Alyssa Tormala

After my conversation with Hannah Huppi, something clicked for me about what high performance really means. We often focus on the grind and the glory, but Hannah highlighted something many people overlook: the return. She rowed over 600 miles across the Arctic Ocean, set world records, and came home forever changed. Same city, same routines — but a different woman. Achieving something that big is incredibly hard. What many underestimate is what comes after — how do you integrate that experience and step back into daily life as a new version of yourself? Parents face this constantly. After a breakthrough or defining moment, normal life rushes back in. The real question is: Will you honor the person you’ve become, or slowly slip back into your old patterns? That’s what Parentshift is really about. Hannah Huppi episode link — https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bZe0dsB38e4HR6AD3QK5b?si=bb89bfca75d04df4 ParentShift course 30% off with the code "TRIBE". Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Parentshift book: https://www.amazon.com/PARENTSHIFT-SKILLS-BECOME-SUPER-PARENT-ebook/dp/B091Z11QTZ

Hannah Huppi is a world-class rower and adventurer who became the first American woman to row across a polar ocean. In 2025, she set multiple world records in the Arctic Ocean, including the fastest crossing at 10 days and 5 hours. A former USA National Team member, she represented the United States in beach sprint coastal rowing, earned a historic World Championship medal, and was voted USRowing Female Coastal Athlete of the Year. Beyond sport, Hannah is an entrepreneur who has co-founded and sold startups in fitness, rowing, and real estate tech. As a dedicated wife and mother to a young daughter, she brings the same grit and resilience to family life while continuing to train, compete, and pursue bold adventures. In this episode, she shares her honest journey of navigating intense training, expeditions, business, and motherhood. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa  Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Connect with Hannah Huppi  Instagram: @hannah_huppi  Website: hannahmakeswaves.com You can explore more of Hernan’s work on his website, https://www.hernanchousa.com/.

Welcome to the 26th Monday Reset for Sports Parents, a short reflection inside The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe. Each Monday Reset brings you one word, one idea, and one mindset to help you start the week calm, clear, and connected.  Today’s word is Resilience — a core skill for sports parents to develop in their children, helping them learn to recover from mistakes, losses, and difficulties in youth sports.  It’s not about toughening them up or ignoring their emotions — it’s about allowing them to face challenges directly, process setbacks, and build the mental strength and adaptability needed to keep moving forward.  After a tough practice or game, resist the urge to fix or protect immediately; instead, support them while giving space to reflect and recover on their own.  Take a breath. Reset. And remember—every challenge they face, with you beside them, becomes strength they carry forward. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa  Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa

After speaking with Shane Watson, i9 Sports franchise owner, my perspective on youth sports shifted. His daughter was shy and quiet at age 4. Instead of pushing her or rushing into one sport, they let her try multiple sports — soccer, baseball, basketball — in a low-pressure environment. Over time, her confidence grew. She started speaking up, engaging more, and showing up differently. This short note reminds us: Sports aren’t just about performance — they’re about building identity and confidence. Most parents focus on talent and early specialization. But real growth happens when kids feel safe enough to try, fail, and try again. Confidence isn’t the result of being the best… it’s the starting point. The right environment doesn’t just develop athletes — it develops confident people. Shane Watson Podcast link -- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MiuGqmn6RhC8fBngQGYN0?si=LTaxFOMmROuCVOAh0TEnlQ ParentShift course 30% off with the code "TRIBE". Link below: ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Parentshift book: https://www.amazon.com/PARENTSHIFT-SKILLS-BECOME-SUPER-PARENT-ebook/dp/B091Z11QTZ

Shane Watson is a former professional baseball player who was drafted by the Phillies out of high school in Lakewood, California. After nearly a decade in pro baseball, he transitioned into youth sports by becoming an i9 Sports franchise owner in Southern California. As a husband and father, Shane is actively involved in coaching his children’s teams, including running 6U and youth baseball programs with the LMB Sluggers. He brings firsthand insight from both sides: the high-pressure, year-round demands he experienced as a kid that caused him to miss many normal childhood moments, and his current mission to make youth sports more fun, accessible, and developmentally appropriate for today’s families. Shane is also a homeschooling dad who values the flexibility and family focus that his work in youth sports now provides. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa  Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Connect with Shane Watson  Instagram: @shaneomacc11  i9 Sports Franchise (Southern California) You can explore more of Hernan’s work on his website, https://www.hernanchousa.com/.

