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Stop Saving Them from Losing: Reframing Failure & Anxiety in Youth Sports

Welcome to the Inspired Athlete podcast ! Episode 18, "Stop Saving Them from Losing: Reframing Failure and Anxiety in Youth Sports," was born out of a quiet moment on a back deck in Connecticut while watching my son’s 13U travel baseball team navigate the rare sting of defeat . After 21 years of coaching high school wrestling, I’ve realized how easy it is to forget that failing early is the secret sauce to performing when the stakes are highest <!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!

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Stop Saving Them from Losing: Reframing Failure & Anxiety in Youth Sports
18
July 29, 2026

Stop Saving Them from Losing: Reframing Failure & Anxiety in Youth Sports

Welcome to the Inspired Athlete podcast ! Episode 18, "Stop Saving Them from Losing: Reframing Failure and Anxiety in Youth Sports," was born out of a quiet moment on a back deck in Connecticut while watching my son’s 13U travel baseball team navigate the rare sting of defeat . After 21 years of coaching high school wrestling, I’ve realized how easy it is to forget that failing early is the secret sauce to performing when the stakes are highest <!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!
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The Most Important Words
17
July 22, 2026

The Most Important Words

Welcome to the Inspired Athlete podcast! In Episode 17, "The Most Important Words," host Mike Brilla breaks down what happens in a young athlete's head right after a high-stakes failure—and why our go-to parental instincts might actually be falling on deaf ears . When an athlete makes a game-ending error or falls short in a major tournament, standard platitudes like "you did your best" get blocked by the brain's critical gatekeeper . Instead of relying on soft phrases or toxic positivity, this e
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Soon, Everyone Forgets
17
July 15, 2026

Soon, Everyone Forgets

Welcome to the Inspired Athlete podcast! In this episode, we are tackling one of the heaviest burdens our teenage athletes carry: the crushing weight of trying to please everyone around them . Drawing on a powerful (and surprisingly liberating) quote from Marcus Aurelius—"soon you will have forgotten everything, soon everything will have forgotten you"—we dive into how we can help our kids drop the heavy backpack of other people's expectations . I talk about the danger of "time traveling" in per
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Defeating the Off-Season "Mission Creep"
15
July 8, 2026

Defeating the Off-Season "Mission Creep"

Welcome to the Inspired Athlete podcast! In this episode, we're diving deep into the love-hate relationship many of us—especially coaches, teachers, and athletes—have with the summer off-season . Without the daily grind and rigid structure of the school year schedule, it's incredibly easy to fall into the trap of procrastination and what Jocko Willink calls "mission creep" . I get transparent about my own struggles with staying disciplined when the motivation just isn't there, and how drawing on
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Identity Beyond Sports
14
June 29, 2026

Identity Beyond Sports

Welcome to the Inspired Athlete podcast! In this episode, we tackle that quiet, "now what?" feeling that hits when a competitive season ends or the school year wraps up, and the circus leaves town . It's incredibly easy for athletes and performers to fall into the trap of wrapping their identity in what they do rather than who they are . Drawing timeless wisdom from Olympic gold medalist Tenley Albright, Stoic philosopher Epictetus, big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, and author Austin Kleon, we dis
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