The Pure Athlete Podcast

Joining us today is one of the world’s leading researchers and experts on injury prevention. Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, the Director of Emory Sports Medicine and Research, chats with the guys about healthy training models and sport specialization for young athletes. Dr. Jayanthi has been on HBO’s Real Sports, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, while also working with MLB, NFL, US Soccer, ATP/WTA Tennis, among others. We discuss his research on thousands of young athletes on topics such as:- high intensity sports impact on young athlete bodies-research results on risk-rewards of early age sport specialization-injury propensity for male vs female athletes-load management advice by age-benefits of multiple sport playing-benefits of "free-play" sports activities-benefits of multi-sport participation and breaks

Former MLS star and current MLS TV Analyst Taylor Twellman shares his youth sports story as a multi-sport athlete who played both baseball and soccer in college before going all-in on soccer. Taylor had a prolific soccer career as a 2x Golden Boot winner and MLS MVP. He shares some strong opinions about American soccer, our current youth sports cullture, advice for parents, and advice for coaches.

NASCAR driver Chase Elliott joins us as we finally break into motorsports on this week's episode. Chase shares the road he has travelled to get to where he is today, from racing go-carts at 6 yrs old to racing full-size cars at 13. He shares insights learned throughout his journey, talking about the influence of his parents, what it takes to succeed in his sport, how he deals with pressure and adversity, and much more.

Should parents coach their kids and if so, what’s the right approach? How/when should parents engage with coaches when things aren’t going well for their kid? Should winning be a goal when coaching young kids? Jeff Francoeur, Britt Lee, and Brad Williams dive into these topics and more on this episode.

Today’s guest is former WNBA player and first round pick Kelley Cain. Kelley shares her story of winning four state championships in high school as a USA Today, McDonalds, and Parade All American. Her high school success led her to a great college career as a Tennessee Volunteer under legendary coach Pat Summit. Kelley shares insights from her journey including how being a soccer goalie during her early years benefitted her basketball, how she had to have some difficult conversations with her dad about needing him to be a parent more than a coach, and what made Coach Summitt so successful as a leader.

In recognition of Veterans Day, our guest this week is ESPN/Sirius XM college basketball analyst Chris Spatola. Chris was a 4 yr starter on ARMY’s basketball team, who upon graduation from West Point, served our country as an Army officer from 2002 - 2007. As the son of a coach, Chris shares his youth/high school sports story, how he achieved his dream of playing D1 ball, what he learned as an assistant coach at Duke University, and some interesting perspective from being the son-in-law of Coach K.

The guys talk to young athletes and parents about what it takes to set and achieve big sports goals, including when and how to set goals, how to work towards your goal, whether grit can be developed, how parents should respond when kids aren't working hard enough, and much more.

The guys talk to 2023 Open Champion and U.S. Ryder Cup player Brian Harman. Brian shares his youth sports story that surprisingly began with a love of baseball that ultimately led to his college golf days at UGA. He also shares his Ryder Cup experience, how he’s worked at controlling his emotions on the course, and so much more.

The guys spend time with U.S. women’s soccer Hall of Famer Julie Foudy, winner of two Olympic Gold Medals and two World Cup Championships. Julie shares her sports story from youth sports to a long, decorated soccer career, and also discusses her thoughts as a women’s sports advocate, as the founder of a girls sports leadership academy, and as a real sports mom to a teenage boy and girl.

The guys talk a little playoff baseball before welcoming 9-yr NFL running back Danny Woodhead to the show. Danny shares his inspiring story of grit and belief, overcoming the naysayers in high school, college, and all the way to the NFL.