Eps 553: Mental health in girls sports with Jenn Ireland

Eps 553: Mental health in girls sports with Jenn Ireland

Author: Casey O'Roarty March 3, 2025 Duration: 57:34
My guest today is Jenn Ireland, and we’re talking about the mental health in youth sports, particularly for teen girls. Jenn shares what youth sports culture looks like today and we discuss teens tying their self-worth to athletic performance. Jenn talks about some of the skills she mentors young female athletes about, like countering your inner-critic voice with your inner-coach. We get into the similarities between parent coaching and coaching young athletes, and we wrap up touching on when to (gently) push your adolescent and effective coaching.   Takeaways from the show: The focus on winning & success in youth sports culture today  Being disappointed with a loss versus associating losses with your self-worth  Self-worth can’t be tied to performance  Being good at a sport takes many life-skills in addition to the necessary athletic skills  How to help kids who are stuck in their head or beating themselves up about performance  Teens need mentors aside from parents & coaches  Countering your inner-critic with your inner-coach  Similarities between parent coaching and coaching young athletes - we’re all working on the same skills  Parents encouraging/pushing their children into elite sports versus kids who are intrinsically motivated How do you know when to push your athlete? When do you hand the decision to play to your adolescent?  Telling a teen you love them unconditionally versus making sure they know and believe that you love them unconditionally  Building relationships  Effective coaching & being connected to your coaches For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parenting adolescents often feels like navigating a landscape without a reliable map, where the old rules no longer apply and connection can feel just out of reach. Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens, hosted by Casey O'Roarty, meets you right in that uncertainty. This podcast operates from a simple, powerful belief: the challenges of raising tweens and teens, while deeply personal, are also a shared human experience. Instead of offering quick fixes, conversations here focus on the foundational work of building and repairing relationships, fostering essential life skills in our kids, and perhaps most importantly, doing the internal work required of us as parents. You’ll hear honest discussions that blend practical strategies with compassionate insight, all aimed at transforming this demanding season from a battle of wills into an opportunity for mutual growth. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining a thoughtful, experienced friend who reminds you that courage isn't about being fearless, but about finding joy and resilience within the beautiful mess of family life. It’s a resource for anyone who wants to move beyond reaction and toward a more intentional, connected approach with the young adults in their home.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Joyful Courage for Parenting Teens
Podcast Episodes
Eps 651: Rebuilding trust with our teens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:51
In this solo episode, I dig into what so many parents of teens wrestle with: rebuilding trust after your kid has hurt or scared you. I explore why hypervigilance is a trauma response and not a character flaw, the differe…
Eps 650:  Teen Sleep Help with Dr. Melisa Moore [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:01
Teen sleep struggles are real — and they're not about laziness or bad parenting. In this episode, I sit down with clinical psychologist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Melissa Moore to unpack why adolescent sleep is so…
Eps 649: Teen Coaching with Anna Kashner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:36
If you've ever watched your teen spiral into negative thinking and felt completely helpless — or worse, realized your response made it worse — this episode is for you. I sat down with certified youth life coach Anna Kash…
Eps 648: Parenting with Humility and Breaking Cycles with Wendy Snyder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:03
In this episode, I'm sitting down with the incredible Wendy Snyder of Fresh Start Family — and this conversation is good. We're talking about breaking painful generational cycles, the power of humility as a parenting sup…
Eps 647:  Returning to our soul care [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:37
If you've been feeling off lately (like me) — scattered, insecure, or like you've lost your footing — this episode is for you. In this solo show, I'm sharing what happened when I finally returned to my Soul Care practice…
Eps 646:  Getting real about "good kids" with Maggie Nick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:16
If you've ever wondered why your "good kid" seems fine on the outside but distant, perfectionistic, or quietly falling apart — this episode is for you. I sat down with Maggie Nick, licensed clinical social worker and tra…
Eps 645: Parenting from Trust with Debbie Simmons [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:28
Are you parenting from trust—or survival? In this episode I sit down with Debbie Simmons, mom of thirteen and leadership strategist, to explore the hidden defaults that hijack our parenting when pressure hits—control, si…
Eps 644: Teen Triggers & Healing with Layne Burkette [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:39
If you've ever promised yourself you'd respond differently to your teen—and then found yourself right back in the same reactive loop—this episode is for you. I sat down with somatic educator and counselor Layne Burkette…
Eps 643: Fearless Finance with Lori Atwood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:30
Money talk on a parenting podcast? Yes — because financial stress shows up in our relationships with our teens whether we acknowledge it or not. In this episode I sit down with financial planner Lori Atwood to explore wh…
Eps 642: Skip the Punishment, Focus on Solutions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:23
In this episode, I'm unpacking the unintended results of punishment, and why it isn't helpful with teenagers — and what actually is. We dig into the adolescent brain science behind why our kids make impulsive choices, wh…