Author, podcaster, and mental performance coach Kirsten Jones joins us to talk about youth sports, and how something that should offer kids opportunities for play, connection, movement, and growth has increasingly become a high-pressure world focused on performance, specialization, and achievement. We look at how youth sports culture has changed, why kids are being pushed to specialize and compete at younger and younger ages, and what that pressure can mean for their mental health, identity, and relationship with sports. We also talk about the role we play as parents, how easily our own hopes and investment can become tangled up with our child’s athletic experience, and what we can do to protect their joy, keep sports developmentally appropriate, and help them build an identity that extends far beyond their performance on the field or court.
About Kirsten Jones
Kirsten (Keer-stin) is a Hall of Fame NCAA Division I volleyball player, 15-year NIKE executive, motivational speaker, Mental Performance Coach, author of the best-selling book, Raising Empowered Athletes, and host of the award winning podcast, “Raising Athletes” (#5 on Feedspot in Youth Sports).
She works with athletes, parents, coaches and administrators, helping them identify their pain points, amplify their strengths and reach their individual and collective team and leadership goals. Kirsten’s super power is getting people out of their heads and into their bodies, allowing them to feel their best and perform beyond what they believed possible.
Kirsten and her husband, Evan, have raised three athletes (ages, 25, 22 and 20). Two sons, who became DI basketball players and a daughter who played volleyball through high school. Kirsten understands the pressure, excitement and oftentimes anguish that comes with the roller coaster ride that is youth sports. Buckle up!
Things you'll learn from this episode
How youth sports have become increasingly intense, with early specialization, travel teams, and a pro-sports mindset filtering down to younger kids
Why the real value of sports lies in building resilience, self-regulation, confidence, and the ability to handle setbacks
How pressure, over-scheduling, and a focus on rankings and achievement can contribute to burnout and kids leaving sports altogether
Why parents can become overinvested in their child’s athletic path and how fear, identity, and financial investment can make stepping back difficult
How neurodivergent athletes benefit from flexible, inclusive coaching that recognizes different ways of learning, communicating, and moving
Why focusing on friends, fun, and fundamentals can help families choose programs that keep kids wanting to come back season after season
Resources mentioned
Kirsten Jones’ website
Raising Empowered Athletes: A Youth Sports Parenting Guide for Raising Happy, Brave, and Resilient Kids by Kirsten Jones
Kirsten on Instagram
Kirsten on LinkedIn
Raising Good Athletes on Apple Podcasts
Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Wallace
A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood (Tilt Parenting podcast)
Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety by Dr. Peter Gray
Parents are turning one of the best things for kids’ mental health into one of the worst (CNN article)
Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell
Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids (Tilt Parenting podcast)
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