Forged Youth | Legacy Within
Forged Youth: Legacy Within
What if the conversations you needed most as a teen athlete were finally being had, openly, honestly, and with purpose?
Forged Youth: Legacy Within is the podcast that equips youth athletes (ages 12–24), their parents, and coaches with the mental tools, emotional resilience, and life insight to rise above the noise and grow into strong, intentional human beings.
Each episode features real, raw conversations with professional athletes, CEOs, and cultural leaders sharing what they wish they knew when they were younger. We unpack topics like mental grit, overcoming adversity, identity beyond sport, and building a life of purpose, even when things fall apart.
Hosted by former elite athlete and mental health advocate Mariel Nichole Anderson, this podcast is your companion through the messy middle of chasing big dreams, and becoming someone even bigger in the process.
Because you weren’t born to just survive sport. You were made to be forged by it.
Forged Youth | Legacy Within
Ep. 28 - When Youth Sports Feel Unfair: Focusing on the Controllables with Mariel and Jordan
What do you do when your athlete feels set up to fail?
In this episode, Jordan and Mariel unpack a real post from a hockey mom whose 9-year-old son is stuck on a struggling team and use it as a powerful entry point into one of the most important mindset tools in sport: controllables.
Together, they break down the five controllables every athlete (and parent) can focus on when outcomes, coaches, team dynamics, or politics feel out of reach: effort, attitude, self-talk, preparation, and focus.
This conversation is equal parts honest, practical, and reassuring with real stories from youth sports, elite athletics, and parenting. If you’ve ever felt frustrated watching your child struggle in a situation they can’t control, this episode will help you shift from helplessness to empowerment, and from pressure to perspective.
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