This week, Kirsten sits down with fellow coach, author, podcaster and William & Mary 💚💛alumni, Todd Durkin. The two go back and forth on the importance of positivity, why coaches should support their athletes, and how no parent should ever be tearing down their kid. Todd gives great insight into how he manages his “energy” and why it is so important to focus on energy, not just for yourself but for the people around you as well! You will be fired up after listening to this podcast! 🔥🔥 SH...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 102
In this episode you will hear so many amazing takeaways and advice for parents, coaches, athletes, and PEOPLE! Here is a clip of Todd Durkin discussing the importance of energy! Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
Apr 26, 2024•2 min•Ep. 148
We start our next 100 episodes with a very special guest!!! Kirsten has the opportunity to sit down and talk with her oldest son, Caelan, about his basketball journey and the lessons sports have taught him. From the highs to the lows and everything in between Caelan and Kirsten go back and forth about their moves throughout his childhood, high school basketball, the transfer process from D1 to D3, and his most recent journey at Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. There are so many amazing takeaw...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 101
The Journey is the Reward! In this clip from Monday's supersized "Talking to the Student Athlete" episode, Kirsten has the opportunity to sit down and talk with her oldest son, Caelan, about his basketball journey and the lessons sports have taught him. He went from D1 to D3 and had a bunch of bumps on the way (Covid!). There are so many amazing takeaways and wonderful moments in this honest conversation between a mother and her son. This is a supersized episode because they had so much to talk ...
Apr 19, 2024•59 sec•Ep. 146
It's our 100th Episode (on Monday) !!!!! But here's a preview of the JOY we felt. Susie and Kirsten are joined by one of the most successful people in the NBA, Golden State Warrior Head Coach Steve Kerr. Winning 9 NBA championships as player and coach, Steve (or Stevie as Susie calls him!) is a proven winner who explains the importance of leading with joy and how creating a positive environment is most important when the going gets tough. Here, Steve (and Susie) spend time discussing the importa...
Apr 12, 2024•2 min•Ep. 144
American Soccer legend, Marcelo Balboa, joins Kirsten this week and two old friends and former peers (SDSU Aztecs!) discuss things like growing up as the son of a pro athlete, the importance of sports (“If it wasn’t for sports I would have failed [out of school]”) and his coaching style. Marcelo is one of the first American soccer greats, he has played in 3 World Cups and over 150 MLS games for the Colorado Rapids. He is now a coach at the Colorado Rapids Academy and is using his experience to e...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 99
On next week's #RaisingAthletes podcast, American Soccer legend, Marcelo Balboa, joins Kirsten and she asks how do you balance full time soccer as a kid? Listen here for a sneak peek as two old friends and former peers (SDSU Aztecs!) discuss the importance of work ethic! Marcelo is one of the first American soccer greats, he has played in 3 World Cups and over 150 MLS games for the Colorado Rapids. He is now a coach at the Colorado Rapids Academy and is using his experience to educate the next g...
Mar 29, 2024•1 min
This week, Kirsten welcomes Linda Martindale, a former college athlete (Arizona Wildcats Basketball!), a dedicated mental fitness coach, a motivational speaker, a high school boys basketball coach, a former college basketball coach and an entrepreneur. Linda is also a proud mother of four college athletes and two dogs (one is athletic and one is definitely not). Kirsten and Linda dive into their mutual passion about mental fitness and its’ impact on student-athletes. They talk about how honesty ...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 98
In this clip from Monday's new episode, Kirsten and Linda talk about being "seen" and how honesty and being straight with kids is so powerful and important for coaches. Linda Martindale is a former college athlete (Arizona Wildcats Basketball!), a dedicated mental fitness coach, a motivational speaker, a high school boys basketball coach, a former college basketball coach and an entrepreneur. Linda is also a proud mother of four college athletes and two dogs (one is athletic and one is definitel...
Mar 22, 2024•2 min
Week 3 of Women’s History Month highlights Dr. Emily Edlynn, clinical psychologist, and new published author. Kirsten and Emily speak about the idea that each of us has 3 fundamental needs: to be autonomous, competent and connected. They speak about how it went wrong, and it all starts with “Intensive Parenting” and they role play different ways to parent. Dr. Emily speaks about how sports is a huge help in countering the challenges our youth face like social media and Covid isolation. Dr. Emily...
