What should parents and coaches really be focused on to ensure well-rounded success for their young athletes? Sport specialization may sound like the key to success in any given sport, but in reality, it increases injury risk and limits the young athlete’s ability to round out their physical literacy. Dr. Rhea brings back Dr. Tim Baghurst, to dive deeper into the culture around youth sport specialization in the U.S. and the hurdles young athletes often face that prevent them from cross-training in other sports. Dr. Baghurst advocates for parents to let their children pursue their passions, and to do their research on developmentally appropriate skills training if they really want to see lifelong physical success in their children.

Dr. Timothy Baghurst is a professor, coach educator, researcher, author, and practitioner with extensive experience developing coach education programs and professional learning systems. A full professor at Florida State University and Founding Director of the FSU Center for Athletic Coaching, he has built multiple academic programs from the ground up, including FSU’s Graduate Certificate and Master’s in Athletic Coaching and Oklahoma State University’s Sports and Coaching Science program. His work integrates curriculum design, applied coaching practice, research, and organizational leadership, with expertise in coach development, ethics, pedagogy, motor learning, leadership, communication, team culture, coach retention, athlete welfare, and coach stress and burnout. He has consulted with organizations including the NCAA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, USA Basketball, USA Wrestling, the Milwaukee Bucks, the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and the Florida Coaches Coalition. Dr. Baghurst has authored numerous books and more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and is an experienced keynote speaker and workshop facilitator who helps sport organizations develop practical, evidence-informed coach education that improves coaching practice and supports athletes.

Our adult population is hugely competitive, especially in sport. The questions are, “when should children begin playing sport?”; “what should be the objective of sport in a child’s life?”; “what should adults know about a child’s developmental stage and how it impacts their health for a lifetime?? We may think signing our children up for sport early is what’s best for them – it keeps them active and hey, if they train enough they’ll go pro one day. Dr. Rhea brings on a good friend and research peer, Dr. Tim Baghurst, to share his research and expertise on the consequences of sport specialization and the epidemic of untrained coaches in the U.S. He reminds parents and coaches why they should prioritize developmentally appropriate skills training and athlete enjoyment over athlete success if they want to produce lifelong physical activity and sport engagement in their athletes.

Dr. Timothy Baghurst is a professor, coach educator, researcher, author, and practitioner with extensive experience developing coach education programs and professional learning systems. A full professor at Florida State University and Founding Director of the FSU Center for Athletic Coaching, he has built multiple academic programs from the ground up, including FSU’s Graduate Certificate and Master’s in Athletic Coaching and Oklahoma State University’s Sports and Coaching Science program. His work integrates curriculum design, applied coaching practice, research, and organizational leadership, with expertise in coach development, ethics, pedagogy, motor learning, leadership, communication, team culture, coach retention, athlete welfare, and coach stress and burnout. He has consulted with organizations including the NCAA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, USA Basketball, USA Wrestling, the Milwaukee Bucks, the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and the Florida Coaches Coalition. Dr. Baghurst has authored numerous books and more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and is an experienced keynote speaker and workshop facilitator who helps sport organizations develop practical, evidence-informed coach education that improves coaching practice and supports athletes.

Former TCU All-American kicker, Jaden Oberkrom, set multiple records while kicking for TCU from 2012-2015. He was drafted into the NFL and had his professional sports career set, but something didn’t feel right. Jaden walked away from a contract with the Cleveland Browns when he realized his true passion was helping kids achieve their dreams through sport development. Dr. Rhea sits down with Jaden to share his story about how he got started and what his goals were for youth sport development. His passion to work with youth who wanted to develop their kicking skills led to the creation of the Oberkrom Kicking Academy. The incredible part of this podcast is how much he understands his training and the success of his students are about far more than just kicking.

Jaden Oberkrom was an All-American TCU kicker from 2012-2015. He made the most FGs in Big 12 history; most FGs and points made in TCU history; and the longest FG in TCU history. He was drafted into the NFL but felt God was leading him to go a direction. He left without signing a contract and started his own company called Oberkrom kicking (www.texaskicking.com) where he coaches younger kickers. He has now trained over 200 kickers in the DFW area.

