Thomas Ford is the Running Backs Coach and Special Teams Coordinator for University of Idaho Football. Prior to joining the Vandals program in 2022, Ford served as an offensive quality control analyst at the University of Washington and as the Head Football Coach at Simon Fraser. A longtime coach, former multi-sport collegiate athlete, and father of two, Thomas joins Nick to discuss why he prioritizes recruiting athletes with character, the value of building trust with players through vulnerability, and why student athletes should feel empowered to speak for themselves during the college recruiting process.

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Jeff Petty is the President, CEO, and Head Baseball Coach of Canes Baseball, one of the top travel organizations in the country. A longtime baseball coach, Jeff also serves as a scouting consultant for the New York Mets and as the General Manager for PRO5 Baseball Virginia, an academy designed to help players grow and develop both athletically and academically. Jeff joins Nick to discuss why the best baseball players are typically multi-sport athletes, the importance of preventing burnout and overuse injuries, and why honesty is crucial when giving feedback.

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David Benedict is the Director of Athletics at the University of Connecticut. Joining UConn in 2016, David helped orchestrate the university’s move to the BIG EAST Conference, which has been nationally recognized as a dramatic boost for UConn athletics. Coming off of an exciting March Madness National Championship for the UConn men’s basketball team, David joins Nick to discuss how the professionalization of youth sports impacts college athletics, the importance of retaining quality coaches that care about the athletes, and how the higher education system can better support student athletes.

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Alan Stein, Jr. is a distinguished keynote speaker, author, and performance coach for professional basketball players for over 15 years. Author of Raise Your Game and co-author of The Sideline: A Survival Guide For Youth Sports Parents, Alan shares strategies for achieving higher levels of success and navigating the world of youth sports. He joins Nick to discuss why it's unrealistic to expect perfection from youth sports referees, the importance of modeling the behavior we want to see in our children, and how blaming referees teaches our kids to deflect accountability.

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Kate Leavell is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author, sought-after keynote speaker, and former NCAA lacrosse coach. Last year, she published her latest book, Superpower, which encourages readers to value new perspectives and viewpoints, overcome self-doubt, and unleash their authentic greatness. The former Vice President of Leadership Development for Jon Gordon Companies, Kate joins Nick to discuss how coaches can coach to win while building up each player, the importance teaching kids to celebrate things that make them feel fulfilled, and why coaches should always deliver feedback in a way that builds not breaks.

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Andrew Petcash is a sports entrepreneur, creator, writer, and podcast host. A former Division I basketball player at Boston University, Andrew founded Profluence in 2021 to share insights and analysis on the business of athletes, sports, and NIL. Andrew joins Nick to discuss the pros and cons of NIL, why education is crucial in making informed decisions regarding recruiting and NIL, and the rise of the “entertainment youth athlete.”

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Kurt Hines is a longtime football coach, former DIII player, and sought-after keynote speaker. A high school football coach for over two decades, he currently serves as head coach at Coronado High School in San Diego. Coach Hines joins Nick discuss why quitting isn't always a bad thing, the importance of treating athletes like human beings as opposed to roster numbers, and why he hopes to be remembered as a coach who was passionate about the game, but even more passionate about the people.

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Karen Crouse is an award-winning journalist, acclaimed author, and former collegiate swimmer at the University of Southern California. A New York Times sports writer for 16 years, Karen first entered the world of newspaper reporting when she joined the Savannah News-Press, becoming the first woman to work in its sports department. In 2018, Karen released her first book Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town's Secret to Happiness and Excellence, which explores how a small town in Vermont has prioritized holistic athlete development over performance yet has produced more Olympians per capita than any other place in the country. Karen joins Nick to discuss how youth sports has become hyper-competitive as opposed to communal, the lessons she learned spending time in Norwich, and how her career working with elite athletes has shaped her commitment to telling stories that humanize athletes.

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One of the best high school wrestlers in the country, Jax Forrest has already cemented himself as one of the sport's rising stars, winning this year’s collegiate Edinboro Open at PennWest Edinboro as a high school freshman. Jax joins Nick to discuss learning to compete for yourself, navigating NIL deals at a young age, and the sacrifices that come with early sport specialization.

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Jerome Tang, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Kansas State University, was recently named the 2023 Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight for the 13th time in program history. Prior to taking over the Kansas State program in March of 2022, Coach Tang spent 19 seasons as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach at Baylor University. Coach Tang joins Nick to discuss how he applies the 10,000 hour rule to parenting, the importance of showing his players love in action, and why success isn’t a one-size-fits-all process.

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