Coach Dave Vassilaros and Chandler Childs, the brains behind the Ultimate Hero Company, break down why building character is a game-changer for young athletes. They tackle how traits like responsibility, honesty, humility, and integrity can be the secret sauce to succeeding in life and on the playing field.

We delve into the pitfalls of the blame game, providing hands-on tips to help shift young minds from pointing fingers to taking charge. Tune in to this episode for your playbook on raising the bar in youth sports and beyond!

Notes:

The Ultimate Hero College Free Test Drive

It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life, by Trevor Moad

Rachel Roupe is a Division I softball player. Elite skills and athletic talents. But it took help from Andrew Simpson, a performance coach, to free her from the perfectionism that threatened to block her dreams.

How did they do it?

Trading the expectation of perfection for the pursuit of perfection.

#bekidfirst

MJ Tate dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player in England. When his big chance arrived, he grabbed it with both hands and found himself among some of the best young players in the country.

Then the psychological, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse started. Bob Higgins was a predator.

"In loco parentis" is Latin for "in the place of the parent". MJ believes if you coach youth sports, you better consider yourself "in loco parentis". And protect these kids.

Watch the gripping BBC documentary, "A Saint & A Sinner", about Bob Higgins and the boys whose trust he violated.

Humility. Trust. Balance. Comfortably unique. Compassionately driven. Core values that govern how Tony DaRe leads.

Tony and his team have built a leading insurance consulting firm for over 20 years. A former college linebacker and competitive rugby player, he thought he learned how to lead a team in the business world from his three top coaches. Including his dad.

He was wrong. Sports and business aren't the same.

Hear what Tony learned the hard way.

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Chad Metcalf, Navy SEAL and author of Young Athlete's Ultimate Guide to Mental Toughness

Tune in to Dave and Chad's podcast about the importance of mental toughness in youth sports. Chad shares his experiences at "Hell Week" SEAL training and how he learned the value of a problem-solving mindset. Understanding the role of failure in skill development and the need for a shift in mindset among parents and coaches will boost mental toughness in young athletes.

Pick up his book on Amazon!

Taken by the state from her parents. Twice. Not allowed to say goodbye to her four younger siblings as they were whisked into the foster system. Finally chosen by a couple who really wanted her. Facing down her birth mom in court as a teenager.

Ginny Cannon knows what it's like to lose trust in others. And to find it again in adoptive parents, her high school best friend, and a 40 year marriage.

Listen to Ginny's tear-jerking story no child should ever have to endure. By inspired by her incredible love for kids.

One of the most genuine conversations ever on the KidFirst Sports podcast.

"How can I get more playing time?"

All youth coaches have heard that question from a young athlete.

Jason Carney thinks that's a sign of a coach's failure to do his or her most important job - develop the kid's character.

From his youth in Bolton, UK, watching the great Liverpool teams of the 70s & 80s, to Portland, OR, Jason has strong opinions on how to make youth soccer better. Put character first. Make it joyful.

Spend a few minutes with the KidFirst Sports podcast and feel Jason's infectious love of the kids and the beautiful game.

Scoring the game winning goal as a pro player in the biggest knockout tournament in the country. It's what dreams (and some bad sports movies) are made of! That's what Wells Thompson thought, until he was sitting in his hotel room wondering why being the hero felt so empty. "Is that it?! My whole life I've worked for this moment and this is what it feels like?"

Wells was a troubled prodigy as a young player. Drugs, alcohol, and blowing off school filled in the spaces between big goals and dominating games.

Then his parents did what had to be done, and broke their own hearts to do it. They sent their golden soccer boy a thousand miles away to a school for troubled youth.

Eventually, and not at all in the movie-script kind of way, Wells found meaning and purpose through faith in God. The hole in his heart that he tried to fill with drugs and partying was filled by grace and love.

Hear how Wells turned his experiences to good with Soccer Resilience.

#bekidfirst

kidfirstsports.com

From loving and excelling at a sport to purposely tanking a tryout to get out of having to play. Mike Brown wishes it hadn't had to come to that but it was the only way his 13 year old brain could see to get out of a team his parents loved and supported.

So many young athletes have skill and ability but want to explore other things while they are teens.

Hopefully parents listen. Mike did when his own teenage son pushed back on sports and wanted to learn to play the saxophone.

His son's passion became Mike's passion.

Oh, and Mike met his wife because of Radio Shack.

#bekidfirst

Most 18 year olds are thinking about heading to college or hitting the beach. Kareem Rae was writing the definitive guide on how to become a professional soccer player.

His dreams have always been big. They used to be him signing a pro contract in Europe. Not anymore.

Now 23, Kareem dreams of building a professional club here in the US and giving 25 unheralded players from around the world the chance he didn't get for himself.

He founded One Soccer Nation to be the vehicle for making connections, learning the business side of the game, building a team, and attracting investors who share his vision and passion.

It's a fascinating story about a visionary young man.

www.onesoccernation.com

One Soccer Nation YouTube Channel