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The Sports Mom Playbook

The Sports Mom Playbook

By: Rachel Heller
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Summary
 Welcome to The Sports Mom Playbook, the podcast for moms navigating the beautiful chaos of youth sports and motherhood.

Hosted by Rachel Heller — a Jersey girl, baseball mom, soccer mom, and coach’s wife — this show is for the moms running on cold coffee, packed schedules, camp chairs, and unconditional love for their kids.

Each week, Rachel dives into the real side of youth sports with honest conversations, relatable stories, practical advice, and the moments people don’t talk about enough. From sideline struggles and mom guilt to big wins, tough losses, and everything in between, no topic is off limits.

But this podcast isn’t just about raising athletes. It’s also about the woman behind it all — motherhood, marriage, friendships, identity, aging, hormones, and navigating life in this season. With humor, heart, and her unapologetically spicy personality, Rachel is your built-in bestie through it all. Because behind every athlete is a mom making it happen.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-sports-mom-playbook--6315731/support.Rachel Heller Parenting & Families Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 43. The Heartbreak of Missing Someone Your Child Never Met

    43. The Heartbreak of Missing Someone Your Child Never Met
    6 Nov 2026
    How do you help your child miss someone they never had the chance to know?

    Grief takes on a different meaning when you become a mom. You're not only mourning the person you lost, but also the memories your children will never get to make with them. The grandparents who won't be cheering from the sidelines, the birthdays they'll miss, and the stories your children will only know through you.

    In this deeply personal episode of The Sports Mom Playbook, Rachel Heller opens up about navigating grief as a mother, answering the difficult questions children ask about loved ones who have passed away, and finding meaningful ways to keep their memories alive.

    Rachel shares practical, heartfelt ways to talk to children about loss, honor family traditions, and make space for grief without hiding the emotions that make us human.

    Because grief doesn't follow a timeline, and sometimes the greatest gift we can give our children is the story of someone they never got to meet.

    In this episode, you'll discover:
    • How to talk to children about loved ones they've lost or never met
    • Why grieving the relationship your child never had can be especially painful
    • Simple ways to keep a loved one's memory alive through everyday moments
    • Why it's okay for your children to see you grieve
    • How to navigate milestones, holidays, and the moments when someone's absence feels especially heavy
    If you've ever wished someone you loved could be standing beside you at your child's game, graduation, or birthday, this conversation is for you.

    Because love doesn't have an expiration date.

    Subscribe for weekly conversations helping sports moms navigate youth athletics with confidence, perspective, and practical tools.

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    Connect with us at:
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsportsmommvp
    Website: https://www.thesportsmomplaybook.com/

    Shop The Official Sports Mom MVP Merch: https://officialsportsmommvp.myshopify.com/

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    Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs
    Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-sports-mom-playbook--6315731/support.

    Connect with Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsmomplaybook/

    Shop: https://officialsportsmommvp.myshopify.com/
    Show more Show less
    16 min
  • 42. Sports Mom Confessions: The Things We’re All Thinking

    42. Sports Mom Confessions: The Things We’re All Thinking
    30 Oct 2026
    Do sports moms secretly hate youth sports sometimes?

    Let's talk about the things parents think at games, practices, and tournaments—but would NEVER actually say out loud.

    In this episode of The Sports Mom Playbook, Rachel gets real about the emotional side of being a sports mom: youth sports burnout, parental guilt, jealousy over playing time, difficult coaches and referees, tournament exhaustion, the financial cost of youth sports, comparison with other families, and the constant pressure to be the “perfect” sports parent.

    Because here's the truth: you can love your child AND be exhausted by their sports schedule.

    You can be proud of another athlete while wondering why your child isn't getting the same opportunity.

    You can support your child's dream while questioning whether the time, money, travel, and stress are sustainable.

    And you can occasionally hope practice gets rained out without losing your Sports Mom of the Year nomination.

    Rachel breaks down why these thoughts happen and offers four simple ways to handle them:
    → Name the thought
    → Ask what's underneath it
    → Find a safe person to talk to
    → Separate the thought from the action

    This episode also tackles one of the hardest questions sports moms quietly ask themselves: “Am I a good mom?”If you're navigating competitive youth sports, travel baseball, club soccer, volleyball, basketball, cheer, gymnastics, or any other demanding youth sports schedule, this conversation is a reminder that you're not the only parent feeling stretched thin.

    Being overwhelmed doesn't mean you don't support your athlete. It means you're human.

    Watch the full episode and send it to the sports mom who gets the 10 PM tournament-text rant.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-sports-mom-playbook--6315731/support.

    Connect with Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsmomplaybook/

    Shop: https://officialsportsmommvp.myshopify.com/
    Show more Show less
    13 min
  • 41. Sports Mom Guilt: What to Do When You Can’t Be at Every Game

    41. Sports Mom Guilt: What to Do When You Can’t Be at Every Game
    9 Oct 2026
    Two kids. Two fields. Two schedules. And somehow, only one of you.

    In this episode of The Sports Mom Playbook, Rachel gets real about one of the hardest parts of raising multiple kids in sports: what happens when everyone needs you at the exact same time?
    From conflicting game schedules and missing shin guards to the sibling who spends every weekend on someone else’s sideline, Rachel shares practical ways to manage the chaos without letting mom guilt take over.

    She also tackles the game you inevitably have to miss, how to help every child feel seen even when you can't divide your time equally, and why being fully present matters more than being physically present at every single game.

    Plus, Rachel shares her seven-part “Two Fields Playbook” with simple strategies you can start using this week to make sports weekends a little less overwhelming.

    Because your kids don't need a perfect sports mom. They need to know you're in their corner.


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-sports-mom-playbook--6315731/support.

    Connect with Rachel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsmomplaybook/

    Shop: https://officialsportsmommvp.myshopify.com/
    Show more Show less
    16 min
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