The Pure Athlete Podcast

Latest Episodes:

PA Replay: A Passion for Volleyball with Kerri Walsh Jennings Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

3x Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings joined the guys, sharing her continued passion for volleyball (beach and indoor), and for the growth of women's sports. Kerri shares how her love for volleyball began at an early age, in the midst of playing multiple sports and loving the "free play" aspect of childhood sports that was strongly encouraged by her parents. She also shares her experiences and development as a club and high school player who was eventually recruited to play Indoor at Stanford, where she became a 4x All American, NCAA Player of the Year, and NCAA Champion. Kerri also shares what drew her from Indoor to Beach, discusses her thoughts on what makes a great teammate, shares her advice on playing both club AND school volleyball, and also talks about her 1440 organization. In addition, as a mom of three young athletes, Kerri discusses her approach to sports parenting.

161. Reducing Injuries, Minimizing Pain, & Enhancing Performance in Young Athletes with Dr. Michael Hatrak Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

Injuries are becoming more prevalent with young athletes, from ACL tears to concussions. As parents who what to help our kids pursue their sports dreams, but more importantly, want our kids to stay healthy, advice for reducing and managing injuries is valuable to say the least. On this episode, Jeff, Britt, and Brad sit down with Dr. Michael Hatrak to discuss his long career as a biomechanics expert and injury consultant. Over a career that has spanned decades, he's worked alongside six different NFL teams and numerous professional athletes. In this discussion, Dr. Hatrak shares valuable insights on injury prevention, pain management, and performance optimization, including stories about working with athletes such as Terrell Owens, Darius Slay, Gail Devers, and more, including his experience preparing athletes for major events like the NFL Combine, where he helps draft prospects make biomechanical adjustments to improve performance. Dr. Hatrak’s practice, Synergy Release Sports, has two locations in Atlanta, Georgia, and works extensively with young athletes, as well as collegiate and professional athletes, to help them achieve their goals.

For more information about his techniques and areas of expertise, visit synergyreleasesports.com or check them out on social media @synergyatlanta.

160. Buster Posey: Former MLB MVP & 7x All-Star Catcher Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

This week, Frenchy sits down with former MVP, 7x All-Star, 3x World Series champion, and current San Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey. Buster shares insights from his journey as a player, how his parents stressed balance, how much baseball he played as a young player, his thoughts on youth sports as a dad, and more - you don't want to miss it.

159. Parent Spotlight: D1 Baseball Dad Chris McNeillie Feb 10, 2026

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On this special Parent Spotlight interview, Britt sits down with Chris McNeillie, father of three boys, the youngest of which is a junior pitcher for the Florida Gators. Chris shares his story of navigating the world of youth, travel, and high school baseball with all three of his boys. He shares insights learned along the way, sometimes the hard way, from the oldest to the youngest. As Luke, the youngest, began to blossom as a teenage southpaw pitcher, Chris looked for help from coaches to help advise and guide Luke and Chris throughout the journey. Chris shares his own thoughts from his experiences about the benefits and challenges of big-time travel ball, as well as some of the methods Luke utilized along the recruiting journey. Chris also shares the impact his wife made on the boys athletically and beyond before cancer took her to be with the Lord when Luke was in high school. For parents who are in the midst of the baseball journey, you will gain from listening to a humble dad who gets real about his journey with all three of his boys - don't miss it.

158. FIVE BIG MISTAKES SPORTS PARENTS MAKE Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

As sports parents, most of us really want to do youth sports right on behalf of our kids and families; but we often get caught up in the moment. On this episode, Jeff, Britt, and Brad each bring their list of mistakes that sports parents make, and they share their own experiences and insights from making some of these mistakes. Most parents will relate to this discussion, recognizing some of the challenges we all face. Other parents will be challenged to watch out for these pitfalls before encountering them. In either case, you will enjoy the first part of the discussion in which the guys discuss some current events around college football and the NFL, and you will be both challenged and inspired as the discussion turns to the common mistakes sports parents make.

PA Replay: Jennie Finch-Daigle: Softball Legend and Sports Mom Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Softball icon Jennie Finch-Daigle is our guest on this episode of The Pure Athlete Podcast. Jennie shares her youth sports story with us as a multi-sport athlete, and how that helped her develop her softball skills and abilities. She talks about the role her parents played in her development, how she developed as a young pitcher, and compares her college recruiting experiences to those of today. Jennie also shares about playing travel softball as a high schooler, and shares some incredible stories and memories from her Olympic experience, including a profound story from standing on the podium receiving her gold medal. Finally, as a mom of three young athletes trying to navigate the crazy world of travel baseball/softball, football, club volleyball, and more, Jennie gets very real about the challenges and the fun of making this journey as a parent, and provides advice to today's young athletes and parents.

157. George Brett: MLB Hall of Fame 3B Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

On this episode we welcome one of the greatest hitters in MLB history, a first ballot Hall of Famer with over 3150 hits, Kansas City Royals legend George Brett. George shares some great stories from his playing days, and why he spent all 21 of his big league years with the Royals. He discusses his thoughts on today's hitting approach, including exit velocity and launch angle - and let's just say he is not a fan. He also discusses talks about the suggestions that Charlie Lou, his hitting coach with the Royals, gave him that led to his success, after never hitting .300 in the minor leagues. And as always, George shares his thoughts with humorous candor.

156. Paralympic Gold Medalist Nick Mayhugh: Overcoming Cerebral Palsy Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

As an elite young soccer player, Nick Mayhugh excelled on the field but always struggled to overcome some physical limitations that he didn't understand. In spite of that, Nick was on track to play soccer at the highest levels. Until the grand mal seizure he suffered at 14, led him to a series of tests which uncovered that Nick had been born with cerebral palsy and would therefore never play soccer again. Nick shares his story on this episode, how he eventually allowed the news to fuel him into playing D1 College soccer. Nick then played on the U.S. Paralympic soccer team, before become a Paralympic sprinter, winning 3 gold medals and 1 silver at the Tokyo Paralympics. Nick's story is one of grit, determination, and inspiration and you don't want to miss this episode.

155. David Wright: NY Mets All-Star 3B Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

One of the most respected players of his era, 7x All-Star 3B David Wright is our guest on this episode. Playing all 14 years of his career with the Mets, Wright was known for leadership, disciplined preparation, and an incredible work ethic (grit). He was also known for being a great teammate, and was named team captain for it. David shares his thoughts about the importance of being a teammate and what being named team captain meant to him. He also shares his youth sports story, how he was underestimated as a young player, how he leveraged his desire to outwork everyone, the role his parents played in his development, and much more. He also shares some fun stories from his time sharing a dugout with Frenchy, his thoughts as a dad and youth sports coach, and his advice for young athletes and parents.

154. 2025 Best Moments and 2026 Preview Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

Jeff, Britt, and Brad look back on some of the best moments and guests in 2025, with advice to young athletes planning to move forward in 2026. In addition, they preview some of the upcoming content and 2026 guests for the podcast and for the new PA+ Baseball platform. Also included are some hot takes on the College Football playoffs and Super Bowl predictions, along with a lot of laughs. Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year!

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