra as well as a producer and anchor for Carolina Week Sports. From there, I got my first official broadcast job as the announcer for the North Carolina High School State Championship soccer games.
Then, opportunities rolled in and I served as an analyst for the ACC Digital Network for two years, covering games for both Carolina and Duke. I also had the chance to be in the analyst booth at the nearby professional women’s soccer club, the NC Courage of the NWSL. This is where I had my official TV debut.
My senior year, I had my own show through UNC Athletics called “Tar Heel Talks,” where I would interview UNC athletes and coaches in an ACCN studio on UNC’s campus. This was a show that I pitched to the athletic department and they allowed me to bring it to life. I became the first student to ever host a show inside the ACC Digital Network studios on campus, and it was one of my favorite things I was able to do in undergrad.
During this time, I also hosted a podcast for legendary coach Anson Dorrance. I was able to interview Mia Hamm, Roy Williams, Brandi Chastain, Crystal Dunn and so many other legends. Through 2019-2021 I also worked as a freelance color analyst for the NCAA College Cup with ESPN3. So many opportunities came from my favorite sport and the one I played my entire life, women’s soccer. It was an amazing way to develop.
Here I will pause and encourage you to look at my Instagram story highlight on my page, @natalie_bode, the first one on my profile called “Keep it Real”– here, I have a ton of posts about the “transparent” side of many of my achievements I spoke about. It is so important to me to never act like life is perfect and make everything seem like a highlight reel online… here I post about the real stuff. Deeper details of being rejected from UNC, waitlisted as a transfer and finally accepted. Going through a weight loss journey and bullying in my adolescence and losing thirty pounds in high school. I also talk more about my mom’s brain cancer and how it affected me. There is even a detailed post about the next thing I’ll mention, which gets us to the present day, and that is getting the AWSM internship and scholarship my senior year of college.
My senior year I received a national scholarship and internship. This came after countless denials. Here is an article about the award: http://awsmonline.org/
This was how I got my job at Turner Sports, originally just programming a website. After doing that for months, I began to pitch on camera ideas. I turned a website programming job into me being sent to cover both the men and women’s college cups in person in California and North Carolina as a digital sideline reporter for the NCAA. From there, how I got my current gig is kind of funny. My boss found out that I enjoy recreationally betting on sports and playing poker– he then mentioned I should meet the director of the Bleacher Report betting team, as Bleacher Report is on the other side of the company but also owned by Turner Sports. My boss accidentally got me a new job that day and the rest is history. Read more about what I currently do at my website bio: www.nataliebode.com.
I also still freelance as a digital reporter, and was able to attend the MCWS and WCWS in Omaha and Oklahoma City respectively this summer and provide coverage from the sidelines.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I definitely am somewhat of a unicorn in the sports betting space. For one, I was a signed model for years. Additionally, I compete in pageants, and will be competing in Miss Georgia USA in November. It is very atypical to be modeling, playing poker, competing in pageants, creating content and talking sports and sports betting for a living. I also am an avid volunteer for ESP, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and with cancer patients and families in the greater Atlanta area. However, I am an example of the modern day multidimensional woman. IT IS possible to work in a man’s world and embrace femininity and destroy the stereotype of needing to alter who you are to fit into a box.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Hassan Pinto is one of my earliest mentors in the sports media space. He owns Blue Blood Rivalry, a media brand about the UNC/Duke rivalry, and he has constantly helped me grow and given me advice. My dad leads by example. His strength and his leadership as an entrepreneur have guided my life. My mom is my why every day. Her persistence in the face of adversity is amazing to witness. My sister Hayley is my rock, and my boyfriend Jackson Hesterlee is my biggest supporter and best friend– and helps to refine my poker game.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nataliebode.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalie_bode/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nataliedbode
