MEET THE TEAM
Dr. Megan Stellino
Founder + Executive Director
Dr. Megan Babkes Stellino is the Founder and Executive Director of Mindful Sport Parenting. As a former NCAA DI collegiate gymnast, she combines her 20+ years of experience as a Professor, researcher and educator in the Psychology of Sport, Exercise & Physical Activity focused on studying and teaching about social influences, motivation and developmental aspects of youth sport WITH her 15 years, thus far, as a Mom of two boys who are competitive athletes, to create this evidence-based community of practice to make navigating the SPORT PARENTING journey one that is informed and guided with purpose, intention and clarity.
Zac McCarver
Director of Research + Community of Practice
Zac McCarver is a social psychology researcher at the University of Northern Colorado. Growing up in St. Paul, MN, he was fortunate to participate in a wide array of sports throughout his childhood. His parents were instrumental in not only providing him with sport opportunities, but giving him opportunities to learn and grow. Retrospectively, Zac was always curious why his experiences were so much different than those around him. His curiosity propelled him to understand why his experiences were vastly different, and at times, more enjoyable than his peers. Zac is currently a fourth year doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado studying social psychological influences and experiences in youth sport. His role on the Mindful Sport Parenting team is to combine his scientific training with translational approaches to build a community of practice to facilitate optimal parent-child experiences in youth sport. Zac hopes to use this opportunity to provide other parents and children the same that his parents so diligently provided him in the landscape of competitive youth sport.
Danielle Wong
Director of Evidence Team
Danielle is a current graduate student at the University of Northern Colorado who grew up immersed in water sports in sunny California. With the support of her mother and sister, she swam competitively through college and pursued her academic goals. Danielle’s sport experiences and studies further drew her passions to positive youth development and body image research. Her goal is to support children and parents as they navigate through the youth sport experience.
Sami Stelpflug
Director of Creative Media + Marketing
Sami is currently a master’s student at the University of Northern Colorado studying social psychology of sport and physical activity. She grew up playing most recreational sports before specializing in swimming in middle school, along with her siblings. She was very grateful for the amount of love, support and investment from her parents throughout the many highs and lows that came with being an athlete. Sami is passionate about equipping parents with tools to help them and their kiddos have the most enjoyable youth sport experience and beyond.
Danielle Belcher
Director of Research + Supplemental Materials
Danielle is an undergraduate student in the school of sport and exercise science at the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently pursuing a graduate education in sport psychology and is continuing into her master’s degree in the Fall of 2022. She also has a history of being involved with competitive gymnastics throughout her childhood, which is what sparked her curiosity for how psychology effects sports. She was lucky enough to have very mindful parents and wants to help educate other parents through bridging the gap between research and practice by helping parents translate resources to actual day-to-day practices. She is very eager to learn and help push mindful sport parenting to reach as many parents as possible.
Dannon G. Cox, Ph.D.
Director of Media Production + Processes
Dannon G. Cox, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor with the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Northern Colorado. With 18 years of experience as a videographer, Dannon brings a unique skill set to public health, using digital media as a research and pedagogical tool. Dannon's research focuses on digital media pedagogies, professional development, higher education programming, yoga education, and media portraiture. Dannon practices daily headstands, enjoys camping in the middle of nowhere, and staying hydrated.
Jess Kirby, Ph.D.
Director of Translation + Application for Community Impact
Dr. Jess Kirby is an Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Center for Critical Sport Studies at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She brings 12+ years of experience as a professor, researcher, and community health promotion practitioner along with 10 years of experience as a mom of two girls who are exploring the many possibilities sport has to offer. Dr. Kirby is passionate about and committed to optimizing the well-being of athletes at all levels by building quality relationships and transformative communities through sport and physical activity spaces. She is a former high school volleyball player and a current recreational CrossFit athlete. Dr. Kirby grew up in a sport-oriented family with three brothers who played a variety of sports and with parents who encouraged them to pursue excellence in the activities that brought them the most joy. With one of her siblings a 12-year NFL veteran, Dr. Kirby brings depth of personal experience in the journey families take in navigating sport together from the pee-wee level, all the way up through college and professional levels of competition. She is thrilled to support the Mindful Sport Parenting community as we bring purpose, intention, and clarity to the realm of sport parenting.
