Forged Youth | Legacy Within
Forged Youth: Legacy Within
What if the conversations you needed most as a teen athlete were finally being had, openly, honestly, and with purpose?
Forged Youth: Legacy Within is the podcast that equips youth athletes (ages 12–24), their parents, and coaches with the mental tools, emotional resilience, and life insight to rise above the noise and grow into strong, intentional human beings.
Each episode features real, raw conversations with professional athletes, CEOs, and cultural leaders sharing what they wish they knew when they were younger. We unpack topics like mental grit, overcoming adversity, identity beyond sport, and building a life of purpose, even when things fall apart.
Hosted by former elite athlete and mental health advocate Mariel Nichole Anderson, this podcast is your companion through the messy middle of chasing big dreams, and becoming someone even bigger in the process.
Because you weren’t born to just survive sport. You were made to be forged by it.
Forged Youth | Legacy Within
Latest Episodes
Ep. 49 - Rewriting the Rules of Masculinity and Leadership with CFL All-Star Nathan Rourke
Athletes will spend hours chasing improvement, overlooking the one thing that sets the great apart: mindset. Still living his dream as a professional quarterback, Nathan Rourke knows this story firsthand and shares it with us this week on...
Ep. 48 - What Teen Athletes Need to Know About Nutrition & Mindset with Coach Elliot Allen
What if the thing holding your athlete back is what they're eating, how they're sleeping, and who they're spending time with?In this episode, Mariel sits down with Coach Elliot Allen, sports performance coach, former college football pla...
Ep. 47 - Neurodivergent Athletes & Why the Youth Sports System Is Broken with Dan Mickle
What does it actually take to perform at your best without burning out, breaking down, or trying to squeeze yourself into a system that was never built for you?In this episode, Mariel sits down with Dan Mickle, Mental Performance Coach, ...
Ep. 46 - Breathe, Visualize, Compete: An Olympian's Playbook for Young Athletes
What happens when a Swiss national champion swimmer finally gets access to the mental tools that could have changed? That's exactly the question David Karasek sits with, and it's the reason he now dedicates his life to giving young athletes wha...
Ep. 45 - Learn to Crash: The Coaching Philosophy That Changes Everything with Robert Fegg
What does it take to coach athletes hurtling down an icy track at 140+ km/h and build the mental toughness to match? This week, Mariel sits down with Robert Fegg, Head Coach of the Canadian National Luge Team, for a conversation that goes far b...
Fan Mail
Hi, my name is Geoff. I was at Mariel's presentation in Chilliwack last night and I listened to her story on her podcast this morning. My son is in Grade 11 and was there also, and I am going to try to get him to listen to the podcast as well for the mental training aspect. Thank you for speaking with all the kids and coaches last night about a part of the training regimen that doesn't always get the attention that it deserves.
Chilliwack, BC