Car Ride Conversations For Sports Families

Valerie Alston
  • 4.8 (13)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

The ultimate podcast for parents, coaches, and youth sport athletes who want to unlock the secrets to mental toughness, confidence, and resilience. Whether you're on your way to practice, a big game, or just tackling the daily grind, these bite-sized episodes are designed to spark meaningful conversations to equip young athletes with actionable tools to thrive in school, sports and life while building strong relationships with their parents, one car ride at a time. Hosted by Valerie Alston, former D1 athlete, sport psychology expert, and resilience coach, each episode dives into key topics like building effective self-talk, staying calm under pressure, and bouncing back from setbacks. With real-life stories, practical tips, and relatable insights, you'll discover how to support your youth sport athlete's journey while strengthening your connection along the way. Buckle up and join us for a ride full of inspiration, growth, and the skills needed to become Confident, Calm, and Clutch! Questions? Comments? Ideas? ✉️ Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me On: 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 ✨ For exclusive tips, tools, and updates, join my newsletter: 📬 https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter

  1. 6d ago

    Who Will You Be When Nobody Is Keeping Score?

    Who Are You Besides an Athlete? Redefining “Elite” When Youth Sports Ends Valerie Alston closes a six-week series on the pressure to be elite by reminding families that every athlete eventually plays their last game and that true success includes who athletes become through sport, not only performance outcomes like rankings, scholarships, and trophies. She discusses the risks of tying self-worth solely to athletic identity and encourages athletes to broaden their identity through friends, hobbies, school, and non-sport interests so setbacks like being benched, cut, injured, or not recruited don’t create an identity crisis. Alston reframes “elite” as lasting life skills, resilience, discipline, communication, handling feedback, losing well, leading and following and offers reflection prompts and family conversation questions about what sports has already given, what to carry forward, and what makes sport worthwhile without external rewards. She also invites listeners to subscribe, share, and take a free mental skills assessment at confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment. 00:00 The Last Game 01:32 Why Sports Matter 02:16 Athlete Identity Trap 05:01 Redefining Elite 06:21 Skills That Travel 07:09 Build Life Beyond Sport 10:11 Future Self Reflection 11:23 Parents Big Picture 12:54 Fill In The Blanks 15:15 Share And Subscribe 15:39 Conversation Ground Rules 16:03 Four Family Questions 18:38 Final Perspective Reset 20:04 Free Assessment Offer 20:43 Closing Thanks Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. 🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition? Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way. With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI), receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps. There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle. Assess. Discover. Build a game plan. 👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    Who Will You Be When Nobody Is Keeping Score?

  2. Sep 21

    When More Training Isn’t Making You Better

    Mental Toughness in Youth Sports: When to Push Through vs When to Recover (Green/Yellow/Red Signs) Valerie Alston challenges the “do more” mindset in competitive youth sports, explaining that mental toughness includes knowing when pushing harder stops helping and recovery is needed. She distinguishes growth discomfort from depletion, emphasizing that recovery is part of training physically, mentally, and emotionally. Using a personal story of burnout from playing multiple varsity sports plus travel softball, she highlights how overloading can reduce focus and performance. The episode teaches families to recognize signs of fatigue and burnout and introduces a stoplight framework—green (push through), yellow (adjust/caution), red (stop and address)—to build self-awareness and self-regulation. Alston outlines recovery options beyond rest, including sleep, nutrition, lighter sessions, fun activities, and mental breaks, and offers discussion questions to help families evaluate what’s truly helping versus fear of falling behind. 00:00 More Isn't Always Better 01:29 Series Context And Myth 04:14 Stress Needs Recovery 06:20 Freshman Year Burnout 08:43 Tired Or Burned Out 11:18 Recovery Beyond Rest 14:15 Green Yellow Red System 18:36 Weekly Check In Plan 19:57 Family Discussion Questions 22:52 Wrap Up And Next Week Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. 🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition? Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way. With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI), receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps. There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle. Assess. Discover. Build a game plan. 👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    When More Training Isn’t Making You Better

  3. Sep 14

    Cut, Benched or Not Recruited? How Athletes Handle What They Can’t Control

    You Can Own the Goal Without Owning the Outcome | Controlling the Controllables Valerie Alston explains that athletes can work hard and still miss desired outcomes like making varsity, earning scholarships, or getting recruited because sports involve other people, limited opportunities, circumstances, and luck. She reframes mental toughness as accurate thinking and forward movement when things don’t go as planned, emphasizing separating desired outcomes from controllable process goals. The episode breaks performance factors into three categories—what you control (effort, preparation, attitude, recovery, grades), what you influence (playing time, recruiting interest, team success), and what you must accept (roster needs, injuries, officiating, others’ talent, coaches’ decisions). Alston discusses attribution and realistic optimism, encourages allowing disappointment without rushing to fix it, and offers a three-question reset: what happened, what’s yours to learn, and what happens next, plus discussion prompts for sports families. 00:00 Effort Without Guarantees 01:43 Own Goal Not Outcome 05:53 Control Influence Accept 10:30 Rewrite The Story 12:46 Realistic Optimism Reroutes 18:44 Feel Disappointment Then Act 21:06 Three Question Reset 22:39 Family Discussion Prompts 27:02 Weekly Takeaways And Next Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. 🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition? Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way. With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI), receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps. There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle. Assess. Discover. Build a game plan. 👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    Cut, Benched or Not Recruited? How Athletes Handle What They Can’t Control

