Be Valiant - Powered by Valiant Sports Society

Callista Elmore knows what it means to love a sport deeply—and now, as a sports parent, she's thinking differently about how to help her own kids develop that same love while protecting the person behind the athlete. A former University of Arizona softball standout, two-time NCAA national champion, Team USA gold medalist and Pima County Sports Hall of Famer, Callista joins Todd Merkow for a candid...

What happens when something that starts as a game becomes a family journey filled with travel teams, recruiting pressure, emotional highs and lows — and ultimately Division I college soccer? David Murray lived it....and wrote about it.  Host, Todd Merkow, walks through David's sports parenting journey. David is an award-winning journalist, author, and longtime soccer dad whose new book, Soccer Dad...

What if being a better sports parent isn't about doing more — but about knowing when to step back? Brea Schmidt, founder and creator of The Top Bleacher, joins Todd Merkow for a deeply personal conversation about parenting young athletes through the pressure, emotion and chaos of today's youth sports culture. A lifelong athlete, sports mom of three and mental well-being advocate, Brea shares the f...

What happens when the sport that has defined your life suddenly ends? In this powerful Be Valiant Rewind , Todd Merkow sits down with his daughter, Sydney, for one of the most personal conversations ever shared on the podcast. After years of competitive youth soccer, Sydney opens up about the identity loss she experienced when she walked away from the game—and the anxiety, depression, perfectionis...

What does youth soccer look like from the middle of the field? In this Be Valiant Rewind , Todd Merkow revisits his conversation with Joel Votaw, Arizona Soccer Association State Referee Administrator, veteran referee and sports parent of three, for a perspective every youth sports parent should hear. In Arizona, nearly half of registered soccer referees are 17 or younger — many just 13, 14 or 15...

Be Valiant Rewind: Protecting Young Athletes with Dr. Eric Dean Dr Erik Dean Episode Page   In this Be Valiant Rewind , Todd Merkow revisits his conversation with Dr. Erik Dean , Medical Director for Sports Medicine at HonorHealth, former Division I football player at the University of Arizona, longtime team physician, youth sports coach, and sports parent. After more than 25 years treating athlet...

This week on Be Valiant Rewind , we revisit our conversation with former Arizona State and professional baseball player Andrew Beinbrink , founder and CEO of SportsForce. Andrew brings a unique perspective to youth sports—as a former multi-sport athlete who reached the highest levels of college and professional baseball, and now as someone who works directly with athletes and families navigating t...

Be Valiant Rewind | When the Dream Unexpectedly Changes (Part 3) – The Athlete's Perspective with Will Proctor In this special Be Valiant Rewind , we're revisiting the powerful conclusion of our three-part conversation with the Proctor family. After hearing from sports dad Jeff Proctor and sports mom Lisa Proctor , the final chapter belongs to the athlete himself. Former Division I baseball player...

Be Valiant Rewind | When the Dream Unexpectedly Changes (Part 2) – A Mother's Perspective with Lisa Proctor In this special Be Valiant Rewind , we're revisiting Part 2 of our powerful three-part series with the Proctor family. After hearing from sports dad Jeff Proctor , this conversation shifts to the perspective only a mother can provide. Lisa Proctor shares the emotional journey of raising a so...

Some conversations deserve a second listen. In this Be Valiant Rewind , Todd Merkow revisits one of the most honest and relatable conversations about youth sports parenting with longtime sports broadcaster and father of three daughters, Barry Buetel. Despite a career spent around professional sports, Barry admits he was completely unprepared for the emotional reality of becoming a youth sports par...

In this Be Valiant Rewind episode, Todd revisits his conversation with longtime friend and Arizona high school sports voice Kevin McCabe, known by many as the "Dean of Arizona High School Sports." With more than 40 years covering athletes, coaches, schools, and communities across the state, Kevin brings a rare perspective as both a broadcaster and a sports dad. He and Todd discuss the changing lan...

Longtime Arizona sports broadcaster Jody Jackson has spent her career around elite athletes, but some of the most important lessons she's learned came as a sports parent. In this Be Valiant Rewind episode, Jody shares the journey of raising two highly competitive athletes—Connor, a collegiate quarterback, and Caitlin, a standout softball pitcher—while navigating the realities of youth sports, club...

