Valiant Sports Society

🏆 The Sports Parent’s Edge

"Talk about life, not just sports."

As sports parents, it’s easy for every conversation to revolve around practice, playing time, performance, and results. But what if some of the most important conversations have nothing to do with sports at all?

In this clip, Mark Hilinski shares a simple answer that can strengthen your relationship with your athlete and support their mental well-being. Sometimes the best question isn’t about the game.......It’s about their life.

More sports parenting insights every week from Be Valiant podcast and Valiant Sports Society.

Be Valiant. Play Fearless.

What does it mean to Be Valiant?

For Mark Hilinski, it means being transparent when it can help others.

After losing his son Tyler to su***de in 2018, Mark and his family transformed unimaginable grief into a mission to improve mental health awareness and support for student-athletes across the country through Hilinski's Hope.

His answer is a powerful reminder that courage isn’t always found in winning, competing, or pushing through adversity. Sometimes courage means having difficult conversations, sharing your story, and helping others feel less alone.

As sports parents, coaches, and athletes, we all have a role to play in creating environments where mental health can be discussed openly and without fear.

This week we’re revisiting one of the most important conversations we’ve had on Be Valiant.

🎧 Full episode available now on your favorite podcast platform and on our YouTube channel at Valiant Sports Society

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re revisiting an important conversation with Hall of Fame ASU Sun Devil Women’s Basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne.

During our discussion, Charli shared that many of the elite athletes she coached at Arizona State were multi-sport athletes.

Her reasoning wasn’t just about performance.

Multi-sport athletes are often more balanced, less susceptible to burnout, and exposed to a wider range of experiences, coaches, teammates, and challenges.

It’s an important reminder that youth sports should be about long-term development, not just short-term results.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation here:
https://pod.link/1854005399?view=apps&sort=popularity

Your athlete’s mental health depends on what you know.
Ve Valiant. Play Fearless.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're revisiting one of the most important conversations we've had on Be Valiant.

Hall of Fame coach Charli Turner Thorne shares powerful insights on the pressure today's athletes carry, the emotional impact of injuries, burnout, identity loss after sports, coaching culture, and why joy still matters in youth athletics.

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation:
If kids aren't enjoying the experience, something is wrong.

This is an important conversation for every sports parent, coach, and family navigating youth sports today.

Watch on our YouTube Channel @ Valiant Sports Society or
🎧 Listen now on all podcast platforms:
https://pod.link/1846141869?view=apps&sort=popularity

Your athlete's mental health depends on what you know.

What are your thoughts on youth sports and mental health? Share in the comments!

Out of every coach around her, one actually saw it. No formal conversation, just "how are you doing today?" every time she walked in.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

Did you catch last week’s episode of Be Valiant? Watch on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform here: https://linktr.ee/ValiantSportsSociety

Madison Merkow finally got through the first injury and was ready to go. Then she fractured her tibia right before college ball.

Watch on YouTube. Listen on your favorite podcast platform: https://linktr.ee/ValiantSportsSociety

During Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re revisiting one of the most personal conversations we’ve shared on Be Valiant.

My daughter Madison talks openly about:
• injuries and confidence
• pressure in youth sports
• fear after concussion
• recruiting stress
• mental health
• and how easy it is for athletes to lose their love for the game

One thing she said really stayed with me: “So many people lose their love for the game.”
Parents… if your athlete still loves their sport, protect that.

This episode is for every family navigating the emotional side of youth sports.

🎧 Watch the full conversation on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/dRp69tdrdUs

🎙️ Listen on all podcast platforms:
https://pod.link/1846141869?view=apps&sort=popularity

Be Valiant. Play Fearless.

The end of a sport can quietly unravel everything — identity, mental health, the relationship with your own body.

Did you catch Part 1 or Part 2 of our Be Valiant episodes with Sydney Merkow? Watch on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform here: https://linktr.ee/ValiantSportsSociety