Something very special happened recently- I got to be on a podcast with an amazing athlete whom I have had the extreme pleasure to coach since 2016.

Rachel Roupe is an elite, D1 college athlete, but she is much, much more than that. She is an incredible person and leader. Her mindset and her habits are what every parent wants for their children and what every coach wants on their team.

Parents and coaches -- I recommend listening to the interview below, facilitated by Dave Vassilaros, Host of the KidFirst Sports Show. In fact, send it to your athletes or listen to it in a car ride with them, parents.

During the interview we share countless gold nuggets such as how Rachel overcomes perfectionism and fear of failure, how she has become the dominant leader and athlete that she now is, while maintaining mental health and a healthy perspective along the way, and much more.

Enjoy and leave a comment below!

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Every year I share my top lessons learned from my life. Since I am now 34, here are the top 34!

34 lessons in 34 years:

1. Proximity is power. What we get closer to, changes us. Which leads to #2…

2. Real laws won’t change. The law of the inner circle reigns true. You are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with.

3. FIRE, ready, aim. PFP, my books, and my marriage likely wouldn’t exist if I did not learn and apply this lesson. Don’t overthink everything. Take risks.

4. Choose courage, fear not. Most decisions we stress about making are reversible and rarely catastrophic. See lesson above.

5. At some point, addition becomes subtraction. Adding “more” – more stuff, more roles, more responsibility, more activities, actually takes away from the things in life that matter most....

This past weekend I was in DelRay Beach with 55 passionate fitness professionals who are leaders in our industry. 

This message today is not directly related to youth athletes, but I believe strongly that when the leader (parent, coach, etc) gets better, everyone gets better. That includes our kids. Enjoy 

Here are my top 3 takeaways from the weekend- I hope they inspire you, remind you of something you may need to be reminded of, and challenge you to be a better version of yourself.

#1 Know What You Stand For

A definition of a lighthouse is to stand for something.

We need more light in the world. Therefore, we need more people who stand for something. 

What do I stand for?

• Love: love-powered leadership, love-powered coaching
• Constant Growth- getting out of my comfort zone, embracing change
• Generosity and service- giving 60, taking 40
• Dreaming big, not insulting God with small...

When it comes to encouraging your athlete's dreams for a scholarship or to "go pro" VS. being realistic, here are my thoughts on what every parents and coach should do:

Resist the "mature adult" temptation to be realistic.

In my opinion, this is an arena that we would be wise to learn from our children. Having that child-like belief is what you and I honestly need more of.

"But I just want to keep them from disappointment. That is why I keep telling them that only .3% make it, and IF they want to, they better start doing this, that, and that."

Is that a good idea?

Is trying to keep your players or children from disappointment the best thing for them?

I think the more important thing is to:


1. Value the Process of BECOMING over Achieving.

Teach them to dream big and go for big goals, knowing that who they become along the way is always better than what they end up accomplishing.

*Note: 1 of the 5 key habits of the top achievers in the...

Lately I have been hearing a lot of coaches complain about their athletes inability to be present. I've also had many athletes acknowledge the same problem. For once we are all on the same page ;-)

What I am about to share with you is something that you likely have never really thought about. I found a major connection between a few HABITS that our athletes have and their INABILITY to be present in sports. 

Lack of Presence = Inconsistent Performance

Period. 

You are either going to love this message about be like "YES! Holy Moly! This is a game-changer!! Or, you'll hate it and think it is dumb... 

Let's dive in.

Athlete, if you aren’t present it usually means your mind is somewhere else:

• Thinking about someone else, their accomplishments
  
  
• Thinking about drama you have in your life or someone else’s
  
  
• Thinking about something random
  
  
• Thinking about your future
  
  
• Thinking about your past
  
  
• Thinking about current challenges you are facing

When we...

If we as parents and coaches do not take responsibility to model and teach the pace of grace to our kids, our kids are headed for chronically impatient, anxiety-ridden, dissatisfied, stressful lives.

They will undoubtedly be crippled forever by the fear of falling behind, not measuring up, not being enough, and this ever-present feeling of doubt and anxiety will overtake them.

Ok, Andrew. What's with the bleak blog post?

My heart hurt after meeting with a 10th grader last week who is experiencing MANY of those things above...

We mapped out her entire weekly calendar and not only is it packed beyond anything I have ever seen, but the message that this type of schedule is sending this young lady is the real issue at hand. 

It reminds me exactly of the circumstances Maddy Holleran faced, a young lady who chose to end her own life in college.

Our Kids Need to See and Experience The Pace of Grace

• Do you...

Why do I play sports?

Early on I enjoyed sports for what they were, not for the resume building benefit. I played because I wanted to, not because I wanted to please everyone around me.

There is a lot of this going on right now and it’s costing athlete’s performance, mental health, and passion. 

Coaches need to speak out against it. People listen to humble, passionate, knowledgeable coaches.

My encouragement is to look at your players today and with conviction, communicate some version of this truth:

“Team. Why did you start playing this game?”

Let them respond.

Then follow up with your own version of this:

“I know some of you are exhausted right now trying to keep up, trying not to fall behind, trying to work your way to being more valuable and special.

You think that by playing sports, playing on multiple club teams, going to the extra showcases, doing the extra hitting lessons, doing the extra conditioning, and doing the extra skill...

Hey parents!

What a great resource I have for you today.

This is the one magical exercise that is going to INSTANTLY improve your 8-year-olds top-end speed and a 40-yard dash by seconds...

Just kidding... I did catch your attention though right?

Okay, real quick:

Here are 3 exercises that will increase speed and improve your athlete's running form and Safety.

• Wall Drill:
  • Finding an empty wall or space where your athlete can get into their Lamborghini lean, practice knee drive, shin angle, and foot striking position.
  • Here is an in-depth video on our Wall Drill and how to do it: https://bit.ly/3eHd896

• Seated Arm Swings
  • Sit on the ground with back straight and arms in the ready position
  • Swing arms as if running with elbows at a 90-degree angle
  • Gradually increase speed
  • Repeat for a specified time
  • Here is a Video Tutorial for this exercise: https://bit.ly/3kf9N2p

• Power Skips
  • Skipping motion with a powerful...