Raising Athletes

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Nicole Turner, a devoted mother of motorcross riders and thriving realtor. Nicole opens up about the lessons she carried from racing into parenting and business, the resilience required to navigate major life pivots, and how she continues to redefine success on her own terms. If you want an inspiring look at transitioning identities, chasing new goals, and b...

In this episode, we sit down with Nicole Turner, a devoted mother of motorcross riders and thriving realtor. Nicole opens up about the lessons she carried from racing into parenting and business, the resilience required to navigate major life pivots, and how she continues to redefine success on her own terms. If you want an inspiring look at transitioning identities, chasing new goals, and buildin...

In this episode, Kirsten is joined by Nicolette Caneda , former Manhattan College soccer player, who opens up about her journey as a student-athlete and the lessons she’s learned both on and off the field. Nicolette shares her personal experience of overcoming an eating disorder, the impact it had on her relationship with the game, and the steps she took to prioritize her mental health. She also r...

This week, Kirsten sits down with Opal Bird of  Wake Forest Women’s Basketball . From leading Australia’s U17 National Team to back-to-back gold medals at FIBA Oceania (2023) and FIBA Asia (2024) to representing her country at the U19 World Championships, Opal’s leadership and composure have shone on every stage she’s stepped onto. Before heading to the U.S., Opal was a force with the Centre of Ex...

In this episode, Kirsten is joined by Nicolette Caneda , former Manhattan College soccer player, who opens up about her journey as a student-athlete and the lessons she’s learned both on and off the field. Nicolette shares her personal experience of overcoming an eating disorder, the impact it had on her relationship with the game, and the steps she took to prioritize her mental health. She also r...

This week, Kirsten sits down with Opal Bird of  Wake Forest Women’s Basketball . From leading Australia’s U17 National Team to back-to-back gold medals at FIBA Oceania (2023) and FIBA Asia (2024) to representing her country at the U19 World Championships, Opal’s leadership and composure have shone on every stage she’s stepped onto. Before heading to the U.S., Opal was a force with the Centre of Ex...

In this episode, Kirsten is joined by Nicolette Caneda , former Manhattan College soccer player, who opens up about her journey as a student-athlete and the lessons she’s learned both on and off the field. Nicolette shares her personal experience of overcoming an eating disorder , the impact it had on her relationship with the game, and the steps she took to prioritize her mental health. She also...

This week, Kirsten sits down with Opal Bird of  Wake Forest Women’s Basketball . From leading Australia’s U17 National Team to back-to-back gold medals at FIBA Oceania (2023) and FIBA Asia (2024) to representing her country at the U19 World Championships, Opal’s leadership and composure have shone on every stage she’s stepped onto. Before heading to the U.S., Opal was a force with the Centre of Ex...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Linda Flanagan , author of Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports—and Why It Matters . A former cross-country coach, researcher, and journalist, Linda shares her insights on how youth sports have drifted away from their original purpose and what families can do to reclaim the joy, balance, and values that athletics were meant to ins...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Linda Flanagan , author of Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports—and Why It Matters . A former cross-country coach, researcher, and journalist, Linda shares her insights on how youth sports have drifted away from their original purpose and what families can do to reclaim the joy, balance, and values that athletics were meant to ins...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Linda Flanagan , author of Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports—and Why It Matters . A former cross-country coach, researcher, and journalist, Linda shares her insights on how youth sports have drifted away from their original purpose and what families can do to reclaim the joy, balance, and values that athletics were meant to ins...

In this inspiring episode, Kirsten sits down with Laura Colins , former Division I athlete, and psychotherapist with over two decades of experience helping athletes, coaches, and communities thrive—not just perform. Now serving as Chief Clinical Officer at HomeTeam , Laura shares how her work integrates psychodynamic theory, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and mastery development to promote tru...

In this inspiring episode, Kirsten sits down with Laura Colins , former Division I athlete, and psychotherapist with over two decades of experience helping athletes, coaches, and communities thrive—not just perform. Now serving as Chief Clinical Officer at HomeTeam , Laura shares how her work integrates psychodynamic theory, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and mastery development to promote tru...

In this inspiring episode, Kirsten sits down with Laura Colins , former Division I athlete, and psychotherapist with over two decades of experience helping athletes, coaches, and communities thrive—not just perform. Now serving as Chief Clinical Officer at HomeTeam , Laura shares how her work integrates psychodynamic theory, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and mastery development to promote tru...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Melissa Jacobs —Founder and Managing Editor of The Football Girl , journalist, and trailblazer for women in sports media. Melissa shares her incredible journey from producing top-rated radio shows in San Francisco to earning Sports Emmys at ESPN and ultimately building The Football Girl , a vibrant community redefining what it means to be a football fan. Tog...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Melissa Jacobs —Founder and Managing Editor of The Football Girl , journalist, and trailblazer for women in sports media. Melissa shares her incredible journey from producing top-rated radio shows in San Francisco to earning Sports Emmys at ESPN and ultimately building The Football Girl , a vibrant community redefining what it means to be a football fan. Tog...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Luis Fernando Llosa —investigative journalist, author, and co-founder of Whole Child Sports —for a powerful conversation about the state of youth athletics today. Together, they explore what’s great about youth sports, what’s gone wrong, and how parents can help shift the culture toward one that values character, joy, and long-term growth over early success....

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Luis Fernando Llosa —investigative journalist, author, and co-founder of Whole Child Sports —for a powerful conversation about the state of youth athletics today. Together, they explore what’s great about youth sports, what’s gone wrong, and how parents can help shift the culture toward one that values character, joy, and long-term growth over early success....

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Luis Fernando Llosa —investigative journalist, author, and co-founder of Whole Child Sports —for a powerful conversation about the state of youth athletics today. Together, they explore what’s great about youth sports, what’s gone wrong, and how parents can help shift the culture toward one that values character, joy, and long-term growth over early success....

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Jena Winger, a running and mental performance coach dedicated to helping athletes unlock their full potential by strengthening both body and mind. Jena shares her personal journey of realizing that mindset isn’t an afterthought—it’s a skill—and how that shift inspired her to create Wingman Performance Coaching. Together, they dive into the balance between ph...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Jena Winger, a running and mental performance coach dedicated to helping athletes unlock their full potential by strengthening both body and mind. Jena shares her personal journey of realizing that mindset isn’t an afterthought—it’s a skill—and how that shift inspired her to create Wingman Performance Coaching. Together, they dive into the balance between ph...

In this episode, Kirsten sits down with Jena Winger, a running and mental performance coach dedicated to helping athletes unlock their full potential by strengthening both body and mind. Jena shares her personal journey of realizing that mindset isn’t an afterthought—it’s a skill—and how that shift inspired her to create Wingman Performance Coaching. Together, they dive into the balance between ph...

In this episode, Kirsten welcomes parenting pair Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen, two experienced psychologists and moms who bring both professional expertise and real-life wisdom to the conversation. Together, they dive into the joys and challenges of raising resilient kids in today’s world, exploring how parents can balance structure with empathy, set boundaries with love, and model the...

In this episode, Kirsten welcomes parenting pair Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen, two experienced psychologists and moms who bring both professional expertise and real-life wisdom to the conversation. Together, they dive into the joys and challenges of raising resilient kids in today’s world, exploring how parents can balance structure with empathy, set boundaries with love, and model the...

In this episode, Kirsten welcomes parenting pair Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen, two experienced psychologists and moms who bring both professional expertise and real-life wisdom to the conversation. Together, they dive into the joys and challenges of raising resilient kids in today’s world, exploring how parents can balance structure with empathy, set boundaries with love, and model the...