Advertise on podcast: The Pure Athlete Podcast

As sports parents, most of us really want to do youth sports right on behalf of our kids and families; but we often get caught up in the moment. On this episode, Jeff, Britt, and Brad each bring their list of mistakes that sports parents make, and they share their own experiences and insights from making some of these mistakes. Most parents will relate to this discussion, recognizing some of the challenges we all face. Other parents will be challenged to watch out for these pitfalls before encountering them. In either case, you will enjoy the first part of the discussion in which the guys discuss some current events around college football and the NFL, and you will be both challenged and inspired as the discussion turns to the common mistakes sports parents make.

Softball icon Jennie Finch-Daigle is our guest on this episode of The Pure Athlete Podcast. Jennie shares her youth sports story with us as a multi-sport athlete, and how that helped her develop her softball skills and abilities. She talks about the role her parents played in her development, how she developed as a young pitcher, and compares her college recruiting experiences to those of today. Jennie also shares about playing travel softball as a high schooler, and shares some incredible stories and memories from her Olympic experience, including a profound story from standing on the podium receiving her gold medal. Finally, as a mom of three young athletes trying to navigate the crazy world of travel baseball/softball, football, club volleyball, and more, Jennie gets very real about the challenges and the fun of making this journey as a parent, and provides advice to today's young athletes and parents.

On this episode we welcome one of the greatest hitters in MLB history, a first ballot Hall of Famer with over 3150 hits, Kansas City Royals legend George Brett. George shares some great stories from his playing days, and why he spent all 21 of his big league years with the Royals. He discusses his thoughts on today's hitting approach, including exit velocity and launch angle - and let's just say he is not a fan. He also discusses talks about the suggestions that Charlie Lou, his hitting coach with the Royals, gave him that led to his success, after never hitting .300 in the minor leagues. And as always, George shares his thoughts with humorous candor.

As an elite young soccer player, Nick Mayhugh excelled on the field but always struggled to overcome some physical limitations that he didn't understand. In spite of that, Nick was on track to play soccer at the highest levels. Until the grand mal seizure he suffered at 14, led him to a series of tests which uncovered that Nick had been born with cerebral palsy and would therefore never play soccer again. Nick shares his story on this episode, how he eventually allowed the news to fuel him into playing D1 College soccer. Nick then played on the U.S. Paralympic soccer team, before become a Paralympic sprinter, winning 3 gold medals and 1 silver at the Tokyo Paralympics. Nick's story is one of grit, determination, and inspiration and you don't want to miss this episode.

One of the most respected players of his era, 7x All-Star 3B David Wright is our guest on this episode. Playing all 14 years of his career with the Mets, Wright was known for leadership, disciplined preparation, and an incredible work ethic (grit). He was also known for being a great teammate, and was named team captain for it. David shares his thoughts about the importance of being a teammate and what being named team captain meant to him. He also shares his youth sports story, how he was underestimated as a young player, how he leveraged his desire to outwork everyone, the role his parents played in his development, and much more. He also shares some fun stories from his time sharing a dugout with Frenchy, his thoughts as a dad and youth sports coach, and his advice for young athletes and parents.

Jeff, Britt, and Brad look back on some of the best moments and guests in 2025, with advice to young athletes planning to move forward in 2026. In addition, they preview some of the upcoming content and 2026 guests for the podcast and for the new PA+ Baseball platform. Also included are some hot takes on the College Football playoffs and Super Bowl predictions, along with a lot of laughs. Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year!

On this episode, we welcome Coach David Cutcliffe, former head football coach at Duke and Ole Miss, and former Offensive Coordinator at Tennessee. Cutcliffe, who coached both Peyton and Eli Manning in college, is often referred to as the Quarterback Whisperer for his ability to develop young QBs. Coach Cutcliffe is one of the most respected people in college football, and thus is still very engaged on staff with the SEC. Parents, players, and especially coaches...you don’t want to miss his thoughts on the current state of CFB, the Manning QB dynasty, and his insights from 40+ years of coaching football and life the right way.

Most parents hope their kids develop strong character, but where does it get prioritized when it comes to pursuing youth sports goals? Pure Athlete lists character as one of the 5 Pillars of a Pure Athlete...why? Jeff, Britt, and Brad dive into this topic on this episode, discussing why character matters both on and off the field or court, how it gets developed, what role that parents and coaches play in this process, and much more. In addition, the guys make a big announcement at the beginning of the show - don't miss it.

