Episode 54: Dr. Robert A Weil on Podiatry in Youth Sports and his New Book, #Hey Sport Parents

“There’s so much overkill and overuse in youth sports.”

— Dr. Robert A Weil

Dr. Bob has treated many of the world’s premier athletes from all types of sports. He is the host of “The Sports Doctor™” Radio Show. The show is featured on BBS Radio Network, UK Health Radio Network & Sports 4 Fanz Radio. Dr. Bob was formerly on HealthyLife Radio and was also on WDCB public radio in Chicago for over 20 years. He has written articles for many newspapers and magazines, and is a frequent guest on other networks. He is a Sports Podiatrist, specializing in orthotics that improve alignment, stability, balance, and performance. This episode is packed with information from Dr. Bob! This is a fun and vital listen, as Kathy and Dr. Bob discuss his new book, “#Hey Sports Parents!”, overuse injuries, and the mental and physical challenges of youth sports, and how to deal with the pressure from both the parent perspective and athlete perspective. Dr. Bob shares his immense knowledge on how specialization and training can affect not only the feet and ankles, but the entire body. Podiatry could be the missing element from your training! Learn more from Dr. Bob on his website, http://sportsdoctorradio.com, and if you enjoy the show, please like, share, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. Kathy would love to connect with you! Find her on social media @sportpsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact.

Episode 53: Dr. Jerry Lynch on Self-Reflection and Awareness

“In life, without self-awareness, we cut off our potential to grow in a way that we find really deep true meaning in life.”

— Dr. Jerry Lynch

While most would consider him simply a sports psychologist, Dr. Lynch is a coach, mentor and teacher who guides and coaches athletes and parents to explore the meaning and purpose of sport, as a powerful vehicle to help us all understand the components of the athletic game and how they apply to the bigger game called life. In the process of this exploration, overall athletic performance is greatly enhanced. Dr. Lynch has been recognized as one of the top five in his profession nationwide. He has worked with men's and women's basketball, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, golf and other sports at the universities of North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, California, Syracuse, Stanford, Harvard and Middlebury and continues to work with several teams and parent groups nationally.  Several of his clients have participated in various summer and winter Olympic Games. Most recently, he has established a consultancy with Steve Kerr, head coach of the World Champion Golden State Warriors. In the past 30 years alone, he has been part of 54 Final Four and 36 National Championship at the collegiate and professional levels. Dr. Lynch is a well known and in-demand public speaker at Leadership, Coaching, athletic and corporate conventions, a national presenter of conferences, clinics and workshops for coaches, sports parents and athletes. Dr. Lynch has had extensive media interview coverage such as being an invited guest on CBS, NBC, and PBS national television, the New York Times, Oprah Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Baltimore Sun, Outside Magazine and over 50 national radio broadcasts, podcasts and webinars. Dr. Lynch received his doctorate in psychology from Penn State University, and has done extensive post-doctoral work in the area of philosophy, Taoist and Buddhist thought, comparative religions, leadership development and performance enhancement. He has been a national class athlete, having been a member of a national championship team and, to this day, continues to run and bike. He has coached at the high school level as well as AAU sports. He is the author of 13 books. Dr. Lynch is the founder and director of Way of Champions, a performance consulting group geared toward helping others master the inner game. He maintains a private practice and an extensive sports psychology consultation service. He is the father of four high energy, athletic children. He divides his time between his offices in Santa Cruz, California and Boulder, Colorado where he works and writes in the spirit of what he teaches and coaches. If you enjoy the show, please like, share, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. Dr. Lynch has been inspired by other sport parents in his desire to grow to become a better person. He and Kathy discuss sensitivity and self-reflection as major strengths for parents and athletes alike, and utilizing LUV; listening, understanding through questioning, and validating. He encourages parents to engage in behavior that puts athletes into the RIVER; feeling relevant, important/inspired, valued, empowered, and respected. This meaningful conversation can’t be missed! Kathy would also love to hear from you! Connect with her on social media @sportpsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact.

Episode 52: Coach John Lamanna on Virtue in Sport

“Virtue is kind of that common denominator that is part of all our lives.”

