Shows
The Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Engagement in Sport Jessie BrodmerkelEpisode on Engagement
E — Engagement
“When teens feel engaged, they stop performing for approval and start performing from purpose.”
Help athletes find their “flow moments” — drills or roles where they feel fully absorbed.
Rotate responsibilities so each athlete experiences challenge and mastery.
Use short, focused training blocks to keep attention high.
Encourage athletes to set micro-goals for each practice.
E — Engagement Check List/Journal Prompts
For Teen Athletes
Did I find a moment of “flow” in practice or competition?
Did I stay focused on the drill or task in front of me?
Did I chall...
2026-02-2317 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Positive Emotions Jessie BrodmerkelPERMA EPISODEs
Positive Psychology in Sports
PERMA is gold for teen athletes, and weaving it into a training conversation on your podcast will feel both practical and inspiring. You can frame it as a way to build not just better athletes, but healthier, more resilient humans. Here’s a set of strong, clear talking points you can drop straight into an episode.
Incorporating PERMA Into Teen Athlete Training
Why PERMA Matters for Teen Athletes
Teen athletes are developing identity, confidence, and emotional regulation — PERMA gives them a framework to th...
2026-02-1621 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Living a Life of Happiness and Meaning - Jessie BrodmerkelIn this episode I speak about the positive phycology practice called PERMA and how you can use this to craft a life of happiness ad meaning in sports, careers and every aspect of living.
Parent and Teen Athlete PERMA
PERMA is a positive psychology practice developed by Martin Seligman. It provides a structured approach to well-being through five distinct elements: Positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments. When combined with Ikigai, it helps offer a powerful methodology to find alignment between internal passions and external contributions, promoting a balanced, powerful a fulfilling life. PERMA helps b...
2026-02-0912 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!From Hurt to Hope Part 2 - Nanci CosbyNanci Cosby is a devoted mom to three girls and one boy, and a proud “Nonni” to her grandbabies. She loves God, cherishes her family and friends, and never turns down a good cup of coffee.
Nanci is the founder of NJ Consulting, LLC, where she brings together her passion for people and her extensive professional experience. She became a certified life coach through the World Coach Institute in 2019 and earned her Master of Education with a focus in Talent Development in 2021.
In 2012, Nanci published her autobiography, High on Hope, which shares her journey as a pr...
2026-02-021h 03The Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!From Hurt to Hope Part 1 - Nanci CosbyNanci Cosby is a devoted mom to three girls and one boy, and a proud “Nonni” to her grandbabies. She loves God, cherishes her family and friends, and never turns down a good cup of coffee.
Nanci is the founder of NJ Consulting, LLC, where she brings together her passion for people and her extensive professional experience. She became a certified life coach through the World Coach Institute in 2019 and earned her Master of Education with a focus in Talent Development in 2021.
In 2012, Nanci published her autobiography, High on Hope, which shares her journey as a pr...
2026-01-2627 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Paul Gamble PhD - Parents are the KeyToday’s guest is someone whose career has stretched across three decades, three continents, and just about every corner of elite and professional sport. Dr. Paul Gamble has worked with athletes of all ages and backgrounds, but his deepest passion lies in helping young athletes unlock their potential and supporting the next generation of sport stars in a healthy, sustainable way.
Paul is the author of Sports Parenting—first released in 2022 and now arriving in a newly revised edition in January 2026—where he brings parents into the conversation around youth development and long‑term athlete wellbeing. Originally from the...
2026-01-191h 10The Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Not Just a Hike with Audrey Costa/Deep Rooted WellnessIn this episode I have a convo with Audrey Costa — a dedicated wellness professional whose work bridges health, experiential learning, and trauma-informed care. Audrey holds a B.Sc. in Physical Education and Health, a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and is a Licensed Associate Counselor in New Jersey. With extensive experience supporting adolescents and adults through addiction, recovery, trauma, grief, and emotional dysregulation, she’s guided individuals across every level of care, from residential treatment to outpatient settings.
Before stepping into clinical practice, Audrey spent over 14 years in public education and later served as a Region...
2026-01-1255 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Mandi Clouse - Military Mom of Four Unique AthletesMandi Clouse grew up in MN, swam on a swim team from third grade through colleague. Mandi has been active all her life and has enjoyed many different types of athletic activities including marathons, CrossFit games and body building competitions! She was married in 2003 to a man in the Air Force and has moved every two years, taking her and her family all around the world. She is the mom of four athletes all in different sports and with different personalities. God is the center of their family. Mandi's husband has just recently retired, and they have decided to...
2026-01-0552 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Happy New Year - Highlights from 2025 guest episodesThis live unedited episode was something I wanted to do on the first day of 2026 to highlight the amazing humans that I had on as guests! I took some of my favorite talking points from each guest's episode along with the books and podcasts they recommended! I also share my two words to set my intention and filter for 2026! Happy New Year! Buckle up and enjoy the ride! Thank you to all my guests for being vulnerable and sharing your story to help those in this world around you! Love you guys!!!
2026-01-0135 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Finding Your Life's Purpose - IkigaiIkigai is a Japanese concept that is centuries old and it is a holistic way of uncovering your life's meaning or purpose by tapping into what you love, what this world needs that only you can give in your uniqueness, what you are good at, and what you can get paid for. In today's episode we dig a bit deeper into this concept and how to apply it to your life. After all, it is easy to fall into the idea that you are your title, whether that be the title of an athlete in a specific sport or...
