#RaisingAthletes Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kirsten Jones and Susie Walton
Sports Parenting podcast. Kirsten Jones and Susie Walton interview coaches, parents, athletes and trainers about everything youth sports.
Sean is a Hockey Strength and Conditioning Coach. Most recently, he was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Wild from 2016 to 2022. He served in the same capacity for the Men’s Ice Hockey and Field Hockey teams at Boston University in 2015/2016. Prior to joining the Terriers in the summer of 2015, Sean spent 13 seasons as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Anaheim Ducks. During his time with the Ducks, the team advanced to the Stanley Cup in 2003 and won the 2007 Stanley Cup.
After graduating from Villanova with a Master’s in Business Administration Jul Thomson is beginning her coaching career at George Mason University. At Villanova, she was a two-year grad transfer on the track and field team where she was a Big East champion in the discus, a two-time member of the Big East All-Conference team and a part of a Big East championship team. Jul competed in both the shot put and the discus at the 2021 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Trials.
Thomson earned her BA from Dartmouth College in 2020 where she was a member of the track and field team and is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
After graduating from Villanova with a Master’s in Business Administration Jul Thomson is beginning her coaching career at George Mason University. At Villanova, she was a two-year grad transfer on the track and field team where she was a Big East champion in the discus, a two-time member of the Big East All-Conference team and a part of a Big East championship team. Jul competed in both the shot put and the discus at the 2021 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Trials.
Thomson earned her BA from Dartmouth College in 2020 where she was a member of the track and field team and is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
Susie and Kirsten explain some essential lessons for parents raising athletes from the recreation level to the olympic level. Susie and Kirsten share their wealth of knowledge on how to get the best out of your child and how to ensure they stay athletes for life!
After graduating from Villanova with a Master’s in Business Administration Jul Thomson is beginning her coaching career at George Mason University. At Villanova, she was a two-year grad transfer on the track and field team where she was a Big East champion in the discus, a two-time member of the Big East All-Conference team and a part of a Big East championship team. Jul competed in both the shot put and the discus at the 2021 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Trials.
Thomson earned her BA from Dartmouth College in 2020 where she was a member of the track and field team and is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
In this episode, Kirsten and Susie dive into the crucial topic of self-esteem and its impact on young athletes. They explore strategies to help youth athletes develop a strong sense of self-worth and confidence, both on and off the field. Whether you're a parent, coach, or athlete, this episode offers essential guidance to empower the next generation to succeed and thrive in their athletic endeavors. Tune in and discover how to build champions from the inside out.
In this episode, Kirsten and Susie dive into the crucial topic of self-esteem and its impact on young athletes. They explore strategies to help youth athletes develop a strong sense of self-worth and confidence, both on and off the field. Whether you're a parent, coach, or athlete, this episode offers essential guidance to empower the next generation to succeed and thrive in their athletic endeavors. Tune in and discover how to build champions from the inside out.
Dr. Nelly Farnoody-Zahiri is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in working with Children, Youth & their Families. In her practice, she focuses on helping children and their families Cultivate Peace, and Good Mental Health using Family Prevention and Early Intervention Modalities. She has been in Clinical Practice, and teaching Peace Learning Parenting Groups, and Toddler Groups for over ten years. She co-hosted Momtalk LA, and Peace Learning Parenting on American Farsi Network in 2012. She has conducted presentations at conferences and seminars, such as the Mental Health Summit on Biculturalism, and Early Childhood Development. She has also been involved with the International Society For Traumatic Stress Studies. Attributing her success to her hard work, good education and persistence, Dr. Farnoody-Zahiri became involved in her profession through her passion for working with children and families. Dr. Farnoody-Zahiri is a member of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, as well as the American Psychological Association. She is affiliated with both Division 46 Peace Psychology and Division 48 Media Psychology.
Dr. Nelly Farnoody-Zahiri is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in working with Children, Youth & their Families. In her practice, she focuses on helping children and their families Cultivate Peace, and Good Mental Health using Family Prevention and Early Intervention Modalities. She has been in Clinical Practice, and teaching Peace Learning Parenting Groups, and Toddler Groups for over ten years. She co-hosted Momtalk LA, and Peace Learning Parenting on American Farsi Network in 2012. She has conducted presentations at conferences and seminars, such as the Mental Health Summit on Biculturalism, and Early Childhood Development. She has also been involved with the International Society For Traumatic Stress Studies. Attributing her success to her hard work, good education and persistence, Dr. Farnoody-Zahiri became involved in her profession through her passion for working with children and families. Dr. Farnoody-Zahiri is a member of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, as well as the American Psychological Association. She is affiliated with both Division 46 Peace Psychology and Division 48 Media Psychology.
Dr. Nelly Farnoody-Zahiri is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in working with Children, Youth & their Families. In her practice, she focuses on helping children and their families Cultivate Peace, and Good Mental Health using Family Prevention and Early Intervention Modalities. She has been in Clinical Practice, and teaching Peace Learning Parenting Groups, and Toddler Groups for over ten years. She co-hosted Momtalk LA, and Peace Learning Parenting on American Farsi Network in 2012. She has conducted presentations at conferences and seminars, such as the Mental Health Summit on Biculturalism, and Early Childhood Development. She has also been involved with the International Society For Traumatic Stress Studies. Attributing her success to her hard work, good education and persistence, Dr. Farnoody-Zahiri became involved in her profession through her passion for working with children and families. Dr. Farnoody-Zahiri is a member of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, as well as the American Psychological Association. She is affiliated with both Division 46 Peace Psychology and Division 48 Media Psychology.
Leah Jantzen is a Life and Business Strategist who works with highly motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, creative individuals looking to make profound changes in their lives. Leah empowers her clients to reach new heights with their innate abilities and talents. She is a self-help author, speaker, triathlete and performance coach. She specializes in training her clients to develop mental focus, toughness, and an ability to cleanse their lives of distractions that can hurt their ability to achieve their goals.
SHOW NOTES
Instagram: leahjantzen
Website: leahjanten.com
Leah Jantzen is a Life and Business Strategist who works with highly motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, creative individuals looking to make profound changes in their lives. Leah empowers her clients to reach new heights with their innate abilities and talents. She is a self-help author, speaker, triathlete and performance coach. She specializes in training her clients to develop mental focus, toughness, and an ability to cleanse their lives of distractions that can hurt their ability to achieve their goals.
SHOW NOTES
Instagram: leahjantzen
Website: leahjanten.com
Leah Jantzen is a Life and Business Strategist who works with highly motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, creative individuals looking to make profound changes in their lives. Leah empowers her clients to reach new heights with their innate abilities and talents. She is a self-help author, speaker, triathlete and performance coach. She specializes in training her clients to develop mental focus, toughness, and an ability to cleanse their lives of distractions that can hurt their ability to achieve their goals.
Peyton and Michael are co-founders of Ivy Method Tutors. Michael has worked as an educational consultant, tutor, and teacher for over fifteen years. After graduating from Harvard with honors, Michael was selected to join Teach for America, which sent him to New Haven, CT to teach 11th and 12th grade English; Michael was later one of fifty American teachers chosen to pilot Israel’s first summer school program, and taught English to low-income Palestinian and Israeli children. Since relocating to Los Angeles, Michael has guided hundreds of kids to success with the college process, in their academic classes, and on the SAT, ACT, and ISEE.
Peyton McDavitt graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in The History of Art and Architecture, a citation in Spanish, and a love of teaching. While at Harvard, she began volunteering at the MLK Jr. elementary school in Cambridge, which ignited her long career of tutoring and mentorship. Her academic acumen spans from teaching young children to read to guiding advanced students through college essays preparing students for the Johns Hopkins summer program for the gifted and talented. She has taught English to Spanish speakers while living abroad in Santiago, Chile, been flown to Italy to tutor writing and math, and guided countless students through test prep to Ivy league admissions. She was recently inducted into the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame.
SHOW NOTES!
https://www.ivymethodtutors.com/
info@ivymethodtutors.com
(323) 451-9202
Peyton McDavitt has recently been inducted into the Harvard Athletics Hall of Fame. Nominated by her sister for being a phenomenal player but more importantly a phenomenal teammate and leader. She now runs a Tutoring company, Ivy Method Tutors, with Michael Robin. Both of these Harvard graduates give amazing insights into college admissions process as well as share stories from their unique journeys.
SHOW NOTES!
https://www.ivymethodtutors.com/
info@ivymethodtutors.com
(323) 451-9202
Dr. Desaree Festa, commonly known as “Dr. Dez,”is the sports psychologist for the Buffalo Bills. She works closely with many of the players on the Bills roster and leads the Rookie Success and Player Development programs which helps integrate rookies into the NFL. She has previously worked with teams in the NBA, NHL, and NASCAR. Dr. Dez is very passionate about her field and offers amazing advice for athletes and parents!
Dr. Desaree Festa, commonly known as “Dr. Dez,”is the sports psychologist for the Buffalo Bills. She works closely with many of the players on the Bills roster and leads the Rookie Success and Player Development programs which helps integrate rookies into the NFL. She has previously worked with teams in the NBA, NHL, and NASCAR. Dr. Dez is very passionate about her field and offers amazing advice for athletes and parents!
Katie Steele is a former highly recruited D1 athlete who ran track and cross country for the famed University of Oregon team. After her running career intersected with the infamous coach Alberto Salazar, she was left with trauma for years to come. Deciding to dedicate her career to the integration of mental health care in athletics, she is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-founder of Thrive Mental Health, an outpatient mental health clinic in Bend, Oregon.
SHOW NOTES
www.athletesmentalhealthfoundation.org
https://www.athletesmentalhealthfoundation.org/the-price-she-pays
IG: athletesmentalhealthfoundation
Katie Steele is a former highly recruited D1 athlete who ran track and cross country for the famed University of Oregon team. After her running career intersected with the infamous coach Alberto Salazar, she was left with trauma for years to come. Deciding to dedicate her career to the integration of mental health care in athletics, she is now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and co-founder of Thrive Mental Health, an outpatient mental health clinic in Bend, Oregon. There is loads of advice all over this episode for any parent of an athlete.
Enjoy this clip of Kirsten and Katie talking about what to look out for when needing to intervene with a coach!
SHOW NOTES
www.athletesmentalhealthfoundation.org
https://www.athletesmentalhealthfoundation.org/the-price-she-pays
IG: athletesmentalhealthfoundation
This week on the podcast we have Jenn Zerling! 🏋️♀️✍️ JZ is a nutrition coach, personal trainer, speaker, and expert contributor to multiple publications. 🎓She holds a Masters degree in Kinesiology, an International Obesity Management certification, Nutrition credential, a Corrective Exercise Specialist credential, a Running certification, yoga 200+ hour certification and many other national certifications. 🧘♀️She is a licensed limited X-Ray technician through the state of California to operate the Bone Densitometry and Body Composition Scan. JZ has devoted her life to helping people manage their age and live healthy. She is known for helping people live a healthy lifestyle balanced with parenting, work, and all the stresses life brings. 👨👩👦👦
SHOW NOTES!
https://www.jzfitness.com/about-jz
IG: @jzfitnessnutrition
FB: jzfitness
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
This week on the podcast we have Jenn Zerling! JZ is a nutrition coach, personal trainer, speaker, and expert contributor to multiple publications. She holds a Masters degree in Kinesiology, an International Obesity Management certification, Nutrition credential, a Corrective Exercise Specialist credential, a Running certification, yoga 200+ hour certification and many other national certifications. She is a licensed limited X-Ray technician through the state of California to operate the Bone Densitometry and Body Composition Scan. JZ has devoted her life to helping people manage their age and live healthy. She is known for encouraging a healthy lifestyle balanced with parenting, work, and all the stresses life brings.
Listen to this trailer where Kirsten and Jenn discuss how to control the narrative you are writing for yourself and prioritize taking care of yourself, to be better for the people around you!
SHOW NOTES!
https://www.jzfitness.com/about-jz
IG: @jzfitnessnutrition
FB: jzfitness
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
Meet one of Kirsten’s star pupils! Kenzie Chang is a national champion equestrian, Team Gold Medalist at the 2021 Pony Finals, and Winner of the North American pre junior trials. Kenzie has been working with Kirsten for close to a year now and is showing why it can be so beneficial to have a peak performance coach in your corner. She has put so many of Kirsten’s tools into practice and is reaping all of the benefits as she continues down her equestrian journey.
SHOW NOTES
Instagram: @kenziechang_
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
Kenzie is wise far beyond her years and offers plenty of takeaways for people of all ages. Listen to this clip of Kenzie discussing how she started her riding career and the importance certain trainer’s had on her overcoming her nerves of entering the ring! 🏇🏻
SHOW NOTES
Instagram: @kenziechang_
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
Teresa Strasser is an Emmy-winning writer and Emmy-nominated television host (TLC). She’s been a contributor to the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Arizona Republic and The Today Show. As a broadcaster, she’s been on The View, Good Morning America, The Talk, CNN, Good Day New York, and was a regular guest on Dr. Phil. Radio and podcast audiences know her as the co-host of The Guinness World Record holding Adam Carolla Show. Her first memoir, Exploiting My Baby: Because it’s Exploiting Me was a bestseller, and optioned by ABC. Her second book, Making It Home: Life Lessons From a Season of Little League got a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, and was called “A Perfect Book” by Good Housekeeping.📖⚾️
Teresa wrote an achingly heartfelt and surprisingly funny memoir about family, grief, and moving forward. When her brother dies from cancer, and then her mother just four months later, Teresa Strasser has no one to mourn with but her irresponsible, cantankerous, trailerpark-dwelling father.
