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

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Airey Bros Radio, we sit down with Pete Riley—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 Riley’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 Riley 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 Riley:
Instagram: @reillywrestlingclub
Club: @howellwrestlingclub