
Insights from recent episode analysis
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Total monthly reach
Estimated from 2 chart positions in 2 markets.
By chart position
- 🇨🇦CA · Parenting#5930K to 100K
- 🇨🇿CZ · Parenting#723K to 10K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
9.9K to 33K🎙 Daily cadence·41 episodes·Last published yesterday - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
33K to 110K🇨🇦91%🇨🇿9% - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
13K to 44K
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
From 21 epsHost
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Radha Balani: Canada at a Crossroads, Affordability First & Building Healthier Nations
Jun 23, 2026
1h 10m 46s
Greg Stewart: Do All the Sports, Encourage Failure & The Power of Self-Acceptance
Jun 16, 2026
1h 05m 36s
Worth Repeating: Jesse Marsch on How Parents and Coaches Can Create a Positive Environment
Jun 12, 2026
13m 31s
Jay Triano: Learning from Steve Nash, Practicing in a Parking Lot & Fun is Fundamental
Jun 9, 2026
1h 10m 55s
Worth Repeating: Andrew Ladd on Teaching Skills that go Far Beyond Hockey
Jun 5, 2026
14m 09s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/23/26 | ![]() Radha Balani: Canada at a Crossroads, Affordability First & Building Healthier Nations | Canada needs change in its sport system; Radha Balani has seen this before. As an expert partner in strategy and leadership at Think Beyond, she spent decades inside the UK's sport system, including its radical 2015 overhaul. Since then, she's worked with several countries and companies directly, including Jumpstart and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. She knows exactly what it takes to change a national sport system at scale because she's lived it.In this conversation, Radha traces her own youth sports journey growing up in a small English village, playing every sport she could find, and the progressive PE teacher who simply refused to put kids in boxes. She's candid that her own success was luck, not design — the system wasn't built for someone who looked like her, and she knows it.Radha breaks down exactly why the UK's 2015 reform worked, why Canada's current moment looks similar but lacks a critical component that made the difference, and what it actually means to measure outcomes instead of outputs. She makes the case for a mixed economy of public, private and community sport, explains why affordability is the single biggest barrier in Canadian sport today, and lays out what model nations like Norway and Australia got right by treating sport as a vehicle for health and wellbeing rather than the end goal itself.Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week.Chapters00:00 Opening02:04 Itroducing Radha Balani03:11 Liverpool, Her Father & John Barnes05:09 Youth Sport Was Luck, Not Design07:18 Injury, Identity & Losing Sport at University09:39 Why She Loved Sport: Safety, Repetition & Belonging11:59 Inclusion, Exclusion & Growing Up Different16:00 Survivor Bias and Realizing How Lucky She Was18:48 The UK's 2015 Turning Point21:27 Canada in 2026: Similar Crossroads, Missing Piece23:52 Why NSOs Can't Carry This Alone27:14 The System Is Fractured — Can It Be Fixed or Rebuilt?30:05 Is Sport in Canada Truly Unaffordable?34:16 What's Missing: A Strategy, Not Just Recommendations40:26 Norway, Sport as a Vehicle, Not the End Goal43:55 The UK Tied Funding to Changing the Rules45:15 Outcomes vs. Outputs: What Actually Changes Lives49:01 Travel Teams, Sport Sampling & the Cliff Edge53:32 Duty of Care: The Governance Piece Missing in North America56:36 Paying Coaches for Training 59:14 Trauma-Informed Coaching 1:03:09 The Mixed Economy: Public, Private & Community Sport Together1:06:14 Canada's Biggest Issue: Affordability1:07:00 What Progress Actually Looks LikeResourcesThink BeyondFuture of Sport in Canada Commission ReportJumpstartKick4Life | 1h 10m 46s | ||||||
| 6/16/26 | ![]() Greg Stewart: Do All the Sports, Encourage Failure & The Power of Self-Acceptance | Greg Stewart spent the first 25 years of his life trying to prove to people that he wasn't disabled despite being born without half of his left arm. Once he changed his mindset, he found the sport of shot put and won two Paralympic gold medals.Greg is a three-time world champion in para standing volleyball, a U Sports Defensive player of the Year in able bodied basketball, and he stands seven foot two. But the most interesting thing about him isn't his resume. It's the path he had to walk to get there. A path that ran through able-bodied sport, university, rock bottom, two lost jobs, and an eventual breakthrough: accepting himself exactly as he was.In this conversation, Greg talks about what sport means when you spend years doing it for the wrong reasons, why failure is one of the most important things we can teach young athletes, and what the word inclusion actually means when you strip away the box-ticking. He shares the three values he brings to young athletes — trust, ownership and integrity — and makes a compelling case that the real problem in youth sports right now isn't the coaches or the kids. It's the parents... who he also believes are the solution.Greg is 40 years old, newly married, a brand new father of a three-month-old daughter, and studying for his master's in counseling. He has more to say about sport, identity and mental health than almost anyone we've had on this show. 