Listen to Kirsten and Teresa go back and talk about how youth sports teach life lessons, the importance of failure, and her unique philosophy on youth sports and grieving.⚡️
SHOW NOTES
@teresastrasser
Making It Home: Life Lessons from a Season of Little League
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Teresa Strasser is an Emmy-winning writer and Emmy-nominated television host . She’s been a contributor to the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Arizona Republic and The Today Show. Teresa has written multiple books about parenting and raising athletes of her own!📖
Listen to this clip where she discusses what inspired her to write her book and how proud she is to be a sports mom!👩👦⚾️
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Dr. Devorah Heitner is an expert on young people's relationship with digital media and technology. She has authored two books: "Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World" and "Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World." Her work has been featured in reputable publications such as the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN Opinion. With a Ph.D. in Media/Technology & Society from Northwestern University, Dr. Heitner offers practical, non-judgmental advice to parents about technology and parenting in the digital age. She also consults with schools, nonprofits, app developers, and tech companies to promote digital wellness and ethical products for kids.
As a parent of a teenager herself, she provides strategies for mentoring kids in an always-connected world, empowering parents to connect with their children and support them as they navigate digital communities
Listen as Kirsten and Devorah discuss the impact social media is having on our kids' generation. The two discuss everything social media, from the negatives to the positives, when we should be educating our kids and when we should limit ourselves to set an example of good habits!
SHOW NOTES!!
Instagram and Substack: @devorahheitnerphd
Books: Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World and Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World.
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Dr. Devorah Heitner is the author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital Worldand Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World.📀
Enjoy this clip of Devorah explaining how we can learn from young people and how they use social media to have make a positive impact!👦
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Kirsten picks back up on her "Talking to the Student Athlete" Series with Shelby Schweyen. Shelby discusses her experiences participating in 3 sports all throughout high school, being recruited as a 3-sport athlete, and dealing with multiple injuries. 🏀🏐🏃♀️🤕
Schweyen enjoyed one of the legendary high school athletic careers in Montana state history, and prepared to play women's basketball for her mother, then Lady Griz basketball coach Shannon Schweyen, while competing in track and field for her father, UM's track and field coach at the time Brian Schweyen. She also was exploring the opportunity to play volleyball at UM in the fall of 2019.
After 2 injury plagued years at Montana University (and 5 knee surgeries), Shelby transferred to Montana State to pick back up her track career. Shelby overcame all these obstacles to win the pentathlon at the Big Sky Indoor Track & Field Championships!! 🏃♀️🥇
Shelby dishes out advice for teammates of injured players and how to get back on track for people dealing with injury. She uses a growth mindset and grit, always looking to come back better and stronger while never giving up!
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Kirsten picks back up on her "Talking to the Student Athlete" Series with Shelby Schweyen.
In Monday's episode, Shelby discusses her experiences participating in 3 sports all throughout high school, being recruited as a 3-sport athlete, and dealing with multiple injuries. 🏀🏐🏃♀️🤕
Shelby is young but filled with experience and wisdom dealing with many hardships throughout her athletic career. 🏃♀️
In this insightful clip, Shelby discusses the importance of supporting and being sensitive towards teammates dealing with injury. 🧏♀️
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Rett Larson is the Head Strength and Conditioning / Sports Performance Coach for the German Women’s National Volleyball team, currently preparing them to make the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Rett previously was the head S&C coach for the Netherlands, and the Chinese Women’s Volleyball team, where he won a gold medal🥇 . His training videos have gone viral using music and dancing and fun to prepare his world class athletes.
Rett is another fellow William & Mary 💚💛alumni who used his love of sports and turned it into a career.
Rett's level of expertise across all aspects of coaching and fitness are unsurpassed by anyone else I've ever worked with. He is determined to make movement and sport training FUN! Likewise, his generosity with his time, enthusiasm and knowledge is a rare combination that makes working with Rett a motivating and educational experience. Rett is one of those people who is so clearly passionate about what he does and his energy is oozing out throughout this pod! 🧠🏋️🏐
SHOW NOTES
@rettasaurus
Currently preparing the German Women’s Volleyball team to make the Paris Olympics
2016 Rio Olympics 🥇 Team CHINA
2015 World Cup 🥇 Team CHINA
W&M 1995
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Nothing is more important in youth sports than HAVING FUN! Here is a clip of how Rett balances fun with the expectations of structure in youth sports.⚡️
Rett has so much passion and energy for what he does which it is clearly shown in this podcast!🏐🏋️
Rett Larson is the Head Strength and Conditioning / Sports Performance Coach for the German Women’s National Volleyball team, currently preparing them to make the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Rett previously was the head S&C coach for the Netherlands, and the Chinese Women’s Volleyball team, where he won a gold medal🥇 . His training videos have gone viral @rettasaurus using music and dancing and fun to prepare his world class athletes.
Rett is another fellow William & Mary 💚💛alumni who used his love of sports and turned it into a career!
@rettasaurus
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This week, Kirsten sits down with fellow coach, author, podcaster and William & Mary 💚💛alumni, Todd Durkin.
The two go back and forth on the importance of positivity, why coaches should support their athletes, and how no parent should ever be tearing down their kid. Todd gives great insight into how he manages his “energy” and why it is so important to focus on energy, not just for yourself but for the people around you as well!
You will be fired up after listening to this podcast! 🔥🔥
SHOW NOTES:@todddurkin
Todd Durkin EnterprisesTodd Durkin, MA, is an internationally recognized strength and conditioning coach, sought-after keynote motivational speaker, and best-selling author who motivates, educates, and inspires people worldwide. He is the mindset coach and trainer behind some of the world’s best athletes, including NFL MVPs, Super Bowl Champions, Heisman Trophy Winners, Olympic and X-Game Gold Medalists, and many other champion athletes, leaders, and entrepreneurs.
As the founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA, Todd is a two-time Personal Trainer of the Year, the 2017 Jack LaLanne Award recipient, a member of the Under Armour Training Team, and a Greatist named Todd one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Health & Fitness in four different years.
Durkin is also trusted by some of the world’s leading global brands to deliver motivational keynotes and inspirational messages to teams, companies, and conferences to help individuals and teams go from high-performance, or previously high performance, to ELITE performance by helping them recapture their energy, mojo, and mindset. He has keynoted over 300 talks on 5-continents and loves helping individuals and teams create their max impact.
Durkin has published four best-selling books, Get Your Mind Right, The WOW Book, The IMPACT Body Plan, and What’s Next, all of which have changed tens of thousands of lives.
He has an award-winning podcast, called the Todd Durkin IMPACT Show, and a “Dose of Durkin” email newsletter sent out weekly with motivational tips and inspirational messages designed to “Get Your Mind Right”
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In this episode you will hear so many amazing takeaways and advice for parents, coaches, athletes, and PEOPLE! Here is a clip of Todd Durkin discussing the importance of energy!
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We start our next 100 episodes with a very special guest!!!
Kirsten has the opportunity to sit down and talk with her oldest son, Caelan, about his basketball journey and the lessons sports have taught him. From the highs to the lows and everything in between Caelan and Kirsten go back and forth about their moves throughout his childhood, high school basketball, the transfer process from D1 to D3, and his most recent journey at Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
There are so many amazing takeaways and wonderful moments in this honest conversation between a mother and her son. This is a supersized episode because they had so much to talk about!
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The Journey is the Reward!
In this clip from Monday's supersized "Talking to the Student Athlete" episode, Kirsten has the opportunity to sit down and talk with her oldest son, Caelan, about his basketball journey and the lessons sports have taught him. He went from D1 to D3 and had a bunch of bumps on the way (Covid!).
There are so many amazing takeaways and wonderful moments in this honest conversation between a mother and her son. This is a supersized episode because they had so much to talk about and even recorded it over 2 days!
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It's our 100th Episode !!!!!
And.....drumroll please....we have a guest who needs no introduction…Susie and Kirsten are joined by one of the most successful people in the NBA, Golden State Warrior Head Coach Steve Kerr.
Winning 9 NBA championships as player and coach, Steve (or Stevie as Susie calls him!) is a proven winner who discusses his experience working with NBA legendary players like Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and learning from legendary coaches like Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich and Lute Olson.
He explains the importance of leading with joy and how creating a positive environment is most important when the going gets tough. You don’t want to miss this episode!
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It's our 100th Episode (on Monday) !!!!! But here's a preview of the JOY we felt.
Susie and Kirsten are joined by one of the most successful people in the NBA, Golden State Warrior Head Coach Steve Kerr.
Winning 9 NBA championships as player and coach, Steve (or Stevie as Susie calls him!) is a proven winner who explains the importance of leading with joy and how creating a positive environment is most important when the going gets tough. Here, Steve (and Susie) spend time discussing the importance of living out your values.
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American Soccer legend, Marcelo Balboa, joins Kirsten this week and two old friends and former peers (SDSU Aztecs!) discuss things like growing up as the son of a pro athlete, the importance of sports (“If it wasn’t for sports I would have failed [out of school]”) and his coaching style.
Marcelo is one of the first American soccer greats, he has played in 3 World Cups and over 150 MLS games for the Colorado Rapids. He is now a coach at the Colorado Rapids Academy and is using his experience to educate the next generation of American soccer while working as an announcer for Apple TV. Marcelo discusses his beliefs on how kids need to be kids while also coaching with discipline. His experiences of being raised by a former professional athlete gives excellent insight for all parents.
We are always growing and changing at #RaisingAthletes podcast, and we are adding a recap at the end of our episodes. We have the luxury of recapping from two different perspectives, Kirsten and Matt McGonigle (our newest member or Team KJ), both former D1 athletes a generation apart! So, stick around after Kirsten and Celo’s episode to hear how Matt and Kirsten feel about it.
SHOW NOTES:
Currently Working with Real Salt Lake Academy, Apple TV MLS Announcer
1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cup Appearances
1st American to have 100 International Caps
1st Name in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005
@marcelobalboa17
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On next week's #RaisingAthletes podcast, American Soccer legend, Marcelo Balboa, joins Kirsten and she asks how do you balance full time soccer as a kid? Listen here for a sneak peek as two old friends and former peers (SDSU Aztecs!) discuss the importance of work ethic!
Marcelo is one of the first American soccer greats, he has played in 3 World Cups and over 150 MLS games for the Colorado Rapids. He is now a coach at the Colorado Rapids Academy and is using his experience to educate the next generation of American soccer while working as an announcer for Apple TV. Marcelo discusses his beliefs on how kids need to be kids while also coaching with discipline. His experiences of being raised by a former professional athlete gives excellent insight for all parents.
SHOW NOTES:
Currently Working with Real Salt Lake Academy, Apple TV MLS Announcer
1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cup Appearances
1st American to have 100 International Caps
1st Name in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005
@marcelobalboa17
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
This week, Kirsten welcomes Linda Martindale, a former college athlete (Arizona Wildcats Basketball!), a dedicated mental fitness coach, a motivational speaker, a high school boys basketball coach, a former college basketball coach and an entrepreneur. Linda is also a proud mother of four college athletes and two dogs (one is athletic and one is definitely not).
Kirsten and Linda dive into their mutual passion about mental fitness and its’ impact on student-athletes. They talk about how honesty and being straight with kids is so powerful to their being “seen” whether they are getting a lot of playing time.
Another impressive woman to end our Women's History Month series!
https://martindalecoaching.com/
@martindalecoaching
SHOW NOTES: The Team Captain’s Leadership Journal by Jeff Jansen
https://www.janssensportsleadership.com/resources/leadership-for-captains/
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In this clip from Monday's new episode, Kirsten and Linda talk about being "seen" and how honesty and being straight with kids is so powerful and important for coaches.
Linda Martindale is a former college athlete (Arizona Wildcats Basketball!), a dedicated mental fitness coach, a motivational speaker, a high school boys basketball coach, a former college basketball coach and an entrepreneur. Linda is also a proud mother of four college athletes and two dogs (one is athletic and one is definitely not).
Kirsten and Linda dive into their mutual passion about mental fitness and its’ impact on student-athletes. They talk about how honesty and being straight with kids is so powerful to their being “seen” whether they are getting a lot of playing time or not.
Another impressive woman to end out Women's History Month series!
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Week 3 of Women’s History Month highlights Dr. Emily Edlynn, clinical psychologist, and new published author. Kirsten and Emily speak about the idea that each of us has 3 fundamental needs: to be autonomous, competent and connected.
They speak about how it went wrong, and it all starts with “Intensive Parenting” and they role play different ways to parent. Dr. Emily speaks about how sports is a huge help in countering the challenges our youth face like social media and Covid isolation.
Dr. Emily talks about all these parenting themes in her book, podcast, blog, and guest column in Parents magazine.
Dr. Emily lives in Oak Park, Illinois outside of Chicago with my husband, three children, ages 13, 11, and 8, and two rescue dogs. She earned a Master’s and Doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the child and adolescent program at Loyola University of Chicago. She works in a small private practice with children, teenagers, and adults, specializing in health psychology.
She digs into the reality of parenting in this fast-paced, uber-tech, hyper-media world, and trying to remind each other that we are all doing okay by our children because we are doing our best. Not only does science say so, but if we pay attention to the art of motherhood, our instincts tell us so too.
@dremilyedlynn
SHOW NOTES:
(1) Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent, Confident Children
https://www.amazon.com/Autonomy-Supportive-Parenting-Parental-Competent-Confident/dp/1641709766/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E5Q1HKJHDNPU&keywords=Edlynn&qid=1674221114&sprefix=edlyn%2Caps%2C630&sr=8-1
(2)Podcast: Psychologists Off the Clock co-host
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youth-sports-and-raising-athletes-with-kirsten-jones/id1176171178?i=1000645283762
(3)Substack: https://emilyedlynn.substack.com/
(4)Blog: The Art and Science of Mom
https://www.emilyedlynnphd.com/
(5)Parents: Ask Your Mom parenting advice column
https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/ask-your-mom/
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Week 3 of Women’s History Month highlights Dr. Emily Edlynn, clinical psychologist, and new published author. Kirsten and Emily speak about the idea that each of us has 3 fundamental needs: to be autonomous, competent and connected.
They speak about how it went wrong, and it all starts with “Intensive Parenting” and they role play different ways to parent. In this clip, the speak about how intensive parenting can lead to dreams deferred for your kids.