Mar 18, 2024•56 min•Ep. 97
Week 3 of Women’s History Month highlights Dr. Emily Edlynn, clinical psychologist, and new published author. Kirsten and Emily speak about the idea that each of us has 3 fundamental needs: to be autonomous, competent and connected. They speak about how it went wrong, and it all starts with “Intensive Parenting” and they role play different ways to parent. In this clip, the speak about how intensive parenting can lead to dreams deferred for your kids. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spo...
Mar 15, 2024•2 min
This week, during Women’s History Month, we bring you another powerhouse woman, Jessica Mendoza. Kirsten and Jessica get into Jessica’s beginnings with a dad as a coach and how that helped shape Jessica as an accomplished athlete (All American! Olympian!), sportscaster (ESPN and Dodger Baseball), trailblazer and mom. Jessica Mendoza is an American sportscaster and former softball player. Currently, she serves as a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball and Los...
Mar 11, 2024•53 min•Ep. 96
In this clip from Monday's new episode, Kirsten and Jess talk about how important it is to expose your kids to as many different things as possible. They both tell funny stories how exposure shaped experiences. Jessica Mendoza is an American sportscaster and former softball player. Currently, she serves as a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball and Los Angeles Dodgers coverage on Spectrum SportsNet LA. As a softball outfielder, Mendoza was a collegiate four-...
Mar 08, 2024•2 min
To kick off Women’s History Month, Kirsten and Susie are back to help guide you through the DOs and DON’Ts of sports parenting. No, it’s not episode 99 (we’re only on 95 ladies!) but they talk about how close we are to 100 (and we have a very special guest lined up for that!). Kirsten and Susie share stories from the sidelines as they are out there as parents and grandparents EVERY WEEKEND. Parents – listen up and help us all change how our kids experience youth sports. And remember, “I Love to ...
Mar 04, 2024•51 min•Ep. 95
To kick off Women’s History Month, Kirsten and Susie are back to help guide you through the DOs and DON’Ts of sports parenting. In this clip, Kirsten and Susie break down meeting kids where they are at! Let them play multiple sports. Let them try multiple things. Let them slow it down or speed it up on their timeline. Check in with your kids. Success will find them if you let them find their own path. Give them the chance to find their passion. FULL EPISODE DROPS ON MONDAY Support this podcast: ...
Mar 01, 2024•3 min
Kirsten sits down with Brian Nash of IMG Basketball Academy and gets into the ins and out of a boarding school that has 1500 student athletes, 9 sports and 600 acres of campus. WOW! We also find out how Brian got into coaching and how his days as a student athlete shaped his career path today. Brian Nash, an NCAA Division I head and assistant coach for more than 20 years, joined IMG Academy as Director of Basketball in 2016. Brian Nash came to IMG Academy from Duquesne University where he was th...
Feb 26, 2024•40 min•Ep. 94
Kirsten sits down with Brian Nash of IMG Basketball Academy and gets into the ins and out of a boarding school that has 1500 student athletes, 9 sports and 600 acres of campus. WOW! We also find out how Brian got into coaching and how his days as a student athlete shaped his career path today. In this clip, Brian speaks to how hard they work to find the right fit for their student athletes. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support...
Feb 23, 2024•2 min
We strive to bring you all things youth sports. And that includes the corporate side of youth and recreational sports. Kirsten's guest this week is Brett MacKinnon, head of SportsEngine (NBC Sports Next), an elite hockey player, corporate athlete and dad. Kirsten and Brett talk about the business of youth sports, and how that fun and recreational sports should be the backbone of our kids’ experiences. They talk about how Brett's youth sports soccer and (later) elite hockey experiences shaped his...
Feb 19, 2024•39 min•Ep. 93
We strive to bring you all things youth sports. And that includes the corporate side of youth sports. Kirsten's guest this week is Brett MacKinnon, head of SportsEngine (NBC Sports), an elite hockey player, corporate athlete and dad. In this clip, Kirsten and Brett talk about the future of youth sports and how we can continue to keep kids playing youth sports. About SportsEngine NBC Sports Next’s Youth & Recreational Sports area, led by leading club and team management technology platform Sp...
Feb 17, 2024•2 min
This was a special episode for Kirsten as she got to talk to her book coach, Bob Welch. If you follow her book journey, she often mentions Bob, an amazing coach and partner who took everything that she threw at him and condensed it down and made each story stronger. Bob and Kirsten were so excited to talk to each other that Bob jumped in before she even introduced him! It’s a true partnership. As Kirsten states in the podcast, “you’re the poster child for exactly what I want to do, which is it's...
