Gosia Betancourt knows that balancing act firsthand.

Her 13-year-old son, Joshua, is already competing at the national level in diving. Recently, he won the USA Diving Western National Championships in his age division, outperforming older competitors by a significant margin. But behind the medals are years of disciplined training, difficult decisions, injuries and one important lesson: Success is about much more than talent. Along the way, his mom was a partner in his journey.

About the guest:

Gosia Betancourt, the mother of elite athlete Joshua, chose to educate her son through a private online high school,

Crimson Global Academy

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Stress, comparisons and pressure can quietly undermine a child's love of sports unless parents learn to prepare for the emotional challenges that come with each stage of development, said Stephen Anderson, an athletic director, coach and founder of the Rising Athlete Project.

"I see parents reacting to things rather than proactively preparing for things," Anderson said.

Kids experience those challenges during key transitions such as moving to a middle school team or working with a new coach.

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The skill of being a leader is partly innate, but is mostly trainable, according to leadership coach Jonathan Cave, author of The Tree and the Mountain: Dare to Become.

To hone their leadership skills, sports kids should identify their unique talents and build leadership skills based on them, he said.

"You don't have to become another person to be a leader. It's about amplifying who you are and becoming more of that. People will gravitate toward you," he said.

About Jonathan Cave:

Cave is an executive coach and founder and CEO of MyPhyLedership. Visit him at JonathanCave.com

Send podcast episode ideas to LisaEllenCohn1@gmail.com

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Visit host Lisa Cohn at LisaECohn.com