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This week, during Women’s History Month, we bring you another powerhouse woman, Jessica Mendoza. Kirsten and Jessica get into Jessica’s beginnings with a dad as a coach and how that helped shape Jessica as an accomplished athlete (All American! Olympian!), sportscaster (ESPN and Dodger Baseball), trailblazer and mom.
Jessica Mendoza is an American sportscaster and former softball player. Currently, she serves as a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball and Los Angeles Dodgers coverage on Spectrum SportsNet LA. As a softball outfielder, Mendoza was a collegiate four-time First Team All-American at Stanford and two-time Olympic medalist. She won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She played professionally in National Pro Fastpitch and was named 2011 Player of the Year and currently ranks in the top 10 for career batting average and slugging percentage.
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In this clip from Monday's new episode, Kirsten and Jess talk about how important it is to expose your kids to as many different things as possible. They both tell funny stories how exposure shaped experiences.
Jessica Mendoza is an American sportscaster and former softball player. Currently, she serves as a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball and Los Angeles Dodgers coverage on Spectrum SportsNet LA. As a softball outfielder, Mendoza was a collegiate four-time First Team All-American at Stanford and two-time Olympic medalist. She won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She played professionally in National Pro Fastpitch and was named 2011 Player of the Year and currently ranks in the top 10 for career batting average and slugging percentage.
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To kick off Women’s History Month, Kirsten and Susie are back to help guide you through the DOs and DON’Ts of sports parenting. No, it’s not episode 99 (we’re only on 95 ladies!) but they talk about how close we are to 100 (and we have a very special guest lined up for that!).
Kirsten and Susie share stories from the sidelines as they are out there as parents and grandparents EVERY WEEKEND.
Parents – listen up and help us all change how our kids experience youth sports. And remember, “I Love to Watch You Play”
Susie and Kirsten are so excited that so many kids are playing sports as there is no better teacher of life, than life itself! So, let them live, lose, and learn.
National Women’s History Month 2024 celebrates the theme of “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” That’s our Susie and Kirsten!
Our DOs and DON’Ts cheat sheet can be found on KirstenJonesInc.com (Sports Parenting Checklist)
Show notes:
www.indigovillage.com
Raising Empowered Athletes by Kirsten Jones
Key to Personal Freedom: How Myths Affect Our Family Lives by Susie Walton
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To kick off Women’s History Month, Kirsten and Susie are back to help guide you through the DOs and DON’Ts of sports parenting.
In this clip, Kirsten and Susie break down meeting kids where they are at! Let them play multiple sports. Let them try multiple things. Let them slow it down or speed it up on their timeline. Check in with your kids. Success will find them if you let them find their own path. Give them the chance to find their passion.
FULL EPISODE DROPS ON MONDAY
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Kirsten sits down with Brian Nash of IMG Basketball Academy and gets into the ins and out of a boarding school that has 1500 student athletes, 9 sports and 600 acres of campus. WOW!
We also find out how Brian got into coaching and how his days as a student athlete shaped his career path today.
Brian Nash, an NCAA Division I head and assistant coach for more than 20 years, joined IMG Academy as Director of Basketball in 2016. Brian Nash came to IMG Academy from Duquesne University where he was the Associate Head Coach, overseeing student-athlete recruitment and backcourt player development, as well as playing a significant role in mentoring student-athletes.
Prior to Duquesne, Nash held coaching roles at Fairfield, St. Francis, Seton Hall, Siena, St. Bonaventure and Sacred Heart, leading teams to multiple NCAA and NIT postseason appearances. Brian was a basketball student-athlete and team captain at Keene State, where he graduated with a degree in economics.
In his role, Nash oversees the basketball program for its youth and high school student-athletes, as well as its camps and training programs for post-graduate and professional players.
Brian.Nash@imgacademy.com
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Kirsten sits down with Brian Nash of IMG Basketball Academy and gets into the ins and out of a boarding school that has 1500 student athletes, 9 sports and 600 acres of campus. WOW!
We also find out how Brian got into coaching and how his days as a student athlete shaped his career path today.
In this clip, Brian speaks to how hard they work to find the right fit for their student athletes.
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We strive to bring you all things youth sports. And that includes the corporate side of youth and recreational sports. Kirsten's guest this week is Brett MacKinnon, head of SportsEngine (NBC Sports Next), an elite hockey player, corporate athlete and dad.
Kirsten and Brett talk about the business of youth sports, and how that fun and recreational sports should be the backbone of our kids’ experiences.
They talk about how Brett's youth sports soccer and (later) elite hockey experiences shaped his career and professional life with common themes of discipline, teamwork, community and communication.
We hope you enjoy and learn about a different side of youth sports!
SHOW NOTES:
Kirsten was a guest on NBC Sports Next/SportsEngine podcast, "For the Love of Sport"
https://discover.sportsengineplay.com/for-the-love-of-sport-podcast
ABOUT NBC SPORTS NEXT and SPORTSENGINE
NBC Sports Next is the tech division of NBC Sports. Within NBC Sports Next, there are two areas of focus: Youth & Recreational Sports; and Golf. Brett is the leader of the youth sports area, and SportsEngine is the driving brand.
SPORTSENGINE
NBC Sports Next’s Youth & Recreational Sports area, led by leading club and team management technology platform SportsEngine, is creating powerful digital tools and services to simplify youth sports – making it easier for organizations to connect with coaches, families, athletes and fans. Mission is to build the best technology platform for youth sports.
In total, SportsEngine serves over 35k small and medium-sized business sports operators (youth sports organizations), tournaments, the USOPC and Governing Body community, professional sports leagues and thousands of municipalities. Over 16M coaches, families, and fans use SportsEngine suite of products and services annually.
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We strive to bring you all things youth sports. And that includes the corporate side of youth sports. Kirsten's guest this week is Brett MacKinnon, head of SportsEngine (NBC Sports), an elite hockey player, corporate athlete and dad.
In this clip, Kirsten and Brett talk about the future of youth sports and how we can continue to keep kids playing youth sports.
About SportsEngine
NBC Sports Next’s Youth & Recreational Sports area, led by leading club and team management technology platform SportsEngine, is creating powerful digital tools and services to simplify youth sports – making it easier for organizations to connect with coaches, families, athletes and fans. Mission is to build the best technology platform for youth sports.
In total, SportsEngine serves over 35k small and medium-sized business sports operators (youth sports organizations), tournaments, the USOPC and Governing Body community, professional sports leagues and thousands of municipalities. Over 16M coaches, families, and fans use SportsEngine suite of products and services annually.
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This was a special episode for Kirsten as she got to talk to her book coach, Bob Welch. If you follow her book journey, she often mentions Bob, an amazing coach and partner who took everything that she threw at him and condensed it down and made each story stronger.
Bob and Kirsten were so excited to talk to each other that Bob jumped in before she even introduced him! It’s a true partnership.
As Kirsten states in the podcast, “you’re the poster child for exactly what I want to do, which is it's to be an athlete for life. The fact that you took Seven Summer (And a Few Bummers) to do the Pacific Coast Trail in your 60s, right?” Bob and Kirsten talk about how humility, perseverance and flexibility (hello Covid!) were the right combination to get Raising Empowered Athletes finished.
BOB WELCH is the author of more than two dozen books, including "The Wizard of Foz," Track & Field Writers of America's 2019 Book of the Year, and "American Nightingale," an Oregon Book Award finalist and featured on ABC's "Good Morning America."
As a columnist for "The Register-Guard" in Eugene, Oregon, Welch twice won the National Society of Newspaper Columnist's "Best Writing" award. He's also a winner of the Seattle Times C.B. Blethen Award for Distinguished Feature Writing.
Welch is a former adjunct professor at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication, and founder of the Beachside Writers Workshop in Yachats, Oregon.
As a speaker, Welch has keynoted conferences across America. A storyteller by nature, Welch mines much of his speaking fodder from his books and the nearly 2,000 columns he wrote for The Register-Guard, Oregon’s second-largest newspaper.
Articles of Welch’s have been published in more than a dozen books, including seven in the popular “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series.
In addition, he has had articles published in such magazines as "Sports Illustrated," "Los Angeles Times," "Reader’s Digest," and "Runner’s World."
He and his wife, Sally, live in Eugene.
SHOW NOTES:
https://bobwelchwriter.substack.com/
bobwelch23@gmail.com
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Summers-Few-Bummers-Welch/dp/B0CDK8SMHC
https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Empowered-Athletes-Parenting-Resilient/dp/1637272812
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This was a special episode for Kirsten as she got to talk to her book coach, Bob Welch. If you follow her book journey, she often mentions Bob, an amazing coach and partner who took everything that she threw at him and condensed it down and made each story stronger.
In this preview of Monday's podcast, Kirsten and Bob talk about how important stories are to Kirsten's (and all!) writing. As Bob said, “A lot of people like the idea of writing a book” but not a lot of people follow through. BOB WELCH is the author of more than two dozen books, including "The Wizard of Foz," Track & Field Writers of America's 2019 Book of the Year, and "American Nightingale," an Oregon Book Award finalist and featured on ABC's "Good Morning America."
As a columnist for "The Register-Guard" in Eugene, Oregon, Welch twice won the National Society of Newspaper Columnist's "Best Writing" award. He's also a winner of the Seattle Times C.B. Blethen Award for Distinguished Feature Writing.
Welch is a former adjunct professor at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication, and founder of the Beachside Writers Workshop in Yachats, Oregon.
As a speaker, Welch has keynoted conferences across America. A storyteller by nature, Welch mines much of his speaking fodder from his books and the nearly 2,000 columns he wrote for The Register-Guard, Oregon’s second-largest newspaper.
Articles of Welch’s have been published in more than a dozen books, including seven in the popular “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series.
In addition, he has had articles published in such magazines as "Sports Illustrated," "Los Angeles Times," "Reader’s Digest," and "Runner’s World."
He and his wife, Sally, live in Eugene.
https://bobwelchwriter.substack.com/
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Renowned Psychologist. Human Connection Expert. Bestselling Author
Kirsten has a blast talking to Dr. Jody this week. If you are some of our Canadian listeners, you will hear a kindred spirit! If not, you will come away as a new fan. She teaches us such important lessons with humor and energy that you will hear Kirsten laughing and learning along.
Dr. Jody Carrington is a powerhouse speaker and fearless champion for authentic human connection. She is highly sought after for her expertise, energy, and genuine approach to helping people solve the most complex human-centered problems. Jody’s work focuses on the value of reconnection—the key to healthy relationships and productive teams. Her authentic, honest (and often hilarious) approach never fails to inspire and motivate audiences.
Dr. Carrington is the founder and principal psychologist at The Carrington Practice, where she uses her twenty-plus years of experience to empower the clients she connects with. Jody’s unique resume of clients—from kids to major institutions—provides her with insights and depth of experience to present unmatched value to her audiences. Her core message resonates with everyone from the practice to the world stage: our power lies in our ability to acknowledge each other first.
She is the bestselling author of Kids These Days (2019), Teachers These Days (2021), and the emotionally charged and introspective chart topping, Feeling Seen (Harper Collins, 2023).
Jody lives in small-town Olds, Alberta, with her husband and three children (she had three kids in 2 years to test her own resilience), and leads the amazing team at Carrington & Company.
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Our guest this week Dr. Jody Carrington, Child Psychologist, is a powerhouse speaker and fearless champion for authentic human connection.
In this clip, Kirsten and Dr. Jody speak to the importance of coaching tools for us and our "babies" and how connection matters so much for performance.
"Just because you can bounce a ball, doesn't mean you can tell other people how to do it"
Home - Dr. Jody Carrington (drjodycarrington.com)@drjodycarrington
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Kirsten continues her discussions in the “Talking to the Student-Athlete” Series, speaking to Montana Grizzlies Linebacker, Geno Leonard. The Montana Grizzlies put together one of the most memorable seasons in program history in 2023, with a Big Sky championship and made a magical run to the NCAA Division I Football National Championship (FCS) game.
Prior to joining the Griz, Geno was a four-year letterman at Sentinel High School in Missoula, MT. He helped lead the Spartans to a 10-0 record and the State AA championship as a senior. Geno shares his story of redshirting his freshman year and then overcoming injury during his sophomore year. Kirsten and Geno talk about mindset, ultimately getting your body healthy, beating the injury and then focusing on becoming better football players. Geno shares how injury led him to be a player-coach from the sidelines and learning to help his teammates as a teacher.
Kirsten and Geno also bonded over the great community the both grew up in - Missoula, Montana, where Kirsten and Geno’s Dad, Brad Leonard, were classmates and respective Male and Female Athletes of the Year for Sentinel High School way back when in 1988.
Go Griz!
Instagram: @genoleonard31 @montanagrizfootball
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Kirsten continues her discussions in the Talking to the Student Athlete Series, speaking to Montana Grizzlies Linebacker, Geno Leonard. In this clip, Geno and Kirsten discuss how powerful it is for a coach to support an injured player and the mindset it takes for that player to get back on the field.
Full Episode Drops on Monday!
@genoleonard31
@montanagrizfootball
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You’re in for a treat!
Brandin Bryant, Nebraska-born NFL professional and mental performance enthusiast, has had to fight for every opportunity in his pro and college football career. He earned a spot at Florida Atlantic after starting his career at Fort Scott Community College. In 2016, Bryant went undrafted, and he’s been fighting to stay in the NFL ever since. He’s been on an NFL practice squad for five of the last seven seasons and walks us through the cutthroat NFL process. He played in the Canadian football League in 2018 and 2019 to try and keep his dream alive.
Kirsten and Brandin talk about a host of subjects dear to #RaisingAthletes podcast hearts:
•Overcoming Adversity
•Making your own Luck
•Inspirational Teachers and Coaches
•Importance of Discipline and Routine
•Reframing Setbacks and Rejections
Brandin shares his wisdom and experience in his debut book, So, You Want to be an Athlete? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQTVKD3N/.
