Raising Pro Athletes - Decoding What Parents of Pro Athletes do DIFFERENT

When the world shut down, Toby Roberts’ dad built a backyard climbing wall. Years later, Toby won Olympic Gold. 

A global shutdown wipes out climbing gyms and competitions, so we look at what actually keeps a young athlete moving forward when access, routine, and motivation disappear. 

I trace how Toby Roberts’ family support and their own pandemic wall build one principle I want every sports parent to try: be the constant even when you are not the expert. 

Raising an elite athlete doesn’t mean you have to be the ultimate expert in their sport. 

In this episode, I dive into the incredible journey of Olympic sport climber Toby Roberts and his father, Tristan. 

We explore how Tristan went from a software developer with zero climbing experience to coaching his son to the Paris Olympics and discuss the realities of parenting a pro athlete, overcoming the terrifying risks of extreme sports, and why leaning into your child’s natural passions is the ultimate key to the podium.

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t tame their nature: Why trying to suppress a hyperactive or adventurous child can kill their athletic potential.
• The 2020 pivot: How a DIY backyard climbing wall kept an Olympic dream alive during global lockdowns.
• Find the experts: Why Tristan Roberts succeeded by outsourcing technical coaching rather than pretending to be a guru.
• Be the constant: The crucial difference between being a sports expert and providing a safe, reliable foundation for your child.

If you care about raising resilient athletes, sport climbing mindset, and practical support strategies that work in real life, hit play. Subscribe, share with a parent who needs it, and leave a review so we can keep building this village together.

If this episode moved you, subscribe and share it with one other parent who needs to hear this. 

Please leave a review and let us build this village together. 

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

What does it really take to raise an X Games champion? Discover how Hailey Langland’s parents nurtured her wild side to make snowboarding history.

Haley Langland’s X Games moment shows what can happen when talent meets a family willing to build a whole life around growth. 

I break down the incredible journey of this elite snowboarder and explore the massive family commitments required to raise a competitive athlete. 

From encouraging risky play in toddlers to relocating to mountain towns, homeschooling, and managing the financial burden of a youth sports career.

I also share my own family's parallel journey moving to Barcelona for competitive youth climbing.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Inner Wild": Why you shouldn't clip the wings of adventurous, risk-taking kids.
• The Power of Environment: How changing your child's peer group by relocating accelerates their skills.
• Education Shifts: The realities of homeschooling to accommodate an international training schedule.
• Family Logistics: Navigating the financial and career sacrifices required to bankroll a young athlete before the sponsorships arrive.

If you’re trying to raise a serious athlete, this conversation will help you think clearly about commitment, tradeoffs, and what your next step could be.

Subscribe for more real stories and parent strategy, share this with a family who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest question you’re wrestling with right now.

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

How do teachers with zero climbing experience raise an Olympian? Discover the unconventional sports parenting behind Oriane Bertone's massive success.

In this episode of Raising Pro Athletes, I'm exploring the incredible true story of Stefano Bertone and his wife, who raised Olympic rock climbing phenom Oriane Bertone on a remote volcanic island. 

We rewind to the Bertone family’s roots: a judo background, a move to a tiny volcanic island far from mainland France, and a father whose entire academic career centers on one question: how experts pass skill to learners.

Instead of hiring expensive coaches or pushing for early burnout, Stefano used his academic background in education to teach himself how to coach.

We dive into the science of skill transmission, the hidden sacrifices of the "unseen parent," and the crucial moment a parent must step back from coaching to save their relationship. 

Whether you are raising a climber, a gymnast, or a soccer player, this episode reveals what it really takes to nurture elite athletic talent.

Key Takeaways:

• The Power of Academic Coaching: How Stefano applied education science to youth sports training, focusing on technique over brute strength.
• Pacing for Longevity: Why capping climbing grades and avoiding hangboards early on prevented injury and burnout.
• The "Unseen" Parent: The vital, stabilizing role of the non-traveling parent in holding the family together.
• Knowing When to Quit: Why stepping down as your child's coach is often the most important decision a sports parent can make.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, please leave a review, share it with your friends so that I could keep on giving you these incredibly inspiring stories of behind the scenes of the parents of the athletes that we see in front of us every day.

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

We challenge the way people glorify “grit” in elite athletes when that grit may come from abusive homes and toxic pressure. We argue that survivorship bias makes harmful parenting and coaching look like a winning formula, even when most kids pay the price.

• Survivorship bias in sports and why success stories distort reality
• Famous athlete examples that spark the conversation about abusive households
• Respect for achievement without excusing harm to children
• The difference between healthy discipline and abusive treatment
• How toxic dynamics at home can spill into abusive coaching cultures

We keep hearing the same story: the hardest childhoods create the toughest champions. But when we look closer, that story often relies on survivorship bias in sports. We see the winners on TV and forget the many youth athletes who never make it through the bullying, verbal attacks, and fear-based “motivation” that should never be part of childhood, let alone athlete development.

