The Pure Athlete Podcast

In this episode of The Pure Athlete Podcast, hosts Britt and Brad sit down with Madison Gates, VP of Marketing at i9 Sports and former University of Michigan soccer standout, D1 player, and coach.They explore one of the biggest challenges parents face today: how to introduce young kids to organized sports in a positive, healthy way. With youth sports shifting toward earlier specialization, intense travel teams, and skyrocketing pressure, many families feel overwhelmed and worried their kids will fall behind or burn out.Madison shares her personal journey—from multi-sport youth athlete to college star—and discusses the real issues plaguing youth sports: parental “keeping up with the Joneses,” early burnout, overuse injuries, and the loss of simple childhood fun. She explains how i9 Sports offers a refreshing, contrarian approach: fun-first, multi-sport leagues for ages 3–14, with just one practice and game per week, age-appropriate coaching, and a strong emphasis on building confidence, character, and a sense of belonging.The conversation dives deep into i9’s Games for Girls campaign, which aims to get 500,000 girls playing annually by 2030. They discuss survey insights on what girls and parents value most (spoiler: winning is at the bottom), the importance of positive coaching, girls-only programming, and strategies to keep girls in sports through the critical middle school years when dropout rates spike.Whether you’re a parent trying to make the right first sports decision, concerned about burnout, or looking for a more balanced youth sports experience, this episode delivers practical wisdom, encouragement, and actionable advice.Tune in for an honest, hopeful conversation that puts kids first.Listen now and visit i9sports.com to find a local program near you.

On this special Parent Spotlight interview, Britt sits down with Chris McNeillie, father of three boys, the youngest of which is a junior pitcher for the Florida Gators. Chris shares his story of navigating the world of youth, travel, and high school baseball with all three of his boys. He shares insights learned along the way, sometimes the hard way, from the oldest to the youngest. As Luke, the youngest, began to blossom as a teenage southpaw pitcher, Chris looked for help from coaches to help advise and guide Luke and Chris throughout the journey. Chris shares his own thoughts from his experiences about the benefits and challenges of big-time travel ball, as well as some of the methods Luke utilized along the recruiting journey. Chris also shares the impact his wife made on the boys athletically and beyond before cancer took her to be with the Lord when Luke was in high school. For parents who are in the midst of the baseball journey, you will gain from listening to a humble dad who gets real about his journey with all three of his boys - don't miss it.

Softball icon Jennie Finch-Daigle is our guest on this episode of The Pure Athlete Podcast. Jennie shares her youth sports story with us as a multi-sport athlete, and how that helped her develop her softball skills and abilities. She talks about the role her parents played in her development, how she developed as a young pitcher, and compares her college recruiting experiences to those of today. Jennie also shares about playing travel softball as a high schooler, and shares some incredible stories and memories from her Olympic experience, including a profound story from standing on the podium receiving her gold medal. Finally, as a mom of three young athletes trying to navigate the crazy world of travel baseball/softball, football, club volleyball, and more, Jennie gets very real about the challenges and the fun of making this journey as a parent, and provides advice to today's young athletes and parents.

As an elite young soccer player, Nick Mayhugh excelled on the field but always struggled to overcome some physical limitations that he didn't understand. In spite of that, Nick was on track to play soccer at the highest levels. Until the grand mal seizure he suffered at 14, led him to a series of tests which uncovered that Nick had been born with cerebral palsy and would therefore never play soccer again. Nick shares his story on this episode, how he eventually allowed the news to fuel him into playing D1 College soccer. Nick then played on the U.S. Paralympic soccer team, before become a Paralympic sprinter, winning 3 gold medals and 1 silver at the Tokyo Paralympics. Nick's story is one of grit, determination, and inspiration and you don't want to miss this episode.

Jeff, Britt, and Brad look back on some of the best moments and guests in 2025, with advice to young athletes planning to move forward in 2026. In addition, they preview some of the upcoming content and 2026 guests for the podcast and for the new PA+ Baseball platform. Also included are some hot takes on the College Football playoffs and Super Bowl predictions, along with a lot of laughs. Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year!