— Coach John Lamanna

Coach John Lamanna  is entering his third year as Director of Athletics at Ave Maria University and fourth as the head men's basketball coach. Coach Lamanna is no stranger to working with a transitioning program. Prior to Ave Maria, Lamanna lead the men’s basketball program at NCAA Division III program Franciscan University as its first Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the NCAA level. Prior to his four-year stint at Franciscan, Coach assisted the University of California, Davis in the transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. With the renewed focus of athletics at Ave Maria, Lamanna is excited about the rare opportunity that coaching basketball presents. Coach Lamanna received his start in college basketball at Washington State University, where he was a Student Assistant from 2000-2004. During his time at Washington State, he had the opportunity to work under Dick Bennett and current Head Coach at the University of Virginia, Tony Bennett. It was also at Washington State where he worked with Gary Stewart, who was the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at UC Davis. Outside of coaching, he is a published author with an article published by Scholastic Coach and Athletic Director Magazine entitled “How to Establish an Academic Philosophy as a Coach” and an article published by Winning Hoops Magazine which was a comparative analysis of two different man-to-man defensives. Additionally, he was featured in American Basketball Quarterly Magazine in an article about how scouting and technology can lead to success. A Spokane, WA native, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Washington State University and a master’s degree in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. He lives with his wife, Sara, and has three children, Gabi, Tony and Louis. Kathy and John dig into decision making, handling adversity and failure, goal setting, and deconstruct the four virtues he uses to guide his coaching; prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. His passion for mentorship should not be missed! If you enjoy the show, please like, share, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. Kathy would love to hear from you! Connect with her on social media @sportpsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact.

Episode 51: Coach Mike Lane on Doing the Little Things Well

“Those kids that could take a negative and turn it into a positive are the ones that really excelled. ”

— Coach Mike Lane

Mike Lane has been the Director of Rowing and Head Women's Coach at Jacksonville University since the 2015 season. Prior to his highly successful program with the Dolphin rowing team he spent eight seasons at Penn as their head coach. Prior to his appointment at Penn, Lane built an impressive coaching resume. Before arriving in Philadelphia, he served as the men's freshman heavyweight rowing coach at MIT, where his responsibilities included organization and management of the freshman team, alumni relations, and recruiting. Before joining the staff at MIT, Lane served as program director and head coach for the Everett Rowing Association from 1997 to 2000. Under Lane’s guidance, the junior men’s crews finished second and fourth at Junior Nationals in three-consecutive seasons from 1998-2000. During his tenure, Lane’s crews also won nine regional championships. In addition to his responsibilities with the Everett Rowing Association, Lane established the women’s rowing team at Everett Community College in 1998, where he coached for two years. Lane has also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Rowing Junior Women’s Development Camp and the Lake Lanier Rowing Club. Coach Lane graduated from Suffolk University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing, and in the spring of 2009 he completed his master's degree in education at Penn. In this episode Coach Lane shares his love of rowing and the lessons he brings to the boat that also apply to life beyond sport. He also shares incredible insight into the do’s and don'ts of the recruiting process and parent-coach communication for sport parents - if you are looking for ways to support your student during recruitment and their collegiate career this is the episode for you! If you enjoy the show, please like, share, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. Kathy would love to hear from you! Connect with her on social media @sportpsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact. If you are interested in attending camp with Coach Lane, head to http://www.judolphinrowingcamp.com to learn more and register!

Episode 50: Recap with Kathy Feinstein

“To parent a peak performer, you have to be a peak performer.”

— Kathy Feinstein

Throughout our four seasons you've heard what it means and what it takes to be a peak performing sport parent. Here are some of the top take aways:   Parenting a peak performer means being a good listener, listening to what your athlete is saying as well as what he or she is not saying.  It's about asking thoughtful questions. It means bringing positive energy, leadership, and perspective to every situation including the sidelines. Parenting a peak performer means allowing your athlete to own his or her sport, embracing failure with a growth mindset, and keeping perspective or parenting with the end in mind.  Afterall, sports provide a vehicle for raising successful athletes and ultimately healthy and successful adults. The final take away and something you'll hear me say time and time again: To parent a peak performer you have to be a peak performer.  In other words be willing to do what you ask your athletes to do.  

