Anyone who watched Michael Phelps win Olympic gold, after gold, after gold, is familiar not just with his 24-karat smile in the water but also with the beaming face of his mother, Debbie, in the stands. In this candid interview, Debbie talks about raising the boy who would become the most decorated Olympian of all time. She speaks with great openness about the fact that raising a superstar isn’t always shiny. She puts no gloss on the early days when Michael considered quitting, and repeatedly got in trouble at the pool. And she shares some astonishing stories about the inner drive her son possessed from a very early age.

Making a Splash: A Single Mom Forges Gold

Hosted by beloved NBA parents Sonya and Dell Curry, Raising Fame: Sports Edition reveals the amazing childhood backstories of your favorite sports icons. The Currys interview the people who raised these sports legends into the idols they are today. Parents. Stepparents. Grandparents. Adoptive parents. We take you back to when Tom Brady the GOAT was just “Tommy” and not getting a single snap at QB; when Shaquille O’Neal was the unexpected newborn of a strong but scared teen mother; when Steph Curry was still hoisting his shot from his waist; when Megan Rapinoe was wearing angel wings on Halloween; and when Michael Phelps was getting kicked out of the pool for misbehaving. Hear the unforgettable stories of these iconic athletes’ childhoods. How they were raised. The highs and lows of their paths to glory. Incredible tales shared by the people who helped shape them into the superstars you know and love.

Kids & Family

Parenting

He was snubbed by the school he wanted. He was benched by the school he got. Instead of lying down and giving up, Joe Burrow took that chip on his shoulder and hauled it along to a national championship, a Heisman trophy, and a shot at #1 in the NFL draft. Hear his parents’ story of raising the superstar who got knocked down but keeps getting up, and up, and up.

GETTING BACK UP: Raising the Resilient Joe Burrow

Some call the Oregon Ducks senior point guard one of the best kept secrets in college basketball…but if you’re in the Pacific Northwest, and pulling for him to win Pac-12 Player of the Year, you know he’s a local legend. His dad, a former college tight end and his mom, a former college gymnast, taught him that old fashioned grit could more than make up for his lack of size…and he proved them right when he led his high school team to four straight state championships, the first time that’s happened in the state of Oregon. Today he owns several Oregon career records, and his toughness has him splitting defenders in the paint and hitting buzzer-beating, game-winning threes with cold-blooded confidence. Hear his parents’ tale of raising this fiery, feisty competitor.

Lucky Duck: How Payton Pritchard Grinds to Good Fortune

After 20 years as a New England God, Tom Brady is flying south to Tampa Bay. In this exclusive interview, his parents share their immediate reaction to their son’s huge decision...why they’re so excited about the move…their thoughts about Bill Belichick and Bruce Arians...how the Florida weather might benefit their son’s “aging” bones…and what Tom’s ambitions are for this season and beyond. Then they take us back — long before Tommy became an icon…before the organic plant-based diet and 5 AM training mornings…to when he was just little Tommy riding his bike around the neighborhood, craving cheeseburgers, getting into mischief, and dealing with some major disappointments in his early athletic career. Come along for the journey of the joys, and the setbacks, of a little boy destined for greatness.

Tommy in Transition: Parenting the GOAT

You don’t become the assist king and defensive boss of the NBA just by chance. You are RAISED to become that icon. And sure enough, as Charles and Robin Paul tell it, CP3 was shaped by some tough love and strong guidance into the superstar he is today. Listen to their story of raising the legend and his older brother, and how Chris was trained from an early age to become the assist master, philanthropist and man he is today.

Making a Splash: A Single Mom Forges Gold

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