Optimizing athletic ability as an adolescent while avoiding injury is often the goal across all sports. While in children who aspire to be athletes, what should that really look like if we want the best for our children, both physically and emotionally? Dr. Rhea brings back Dr. Sophia Ulman to discuss how her Movement Science Lab at Scottish Rite Hospital in Frisco uses motion capture technology and neurocognitive testing to indicate deficits in motor skills in order to reduce injury risk in youth athletes. Dr. Ulman focuses on physical literacy, gender and sport differences for the movement patterns required to prevent injuries. She also highlights why coaches and parents should realize each child and adolescent athlete has different movement/physical activity/training needs to support a strong brain and body while limiting injury risk. Sophia Ulman, PhD, is the Division Director of Movement Science at Scottish Rite for Children, where she leads a motion capture laboratory focused on identifying biomechanical risk factors in sports medicine patients and healthy athletes to address clinical questions related to rehabilitation, recovery, and injury prevention. Her research broadly focuses on lower extremity injuries and conditions, injury risk-reduction strategies, and risk factors specific to female athletes. Dr. Ulman holds faculty appointments at UT Southwestern Medical Center as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the School of Health Professions. She teaches in the Prosthetics-Orthotics Master’s Program and advises clinician scientists pursuing PhDs in Applied Clinical Research. She also serves on the Board of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society and has received national recognition for excellence in teaching and research.

Becoming a star athlete is intriguing to most kids and parents, sometimes to the detriment of the child’s future physical and mental health. Research shows that children need to play many different sports as children and well into adolescents to decrease risk of injury and athlete burnout. Sadly, the culture around youth sports in the U.S. has led to a professionalization of youth sports that is unrealistic and unhealthy for most athletes. Dr. Rhea brings on a biomedical engineer focused on biomechanics research, Dr. Sophia Ulman, to explore pressures young athletes face and discuss the complex physical and psychological hurdles of sport readiness and injury. Dr. Ulman reminds us that youth sports, especially with children, should really be about what is fun and developmentally appropriate not the outcome.

Sophia Ulman, PhD, is the Division Director of Movement Science at Scottish Rite for Children, where she leads a motion capture laboratory focused on identifying biomechanical risk factors in sports medicine patients and healthy athletes to address clinical questions related to rehabilitation, recovery, and injury prevention. Her research broadly focuses on lower extremity injuries and conditions, injury risk-reduction strategies, and risk factors specific to female athletes. Dr. Ulman holds faculty appointments at UT Southwestern Medical Center as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the School of Health Professions. She teaches in the Prosthetics-Orthotics Master’s Program and advises clinician scientists pursuing PhDs in Applied Clinical Research. She also serves on the Board of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society and has received national recognition for excellence in teaching and research.

We're excited to announce our 2026 Fall Sport Readiness Series! Kicking off next week, we will be hosting a variety of professionals including national researchers,coaching experts, physicians, and physical therapy professionals who will discuss the impact of sport on children and adolescents. This series will focus on the whole child and why sport is not in and of itself the best developmental physical or cognitive approach for introducing physical activity and movement to children. Listen for a sneak peek of some of the guests we will be featuring.

In this deep-dive follow-up episode, we explore the groundbreaking work being done by Dr. Sajita Setia and her educational company, Digital Wellbeing International, to fix our fractured relationship with technology. Dr. Setia believes that true digital literacy must begin long before children are handed their first iPads or smartphones and shares the details of her innovative 10-week curriculum. Tune in to hear her tips for transitioning your household away from digital reliance, reminding us that the ultimate defense against the grip of the digital world is to discover purpose in developing healthy physical relationships.

Dr. Sajita Setia is a physician and evidence-based educator dedicated to helping families and schools raise resilient, balanced young people in a world of constant screens. As an expert in digital wellbeing and youth online safety, she transforms cutting-edge research into practical strategies that parents, preteens, and teens can use every day.

Her background in medicine, medical affairs, and health education allows her to bridge science with real life. She is a well-regarded expert in implementation science to close the gap between what we know and what we actually do — whether in clinical practice or at the family dinner table.​ Through evidence‑based coaching, curriculum design, and community and parent-centered education, Sajita has extended her mission into the critical space of digital wellbeing, equipping the next generation to thrive in a connected world with balance and confidence.

