In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with Abby Kenkelen - our of our best coaches and a standout on Brandeis' Women’s Soccer team - who just wrapped up a season averaging 60+ minutes per game. That kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident… and Abby will be the first to tell you why.

Because if you spend any time around youth sports today, you hear the same question over and over:

“How do I earn more playing time?”

Most athletes think the answer is politics. Or talent. Or hoping the coach just notices them. But Abby flips that mindset completely. Her message to young players is simple, direct, and incredibly refreshing: Speak up.

Throughout her career, whenever her minutes dipped or she felt unsure about her role, Abby didn’t complain, guess, or hope things would magically change. She asked her coach for 3–4 specific things she needed to improve. And then she went all-in on those details until the boxes were checked.

Because at the end of the day, coaches respect athletes who take ownership. They respect players who ask for clarity, pursue feedback, and put in intentional work instead of excuses. And Abby insists on something most athletes never hear: If you attack the feedback, your coach will have no choice but to give you an opportunity.

But this conversation goes way deeper than playing time.

We talk about the power of mentorship — a theme that has shaped Abby’s entire journey as both a college athlete and now a private coach on Athletes Untapped. Abby explains why 1v1 coaching matters far beyond the skill work you see on the surface. Private training teaches responsibility. It accelerates confidence. It forces athletes to own their development instead of outsourcing it.

Abby also dives into the parts of player development young athletes overlook all the time:

- The difference between “working hard” and working deliberately

- How to approach feedback without getting defensive

- Why every athlete should build a relationship with their coach

- What separates players who consistently see the field from those who don’t

- How mentorship unlocks growth that team practices alone can’t provide

- Why the best competitors she knows take notes, ask questions, and chase accountability

- How 1v1 coaching fast-tracks maturity both on and off the field

Her story is a reminder that development isn’t passive. It’s intentional. It’s uncomfortable. It’s earned through humility, communication, and consistent effort — long before the whistle blows.

At Athletes Untapped, we believe great coaching transforms more than skills. It builds leaders. It builds confidence. And it builds athletes who take ownership of their path — exactly the mindset Abby brings to every session she coaches.

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help athletes reach their full potential by connecting them with great coaches who elevate both skill and mindset.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with someone who sees youth sports through a lens every parent needs to hear: Cari, the longtime soccer mom behind https://www.instagram.com/soccermomsunfiltered/ — a voice known for honesty, humor, and a refreshingly grounded perspective on what kids actually need from us.

Because if you’ve been around youth sports long enough, you’ve seen it…the pressure, the comparison, the scoreboard parenting. The subtle ways parents turn their goals into their kid’s burden. Most of it comes from love — wanting the best, wanting them to succeed, wanting to give them every opportunity.

But Cari shared the reminder that stops you in your tracks: it’s your child’s dream, not yours. And how you show up as a parent can either protect that dream… or unintentionally crush it.

Cari has been through the travel teams, the tryouts, the wins, the heartbreaks, the sideline dynamics, and the rollercoaster of raising a young athlete in a world that never seems to slow down. And what she’s learned is simple but powerful: youth sports should be a place where kids feel supported, not steered. Lifted, not pushed. A place where they can fall in love with the game on their own terms.

But this conversation goes far deeper than “don’t be a pushy parent.”

Cari breaks down what young athletes desperately need from the people in the stands:

- Encouragement that feels unconditional.

- Positivity that doesn’t depend on performance.

- A home environment where mistakes aren’t met with analysis, but support.

- A car ride home that doesn’t feel like an evaluation meeting.

She opens up about the real challenges parents face today — the comparison culture, the rise of social media, the myth that specializing earlier guarantees success, and the silent fear many parents share: “Am I doing enough for my kid… or am I doing too much?”

And she reminds us why youth sports matter in the first place. Not for scholarships. Not for rankings. Not for highlight reels. But for the moments that shape who a child becomes:

- Learning how to lose with grace.

- Learning how to win with gratitude.

- Learning how to fail, adjust, and try again.

- Learning to love something deeply — even when it’s hard.

Cari has seen firsthand that the athletes who thrive are the ones who feel ownership of their journey. The ones who play because they want to, not because they’re afraid to disappoint someone. The ones who grow up believing the field is a place of joy… not judgment.

