Beyond the Net
Two series. One mission — raising resilient, confident, and joyful kids through sport and play. Real conversations from coaches and parents living it right now.
If you never allow yourself to fall, how are you ever going to learn how to get up?
Raising Players is the platform. Each series explores a single dimension of raising healthy, happy kids through sport — with dedicated episodes, research, and practical tools.
Resilience isn't a personality trait — it's a learnable skill. Eight episodes mapping the seven pillars that help kids bounce back stronger, grow through adversity, and find joy in the process.
70% of kids quit organized sports by age 13. Is this a kid problem — or an adult problem? A 5-episode arc exploring what's pushing kids out and what actually keeps them in, grounded in real coaching and parenting experience.
Why resilience is a learnable skill — not a personality trait. The Steph Curry principle, the drive-home conversation, and why letting kids fall is the most loving thing a parent can do.
The tournament paradox — your child travels all weekend and touches the ball 90 seconds. The real difference between playing and competing, and why quality reps beat tournaments every time.
Three pillars of confidence: emotional security, handle-pressure experience, and relational trust. Why Simone Biles, Messi, and Serena Williams are all younger siblings — and what that tells us.
The 4 S's of Connection — Seen, Supported, Safe, Significant. How to have authentic conversations with your athlete instead of accidentally adding pressure when you're trying to help.
Character is built in small moments — not big ones. Rodrigo's beach volleyball story from age 15 that a federation president still tells. The way we do anything is the way we do everything.
Why kids quit sport (and what to do about it). Teaching emotional regulation before stakes are high. And the only thing that was ever truly in your athlete's control — the series finale.
Raising Players isn't a sports podcast. It's a parenting podcast — with sport as the lens. Rodrigo and Nathan are simultaneously former elite athletes, longtime coaches, club directors, and hands-on parents of young children right now. Not lecturing from a distance. Living it alongside you.
Every series blends Brazilian and North American perspectives on youth development, backed by real experience and the latest research in sports science and child psychology.
Born in Brazil, Rodrigo played professional volleyball before building Volley Academy into a leading youth organization in the US. Coach, CEO, and father — 20+ years of cross-cultural perspective on how children learn, compete, and grow.
20+ years coaching basketball at high school and collegiate level, studying what separates athletes who flourish from those who burn out. Author of Raising Resilient Athletes and co-creator of the 7 Cs framework.
"Finally a podcast that doesn't make me feel like I'm doing everything wrong — but still challenges me to do better. Every episode changes how I talk to my son after games."
"I sent the Contribution episode to every coach on my staff. The conversation about playing time and how kids define their value hit exactly what we needed to hear."
"Rodrigo and Nathan don't talk at you. They think out loud together — and somehow that's more useful than any parenting book I've read."
One insight from the latest episode. One practical tip you can use today. One question to ask your child this week. Every Monday — covers both series, free via Beehiiv.