2025-12-2932 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Are You Striving or Surrendering and Aligned? Tiffany BankstonTiffany Bankston is my dear friend a fellow volleyball mom and main character in my self-help book Journey of a Volleyball Mom: Surviving the First Club Season - You can do it! She is a reinvention and identity coach, speaker and founder of ThriveOLOGY Health and Wellness, LLC. As a practicing Physician Assistant of 20 years, Tiffany felt God calling her to help powerhouse, high-functioning women break free from burnout and rediscover who they are beyond their titles, to-do lists and perfectionism.
Through her signature faith-based transformational coaching experiences, THE R.O.O.M (Release ->Open->Own->M...
2025-12-2258 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Jonathan Carone - Healthy Sports ParentingJonathan Carone is the creator of Healthy Sports Parents, a podcast and social platform helping parents lead their kids through youth sports without losing their minds. With a background in sport management, coaching, and student ministry, Jonathan brings 20 years of experience across all levels of youth sports. From rec leagues to Division I athletics, he has seen how the right kind of support can shape a kid’s experience and strengthen the parent–child relationship. Today, he helps parents focus less on raising great athletes and more on raising great humans.
HealthySportsParents Youtube
Healthy Sports Pare...
2025-12-1547 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Lauren Whalley Adventure Therapy Part. 2This is a continuation of my interview with Lauren Whalley Adventure Therapist and my sister! We had such a great conversation about purpose, balance and play that we split it into two parts. I always end each podcast with asking questions that are the four pillars of the Japanese concept called Ikigai - a holistic way of uncovering and incorporating your purpose into your life, and it is always the richest part of the conversation! If you haven't listened to part 1, I highly recommend listening to that first. Then drop into this conversation to hear what she has to...
2025-12-0832 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Lauren Whalley - Adventure Therapy Part 1Lauren is Jessie's sister, an Oklahoma native who spent time in Kentucky for graduate school to become a psychotherapist before moving to Canada in 2012 to pursue her dream job as a wilderness therapist. She’s lived in Ottawa since 2015 with her husband, their 10-month-old daughter, and their dog. Lauren currently runs a private psychotherapy practice, providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families, including walk-and-talk sessions that integrate the outdoors. She takes a curious and compassionate approach, helping people understand their emotions, even the uncomfortable ones, and connect more deeply with themselves. Lauren is also the founder of the Ottawa Ad...
2025-12-0154 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Danny Brown - Superman Cape and New Pair of Shoes!Danny Brown is a firefighter/paramedic in the Oklahoma City metro, where he's served for 13 years. He's also a devoted husband and father- his son Zac plays varsity tennis, and his daughter Ashley is a competitive dancer. Away from the firehouse, Danny is the host of The Pretend Painters' Show and Podcast, a unique project where painting becomes the backdrop for powerful conversations. Through art and storytelling, he helps guests share their journeys while raising awareness and funds for meaningful causes. Danny believes in turning struggle into strength and creating community through creativity, hope and love.
Buckle u...
2025-11-2449 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Your Personality Becomes Your Personal RealityMy purpose is to help parents and teen athletes uncover their purpose by discovering their gifts and strengths and then putting them on paper to create their personal mission statement. In this episode, I talk about why that can be such a life changing event and why I believe it is so important for curating the life that you want and the life that makes room for purpose, balance and play!
Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
The Balanced Athlete
2025-11-1724 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Black Friday Sale on The Balanced Athlete Mission Statement Bootcamp!!Why set a New Year's Resolution when statistics show that only 1% of people who set one, follow through reaching their goals 12 months later?
Instead, uncover your personal mission statement so you can thrive on and off the field, court, classroom or job! Take a deep dive into who you are, what your unique strengths and gifts are and craft a personal mission statement to live by, starting each day in 2026 you can reflect on that mission statement and use it to catapult you towards a life that is in alignment with where you are wanting to go...
2025-11-1512 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Emma Naylor Weston - Six-Figure Business CoachToday’s episode is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and radical self-belief.
Our guest, Emma Naylor-Weston, is a powerhouse coach and global 9-to-5 exit strategist who’s redefining what it means to build a life—and a business—on your own terms. Originally from London and now based in Miami with her husband and three beloved animals, Emma’s journey is anything but linear. From cold-calling 120 times a day to leading high-performing sales teams and consulting CEOs, she’s lived the grind—and chosen to rise above it.
After hitting rock bottom in 2017, Emma embarked on a transform...
2025-11-1036 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!Why the Podcast?My personal mission statement is to help others find purpose, balance and play through leading a life of wellbeing and longevity by using my gifts of creating things (like this podcast), moving physically, empowering others and shaping environments. This podcast is a vehicle (pun intended) to help me live out my purpose by helping parents and teen athletes find connection and experience lives of purpose, balance and play while connecting to a sense of meaning, while contributing to the world around them.
Find all things The Balanced Athlete here:
https://linktr.ee/jessiebrodmerkel
2025-11-0305 minThe Balanced Athlete Car Convos; About Purpose, Balance and Play!The Balanced Athlete Car Convos about purpose, balance and play!Take a listen to this teaser episode for the new podcast: The Balanced Athlete Car Convos about Purpose, Balance and Play! Each Monday we will drop a new episode where we have conversations about living out our purpose as athletes, parents and humans looking to make a difference on and off the court for the world around us while still finding time for balance and play.
Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
https://linktr.ee/jessiebrodmerkel
2025-10-2603 min