At 15, after never playing club/competitive soccer, Nick’s stepson, AJ, made an unexpected jump to the highest level of youth soccer in America. To make the story even more out-of-nowhere, Nick and his wife Sabrina are not your typical elite athlete parents - they’re both self-described computer nerds who don’t have athletic backgrounds.

In our conversation with Nick, we talk about what it was like being thrust into that level of competition, what he and his wife learned throughout the years AJ played at that level, and how he would advise parents who have kids wanting to play at elite levels. We also hit on the dynamic of blended families and how sports helped Nick and AJ build their relationship.

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Chris Martin is the founder and owner of the Tri-City Chili Peppers. He’s also the inventor of cosmic baseball - a glow-in-the-dark version of baseball the Chili Peppers play that’s going on tour starting this week. I’ll actually be at their first game on Friday night.

Before starting all of that, Chris ran - and still runs - a baseball academy called Rise Baseball outside Richmond, Virginia. He was also a Division 3 baseball player.

In our conversation we talk about how he came to invent this new version of baseball, the importance of fun in sports, and what he’s learned through all his levels of baseball. We also hit on the importance of failure and give you an inside look at the business side of youth sports.

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One of the common questions we get asked is how to balance youth/travel sports - which play games on Sundays - with church. If you play long enough, especially at club/competitive levels, those two things will inevitably come into conflict with each other.

But they don't have to compete with one another.

In this episode, Jonathan talks with Pastor Johnny Pereira about how we find the balance between church and youth sports. They also talk about the importance of helping your kid find their identity outside of their sport and how to prepare your kid for when they leave your house and go to college.

For everyone watching the week this episode comes out: Happy Easter!

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About the Guest:

Pastor Johnny Pereira is the lead pastor of Salem Chapel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He's the dad of two athletes: Lily - a college basketball player and Lucas - a high school football player.

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