He Said, Son Said

About He Said, Son Said

Sports are the backdrop. Life is the conversation. He Said, Son Said is a father-and-son podcast where sports become the starting point for conversations that matter most. Every week, Matt and Nash explore the biggest stories in sports, reflect on life through the lens of fatherhood, and sit down with athletes, coaches, parents, and families whose journeys reveal far more than what happens on the field, court, or course. Together, they uncover the moments that shape us—the victories and setbacks, the relationships, the sacrifices, and the lessons that stay with us long after the final whistle. Because the greatest stories in sports aren't really about sports. They're about resilience. Leadership. Family. Purpose. And the people who help us become who we're meant to be.

Publisher

Matt Haverkamp

Category

kids & family · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jan 2026

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Episode 26 - The Parent Behind the Player | Kathryn Youngs

   For every kid running onto a field or court, there’s usually a parent somewhere behind them — driving, scheduling, paying, cheering, worrying, and trying to figure out whether they’re doing any of it right. In this On Their Turf episode, Matt sits down at the Hayes Barton Baptist Church gym with longtime friend and fellow sports parent Kathryn Youngs. Kathryn’s son Austin started with soccer, found basketball, added football, and eventually turned the Youngs family calendar into something Kathryn jokingly describes as “outright psychotic.” There are early-morning practices, late nights, AAU tournaments, flights, hotels, recruiting conversations and spring breaks spent in basketball gyms instead of on beaches. But this conversation goes well beyond the logistics of youth sports. Matt and Kathryn talk candidly about how hard it can be to be a sports parent — taking a loss harder than your kid does, embarrassing yourself on the sidelines, trying not to live vicariously through them, keeping school and character in perspective, and learning when your job is simply to support something your child loves. Kathryn shares one of the rules she’s tried to instill in Austin: you fist bump the other player even when you don’t feel like it. Whether someone is better than you, less experienced than you, or just beat you, respect still matters. They also get into the changing world Austin is entering now — recruiting, coaches reaching out, learning to communicate for himself, the pressure of performing when college coaches are watching, and remembering that the school and education still have to make sense even if sports disappear tomorrow. And maybe the biggest lesson is one Kathryn offers to parents just beginning the journey: Enjoy it. Follow their passion if they’re passionate. Support them if they’re simply there to have fun, exercise or find a community. Use the tournaments and practices as opportunities to spend time together. Because years later, Kathryn doesn’t remember the scores from her own playing days. She remembers the bus rides, laughing with teammates and getting yelled at for singing too loudly. It’s funny, candid and familiar to anyone who has ever planned an entire weekend around a youth sporting event. And it ends with perhaps the perfect summary of the sports-parent experience: Basketball has given Austin? “Life.” Basketball has given Kathryn? “Not a life.” Episode 26: The Parent Behind the Player — with Kathryn Youngs. Sports are the backdrop. Life is the conversation.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Episode 25 - Keep Showing Up | David Williams on Parkinson’s, Fear & Getting Back in the Water

   David Williams is four weeks away from attempting an Ironman 70.3. And he has Parkinson’s. In Part Two of our conversation, David talks about what that actually means. What happens when his right leg stops working in the water. Why he swims almost entirely with his upper body. What Parkinson’s feels like when he runs. And then there was the day he got into open water and couldn't do it. He got out. Took off his wetsuit. Handed over his timing bracelet. He was done. Until a volunteer told him: “You can't leave. You're already here.” David finished the bike and the run. Three days later, he was back in open water. That's what this episode is really about. Showing up. Getting back in the water. And refusing to let one moment, one diagnosis or one race define you. David also talks about his grandsons, the book he's writing and what he hopes they someday understand about his journey. And when we ask him to finish one sentence — “I am not finished because…” His answer is two words. “I'm living.” Augusta has happened. We know what happened. But that's David's story to tell. Stay tuned. Sports are the backdrop. Life is the conversation.

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Episode 24 - The Day Everything Changed | David Williams on Transformation and Parkinson's

   At 51, David Williams weighed 284 pounds. He had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and was sleeping with a CPAP machine. At first, David started making small changes. Then came the moment when enough was enough. He changed the way he ate. He started walking. Then running. A first 5K turned into more miles. Eventually, David ran a marathon. Then he decided to become a triathlete. Five years after making that commitment, David told us: “I was definitely not the same person I used to be.” Then something started happening with his right leg. It wasn't working the way it should in the water. It started twitching. David knew something wasn't right. On April 16, 2025, he finally got an answer: tremor-dominant Parkinson's. David sat in the parking lot and cried. For the next month, he wondered what his life was going to look like and what would happen to the person he'd worked so hard to become. Then he made another decision. This is the first part of our conversation with David Williams. It's a short episode. Stay through the end. Sports are the backdrop. Life is the conversation.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.