Cori McMillan had a breakout softball season for Virginia Tech in 2024 leading the ACC in home runs and slugging percentage, setting an a single-season home run record for VT, and going a perfect 20-20 on stolen base attempts (ranking third in the ACC).

In our conversation, we talk with her about what her journey was like from 8-years-old all the way through going into the transfer portal after her sophomore season and the recruitment process she experienced. She tells us how her mom's support made a huge impact on her, why/when she started specializing, and how the game you played when you were a kid is different than the game your kid is playing today.

3:56 - Letting the kid lead the post-game debrief

6:01 - Playing multiple sports as a young kid

6:56 - One reason to start specializing you might not have thought of

8:09 - Giving your kid ownership of their athletic journey

12:13 - What it actually looks like to chase a college scholarship

16:52 - The key to remaining close to your kid through their journey

19:20 - What to do when a kid has potential but doesn’t want to work at it yet

24:50 - The game you played is not the same game your kid is playing

26:58 - What the recruiting process looks like for current athletes

34:56 - The thank you note you want from your kids when they’re done playing

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Brett Carroll played six seasons in Major League Baseball. After retiring and starting a family, he opened BC Athletics - a baseball clinic dedicated to developing not just baseball players, but well-rounded athletes who are prepared to make an impact as future leaders in their homes, teams, schools, and communities.

In our conversation with Brett, we talk about why it's so important not to coach from the stands, the best thing you can say to your kid after a game, and how the youth sports journey changes as your kids get older. We also discuss how your kid is more than the athlete they're becoming, why losing is an important part of growing up, and how approaching youth sports with the end in mind actually changes your entire outlook of your kid's athletic career.

3:29 - When your kids want to get better on their own

4:18 - Balancing your own competitiveness with not burning out kids

6:06 - Why you shouldn’t coach from the stands

9:20 - Our kids want to see us as mom and dad first

9:52 - The most important thing you can say to your kid after a game

12:40 - Letting our kids lead when it comes to putting in work to get better

14:52 - The journey changes as your kids get older

15:25 - Your kid is more than simply the athlete they’re becoming

17:52 - The way we respond to our kids are often interpreted different than we intent

19:32 - The importance of celebrating the little things

20:48 - Taking the pressure to perform off of kids can lead to better results

22:44 - Before puberty, the kids with more developed kids will most often win

23:27 - The things sports should be teaching you aside from winning

25:01 - Eventually your kids are going to play their last game

26:30 - Approaching youth sports with the end in mind

28:04 - The mental/emotional work it takes to be a healthy sports parent

32:01 - Why losing is an important part of growing up

33:54 - No one tries to be a bad parent, but it takes work to be a good one

35:47 - Encouragement for parents this week

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David Gerson ( @refsneedlovetoo ) has been a soccer referee for over ten years, officiating matches in the top amateur and semi-professional leagues in America.

In our conversation, David shares with us what he feels parents need to know about the level of referees at different playing levels, the training (or lack thereof) youth officials receive, and why 80% of youth referees quit within three years.

David also gives a unique perspective of the power imbalance between parents and youth officials that will likely give you something to think about that you've never considered before.

If you like this conversation and want more of David's content, you can join his nearly 250,000 followers on social at the links below:

Instagram.com/RefsNeedLoveToo

TikTok.com/ @refsneedlovetoo

8:38 - What level of youth soccer has the worst parents?

10:38 - What you need to know about the level of referees at different playing levels

13:05 - How should parents respond when they disagree with the official?

16:49 - Youth referees don’t get training or mentoring - your games are where they’re learning

17:20 - How should youth coaches question an official?

18:45 - The power imbalance between parents and youth officials

21:50 - 80% of youth referees quit within three years because of parental abuse

23:32 - A new perspective for viewing your kid’s officials

28:27 - The correlation between how players treat refs and their parents

31:04 - An encouragement to parents who are just trying to keep up

35:22 - Every referee will make a mistake in a game

36:38 - Youth sports are not about winning

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Dr. Jenna Wallace is a former Division I softball player who founded Unlocked Potential - a child psychology practice located in Fairmont, West Virginia and specializes in diagnosing and treating neurodevelopment disorders. Amongst the services they provide is the evaluation of collegiate student athletes so they can receive the accommodations needed to have academic success while in school.

In our conversation with Dr. Wallace, we talk about how we connect with kids who don't love doing things that don't come easy, the importance of developing independent kids, and how we balance what's best for now vs what's best long term. She also shares valuable insight into how our voice become's our kid's inner voice and the importance of positive reinforcement.

6:39 - Parenting talented kids who don’t have a competitive drive

13:13 - Puberty is the ultimate divider athletically

17:49 - How to connect with kids who don’t love doing things that don’t come easy

21:55 - Reinforcing past positive behaviors

23:16 - The dangers in having different goals than your kids

30:00 - The importance of developing independent kids

34:42 - Balancing what’s best for now vs what’s best long term

37:04 - Using the car ride to develop character and relationships

38:06 - Does being overly positive with our kids make them soft?

41:13 - Our voice becomes our kid’s inner voice

43:15 - We have to be okay learning new information

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Scott Jackson played Division I baseball and has been a coach at the D-I level since the year 2000, including eight years as a head coach. In this conversation, we talk with him about balancing our own competitiveness with supporting our kids, establishing non-negotiable for your athletes, and how to juggle multi-sport athletes. And we get a little nostalgic about rec league concession stand hot dogs.

3:42 - Balancing your own competitiveness with supporting your kid

5:53 - Navigating the car ride home

8:14 - Establishing non-negotiable for your athletes

10:07 - What to do when your kid doesn’t play the sport you want them to play

12:13 - Balancing multi-sport athletes

17:20 - When should kids start specializing?

22:28 - Shifting from “wanting to play with friends” to “want to get better”

25:14 - The beauty (and gift) of rec league sports

30:10 - We have to avoid controlling the outcomes for our kids and let them experience failure

31:56- An encouragement for parents trying to figure it all out

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Brad Raby played small college baseball, has coached at the high school and small college level, and is now dad to four aspiring athletes of all different levels. In our opening episode, we talk with him about parenting kids in a blended family, how to view the role of sports in the younger years, and the importance of speaking into the abilities we see in our kids.

4:54 - Parenting kids who are not your biological kid

12:44 - Navigating pre-high school sports

15:08 - The importance of speaking into kids’ abilities

16:46 - Allowing kids to be kids until it clicks for them

19:41 - When to jump to more competitive leagues / travel ball

25:33 - Why do so many parents push their kids so hard so early?

30:19 - The type of coaches your kids should be playing for

34:00- A healthy tip to change how you talk to your kids during games

36:17 - An idea for a parental perspective shift

40:11 - Encouragement for this week

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Youth sports can be really hard - especially if you’re wanting to raise your kid in ways that produce healthy adults when they’re done playing. Each week on healthy sports parents we have conversations designed to help you keep your athlete mentally and emotionally healthy. Whether you’re starting out in rec ball or traveling every weekend to elite tournaments, we’re here to help you strengthen your relationship with your kids through sports.

Follow along on social:

https://www.tiktok.com/@healthysportsparents

https://www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents

https://www.threads.net/@healthysportsparents

https://www.youtube.com/@HealthySportsParents

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