🎙️ Better Sports Parents: helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters00:00 Opening01:36 Introducing Greg Stewart03:46 How Greg Got Into Sport05:03 "You Can't Coach Height" — Using What You've Got05:38 Starting in Grassroots: Soccer, Lacrosse and Everything Else07:15 What His Parents Got Right: Encouragement Without Force08:41 Did Sport Feel Like a Place He Belonged?11:43 25 Years Trying to Prove He Wasn't Disabled13:09 Leaning Into Able-Bodied Sport: What He Was Really Chasing15:02 Having Success Without Having Joy16:51 Chasing External Validation for 25 Years17:16 Rock Bottom: Almost Failing Out, Fired From Two Jobs19:36 How He Found Joy in Sport Again20:26 Failure Is Important22:26 How He Discovered Shot Put25:24 Physical Health and Mental Health Are the Same Thing28:12 Finding Flow State in Sport30:07 What Greg Tells Young Athletes: Trust, Ownership and Integrity33:15 Are Parents Owning the Right Things?35:19 Your Discomfort Is Leading the Way: A Message for Parents 38:17 Mental Health Support in Sport: What's Changed and What Hasn't39:23 Why We Need to Let Kids Fail 41:20 Do All the Sports43:18 Youth Sport Has Become Too Commercialized44:13 The Coaches Who Shaped Greg46:04 Ownership and Trust: Who Really Runs the Team?48:38 What Inclusion Actually Means52:03 Where Does Healthy Competition Belong in Youth Sport?55:56 The Objective vs. The Purpose: A Crucial Distinction57:42 Greg's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport Today: Parent Involvement01:00:04 How to Bring Parents Along: Lead by Vulnerability01:02:32 The Listeners We Really Need to Reach01:03:30 The MindfuleteResourcesGreg StewartThe MindfuleteJumpstart | 1h 05m 36s | ||||||
| 6/12/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Jesse Marsch on How Parents and Coaches Can Create a Positive Environment✨ | youth sportscoaching+3 | Jesse Marsch | Canada's National Men's Soccer Team | — | youth sportscoaching insights+3 | — | 13m 31s | |
| 6/9/26 | ![]() Jay Triano: Learning from Steve Nash, Practicing in a Parking Lot & Fun is Fundamental✨ | youth sportsbasketball+4 | Jay Triano | Canada's Men's Basketball TeamToronto Raptors+1 | — | Jay TrianoSteve Nash+5 | — | 1h 10m 55s | |
| 6/5/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Andrew Ladd on Teaching Skills that go Far Beyond Hockey✨ | youth sportsmental health+4 | Andrew Ladd | NHLSpotify+3 | — | youth hockeymental health initiative+5 | — | 14m 09s | |
| 6/2/26 | ![]() Brock McGillis: The Locker Room Should Be Disneyland, Vulnerable is Brave & Why Words Matter✨ | mental healthsports culture+3 | Brock McGillis | Kids Help PhoneSuicide Crisis Helpline | — | mental healthself-harm+5 | — | 1h 11m 25s | |
| 5/29/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Ross Gurney on Enjoying Youth Sports for What They Are✨ | youth sportsparenting+3 | Ross Gurney | NHL | — | youth sportsparenting+3 | — | 13m 26s | |
| 5/26/26 | ![]() Chris Pronger:✨ | parentingyouth sports+3 | Chris Pronger | Hockey Hall of FameNHL+1 | Dryden, Ontario | Chris Prongerparenting+5 | — | 1h 11m 39s | |
| 5/22/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Will Loftus on the Impact of Coaching✨ | coachingmentorship+3 | Will Loftus | Game Ready FitnessWashington Kids Foundation+1 | CFL | coachingmentorship+5 | — | 14m 28s | |
| 5/19/26 | ![]() Adam Van Koeverden: The Alignment Issue, Fund Physical Literacy & Canada Wants to Win✨ | youth sportsphysical literacy+3 | Adam Van Koeverden | CanadaOakville canoe club+3 | — | Adam Van Koeverdenphysical literacy+3 | — | 1h 02m 17s | |
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| 5/15/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Steve Kindel on Choosing Multisport in a Sport Specialized System✨ | multisport participationyouth sports+3 | Steve Kindel | North Van FC | — | multisportyouth sports+5 | — | 10m 02s | |
| 5/12/26 | ![]() Laurent Duvernay-Tardif: Two Worlds of Sport, Lessons from Andy Reid & Build Bigger Funnels✨ | youth sportshealth and wellness+3 | Laurent Duvernay-Tardif | Kansas City ChiefsLDT Foundation | QuebecCaribbean | youth sportsAndy Reid+5 | — | 1h 03m 14s | |