We talk through why resilience, grit, and tunnel-vision focus can look heroic while still being a sign of harm. Using well-known athlete examples as a starting point, we unpack the temptation parents and coaches feel to copy extreme methods because “it worked” for someone famous. Then we draw a clear line between healthy discipline and abusive parenting: structure, accountability, and hard work are not the same as intimidation, humiliation, or control.

We also zoom out to coaching culture. When toxic parenting is normalized, abusive coaching can feel normal too, and that’s where injuries, burnout, anxiety, and broken trust pile up. The goal isn’t to shame ambition. It’s to build a healthier model for youth sports, mental toughness, and high performance that doesn’t require kids to “survive” their way to success.

If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share this with a sports parent or coach, and leave a review with your take: where do you draw the line between tough training and abuse?

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

Suprising reaction to Michael Jordan's biography that left me physically shaken, not by his talent but by the family dynamics behind the legend. 

Wrestling with what it means to study athlete molding and parental support when the public story collides with alleged private harm and hypocrisy.

• being disturbed by the biography and not being able to finish it
• separating respect for talent from disgust at the home environment
• anger at both parents and why the mother feels worse
• recounting the sister’s disclosure of abuse and being told to stay silent
• the “Family First” branding and why it feels repulsive
• how seeking a father’s approval can shape drive and behavior
• trying to process what this means for how we talk about sports parenting

Michael Jordan's biography hit us like a punch to the chest and it had nothing to do with jump shots, rings, or “killer instinct.” Talking about the part that doesn’t make the highlight reels: the family system around the athlete, the harm that can hide behind charisma, and the sickening feeling that greatness sometimes grows in soil that should never exist in the first place.

Don’t take anything away from Jordan’s talent, resilience, or work ethic. But we can’t ignore what the story suggests about toxic sports parenting, childhood trauma, and the lifelong hunger for parental approval. We talk through the allegations that shook us most, including a disclosure of abuse and a response that demands silence, then we sit with the hypocrisy of preaching “Family First” while failing the people who needed protection. It raises uncomfortable questions about safeguarding children, accountability, and why the public so often rewards the best-looking version of a family story.

From an athlete development and sports psychology lens, we also unpack how conditional love can wire a kid for relentless competition and how that drive can show up later as harshness, distrust, or the need to dominate. If you’re a parent, coach, or athlete, this conversation is a reminder that support isn’t branding, it’s behavior, and performance can’t be the price of safety.

If this made you think, subscribe for more, share the episode with someone in youth sports, and leave a review so more people can find it. What do you think real “family first” should look like?

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

How non‑athlete parents can raise elite competitors by building systems, learning fast, and assembling a strategic village. I share stories from Lewis Hamilton, Serena and Venus Williams, and Toby Roberts to show how vision and structure beat pedigree.

• why parents without sport backgrounds can coach effectively
• lessons from Lewis Hamilton’s father on logistics and grit
• Richard Williams’ planning, cross‑training and mindset
• Toby Roberts’ path with a non‑climber parent coach
• building a strategic village of coaches and support
• setting boundaries between parent and coach roles
• creating schedules, feedback loops and recovery habits
• handling setbacks, motivation dips and friction
• practical prompts to define your next action

What if your child’s path to elite sport didn’t require you to be the technical expert, but the architect of their environment? We dig into three real‑world blueprints where non‑athlete parents helped shape champions: Lewis Hamilton’s relentless rise from go‑karts, Serena and Venus Williams’ purpose‑built training under Richard Williams, and Olympic champion climber Toby Roberts guided by a father who never climbed.

Across these stories, a clear pattern emerges: the parent’s role is strategy, structure, and support. We talk about how Anthony Hamilton turned logistics into a competitive edge by juggling mechanics, management, and money to keep momentum alive. We highlight Richard Williams’ audacious planning—writing a vision before his daughters were born, studying tennis and cross‑training movement to build footwork, rhythm, and resilience. And we explore how Toby Roberts’ dad created the right training ecosystem, choosing mentors and competitions with care, proving that you can design the room where mastery happens even if you can’t demo the moves yourself.

You’ll come away with practical steps to apply now: build a simple weekly operating rhythm, set boundaries between parent and coach, use video and notes for feedback loops, and assemble a strategic village of coaches, physios, and peers. We also share tactics for keeping joy high and burnout low—age‑appropriate stakes, deliberate recovery, and a shared decision process that builds ownership. If you’ve ever wondered whether your support is enough without the pedigree, this conversation will change how you see your role and give you a plan to start strong this week.

If this resonates, subscribe, share with a parent who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review telling us the one change you’ll make for your athlete.

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

Pressure doesn’t ask if you’re ready; it checks your balance. We walk through the investment bank principle popularized by elite athletes and translate it into clear, everyday practices anyone can use to build reliable confidence. Every training session, disciplined choice, and small win becomes a deposit you can withdraw when stakes spike—on the field, on a stage, or during big life transitions.

We start by defining deposits and withdrawals and why deficits fuel doubt, negativity, and shaky self-belief. Then we widen the lens beyond sport, showing how moves across countries became a living ledger of proof: each successful transition added capital to draw from during the next uncertain leap. That same logic helps kids and adults face new competitions, tough injuries, or unfamiliar environments without spiraling, because they’re not relying on hope—they’re spending earned evidence.

