Let’s Talk Cheer: The Cheerleading Podcast For Parents & Coaches

Is being a boy in all star cheerleading really an advantage, or are male athletes facing challenges most people don't even realize?

Cheerleading has come a long way, but for boys entering the sport, the experience isn't always as simple as it looks. From navigating stereotypes and social media criticism to finding a place on increasingly competitive teams, male cheerleaders face a unique set of opportunities and obstacles.

In this episode of Let's Talk Cheer, Coach Jason Larkins and Gina B dive into Jason's personal experience as a male cheerleader, including why he initially kept his involvement in the sport a secret, how the cheerleading world has evolved, and the advice he'd give young athletes afraid of being judged for pursuing something they love.

Plus, with showcase season approaching, Jason shares valuable coaching insights on making full-outs more meaningful, identifying what your team actually needs to improve, and preparing athletes to perform when it matters most.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Your Cheer Team Looks Like a Hot Mess. Should You Confront the Coach?

Your cheer team's showcase is just weeks away, the routine looks nowhere near competition ready, and you're starting to question whether you should trust the process or finally say something to the coach. Sound familiar?

As a cheer parent, it's hard to sit back and watch your athlete's team struggle, especially when you're investing thousands of dollars and countless hours into the season. But how do you know when your concerns are justified versus when you're simply witnessing the normal growing pains of an early-season cheer team? And if you do have questions, how can you bring them up without damaging your relationship with the coaches?

In this episode, Jason Larkins and Gina B dive into the conversations cheer parents are having behind the scenes about team readiness, coaching decisions, and when it's appropriate to speak up. Jason shares his perspective as a gym owner and coach, including why a program's track record matters, how quickly struggling teams can turn things around, and why the way parents approach difficult conversations can make all the difference. Plus, they discuss surprising October cheer scores, showcase preparation, and a round of Something or Nothing that puts common cheerleading controversies under the microscope.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Buy the Jason's Book, Upside Down and Back Again

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Is spending too much time in the parent viewing room actually making your All Star cheer experience worse?

Between parent-lobby rumors, second-guessing coaching decisions, wondering why your athlete’s role changed, and analyzing every interaction with a coach, sometimes having a front-row seat to everything happening in the gym creates more stress than clarity. In this episode, Jason and Gina get into how quickly parents can spiral when they hear, or think they see, something happening behind the scenes.

You’ll hear why knowing everything happening inside the gym isn’t always beneficial to you or your athlete.

You’ll learn how rumors and assumptions can turn small situations into unnecessary stress and drama.

You’ll discover how to recognize when something deserves your attention versus when it might be better to trust the coaches and let them coach.

Press play to find out whether the parent viewing room is helping you stay connected or making your family’s All Star cheer experience harder than it needs to be.

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What happens when the dream you worked so hard to build becomes the very thing burning you out?

In Part Two of Luis Murcia’s story, the journey continues beyond becoming a World Champion. Luis shares what happened when he opened his own cheer gym, tried to do everything himself, and learned the hard way that passion alone isn’t enough to build a sustainable business.

After eventually walking away from gym ownership, another unexpected challenge—COVID—forced Luis to reinvent himself again. What started as teaching himself photography and videography became LMX Digital, a growing media company now working across the cheer industry.

This episode is packed with lessons for coaches, gym owners, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to turn what they love into something that can grow beyond themselves.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

Other great cheerleading podcast to check out- The Cheer Biz Podcast, The Cheer Mom Podcast, Spill the Cheer, Mat Talk Table Talk, Cheer Chats Podcast, MotUS Edge Podcast, The Cheer Dad Podcast and the Here 4 Cheer Podcast

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What if the only thing standing between you and your biggest dream was your willingness to keep going?

Luis Murcia didn’t have access to elite training facilities, expensive equipment, or a spring floor. Growing up in Colombia, he learned to tumble on grass, performed stunts at traffic lights to raise money, and faced rejection while chasing his dream of competing at Cheerleading Worlds in the United States.

But getting to Worlds was just the beginning of his journey.

From arriving in America with just $20 to eventually becoming a World Champion, Luis shares how determination, sacrifice, and the courage to take risks helped him turn an seemingly impossible dream into reality.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

5 powerful lessons from Luis’s journey that you can apply to overcome obstacles and pursue your own seemingly impossible dreams.

Why your current circumstances, resources, and setbacks don't have to determine your future success.

How persistence, resourcefulness, and embracing unexpected opportunities can open doors you never imagined possible.

Hit play to hear Luis Murcia’s incredible journey from grass fields to World Champion and discover five lessons that can help you turn your biggest dreams into reality!

Other great cheerleading podcast to check out- The Cheer Biz Podcast, The Cheer Mom Podcast, Spill the Cheer, Mat Talk Table Talk, Cheer Chats Podcast, MotUS Edge Podcast, The Cheer Dad Podcast and the Here 4 Cheer Podcast

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Think your cheer team has plenty of time before competition? What if you stopped counting the months and realized you only have a handful of actual practices left?

In this episode, Jason and Gina break down why creating a sense of urgency doesn’t mean panicking, it means recognizing how valuable every practice, private lesson, and opportunity to improve really is. They also get into tryout preparation, building consistent skills, staying disciplined outside the gym, and why even the most stacked team still has to earn the win on competition day.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Other great cheerleading podcast to check out- The Cheer Biz Podcast, The Cheer Mom Podcast, Spill the Cheer, Mat Talk Table Talk, Cheer Chats Podcast, MotUS Edge Podcast, The Cheer Dad Podcast and the Here 4 Cheer Podcast

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What if the difference between a higher cheer score and leaving points on the table isn’t adding more difficulty but understanding what the judges are actually looking for?

Building a competitive routine isn’t as simple as putting your hardest skills on the floor. From tumbling numbers and stunt connections to formations, legalities, and execution, small decisions can have a major impact on your final score. In this episode, Jason and Gina break down the strategy behind maximizing the score sheet, including when adding more athletes helps, when it can actually hurt execution, and why coaches need to think beyond simply doing “more.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

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Have you ever wondered why your athlete has a skill but their coaches choose not to put it in the routine?

In this episode, Jason and Gina pull back the curtain on how cheer routines are actually built. They talk about the relationship between coaches and choreographers, why coaches sometimes have to remove emotion from routine decisions, and why adding more athletes to a skill section can actually create more opportunities for deductions instead of increasing your score.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Other great cheerleading podcast to check out- The Cheer Biz Podcast, The Cheer Mom Podcast, Spill the Cheer, Mat Talk Table Talk, Cheer Chats Podcast, MotUS Edge Podcast, The Cheer Dad Podcast and the Here 4 Cheer Podcast

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Have you ever watched an athlete suddenly lose a skill they know they can do and then wondered what you can actually do to help them get past the mental block?

Mental blocks aren’t a choice, and pushing harder, adding pressure, or endlessly drilling the skill can sometimes make the problem worse. In this episode, you’ll learn a practical nine-step approach to helping athletes work through mental blocks while developing confidence, autonomy, and character along the way.

You’ll discover:

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