Lillian Martineau is a long-time baseball turned softball player, who has competed in both sports at the high school level in Connecticut. A 2024 Georgia Tech softball commit, Martineau‘s switch from baseball to softball came within the last year after playing in the male-dominated baseball system since Little League. From youth to high school baseball, she continuously had to prove that she belonged every time she took the field, and despite all this, thrived. Lillian joins Nick to discuss...

TJ Bruce is the Associate Head Coach of the Texas Christian University baseball program, where he helped lead the Horned Frogs to the Big 12 tournament championship and a trip to the College World Series last season. Prior to joining TCU, Bruce served as the head baseball coach at the University of Nevada, where he helped guide the program to two Western Athletic Conference regular season titles and was voted Mountain West Coach of the Year in both of those seasons. A former collegiate...

Paul Jobson is a soccer coach, soccer recruiting consultant, and sports parent. A collegiate women's soccer coach for 17 years, Paul was the head coach of the Baylor University women's program for nine years, helping lead the Bears to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Elite 8 appearances in 2017 and 2018 and earning Big 12 Coach of the Year honors in 2018. The winningest coach in Baylor program history, Paul is Co-Founder of Warrior Way Soccer and a Senior Soccer Consultant at Sports Recruiting...

Jason Gore is a former collegiate athlete turned high school wrestling coach, pastor, and youth sports parent. The former captain of the North Carolina State wrestling program, Jason’s career path has spanned the business world to ministry, and today proudly serves as the Lead Pastor of Hope Community Church in Raleigh, NC. Through it all, Jason has remained connected to his roots on the mat by serving his community as a youth wrestling coach and helping to share the life and leadership...

Gregg Parini is the Head Swimming Coach at Denison University where he oversees both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. Coach Parini has built one of the most successful programs in the history of DIII athletics, highlighted by seven NCAA National Championships, 16 national runner-up finishes, and a streak of 68 consecutive top-10 national finishes across both the men’s and women’s programs. Recognized as one of the 100 greatest coaches by the Collegiate Swimming & Diving...

Kyle Wagner is a teacher, coach, sports parent, author, and above all, a student advocate. A graduate of Wake Forest University where he also played baseball, Kyle has coached players of all ages, from grade school through college, including more than 40 student-athletes who went on to play collegiately as well as multiple first-round draft picks. He’s the author of “How the RiverCats Won: Lessons on Relationships and Competition,” as well as “Green Light Hitting: From the Backyards to the...

Coach Othello “O.T.” Johnson is in his 13th season at the helm of the UNC Pembroke wrestling program, and his 18th season overall on the coaching staff of the Braves. Under his stewardship, more than 20 UNC Pembroke wrestlers have qualified for NCAA Championships while 26 wrestlers have been named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team. A fellow sports parent and the founder of Johnson Athletic Camps, O.T. and Nick discuss his new role as a softball parent, the...

Libby Mascaro is a youth sports parent, soccer coach and mental health advocate. A standout high school soccer player who played collegiately at Penn State University, Mascaro is an experienced youth soccer coach with Beadling Soccer Club. A fierce advocate for mental health awareness, she co-founded the Upper St. Clair Parent Teacher Council Wellness Committee and volunteers her time to help support the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention...

Greg Berge is a high school principal and boys’ varsity basketball coach in Lake City, MN. A teacher at heart, Berge’s passion for leadership led him to a career in school administration where he has served as a principal for 19 of his 29 years in education. In addition, he is a published author, owner of the GB1 Leadership LLC, and a Licensed Sports Leadership Facilitator through the Janssen Sports Leadership Center.  Greg joins Nick to discuss “The 20 Commandments of Being a Successful...

Adam Neuman is the Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the President for the Baltimore Ravens. A Baltimore, MD area native and licensed attorney, Neuman serves as strategic counsel and manages all administrative, operational, financial, and legal activities for the President of the organization. Prior to joining the Ravens in 2023, Neuman served as the Chief of Staff for Strategy and Operations & Deputy General Counsel for the Big Ten Conference. Adam joins Nick to discuss his sports...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Currently the number one ranked wrestler in the class of 2024, Joe Sealey is a 2022 U17 World Champion and has committed to wrestle at Penn State University. Named Athlete of the Week by USA Wrestling back in April, Joe joins Nick to discuss balancing wrestling, academics, and a social life, learning from the losses, and the importance of having fun while competing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janine Tucker is the former Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at Johns Hopkins University from 1994-2022. Coach Tucker is the all-time winningest coach at Johns Hopkins and, in 2021, became the ninth coach in Division I history to achieve 300 wins. The author of six books on coaching and lacrosse, Coach Tucker joins Nick to discuss the joys of mentoring collegiate athletes, why her coaching philosophy revolves around attitude, mindset, and work ethic, and why playing time does not define your...

Seth Davis is a Senior Writer for The Athletic and studio analyst for CBS, mainly covering college and professional basketball. Prior to joining The Athletic, Seth worked as a writer for Sports Illustrated for 22 years. The author of six books, including New York Times bestseller Wooden: A Coach’s Life, Seth was recently inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Hall of Fame. Seth joins Nick to discuss the transfer culture at the youth and collegiate levels, how playing a sport...

Sergeant First Class Matthew Docchio is a highly-respected military veteran, who spent his career in the Army Special Forces Green Berets, earning a number of awards including a Bronze Star Medal and The Purple Heart, before retiring in 2018 due to injuries sustained in combat. A former athlete turned veteran-focused mental health advocate, Retired Sergeant First Class Docchio joins Nick to discuss why the best leaders express vulnerability and empathy, the importance of teaching children...