With an 8-year career in professional football and a belief in the power of a growth mindset, Brandin champions the integral role of education in an athlete's journey. He frequently addresses university audiences across the nation, inspiring the next generation of athletes.
Instagram: @el_sacko
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Brandin Bryant, Nebraska-born NFL professional and mental performance enthusiast, joins Kirsten this Monday to speak about overcoming adversity, the benefits of a routine and how he went from junior college to undrafted NFL player for such teams as the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks.
Brandin's debut book, So, You Want to be an Athlete?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQTVKD3N/ dropped this past week so go buy it now!@el_sacko
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Season 5 kicks off with Kirsten and Susie giving actionable steps for goal setting. The two friends talk about such topics as the power of manifesting, "remembering the future", and the all-important line and parking karma 😂
Getting out of Fear and Getting into Action:
- Give yourself permission
- See yourself doing it
- Feel yourself doing it
- Take steps
- Power of Objectivity
These women athletes will walk you through the steps above with wisdom and humor because between them they are parents to 7 and grandparents to 9 (that's all Susie!!!) and both love to share the lessons learned along the journey.
Show notes:
Raising Empowered Athletes by Kirsten Jones
Key to Personal Freedom: How Myths Affect Our Family Lives by Susie Walton
Episode #7: D'Wayne Edwards: Founder of Pensole Ftwr Design Company & Former Creative Director of Brand Jordan - Power of Visualization
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Kirsten Jones and Susie Walton are back together to ring in 2024 and celebrate their 5th year together!
They preview their new episode, "Getting Out of FEAR & Getting What YOU Want"
So fun to have them back together! Here's to this energy on our shoulder for all of 2024.
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This story is special to me and I wanted to share it again with you as we start 2024. Austin Hatch's episode first aired 3/20/19 and I shared his story in Raising Empowered Athletes (Chapter 13, WE over ME). It's all about living in THIS moment and taking advantage of what's in front of you. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do!
Austin Hatch is a survivor. A two-time plane crash survivor, he epitomizes what it means to be resilient. In 2003, at the age of 8, Austin’s mother, sister and brother were tragically killed plane crash. Eight years later, with many hours of hard work, the 6’6” basketball phenom was offered a college scholarship from his dream school, University of Michigan. Just nine days later, Austin would be aboard a plane with his father and “second mother” (he never considered her a step-mom) and this plane too would go down, killing both his parents and leaving Austin in a coma with severe injuries including traumatic brain injury.
I was so honored to speak with Austin and hear him talk about how he made it to the University of Michigan through tireless work, unrelenting positivity that “a miracle is going to happen” and belief that he was truly blessed to have had all of his amazing family members in his life.
We can learn so much from Austin’s outlook as we parent and raise adults about what it means to be optimistic, even in darkest of times and what the belief in yourself and gratitude for the gifts you have been given can do for you.
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A former NIKE colleague, Lauri Kriva, joins Kirsten on this week's podcast.
Lauri’s early life followed a predictable progression of academic and professional accomplishments: overseas study. College degree. HR Management certification. Fifteen years global HR experience with NIKE and Timberland.
In 2006, her heart led her to life coaching, and a cascade of experiences that married her skills with a love of learning: voiceover, real estate, health/wellness, and authoring a children’s book. She often says she lives life with her head in the clouds, her feet on the ground and her heart wide open.
Her son, Axl’s, experience learning how to play golf (and the limited number of kids books on the subject) inspired her to write Fore! The Love of Golf. Lauri took up golf at age 50 and taps into her own mental superpower frequently on the course.
Lauri is a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher through the McLean Meditation Institute and a certified Dr. Sears Health Coach. Lauri and her family live in Santa Barbara, California and can be reached at: www.swellheart.com.
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Have you ever had something otherworldly lead you on a path? 🧙♀️🔮🌠
My guest on Monday's podcast is @krivadercci Lauri Kriva, a former NIKE colleague who has written a wonderful book, FORE! The Love of Golf. ⛳📖
Her son, Axl’s, experience learning how to play golf🏌️ (and the limited number of kids books on the subject) inspired her to write her new book! 📚
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Kirsten sits down with Cory Heitz from Prep Athletics to speak about helping high school basketball players find the right fitting prep school, with the goal of finding the best option for student athletes to play in college.
They have a great talk on going DI vs DIII and going where the fit is right because if you don’t listen to the signs, you will be miserable playing the game. The break down the process of Prep Schools vs Basketball Academies vs JUCO. As Cory states, Basketball is not fair. Bumping up a level is not easy. And, differentiators aren’t often hard work. That's a given. It’s often your grades or your relationship to your Coaches. So many great nuggets here!
Cory comes from basketball pedigree. His father played at West Virginia University before playing professionally in Switzerland. His uncle played for the University of Kentucky’s 1984 Final Four team and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. He is also cousins with Brad Miller, who played at Purdue University prior to a fourteen year NBA career which included being a two-time all-star. He also has relatives who have played for the University of Oklahoma, Morehead State, and the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
Cory attended a prep school for a post-grad year and his cousin Brad spent his senior year of high school at a prep school. Without this year Cory would not have played Division 1 and Brad would not have made the NBA. Prep schools have changed family’s life and he wanted to help other families have a chance to improve their futures.
@prep.athletics
Prep School Basketball Placement | Post-Grad Assistance (prepathletics.com)
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Kirsten sits down with Cory Heitz from Prep Athletics to speak about helping high school basketball players find the right fitting prep school, with the goal of finding the best option for student athletes to play in college.
They have a great talk on going DI vs DIII and going where the fit is right because if you don’t listen to the signs, you will be miserable playing the game. The break down the process of Prep Schools vs Basketball Academies vs JUCO. As Cory states, Basketball is not fair. Bumping up a level is not easy. And, differentiators aren’t hard work. It’s often your grades or your relationship to your Coaches.
Prep School Basketball Placement | Post-Grad Assistance (prepathletics.com)@prep.athletics
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Kirsten sits down with fellow Sunshine Volleyball Coach, Alex Chigas. Alex explains that he coaches and plays volleyball because he loves the game and tries to give his athletes space to find their passions.
Alex Chigas grew-up in the suburbs of Chicago where he played volleyball for Oak Lawn Community High School and the Ultimate Volleyball Club. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Statistics. While attending university Alex worked as a line judge for Big10 Women’s Volleyball.
Alex is currently the head coach of Sunshine’s 17 Westside team. Alex’s coaching philosophy is mostly based on the “mental game.” He puts a heavy emphasis on what the team is doing when they don’t have the ball, this translates into better movement, ball control, and overall awareness.
Kirsten and Alex align on mindset and communication and Kirsten has worked successfully with Alex’s teams as a result (They tell a fun story of how they both worked together with a team that got in flow at the end of the season and placed #5 at Nationals!!)
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SUPRPRISE!!! We have a new @raisingathletespodcast dropping on Monday with @alexchigas 🎉🎉🎉
Parents often ask, What can I do to help my child??? 🤔
Alex gives such important advice here. 🗣️
Listen and learn 👏🥰
...
Alex Chigas grew-up in the suburbs of Chicago where he played volleyball for Oak Lawn Community High School and the Ultimate Volleyball Club. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Statistics. While attending university Alex worked as a line judge for Big10 Women’s Volleyball.
Alex is currently the head coach of Sunshine’s 17 Westside team. Alex’s coaching philosophy is mostly based on the “mental game.” He puts a heavy emphasis on what the team is doing when they don’t have the ball, this translates into better movement, ball control, and overall awareness.
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On this week of Thanksgiving, I want to say I’m grateful for this women’s insight and friendship.
On our newest #RA podcast, Kristin and I will share tips and words of wisdom for parents and athletes. It is something we often do - hike, talk, coach and learn from each other. So, we hope you enjoy a look inside our friendship and together we came up 5 Top Tips to help YOU and help your child!
Thankful!
Kristin Keefe played four years of volleyball at Marymount High School before playing for Stanford University; she was a four-time All-American Outside Hitter and 1991 National Player of the Year. From 1992 through 1996 she was a member of the US Women’s National Team and participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She played professionally for three years on the Bud Light Pro 4 Women Beach Volleyball Tour.
This is her fifth season coaching for the Sunshine Volleyball Club. In 2018 and 2019 both of her teams, 15s and 16s, won bronze medals at the Junior Nationals.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
On this week of Thanksgiving, I want to say I’m grateful for this women’s insight and friendship.
On Monday’s podcast, Kristin and I will share tips and words of wisdom for parents and athletes. It is something we often do - hike, talk, coach and learn from each other.
Thankful!
Kristin Keefe played four years of volleyball at Marymount High School before playing for Stanford University; she was a four-time All-American Outside Hitter and 1991 National Player of the Year. From 1992 through 1996 she was a member of the US Women’s National Team and participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She played professionally for three years on the Bud Light Pro 4 Women Beach Volleyball Tour.
This is her fifth season coaching for the Sunshine Volleyball Club. In 2018 and 2019 both of her teams, 15s and 16s, won bronze medals at the Junior Nationals.
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Today’s guest, NYU Coach Andrew Brown, is the head coach of the highly successful (29-7 record and advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament Final Four 2022 season) New York University’s Women’s Volleyball Team.
Coach Brown sits down with Kirsten to talk about how his program has changed from the jungle tiger - practicing ugly mentality to playing from the top and being the hunted vs the hunter. He speaks to how you show up after success, when opponents are so motivated to take you down.
Kirsten and Andrew talk about how to onboard 5-7 new players, and not overload them in the pre-season. And, he talks about how they bring in consultants to give data and science (think Meyers-Briggs) to give another tool in his athletes toolbox for not just volleyball, but life in general.
A fascinating discussion on mindset, grit, expectations, culture and really finding out who your team is!
NYU Violets repeated as UAA conference champs in 2023 and are currently playing in the NCAA DIII tournament.
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Monday's return guest, NYU Coach Andrew Brown, is the head coach of the highly successful (29-7 record and advanced to the NCAA DIII Tournament Final Four 2022 season) New York University’s Women’s Volleyball Team.
In this clip, Coach Brown sits down with Kirsten to talk about how his program has changed from the hunter to the hunted.
This episode is a fascinating discussion on mindset, grit, expectations, culture and really finding out who your team is!
NYU Violets repeated as UAA conference champs in 2023 and are currently playing in the NCAA DIII tournament.
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Kirsten and Joy have a fascinating discussion of NIL and youth sports. Have you wondered how this NIL thing works? Joy and Kirsten try to unpack this process of NIL, entrepreneurship and building your own brand (spoiler – it’s not all about sports!). They talk also about how much NIL is doing for women. Did you know women are getting paid 3:1 to their male counterparts!?
Joy Harris is a successful entrepreneur with over 10+ years of experience helping others scale their ambitions. CEO of Score and Co-founder of Connect Electric, Joy is passionate about student-athlete success and helping families gain the leverage necessary for them to win on-and-off the field. Joy is also a speaker and the author of the book series "How to Get Paid Before Going Pro".
@thejoyharris
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Kirsten and Joy have a fascinating discussion of NIL and youth sports. Have you wondered how this NIL thing works? Joy and Kirsten try to unpack this process of NIL, entrepreneurship and building your own brand (spoiler – it’s not all about sports!).
In this clip, they talk also about how much NIL is doing for women. Did you know women are getting paid 3:1 to their male counterparts!?
Joy Harris is a successful entrepreneur with over 10+ years of experience helping others scale their ambitions. CEO of Score and Co-founder of Connect Electric, Joy is passionate about student-athlete success and helping families gain the leverage necessary for them to win on-and-off the field. Joy is also a speaker and the author of the book series "How to Get Paid Before Going Pro".
@thejoyharris
https://snipfeed.co/thejoyharris
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Kirsten had such a great conversation on SLEEP with Julie Wright, MFT and Heather Turgeon, MFT — psychotherapists, authors, and sleep experts.
The Happy Sleepers join Kirsten to uncover one of the greatest threats to our teenagers’ physical and mental health: sleep deprivation.
Based in NYC / LA, they help people of all ages (babies, little kids, teens and adults) improve their sleep. As their first book, The Happy Sleeper became a popular parenting book, they’ve expanded to develop tools that help all ages. Adolescents are now the most sleep deprived group in human history.
With that in mind, Heather and Julie written a new book, Generation Sleepless: Why Tweens and Teens Aren't Sleeping Enough and How We Can Help Them, an intimate glimpse inside a silent epidemic that is harming teens and how parents can help them reclaim the restorative power of sleep.
If you could protect your teen from unnecessary anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, and foster a greater sense of happiness and well-being in their life, wouldn’t you?
https://www.thehappysleeper.com/
@TheHappySleeper @heatherturgeon @juliewrightmft
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Kirsten had such a great conversation on SLEEP with Julie Wright, MFT and Heather Turgeon, MFT — psychotherapists, authors, and sleep experts.
In this clip, The Happy Sleepers join Kirsten to speak to one of the greatest threats to our teenagers’ physical and mental health: sleep deprivation.
Based in NYC / LA, they help people of all ages (babies, little kids, teens and adults) improve their sleep. As their first book, The Happy Sleeper became a popular parenting book, they’ve expanded to develop tools that help all ages. Adolescents are now the most sleep deprived group in human history.
https://www.thehappysleeper.com/
@TheHappySleeper @heatherturgeon @juliewrightmft
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Originally aired June 2, 2022
Former DI Virginia Tech basketball college athletes, turned NIKE executives and now parents of Stanford Women’s Basketball star, Cameron Brink, join Kirsten in discussing raising athletes, recruiting, NIL, the transfer portal and The Curry Family connection!
Stick around for the end to hear about the link to the White House!
Michelle and Greg Brink met as college basketball players at Virginia Tech University. I first crossed paths with them at NIKE, two power brokers inside the Swoosh’s berm in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
The Brinks raised their two children based upon their own experiences as student athletes, heavy on the student, less focus on the athlete, unless it was what they wanted.
