Dan Mulrooney, Head Football Coach at Lock Haven University, took over the program in 2022 and in only his second season guided the team their first 5-win season in 41 years. Prior to Lock Haven, Dan was the head coach at Anna Maria College (Div III) where he helped lead the program to its first-ever conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance. A former collegiate football player turned coach, Dan joins Nick to discuss what drives his success in helping turn around programs, fairness vs opportunities, and the importance of communication and emotional intelligence.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Jones is an experienced sports broadcaster for the Texas Rangers. From field reporting to Rangers Insider, she has been part of the Rangers’ television broadcasts since 2007 with appearances across Bally Sports Southwest, MLB Network, and MLB.com. In addition, she has served as pre- and postgame anchor for the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Houston Astros. She’s a mom, volunteer youth softball coach, author of two children’s books, and podcast host. Emily joins Nick to discuss the role parents have to play in regulating their kids training, youth sports advice she got from a few of the professional baseball players she works with, and the three things she tells her softball team every time they play.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jay Bilas is a former professional basketball player turned Emmy-nominated basketball analyst for ESPN and practicing attorney focused on commercial litigation in North Carolina. A prep All-American for Los Angeles, CA and four-year starter at Duke, Jay served as an assistant basketball coach under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, helping guide the team to back-to-back National Championships in 1991 and 1992 while he was attending Duke Law School. A New York Times best-selling author and sought-after keynote speaker, Jay joins Nick to discuss why competitiveness is not an excuse for bad behavior, helping your kids find the right college environment, and why developing meaningful relationships that last beyond the playing days makes sports at any level worthwhile.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick Murphy is the Head Softball Coach at the University of Alabama. Coach Murphy has helped build the Crimson Tide program from the very beginning, leading the team to a National Championship, 24 straight NCAA appearances, and 17 Super Regionals. Entering his 28th year on the university's coaching staff, Patrick joins Nick to discuss why the best teammates experience vicarious joy in other people's success, reminding his players that they are people first and athletes second, and why he has the saying in his program, "Can you handle 30 seconds of embarrassment for a lifetime of learning?"

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexi Lalas is a former professional soccer player, member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and analyst for Fox Sports. Well-known as a standout defender on the U.S. Men’s National Team during the 1994 World Cup, Alexi was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team and the 1998 World Cup squad. A father of two, Alexi joins Nick to discuss soccer’s growth in the U.S., the costs associated with increasing the sport’s accessibility, and the numerous benefits of playing soccer at the youth level.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacie Hoyt is the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Oklahoma State University. Prior to taking over the OKST program in March of 2022, Coach Hoyt was named the 2020 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after coaching Kansas City to their first regular season conference championship in program history. A former multi-sport athlete and collegiate basketball player at Wichita State, Jacie joins Nick to discuss why she recruits players who have a competitive spirit, why athletes who play multiple sports typically have a higher ceiling for growth, and the value of coaches telling players the truth.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deven Morgan is the Director of Youth Baseball for Driveline Baseball, one of the top data-driven baseball player development organizations. The host of the Driveline Academy Youth Baseball podcast, Deven joins Nick to discuss the importance of understanding kids’ stages of cognitive development, his mission to develop skills that scale, and why he believes success leaves clues.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Crean is a College Basketball Analyst for ESPN and former Division I head coach. Prior to rejoining ESPN in 2022, he served as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Georgia, Indiana, and Marquette, winning over 400 games throughout his 20-plus year coaching career. Coach Crean joins Nick to discuss what it means to be a good teammate, the value of teaching kids how to advocate for themselves and make their own decisions, and why it’s important for kids to grow out of looking at their parents for validation while playing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In part two of our 100th episode celebration, Peter Carlisle, Managing Director of Olympics & Action Sports at Octagon and Co-Founder of Reformed Sports, continues his conversation with Nick Buonocore, Founder of the Reformed Sports Project, as Nick speaks candidly about his own experiences and realizations as a youth sports parent and coach, what led him to embrace a reformed mindset, the shared responsibility of all those involved in youth sports, and his ongoing efforts to help restore balance, perspective, and informed decision making in today’s youth sports via the Reformed Sports Project.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In celebration of our 100th episode, Nick turns over the mic to Peter Carlisle, Managing Director of Olympic & Action Sports at Octagon and Co-Founder of Reformed Sports, to lead the conversation about how the Reformed Sports Project came to be and their mission to help encourage families to make informed decisions. Nick and Peter discuss their commitment to advocate for a more balanced approach for kids, the pushback Nick received when he first started speaking out as a reformed sports parent, and his advice for parents feeling the pressure to conform to today’s youth sports culture.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.