Happiness for sports kids is more about contentment and balance, rather than constant pleasure, according to Jerry Weichman, a licensed clinical psychologist who helps young athletes with mental health challenges affecting confidence, motivation and performance.

""Happiness is more of a chemical reaction from your brain that comes from good things that are happening. But good things don't continually happen," Weichman said. "So what I'm usually pushing with the expectation for the kids is contentment. There's some type of balance, an acknowledgment of the positives and the negatives."

Send your questions via voice memo or email to Weichman at info@raisingfamiliespodcast.com. He and his co-host will read it and answer it on the podcast.

Too often, sports kids see their identity as being athletes, said Tiffany Yvonne, founder of Playmaker Solutions, where she helps young athletes build emotional intelligence and confidence.

When their identity is all about sports, they can quickly lose confidence if they make mistakes or lose games.

Confidence in young athletes is a trainable outcome rooted in self-awareness, disciplined consistency, targeted subconscious programming (visualization with emotion) and supportive adult influences. Sports kids should combine clear goals, intentional mental practice and persistent physical work to become resilient and high-performing, said Chris Harris, a mindset and elite performance expert.

Learn more about Harris at ChrisHarris.com

Learn more about host Lisa Cohn at LisaECohn.com

When sports kids experience concussions, they don't just affect kids' brains, they affect their bodies and even their families, said Robert Baric, a chiropractor and member of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina.

A concussion can change kids' heart output, sleep and hormonal balance, for example. And it can affect the family, or, as Baric says, create a "traumatic family injury."Parents may have to take time off work to care for the child or teen who experienced the concussion. Other children in the family don't get as much attention while the parents are focused on helping heal the brain injury.

He describes the effect of concussions on young athletes' confidence and explains what parents should do when their young athletes have concussions.

About the guest

Robert Baric is CEO of MyConcussionDr

Email LisaEllenCohn1@gmail.com with episode ideas or comments.

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Visit host Lisa Cohn at LisaECohn.com

How can sports parents create well-rounded kids in youth sports, which can be hyper-specialized and intense?

David Murray's book, Soccer Dad, is the story of a "soccer-ignorant, sports-ambivalent writer who saw his daughter from the kiddie leagues through the travel-sports gauntlet to a coveted Division I scholarship. And then realized his work had only begun," says his book's Amazon description.

In this interview, he discusses the challenges of helping kids find a balanced life when they're immersed in the youth sports world.

He suggests:

--Introduce larger heroes (Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King)

--Anchor the sport in values (teamwork, sisterhood, purpose)

--Seek meaning beyond scholarships

About the guest:

David Murray's daughter, Scout, "loved soccer from toddlerhood. Her drive and skill pulled the Murray family into the world of youth sports―one as culturally obsessive as it is economically exclusive, where each new achievement presents more challenges." Learn more on Amazon.

Visit LisaECohn.com to learn more about host Lisa Cohn.

Visit our youth sports psychology blog at YouthSportsPsychology.com

True leaders in sports don't need the spotlight. They earn trust through preparation, emotional control and how they show up every day—not by being the loudest voice, said Dan Gold, a sports dad, former surgeon and businessman and the author of Game Changers.

The foundation of quiet leadership is emotional regulation. When pressure rises, strong leaders stay steady rather than escalating emotionally, he said.

Guest:

Dan Gold, author of Game Changers

Send podcast episode ideas to LisaEllenCohn1@gmail.com

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Visit our blog at YouthSportsPsychology.com

Visit host Lisa Cohn at LisaECohn.com

High performance in sports doesn't necessarily translate into mental well-being, said Hania Taduran, a former Division I beach volleyball player and founder of the nonprofit Breaking Barriers, which aims to redefine the narrative about mental health in athletics.

During her college career at the University of the Pacific, especially during COVID isolation, she and her teammates experienced mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and burnout. Fear of stigma, losing scholarships, or being seen as weak prevented many athletes from seeking help, said Taduran, who is 23.

Send ideas for podcast episodes to LisaEllenCohn1@gmail.com

Subscribe to and rate this podcast on Apple Podcasts

Visit our blog at YouthSportsPsychology.com

Learn about host Lisa Cohn at LisaECohn.com

How are young athletes affected when their parents sink large amounts of money into youth sports and pile on expectations?