Episode 38: The Conversation That Changes Everything: Why Young People Don't Need Another Lecture

Young people don't need adults who have all the answers. They need adults willing to ask better questions.

Tony shares why authentic mentorship begins with listening, how vulnerability creates trust, and why mental wellness, life skills, and human connection should never exist on the margins of education.

Every generation asks the same question in a different way:

How do we prepare young people for the future?

We invest in academics.
We celebrate athletic achievement.
We encourage college and careers.

But somewhere along the way, too many young people are left to navigate life's hardest questions on their own.

Who do I become?
Where do I belong?
Who can I trust?
What happens when I struggle?

Tony Covington believes those questions deserve more than advice.

They deserve relationships.

After transitioning from professional athletics into entrepreneurship and nonprofit leadership, Tony founded I Am Underdog to help young people build confidence, strengthen their mental wellness, develop life skills, and discover pathways they may never have imagined for themselves.

In this three-part conversation, we explore why mentorship changes lives, what schools and communities can do differently, and how each of us can become part of the village every young person deserves.