This episode covers:

- The silent pressure parents put on kids without realizing it

- Why “it’s your kid’s dream, not yours” might be the most important rule in youth sports

- How to support performance without controlling it

- The difference between pushing and encouraging

- Why positivity — especially during struggle — is a parent’s superpower

- How to help kids stay in love with the game long-term

- What to say (and what not to say) on the car ride home

- Why resentment builds when parents try to drive the journey

- The role of autonomy in kids’ confidence, joy, and development

- How social media and modern competition have changed the parenting experience

Cari’s perspective is a breath of fresh air in a sports world that often feels too loud, too fast, and too heavy. Her message is a reminder that youth sports aren’t just a pathway to performance — they’re a pathway to character.

And the greatest gift a parent can give is not pressure…but presence!

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help athletes reach their full potential by connecting them with great coaches who elevate both skill and mindset.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with Kayla and Chad Zimmer — two longtime baseball parents who’ve spent years watching the game teach their kids lessons that go far beyond batting averages or win-loss records. And they shared a perspective every parent in youth sports needs to hear.

Most parents obsess over the big questions: Should my kid play rec or travel? Are they falling behind? Are they good enough to “make it” someday?

But Kayla and Chad simplify it better than anyone: if your kid is having fun and it doesn’t feel like a job, they’re exactly where they should be. Travel isn’t automatically better. Rec isn’t automatically easier. Every athlete has a different personality, and the best environment is the one that keeps them loving the game.

From there, we dove into one of the most misunderstood truths in baseball — the role of failure. In school, a 30% on a test means big trouble. In baseball? A 30% success rate at the plate makes you elite. It’s the only sport where failing 70% of the time can still put you in the conversation as one of the best.

And that’s the beauty of it.

Baseball forces kids to handle adversity early and often. Strikeouts, slumps, errors, bad hops, long weekends at the fields… all of it builds resilience, EQ, confidence, and mental toughness. The Zimmers believe that’s the real value of youth sports. Not the trophies. Not the rankings. Not the slim chance at playing professionally — but the real-world reps of falling down, adjusting, and trying again.

This conversation goes deeper than highlights or skill development. We talk about:

• Why rec vs. travel shouldn’t be a status symbol
• How to choose the right environment based on your child, not pressure
• The difference between fun pressure and burnout pressure
• How baseball teaches patience, humility, and emotional regulation
• Why embracing failure is the biggest competitive advantage in the sport
• What parents can model to help their kids build confidence
• Why “making it” isn’t the point — becoming capable is

Kayla and Chad also share the reminders every parent needs: the window for youth sports is incredibly short. The years fly by. The smiles in the dugout, the long car rides, the post-game ice cream — that’s the stuff kids remember. Not their batting average from 11U.

At Athletes Untapped, we believe baseball is one of the greatest teachers in sports. It gives kids a safe place to fail, learn, grow, compete, and build character they’ll lean on for the rest of their lives. And the Zimmers embody exactly why that matters.

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help young athletes reach their full potential through great coaching, great habits, and great experiences in youth sports.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for highlights and episodes: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with Maddie Troyer - a former Division I runner and Head Sports Nutritionist at SMU, now working with the ⁨https://www.instagram.com/nutrition_with_wendi/ team - to break down one of the most overlooked performance factors in youth sports today: in-game fueling.

Most young athletes think fueling is simple: drink water and keep playing. But at higher levels, especially in extreme heat, fast-paced games, or multi-game tournament weekends, water alone might not cut it. Hydration, electrolytes, and quick-access carbs become the difference between finishing strong and hitting the wall.

Maddie explains exactly what most athletes get wrong — and why in-game fueling is about far more than thirst. It’s about maintaining blood glucose, avoiding energy crashes, replacing sodium lost through sweat, and keeping your muscles firing when the game gets tight.

But this conversation goes way deeper than “water vs sports drinks.”

Maddie breaks down the science athletes never learn but desperately need. Things like:

Carb timing, electrolyte balance, sweat rate, recovery windows, and how in-game fueling impacts decision-making, reaction time, and late-game explosiveness. Not fad diets. Not body-image trends. Not the “smaller is better” myth that derails so many young athletes.

She also talks about practical, athlete-friendly options players can actually use: sports drinks, electrolyte packets, gels, chews, honey sticks, applesauce pouches, bananas, pretzels — real fueling solutions that fit in a bag, on a bench, or in a locker.

And for parents, Maddie gives the message every family needs:

Under-fueling isn’t just a nutrition mistake — it’s a performance limiter.

Your athlete might be training hard, but if they’re not fueling right, they’re leaving half their potential on the table.

