Entering her 24th season as ASU's women's basketball head coach, Charli Turner Thorne is used to answering questions from many people.
However, Turner Thorne flipped the script this past offseason, using the extended time the pandemic presented her by starting a new podcast titled, "It's My Turn with CTT."
“I think it’s something I had thought about but hadn’t had time for (before)," Turner Thorne said. "I was able to do a few things that I would have otherwise done and one of them was to start a podcast. I obviously have access to some interesting people, and also it’s just fun to not be the interviewee and to be the interviewer.”
Turner Thorne has had a variety of guests on the show, including ASU-related guests like football head coach Herm Edwards, men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley and ASU President Michael Crow. Women's basketball analysts such as Debbie Antonelli and Cindy Brunson have also joined the show.
Part of Turner Thorne's impetus for starting the podcast was to pick the brains of people from different walks of life and discuss different ideas surrounding leadership. Topics on the podcast have ranged from leadership strategies in sport and in life to growing the game of women's basketball.
"Everybody needs winning strategies for leading themselves, and everybody is a leader in some shape or form in their life,” Turner Thorne said.
Antonelli, a women's basketball analyst for ESPN among other places and the first guest interviewed for the podcast, said the conversation she had with Turner Thorne on the podcast felt natural and was surprised to learn that she was the show's first guest.
“I happened to be in Phoenix, so I got to do it face-to-face with her," Antonelli said. "I didn’t realize that I was the first until after we were done. I had assumed she had it going for a long time because she was such a pro.”
Antonelli, who has known Turner Thorne for over two decades, appreciates her open-mindedness and believes it's a big part of why she's had so much success in her coaching career.
“She wants to find out, she wants to listen and learn,” Antonelli said. “She’s an excellent communicator, she never has a bad day, she brings great energy to whatever she’s doing, and I think she’s a visionary thinker."
Brunson, another one of Turner Thorne's recent guests and a Pac-12 Networks broadcaster, echoed Antonelli's comments regarding Turner Thorne's mindset.
“One of the best things about Charli is her endlessly positive attitude," Brunson said. "Everyone on that roster is completely bought into the team, which is a testament to her leadership.”
Moving forward, Turner Thorne plans to slow down her output on the podcast during conference play but will likely pre-record several episodes to release at a later date.
“We will definitely at least keep it up for the immediate future. I definitely haven’t tried to force it," Turner Thorne said. “It’s been kind of organic. I would imagine we’ll slow down in December or January."
Turner Thorne, the winningest coach in ASU women's basketball history, hopes that listeners of the podcast can take something away from each episode.
"I’m kinda at the point in my career where I’m looking to give back or add a little value somewhere to somebody," Turner Thorne said.
Reach the reporter at ltochter@asu.edu and follow @Leo_Toch on Twitter.
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