Guest Profiles for the Changing the Culture of Youth Sports Podcast
Presented by the CoachSafelySports Policy Institute
Linda Flanagan– A New York based free-lance (NY Times, The Atlantic, etc.) writer, with a degree from Oxford and a former analyst at Harvard. She is a former athlete and coach, and mother of three. She authored “Take Back the Game”, which brought a very fragmented youth sports story of chaos to a clear and impassioned narrative. She has testified before Congress and participates at national forums in youth sports around the country. Linda has a world-view of the youth sports ecosystem. Her narrative on the topic of changing youth sports has in-part become the national framing of the topic.
Coach Rhett Lashlee– The Head Football Coach at Southern Methodist University, at age 43 is the most accomplished college football coach of his generation. With Championship stints at Auburn and Miami, he has already brought a Championship and CFP berth to the Mustangs. He has great insights into the elite status of athletes and a real-world perspective as the father of four current youth sports athletes. He has a unique and first-hand insight into the business of making early-age talent evaluations as it effects parents in the youth sports. Coach Lashlee shares the truth about chasing a scholarship. He directly addresses policy leaders for their understanding and legislative support of the Coach Safely Act.
Allen Rice -Prior to becoming a national consultant to over 150 clients in government affairs and economic development, Allen led one of the largest and most profitable tax-bonded investments by a municipality in youth sports infrastructures and tourism in the country. From his earlier statewide background in public service and emergency response, Allen speaks to the imbalance of risk/reward for the citizenry. The municipality he led as City Manager became a national model for growth and development by leveraging youth sports. His insights are meaningful to policymakers. He has insights into balancing private equity and youth development.
Dr. James R. Andrews, MD– One of the most renown sports medicine surgeons that has taken care of the elite athletes of the past four decades. An arthroscopic surgery innovator, researcher and educator, he is credited with leading the sports medicine profession to an understanding of the impact of youth sports injuries. As President of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, he initiated the STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) for educating coaches and parents in injury recognition and prevention. Dr. Andrews is the visionary for educating parents (which represent 70 to 90% of youth coaches) in youth sports injury recognition and prevention. His book on the subject is “Any Given Monday”.
Dr. Erin Reynolds, Psy.D.– Based at Children’s Health in Plano, Texas she is a sports neuro-psychologist referred to nationally as America’s youth sports “concussion doctor”. She cares for the athletes currently playing forthe NFL-Dallas Cowboys, WNBA-Dallas Wings, and the MLS-FC Dallas as well as the DFW area schools and sports clubs. She speaks nationally about taking the uncertainty out of the post-concussion experience. She advocates that a concussion is in no-way predisposed to any sport but rather may be the result of any physical activity. Her insights into the treatable nature and return to play protocols are a standard of care. Every parent of a youth sports athlete should hear what she has to say.
Jon Solomon– As Research Director of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, he leads Project Play’s community work portfolio, national and local youth sports research, and media relations. Jon has authored more than 20 youth sports reports that outline the youth sports paradigm that we have come to know today. His insights into the disparate and highly commercialized patchwork of non-profits and for-profits are the most comprehensive and up-to-date. Jon has insights also into the very positive role coaches can play, and the role of a state-based youth sports commission in regulating the balance of economic development with the wellness benefits of youth sports.
Coach Bill Clark– Is a twice (Eddie Robinson and Sporting News) national “Coach of the Year”. Coach Clark has won three Conference USA Titles and has many other recognitions. But his larger contributions have been in developing the coaching profession through his national recognition by presenting at coaching clinics around the country for the last 25 years. Clark is a second-generation coach, after his dad, with a unique insight into the holistic responsibility of coaches to the health and well-being of the athletes they coach. He is the coach-centered voice for parents, administrators and coaches that leads to a change, “So They Will Play” for a lifetime and have every benefit of playing youth sports. Every parent wants to hear this message from a highly successful career and family-focused coach. In his role as the President of the CoachSafely Foundation, Coach Clark will be the messenger for training coaches across the country.
To Follow;
Sid Moreland, Attorney– As a major state influencer, he along with Dr. Andrews are responsible for passing the 2026 Louisiana Coach Safely Act. Professionally, Sid has arbitrated hundreds of civil and labor disputes throughout America since 1990. He has arbitrated over 2,000 disputes in virtually every industrial and economic sector covering an expansive range of issues. He has unique insight into the negligence liability risk associated with the care of athletes. The 2026 language of the Louisiana Coach Safely Act dealt directly with coach training as a mitigator in the liability risk of community sports stakeholders and the defense against complaints of negligence. Every sports administrator should know what he has to share.
Dr. Ekta Choudhary, PhD – Is an epidemiologist and public health executive with over a decade of experience leading national programs at the CDC. Her insights are in collaboration and systematic change strategies, equity and sustainability. She is focused on community impact using big data sets. Ekta has the insights into providing data for academic study and practical strategies for prevention of youth sports injuries. Her skills and insights can bring data to legislation that codifies real solutions to the high risk of injury in youth sports that has reached epidemic proportions.
Dr. Brian Christine, MD– Admiral Brian Christine serves as the 18th Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, he provides leadership on the nation’s public health priorities, including chronic disease prevention and efforts to strengthen the nation’s overall health. As part of the HHS Strategic Plan, the Healthy People 2030 initiative, supported by the National Youth Sports Strategy, aimed at reducing chronic diseases such as diabetes in youth, HHS has set a goal based on tracking physical activity through youth sports participation. The goal is to raise youth sports participation nationally to 63%. The southeast region, Texas through Florida up through Kentucky are well below that target of 63% youth sports participation. Dr. Christne has the insights into Federal support for state public health.