This episode covers:

- The difference between hydration and fueling (and why athletes need both)

- When water is enough — and when it isn’t

- How to avoid mid-game energy crashes

- Why electrolytes matter more than most athletes realize

- The best quick-carb options for tournaments and long practices

- How fueling impacts speed, decision-making, and stamina

- What parents can do to help their athlete fuel consistently

- Why in-game nutrition is the easiest competitive advantage most players ignore

Maddie’s story is a reminder that great performance isn’t just about training — it’s about energy availability, smart fueling, and respecting what your body needs to compete. The right nutrition can elevate everything: your recovery, your consistency, and your confidence in big moments.

At Athletes Untapped, we believe performance isn’t one-dimensional. Skill, mindset, training, and fueling all play a role in helping athletes reach their full potential. Maddie brings clarity to a topic every athlete and parent should understand.

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com - the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help athletes excel through great coaching and great habits, on and off the field.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with https://www.instagram.com/ganon_baker_/ — a pioneer in modern player development who’s trained hundreds of pros, thousands of kids, and was producing coaching DVDs long before social media existed. Three decades into the game, he’s still obsessed with the craft.

So we asked him the question every young hooper wants to know:

What actually separates players who level up… from the ones who fall behind?

His answer was simple — and powerful:

H2O: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Create Opportunities.

Ganon has coached All-League athletes, champions, and future pros. But the ones who truly rise aren’t just the most talented. They’re the ones who stay grounded after success, chase growth instead of attention, and keep showing up when nobody’s watching. He’s seen players lift trophies at night… and still be back in the gym at 5am the next morning. That’s the difference.

And this conversation goes deep into what players misunderstand about development today.

Everyone wants highlights, mixtapes, and flashy moves — but the best trainers in the world preach something different: footwork, pace, balance, shot prep, decision-making, discipline, communication, and film study. Players think they need more moves. Ganon argues they need more mastery.

He breaks down the difference between kids who train skills and kids who train standards. Why being coachable is a competitive advantage. How to build habits that translate on varsity, and why the details — angles, reads, timing, space, stance — matter more than anything you see on TikTok.

We also talk about what parents get wrong about “development.” Reps matter, but so does mentality. You can invest in training, but you can’t want it for your kid. Humility, hunger, and opportunity — the H2O mindset — has to come from the athlete.

This episode covers:

• What separates good players from truly great ones
• Why humility and hunger matter more than talent
• How the H2O mindset shapes long-term development
• The fundamentals young hoopers ignore but desperately need
• The difference between skill trainers and real developers
• Why pros obsess over footwork, pace, and habits
• The mindset Ganon learned from training LeBron: “Greatness is consistency.”
• What parents can do that actually supports their athlete
• How players can create their own opportunities at the next level

Ganon’s story is a reminder that development isn’t about overnight results — it’s about stacking days. It’s about discipline, consistency, and a mindset that stays the same whether you’re a beginner or a pro.

At Athletes Untapped, we believe the best coaches don’t just build better players — they build better people. Ganon has been doing that for 30+ years, and this episode is a blueprint every athlete and parent should hear.

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help athletes reach their full potential by connecting them with great coaches who elevate both skill and mindset.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with Isaac Hadac — a small-town New York athlete who played at multiple college football programs and has become one of the clearest voices on football training for young athletes.

If you spend any time around youth sports today, you see it everywhere: parents running their kid’s recruiting process. Parents controlling the Instagram account, sending the DMs, emailing coaches, even trying to negotiate offers.

But Isaac puts it plainly:

College coaches don’t want to talk to parents — they want to hear from the athlete.

Growing up far from major exposure, Isaac had to learn ownership the hard way. He didn’t have politics, connections, or a giant platform. What he did have was initiative — the willingness to message coaches himself, share film, follow up, and advocate for his own development. And that’s exactly what earned him opportunities at the next level.

But this conversation goes way deeper than recruiting mechanics.

Isaac breaks down the things young football players overlook long before the college process even begins. The habits that actually separate varsity from JV… and college-ready from not even close. Things like:

Footwork, discipline, conditioning, film study, and becoming coachable.

Not the highlight tapes. Not the gear. Not the 7v7 clout.

He talks about the difference between players who train skills and players who train standards. Why the best athletes he played with weren’t always the most talented — they were the ones who communicated, took criticism, prepared like pros, and made every rep matter.

And for parents, Isaac gives the reminder every family needs:

Support your kid. Encourage them. Help them stay organized.
But don’t drive the process for them.

Ownership is part of development — and coaches can see instantly when an athlete lacks it.

