Most coaches want to help female athletes… but a lot of the advice being pushed right now is fear-based, trendy, and honestly… backwards.

In this episode, I sit down with Erica (Fit Soccer Queen) to talk about what actually matters in female athlete development: high performance first, real strength & plyometric progressions, smarter youth training, and why “training around the menstrual cycle” has become one of the most confusing topics in the industry.

We cover:

• Why parents are getting wrecked by misinformation (and why 30-second reels don’t help)

• The truth about ACL prevention: it’s not mini bands and clamshells

• How to build powerful, resilient female athletes through real S&C

• Youth training, fun, play, and why some parents are accidentally killing development

• Erica’s conference story: the “menstrual cycle training scam” talk that triggered the room (and why it landed)

• How to set expectations with parents, keep athletes consistent, and run a high-quality youth program

If you coach youth athletes, train female athletes, or work with sports parents… this one is a must.

Connect with Erica: Instagram Fit Soccer Queen (link in her bio has everything)

0:00 – Why coaches ask to “come on your podcast” with zero relationship

1:40 – Sam’s podcast format + why social media is a misinformation cesspit

3:20 – Why Erica started her podcast (COVID, education, and better conversations)

5:00 – Parents are overwhelmed by misinformation (and why they program-hop)

7:10 – “Body of work” + why books still matter

7:40 – Writing a book: flow state vs editing hell

8:40 – Female athlete training: growth spurt years + injury resilience

10:20 – Menstrual cycle misinformation + fear-based coaching

11:20 – The real issue: treating girls like they’re fragile

12:10 – “High performance first, resiliency follows”

14:00 – The speed camp refund story (because it was “too fun”)

18:20 – Erica’s coaching journey: leaving college S&C, choosing youth

21:20 – Consistency and commitment: why drop-in coaching kills results

24:20 – Scarcity culture in S&C + toxic environments

25:40 – Conference story: “Training around the menstrual cycle is a scam”

29:20 – Why cutting back 2 weeks per month makes no sense

33:10 – Evidence + 14 years of real-world coaching anecdotes

34:10 – History lesson: are we repeating 1900s thinking?

39:00 – Paula Radcliffe example + “you don’t need to make it a thing”

43:30 – Coaching parents: assessments, expectations, honesty

47:00 – In-person training is making a comeback

50:00 – Building a home gym model (and why small can be better)

57:50 – Play, games, and why climbing walls are elite development

🔗 Links (Placeholders You Can Swap)

• Erica’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitsoccerqueen/?hl=en

• Erica’s books: https://a.co/d/01nEXDCE

• Sam’s Sports Speed System book: https://www.speedbysportland.com/sportsspeedsystembook

• Legacy Mastermind: https://www.speedbysportland.com/legacy-mastermind-new-page