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Ballet at four. Division I softball at 18. And a question that stuck: the day she got to college and wondered — where are all the women?

Morgan sits down with Claire Rietmann-Grout — founder of The Positive Coach, speaker, educator, former D1 softball player and coach, and NFHS Level 3 certified. This one's about connection: why it comes before performance, how it keeps girls in the game, and what shifts when a coach builds people first.

They dig into the environment girls learn best in, the leadership most coaches walk right past, the difference between "attitude" and a kid asking to be seen, and the honest gap between being a great player and a great coach. Whether you coach, lead, or parent an athlete — there's a page in here for you.

In this episode

• Why early movement builds athletes — and why kids are moving less
• "Teacher first": the jump from elite player to coach
• Connect → cared-for → risk → growth → confidence → leadership (skip a step, it breaks)
• Keeping girls in sport, and the age-14 dropout gap (Women's Sports Foundation)
• Handing athletes real leadership: notice it, then name it
• The Positive Coach, free coach resources, and her forthcoming book, Heart-Centered Coaching

Find Claire: clairerg.net · Instagram @ClaireThePositiveCoach

Mentioned: Enough as She Is (Rachel Simmons) · Paul Gamble on athletic development · Betsy Butterick on coaching Gen Z & Gen Alpha · Women's Sports Foundation

Webinar mentioned:
https://clairerg.net/webinar-for-coaches/

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Talkin' with the AD is a podcast for athletic directors, school leaders, coaches, parents, and athletes — built around education-based athletics and the people who make it work. Hosted by Morgan J. Sullivan — athletic director, coach, and author of Coach on Leadership.

LEAD · TEACH · GROW

• Website: betteryouthcoaching.com
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• Books: Coach on Leadership · MS Education Based Athletics · Before the First Snap

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Welcome to Talkin' with the AD!

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Better Youth Coaching
Mission is to improve amateur sports through education of parents, coaches, and athletes

Better Youth Coaching
Mission is to improve amateur sports through education of parents, coaches, and athletes

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Visit betteryouthcoaching.com - information for parents, coaches, and athletes.

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