Along with the recap this is a perfect time to thank everyone who has made this podcast a success.  I want to express my sincerest gratitude to each and every one of my guests.  They have brought a wealth of knowledge and been so generous with their time.  I also want to thank my production team for bringing such high quality shows week after week.  And finally I want to thank you! Our listeners.  Thank you for listening in and sharing  your feedback.  Together we are making a difference.  Again, many thanks for joining in to celebrate this milestone episode.  We are just getting started!

Next week we return to season four and to our expert coaches! As always...If you enjoy the show, please like, share, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. I  would love to hear from you! Connect with me on social media @sportspsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact. 

Episode 49: Mike DiGrigoli on Coaching, Thinking Positive, and Role Modeling to Your Athletes

“The number one thing parents must do, in my opinion, to allow their son or daughter to be successful in extracurricular activities and sports is support the program.”

— Mike DiGrigoli

Mike was born in Pittsfield, MA in 1972 and raised in West Stockbridge, MA. He grew up playing sports with friends and cousins in Berkshire County and attended Monument Mount Regional High School in Great Barrington where he played three sports - football, wrestling,  and baseball. He was also recently inducted into the Monument Mountain Regional High School Athletic Hall of Fame! He has just finished his 10th season coaching at Golden Gate this year and 8th season as Head Coach. He made school history by leading the Titans to their first postseason playoff appearances in 2011 and 2012 and only winning seasons in 2013, 2014, and 2018. Mike began his coaching career in 1995 as a graduate assistant football coach for the State University of New York at Brockport where he coached linebackers in strength and conditioning for the Golden Eagles. After one year he took his second coaching assignment at American International College in 1996. At American he served for two seasons as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for the Yellow Jackets and earned his master’s degree in Education from American International in 1998. Coach D and his wife Paula have been married since 2003 and reside in Naples, FL with their daughter Issa, and son Andreas. Kathy and Mike talk through understanding the importance of athletics and why students should be involved, how sports build character and work ethic, and the encouragement needed to teach athletes perseverance. They also discuss creating realistic goals and how to bring about awareness when parents live vicariously through student athletes. Coach D shares how the vital elements of gratitude, attitude, toughness, and effort dictate the success of his teams. We are excited to keep sharing from the expertise of coaches! If you enjoyed the show, please like, share it with sport families in your life, and rate us in your favorite place to listen. If you’d like to share any feedback with Kathy she’d love to hear from you! Connect with her on social media @sportpsychworks and through https://www.kafcounselingandsportperformance.com/contact.

Episode 48: Col. Bart Weiss on Support, Humility, and Excellence

“What does athletics teach you? It’s not about you, it’s about the other ten guys on that team, the other four in basketball...it’s about everyone working together for a common purpose, for a common goal, and you shouldn’t care who gets the credit as long as you accomplish that goal.”

— Col. Bart Weiss

Col. Bart Weiss is the Director of Athletic Operations at the Community School of Naples, in Naples, FL. He has a truly impressive background in sport and at the United States Air Force. He recently retired after nearly 30 years of service as a full Colonel, and before retiring from active duty in 2014 to join CSN, Weiss served as the Academy’s Deputy Athletic Director. As Deputy Athletic Director of the USAF Academy he oversaw 27 NCAA Division I sport programs and supervised physical education and fitness programs to over 4,000 USAF Academy cadets. Col. Weiss was born in Muskegon, Michigan but grew up in Naples and graduated from Naples High school in 1982. He is a 1986 graduate of the US Air Force Academy and earned a master's of science from Marymount University in 1998 and graduated from the US Army Carlisle Barracks in 2006 with a master’s in National Security Strategy. As a member of the class of 1986 Col. Weiss was named a conference offensive player of the year, 1985 First-team all-conference, and 1985 runner up for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. In 1985, Weiss was the first player in USAFA history to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards in a season and led the 1985 team to a 12-1 overall record and #4 national ranking. He was also recently inducted into the United States Air Force Academy Hall of Fame. In addition to these leadership experiences, during his career in the Air Force he led 480 cadet-candidates through a balanced curriculum of military training, academic education and athletic competition and also led and commanded flying squadrons and multiple operational units worldwide. He served in Washington DC working alongside both military leaders and members of Congress, and is a command pilot with 5,000 flying hours. He served as Vice President Gore’s pilot on Air Force Two, and also spent a year augmenting Air Force One! Kathy and Col. Weiss met up on the road this week and spent time digging into the “secret sauce” for parents of balancing support and humility, teaching excellence, integrity, respect, and instilling discipline in athletes. He delves into the dynamics of when to be a leader and when to fold into an existing entity and work your way up. His wisdom on the importance of failure and seeing the big picture is so helpful, and we believe parents and athletes will gain so much from the wisdom in this episode. Learning from his focus on teachability and cheering on the entire team was such an honor to us, and we hope this episode inspires excellence in you and your athletes this week!

