The Ready State Podcast2 Loka 2025

From Injury to Recovery: The Truth About ACL Rehab for Young Athletes with Coach Carmen Bott

ACL tears used to be rare in high school sports. Today, they’re an epidemic. Behind the headlines, there’s one voice cutting through the noise with hard truths, practical solutions, and decades of experience: Coach Carmen Bott. Known online as “Coach Bott,” she’s become the go-to expert on youth athletic development and late-stage ACL rehab, guiding parents, athletes, and coaches through one of the most pressing crises in sports performance.

In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with Coach Bott to dig into why so many kids are getting hurt, why recovery takes longer than most parents realize, and how we can protect the next generation of athletes.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

Why ACL rehab isn’t 12 weeks—it’s a full year
The difference between yesterday’s athletes and today’s single-sport kids
Red flags parents should watch for in youth sport programs
How to support kids when insurance and the system fall short
The myths around strength training and growth in young athletes
Why prevention starts with play, variety, and strength—not fear
The real story behind the menstrual cycle and ACL injury debates

Key Highlights:

(00:00) - Intro

(00:54) - Carmen's Background

(05:26) - Athletes 25 Years Ago

(10:00) - Good Rehab Program Criteria

(13:18) - Ideal Club System for Athletes

(16:40) - Supporting Kids in Sports

(23:46) - Post-Acute Rehab Strategies

(29:32)) - Return to Play: Getting Fitter

(32:23) - Importance of Exposure in Rehab

(39:34) - Returning to Contact Sports

(44:51) - Preventing ACL Injuries in Kids

(52:30) - Menstrual Cycle and Athletic Performance

(56:04) - Myth Busting in Sports

(58:20) - Where to Find Carmen

(59:34) - Outro

Jaksot(204)

RECESS: Hiking the Haute Route, Thorne Sold to P&G, Kasia Niewiadoma's Historic Climb & GLP-1 Watch

View This Week's Show NotesWe're back from one of the most bonkers trips of our lives. Juliet and I just finished hiking the Haute Route, the classic alpine traverse from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, ...

13 Elo 31min

Fitness Should Be FUN: Caleb Marshall on Joy, Inclusion & ACL Recovery | The Fitness Marshall

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushMovement doesn't have to feel like punishment to improve your health. In fact, Caleb Marsh...

6 Elo 1h 11min

RECESS: Surviving a Zambezi Hippo Attack - Juliet Starrett's Extreme Whitewater World Championship Story

Juliet and I have told pieces of this story over the years, but we've never sat down and told the whole thing from the beginning. This episode, I'm turning the tables and interviewing Juliet, because ...

30 Heinä 1h 4min

Happy Athletes Perform Better: A Coach's Guide to Beating Performance Anxiety | Marin Lazic

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushMarin Lazic believes the best athletes aren't just physically prepared – they're mentally ...

23 Heinä 1h 13min

RECESS: 200 Episodes, Kelly's Sledgehammer Incident, Klamath River Reset & A Modifiable Dementia Risk

It's our 200th episode of RECESS, and Juliet and I are marking the milestone with laughs, a little blood, and a lot of gratitude. We look back at the last 50 episodes — we runs through the extraordina...

16 Heinä 33min

The Mindset Behind Longevity, Injury Recovery, & Elite Performance | John John Florence

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushWhat does it take to stay at the top of your sport for decades – physically and mentally? ...

9 Heinä 1h 7min

RECESS: Kate Courtney's Road Cycling Takeover, Surgery Nutrition, Fueling Elite Athletes, and the Coffee Wars

In this episode of RECESS, Juliet and I open with a massive shoutout to local legend Kate Courtney — who, after winning mountain biking world championships, the Leadville 100 record, and a long course...

2 Heinä 34min

The Science of Stress, Safety, & Nervous System Regulation | Dr. David Rabin

View This Week's Show NotesStart Your 7-Day Trial to Mobility CoachJoin Our Free Weekly Newsletter: The AmbushWhat if the key to better sleep, recovery, focus, and lasting behavior change isn't anothe...

25 Kesä 1h 23min