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The 8 Side


The Reformed Sports Project's mission is to restore healthy balance and perspective in all areas of sport, through education and advocacy. Hosted by former collegiate national champion turned youth sports parent and coach Nick Buonocore, the Reformed Sports Podcast engages top figures in the sports world – highly-regarded collegiate coaches, championship-winning professional athletes, leading journalists and industry experts – to discuss the importance of a healthy and balanced approach to youth sports.


The Reformed Sports Project Podcast

Lillian Martineau is a long-time baseball turned softball player, who has competed in both sports at the high school level in Connecticut. A 2024 Georgia Tech softball commit, Martineau‘s switch from baseball to softball came within the last year after playing in the male-dominated baseball system since Little League. From youth to high school baseball, she continuously had to prove that she belonged every time she took the field, and despite all this, thrived. Lillian joins Nick to discuss her journey and decision to move from baseball to softball, the benefits she gained from being a multi-sport athlete, and the importance of mental preparation and resilience.
 
 

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Ep 119: Lillian Martineau

TJ Bruce is the Associate Head Coach of the Texas Christian University baseball program, where he helped lead the Horned Frogs to the Big 12 tournament championship and a trip to the College World Series last season. Prior to joining TCU, Bruce served as the head baseball coach at the University of Nevada, where he helped guide the program to two Western Athletic Conference regular season titles and was voted Mountain West Coach of the Year in both of those seasons. A former collegiate baseball player, Bruce’s coaching career includes stops at Cerritos College, Long Beach State, and UCLA. TJ joins Nick to discuss changes in the college coaching landscape, living by a code, and the importance of prioritizing values over performance to foster lifelong success.
 
 

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Ep 118: TJ Bruce

Paul Jobson is a soccer coach, soccer recruiting consultant, and sports parent. A collegiate women's soccer coach for 17 years, Paul was the head coach of the Baylor University women's program for nine years, helping lead the Bears to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Elite 8 appearances in 2017 and 2018 and earning Big 12 Coach of the Year honors in 2018. The winningest coach in Baylor program history, Paul is Co-Founder of Warrior Way Soccer and a Senior Soccer Consultant at Sports Recruiting USA. Paul joins Nick to discuss the value of working with a paid organization to help with the college recruiting process, academic and athletic college scholarships, and the importance of balance in parenting athletic kids.
 
 

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Ep 117: Paul Jobson

Jason Gore is a former collegiate athlete turned high school wrestling coach, pastor, and youth sports parent. The former captain of the North Carolina State wrestling program, Jason’s career path has spanned the business world to ministry, and today proudly serves as the Lead Pastor of Hope Community Church in Raleigh, NC. Through it all, Jason has remained connected to his roots on the mat by serving his community as a youth wrestling coach and helping to share the life and leadership skills that meant so much to him growing up with another generation of kids and teenagers. Jason joins Nick to discuss balancing competitiveness with a healthy mindset, determining your value system and approach as a parent before your child steps onto the field or mat, and teaching kids how to be adults in today’s world.
 
 

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Ep 116: Jason Gore

Gregg Parini is the Head Swimming Coach at Denison University where he oversees both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. Coach Parini has built one of the most successful programs in the history of DIII athletics, highlighted by seven NCAA National Championships, 16 national runner-up finishes, and a streak of 68 consecutive top-10 national finishes across both the men’s and women’s programs. Recognized as one of the 100 greatest coaches by the Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), Parini was an 18-time All-American and seven-time Division III National Champion as a collegiate swimmer at Kenyon College. Coach Parini joins Nick to discuss his interest in helping young people, transactional vs. transcendent relationships with athletes, and the importance of getting to know each athlete. 
 
