The Struggle Bubble

Somewhere along the way, youth soccer stopped being a game kids play and became a product their parents buy. Dai Redwood has spent years building a program he believes in — most recently as the executive and sporting director at Fremont FC — and he's built a club that runs almost opposite to the rest of the country. No travel tournaments. No badge on the sleeve. Kids who start at U8 and are still...

You've been the parent yelling. Or you've been the parent watching the parent yelling and thinking thank God that's not me, also it's kind of me sometimes. That's where Jonathan Carone started Healthy Sports Parents — standing on a sideline watching a dad reduce his nine-year-old to tears, feeling sympathy for the girl and empathy for the dad. Eighteen months and 100K+ Instagram followers later, J...

No guest this week — just Craig and Chad back in the garage, one of them fresh off a dance audition and the other off a baseball playoff thriller. What starts as the Savannah Bananas and a $100 parking ticket at the Giants turns into the most honest money conversation the show has had all season. A few weeks ago, Congress introduced the Let Kids Play Act — a bill to force private equity out of you...

Ep43:Your voice becomes their inner voice (w/ Dr. Lennie Waite) is brough to you by Gaimplan Dr. Lennie Waite is the Chief Science Officer at Hite EQ and covers a range of topics related to mental performance in sports, the impact of social media on youth athletes, and the psychological aspects of elite performance. Dr. Waite shares insights on the steeplechase, athlete development, and the pressu...

The conversation delves into the world of youth sports and community involvement, highlighting the challenges and rewards of coaching and managing youth sports programs. It also explores the delicate balance between recreational and competitive programs, shedding light on the complexities and considerations involved in managing both aspects effectively. The conversation delves into the themes of p...

Sometime this month, some parents will be posting an All-Star roster their kid just didn't make. Somebody else is signing a five-thousand-dollar ECNL fee. Both families are pretty sure the other families have it figured out. They don't. Craig walks through the actual soccer pyramid in plain English — what ECNL was when it started, what it became, why every club in a 30-mile radius now wants the ba...

Our guest this week is Lisa Mitchell. Lisa is the girls varsity head soccer coach at Los Gatos High School, a PE teacher at Fisher Middle School for the last 21 years. She's also a three-time NCAA Final Four captain at Santa Clara, a pro on the 2001 CyberRays team that won the first WUSA championship 25 years ago, and mom to three, including a set of 7-year-old twins. Few people see youth soccer t...

If you've got a kid in travel ball, club soccer, rec hockey, or cheer, you already know the math is getting weird. Chad and Craig spend this episode pulling on that thread — why youth sports has quietly become a $40 billion industry (about 2x the revenue of the NFL), and why that number doesn't feel like it's benefiting the kids the industry says it serves. We start where the money starts: the tri...

Rob Ludeman is back. When he first came on The Struggle Bubble in Season 1, his son Matt was a two-sport senior at Los Gatos High — starting at center in football playoffs and on the mount for baseball's post season. Matt's now a freshman pitcher at University of the Pacific, and Rob stopped by to discuss what it took to get there and his takeaways as a father. The recruiting process that came dow...

No guest this week — just Chad and Craig, a stack of listener questions, and zero filter. Craig's fresh off a brutal week commuting to RSA in San Francisco ("two hours to go 55 miles"), and Chad's still processing a nail-biting state cup match in Davis that went to PKs in the final three seconds. So yeah — business as usual in the Struggle Bubble. The episode opens with a quick follow-up on Andrew...

Andrew McRobbie has been in the middle of all of it as Director at All-Stars SC in Saratoga — and as a stepdad who just watched his daughter's soccer career end without knowing it was her last game. Chad, Craig, and Andrew get into the real stuff: why 91% of academy players never play a professional minute, what "elite" actually means (hint: someone's paying you), the social media trap that's teac...

Episode 35 Presented by Gaimplan This week it's just Chad and Craig — no guest, no filter, a lot of real talk. They kick things off in the middle of their own Struggle Bubble: Chad's packing for a youth soccer tournament in Davis while baseball opening day looms, and Craig's sneaking in a podcast recording while Brittain manages a dance competition across town. Chaotic? Yes. On-brand? Absolutely....

