Real Talk for Sport Parents Podcast

Hosted by Samantha Livingstone

Ep. 9 - Dr. Korrie Allen - Purpose-Driven Parenting in Sports

In this episode, Samantha welcomes Dr. Korrie Allen, a licensed clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience supporting children and families. Together, they unpack the emotional and psychological complexities of parenting young athletes—especially in high-pressure sport environments. Dr. Allen shares practical frameworks for behavior, boundaries, emotional regulation, and how to root your parenting in long-term purpose rather than short-term wins.

• 01:35 - Meet Dr. Allen and her path to sport parenting expertise
• 05:45 - Helping kids find their identity outside of achievement
• 09:52 - Why sport parents need emotional regulation tools too
• 13:11 - Shaping behavior through connection instead of control
• 16:44 - “Not every meltdown is manipulation” - understanding dysregulation
• 21:08 - Why your reaction matters more than you think
• 24:57 - How parents can help prevent burnout and identity foreclosure
• 29:16 - The difference between teaching skills vs. controlling outcomes
• 33:03 - What sport actually teaches us (if we let it)
• 36:48 - Dr. Allen’s advice for navigating tough sport parenting moments

Quotes

"You can do it and it's gonna be hard, but that's okay. And here's your plan for that."[14:26]
My ultimate goal as a parent is to raise a healthy, balanced adult, not just a great athlete. [25:01]
"I just try to be really intentional about helping the clients that I work with to see discomfort as part of a growth, not as a sign of something's wrong."[35:01]

Social Media and Links

· RTSP Instagram

· samanthalivingstone

Connect with Dr. Korrie Allen:

· birchpsychology.com

· Instagram @birchpsy

Dr. Korrie Allen is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in working with children and families. Her areas of expertise include autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, memory and learning, school readiness and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dr. Allen received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and her doctoral degree in Psychology from St. John’s University.

She directed the Educational Services Clinic at University of Denver and was an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School and on the professional staff at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters prior to joining Birch Psychology.

Dr. Allen has successfully completed several research projects funded by agencies such as the Commonwealth Health Research Board, U.S. Department of Education, Governor’s Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and the Society for School Psychology Research. She is extensively involved in applied research that focuses on children with severe behavior problems. Her recent studies evaluated the impact of parent-child interaction training to address aggressive and oppositional behaviors among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has presented at national conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Allen is co-editing the book Cognitive Behavior Therapy in the School Setting.