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Kirsten had a blast talking to Frankie Valdez about his story and how he shapes young people. Kirsten laughs out loud at Frankie's answer to, "The Best Athletes I Know Do This" :)
Francisco Valdez played for the Dominican National team for 14 years, starting in their youth program and continuing to the elite men’s team. After winning the USAV Open division championship, Frankie was recruited to play NCAA D1 volleyball at Long Beach State. He went on to play overseas in Venezuela, Turkey and Puerto Rico.
Frankie is a multiple National title holder in the Dominican Republic, playing pro plus a few USA Open championships. He started out as a tennis player, but once he transitioned to volleyball he never looked back. This is his 7th year coaching with Sunshine VBC and first year as head coach of Louisville High School.
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Kirsten had a blast talking to Frankie Valdez about his story and how he shapes young people. In this clip, Frankie talks about letting young people explore other things - arts, sports, whatever! Be curious.
Francisco Valdez played for the Dominican National team for 14 years, starting in their youth program and continuing to the elite men’s team. After winning the USAV Open division championship, Frankie was recruited to play NCAA D1 volleyball at Long Beach State. He went on to play overseas in Venezuela, Turkey and Puerto Rico.
Frankie is a multiple National title holder in the Dominican Republic, playing pro plus a few USA Open championships. He started out as a tennis player, but once he transitioned to volleyball he never looked back. This is his 7th year coaching with Sunshine VBC and first year as head coach of Louisville High School.
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Dan Blewett is an author, speaker, YouTuber, former professional pitcher, and mindset coach. He took his up and down career as an athlete and morphed that passion into helping sports families find their way.
As former athletes and current coaches, Kirsten and Dan have very interesting takes about making sports intensely fun, prioritizing the family and how sports help divert us from the hardship of daily life.
A resident of Washington, D.C., Dan is passionate about helping sports families - giving young athletes, parents and coaches the tools to have healthier careers in sports. He is the author of four books - This Slump Shall Pass (2023), Clean Your Cleats (2022), Dear Baseball Gods (2019), and Pitching Isn't Complicated (2013).
@coachdanblewett
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In this clip from Monday's episode, Coach Dan Blewett breaks down why he believes character building is a side effect of sports, not why you should play!
Dan Blewett is an author, speaker, YouTuber, former professional pitcher, and mindset coach. He took his up and down career as an athlete and morphed that passion into helping sports families find their way.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
Two years to the day, 2021 National HS Coach of Year returns to talk about her current 2023 Marymount High School team, loving the season you're in and being where your feet are. Her current team isn't 35-0 but is battling in tournaments and at 13-7 is poised to make a playoff run. Cari talks about controlling the controllables (Strength and Speed, Form and Fitness) and how it's her job as a coach to push her team to compete so that she honors each of her senior classes to leave better than they started.
It's always fun when Kirsten and Cari get together!
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In this clip from Monday's episode, Kirsten sits down with returning guest Coach Cari Klein (Marymount High School and Sunshine Volleyball Head Coach) and Cari discusses the Tom Brady 2 reps video. It's all about growth from where you are actually in your process – you need to show up ready to compete and get better!
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Kirsten continues her discussions in the Talking to the Student Athlete Series, speaking to Holy Cross Soccer Player, Matt McGonigle. Matt has been a 4-year starter at Holy Cross, serving as one of the Crusaders’ team captains for the fourth straight year. Matt enters the season tied for 11th all-time at Holy Cross with 10 career assists. Matt played four seasons of varsity soccer at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Kirsten and Matt talk about the Captain’s arm band, leadership and accountability. They talk about leaders on the pitch and leaders on the bench as these teams have 30 players with 11 on the field at a time, and empowering all the roles. Listening is one of his strengths – pushing Matt towards a learning and growth mindset. Matt talks about what’s next and how his growth mindset is leading him towards traveling and living overseas after his graduation. There’s a ton of good information here and always fun to hear from the Student Athlete!
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Kirsten continues her discussions in the Talking to the Student Athlete Series, speaking to a four-year DI starter, Holy Cross Soccer Player, Matt McGonigle.
In this clip from Monday's new episode, Kirsten and Matt talk about leaders on the pitch and leaders on the bench (as his teams have 30 players with 11 on the field at a time) and how empowering all the roles leads to Growth Mindset.
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Kirsten had the pleasure of sitting down with the new head coach at William and Mary Volleyball, Ryan Adams. As you will hear, the episode has some hometown feel as Kirsten was a proud member of Tribe Volleyball in the '90s. Ryan talks about how he's a learner and that's the most successful skill his players can learn in Volleyball and Life. Kirsten and Ryan talk leadership, recruiting and how good people make great volleyball players.
Ryan Adams was named the tenth head volleyball coach in school history in January 2023. Adams earned his first win as head coach of the Tribe on opening day of the 2023 season at the Mountaineer Classic in Boone, North Carolina, in a five-set victory over Tennessee Tech. Adams comes to Williamsburg after leading the Lafayette College program for the last four seasons. During his tenure with the Leopards he earned multiple honors, including Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2021.
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NEW EPISODE with Coach Ryan Adams drops Monday!
In this clip, Coach Adams shares, "You need to fail a heck of a lot of times before you get good at stuff" and Kirsten asks him to describe the concept of "practicing ugly". Such great mindset skills for our athletes!
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Prepare to compete by getting in the right mindset space.
This quick little mini episode is here to help!
Whether you are an athlete setting your internal thermostat for your upcoming competition or a parent who wants to bring their best to the sidelines, check out this quick little "reset".
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Kirsten sits down with a force of nature this week, Megan Henry, and they talk about her grit, determination, resilience, and perseverance whether it was in the Armed Forces or as a Team USA Athlete.
A lifelong athlete, Megan competed in Division I Sports - Field Hockey & Track and Field. After joining the Army, her next athletic pursuit took her on an icy 80mph headfirst sled ride where she represented Team USA Skeleton and the Army World Class Athlete Program for over a decade. She’s a self-proclaimed small but explosive athlete that might be an adrenaline junkie.
What an extraordinary woman that just keeps challenging herself!
Megan's dreams were put on hold when she was diagnosed with life-threatening blood clots and was told she'd never be an athlete again. Instead of giving up, Megan chose to tell a different story.
Now, Megan empowers elite athletes and high performers to create their reality. She talks about FUN and JOY and how Peak Performance comes from that place. And parents, she talks about letting your kids PROBLEM SOLVE and OWN THEIR JOURNEY and LEARN THEIR LESSONS.
Megan Henry @ thesavagemeglet
Captain, US Army
49kg USA Weightlifting Masters National Champion
3 x US Army World Class Athlete
2 x World Record Holder (Lake Placid & Park City)
World Cup Bronze Medalist
6 x US National Team Member
3 x World Championship Team Member
Mental Performance Coach
Pulmonary Embolism Survivor
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In this clip from Monday's episode, Megan is all of us (well maybe not all of us as she's a world class athlete). But, she loves her father and still says to Parents - leave the coaching the coaches. We can't wait for you to hear the full episode!
Megan Henry
Captain, US Army
49kg USA Weightlifting Masters National Champion
3 x US Army World Class Athlete
2 x World Record Holder (Lake Placid & Park City)
World Cup Bronze Medalist
6 x US National Team Member
3 x World Championship Team Member
Mental Performance Coach
Pulmonary Embolism Survivor
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On this week’s #RaisingAthletes podcast, I do a #PodSwap with Jessica Lahey (best selling Author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation) and her podcast, #AmWriting which she co-hosts with Sarina Bowen and KJ Dell’Antonia. Jess and I break down the process of writing, how my book, Raising Empowered Athletes, came to be and how we became friends and cheerleaders for each other (so refreshing, right!?!).
We go back and forth talking about such hot topics as Parents Weekend Pressure, Drug and Alcohol Peer Pressure, Perfectionism and Anxiety, to name a few.
It's such a gift to talk with Jess and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we do!
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
On this week’s #RaisingAthletes podcast, Kirsten does a #PodSwap with Jessica Lahey (best selling Author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation) and her podcast, #AmWriting which she co-hosts with Sarina Bowen and KJ Dell’Antonia. Jess and Kirsten break down the process of writing, how Kirsten's book, Raising Empowered Athletes, came to be and how they became friends and cheerleaders for each other (so refreshing, right!?!).
In this clip, Kirsten and Jess discuss the Pressure of Parent's Weekend (and was that even a thing when they were in college?)
Kirsten and Matt sit down to discuss parenting, passions, sports and acting. Matt is a former college lacrosse player and the father of 2 youth athletes, who pivoted and found his passion for acting in college.
Matthew Del Negro is an American actor who made headlines after his recurring roles in The West Wing and Beautiful People. He is also widely known for his prominent roles in The Sopranos, Teen Wolf and Scandal. Matt has written a book and has a podcast (10,000 Nos) about how rejection might help you learn the lesson his Dad always taught him… that "failure" is just opportunity in disguise, and NO isn't the end of the road. He currently stars in City on a Hill and Kirsten loves him in Goliath!
In this Episode 72 preview, Kirsten sits down with Actor Matt Del Negro and Matt shares how in college he pivoted from College Lacrosse to Acting.
Matthew Del Negro is an American actor who made headlines after his recurring roles in The West Wing and Beautiful People. He is also widely known for his prominent roles in The Sopranos, Teen Wolf and Scandal. Matt has written a book and has a podcast (10,000 Nos) about how rejection might help you learn the lesson his Dad always taught him… that "failure" is just opportunity in disguise, and NO isn't the end of the road. He currently stars in City on a Hill and Kirsten loves him in Goliath!
FULL EPISODE DROPS MONDAY!
Kirsten and Susie sit down and talk to Kerri Walsh Jennings, mom, wife, athlete, entrepreneur. They have so many wide-ranging discussions from Title IX to how volleyball helped Kerri find her voice and her hunter mentality. They touch on self-talk, growing up in a competitive household and how parenting athletes is getting out of the way.
We think it’s our best episode yet. We were all taking notes, learning from each other!
We knew she was a Champion athlete; we love that she’s a Champion parent and podcast guest!!
Kerri Walsh Jennings is a legendary beach volleyball player who has won four Olympic medals and three world titles. She was born in California in 1978 and started playing indoor volleyball at Stanford University, where she won two NCAA championships. She switched to beach volleyball in 2001 and formed a dominant partnership with Misty May-Treanor, winning gold at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012. She is married to Casey Jennings, another beach volleyball player, and they have three children. She gave birth to her youngest son three weeks after winning bronze at Rio 2016 with April Ross. She is still competing at the age of 43.
In this sneak peek of Monday's episode, Kirsten and Susie get inspired by Kerri's reframing of weakness into untapped potential!
What a gift.
We can't wait for you to hear the full episode.
Meet Stephanie Malia Krauss who is “Relentlessly focused on what kids need to thrive now and in the future”. Kirsten and Stephanie have a nuanced discussion as athletes, moms and educators about how to nourish and enrich our kids through sports and beyond.
Stephanie is an educator, social worker, and mom of two school-aged kids. She works at the intersection of education, youth development, workforce development, and human services. Her work and writing focuses on what young people need to build lives and futures they love.
She is the author of Whole Child, Whole Life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn, and Thrive and Making It: What Today's Kids Need for Tomorrow's World. Her work has been featured on NPR, PBS NewsHour, US News, Insider, EdSurge, Scary Mommy, and more.
Kirsten sits down with Stephanie Malia Krauss to have a very introspective conversation about your child's purpose v passion in sports. They walk through the REC v CLUB/TRAVEL/SELECT debate and what it means at different ages, always focusing on the well-being of the child. Enjoy this thoughtful discussion! The full episode drops on Monday 8/7/23.
Stephanie is an educator, social worker, and mom of two school-aged kids. She works at the intersection of education, youth development, workforce development, and human services. Her work and writing focuses on what young people need to build lives and futures they love.
She is the author of Whole Child, Whole Life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn, and Thrive and Making It: What Today's Kids Need for Tomorrow's World. Her work has been featured on NPR, PBS NewsHour, US News, Insider, EdSurge, Scary Mommy, and more.
Kirsten continues her discussion with the Student Athlete, speaking to Duke Blue Devil Volleyball Player, Kerry Keefe. Kerry Keefe was a High School All-American that led helped lead her Marymount team to a 35-0 record, State Title and #1 National Ranking. Kerry and her Sunshine Volleyball Club team won back to back (17 Open & 18 Open) Championships at the Girls Junior Nationals.
Keefe comes from a highly athletic family … Twin sisters, Caitlin and Michaela, played volleyball and graduated from Stanford in 2020, while her brother, James, is currently on the Stanford basketball team … Mother, Kristin, also played volleyball at Stanford and was a member of the 1996 Olympic team while her father, Adam, played basketball at Stanford and in the NBA.
Kerry and Kirsten talk about overcoming injuries, adapting to your freshman year as a student athlete and how Kerry’s mindset and self-talk became a huge superpower for her success. Kerry talks about how putting in the work (reps!) is the key to her confidence and how her time sitting out due to injury showed her how much she loved the sport. Enjoy!
Kirsten continues her discussion with the Student Athlete, speaking to Duke Blue Devil Volleyball Player, Kerry Keefe.
In this clip, Kerry and Kirsten talk about overcoming injury and using it as a reset and recharge.
Kerry Keefe was a High School All-American that led helped lead her Marymount team to a 35-0 record, State Title and #1 National Ranking. Kerry and her Sunshine Volleyball Club team won back to back (17 Open & 18 Open) Championships at the Girls Junior Nationals.
Keefe comes from a highly athletic family … Twin sisters, Caitlin and Michaela, played volleyball and graduated from Stanford in 2020, while her brother, James, is currently on the Stanford basketball team … Mother, Kristin, also played volleyball at Stanford and was a member of the 1996 Olympic team while her father, Adam, played basketball at Stanford and in the NBA.