Episode 47: Irwin Hudson on Motivation, Dedication, and Taking off the Parent Colored Glasses

“One of the highlights of this episode was hearing Irwin’s favorite quote; “If you cannot risk, you cannot grow. If you cannot grow, you cannot become your best. If you cannot become your best, you cannot be happy. If you can’t be happy, then what else matters.””

— Viscott

Irwin was born and raised in Starkville, MS and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1991. He then obtained his Master’s from the University of Central Florida in Modeling & Simulation in 2013, and his Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering from the University of Central Florida in December of 2016. Irwin currently works for the US Army Futures Command as a Science and Technology Manager, however, basketball is his passion! Teaching and training players how to physically and mentally play the game is what he does best. He's trained several thousands of players ranging from age 6 to All-stars in the NBA. He has had some pretty notable clients, including Dwight Howard, Chandler Parsons, Austin Rivers, Nick Calathes, Deshawn Stevenson, Tacko Falls, AJ Davis, and Phil Pressey. He served as Head Boys Varsity Coach for 2 years at Trinity Prep and 3 years at Bishop Moore Catholic High School and Assistant Coach for 8 years at Lake Howell High School, 2 years at Oakridge High School, & 2 years at Seminole State. He officially incorporated OrlandoHoops, Inc. in 1999, founding his company on the principles of hard-work, dedication and a willingness to do whatever it takes to improve talent and skill of each and every participant. Whether he’s coaching, counseling, teaching, or leading a training session Irwin’s passion and knowledge shines through whenever he is on the court. For the past 20 years he has been making players better in Orlando, the state of Florida, and across the world - including USA, Brazil, Greece, Russia, France and Canada. He is the very proud husband to Mrs. Phuong Hudson and father to daughters Olivia Joyce Hudson and Audrey Grace Hudson.

It is crystal clear in this episode that Irwin is one of the most kind and dedicated coaches you could find. His wisdom for players and parents alike is invaluable. He and Kathy talk talent, focusing on the kind of support and dedication that prepares an athlete for the field of play and life off the court, and dissect the principles of focus and attention and their impact in an athlete’s success. He also offers guidance for parents in separating the activity of parenting from coaching, especially when working with young athletes, and how to put the emphasis on their choice to play and keep their love of the sport alive. You can find more from Dr. Coach’s at http://www.ohoops.com, as well as stay in the loop on his upcoming book release!

Episode 46: Derek Touchette on Living Through Our Athlete’s Failures

“Be there, be present, and enjoy it.”