Feb 12, 2024•52 min•Ep. 92
This was a special episode for Kirsten as she got to talk to her book coach, Bob Welch. If you follow her book journey, she often mentions Bob, an amazing coach and partner who took everything that she threw at him and condensed it down and made each story stronger. In this preview of Monday's podcast, Kirsten and Bob talk about how important stories are to Kirsten's (and all!) writing. As Bob said, “A lot of people like the idea of writing a book” but not a lot of people follow through. BOB WEL...
Feb 09, 2024•2 min
Renowned Psychologist. Human Connection Expert. Bestselling Author Kirsten has a blast talking to Dr. Jody this week. If you are some of our Canadian listeners, you will hear a kindred spirit! If not, you will come away as a new fan. She teaches us such important lessons with humor and energy that you will hear Kirsten laughing and learning along. Dr. Jody Carrington is a powerhouse speaker and fearless champion for authentic human connection. She is highly sought after for her expertise, energy...
Feb 05, 2024•55 min•Ep. 91
Our guest this week Dr. Jody Carrington, Child Psychologist, is a powerhouse speaker and fearless champion for authentic human connection. In this clip, Kirsten and Dr. Jody speak to the importance of coaching tools for us and our "babies" and how connection matters so much for performance. "Just because you can bounce a ball, doesn't mean you can tell other people how to do it" Home - Dr. Jody Carrington (drjodycarrington.com) @drjodycarrington Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.c...
Feb 02, 2024•2 min
Kirsten continues her discussions in the “Talking to the Student-Athlete” Series, speaking to Montana Grizzlies Linebacker, Geno Leonard. The Montana Grizzlies put together one of the most memorable seasons in program history in 2023, with a Big Sky championship and made a magical run to the NCAA Division I Football National Championship (FCS) game. Prior to joining the Griz, Geno was a four-year letterman at Sentinel High School in Missoula, MT. He helped lead the Spartans to a 10-0 record and ...
Jan 29, 2024•34 min•Ep. 90
Kirsten continues her discussions in the Talking to the Student Athlete Series, speaking to Montana Grizzlies Linebacker, Geno Leonard. In this clip, Geno and Kirsten discuss how powerful it is for a coach to support an injured player and the mindset it takes for that player to get back on the field. Full Episode Drops on Monday! @genoleonard31 @montanagrizfootball Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support...
Jan 26, 2024•1 min
You’re in for a treat! Brandin Bryant, Nebraska-born NFL professional and mental performance enthusiast, has had to fight for every opportunity in his pro and college football career. He earned a spot at Florida Atlantic after starting his career at Fort Scott Community College. In 2016, Bryant went undrafted, and he’s been fighting to stay in the NFL ever since. He’s been on an NFL practice squad for five of the last seven seasons and walks us through the cutthroat NFL process. He played in the...
Jan 22, 2024•51 min•Ep. 89
Brandin Bryant, Nebraska-born NFL professional and mental performance enthusiast, joins Kirsten this Monday to speak about overcoming adversity, the benefits of a routine and how he went from junior college to undrafted NFL player for such teams as the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. Brandin's debut book, So, You Want to be an Athlete? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQTVKD3N/ dropped this past week so go buy it now! @el_sacko Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten...
Jan 19, 2024•49 sec
Season 5 kicks off with Kirsten and Susie giving actionable steps for goal setting. The two friends talk about such topics as the power of manifesting, "remembering the future", and the all-important line and parking karma 😂 Getting out of Fear and Getting into Action: Give yourself permission See yourself doing it Feel yourself doing it Take steps Power of Objectivity These women athletes will walk you through the steps above with wisdom and humor because between them they are parents to 7 and...
Jan 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 88
Kirsten Jones and Susie Walton are back together to ring in 2024 and celebrate their 5th year together! They preview their new episode, "Getting Out of FEAR & Getting What YOU Want" So fun to have them back together! Here's to this energy on our shoulder for all of 2024. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kirsten-jones0/support
Jan 12, 2024•3 min
This story is special to me and I wanted to share it again with you as we start 2024. Austin Hatch's episode first aired 3/20/19 and I shared his story in Raising Empowered Athletes (Chapter 13, WE over ME). It's all about living in THIS moment and taking advantage of what's in front of you. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do! Austin Hatch is a survivor. A two-time plane crash survivor, he epitomizes what it means to be resilient. In 2003, at the age of 8, Austin’s mother, sister and ...
Jan 08, 2024•42 min