Heath Clark has been coaching football and teaching history at Los Gatos High School since 2008. He's the kind of coach whose former players still come back. He's also the kind of dad who had to stop going to his daughter's flag football games — not because of scheduling, but because a parent accused his 14-year-old of conspiring to throw a game. For five-year-olds. That story is the tip of it. Th...

The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the start of season two, challenges of podcasting, high school soccer, AI and technology, youth sports, coaching, and the impact of technology on education and sports. The conversation also delves into the importance of feedback, mental preparation, and the role of parents in youth sports. Chapters 00:00 Season Two Kickoff and Podcasting Ch...

In this episode of the Struggle Bubble, Chad and Craig discuss their summer experiences, including a memorable family vacation in Hawaii that involved a tsunami warning. They share insights on the challenges of parenting, coaching youth sports, and the importance of allowing children to pursue their passions. The conversation also touches on the culture of youth sports, the role of parents, and th...

In this episode of the Struggle Bubble, Chad Kutting and Craig Surgey welcome Ricky Clarke, former head coach with the Houston Dash of the NWSL, who has extensive experience across various levels of the game of soccer. The conversation delves into Ricky's coaching journey, the importance of building a network, effective communication strategies in youth soccer, and the role of parents in player de...

In this episode, Chad and Craig welcome listeners back to Season Two of The Struggle Bubble, discussing their experiences in coaching youth sports, particularly soccer and baseball. They delve into the psychological aspects of player development, the importance of communication between coaches and players, and the need for a supportive community in youth sports. The conversation also touches on th...

In this season finale of the Struggle Bubble, hosts Chad Kutting and Craig Surgey reflect on their journey through coaching, parenting, and personal growth. They discuss the challenges of balancing family life with coaching responsibilities, the transition from youth to high school soccer, and the importance of injury prevention in sports. The conversation also touches on the evolution of parentin...

This week on The Struggle Bubble , we sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist Genna Lyons , who brings over 20 years of experience working with parents, kids, and couples. Genna dives deep into the impact of technology and social media on today’s youth, the challenges of maintaining genuine connections, and the unique struggles of parenting in a post-pandemic world. She shares valuabl...

in this episode of The Struggle Bubble, we welcome Callie Stefani, Senior Director at AMD, and wife of our previous guest, Austin Stefani. Callie shares her unique perspective on managing a high-powered career in tech, balancing family life, and building a supportive community. Together, we dive into the reality of juggling demanding careers as a couple, the concept of “glass vs. rubber balls” in...

In this episode of The Struggle Bubble , we’re joined by Jackie Pimentel, Director of Ads Product Marketing at Meta, to talk about balancing a high-pressure career, parenting, and life’s curveballs. Jackie shares her experience navigating family life, managing work trips, and the importance of community and support systems. Whether it's stepping in to coach her daughter's soccer team or coordinati...

Chad and Craig celebrate their 25th episode reflecting on the contributions of past guests and the importance of fun in youth sports. They discuss the current MLB playoffs, the challenges of coaching in the state cup, and the development of youth soccer amidst changing age regulations. The conversation also touches on the administrative challenges faced by community-based sports leagues, emphasizi...

In this episode of The Struggle Bubble, we’re joined by Ricky Lewis, former MLS player, and Leslie Osborne, former US Women’s National Team and NWSL star. Together, they take us through their incredible journey—from life on the soccer field to raising families and creating a lasting impact with the launch of Bay FC, the Bay Area’s newest women’s pro soccer team. Ricky and Leslie share candid insig...

In this episode of the Struggle Bubble, Chad Kutting and Craig Surgey sit down with Kelly Cheeseman, COO and Alternate governor of the LA Kings and AEG Sports. They discuss Kelly's extensive career in sports management, the evolution of fan communication, the pressures of remote work, and the importance of balancing family life with a demanding career. Kelly shares insights on navigating the highs...

In this episode of the Struggle Bubble, hosts Chad Kutting and Craig Surgey welcome Nate Vandegrift, who shares his journey from a passionate young athlete to a dedicated father and professional. Nate discusses the challenges he faced in sports, the consequences of his actions during high school, and his struggles with alcohol. He reflects on the journey to parenthood through in vitro fertilizatio...