— Derek Touchette

Derek is a Performance Enhancement Specialist, a U.S. Weightlifting Club Coach at Level 1, and a Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach for speed. Derek earned his Bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University in Exercise Physiology with a Nutrition minor. He has four years of experience as a Performance Specialist at the IMG Academies, and during his time there he prepared athletes for the NFL combine; worked with NFL, NBA, and MLB veterans, the MLS and WUSA teams, and trained the Under-17 Men’s National Soccer Team. He has had the opportunity to work under Loren Seagrave, one of the most renowned speed and sports performance coaches in the world, and Rana Rieder, one of the top USA track and field coaches. He also has experience advising all types of athletes in the area of nutrition; planning individual meals. Derek is dedicated to the development of his athletes and other fitness enthusiasts, which is evident in the fact that many of the people he has trained are still playing at the professional level and return on a regular basis. Kathy and Derek discuss nurturing confidence, drive, and determination to take it to the next level. He is an open book on how to offer guidance without being “that” parent on the sidelines. Derek speaks from a coaching and parenting perspective to emphasize cultivating curiosity, allowing for freedom to test things out (without over-involvement), and normalizing failure. You’ll want to listen to this episode to learn his five-minute timer technique and gain from Derek’s uplifting and motivating attitude!

Episode 45: Bill Carufe on Coaching and Parenting Successes

“Athletics are just an avenue to make you a better person, don’t let it be who you are...at some point it stops.”

— Bill Carufe

Bill is the Director of Basketball and the Physical Education Department Chair at Seacrest Country Day School in Naples, FL. His list of accomplishments is extensive; he was named the Naples Daily News Basketball Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2008, the Fort Myers News Press Basketball Coach of the Year in 2007, the Community School of Naples Basketball ranked his team number one in the state in 2007, he was named the Collier County Teacher of the Year in 2000, the Gulf Coast High School Coach of the Year in 2000, and the Gulf Coast High School Teacher of the Year in 2000. Bill’s path to youth sports began as a youth athlete himself! As the oldest of five he found himself often putting together games and teams, and continued on to Division III collegiate athletics and a master’s degree (with his thesis focused on the psychosocial development and  implications of youth sports on children). His coaching and teaching has spanned all age groups and levels and currently includes instructing a first of its kind a Sports Psychology course focusing on theory and practice with particular relevance to life outside of sport. In this episode he and Kathy discuss parent involvement in collegiate sports, creating balance, performance in raising successful people over successful athletes, and maintaining perspective both as a coach and a sport parent. His passion for coaching and identity formation outside of sports absolutely shines in this episode, we hope you enjoy listening just as much as we did recording this one (quite a bit!).

Episode 44: Ernie Clark on Learning from the Best, and from Yourself as a Coach

“If you want to do this, it’s going to be really hard. There’s a misconception that if you want it really bad and you try really hard you’re going to have high levels of success.”

— Ernie Clark

We’re kicking off season four this week and diving into the coach’s perspective! In past seasons we’ve spoken to the parents, the players themselves, and the experts, and we are excited now to dive into the perspectives of some incredible coaches! Coach Ernie Clark was a high school coach for 14 years, a club coach for six, and now coaches at the collegiate level. He started out as a high school athlete struggling with performance, and through guidance from his coaches became a state qualifier and earned a collegiate scholarship for Track and Field. He became a national qualifier in the 400 hurdles at the University of Indianapolis. He went on to teach and coach high school athletes, breaking school records and growing multiple programs in Indiana. His athletes became 6th in the state during his most successful season, during which he realized his drive as a coach was to help athletes reach beyond what he could do as an athlete himself; competing on a higher national level, such as the USA Championships, and even the Olympics trials or Olympic Games. He became a coach at Ashland University, working alongside four-time Olympian Judd Logan, and currently coaches five national champions - including Myles Pringle. Coach Clark has been named a Regional Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year two years in a row and was recently named Assistant National Coach of the Year. He and Kathy discuss his development from out-working to out-motivating, the massive mentality shifts he’s learned, and how his own struggles as an athlete and becoming addicted to doing a great job became the biggest factors in his growth as a coach. Ernie is not only a coach, but a sports parent himself, with two kids aged 14 and 17. If you enjoyed this episode please share and like Parenting Peak Performers whenever you listen in!

Episode 43: Gordon MacLelland on Courageous Communication as a Coach and Sport Parent

“Ultimately it was their experience.”