Welcome to the 25th Monday Reset for Sports Parents, a short reflection inside The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe.  Each Monday Reset brings you one word, one idea, and one mindset to help you start the week calm, clear, and connected.  Today’s word is Responsibility — a key awareness for sports parents to develop, recognizing how teaching your child to own their effort, choices, and outcomes builds essential life skills in youth sports.  It’s not about taking on more tasks yourself — it’s about gradually shifting age-appropriate responsibility to your child so they learn accountability, problem-solving, and self-reliance rather than depending on constant parental direction. Before the next training session or game, pause and ask: Am I stepping in where my child could step up?  Adjust by giving them space to manage their preparation, attitude, and response to challenges.  Take a breath. Reset. Your balanced approach to responsibility becomes the solid foundation where your child learns to take ownership and truly grows as both an athlete and a person. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa  Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa

After interviewing Alyssa Tormala on the podcast, I found myself thinking more deeply about how parents choose schools—and one idea kept coming up: we’re asking the wrong question. Most conversations focus on which system is better—online or traditional—but that debate misses what actually matters, because school is doing something far more powerful than delivering information; it’s shaping something underneath. In this short note, I share a different way to look at education—one that shifts the focus away from content and toward something most parents overlook, a small change in perspective that can completely alter how you choose where your child grows. Because the real impact of a school isn’t what it teaches, it’s who your child becomes inside it. Alyssa Tormala Podcast link -- https://open.spotify.com/episode/2CSZYcZ10xLfPERQKkYIan?si=ba781aa3ec434fe7 ParentShift course 30% off with the code "TRIBE". Link below: ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Parentshift book: https://www.amazon.com/PARENTSHIFT-SKILLS-BECOME-SUPER-PARENT-ebook/dp/B091Z11QTZ

Alyssa Tormala is an experienced education leader with nearly 20 years in private and independent schools. She currently serves as Head of School at Laurel Springs School, where she leads academic strategy, oversees faculty, and supports students and families in high-achievement environments. Before moving into education, Alyssa spent over six years practicing law after earning her Juris Doctor from Stanford University. Her transition from law to education reflects a deep interest in human development, learning systems, and how people perform under pressure. Throughout her career, Alyssa has worked closely with driven students and families navigating high expectations, competitive environments, and long-term goals. Her leadership focuses on building systems that promote not only achievement, but also adaptability, confidence, and personal growth. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Connect with Alyssa Tormala LinkedIn: Alytormala Website: Laurel Springs Instagram: @laurelsprings Facebook: laurelspringsschool Youtube: Laurel Springs School You can explore more of Hernan's work on his website, https://www.hernanchousa.com/.

Welcome to the 24th Monday Reset for Sports Parents, a short reflection inside The Youth Sports Parenting Tribe. Each Monday Reset brings you one word, one idea, and one mindset to help you start the week calm, clear, and connected.  Today’s word is Expectations — a crucial pause for sports parents to take, noticing how the silent forecasts and benchmarks you carry can either lift your child up or quietly steal the joy from their youth sports journey. It’s not about giving up on dreams — it’s about freeing expectations from perfection and comparison, so they rest on presence, personal effort, and the simple pleasure of playing the game. Before the next practice, car ride home, or weekend tournament, check in with yourself: Are your expectations lighting a fire or casting a shadow? Gently loosen them to spotlight the growth happening right now.  Take a breath. Reset. Your balanced expectations create a practical structure that enables your child to pursue excellence while maintaining freedom and enjoyment. ParentShift course 30% off with the code TRIBE. Link below:   ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa  Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa

After interviewing rower Cara Stawicki on the podcast, my perspective on late bloomers shifted. Most parents think if talent hasn’t shown up by a certain age, it never will. That’s not how performance works. Cara started rowing at 18, made the national team at 34, and won gold in her late 30s. The game-changer? She stopped seeing herself as “just someone who works hard” and started seeing herself as a racer who competes and goes for results.Once that clicked, everything followed. In this short note I share why time is not the enemy (impatience is), how persistence is built through friction instead of being removed, and why identity is the real driver of performance. Skills and reps matter, but how our kids see themselves when things stop working is what decides everything. Cara Stawicki Podcast link -- https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vlIvldKM0VrsoVDGEu1AA?si=4arEn1mkRpepsHlTwiqjkg ParentShift course 30% off with the code "TRIBE". Link below:  ParentShift (English): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/parentshift?ref=c23daa  Entrena Tu Legado (Spanish): https://www.hernanchousa.com/courses/entrenatulegado?ref=c23daa Parentshift book: https://www.amazon.com/PARENTSHIFT-SKILLS-BECOME-SUPER-PARENT-ebook/dp/B091Z11QTZ