The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe

No guest this week. Just Netflix, two hours, and Rafa Nadal being completely honest. Rafa was the King of Clay. Grass was Roger Federer's territory. Then he decided to change — not his game, his relationship with the surface. Three years later he was Wimbledon champion. That's not talent. That's a choice. His body was breaking down from the very beginning. What he built wasn't the ability to ignore the pain — it was the ability to separate the signal from the story. Match by match, crisis after crisis. And the one that stayed with me: you can't give a child character. You can only create the conditions where they have to find it themselves. Three things to carry into this week: Mastery can be built from scratch, on any surface, at any moment. Mental resilience is the ability to hear the alarm and still choose to move. Stop softening every landing. Character doesn't come from comfort. That's ParentShift.

Welcome to the 34th Monday Reset for Sports Parents — a short reflection inside The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe. Each Monday Reset brings you one word, one idea, and one mindset to help you start the week calm, clear, and connected. This week's word is Voice. In youth sports, feelings pile up fast. And most kids don't have the words for them yet — they need us to create the space before they can find them. Voice is the tool that turns emotion into understanding. When a child learns to express what they feel, they're not just processing sport — they're building self-awareness that carries into everything else. That starts with us making it safe enough to speak. This week, create one moment with no agenda. Just ask, listen, and let it land. Take a breath. Reset. A child who finds their voice in sport finds it everywhere else too. Subscribe at hernanchousa.com for one idea every Friday for sports parents.

Mayra Clay and Marc Krusin — meditation teachers, designers, children's book authors, and parents — join The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe to explore how mindfulness can help families navigate performance pressure, stress, and the demands of everyday life in youth sports.

A few weeks ago, Alexander Zverev won the French Open — one of the four Grand Slams in tennis. And the lesson he left me with didn't come from anything he said. For most of his career he played in someone else's shadow. Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Alcaraz. Every time he looked up, someone else was holding the trophy. He won his first Grand Slam at 29. Not because the competition disappeared. Because he never did. Simon Sinek calls it the infinite game — where the goal isn't to win, but to keep playing. Are we teaching our kids to play for the win, or to stay in the game? For the first time in decades, tennis has no dominant force. The game is open. The world our kids are growing into looks the same. But openness only becomes opportunity for those willing to still be in the room. Two things to carry into this week: Stay in the game. Not every season brings the trophy — some seasons just keep you ready for the one that does. Teach them to see the opening. The world rewards those who show up when others have already walked away. That's ParentShift. If today's conversation resonated, subscribe at hernanchousa.com for one idea every Friday for sports parents.

Welcome to the 32nd Monday Reset for Sports Parents — a short reflection inside The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe. Each Monday Reset brings you one word, one idea, and one mindset to help you start the week calm, clear, and connected. This week's word is Connection. Not the kind that happens on the sideline or in the car after a game. The kind that doesn't need a result to exist. It's easy to fall into a rhythm where most of our conversations with our kids revolve around sport — training, performance, what went well, what didn't. But the strongest relationships aren't built in those moments. They're built in the quiet ones. A meal with no agenda. A question about something that has nothing to do with their sport. Showing up as their parent first, and their biggest fan second. This week, find one moment that has nothing to do with performance. Just be there. Take a breath. Reset. A strong connection beyond sport is what your child will carry long after the games are over. Subscribe at hernanchousa.com for one idea every Friday for sports parents.

Welcome to the 28th Monday Reset for Sports Parents, a short reflection inside The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe. Each Monday Reset brings you one word, one idea, and one mindset to help you start the week calm, clear, and connected. Today’s word is Failure — an important experience for sports parents to normalize, understanding that allowing your child to fail is essential for developing confidence, creativity, and long-term growth in youth sports. It’s not about celebrating losing or lowering standards — it’s about removing the fear and shame around mistakes so your child can take risks, try new things, and learn faster through real experience. When your child struggles or makes errors, resist the instinct to immediately correct or protect them; instead, let them sit with it briefly and support them in figuring out their next move. Take a breath. Reset. Allowing failure teaches your child that it’s safe to grow. Subscribe at hernanchousa.com for one idea every Friday for sports parents.

Bill Hoopes, retired U.S. Navy Chief, author, mindset coach, and founder of Lead Your Journey, joins The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe to share his remarkable life journey, what drives him, and how he inspires athletes and parents to lead with purpose.