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Pete Reilly on Building Champions Through Struggle, Joy & Jersey Wrestling Culture | Airey Bros Radio Ep. 357

Airey Bros.'s Radio
Airey Bros.'s Radio
Episode • May 9 • 1h 1m
In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Airey Bros Radio, we sit down with Pete Reilly—head coach of Riley Wrestling Club and Region 6 alum—to talk wrestling, fatherhood, life lessons, and building something bigger than the mat. From launching a club during COVID to redefining what it means to coach with heart, Pete shares how adversity shaped his journey as a coach, dad, and mentor.💥

We cover:
  • 00:00 – Intro: Why we started Airey Bros & the need for real conversations
  • 04:05 – Pete Reilly’s wrestling background, Region 6 roots & D3 journey
  • 09:48 – Coaching youth wrestlers & staying connected to Howell’s wrestling scene
  • 14:00 – Balancing toughness with compassion: Building club culture
  • 20:01 – Managing parent expectations & preventing early burnout
  • 28:33 – Why struggle matters: Lessons from failure & baby turtle wisdom
  • 35:42 – Pete’s shift from athlete to coach: confidence vs. cockiness
  • 41:00 – Parenting through sports: Building kids up, not breaking them down
  • 45:56 – Creating Reilly Wrestling Club: Origin story, growth, vision
  • 52:14 – Real estate hustle, mindset tools & daily routines that fuel Pete’s success
  • 57:30 – Why community and gratitude power performance
  • 1:02:50 – Closing thoughts: internal belief, role models & wrestling as life training
Whether you're a parent, athlete, coach, or lifelong mat-rat, this one hits home.
📲 Follow Pete Reilly:
Instagram: @reillywrestlingclub
Club: @howellwrestlingclub

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