Artwork for podcast Car Ride Conversations For Sports Families
Build Better Habits for Youth Athlete- Make It Easy
Episode 52 • 19th January 2026 • Car Ride Conversations For Sports Families • Valerie Alston
00:00:00 00:16:44

Share Episode

Shownotes

Making Habits Stick: Simple Strategies for Athletes and Parents

In this episode of Car Ride Conversations for Sports Families, host Valerie Alston explores how to make big goals attainable by shrinking habits to ensure they stick. Drawing inspiration from 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear, Valerie discusses the importance of making good habits easy to start and emphasizes the value of consistency over perfection. She offers actionable advice on breaking down daunting tasks into manageable steps, piggybacking new habits on existing ones, and making bad habits harder to start. Ideal for parents and young athletes, this podcast aims to foster mental toughness, resilience, and confidence through practical, everyday conversations.

00:00 Introduction to Effective Habits

00:49 Understanding the Third Law of Behavior Change

01:42 Making Habits Easy to Start

04:04 Practical Examples for Athletes and Students

05:34 Attaching New Habits to Existing Routines

06:33 Eliminating Bad Habits

08:10 Building Mental Toughness and Discipline

10:49 Conversation Prompts and Challenges

15:19 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Atomic Habits link: https://amzn.to/49rZNP4


Discussion questions:

  1. What habit feels hardest to start right now?
  2. How could we shrink that habit so it feels easier to begin?
  3. What daily routine could we attach that habit to?
  4. What’s one distraction we could make harder to access during school or practice prep?



Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go.

For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletter

For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology

If you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here.


Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for Parents

Have an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com

Follow Me on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666


Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube

More Episodes
52. Build Better Habits for Youth Athlete- Make It Easy
00:16:44
51. Build Better Habits: Law 2 - Make it Attractive
00:20:13
50. Build better habits - Law 1: Make it Obvious
00:21:06
49. When the Season Feels Like a Slump
00:22:06
48. Making Friends with Failure
00:20:55
47. The 24-Hour Rule for Post-Performance Reflection
00:20:10
46. Gratitude in Action: Family Conversations to Build Connection and Appreciation This Thanksgiving
00:18:16
45. The Power of Gratitude: How Thankfulness Builds Mental Toughness in Young Athletes
00:21:54
44. You Matter - How One Softball Tournament is Changing the Game
00:14:08
43. Sports, Mental Health, and the Power of Belonging
00:21:10
42. When Adults Forget It’s Just a Game
00:23:06
41. Communication, Character, and Coaching with Class
00:19:27
40. Coaching Your Own Kid Without Losing Your Mind
00:16:22
39. The Calm Switch
00:19:34
38. Why Visualization Isn’t Just for Pros
00:16:28
37. How Athletes Can Stay Strong Mentally During Injury Recovery
00:22:21
36. Starting Late, Learning Fast: A Teen’s First Steps Into Competitive Sports
00:16:14
35. Game Day Self-Talk Scripts
00:17:57
34. The Focus Filter
00:19:11
33. Small Wins, Big Confidence
00:16:08
32. The “What If” Trap: How to Stay in the Moment and Play Your Best
00:14:02
30. From Middle School Mayhem to Meaningful Moments -What Coaching Taught Us About Connection
00:15:17
31. The Fadeout Effect: Why Kids’ Mental-Skills Training Needs Community Reinforcement
00:13:56
29. What Coaching Can Teach You About Parenting: Pressure, Mistakes, and Raising Strong Kids
00:14:37
28. What It Really Means to Be Confident, Calm & Clutch – And How to Show Up in the Big Moments
00:20:41
27. Regulate Your Body, Own the Moment
00:21:49
26. REFLECT to Improve: Turning Every Practice into a Confidence Booster
00:20:20
25. Talk Like a Champion: Mastering the Art of Confident Self-Talk
00:18:44
24. Striking Out & Showing Up: Building Resilience When Sports Get Hard
00:15:47
23. Embracing Joy Over Stats: What Really Matters in the Youth Sports Journey
00:22:24
22. Lessons from the Dugout - How Great Coaches Use Humor and Trust to Win Games and Hearts in Youth Sports
00:14:43
21. Parenting Through the Recruiting Process: How to Support Without Stressing Out
00:18:59
20. College Recruiting 101: Letting Athletes Lead, Taking Feedback, and Avoiding Burnout
00:22:59
19. The Hidden Gaps in Travel Ball: Why Your Athlete May Not Be College Ready
00:20:53
18. One Pitch At A Time: Sneak Peek into a Heartwarming Children's Book
00:17:48
17. What Can Youth Athletes Learn from Shedeur Sanders Fall Down the NFL Draft
00:17:26
16. “Would you rather?” Questions for the WIN!
00:09:25
15. 5 Mental Skills That Fueled Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters Victory
00:16:11
14. From Choking to Clutch - A Sports Psych Coach’s Journey to Mental Strength
00:14:40
13. From Self-Criticism to Success: Helping Young Athletes Thrive
00:15:57
12. Managing Two Hats - The Challenges of Coaching Your Own Child
00:20:21
11. Balancing Parent-Coach Dynamics: A Conversation with My Dad
00:17:40
10. Balancing Guidance and Play—The Importance of Having Fun Together
00:12:15
9. Opening Day Mindset—Starting the Season Strong
00:19:18
8. Switching Gears—Transitioning from Regular Season to Postseason
00:14:31
7. How to Handle Conflict with Teammates or Coaches
00:12:42
6. How to Build Your Champion Support Team
00:15:06
5. Balancing Competition and Team Support in Sports
00:17:02
4. What Does It Mean to Be a Good Teammate?
00:10:50
3. The Confidence Formula - Help your young athlete build the confidence they need to succeed
00:14:26
2. Why Do You Play Sports?
00:10:45
1. Welcome to Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations
00:15:20