This episode covers:

• The #1 mistake parents make during the recruiting process

• Why coaches trust athletes who communicate for themselves

• What growing up in a small town taught Isaac about work ethic

• The football fundamentals athletes ignore but desperately need

• How to stand out to coaches without politics, exposure, or hype

• Why accountability beats talent in every locker room

• How athletes can build confidence through preparation, not perfection

• What parents can do that actually helps their athlete — and what hurts

  
  

Isaac’s story is a reminder that recruiting isn’t about being discovered — it’s about being ready. It’s about maturity, communication, and doing the uncomfortable work that most players skip.

At Athletes Untapped, we believe the recruiting process is just another part of an athlete’s growth — an opportunity to build character, independence, and ownership. Isaac embodies that message perfectly.

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by h⁠ttps://athletesuntapped.com — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help athletes reach their full potential by connecting them with great coaches who elevate both skill and mindset.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with someone who changed the way an entire generation sees the game of baseball: Mo’ne Davis.

Most people remember Mo’ne as the Little League phenom who took over the sports world with a 70 mph fastball and a calmness far beyond her years. But today, she’s writing her next chapter — and it’s a big one. The WPBL just officially signed her, marking one of the most exciting moments yet for women’s professional baseball.

But our conversation with Mo’ne goes far beyond the headlines.

Because behind the highlight moments and viral fame is someone who’s grounded, thoughtful, and committed to helping the next generation navigate sports with confidence and purpose.

Mo’ne opened up about what it was like transitioning from being a baseball icon to playing college softball — a shift that forced her to rethink her identity as an athlete. She talked about the pressure of being known so young, the importance of staying connected to who you are, and why mentorship matters even more than performance.

And maybe most importantly, Mo’ne shared what she wishes young athletes understood: being a good teammate is a superpower. Not just showing up, not just performing — but actually caring about the people beside you. She explained how the best players she’s ever been around were the ones who lifted their teammates, communicated well, and brought consistency every day.

This episode covers:

• What signing with the WPBL means to her now versus who she was as a Little League star
• How college softball helped her grow as a leader, friend, and teammate
• Why young athletes underestimate the impact of mentorship
• The difference between being talented and being dependable
• How to stay grounded when expectations and comparisons start stacking up
• Why finding yourself after sports might be the most important part of the journey
• The responsibility she feels to open doors for the next generation of girls in baseball

Mo’ne’s story is a reminder that greatness isn’t just about talent or velocity — it’s about growth, humility, and purpose. She broke barriers once, and now she’s stepping into a league that’s breaking them all over again.

At Athletes Untapped, we believe sports can shape character just as much as skill — and Mo’ne embodies that better than anyone. Her story is one every athlete, parent, and coach should hear: you can chase big dreams, you can push limits, you can achieve at the highest levels… but you never have to lose who you are in the process.

🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com/ — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. Our mission is to help athletes reach their full potential by connecting them with great coaches who elevate both skill and mindset.

Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/

In this episode of Untapped Stories, we sit down with Dennis Stanton — former pro player, longtime basketball trainer, and one of the most respected minds in player development — to talk about one of the biggest blind spots in the modern recruiting process: how athletes use their coaches.Most players assume their high school or travel coach will “get them recruited.” But according to Dennis, that mindset is exactly what holds so many athletes back. If you want to stand out, you need to be proactive — you do the legwork, then let your coach be the conduit who amplifies your effort.Among other basketball training topics, this conversation breaks down exactly how the best athletes take ownership of their recruiting journey while still leveraging their coaches the right way.We cover:- Why athletes should build their own college shortlist before involving their coach- How to help athletes connect their mind and body- Shooting and dribbling techniques for young hoopers- Why proactive athletes rise above the noise and stand out to college programsThis episode is essential for any athlete or parent navigating recruiting. It’s a clear blueprint: take ownership, be organized, and then use your coach as the connector who can open the right doors.At Athletes Untapped, our mission is to help athletes grow on and off the field — not just by improving skills, but by teaching them how to think, lead, and take control of their journey. Conversations like this shine a light on the habits that separate average from exceptional.🎙️ Untapped Stories is presented by https://athletesuntapped.com/ — the nation’s #1 platform for private sports coaching. We help athletes reach their full potential by connecting them with great coaches who elevate both skill and mindset.Listen weekly on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram for clips and highlights: https://www.instagram.com/athletesuntapped/#UntappedStories #AthletesUntapped #CollegeRecruiting #RecruitingTips #HighSchoolAthletes #TravelSports #CollegeCoaches #YouthSports #AthleteMindset #SportsParenting #PlayerDevelopment #RecruitingProcess #CollegeSports #AthleteLife #SportsJourney #LeadershipDevelopment #AthleteTips #YouthCoaching #SportsMotivation #TakeOwnership