The Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!

This is part one of a two-part episode about a father’s grief, Hope and His Son’s Legacy.

PERMA EPISODEs Positive Psychology in Sports PERMA is gold for teen athletes, and weaving it into a training conversation on your podcast will feel both practical and inspiring. You can frame it as a way to build not just better athletes, but healthier, more resilient humans. Here’s a set of strong, clear talking points you can drop straight into an episode. Incorporating PERMA Into Teen Athlete Training Why PERMA Matters for Teen Athletes Teen athletes are developing identity, confidence, and emotional regulation — PERMA gives them a framework to thrive on and off the field. It shifts training from performance-only to whole-person development, which parents love and coaches need. Helps prevent burnout, comparison culture, and the “win-at-all-costs” mindset. Helps celebrate small wins: effort, attitude, leadership moments. Uses gratitude practices at the start or end of practice. Reframes mistakes as data, not failure. Teach athletes to recognize what went right before what went wrong. P — Positive Emotion - “Positive emotion isn’t about fake hype — it’s about helping teens build emotional momentum.” P- Positive emotions – the foundation of well-being, this includes joy, gratitude, serenity, excitement, pride, hope and inspiration. This element focuses on increasing the frequency of positive emotions in daily life which leads to greater overall happiness. Positive Emotions – from Pat Ivey Performance How NFL Stars Stay Motivated & Resilient: The PERMA Model in Action - My Doctoral Dissertation Part 5 - Pat Ivey Positive Emotions: Controlling Your Mindset The best athletes understand one simple truth: your thoughts control your performance. NFL players deal with extreme pressure. Every snap is scrutinized, every mistake is amplified, and every decision is made under intense conditions. If they allow negativity to take over—self-doubt, frustration, fear—they won’t last long. That’s why elite players train themselves to focus on positive emotions that fuel their performance. They use tools like: Pre-game routines that put them in a confident, focused state. Visualization to see themselves executing at a high level. (Many of the same areas of the brain light up in a FMRI when experiencing a vivid visualization and the actual event. I did find it fascinating that there is new research from the University College London that a region in the brains temporal lobe called the Fusiform Gyrus does play a crucial role in this process. It might help them to understand more about mental health conditions such as schizophrenia} Self-talk to control their internal dialogue and block out doubt. For athletes looking to build this skill, the key is to be intentional about how you think. Your brain will naturally focus on stress if you don’t train it otherwise. How to apply this: Before practice or games, take time to focus on what excites you about competing. Use short, powerful self-talk phrases to keep your mindset locked in. Shift your focus from what could go wrong to what you’re capable of doing right now. The mind is a powerful tool. Control it, and you control your performance. Visualization techniques significantly enhance athletic performance by improving focus, building confidence, and refining skills through mental rehearsal. Benefits of Visualization for Athletes Mental Rehearsal: Visualization allows athletes to mentally practice their movements and strategies before actual performance. By vividly imagining themselves executing specific actions with precision, athletes reinforce neural connections and enhance muscle memory, which can lead to improved physical performance. Improved Focus: Engaging in visualization helps athletes develop a heightened sense of concentration. By picturing themselves successfully performing complex movements or strategies, they train their minds to stay present and block out distractions, which can enhance decision-making and reaction times during competitions. Bui

Nanci Cosby is a devoted mom to three girls and one boy, and a proud “Nonni” to her grandbabies. She loves God, cherishes her family and friends, and never turns down a good cup of coffee. Nanci is the founder of NJ Consulting, LLC, where she brings together her passion for people and her extensive professional experience. She became a certified life coach through the World Coach Institute in 2019 and earned her Master of Education with a focus in Talent Development in 2021. In 2012, Nanci published her autobiography, High on Hope, which shares her journey as a preacher’s kid who lost her way in the world of addiction and ultimately found her path back through hope and healing. By telling her story with honesty and courage, she inspires others to transform their hurt into hope. With more than 12 years in the mental health field and 20 years in the addiction field, Nanci blends education, expertise, and lived experience to help individuals discover their path to success. Through NJ Consulting, LLC, she offers: Life coaching for individuals Wellness training for corporate and business organizations Consulting services for individuals and families Nanci’s mission is simple and powerful: to guide people toward clarity, confidence, and meaningful growth. NJ Consulting, LLC Facebook Nanci's Instagram High on Hope Book

Today’s guest is someone whose career has stretched across three decades, three continents, and just about every corner of elite and professional sport. Dr. Paul Gamble has worked with athletes of all ages and backgrounds, but his deepest passion lies in helping young athletes unlock their potential and supporting the next generation of sport stars in a healthy, sustainable way. Paul is the author of Sports Parenting—first released in 2022 and now arriving in a newly revised edition in January 2026—where he brings parents into the conversation around youth development and long‑term athlete wellbeing. Originally from the UK, Paul’s journey has taken him through New Zealand and now to Canada, where he lives with his wife Sian and his son Leo. In addition to running his independent coaching initiative launched in 2019, Paul consults with organizations around the world and provides continuing education for coaches and practitioners across disciplines. He also shares thoughtful, research‑driven insights on youth sport and talent development through his Athlete Generation Substack. I’m thrilled to have him here today to dig into what really shapes young athletes, how families can support the journey, and what the future of youth sport could—and should—look like. Sports Parenting Book Instagram Books/Amazon Linktree Athlete Generation substack Informed Practitioner in Sport website Prepared Athlete Training & Health

Mandi Clouse grew up in MN, swam on a swim team from third grade through colleague. Mandi has been active all her life and has enjoyed many different types of athletic activities including marathons, CrossFit games and body building competitions! She was married in 2003 to a man in the Air Force and has moved every two years, taking her and her family all around the world. She is the mom of four athletes all in different sports and with different personalities. God is the center of their family. Mandi's husband has just recently retired, and they have decided to make OK their forever place. Mandy shares with us some great insight on how success can look different for each athlete and how working hard and giving your 100% can pay off and leave a legacy even if you're not the team's top scoring MVP.