You’ll hear simple, repeatable tools to make this mindset usable under stress: log micro-deposits daily, rehearse a 60-second memory scan before high-pressure moments, pair evidence with breath to calm the body, and set one clear performance cue to start. We model how to coach children to recall prior wins, normalize draining the account during hard events, and then refill it with process-driven deposits so confidence compounds. The result is a practical framework that turns past effort into present courage and future progress.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with someone who needs a confidence system, and leave a review telling us one deposit you’ll make this week.

• defining deposits, withdrawals, and confidence balance
• why deficits create doubt and negativity
• using life experiences as a memory bank
• family moves as repeatable proof of adaptation
• teaching kids to recall prior success under pressure
• normalizing withdrawals and refilling after big events
• practical prompts to log deposits and access them fast

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

Want faster progress without living at the gym? We pull back the curtain on deliberate training and show why one tightly focused session can beat hours of random reps. Instead of chasing fatigue, we chase clarity: a single skill objective, matching drills, and tight feedback loops that turn practice time into real, visible gains.

We start with a simple shift in mindset: stop measuring effort in minutes and start measuring change in skill. You’ll hear how a five-hour “training day” can slip into social breaks and vague intentions, while 45 minutes with one clear goal delivers sharper awareness and stronger motor patterns. Using climbing as a case study, we break down campusing for targeted power and contact strength, and toe hooking for precise lower-body control. Each example shows how to pick specific problems, set rep ranges, protect form with smart rests, and film short clips for instant feedback.

Parents and young athletes will get practical prompts to design smarter sessions: define one objective, align warm-up and drills to it, and end with a quick reflection to capture what changed. We talk about intensity management, how to avoid fatigue-driven bad habits, and why micro-wins—like sticking a higher rung or holding a toe hook through a crossover—beat vague “worked hard” days. If you’ve ever left the gym unsure what you improved, this conversation gives you a blueprint for focus, structure, and momentum.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a training partner, and leave a quick review telling us the one skill you’ll target next. Your next breakthrough might be just 45 minutes away.

• why deliberate training outperforms random practice
• how to set one clear objective for a session
• examples from climbing: campusing and toe hooks
• structuring short, focused blocks with intent
• designing warm-ups and drills to match the goal
• asking better questions to guide a child’s training
• measuring progress with simple, observable markers

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

What if the voice that shouts “prove yourself” is the same one holding your kid back? We take a hard look at ego—how it shows up in young athletes, why it feels like protection, and how that protective instinct can quietly shut down curiosity, feedback, and growth. Instead of shaming kids for being defensive, we walk through a kinder path: noticing triggers, naming the ego, and choosing a response that serves the moment.

We break down the difference between ego and intuition in plain terms. Intuition is quiet and specific; ego is loud and urgent. That simple filter helps kids make smarter choices on the field and at home. You’ll hear practical language you can use right away—how to say “I think that’s your ego speaking,” how to reframe a heated correction into a clear task, and how to model the same practice as a parent so your child sees you doing the work too.

To make this sticky, we share a compact toolkit: three slow exhales to signal safety, the focusing question “What is useful right now?,” and a reset phrase like “I can learn here.” We also outline a quick ego journal, post-practice check-ins, and light role-plays that turn defensiveness into coachability. The result is real progress: fewer blowups, faster recovery after mistakes, and a growing sense of ownership. When kids learn to master their thoughts instead of being ruled by them, performance improves—and so does joy.

If this resonates, share it with another parent or coach who cares about mindset. Subscribe for more practical tools, leave a quick review to help others find the show, and tell us: what trigger shows up most for your young athlete?

• ego as a protective reflex that can become a barrier
• spotting triggers like defensiveness and offense
• language for separating ego from clear thought
• breath, questions and reset phrases for calm
• building coachability and ownership through practice
• simple rules to tell ego from intuition
• journaling and role-play routines for families

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/ 

We explore why a losing streak can be a gift for young athletes and for us as parents. Through questions, clear choices, and safe space, we show how struggle reveals true motivation, builds ownership, and sometimes points to a healthy exit.

• losing streaks as a truth-revealing moment
• asking short open questions that invite honesty
• separating love of sport from fear of pain
• turning pain into practical improvement goals
• choosing to continue with ownership and joy
• respecting a child’s decision to step away
• creating a safe space free from parental pressure

About This Podcast

It takes a village to raise a pro athlete.

For the first time ever this channel takes you behind the athlete’s ‘unspoken’ road what it really takes to raise athletes. 

What to expect when you listen:

Real, Raw Truth

Laughter

The Struggles & Successes

ABOUT YOUR HOST:

Marina Kuperman Villatoro, a mama who is on a mission to help her sons reach their athletic (rock climbing) goals and dreams. 

Connect and be Part of the Strategic Village

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST UNCENSORED HACKS and TIPS

https://raisingproathletes.com/sign-up/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/raisingproathletes/ 

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@raisingproathletes 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@raisingproathletes 

Website - https://raisingproathletes.com/