| 5/8/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Cammi Granato on Allowing Your Kids to Navigate Adversity✨ | adversityyouth sports+3 | Cammi Granato | Vancouver CanucksBetter Sports Parents | — | Cammi Granatoadversity+5 | — | 10m 41s | |
| 5/5/26 | ![]() Ryan Huska: Coaching Challenges, Adversity is Vanishing & Why Youth Sports Feels Like a Job✨ | youth sportscoaching challenges+5 | Ryan Huska | Calgary FlamesKamloops Blazers | — | youth sportscoaching+8 | — | 1h 06m 09s | |
| 5/1/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: John O'Sullivan on How to Positively Support Your Child in Sport✨ | youth sportsparenting+3 | John O'Sullivan | Changing the Game Project | — | youth sportsparenting+5 | — | 13m 18s | |
| 4/28/26 | ![]() Dr Oliver Finlay: Invest in Coaching, Raising Robots & The Biggest Fallacy in Youth Sports✨ | youth sportscoaching+4 | Dr. Oliver Finlay | North American youth sportUK+1 | — | youth sportscoaching+5 | — | 1h 10m 04s | |
| 4/24/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Gareth Rees on What to Look for in a Coach✨ | coachingyouth sports+4 | Gareth Rees | International Rugby Hall of FameCanada's Sport Hall of Fame | — | youth coachcoaching qualities+5 | — | 13m 14s | |
| 4/21/26 | ![]() Jason D'Rocha: Age-Appropriate Expectations, Pay Coaches Well & Improving Access Together✨ | youth sportschild development+4 | Jason D'Rocha | Sportball | Toronto | youth sportschild psychology+5 | — | 1h 13m 52s | |
| 4/17/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Shane Doan on Playing the Long Game✨ | youth sportsparenting advice+4 | Shane Doan | NHLBuffalo Sabres+4 | — | Shane DoanJosh Doan+5 | — | 12m 33s | |
| 4/14/26 | ![]() Lauren Bay-Regula: The Elite Oxymoron, The NeverEnding Season & Play Has Become a Job✨ | youth sportsparenting+4 | Lauren Bay-Regula | Olympics | Canada | youth sportsparenting+7 | — | 1h 19m 19s | |
| 4/10/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Travis Snider on The Car Ride Home✨ | youth sportsparenting+4 | Travis Snider | Blue JaysSpotify+2 | — | youth sportsparenting+4 | — | 11m 31s | |
| 4/7/26 | ![]() Farhan Lalji: The Real Color of Sport, Academy Conundrum & Make the Big Time Where You're At✨ | youth sportsparenting+4 | Farhan Lalji | TSNKidSport+2 | CanadaNew Westminster | youth sportsparenting+5 | — | 1h 08m 15s | |
| 4/3/26 | ![]() Worth Repeating: Andrea Neil on Demanding More of Clubs & Coaches✨ | youth sportsparental involvement+3 | Andrea Neil | Canada's National Women's Soccer team | — | youth sportsparenting+5 | — | 13m 24s | |
| 3/31/26 | ![]() Aaron Volpatti: From House Hockey to the NHL, Fighting for Your Life & Let Kids Be Kids | Aaron Volpatti was never supposed to make it. He wasn't drafted. He wasn't a goal scorer. He grew up in Revelstoke, BC, playing house hockey at 14 and got cut from select teams. And then at 19 years old, while playing junior hockey with the Vernon Vipers, he was badly burned in an accident and told by doctors that his hockey career was over. He was wrapped head to toe in a hospital burn unit, unable to walk, when he made a decision that would define the rest of his life: he was coming back to play hockey no matter what. He was out of the hospital in six weeks. He played that fall. He went on to commit to Brown University. And he eventually played 114 games in the NHL... more than 70% of the players who were actually drafted in his draft year.But Aaron is far more interested in talking about what youth sport is getting wrong than revisiting what he got right. Now a cognitive performance and injury coach, author of Fighter, and father of three, Aaron brings a perspective on the youth sports environment that is equal parts personal and professional.He talks candidly about the trap of treating your child like an investment, the cost — financial and otherwise — of over-structuring kids' lives at the expense of free play and childhood, and why shaping your child's identity for them before they've had a chance to figure out who they are is one of the most harmful things the current youth sports culture is doing. He shares his own strict hockey rule for his young son, why he coaches parents far more often than he coaches the athletes themselves, and what he says to parents who worry their kid will fall behind. Aaron also opens up about struggling with his own identity after hockey ended, what visualization taught him about human potential, and what he genuinely wants his three kids to take from sport.This is a conversation about holding onto childhood, staying in the fight, and asking the question nobody in youth sports wants to answer: at what cost? Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introduction: Aaron Volpatti03:42 What minor hockey meant to Aaron growing up05:01 His parents' approach: no pressure, just values07:33 What "let kids be kids" actually means08:44 The lessons sport taught him09:45 Getting cut from select teams & staying humble13:53 The burn injury that should have ended his hockey career19:04 The visualization practice that changed everything23:53 Are the most talented players in the NHL?26:55 Why overlooked players with grit outlast the early stars29:58 Knowing your role: "you are not a goal scorer"31:54 What good coaches do that parents often undermine34:13 Equal play, age-appropriate competition37:14 Sacrificing kids' childhoods40:12 No spring or summer hockey: Aaron's family rule40:38 The fear of falling behind trap41:50 What the real return on investment in youth sport looks like44:55 Being your kid's cheerleader, not their critic47:18 The car ride home48:45 Rethinking mistakes & permission to fail50:02 Social media & comparison syndrome52:31 Helping athletes redefine performance55:46 Aaron's identity crisis57:32 Visualization, belief and finding life after sport1:00:34 Writing "Fighter"1:04:16 What Aaron wants his own kids to take from sport1:05:35 The biggest issue in youth sports today1:10:30 Setting boundariesResourcesFighter (Book)Aaron's WebsiteFollow Aaron on Instagram | 1h 14m 31s | ||||||
| 3/24/26 | ![]() Allison McNeill: Too Much Too Young, What Makes a Great Coach, & We're Pricing People Out | Allison McNeill is one of the most accomplished figures in Canadian basketball. As a player, she won multiple provincial and national titles before finishing her collegiate career in the NCAA. As a coach, she took over Simon Fraser University's women's program in 1988 and spent 13 years turning it into a perennial national championship contender. She then took the reins of Canada's women's national team, ending a 12-year Olympic absence by guiding them back to the 2012 Games and making them competitive on the world stage. She has coached at every level of the game, from grade twos all the way to the national team, and she still gives back at the youth level today. But here's what Allison will tell you herself: if she were growing up now, she might never have played basketball at all. In this episode, Allison sits down with host Scott Rintoul to share what decades in the game have taught her about what youth sport is getting right and what it's getting badly wrong. She discusses the skyrocketing cost of youth sport, the trap of early specialization, and why sampling multiple sports builds better athletes and better people. Allison also shares what parents and coaches are doing on the sidelines that is quietly stealing the joy from their children's sporting experience. On the coaching side, Allison gets specific about what separates a good youth coach from a harmful one and why playing pedigree matters far less than whether a coach genuinely cares about the kids in front of them. She talks about how she built winning cultures at SFU and the national team, why every player on a roster needs to feel valued, and how the best coaches are the ones who show up for their athletes as full human beings. She also tackles the underrepresentation of women in coaching, and the importance of not letting a child's identity become wrapped up in their sport or their results. Chapters 00:00 Opening & Introduction03:44 Why Allison keeps coaching 05:34 The state of basketball in Canada in 2026 06:30 Why youth sport costs have skyrocketed 08:11 Solutions: facilities, nonprofits & government levers 11:50 Travel tournaments vs. what actually develops young athletes 14:16 Allison's multi-sport upbringing 16:48 The danger of early specialization 17:06 How Allison's parents shaped her athletic life 21:57 Over-involved parents27:42 Creating value for every player on the team 30:08 What basketball gave Allison that other sports didn't 31:29 How to run a youth practice that actually keeps kids engaged 35:15 Everyone plays vs competitive selection 37:14 Select teams, early tiering & the dropout cliff 39:28 What college coaches are actually looking for 43:05 Teaching kids to value roles45:28 The cost of rushing development 46:17 How to transform a culture49:50 The coach-parent relationship52:00 How to spot a great youth coach57:43 The most effective coaches1:02:55 Sport as a vehicle for life skills 1:05:15 The lasting imprint coaches leave1:07:29 Women in coaching1:10:05 Separating athlete identity from resultsResources Canadian Basketball Hall of FameBC Sports Hall of Fame Safe Sport Program (Canada Basketball) Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Framework | 1h 14m 24s | ||||||
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Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.

