  4. Sep 7

    Whose Dream Is This Anyway?

    Whose Dream Is It Anyway? Helping Young Athletes Own Their Goals Valerie Alston explores how parents and young athletes can identify who truly owns a sports goal by examining motivation, ownership, and family expectations. She explains how parents can unintentionally carry an athlete’s dream through constant reminders, planning, and recruiting pressure, and contrasts external pressure-driven motivation with internal, personally valued motivation that is more sustainable. The episode encourages parents to support rather than carry the dream, shift age-appropriate responsibility to athletes, and distinguish between temporary dips in motivation and genuine changes in priorities. Alston offers an “ownership check” family exercise and guided conversation questions about goals, willingness to do the work, transferring responsibilities, and how to safely talk if dreams change, concluding with a preview of next week’s topic on handling unmet opportunities despite hard work. 00:00 Whose Dream Is It 01:42 Series Recap Setup 03:00 Potential Versus Desire 04:56 Four Motivation Types 08:40 Stop Carrying The Goal 10:40 When Goals Change 13:31 Autonomy With Accountability 16:18 Define Success Together 18:03 Ownership Check Challenge 19:45 Family Conversation Questions 23:33 Key Takeaways Next Week 25:00 Free Assessment Outro Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. 🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition? Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way. With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI), receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps. There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle. Assess. Discover. Build a game plan. 👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    Whose Dream Is This Anyway?

  5. Aug 31

    Social Media, Comparison & the Pressure to Look Like an Elite Athlete

    Social Media & Youth Sports: Comparison, Confidence, and Becoming Elite vs Looking Elite Host Valerie Alston explains how social media changes youth athletes’ comparison habits by encouraging them to measure their real, day-to-day experience against others’ highlight reels, which can hurt motivation and confidence. She reframes comparison as a tool for learning asking “What can I learn from that?” and challenges athletes to focus on becoming great rather than performing for likes and attention. The episode emphasizes building confidence from internal evidence of growth instead of external validation like rankings, playing time, offers, or post engagement. Alston also urges athletes to protect their attention with a “social media audit” (teach/inspire/entertain vs drain) and to track progress using a personal scorecard that includes mental, emotional, and teamwork markers. She closes with family discussion questions and previews next week’s topic: whose dream the goal really is. 00:00 Social Media Comparison Trap 01:24 Series Setup and Purpose 02:15 Highlight Reels vs Reality 04:28 Learn Instead of Judge 06:22 Looking Elite vs Becoming 08:42 Build Internal Confidence 11:24 Protect Your Attention 13:25 Social Media Feed Audit 16:28 Your Personal Scorecard 17:52 Weekly Challenge and Reset 19:12 Family Discussion Questions 22:54 Wrap Up and Next Week 24:08 Free Mental Skills Assessment Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. 🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition? Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way. With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete a short survey, receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps. There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle. Assess. Discover. Build a game plan. 👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    Social Media, Comparison & the Pressure to Look Like an Elite Athlete

  6. Aug 24

    When Did Youth Sports Get So Serious? The Pressure to Be “Elite”

    The Pressure to Be Elite (Part 1): What Is Youth Sports Supposed to Do for Our Kids? Valerie Alston launches a six-week series, “The Pressure to Be Elite,” exploring how youth sports have become serious earlier through rankings, recruiting, showcases, and constant pursuit of the “next level.” She clarifies the series isn’t anti-competition or anti-big dreams, but examines how chasing “elite” can shift athletes from a growth mindset (“How do I get better?”) to anxiety and comparison (“Am I good enough?”). Alston encourages families to focus on what sport is providing right now—skill growth, teamwork, resilience, confidence, relationships—and to “expand the scoreboard” beyond wins, stats, and roster spots. She challenges parents and athletes to separately answer “Sports are worth doing because…” and compare definitions of success, then use conversation prompts about what elite means, why they play, current benefits, and whether they’re chasing the same goal. Next week focuses on social media. 00:00 Episode 83: When Did Youth Sports Get So Serious? The Pressure to Be “Elite” 02:21 What Does Elite Mean? 04:09 How Can I Get Better vs. Am I Good Enough? 08:43 Expanding the Scoreboard 09:11 Athlete A vs Athlete B 12:25 Family Challenge 13:46 Conversation Prompts Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. 🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition? Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way. With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI), receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps. There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle. Assess. Discover. Build a game plan. 👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    When Did Youth Sports Get So Serious? The Pressure to Be “Elite”