— Gordon MacLelland

Gordon MacLelland set up the organization Working with Parents in Sport after 20 years as a teacher and as a coach to all age levels from about 7 year olds to Adults. He has a BA in Sports Science from University College Chester and a PGCE from Lancaster University. He is a qualified teacher and has been Director of Sport at an independent prep school in the UK for the last 10 years. He has worked in schools in both the UK and New Zealand for the last 16 years. Gordon is the author of two books, “Great Sports Parenting”, a pocket guide for parents of children in sport and, “Engage”, a coach's guide to building positive relationships with parents. He has recently become a parent to two children and the early sporting experiences of his own children prompted him to set up the company as well as write the two books above. As a speaker he brings a wealth of experience to working with organizations, coaches and parents gathered through 20 years as a teacher and coach as well as a parent currently involved in children’s sport. He and Kathy discuss the importance of perspective for sports parents, the encouragements that are key to athlete’s development, and the two questions NOT to ask post-game. Gordon’s website,  http://www.parentsinsport.co.uk also has a wealth of information and resources for parents!

Episode 42: Joe Jacobi on Olympic Feats and Daily Habits

“I’m much more interested in the development of the person than I am in the development of the athlete.”

— Joe Jacobi

As America’s first ever Olympic Gold Medalist in Whitewater Canoe Slalom, Joe shares strategies to get you outside of your day to day rush of life and bring focus to what truly matters most with simplicity, purpose, and flow. His platform includes performance coaching, writing, and speaking. Joe’s philosophy and values are built upon a 19-year career as an elite athlete with USA Canoe/Kayak that included 12 National Championship titles, two Olympic Game appearances, and an Olympic Gold Medal. Joe coaches high performance leaders,  executive teams, and athletes. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of USA Canoe/Kayak - the sport’s national and Olympic governing body. He often says yes to unique adventures and challenging experiences (he once paddled 110 miles in a kayak from Cuba to the Florida Keys), and has chosen innovative paths of education, collaboration, and all-around health and wellness. He shares his expertise in this episode not only as an elite athlete, but also a sport parent and coach! Joe, his wife Lisa, as well as their daughter - an elite athlete in her own right - reside happily in Spain near the site of Joe’s Olympic win in 1992. Joe and Kathy discuss the importance of listening and building daily habits, and talk about the tricky relationship of parent/coach. You will not want to miss this episode, and neither will your athlete!

Episode 41: Rob Tong on Growth Mindset in Coaching and Parenting

“We want to help our kids to approach adversity from a way that helps them to overcome things and not think that they are defined as something.”

— Rob Tong

A father of seven, Rob is the host of the Youth Baseball Edge podcast. Rob is an expert not only in youth sports, but also in podcasting, with the highest ranked amateur baseball podcast on iTunes, and over 100 episodes recorded to date. His children, ranging in from age 20 to 4, have been instrumental to his growth as a coach and sport parent. He has served as a head baseball coach for multiple teams over the last 13 years, beginning as a coach to his own kids, and started his podcast to share what he has learned along the way. Kathy and Rob talk mental game, fixed vs. growth mindset, and the influence others have on athletes - especially parents. He shares ten questions he uses to check in with his children annually (check out Youth Baseball Edge ep. 105), when and how to push, and the 20-hour rule; committing twenty hours of practice before giving up to give the athlete time to see success. Be sure to listen in to Youth Baseball Edge (we loved the Brian Cane episode on mental game), found here: https://www.youthbaseballedge.com/podcasts, and if you enjoyed this episode, please like and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play!

Episode 40: Greg Bach on Support and Encouragement in Moments of Failure

“Applaud your child when things don’t go well...Tie the support to the performance of playing; you’re out there, you’re doing your best, that’s what it’s all about.”

— Greg Bach

Greg Bach is the Sr. Director of Communications for the National Alliance for Youth Sports and the author of 10 books. His latest book is, “Secrets of Successful Coaching” features his personal conversations with 50 top professional and college coaches, as well as former Olympic athletes who are now coaching. Greg has been at NAYS for 25 years, and oversees the SportingKid Live website, a free resource NAYS provides with new content daily on topics and issues pertaining to youth sports coaching and parenting. He is a proud graduate of Michigan State University and an expert in youth sports. He shares wisdom on offering great support as a sport parent, especially in honing non-reactive responses - whether it’s a good or bad day, providing open communication, learning the importance of failures, building confidence, and finding ways to incorporate the entire family into the process of growth. If you enjoyed the episode please like, rate, and comment on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play! We also want to encourage our listeners to connect with Greg by visiting http://www.nays.org/sklive!

