Great question! Coaching and mentoring young athletes for years…..the three words I would emphasize are Accountability, Authenticity, and Consistency. I’ve coached some extremely talented young men over the years, but one thing I’ve learned is that talent gets you noticed, while your character determines how people remember you. I’ve always challenged athletes to understand that their personal brand isn’t just their highlights, social media following, or what they accomplish on game day. It’s how they respond to coaching, how they treat teammates, how they handle adversity, and what people say about them when they’re not in the room. As a parent, I also believe we have a responsibility to reinforce those values at home, not just expect coaches to develop them. Here’s something I’d challenge our athletes and parents to think about: Are the three words you WANT associated with your brand the same three words your coaches, teachers, and teammates would actually use to describe you? That’s where the real conversation about personal branding begins.

Great question, Dr. Keith! For me, the ONE lesson would be understanding the difference between making money and knowing what to do with it. Having spent years in corporate leadership and coaching young athletes, I’ve seen how much emphasis we place on preparing kids to earn opportunities, whether that’s a scholarship, NIL deal, or eventually a career. But how much time are we spending teaching them what happens AFTER the opportunity arrives? I would want every high school athlete to understand that just because you can afford something doesn’t mean you can afford the decision. Understanding financial obligations, delayed gratification, and the long-term consequences of short-term decisions is critical. The same discipline we demand in the classroom, weight room, and on the field should apply to managing money. And here’s something I think gets overlooked: We teach athletes how to recognize opportunities, but are we teaching them how to recognize when an opportunity isn’t in their best interest? I’d be interested in hearing from parents and former athletes: What’s one financial decision you wish someone had prepared you for before you turned 18?

Great conversation! One thing I would add is that we have to be careful not to place all the responsibility on this generation of athletes. As coaches, parents, and mentors, we have to ask ourselves whether we’re consistently demonstrating the same accountability, discipline, respect, and resilience we’re expecting from them. I’ve always believed character isn’t developed only through what we teach young athletes, but through what we allow, what we correct, and what we consistently reinforce. We’re quick to evaluate an athlete’s performance on Friday night or Saturday afternoon, but how often are we evaluating their growth as a person?

Great point @Dr Keith Brennan! I think one thing we underestimate is how much our daily habits influence our long-term performance. For student-athletes, I’d challenge them to start with one consistent habit outside of practice whether that’s getting an extra hour of sleep, focus on hydration, or putting the devices down earlier at night. Question for the community: What’s ONE healthy habit you wish you had developed earlier in life? Parents and former athletes, I’d especially love to hear your perspective.

@Dr Keith Brennan I like those 2. Definitely good to incorporate in your everyday life. Tips and habits from the field, court, etc that can benefit your daily function.

As a parent of an athlete, coach and mentor….one of my biggest concerns is that the business of sports is evolving faster than we’re preparing the young people participating in it. We’re having more conversations about NIL, transfer portals, exposure, rankings, and scholarships, but are we having enough conversations about character, financial responsibility, personal identity, and life after the game?