Welcome to Season 13 Episode 2 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Those of you who have followed college tennis for a while will recognize Danielle Lao as a standout in her four years playing at USC. If you follow the pro tour as well, you will also recognize her from her ten years battling her way to achieve her goal of playing in a Slam.
In the past year, though, life has taken a turn for Danielle, finding her in the coaching arena while also pursuing her love of distance running. Is pro tennis a done deal for her? What did her own Tennis Journey look like? How did she handle the transition from college to pro to coach? What is her coaching philosophy as she works with up-and-coming juniors? You'll have to listen to our podcast to find out!
Be sure to follow Danielle on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thelittlegiant/ - she has her DMs open there if you'd like to contact her. You can also follow her sponsors, Hoka and Picky Bars, at https://www.instagram.com/hoka/ and https://www.instagram.com/pickybars/
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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Life Beyond the Pro Tour ft. Danielle Lao

Host Lisa Stone discusses the various aspects of developing a tennis player from beginner through the juniors to college and beyond. Her weekly guests include experts in coaching, parenting, mental toughness, fitness & nutrition, technology & equipment, and college recruiting. Stone provides invaluable information for parents, players, and coaches.

Kids & Family

Sports

Fitness

Parenting

Health & Fitness

Tennis

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 16, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, you get to hear all about my experience at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, as well as information from the Head of Men's and Women's Tennis at the Academy, Project Manager for Avanza Sports, and several junior players who were training there during my visit. This episode is a little longer than usual, but I hope you'll watch/listen to the entire podcast as each person offers a unique perspective on the Academy.
Marc Gorriz is the Head of Men´s and Women Tennis for the Academy. He is a former 88 ATP singles and 73 doubles player as well as the former coach of ten Top 100 ATP/WTA players. Marc was brought on to help develop the tennis curriculum for the Academy at the beginning stages of its creation. He works closely with Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal to ensure the methodology stays true to their own training regimen. My interview with Marc starts around the 13-minute mark of the podcast.
Daniel del Val is a project manager for Avanza Sports and was our point person throughout our visit in Barcelona and Mallorca. He works with coaches and clubs around the world to provide a 5-star experience to everyone who participates in a junior or adult camp or full travel experience that includes premium seats at a top professional tennis tournament (ours was the Barcelona Open). My interview with Dani starts around the 35:30 mark of the podcast.
Alayna, Millie, Ashwin, Yashwin, Nigel, and Mateo are junior players of varying levels with a variety of tennis goals. You will hear about their different experiences at the Nadal Academy, what they learned, and what they will take away from their visit. My interviews with the junior players starts around the 49-minute mark of the podcast.
Daniel and Avanza Sports have set up a nice discount code for the ParentingAces community to attend any junior or adult camps during Summer 2024. You can see the full schedule of North and South American offerings at https://rafanadalacademycampusa.com/.
For a discount to the camp (this will apply to all available camps during Summer 2024):
Junior Camp code $75 off: parentingacesjuniors
Adult camp code $50 off: parentingacesadults
For a discount on the International Travel Experience I did, which includes a city/tournament experience in addition to a week at the Nadal Academy, you will need to contact Daniel directly at dval@rafanadalacademycampusa.com. *Be sure to mention ParentingAces in your email*.
If enough people are interested, Avanza Sports will set up a trip for the ParentingAces community, so please let me know if this is something you'd like me to pursue with Dani and the rest of the Avanza staff.
Follow both Avanza Sports and the Rafa Nadal Academy on social media to see updates and new offerings.
For Avanza Sports:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/avanzasports
Website: https://rafanadalacademycampusa.com/
For the Rafa Nadal Academy:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rafanadalacademy
Website: https://www.rafanadalacademy.com/
Here is a short promo video produced by the Academy about its Junior programs:
[youtube id="O-HB-Ibvpj8?si=WgsFAWMzw-B3i4Lr"] [/youtube]
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What It's Like to Train Like Rafa

