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
Forged by the Fire
From Volleyball Courts to Life’s Crossroads | Mariel’s Story of Grit and Survival
What if the mental skills you learn in sports could actually save your life? For mental performance coach Mariel Anderson, they did.
In this powerful episode, Mariel takes us deep into her journey, from being a homeschooled kid who barely knew how to play sports, to discovering her love for volleyball, rising as a national athlete, and training under a visionary coach who taught her the secrets of mental toughness. But her story doesn’t end with medals and victories.
A single night at nationals changed everything when Mariel experienced a traumatic assault that derailed her athletic dreams and left her fighting for her identity, her future, and her mental health.
Hear how the mental tools she learned on the volleyball court became her lifeline through trauma, how she rebuilt her life from zero more than once, and why she’s dedicated her career to helping young athletes develop the grit and resilience to navigate both sport and life’s toughest moments.
This is not just a story about sports, it’s a raw, honest look at the power of mindset, healing, and forging strength from unimaginable pain.
Tune in and discover why Forged Youth | Legacy Within exists , and how the same mental skills that make champions on the court can save lives off it.