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This episode is dedicated to Gregg's mother, Rev. Barbara Dennison Parini, 92, of Granville, who died on January 30, 2024. A highly accomplished Priest in the Episcopal Church, she served in parish ministry and other capacities in five different Dioceses of the Church including Western Michigan, Massachusetts, Buffalo, Southwest Florida, and Oregon. Rev. Parini was ordained in 1978, less than two years after women were granted the priesthood in the Church. She was also instrumental in developing the first hospice ministry in Michigan and worked tirelessly for battered and abused women. Honoring her wishes, her remains will be cremated and returned to nature.
 
 

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Ep 115: Gregg Parini

Kyle Wagner is a teacher, coach, sports parent, author, and above all, a student advocate. A graduate of Wake Forest University where he also played baseball, Kyle has coached players of all ages, from grade school through college, including more than 40 student-athletes who went on to play collegiately as well as multiple first-round draft picks. He’s the author of “How the RiverCats Won: Lessons on Relationships and Competition,” as well as “Green Light Hitting: From the Backyards to the Big Leagues.” Founder of GoWags Baseball, Kyle joins Nick to discuss his belief in student advocacy, his skepticism to define a person by any one metric, and the three things that create a fear-based mindset in athletes.
 
 

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Ep 114: Kyle Wagner

Coach Othello “O.T.” Johnson is in his 13th season at the helm of the UNC Pembroke wrestling program, and his 18th season overall on the coaching staff of the Braves. Under his stewardship, more than 20 UNC Pembroke wrestlers have qualified for NCAA Championships while 26 wrestlers have been named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team. A fellow sports parent and the founder of Johnson Athletic Camps, O.T. and Nick discuss his new role as a softball parent, the importance of letting others teach and coach your children, and his perspective on today’s college recruiting landscape.
 
 

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Ep 113: O.T. Johnson

Libby Mascaro is a youth sports parent, soccer coach and mental health advocate. A standout high school soccer player who played collegiately at Penn State University, Mascaro is an experienced youth soccer coach with Beadling Soccer Club. A fierce advocate for mental health awareness, she co-founded the Upper St. Clair Parent Teacher Council Wellness Committee and volunteers her time to help support the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Libby joins Nick to discuss her passion for mental health advocacy, the commodification of young athletes in sports, particularly in youth soccer, and the importance of prioritizing the well-being of young athletes as they navigate the complex dynamics of sports and adolescence.
 
 

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Ep 112: Libby Mascaro

Greg Berge is a high school principal and boys’ varsity basketball coach in Lake City, MN. A teacher at heart, Berge’s passion for leadership led him to a career in school administration where he has served as a principal for 19 of his 29 years in education. In addition, he is a published author, owner of the GB1 Leadership LLC, and a Licensed Sports Leadership Facilitator through the Janssen Sports Leadership Center. Greg joins Nick to discuss “The 20 Commandments of Being a Successful Sports Parent,” his motto “No Deposit, No Returns,” and the importance of defining roles, collective leadership, and a positive team culture.
 
 

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Ep 111: Greg Berge

Adam Neuman is the Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the President for the Baltimore Ravens. A Baltimore, MD area native and licensed attorney, Neuman serves as strategic counsel and manages all administrative, operational, financial, and legal activities for the President of the organization. Prior to joining the Ravens in 2023, Neuman served as the Chief of Staff for Strategy and Operations & Deputy General Counsel for the Big Ten Conference. Adam joins Nick to discuss his sports business career path, the important life lessons you can learn from sports, and how to instill better values in youth sports.
 
 

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Ep 110: Adam Neuman

In celebration of our 100th episode, Nick turns over the mic to Peter Carlisle, Managing Director of Olympic & Action Sports at Octagon and Co-Founder of Reformed Sports, to lead the conversation about how the Reformed Sports Project came to be and their mission to help encourage families to make informed decisions. Nick and Peter discuss their commitment to advocate for a more balanced approach for kids, the pushback Nick received when he first started speaking out as a reformed sports parent, and his advice for parents feeling the pressure to conform to today’s youth sports culture.

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Ep 100: Nick Buonocore with Guest Host Peter Carlisle (Part 1)

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