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, father-son duo, Scott and Bode Campbell, share a real-world example of a family from Minnesota (please ignore my mistake in the opening to the episode - I do know the difference between Minnesota and Wisconsin!) trying to navigate high level junior tennis utilizing the resources and content created and curated by ParentingAces. In this episode, you will learn how a parent and family has used this forum to answer questions they had about junior tennis and become exposed to the latest trends in training, college recruiting, and parenting well.
Scott grew up in a tennis family and has played - and coached - throughout his life, including having a wonderful college tennis career at DePauw University. When his children were born, Scott knew he wanted to introduce them to tennis as well as other sports due to the lessons he learned through being an athlete. Oldest child, Greta, found her passion in dance (following in her mother's shoes). Middle and youngest sons, Bode and Gus, found their passion in a variety of sports including soccer, hockey, basketball, and, of course, tennis.
Though Scott felt he knew a lot about junior tennis and the developmental pathways available, he also knew there was a lot he DIDN'T know. When Bode was 12, Scott stumbled upon the ParentingAces podcast and website and has used our extensive resources to inform his family's journey ever since.
Bode continued to play multiple sports throughout middle school but realized last year that if he wanted to fulfill his dream of playing college tennis, it was time to bow out of hockey and the others. He feels like the resources his dad discovered through ParentingAces have made an enormous difference in terms of his on- and off-court training and his college recruiting efforts. Finishing his junior year of high school, staying in traditional school throughout, Bode is excited for what the summer will bring in terms of his development and competitive opportunities.
Both Scott and Bode recognize the wealth of resources ParentingAces brings to families who are just trying to understand if and how high-level tennis (college and beyond) can be figured out. They have used those resources to help Bode get to his goal of playing in college and hope other families understand how valuable ParentingAces can be from start to finish.
Scott has graciously offered to field any questions you may have via email: sccsearch@msn.com. You can find both Scott and Bode on Instagram as well. Scott is https://www.instagram.com/scottcoulter5/ and Bode is https://www.instagram.com/bodecampbell_tennis/.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Parent/Player Perspective on ParentingAces ft. Scott & Bode Campbell

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we visit with the directors of a junior tennis academy in South Florida about their approach to overall junior development as well as overall human development.
Carley and Marcin Rozpedski are a husband and wife duo who have recently taken the reigns at the Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Not solely by coincidence, they are located just a few blocks away from the IMG Academy, which many of you will know by name if not by reputation.
Both Carley and Marcin are active members of the ParentingAces Facebook community and often offer valuable advice to other Tennis Parents in the midst of this exciting journey with their own kids. As a former top junior and college player, as well as a successful ATP player, Marcin understands what it takes to help a child achieve their dreams on the tennis court. As Carley says, she married into tennis, but now as a Tennis Parent herself, has had her own trial by fire as she has helped guide their three sons on the journey to their goals.
We won't go into too much detail here about the philosophy of Inspiration Academy - you'll need to watch/listen to the podcast for that information - but we do have an amazing opportunity for one female and one male player . . .
Inspiration Academy is offering ONE WEEK OF FREE ALL-INCLUSIVE TRAINING this summer to the winner of the ParentingAces Tennis Means Love contest! To enter, please complete and submit the contest entry form at https://forms.gle/By9NYSjrNJeR6Ujo8 NO LATER THAN MAY 1. The entry form must be completed BY THE PLAYER - please, mom and dad, do not do the entry for your child (and, yes, we'll be able to tell if you did!). We will choose one male and one female to receive the Grand Prize of one week at the Inspiration Academy during Summer 2024 - travel costs to and from the academy will be the responsibility of the winners though Inspiration may be able to assist if needed.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Tennis Academy That Inspires ft. Carley & Marcin Rozpedski

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 13, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with junior developmental coach, Aaron Rusnak, about how coaching has changed since he first started playing the game as a nine-year-old child.
Aaron is a highly respected coach and has been teaching tennis for 28 years. He played on the ATP Tour and was nominated in 2021 by Tennis Channel and Top Spin Magazine as a Top 25 Coach in the U.S. 
Aaron has coached College Tennis at a variety of levels and has directed and grown club programs and groups. He has a true talent to see things others don't and knows how to grow and develop a player at any level from the ground up.
As a former player he has the knowledge and personal experience to know what players feel like and what they are going through mentally, physically and emotionally. He uses this knowledge to listen to his players then develop a plan around their specific wants and needs.
Throughout his career, Aaron has seen our sport - and its coaches and players - change in significant ways. But, instead of fighting these changes, Aaron chooses to embrace them, adapting the way he coaches both players and other coaches in pursuit of their goals.
To reach Aaron, you can email him at rushandcrush@prodigy.net, call or text him at 708-471-5416, or follow him on Instagram at @inspire2betennis. You can also find him on LinkedIn at @AaronRusnak and on his website at https://InnovationTennisCoaching.com.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Changing Landscape of Junior Tennis Coaching ft. Aaron Rusnak

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we bring you something a little different!
For the past 3 weeks, Lisa has been on site at a variety of junior tournaments. She finishes her stint at the prestigious Easter Bowl in the California Desert.
While there, Lisa had the opportunity to record conversations with Colette Lewis of ZooTennis; Boys 12s player, Rex Kulman; Junior Developmental Coach, JY Aubone; and Junior Developmental Coach and owner of Austin Tennis Academy, Jack Newman.
Since these conversations were done live and in person, and since Lisa's editing skills still leave a lot to be desired (!), this episode may look and sound a bit different from what you usually get from us. That said, we hope you'll check out the video version on ParentingAces.com for the full Easter Bowl vibe!
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life Beyond the Pro Tour ft. Danielle Lao

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