Resources:

⁠Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics⁠

⁠https://digitalwellbeingint.com/⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdIuJXQFO7M&t=5s

As our relationship and dependence on technology grows in the ever-evolving digital world, so does the difficulty of creating healthy boundaries within that world for our children and ourselves. With words like “phubbing” and “doomscrolling” originating in the last 15 years, we are reminded of the toxic connection between screens and social media consumption, and our mental wellbeing. We may know the harm, but how do we do better? Dr. Rhea sits down with physician and evidence-based educator, Dr. Sajita Setia, to share her personal journey of navigating this question for her own family post-COVID, unpacking the hidden physical, psychological, and social costs of our tech-saturated world. Listen as Dr. Setia shares tips on how to transform your child’s digital relationship and rediscover purpose within the physical world.

Dr. Sajita Setia is a physician and evidence-based educator dedicated to helping families and schools raise resilient, balanced young people in a world of constant screens. As an expert in digital wellbeing and youth online safety, she transforms cutting-edge research into practical strategies that parents, preteens, and teens can use every day.

Her background in medicine, medical affairs, and health education allows her to bridge science with real life. She is a well-regarded expert in implementation science to close the gap between what we know and what we actually do — whether in clinical practice or at the family dinner table.​ Through evidence‑based coaching, curriculum design, and community and parent-centered education, Sajita has extended her mission into the critical space of digital wellbeing, equipping the next generation to thrive in a connected world with balance and confidence.

Resources:

Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics

https://digitalwellbeingint.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdIuJXQFO7M&t=5s

From farm to table, we are all stakeholders in the foods we eat and should be part of the conversations around sustainability and accessibility in diet. Dr. Rhea brings back Dr. Jaclyn Albin, Inaugural Director of UT Southwestern’s Culinary Medicine Program, to dive into the fairly new field of culinary medicine and discuss how we can shift away from prescriptions by increasing culinary literacy programs, focusing on regenerative farming, and allowing everyone a seat at the table to improve the health of our nation. Let’s bring the joy and color back to our foods!

Jaclyn Lewis Albin, MD is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Public Health at University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW). She is the Inaugural Director of UTSW’s Culinary Medicine Program, which teaches nutrition and care innovation through hands-on cooking to students, health care professionals, and the community in partnership with a culinary registered dietitian. She co-developed the first Culinary Medicine (CM) Clinical Service Line, integrating interprofessional CM consults and group medical visits into patient care.

Dr. Albin also serves as Medical Director for Food as Medicine Innovation at the Center for Innovation and Value at Parkland Health. She is an advisory board member for the American College of Culinary Medicine and the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, and she studies the impact of CM and food as medicine in medical education and health system strategy. She was recently appointed by Governor Abbott to the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee and serves as the Chair, informing statewide policy for nutrition education.

Food is more than just fuel - it’s culture, a social event, comfort or even discomfort. Food is a daily essential to our existence, so why does it often feel so hard to navigate what we “should” and “shouldn’t” eat? Dr. Rhea brings on Dr. Jaclyn Albin, Inaugural Director of UT Southwestern’s Culinary Medicine Program, to discuss the nuance in nutrition that makes it impossible to have one perfect diet for all, and share how she has used the kitchen as a classroom for her physician residents to help treat and sustain the life-long health of their patients.

Jaclyn Lewis Albin, MD is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Public Health at University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW). She is the Inaugural Director of UTSW’s Culinary Medicine Program, which teaches nutrition and care innovation through hands-on cooking to students, health care professionals, and the community in partnership with a culinary registered dietitian. She co-developed the first Culinary Medicine (CM) Clinical Service Line, integrating interprofessional CM consults and group medical visits into patient care.

Dr. Albin also serves as Medical Director for Food as Medicine Innovation at the Center for Innovation and Value at Parkland Health. She is an advisory board member for the American College of Culinary Medicine and the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, and she studies the impact of CM and food as medicine in medical education and health system strategy. She was recently appointed by Governor Abbott to the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee and serves as the Chair, informing statewide policy for nutrition education.