Episode 39: Dr. Angel Brutus on Healthy Transitions from High School to Collegiate Athletics

“Making it to the institution is not the goal, the goal is longevity. ”

— Dr. Angel Brutus

Welcome back to season three - our season of experts! Kathy’s conversation this week hones in on how the context between high school and college athletics can differ, and how to act as an advocate and guide for your students during that important time of transition. Dr. Angel Brutus is a member of Mississippi State University Sports Medicine and Performance team, serving as their very first Director of Counseling and Sport Psychology. She serves in this role after managing a private practice based in Atlanta, Georgia where she provided clinical and sport performance services to individuals, teams and organizations. Her training includes Licensed Professional Counseling in Georgia and Mississippi, Certified Rehabilitation Counseling, and Sport-Performance Psychology consulting, which gives her the opportunity to provide holistic services based on clients' clinical and performance needs. She currently serves as coordinator for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology's Race & Ethnicity in Sport Special Interest Group and is a member of the Women in Sport, Eating Disorders in Sport, Adaptive Sport & Physical Activity groups and multiple committees within the Association (Nomination Leadership Development, Ethics, and Community Outreach). She spends her time out of the office serving as a community volunteer with philanthropic organizations targeting at-risk youth, and mentoring students interested in pursuing careers in the helping profession. If you liked this episode, remember to rate our show and leave a review for us on your favorite podcast app!

Episode 38: Lindsey Blom on Peaceful Development of Parents and Athletes

“Behavior, any kind of behavior, is contagious.”

— Lindsey Blom

Dr. Lindsey Blom is an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology and the Graduate Program Coordinator at Ball State University. She focuses on the psycho-social aspects of youth sport and sport for development and peace. For the past decade, she has investigated positive youth development through sport and using sport to promote peace at the individual, community, and international levels. Specifically, her research focuses on maximizing the benefits of sport participation through a mastery and cooperative approach fostered by trained coaches and supportive parents, emphasizing a holistic, long-term athletic development model. Her projects include conducting sport for social change programs in Jordan and Tajikistan, the NASPE task force for the position statement on Maximizing the Benefits of Youth Sport, and running local after-school sport for peace leadership programs with elementary school children. Additionally, Dr. Blom has been an invited expert on using sport for development to counter violent extremism for two closed roundtable discussions hosted by the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and Hedayah. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Blom has co-authored journal articles, book chapters, and the book, “Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer”. Talk about an expert! Dr. Blom also serves on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Soccer Foundation, Dream Sports Africa, and the Ball State Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. Lindsey has over 12 years of consulting experience as a certified consultant for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and over 15 years of experience as a youth soccer coach. As a consultant, she has worked with administrators, coaches, and athletes from the youth to collegiate level on issues in creating a positive sport environment and maximizing performance. Furthermore, she has led numerous team-building workshops and presented at coaching conferences. As a coach, she has worked with children ages 4 to 18 in recreational, competitive, and school-based settings using her experience as a semi-professional and Division I soccer player. Kathy and Lindsey connect on breaking down ingroup and outgroup interactions by leading as parents and normalizing supportive environments, asking curious questions on and off the field, and creating empathy for both fellow sport parents and athletes alike. She emphasizes the importance of feeling heard and finding common ground in communities that can be precarious. Her episode is full of incredible insights into her research on supportive parenting - you won’t want to miss it!