  7. Aug 17

    How to Take Feedback Without Losing Confidence

    How Athletes Can Take Tough Feedback Without Losing Confidence (Growth Mindset + Parent Tips) Valerie Alston discusses why fast-improving athletes learn to use coaching feedback without turning it into an identity statement, explaining that feedback can build confidence when viewed as information rather than a measure of worth. She introduces a growth mindset and attribution theory (internal vs. external, controllable vs. uncontrollable, stable vs. unstable) to help athletes interpret mistakes in ways that support learning, ownership, and future improvement, while noting some errors truly are out of one’s control. The episode encourages responding to feedback with curiosity instead of defensiveness, emphasizing that real confidence comes from competence and how athletes bounce back after tough moments. Parents are coached to normalize correction, show empathy, and ask reflective questions that help athletes process feedback productively, followed by four conversation prompts for families. 00:00 Feedback Builds Confidence 01:23 Why Athletes Resist Coaching 03:08 Growth Mindset Reframe 04:38 Attribution Theory Explained 07:47 Better Self Talk After Mistakes 10:47 Curiosity Over Defensiveness 12:22 Real Confidence Comes From Skill 14:18 Parents Guide The Process 15:42 Car Ride Discussion Questions 17:52 Final Takeaways And Next Steps Discussion questions: Think about the last piece of feedback you received from a coach. What was your first reaction? After thinking about it, was there something valuable you could learn from it?When something doesn't go well in your sport, what's the story you usually tell yourself? Is that explanation helping you grow, or is it holding you back?What's the difference between hearing "I made a mistake" and "I am a mistake"? Why do those two thoughts lead to very different levels of confidence?Parents: What's one way I can help you process tough feedback without immediately trying to fix the situation? Athletes: What kind of support helps you most after receiving difficult coaching? Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    How to Take Feedback Without Losing Confidence

  8. Aug 10

    How Young Athletes Can Stop Overthinking and Start Playing Freely

    Stop Chasing Perfection: Compete With Purpose, Trust Your Prep (Ricky Scruggs) | Car Ride Conversations Host Valerie Alston continues her conversation with Ricky Scruggs on why many talented athletes struggle in games: they focus on doing things perfectly and on looking like a good player instead of remembering the objective—winning by accomplishing the goal of the sport. Scruggs shares lessons from baseball and motor learning about goal-oriented performance, trusting preparation, and avoiding mechanical overthinking during competition, emphasizing that perfectionism undermines progress and that highlight culture and social media distort expectations. He encourages parents to avoid extremes of overprotection or harsh pressure and instead use sports as a character-building vehicle that also fuels peak performance through purpose, relationships, and resilience. The episode ends with family discussion questions about goals vs. appearance, in-game thoughts, lessons sport teaches beyond mechanics, and how parents can best support healthy development. 00:00 Why Athletes Choke 01:16 Rule Book Reality Check 03:40 Goal Focus Beats Mechanics 06:35 Perfectionism and Social Media 08:37 Parenting for Character 11:34 Ricky Resources and Book 13:36 Family Discussion Questions 17:13 Wrap Up and Next Steps http://www.centerfieldcoaching.com/ Thanks for joining me on Car Ride Conversations for Sports Families! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go. For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology If you are a youth sports coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here. Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here. Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 Watch every episode of Car Ride conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

    How Young Athletes Can Stop Overthinking and Start Playing Freely
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4.8
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

The ultimate podcast for parents, coaches, and youth sport athletes who want to unlock the secrets to mental toughness, confidence, and resilience. Whether you're on your way to practice, a big game, or just tackling the daily grind, these bite-sized episodes are designed to spark meaningful conversations to equip young athletes with actionable tools to thrive in school, sports and life while building strong relationships with their parents, one car ride at a time. Hosted by Valerie Alston, former D1 athlete, sport psychology expert, and resilience coach, each episode dives into key topics like building effective self-talk, staying calm under pressure, and bouncing back from setbacks. With real-life stories, practical tips, and relatable insights, you'll discover how to support your youth sport athlete's journey while strengthening your connection along the way. Buckle up and join us for a ride full of inspiration, growth, and the skills needed to become Confident, Calm, and Clutch! Questions? Comments? Ideas? ✉️ Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com Follow Me On: 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666 ✨ For exclusive tips, tools, and updates, join my newsletter: 📬 https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter

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