Matt’s Mishmash Podcast

In my latest episode, I begin the second season of the Mishmash Podcast with a very, very special guest: my daughter, Sarah Lynn Benecke. We talk about everything from sports and music, to what it's like being a young woman growing up in 2023.

In the second of my three Sarah-centric episodes, I had the chance to sit down with Georgian Court University assistant coach Sarah Dessner to discuss the challenges and opportunities involved with being a coach, a mentor, and a role model to young girls.

Sarah is a successful coach, businesswoman, and all-around incredible woman who sets an amazing example for the girls who are lucky enough to play for her.

In the first of my trio of "Sarah" interviews, I got to speak with Sarah Key. Sarah is a South African novelist, education specialist, lecturer, mentor, and activist, but, more than that, she is a constant source of inspiration. She is the author of five novels, four of which were published traditionally, including her debut work, Tangled Weeds, as well as her trilogy, The Sisters of Light.

She has served as an independent contractor for UNICEF and as a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, which has been ranked as the number one university both nationally in South Africa and continentally in the whole of Africa as recently as 2016 and 2017, respectively.

During our conversation, we covered everything from the arts and writing to the social struggles faced in both South Africa and the United States as well as the challenges of raising children in modern society.

In episode 007, and in honor of Halloween, I take a look at my 31 favorite dark movies from the past 31 years.

In Episode 006, I got to sit down with HoopLab I'm Possible Skills Trainer, Garry Linton, to discuss the challenges of raising a young athlete with college or professional aspirations. Garry was kind enough to share his perspectives as a father of a Division 1 scholarship earning basketball daughter, and also as a former coach and current skills enhancement trainer.

During our talk, we covered a multitude of topics ranging from common mistakes parents make as they try to guide their children along their athletic paths, the importance of building a social media brand amid the college recruiting process, and the invaluable, intangible benefits of encouraging our children to discover and build passions that go beyond the court.

Garry is a powerful advocate for girls' basketball, a dedicated skills trainer, a devoted father, and a multitalented student of life whose creative abilities are surpassed by only his vision and desire to help others to achieve their dreams.

In today's episode, I share an interview I conducted with NBA Skills Enhancement Trainer Zach Leach. We discussed everything from the varying challenges of training both children and professional basketball players to the importance of skills enhancement in the development of modern athletes.

In episode 004 of the Mishmash Podcast, I take a solo exploration into the world of youth sports. Plenty has been written and said about how parents are ruining youth sports, but I don't think it has to be that way. As a former player and coach, and present parent and fan of my own kids' teams, I've accrued a wealth of observations that I use as a foundation for, what I believe, is a great way to help parents to shift their focus back onto their children and remove themselves from the equation, all while maximizing their enjoyment of their kids' respective sports.

In episode 003, I discuss how I went from a fledgling writer to being part of a global creative community and how I achieved my bucket list goal of having my books read on (nearly) every continent (damn you, Antarctica!). Best of all--I get to share my interview with one of the world's greatest photographers...who lives in Transylvania!

In episode two, I explore what is arguably my biggest passion: music.

The pilot episode of Matt's Mishmash Podcast introduces host and author, Matthew John Benecke, and includes a St. Patrick's Day story you won't want to miss!