It's the All Star Break in Baseball and New England fans might miss seeing this guy on their TV every night. They can get a little of their TC fix here!
Kirsten and Susie reunite for a great sports parenting episode with Tom Caron, NESN Sportscaster and Red Sox Anchor. They talk about so many great universal stories (car rides, tryouts, return on investment for “elite teams”, playing for fun!) from their times in hockey, basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer. Tom has a unique perspective with a front row seat to professional athletes for the past 35+ years, while also being part of youth/college sports, with a son playing D3 soccer at Hobart. They also dive into Tom investing in youth/professional sports as a part owner of a select hockey team in Massachusetts and part owner of a Professional Soccer team in Maine.
Tom Caron has been a member of NESN's Red Sox broadcast team and host of the pre- and post-game shows for more than two decades. For the past 20 years he has been the play-by-play voice of the Beanpot Tournament and has called the network’s college hockey tournament coverage since he joined NESN in 1995. The Lewiston, ME native has also served as a Red Sox field reporter and studio host for Boston Bruins hockey. Prior to NESN, Caron worked at several network affiliates in New England and was the play-by-play voice of the Portland Pirates of the AHL. He was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame in 2014. An eight-time New England Emmy Award winner, Caron has been named New England's Favorite Local TV Sports Personality seven times by Channel Media Sports Research's New England Sports Survey and was named New England’s Favorite TV Sports Reporter in 2022.
Nice Pitch. In this clip from Monday's #RaisingAthletes podcast, Tom tells a hilarious story of how sometimes our kids teach us how to parent. 😮🤣
Full episode drops Monday. Enjoy!
This week Kirsten speaks to Damaine Powell and his mission to help and inspire young male athletes. Damaine tells his winding road story of growing up in Compton, not being recruited, winning a National Championship at Long Beach City College and eventually ending up at USC. He speaks about how his student-athlete career lead him to coaching and teaching (he has a Masters Degree in History), with a desire to really impact lives.
In Monday's episode, Kirsten sits down with Loyola HS Basketball Coach, Damaine Powell and asks what makes the best athlete? Damaine explains how CONFIDENCE is #1 in his mind.
Kirsten continues her discussion with the Student Athlete, speaking to Pepperdine and Stanford Men's Volleyball All-American, Jaylen Jasper. Jaylen and Kirsten touch on Jaylen’s journey from 2017 Volleyball Magazine High School Player of the Year to Stanford, persevering through Covid and ultimately transferring to Pepperdine to continue to play volleyball and get his Masters. Jaylen discusses how he played multiple sports before finding volleyball, his mental health journey and how his coaches have shaped the person and athlete he is today. After 60+ episodes of talking to coaches and parents #RaisingAthletes, it's fun to hear this student-athlete’s perspective on vulnerability, self-talk, grit and perseverance.
In this sneak peek of next Monday's #RaisingAthletes podcast, Jaylen tells a story where he learns that if he plays bad, he still has value. This clip speaks to how the power of good coaching affects an athlete's performance and overall mental health. We love this story!
Kirsten sits down with Nancy and Elizabeth Jorgensen, learning an inspiring story about how an athlete and her family grow together, from average to Olympian. This is the ultimate story of pivoting and persevering as Gwen went from recruited athlete to walk-on Swimmer, to walk-on Runner to recruited Triathlete to Olympic Gold Medalist and all the way back again to now Olympic hopeful. Phew!
This story is a love letter to family support, showing up to celebrate the wins and losses. They talk of how Gwen made competitors into friends, and learned how success leads clues. Nancy spoke of how her parenting style for both her daughters included music, sports and athletics (all equally esteemed in their household!) They also give us a thrilling play by play of the Gold Medal Race….the stress (and JOY!) of watching your loved one compete.
Nancy and Elizabeth have written two books together:
-
Go, Gwen, Go: A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold
-
Their most recent book speaking directly to the student-athlete (and parents)
Gwen Jorgensen: USA's First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete
Here is a link to purchased signed copies: https://www.booksco.com/signed-copy-gwen-jorgensen
Free educator guide: https://download.m-m-sports.com/extras/GwenJorgensen/Teacher_Guide.pdf
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!
In this sneak peak of Thursday's new podcast, Kirsten asks Nancy about her parenting philosophy of an Olympian.
This is an inspiring story about how an athlete and her family grow together, from average to Olympian. This is the ultimate story of pivoting and persevering as Gwen went from recruited athlete to walk-on Swimmer, to walk-on Runner to recruited Triathlete to Olympic Gold Medalist and all the way back again to now Olympic hopeful. Phew!
This story is a love letter to family support, showing up to celebrate the wins and losses. They talk of how Gwen made competitors into friends, and learned how success leads clues. Nancy spoke of how her parenting style for both her daughters included music, sports and athletics (all equally esteemed in their household!) They also give us a thrilling play by play of the Gold Medal Race….the stress (and JOY!) of watching your loved one compete.
Nancy and Elizabeth have written two books together:
-
Go, Gwen, Go: A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold
-
And, their most recent book speaking directly to the student-athlete (and parents)
Gwen Jorgensen: USA's First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete
Here is a link to purchased signed copies: https://www.booksco.com/signed-copy-gwen-jorgensen
Free educator guide: https://download.m-m-sports.com/extras/GwenJorgensen/Teacher_Guide.pdf
Kirsten, once again does something a little different this week, as she speaks directly to the Student Athlete. Ava Lentz, Freshman Goalkeeper for William & Mary Soccer, shares her unlikely path to DI College Sports as a non-recruited athlete and walk on. Kirsten and Ava speak about ID Camps and seeking out your college experience, how outlets outside of sports help you find yourself and how every player has a vital role in team culture. After 60+ episodes of talking to coaches and parents #RaisingAthletes, it's fun to hear the student athletes perspective of culture, time management, grit and perseverance.
In this sneak preview of tomorrow's new episode, Kirsten talks to Ava Lentz, Freshman Goalkeeper from William and Mary, about her non-traditional path to DI College Sports. Full episode drops tomorrow.
The science surrounding repeated head impacts in sports can be confusing and is often misinterpreted. The headlines don't tell the whole story, and more information is often needed to understand what the science really means. It can be challenging for the parent to make sense of all the conflicting information out there and make the best decision for their child. It can be equally as challenging for health care providers to know how to answer the question these parents have. Dr. Julie Stamm came on the podcast to share her research which she included in her book, The Brain on Youth Sports, the science, the myths and the future.
This week, Kirsten sits down with Dianne DeNecochea, College Volleyball Recruiting Advisor and founder of ProActive Volley. Dianne educates volleyball players and their parents as they navigate the college volleyball recruiting process. Diane gives advice about finding a fit, casting a wide net and how communication and preparation are keys to success.
Dianne came from a small town in Michigan, to play college volleyball at Tennessee, then pro indoor overseas for 5 seasons. She moved to San Diego and trained with the USA national team, played pro beach 4s, and AVP/FIVB pro beach doubles for 11 years. She has coached club and has 2 daughters who have or will play in college. After being involved in the volleyball world in so many capacities (college player, pro player, high school and club coach, high school and club parent, college parent), Diane speaks about how she feels so fortunate and honored to help high school players and their families navigate the college volleyball recruiting process.
On this week's #RaisingAthletes Podcast, Kirsten sits down with Dianne DeNecochea, College Volleyball Recruiting Advisor and founder of ProActive Volley. Dianne educates volleyball players and their parents as they navigate the college volleyball recruiting process. 🏐📓
Kirsten and Dianne speak about casting a wide net and finding the right fit for the student athlete - which includes student population (how big is the school?), class sizes, academics, along with culture fits for the athlete.
It sounds simple but you need to fit the student 📚and the athlete 👟!
We do something a little different this week, going behind the scenes of youth sports and interviewing TeamSnap CEO Peter Frintzilas. Kirsten and Peter speak about Peter's time in sports and how it formed his leadership style and hiring practices. We spoke about how sports shapes our youth off the court hire ability, teaching them skills like hard work, accountability, teamwork, discipline and pride in what they do. Peter shares how he manages an all-virtual team of 200 employees in 37 states and how that works from a leadership, communications and creative perspective. Enjoy this free-flowing conversation on sports, leadership and youth sports.
Peter is the CEO of TeamSnap, a team management software company at the forefront of the growing youth sports business. Peter joined TeamSnap in April 2021, bringing more than 20 years of software expertise combined with being a father of three and a former athlete. We're excited to have him on to talk about the future of youth sports, how he uses his sports background to increase levels of performance of his team and what he envisions for the future of youth sports.
We do something a little different this week, going behind the scenes of youth sports and interviewing TeamSnap CEO Peter Frintzilas. In this clip from Monday's full episode, Peter shares how he manages an all-virtual team of 200 employees (!!!) in 37 states and how that works from a leadership, communications and creative perspective. Kirsten and Peter discuss how communication becomes your superpower in a fully virtual working world.
Peter is the CEO of TeamSnap, a team management software company at the forefront of the growing youth sports business. Peter joined TeamSnap in April 2021, bringing more than 20 years of software expertise combined with being a father of three and a former athlete. We're excited to have him on to talk about the future of youth sports, how he uses his sports background to increase levels of performance of his team and what he envisions for the future of youth sports.
We do something a little different this week, going behind the scenes of youth sports and interviewing TeamSnap CEO Peter Frintzilas. In the clip of Monday's new Episode 62: Team Snap CEO, Peter Frinzilas, Kirsten and Peter talk about Peter's time in youth sports and how it formed his leadership style and hiring practices. Peter is the CEO of TeamSnap, a team management software company at the forefront of the growing youth sports business. Peter joined TeamSnap in April 2021, bringing more than 20 years of software expertise combined with being a father of three and a former athlete. We're excited to have him on to talk about the future of youth sports, how he uses his sports background to increase levels of performance of his team and what he envisions for the future of youth sports.
Kirsten and Susie are back together, and speaking on a hot topic during March Madness, the NCAA Transfer Portal. Kirsten and Susie talk about the transfer portal process and how we need to empower our kids to get some self-management training (and to fail a few times) for challenges and opportunities like this! Kirsten has gone through this process as a player and is currently parenting her student-athletes transition. Susie speaks of her sons' times playing basketball and how they navigated these team dynamics. They get into tools to help with the transfer portal and as always, the two friends and coaches promote a journey to raising student athletes that succeed in much more than sports.
Kirsten and Susie are back together, and speaking on a hot topic during March Madness, the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Kirsten and Susie are back together, and speaking on a hot topic during March Madness, the NCAA Transfer Portal.
In this sneak peek of Wednesday's podcast, Kirsten speaks about really looking inside and finding, What do I want out of the experience?
And, Susie talks about how we need to empower and listen to our kids during this process.
Kirsten sits down with her former Willliam & Mary Volleyball Coach, Debbie Hill, Title IX Trailblazer and recent honoree as a "Godmother of Volleyball" (at the NCAA Final Four honoring the 50th anniversary of Title IX). Debbie and Kirsten speak about coaching legacy, how women's sports has evolved through Title IX and how we all stand on the shoulders of the women before us.
Hill coached W&M's volleyball from 1976-2007 (with a pair of one-year hiatuses) and compiled a record of 587-413 record. When she retired, her victory total was 23rd all-time in Division I.
Hill was a five-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year and the Tribe won consecutive conference championships from 1985-91 in addition to 2001. She was voted into the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame for the Class of 2014.
But Hill is more interested in discussing her former players successes than her own and talks about how that is the true legacy you leave behind.
Next week, Kirsten sits down with her former Willliam & Mary Volleyball Coach, Debbie Hill, Title IX Trailblazer and recent honoree as a "Godmother of Volleyball" (at the NCAA Final Four honoring the 50th anniversary of Title IX). Debbie and Kirsten speak about coaching legacy, how women's sports has evolved through Title IX and how we all stand on the shoulders of the women before us.
In this empowering clip, Debbie and Kirsten speak to what sports gives to women.
Tune in next week for their full discussion!
In this sneak peek of next week's episode, Kirsten sits down with her former Willliam & Mary Volleyball Coach, Debbie Hill, Title IX Trailblazer and recent honoree as a "Godmother of Volleyball" (at the NCAA Final Four honoring the 50th anniversary of Title IX). Here, Debbie and Kirsten speak about her coaching legacy. Hill is more interested in discussing her former players successes than her own and talks about how that is the true legacy you leave behind.
Lisa L Lewis joins Kirsten and Susie on the podcast to talk about the groundbreaking work and the role she played in getting California's landmark law on healthier school start times passed. Lewis has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Los Angeles Time, among others. Lisa came on to talk about how sleep impacts everything we do, in particular for the adolescent brain, where the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed yet. As the kids hit the teen years their sleep patterns change and kids not getting enough Zzzz's affect not only school work and athletic performance, but also is a huge factor in limiting risks around mental health including lowering anxiety and depression.
We highly recommend her book, The Sleep Deprived Teen. Get a copy wherever books are sold!
On Monday's #RaisingAthletes podcast, Lisa L. Lewis joins Kirsten and Susie to talk about how sleep impacts everything we do, especially mental health and in particular for the adolescent brain, where the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed yet. Listen to this sneak peek of Monday's episode.
On next week's #RaisingAthletes podcast, Lisa L. Lewis joins Kirsten on the podcast to talk about how sleep impacts everything we do, including athletic performance. Listen to a sneak peek as she talks about a study with Stanford Men's Basketball Team and how sleep impacted their shooting percentages.
We highly recommend her book, The Sleep Deprived Teen. Get a copy wherever books are sold!
Yale University Women's Head Volleyball Coach, Erin Appleman, joins Kirsten on the podcast to discuss her roles as player, coach, parent and leader of women. They reminisced about their time as former teammates at SDSU and spoke about legacy, playing time, recruiting and Am I Enough? Erin, who was named Yale’s head coach in 2003, is one of the most successful coaches in Ivy League history, guiding the Bulldogs to an unprecedented 10 Ivy titles, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, four 20+ win seasons and was the first Ivy coach to lead a team to an NCAA Tournament victory.