We are excited to replay our 2024 episode with one of America’s most admired and respected sports figures, Coach Tony Dungy! Coach Dungy is a Hall of Famer, Super Bowl winner as a player AND coach, two-time coach of the year and best-selling author. This accomplished legend shared his personal story as a young player and as a dad, as well as many stories from his days as an college/pro player and coach, weaving in great insights for parents, coaches, and players. Coach also shares his insights on the importance of character development, as well as the element he believes is most important to keep at the forefront of sports, at every level...hint, it is a key part of the word fundamentals. We're so excited to have a true icon and role model on the show today, so buckle up for the wisdom and encouragement of Coach Tony Dungy!

If you're playing youth sports, you're experiencing winning and losing regularly. Some experience one more than the other, but over the course of time, we all experience both. As parents and coaches, how do we teach young athletes the value of responding properly to both? Do we even model the right responses, or are we also too caught up in the results? On this episode, Jeff, Britt, and Brad discuss why we all want to win, the positive aspects that result, while also talking about the positive aspects of losing (yes, there really are some). They also share their thoughts on the bad responses to both winning and losing, from arrogance to sour attitudes, from kids and parents alike. Finally, we've all seen ugly examples of really poor responses to both winning and losing and the guys call some of these out as a reminder to all of us to seize these opportunities to teach out young athletes to compete to win, to win with grace, and to respond to losing with the right attitude. This episode has something for everyone - don't miss it.

As we head into Thanksgiving week, we are grateful for the wise counsel we received in 2024 from Dr Tim Elmore, sharing his expertise on topics such as how can we help our kids develop grit? How do parents help, or hinder, their kids from reaching their full potential, in sports, or life? What are the keys to developing mental toughness in our kids? Do your kids suffer from FOMU (Fear of Messing Up) and how can you help them overcome it, in sports and life? These are just some of the questions we explore this week as we welcome Dr. Tim Elmore, founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, Inc. and a sought-after expert on parenting and leadership development of Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids. The author of more than 30 books, Dr. Elmore is a sought-after speaker and expert, appearing on numerous news shows, TED, dozens of Fortune 500 companies, and has worked with numerous professional sports teams in the MLB, NBA, and NFL, as well as some of college’s top programs. Parents and coaches don't want to miss this episode.

Excited to replay this inspiring and insightful interview we did in 2023 with 12-yr NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Dan shares his youth sports journey to UConn and the NFL, along with great insights he learned along the way. He also shares his thoughts about what he is currently living our as a sports dad to his four boys.

Trying to wear both the parent hat and the coach hat at the same time can be both a fantastic and perilous experience (yes, both of those are true), and we’ve received many requests to discuss both the positive and challenging factors that come into play. Britt and Brad share their experiences and Jeff talks about his current approach with his kids as a backdrop to the discussion. From there, they talk about the many reasons that parents should consider coaching their kids, even as an assistant and especially at younger ages. They also define "daddy-ball" in terms of what it looks like in youth sports, as well as the impact it has on other families. As the kids get older, the challenges with trying to wear both hats become more difficult to manage, and the guys provide some tips to consider to help parents approach coaching with purpose and wisdom.

2025 MLB Hall of Fame inductee Billy Wagner joins us this week to share his unique story of how a right-handed kid became a left handed pitcher who earned 422 saves and 7 All-Star appearances in his major league career. Billy shares insights from his baseball development story, including how he overcame a childhood full of adversity to become a football and baseball player at Division 3 Ferrum College, before becoming an unlikely first round draft big in baseball. He shares some great "behind the scenes" moments from his recent Hall of Fame induction weekend in Cooperstown, including some of the cool moments meeting legends of the game. Since his retirement in 2010, Billy has been a successful high school coach, including coaching his sons Will, now playing in the Blue Jays organization, and Kason, committed to pitching at Coastal Carolina in 2026. With a front row view of youth and high school baseball development as a coach and dad, Billy shares valuable insights and advice to young players, parents, and coaches on this episode.

On this episode, we welcome Sam Querrey, one of America’s top male tennis players over the past two decades, winning ten ATP titles and ranked as high as #11 in the world. Sam shares his youth sports story, growing up in California playing a variety of sports and finding great success on the tennis courts early on. That success eventually propelled him to forgo the college scholarship offer from USC and pursue a professional career. Sam shares his thoughts on the current state of US tennis development and the players who have the best chance to win a grand slam tournament. In addition, Sam discusses his wins over Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal, as well as what it was like to play against Roger Federer. In addition, Sam talks about handling the pressure of big matches, his foray into professional pickleball, and his growing career as a tennis analyst with ESPN, TNT, and the Tennis Channel. Finally, Sam brings his humor to create a number of laughable moments to the show, making for an informative and very enjoyable episode.