The Pure Athlete Podcast

The guys talk to Duke basketball legend and 14 yr NBA player Shane Battier. Shane shares his youth sports story becoming Michigan’s Mr Basketball, his unique college recruiting approach, how he became known as one of the best defenders and teammates in basketball, his on-court battles with Kobe Bryant, and other important insights to help young athletes, parents, and coaches.

The guys have a an engaging conversation with Atlanta Braves legend and MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, one of the best and smartest hitters of all time. Chipper shares his youth sports story and great insights for young athletes and hitters of all levels.

The guys have a great conversation about Sportsmanship in Youth Sports, discussing what Sportsmanship is (and isn’t), why it matters, and how parents and coaches teach it to young athletes.

The guys have a great conversation with Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones, winner of two Gold and two Silver medals. Cullen is the first African-American swimmer to hold a world record, and is a very positive, insightful athlete with an inspiring story and some great insights around pursuing your passion, leveraging sports to prepare for life, handling pressure, and so much more. Don’t miss this episode.

The guys talk talk to sports and performance science expert, Dr. Mark Kovacs, who works with numerous pro athletes and teams and is the former Director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Mark shares important and relevant information on strength and conditioning, nutrition, hydration, injury prevention and other topics to help young athletes maximize performance in the healthiest way possible.

The guys talk to SEC network analyst and New Orleans Saints pro bowl and super bowl champ safety Roman Harper. Roman shares his youth sports story growing up in Prattville, Alabama to the University of Alabama, as well as insights he learned along the way to a stellar NFL career with the Saints and Carolina Panthers.

This episode features ESPN pro football analyst and 12-yr NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Dan shares his youth sports journey to UConn and the NFL, along with great insights he learned along the way and is applying as a sports dad to his four kids.

The guys talk to Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine, whose youth sports story includes being drafted in the MLB and NHL the same week. In addition, Tom shares great insights from his travel ball playing days in baseball and hockey, as well as from his days as a sports parent and coach.

From her high school soccer team to 2x World Cup champion and 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, soccer legend Carli Lloyd joins us to talk all things youth sports - from her own story to advice for coaches and young athletes.

“What age should my kid begin to specialize in a sport?” “How do I best coach a team with a wide array of skill levels?” “How do I use lessons in sports to teach lessons in life?” In our 20th episode, these, among others, are some of the questions the guys team up to answer in our first ever Pure Athlete Mailbag!