The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Youth sports can feel like a treadmill you can’t step off—more time, more money, more pressure, and a nagging fear that if you don’t start at age six, you’ve missed your chance. In this episode, Ginny Yurich sits down with Pure Athlete co-founder and Parenting the Pure Athlete author Britt Lee to zoom out and ask the question parents rarely get to ask: what is this really all for? Britt unpacks why most kids quit organized sports by early adolescence, why “early dominance” doesn’t predict much before puberty, and how the real ROI isn’t a scholarship—it’s the transferable stuff: resilience, belief, coachability, leadership, and learning to handle nerves when it matters. They talk time audits, parental body language, why the car ride home can make or break a kid’s love of the game, and how to keep sports from stealing family culture while still letting it build something lasting.

Learn more about Britt and all he has to offer here

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Anne-Laure Le Cunff—founder of Ness Labs and author of Tiny Experiments—joins Ginny Yurich to offer a freeing alternative to the ladder-climbing, goal-obsessed script so many of us are living by. Drawing from her own pivot from Google to startups to neuroscience, she explains why uncertainty isn’t a problem to solve—it’s a place where you can learn who you actually are, one tiny experiment at a time. This conversation is super practical and it's hopeful—especially for parents raising kids in a world that worships productivity. If you’ve been pushing hard, feeling behind, or quietly wondering if you’re building the wrong life, this episode will help you trade pressure for curiosity—and make room for more play, presence, and real progress.

Get your copy of Tiny Experiments here

Learn about Anne-Laure and all she has to offer here
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In this warm, science-backed conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with developmental researchers Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Dr. Roberta Golinkoff—the longtime collaborators behind the newly revised Einstein Never Used Flashcards—to name what so many parents feel but can’t quite put into words: childhood has been sped up, pressured, optimized, and drained of joy. They unpack why “earlier” doesn’t mean “better,” how screens and constant distraction are reshaping family life and even college campuses, and why play isn’t extra—it’s the way kids build flexible, future-ready brains (and calmer homes). If you’ve been parenting with a low-grade panic that your child is falling behind, this episode offers something better than another checklist: relief, perspective, and a simple path back to connection.

Get your copy of Einstein Never Used Flashcards here

Learn more about Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and all she has to offer here

Learn more about Dr. Roberta Golinkoff and all she has to offer here

Follow their practical parenting clips at @drkathyanddrro.
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Ginny Yurich sits down with neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Majid Fotuhi to flip the script on what most of us assume about memory: it isn’t something you either “have” or “lose”—it’s a skill you can build. Drawing from decades of work with brain health, ADHD, concussion recovery, and cognitive decline, Dr. Fotuhi explains why everyday forgetfulness is often normal (and not an automatic sign of Alzheimer’s), then gives a clear, doable framework for getting sharper at any age through his five pillars of brain health—exercise, sleep, nutrition, stress reduction, and brain training. You’ll hear why movement supercharges the brain, why racquet sports and “thinking + motion” activities are especially powerful for kids and adults, how to make names and information stick by adding emotion and play, what’s actually happening during menopause brain fog, and why optimism and purpose aren’t just nice ideas—they’re linked to real changes in the brain. This episode is practical, hopeful, and immediately motivating—you’ll finish it feeling like your brain isn’t fragile… it’s trainable. So exciting!!

Get your copy of The Invincible Brain here

Learn more about Dr. Fotuhi and all he has to offer here
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Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Ross W. Greene to examine a hard truth: if consequences were going to fix chronic behavior challenges, they would have worked by now. Greene’s central premise—kids do well if they can—shifts the focus away from motivation and toward lagging skills and unsolved problems. In this conversation, they unpack why the same students are repeatedly punished, why taking away recess often makes things worse, and how reacting in the moment keeps adults “late” instead of proactive. You’ll hear a practical framework for identifying predictable triggers, listening in a way that builds clarity rather than conflict, and solving problems collaboratively without lowering expectations. This episode is a thoughtful look at what actually changes outcomes—for the kids who are struggling most and for everyone around them.

https://livesinthebalance.org/Get your copy of The Kids Who Aren’t OkayGet your copy of The Explosive Child

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