Erin Appleman, Yale Women's Head Volleyball Coach, touches on surprise impact players and SPOILER, "It's not all about playing time!"
Erin Appleman, who was named Yale’s head coach in 2003, is one of the most successful coaches in Ivy League history, guiding the Bulldogs to an unprecedented 10 Ivy titles, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, four 20+ win seasons and was the first Ivy coach to lead a team to an NCAA Tournament victory.
A sneak peek of Monday's episode where Kirsten and Erin dive into Mental Health, checking in and asking the all important question, Am I Enough? Erin Appleman, who was named Yale’s head coach in 2003, is one of the most successful coaches in Ivy League history, guiding the Bulldogs to an unprecedented 10 Ivy titles, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, four 20+ win seasons and was the first Ivy coach to lead a team to an NCAA Tournament victory.
On next week's podcast, Yale University Head Women's Volleyball coach, Erin Appleman, joins Kirsten. Kirsten asks Erin about Recruiting Calls and they discuss being prepared and having a list of questions. Listen here for a sneak peek as two formers San Diego State teammates speak coaching, parenting, playing and #RaisingAthletes. Go to https://www.kirstenjonesinc.com/recruited#new-page-1 for Recruiting Download.
Two (2) William and Mary Hall of Famers sit down to discuss coaching, parenting, playing and #RaisingAthletes. Kirsten and Julie touch on how to build culture, how today's athletes want to be seen and heard, and how so much of success is just showing up every day (Grit! Growth Mindset!).
William and Mary Head Women's Soccer coach joins Kirsten to discuss how to encourages vulnerability and a safe place to build culture.
Season 4 starts NOW!
Susie and I are so excited to be back together. This is our first episode with Susie and I talking about snowplow parenting reaching the highest level in sport- USA Soccer and the World Cup. While we don't know all the details of the scandal, what we do know is it's happening too often down at the high school and even middle school level- so that's where we focused today. We got into some tools to help parents help themselves. How to avoid taking over the sports experience for your child and just let them play and have fun. What is the difference between empathy and sympathy and what our role as parents is in supporting our kids.
2021 National HS Coach of Year, Cari Klein joins Kirsten to talk about everything you need to know as an athlete and parent to have a successful tournament weekend. She loves athletes who are well-fed, hydrated and focused on team, tune in to hear what Cari doesn't want to see happen as well.
Episode 54: Cari and Kirsten sat down to chat about how 2022 went. Man that was a blur! It feels like we were JUST setting goals. Tune in to find out how 2022 went, Cari shares some insights into the college volleyball Final Four which happened mid-Dec in Omaha, how you can support your athlete if they are playing a different role on their HS vs their club team and learn about whether she hit her biggest goal for the year.
DIII Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Andrew Brown has crossed the 100 win threshold in record time- just his 4th season. The Violets just won their second straight conference title and are ranked #6 in the nation as they march towards the national championship weekend Nov 18-20th in Pittsburgh, PA.
Coach Brown and I discussed what it takes to play at this level and tips he uses to help his athletes stay grounded and feeling confident to chase their dreams.
Michelle and Greg Brink met as college basketball players at Virginia Tech University. I first crossed paths with them at NIKE, two power brokers inside the Swoosh’s berm in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
The Brinks raised their two children based upon their own experiences as student athletes, heavy on the student, less focus on the athlete, unless it was what they wanted.
I had a wonderful conversation with both of them to discuss both of their children and the different paths they have taken, each becoming equally successful in their own chosen field.
Remember all those mistakes we made when we first got to college… staying up too late? Not getting enough sleep? The dreaded freshmen 15lb (err 20lbs)…
While we can’t take any of these pitfalls away for our kids, there is now help in realizing there is a way to approach college that not only helps educates our kids going into it but hopefully also helps them learn a few lessons that aren’t as painful as failing a class or not taking care of oneself.
Jill and Dave Henry share a witty, fresh perspective who are not only just a few years removed from the process, but also the benefit of being athletes and now coaches of teens, to help all parents and teenagers build strong habits so they can succeed through college and beyond.
Today’s guest is head coach of the highly successful (26-2 in 2021 season) New York University’s Women’s Volleyball Team. Coach Brown discusses his atypical path to the coaching profession and the differences of playing DI, DII or DIII volleyball. Playing at a highly academic DIII has a lot of perks (yes, international travel!) as well as a great opportunity to delve into other experiences in college as the off-season is much longer and the in season less time consuming.
He also goes very deep on what are the attributes of a successful recruits and some good insider tips if you’re trying to get noticed by college coaches.
If your athlete is considering playing a the next level but isn’t sure what it is all about, don’t miss this episode.
Coco Vandeweghe grew up playing every sport her older brother did. But at 13, her Grandfather sat her down and asked her which sport she wanted to pursue with focus. She chose tennis and turned pro at 16. She learned a lot of life lessons on (and off) the tennis court. Raised by a single mom, she shares pearls of wisdom she received from her grandfather, eloquence from her grandmother and fire and grit from her mother.
At 30 years old, she’s a warrior on the court having been ranked as high as
9 back in 2018. Then learning how to listen to her body to overcome a
potentially career ending injury.
Coco was a wonderfully insightful guest and a truly inspirational, take no prisoners, peak performer.
You can find her on Twitter and IG: @CocoVandey
Hello & Welcome to the #RaisingAthletes Podcast:
With sports requiring athletes to play year round, overuse injuries are on the rise. Today Kirsten and US HS Coach of the Year, Cari Klein, discuss helping prevent and ultimately overcoming an injury.
5 steps to help your athlete return to play
We discussed the tools it takes to assess, and then put a plan in place (it may change over time!) for your athlete to return to play.
What does she have control over? What can she let go of? And what support does she need from you and her teammates/coaches to come back even stronger than before the injury.
Wanna crush your goals in 2022? Excellent!
So do we…. on todays episode we talk about the importance of getting clarity on what it is you want to bring into your life, then how to get specific and start to chip away daily while holding a long-term vision for what’s to come.
When we plant the oak tree, we don’t see anything coming out of the ground for many, many months. But that doesn’t mean that see isn’t taking root, growing deep down into the earth to anchor itself and find a water source so it can start growing up and out.
Just because you don’t see the trunk immediately, doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress.
This week we discussed two effective ways to set goals for the year… please have a listen and let us know what works for you!
Kelsey Chittick , wife of NFL Super Bowl Champion, Nate Hobgood-Chittick, a former D1 swimmer herself at University of North Carolina, spoke with us this week about her journey falling in love with her dream partner, who happened to also love football. They had a wonderful journey with him playing seven years in the NFL. Nate ended up making the ultimate sacrifice for his sport. Kelsey’s recently released book, Second Half, shares her family’s journey and her feelings about having her son follow in her husband’s footsteps.
Kirsten chatted with Cari Klein as #1 Marymount HS Girls Volleyball Team heads into the FINAL week of State. First up will be Cathedral Catholic on Tuesday. Winner of that match will play on Saturday in the State Championships on Saturday night in Orange County, CA.
Ranked #1 in the country, Head Coach of Marymount volleyball give us a peek behind the curtain as to what they learned from last weeks four game win over Mater Dei and how they are preparing for States.
For the sports parent, almost NO-THING is more painful than the car ride home from a stressful match or tough loss.
Today Cari and Kirsten discuss tips for handling those moments where you’d really LOVE to give your daughter some feedback.
1 ranked Marymount HS continues it’s march towards the state finals. This
Saturday #1 Marymount faces #2 Mater Dei… and parents on both sides are holding their breath!
Girls Volleyball CIF championships are here. It’s a nerve-wracking time for all— players, parents and coaches! Listen in for hot tips from the coach of the #1 HS Girls team in the country and she shows us that growing is about showing up, holding each other accountable and then as parents, staying positive and supportive even when things aren’t going our daughter’s or team’s way.
There is SO much to learn in the process- let’s help our kids enjoy the moment. Be in the moment. And know they are enough just as they are.
Dr. Hank Weisinger, author of 12 books, spent three decades helping individuals and organizations enhance their personal and work effectiveness through innovative applications of psychology. His latest book is a MUST read for parents. But before you dive into that, start with Performing Under Pressure and play it on Audible in the car with your teen athlete so they can absorb every word.
The Unlikely Art of Parenting Pressure has wonderful role plays so parents can hear actual conversations you have had or WILL have with your teen about dating, life, sports, etc. This book gives you the tools to be a better parent. The #RaisingAthletes Podcast highly recommends it!
As we ramp up to high school volleyball season, join us for a great discussion with the co-owner and Founder of Sunshine VBC here in Los Angeles. Two of the clubs top teams won Gold in the Open Division at Junior Olympics last summer. She is also the Head Coach at Marymount HS, which is ranked #1 in the country in girls volleyball.
What should parents be focused on in their children’s younger years, both on and off the court and what makes for successful athletes as they get to the more competitive levels, in high school and beyond.
Welcome to the #RaisingAthletes podcast, we are excited to share with you our conversation with a passionate coach and leader who wants to help parents and their baseball athletes fall in love with the game as he did as a young boy.
Justin Sherman was born and raised in Westchester, NY, where he played high school and college baseball. It was while he captained the Purchase College Panthers that realized he had such a love for the game he wanted to get into coaching. He started as an assistant for the Panthers and then started working with athletes individually. This entrepreneur saw a need from parents for support and directions for their athletes and JustinTime Baseball was born.
Justin shares his passion and wisdom with us on this week’s episode. We know you’ll feel it as well and learn from him as he helps parents and kids grow the game.
This week’s guest on the #RaisingAthletes Podcast is Keirsten Sires, the CEO of Locker Room Talk (LRT) Sports. LRT Sports is a leading company in college ratings. Their full database of coaching rating and the reviews provide first-hand experiences from current and former student athletes. Founded in 2014, LRT Sports stays ahead of the game by helping athletes and their families with understanding college athletics through offerings including workshops, coach ratings, recruiting, and wellness information from head coaches, Olympians, pro athletes, and current and former college athletes.
Robert Icart is the Founder and Executive Director of BTI, a boy’s basketball club which has trained elite athletes including: Gilbert Arenas, Casey Jacobsen, D’Andre Bell and even one of Susie’s four sons, Luke Walton. Robert created BTI back in 1997 and strives to showcase Southern California’s top student athletes who are interested in pursuing playing basketball in college at any level. BTI has connections with schools at the DI, DII, DII and NAIA levels.
We had fun speaking with Robert about how things have shifted during COVID-19 and how recruiting is changing coming out the other side. Full disclosure, my older son, CJ, played for BTI and. my middle child, Parker, is also playing for them. I love recommending them to any who are passionate about the game and think their son may be interested in continuing on after school. Not only do they focus on the fundamentals of the game, they also stress the academic importance and the opportunities that can come from working hard not only on the court, but in the classroom and in the community.
At some point the “ball stops bouncing” aka our athletic career ends, for every athlete. Whether that is post high school, college or after playing in the pros, there will be a moment where it is not the entire focus of your day. Today’s guests are two such high level athletes who now work in helping others as they transition from sport to what’s next. Susie and Kirsten got the opportunity to interview both Katherine and Maddie on how do figure out what’s next and how as a parent you can help your child (of whatever age or level) make the shift.
Coach Ballgame has the unique ability to rally young players and draw them into the game. By combining the levity of props, jokes and nicknames, he connects with the kids to help grow the sport of baseball.
If you’re a parent and especially if you’re a parent who coaches youth sports, this episode is filled with wonderful insights about what it means to help kids fall in love with something that they may be passionate about for a lifetime.
Mike Jaffe is president and founder of SAVIA Leadership, a global leadership development firm that unlocks the potential of individuals and teams through conscious communication, experiential learning, and transformational conversations. Also a nationally-recognized speaker, executive coach, and best-selling author, Mike has an inspiring, motivating, and powerful message as a 9/11 survivor. He shares his impactful story which left both Susie and me speechless for a minute.
Mike has appeared as a featured expert on CNN and Fox News and has been published and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, MSN, CNBC, US News & World Report, and other national and regional media outlets.
Mike is the father of two athletes. His daughter played soccer and tennis through high school and his 16 yr old some is currently playing football at a prep school in Massachusetts.
Today on the podcast, he shares his expertise as he does with his clients who have included Pandora, BuzzFeed, Starbucks, PepsiCo, and Disney Interactive, to name a few. Susie and I found his “Five P” approach the perfect formula to help parents make sense of how they can be anchors for their children during these times of uncertainty when we are all navigating unchartered waters.
Mike can be found on LinkedIn @MikeJafffe, Presiden and Founder of SAVIA Leadership
One of the biggest gifts an athlete can acquire by playing sports, in addition to the fun stuff like winning, learning about the power of teamwork and leadership, is the skillsets that can be developed over time which lead to creating good habits for life.
Habits which make you successful in life: such as being on time, doing extra, working hard even when no one is watching.
This week Kirsten and Susie speak about the benefits of helping our teen athletes build good habits & how to better do that. If it’s driven by will power it won’t last long, but if it’s work ethic that’s been created by doing the little things every day, this adds up exponentially over time.
In this week’s episode of the #RaisingAthletes Podcast, we spoke with Kyle Weindel, the Associate Club Director and Coach for the Sunshine Volleyball Club. Sunshine is the #1 club in Southern California and is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country. If you have a young athlete who is considering playing club and/or has dreams to play volleyball in college, you’ll want to hear this episode where we discuss what age to start playing, when to specialize and how to navigate club volleyball. For those who think they may want to play in college, listen in for what coaches are really looking for in a student/athlete.
Weindel is a former DI collegiate All-American from Ball State University who pursued a coaching career at the collegiate assistant and head coach level at the University of New Mexico, Montana State University and the University of Southern California. He is now focused on coaching and leading one of the top girls’ volleyball clubs in the country.
