In this powerful episode of Raising Athletes, host Kirsten Jones welcomes Jessica Lahey—bestselling author, educator, and parenting expert—for an honest conversation about raising resilient, healthy kids in a culture that often pushes perfection and dependence. Jessica, known for her work in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post, dives into insights from her books The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation, exploring how parents can better support their children’s growth by letting go, setting boundaries, and creating a culture of trust.
Together, Kirsten and Jessica unpack how sports, school, and parenting collide—and how we can foster independence, emotional strength, and healthy habits in our kids both on and off the field. Whether you're navigating early childhood, adolescence, or the high-pressure world of youth athletics, this episode offers the research, wisdom, and compassion every parent needs.
🎧 Major Takeaways from this episode with Jess Lahey 🎧
✅ Parents can help kids build resilience by allowing them to experience failure and learn from it.
✅ Harm reduction strategies can be valuable, but they don't justify underage drinking in the name of safety.
✅ Sports culture and alcohol marketing are deeply intertwined, which can normalize unhealthy behaviors.
✅ Families, teams, and schools have the power to create healthier, more intentional cultures around alcohol.
✅ Being the "cool parent" can come at a high cost—setting boundaries is an act of love and long-term protection.
✅ Kids are highly influenced by peer groups, meaning permissive parenting affects not only your child but their friends too.
✅ Creating a supportive environment built on communication and expectations helps guide kids toward healthy, independent choices.
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The 2025 NFL Draft, baby!
Boarding the plane from LAX to Green Bay, I was surrounded by people decked head to toe in their NFL team’s jerseys, hats, jackets, sweatshirts and bags. I’m not sure what I had expected to find going to the NFL Draft, but arriving and seeing 600,000 raving fans transcended my expectations by a mile.
Wanna connect? Contact me here! I am booking for 2025 speaking events.
Let’s do this!
XXX Kir
P.S. You’re amazing. We should talk!
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