In this Be Valiant Rewind , Todd Merkow revisits a powerful conversation with Linda Santo , sports parent, longtime sports media executive, and daughter of Chicago Cubs legend and MLB Hall of Famer Ron Santo . Growing up around one of baseball's most beloved figures gave Linda a unique perspective on sports, competition, and what truly matters. But even with a Hall of Famer as her father, she foun...

As youth sports become increasingly focused on scholarships, recruiting, NIL, and the pursuit of Division I athletics, many families lose sight of what truly matters: finding the right fit for their child. In this Be Valiant Rewind episode, Todd Merkow sits down with former East Coast Conference Commissioner Dr. Robert "Bob" Dranoff, a lifelong college athletics leader, professor, and sports paren...

In this Be Valiant Rewind episode, Todd Merkow sits down with Steve Borelli, longtime USA Today journalist, youth sports columnist, coach, and sports dad, for one of the most insightful conversations we've had about the realities of raising young athletes. Drawing from years of experience on the sidelines and hundreds of conversations with parents, coaches, and athletes, Steve shares practical wis...

In this special "rewind" of Be Valiant, host Todd Merkow sits down with longtime friend, former collegiate and national team soccer player, coach, consultant, and sports parent Mike Strati for one of the most insightful conversations we've had about youth sports culture. Drawing from his experiences as an athlete, coach, and father of three, Mike shares a refreshingly honest perspective on what re...

Some conversations are too important to be heard only once. This week, we're revisiting one of the most impactful episodes of Be Valiant with Mark Hilinski, co-founder of Hilinski's Hope and father of former Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski. After losing Tyler to suicide in 2018, Mark and his wife Kim turned unimaginable grief into a national movement dedicated to improving mental healt...

Former Arizona State women's basketball coach and Hall of Famer Charli Turner Thorne joins Valiant Sports Society CEO Todd Merkow for one of the most important conversations Be Valiant has had about youth sports, mental health, coaching culture, and parenting. Over a 25-year coaching career at ASU, Charli built nationally respected programs centered not just on performance, but on mental wellness,...

During Mental Health Awareness Month, we're revisiting one of the most personal and important conversations we've had on Be Valiant. Todd sits down with his oldest daughter, Madison Merkow, for an honest discussion about the emotional realities of youth sports; including pressure, injuries, recruiting, confidence, identity, burnout, and the mental health struggles that often go unseen by parents,...

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm thoughts, and mental health struggles related to youth sports. In this deeply personal episode of Be Valiant, Todd Merkow sits down again with his daughter Sydney to talk about what happened after her youth soccer journey ended. Sydney opens up about identity loss, anxiety, depression, perfectionism,...

In this powerful re-release of Be Valiant , Todd Merkow sits down with his daughter Sydney Merkow to reflect on her youth sports journey while she was still playing competitive soccer. From the outside, Sydney's story looked like success — championships, leadership, and high-level competition. But beneath the surface, a very different reality was unfolding. Sydney opens up about the pressure, anxi...

In this follow-up conversation, Linda Flanagan returns to Be Valiant to move beyond the problems in youth sports and focus on what parents can actually do to create a better experience for their kids. After unpacking what youth sports has become in Part 1, this episode shifts to a more empowering conversation—centered on perspective, priorities, and the choices families can make to take back contr...

Before sharing my newest conversation with Linda Flanagan, I wanted to bring back our original discussion—because this is where the conversation started. In this episode, Linda, author of  Take Back the Game, joins me for a powerful look at what youth sports has become. From the pressure parents feel to the commercialization of the system, to the growing concerns around mental health, identity, an...

What really happens when a lifelong sports professional becomes a youth sports parent? In this episode of Be Valiant, Host Todd Merkow sits down with longtime friend and broadcaster Barry Buetel to unpack the real, often emotional journey of raising three daughters in youth sports. Despite decades in professional sports, Barry shares how unprepared he felt stepping into the youth sports environmen...