WISH I HAD KNOWN: A Sports Parent's Playbook For Reducing Time, Money and Stress

A new ebook and paperback by Denise Meridith offers some relief to families of athletes

PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES, April 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The televised NFL Draft seemed even more entertaining than usual this year. It is always fun to see these huge but agile young men gleefully try on their new team hats, dance across the stage and give bear hugs to the Commissioner, who gets booed historically by the drunk and enthusiastic fans. It felt good to give some praise to Green Bay, who has not had much to cheer about sports wise or businesswise in years. The designer fashions worn by the athletes rival those on the Academy Award runways. Then, of course, the scenes of players, their families and friends celebrating in the stands and their living rooms. Of course, that is the first night. But it is important to think about the end of the third night, when there are probably a lot of tears shed nationwide among those young men that did not get selected. Denise Meridith was thinking about those families when she wrote Wish I Had Known: The Sports Parent’s Playbook for Reducing Time, Money and Stress (TMS), which was just published by Amazon.com in April 2025.

The Kindle version of the Playbook and the accompanying Workbook will be available on Amazon.com FOR ONLY 99 CENTS during the first week (April 29-May 2)... “We wanted to make it as available and affordable as possible to as many families as soon as possible,” said author Denise Meridith. Meridith and other leaders in WBC and NILO Limited will be available for interviews, talks and conferences nationwide to discuss the book and the subsequent online and in-person activities planned for 2025.

Meridith is a business leader, sports educator, and lifelong youth sports advocate, who has worked in government, academia, nonprofits and private business for 50 years throughout the US. She has spent the last 30 years in Phoenix, doing everything from designating hiking trails to helping create State Farm Stadium and Tempe Town Lake. But she has also received a lot of recognition for her work with you. She co-founded Wonderful Outdoor World (a camping program for urban you with Disney Co) and Linking Sports & Communities (a youth sports non-profit that focused on healthy lifestyles and financial literacy). Now, among other things she is focused on her vision to help student-athletes, and their parents create 1000 new businesses nationwide.

“I have seen all the joys and disappointments of families working hard, making sacrifices to give their children an opportunity to succeed in sports. Parents need help and the needs are growing in size and complexity. The Wish I Had Known Playbook and Workbook will provide an introduction to resources, references and referrals about goal-setting, finances, health, and building family businesses. I want to help them ensure that their children have a happy and healthy experience on- and -off-the-field, during and after sports.

“Denise Meridith synthesizes a wealth of cross-industry business consulting experience, love of sports and a deep desire to serve her community into Wish I Had Known,” says Jennifer Jilot, the President of NILO (“we add ownership to NILO” )Limited. “This book is a tool chest every parent and coach needs on hand to more easily navigate the challenges of raising a student athlete. Learning how to locate the right supportive resources, such as non-profits like NILO Limited, is just one of the tools inside.”

The NILO Limited non-profit is seeking donors, resource providers, instructors, grant opportunities, and other help to start online classes for high school senior and college athletes this fall.

Meanwhile, The World’s Best Connectors (WBC), the Phoenix-based community of business leaders founded by Meridith that helps other CEOs enhance their networks, will be launching an online WISH I HAD KNOWN Business Mastermind where parents can gain more in-depth information and knowledge about the subjects mentioned in the Playbook from current and retired players, business leaders and service providers. Parents can submit their interest in participating in the program and can learn more about it on the website www.wishihadknown.net or send an email to worldsbestconnectors@gmail.com.

In April, the Governor's office and the Arizona cities of Phoenix, Tolleson, Casa Grande, Chandler and Tempe issued proclamations to recognize Family Sports and Business Awareness Month. Youth sports are and should be exhilerating; they benefit communities and our economy. Meridith hopes the Playbook and other follow-up activities by business, non-profits and governments will continue to empower parents and encourage students

Denise Meridith
World’s Best Connectors
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
X