Episode 37: Coach Reed Maltbie on the Power of Words

“We have the opportunity to actually shape lives, behaviors, beliefs, based on just what we’re saying to our athletes.
”

— Reed Maltbie

Words are powerful. They have the ability to inspire, motivate, and lift kids, but also the power to do the opposite. The considerable work of our expert in this episode has helped coaches and parents become more aware of their words, teaching how they can build confidence and self-esteem in athletes and avoid the pitfalls of imprinting. Coach Reed has dedicated his life to youth sports as the developer of the Excellence Equation Education System, co-creator of Positive Discipline Tools for Coaches, and the lead speaker and Chief Content Officer for Changing the Game. With 30 years of experience as an educator and coach, and dual master’s degrees in Sports Psychology and Early Childhood Education he offers a wealth of practical and science-based experience to aid coaches and others in leading athletes to excel in and beyond sports. Since the release of his TEDx talk “Echoes Beyond the Game”, he’s become a trusted educator and advisor to sports organizations worldwide. Coach Reed’s gifts are in creating passion and purpose in others, and in distilling complex theories into understandable and easily implementable practices. His interest in brain health and language led him to research how important the echos left on the field have on the psyche of athletes. He shares that for every negative word it takes nearly five positives to reduce the imprint, the immense importance of allowing athletes to guide post-game conversations, and creating the vital role of team parent to act as a liaison between parents and coaches. To connect with Coach Reed, learn more about the 3 myths of youth sports, watch his TEDx talk, listen to the Way of Champions podcast, and learn ways to create a more athlete-centric playing environment, find him here:https://changingthegameproject.com!

Episode 36: Betsy Oypt on Motherhood and Nutrition for Athletes

“As an athlete, and just as a human, you need to take care of your body.”

— Betsy Opyt

Betsy Opyt is a registered and licensed dietitian with a background in clinical nutrition therapy. She is a certified diabetes educator who has paved her way as a mom, fitness trainer, former gymnast, and the president, CEO, and founder of Betsy’s Best Gourmet Nut and Seed Butters. She is an active daily ambassador for the brand, and its driving force. In 2015 Betsy was named the Florida Young Mother of the Year by the American Mother’s Incorporated Florida chapter, and acts as an ambassador, traveling the state and raising awareness around women’s issues. Betsy was also crowned Miss Indiana in 2000 and spent her reign traveling her home state to inspire and engage children to develop healthier lifestyle habits. She shares with us how a lifetime of observing how nutrition aided her performance and fueled in her a passion for the health of athletes. Betsy has always been an incredible advocate for the connection between fuel and performance. She has excellent recipes and recommendations on her website, along with her delicious line of nut butter - you can find them athttps://betsysbest.com!  She recommends complex carbohydrates like oatmeal and fruit smoothies in the morning, snacks at the ready right after practices and games, hydration always, and most of all making eating fun! Betsy emphasizes that working on these skills is all about planning, and encourages parents to involve their athletes in prepping for healthy eating, inviting them to come along to the grocery store, cook together, and think about nutrition as a family. We hope that you share this week’s episode with your athletes, and start to make fueling up right a whole-family effort!

Episode 35: Dr. Brandonn Harris on Early Specialization and Burnout

Dr. Brandonn Harris is the Program Director and an associate professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Georgia Southern University, where he is also the graduate Program Director for the department of Health Sciences and Kinesthesiology. Dr. Harris teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of ethical issues in Sports Psychology, psychological aspects of peak performance, Sport and Exercise Psychology interventions, and Social Psychology of sport. At Georgia Southern he also supervises graduate students in their practica in Sport and Exercise Psychology. He is a current member of the Association for Applied Sports Psychology and a member of the American Psychological Association Division 47. He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), and listed on the United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. As a Sport and Exercise Psychology practitioner he has consulted with youth and collegiate athletes, teams, parents, and coaches on a variety of vital topics in the field. He holds a BA in Exercise Science, with a Sport Psychology specialization, from Truman State University. In addition he completed two master’s degrees in Sport and Exercise Psychology and Community Counseling, both from West Virginia University, and a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia U. His work with how Sport Psychology consulting can support athletes and educate both parents and coaches is groundbreaking. This episode he joins Kathy to discuss the pivotal role parents have in guiding their athletes around the current state of youth sport, and specifically the challenges of early specialization and burnout. This episode is one we urge you not to miss! Dr. Harris shares his incredible expertise on specific ways parents can support their athletes, backed by some amazing research!