Welcome parents to the #RaisingAthletes Podcast.
Let’s talk about LAX! Excited for the first time to have a former DI LAX player, Kim Christos on the podcast. Kim is now a LAX club director living in New Jersey, who is also a coach and mother of four athletes. We’re excited to have her on the podcast to speak about how best to support your athlete, how she navigated playing multiple sports and how she feels about specializing and at one age.
I love her advice on how to be the ideal sports parent… it’s juicy, wait for it.
Four ways you can support your athlete through the pressures of youth sports
Parenting is tough and responding in a way that is not only supportive but beneficial to your child can be tricky some times. Understanding WHY your teen plays is so helpful in supporting him on his journey.
Today Susie and Kirsten discuss four ways to support your athlete as adversity occurs. When we have the tools as parents to support them, it can make for a much more enjoyable ride for both YOU and your child. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Let’s do this!
Dan Mavraides is a top-ranked FIBA 3x3 professional basketball player and a 2020 Olympic hopeful. Prior to playing 3x3 professionally, he played in the top 5x5 leagues in Greece and Italy. He graduated from Princeton University in 2011 where he was the two-time team MVP and let the Tigers to an Ivy League Championship and NCAA tournament birth.
But for all of Dan’s success, which is tremendous, the most impressive part of his story is that he is a self-professed “late bloomer” and what gifts that gave him. It has taught him to be curious, become resilient and be grateful for every opportunity. He says he has probably more than compassion for others because his path wasn’t a straight line and the insight that he’s gained has helped him, now at the age of 30 continue to pursue his hoops dreams, one more time.
Dan’s personality is infectious. He’s also a motivational speaker, so anyone looking for inspiration for high school or college kids, he is outstanding at sharing his story and how never giving up is the key to success.
Austin Hatch is a survivor. A two-time plane crash survivor, he epitomizes what it means to be resilient. In 2003, at the age of 8, Austin’s mother, sister and brother were tragically killed plane crash. Eight years later, with many hours of hard work, the 6’6” basketball phenom was offered a college scholarship from his dream school, University of Michigan. Just nine days later, Austin would be aboard a plane with his father and “second mother” (he never considered her a step-mom) and this plane too would go down, killing both his parents and leaving Austin in a coma with severe injuries including traumatic brain injury.
Today, I was so honored to speak with Austin and hear him talk about how he made it to the University of Michigan through tireless work, unrelenting positivity that “a miracle is going to happen” and belief that he was truly blessed to have had all of his amazing family members in his life.
We can learn so much from Austin’s outlook as we parent and raise adults about what it means to be optimistic, even in darkest of times and what the belief in yourself and gratitude for the gifts you have been given can do for you.
Are you a sympathetic parent or an empathic parent? When your child “falls in a hole”, ie, he gets cut from a team, didn’t get the playing time he hoped he get, had a bad game, lost, do you “jump in the hole” with him or do you stand near “the hole” (proverbially hole, of course), ask good questions and see how you could help by witnesses his pain.
In today’s episode, Kirsten and Susie talk about several tools we find helpful when parents contact us to ask how best to help their child in a moment of crisis. Kirsten also shared a four step process to help your teen learn ANY NEW SKILL. Check it out, try it out and please, let us know how it goes!
We love hearing from you. Please feel free to rate and share this podcast on iTunes. Do you know another sports parent who could use some support in their journey to raising not only strong athletes but extraordinary kids. We’d be so grateful if you shared it with them.
Derek Cox was a D1 athlete who had never really considered playing pro football until a scout came to see him play in his senior year in college and told him he could become a “Priority Free Agent”…. Derek said he wasn’t exactly sure what that was, but liked the sound of it.
Because he wasn’t a First Round pick, Derek worked tirelessly with the hopes of landing a spot in the NFL…which he did. We spoke about the journey and and through the pro’s and now that he’s retired and raising his son with his wife, how have his ambitions and dreams shifted and what did he learn along the way which is helping him with his current dream of finishing his MBA and becoming an agent for players who are just arriving into the league.
It’s all about Balance is a theme for Derek. And while he talks about pursuing excellence with such clarity in everything he does from how he works out, to what he eats to who he surrounds himself with, he also is very aware that it takes balance to make it all happen.
For anyone with a teen athlete who aspires to make the team at the next level, whatever that may be— MS, High School or college, this is worth the listen.
One of the greatest gifts we can give this next generations (and ourselves) in the gift of inner peace. What if your child could possess a knowing that whatever they encounter, good or bad, they will be ok?
Rates of depression and anxiety are sky-rocketing. So much of it is caused by the fear of the unknown, the panic of the question that arises in everyone’s head, “What if I’m not enough?”
Susie and I give tools in this episode (good for parents to use, too!) to quiet the negative self-talk and create a daily routine which puts you on purpose for your dreams, goals and desires.
Perfect for the holidays when you need to decompress!
XOXOXO Kirsten & Susie
Sue Enquist was UCLA Softball’s first All-American, National Champion, and Hall of Famer. In 2006, Enquist wrapped up a 27-year career as head coach of the UCLA Bruins with a 887-175-1 (.835) record, making her the winningest softball coach among all active coaches.
On today’s episode we discussed how twelve years after retirement, softball is still her passion and through her business OneSoftball.com, they are helping inspire the player, organize the parent and educate the coach.
She is a wealth of knowledge on what “micro behaviors” as she calls them, make athletes successful and has tips for parents on how best to support their athletes at every stage of their development. You’ll love learning from Sue, we sure did!
My kid got cut- now what!?
Kirsten and Susie discuss what happens when our athlete gets cut… no matter what the level, whether it’s the middle school team or the varsity team or even at the college or pro level. They discuss the three different approaches we can take as parents to support them, which will give him/her the opportunity to feel the pain and move through it, together.
This week on the #RaisingAthletes Podcast, we are excited to have United States Navy SEAL veteran, Jason Booher on. While he is currently the leader of the management consulting firm, Northwest Harbor Solutions, Booher served 23 years as a commander in the SEALS, leading teams in everything from basic SEAL training, i.e., BUD/S to commanding hundreds of combat operations as well as driving integration of cross-functional intelligence teams. He currently serves as an advisor to the local Southern California public sector as well as at the most senior levels of U.S. Congress, professional teams including the LA Dodgers and at RedBull High Performance, as well as is a guest lecturer at Harvard and MIT on Leadership.
Jason's life experience as a leader in one of the US military's most exclusive and rigorous branches makes him the perfect person to talk to when we want to know more about raising resilient, gritty, hard-working kids. He shares some incredible insights which are completely transferrable to the coaching/playing world for how to build peak performance teams! (Hint: it starts with accountability from within.)
What is a post-grad year? And why would a student athlete choose to take this path? Today we discuss what the benefits are of an athlete taking an extra year to prepare for college and what the potential upside can be.
Alex Popp (pronounced Pope) is in his fifth season as Head Coach of Men's Basketball at Vermont Academy. During Popp's time at the Academy, the program has matriculated student-athletes to Harvard, UChicago, Vanderbilt, Butler, Tufts, Arizona, Colby, Louisville, Carnegie Mellon and many more. In 2018, Coach Popp's program produced an NBA player (Bruce Brown, class of 2016 of VA) and a McDonald's All-American (Simisola Shittu, class of 2018 of VA, now at Vanderbilt). Under Popp's tenure in 2016, the Wildcats won the prestigious New England Prep School Championship, and he was named New England Coach of the Year. Since 2015, Popp has sent 25 student-athletes to play NCAA college basketball.
Jamal Adams has twice been named CIF Division Coach of the Year, as well as being awarded the prestigious National Double Goal Coach of the Year, given by the Positive Coaching Alliance in 2009. Over the last 12 years as the Loyola HS Head Basketball Coach, the Cubs have won 7 league titles, have been ranked in the top 25 nationally four times, earned five state tournament berths and one CIF Southern Section Title.
With the basketball season rapidly approaching, we spoke today about getting prepared for try-outs for the high school season, tips for successfully making the transition from middle school to high school and what he looks for in his players both on and off the court.
Today we discuss a topic we often take for granted when we think of peak performance, SLEEP.
Gary Trudell, who’s family has owned the Custom Comfort Mattress Company here in Southern California for the last 35 years, and who is a father of three teen athletes himself, understands the importance
of young athletes getting good sleep to not only help their growing bodies produce much needed (HGH) Human Growth Hormone, but also to repair injuries, to help
the brain continue to develop and last but not least, to retain new learning.
One of the fun facts about his company, is that they work with a lot of pro athletes and because of their size, they have special requirements so they make a special 8 x10’ bed to accommodate those 6’8” plus athletes. How cool would that be to have one of those?
We spoke about the Five Ways Teen Athletes Suffer When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep and the fascinating study of the Stanford men’s basketball team, which shows the direct correlation between sleep and an increase in performance, both on the field/court and in the classroom.
We wrap it up with Gary giving us some tips to help get to sleep faster and then once you are asleep, to stay asleep longer. Our teenagers should be getting 8-10 hours of sleep each night. And unlike your cell phone bill, there are no “roll-overs”, if you miss it one night, it doesn’t help to sleep twice as long the next
We learned a lot about importance of getting good Zzzz’s. Please enjoy!
Dr. Tommy John, son of renowned Major League baseball pitcher, Tommy John Jr, who played in the league for 26 years, was the first person to come back in 1974 from the revolutionary surgery (which was subsequently named after him) which allowed him to continuing playing baseball for an additional 16 years.
Dr. Tommy John, like his father, also played baseball, and it was after a career ending shoulder injury, he went back to school to get his Master's Degree in Health & Human Sciences, so he could help all athletes on their journey to whole health.
Today we discussed the importance of giving our young athletes rest, proper nutrition and how to proactively raise a healthy athlete who can minimize injury over time. Dr Tommy has a proven four step method to help athletes RETHINK, REPLENISH, REBUILD and RECOVER.
This week on #RaisingAthletes, we speak with former Cleveland Cavalier NBA Champion, Channing Frye. He discusses the importance of trying things other than basketball. For example, his first passion was the trumpet.
He lays down what he looks for in an ideal teammate and who he aspires to be as one.
We discuss mindset and what it takes to make it at every level, how you need to show up, even when or especially when things don’t go our way.
At the very end, he shares with us Lebron’s secret weapon to success… it’s so good he uses it too!
If you are finding our podcast helpful, we’d be so grateful if you’d pop over to iTunes and write a review and share us with your other sports parenting friends.
This week on #Raising Athletes, Kirsten Jones & Susie Walton discuss the power of intrinsically driven athletes and share three tips to help your athlete hardwire his/her intuition.
As parents, when we allow our children to grow their own intuition, their intrinsic awareness, competence and confidence grows over time. The more adept we as parents get at letting go of trying to control the outcome of each situation, and agree to just "lean back" and be supportive, the more our athletes are able to grow their resilience, grit, and overcome set-backs.
This week on #RaisingAthletes, Audrey Monke, the Director of Gold Arrow Camp, Mother of five and speaker and writer of Sunshine-Parenting.com, spoke with Kirsten about the importance of giving your athlete some time away from their sport and the other benefits of sleep away camp, like making real lasting connections (without any devices), having some alone time and facing fears that they don't get a chance to work through in their every day lives!
This week on #RaisingAthletes, we get to go DEEEEP with legendary Pro Beach Volleyball/AVP announcer, former coach of five National Championship club volleyball teams and former co-Captain of the Cal State Northridge the Men's '93 Championship title match Volleyball team current anchor of the Emmy Award winning Spectrum Sports Los Angeles Lakers Show. We discuss his path to broadcasting (hint: it started in his backyard), how his athletic journey flowed beautifully into his dream career and his advice to parents with young athletes who are begging for your attention/support. This is an amazing interview- we took notes!
We are thrilled to have three time first team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American, 1993 National Player of the Year, in which she led the Long Beach 49ers to the NCAA National Championship, the Honda Sports Award recipient. She was the first Big-West student-athlete to earn all-conference accolades in both volleyball AND basketball and tried out for the WNBA three times. Listen in to hear more about her mindset, how she overcomes when things don't go her way and how she approaches parenting her 8yr old daughter.
In today's episode, we have the Head Women's Volleyball Coach from the D1 program, The College of William and Mary. We went deep on the recruiting process and how it works from a "birds eye" view. We have also compiled a guide of questions to ask if you are a student athlete who is looking for their next coach (could be at the high school, club or college level). Tim is full of wonderful insight and ideas on what he looks for in finding a great fit for your teen.
Today's guest is the Founder of Pensole Footwear Design Academy and former Creative Director of Brand Jordan. He shares his story of how he used his passion for sport + drawing to create his dream job. This is so inspiring, you won't want to miss it!
This week, Kirsten interviews former William & Mary Hall of Fame, college teammate, Jennifer Petrie, who has coached an led the Women Toreros for the last 20 years. A four-time West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, Petrie attracts and develops some of the top talent in the country. We discussed her coaching path, her mentors and her role from the other side of the net, as a parent of a teen volleyball athletes
This week Kirsten speaks with the founder of Impact Bball, Joe Abunassar. His passion is helping teens and pro basketball athletes reach peak performance. As an Ironman competitor himself, he understands what it takes to perform at the highest level: nutritionally, mentally and physically. Joe talks about the craziness of youth sports and what to do to healthfully support your teen in their sports journey.
This week Kirsten and Susie dive into the topic of failure and how important it is for our teen athletes to get comfortable with it, because it is the path to success... just ask Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
In today's episode, Kirsten Jones and Susie Walton discuss why most of us have already broken our New Year's resolutions and how we can help our teens build keystone habits.
Kirsten and Susie talk about the sentencing given to USA Gymnastics most trusted doctor who molested over 140 gymnasts over decades. How we can help teach our kids to advocate for themselves and the 4 Guiding Principles parents can use to help their athlete. 1) Build self-confidence, 2) Use your voice, 3) Establish your boundaries, 4) Advocate for yourself.