How can pickleball help a woman rediscover her strength, reclaim her vitality, and remember that life is far from over at any age?

In this episode, New York Times bestselling author and nutritionist Leanne Ely shares her powerful journey from transforming family life through meal planning and nutrition to finding a whole new kind of joy and athletic confidence on the pickleball court. As the creator of SavingDinner.com, Leanne has spent more than two decades helping women nourish their families, heal their relationship with food, and step off the exhausting carousel of dieting and self-criticism. She talks about why the family dinner table matters, how food became such an emotional battleground for so many women, and what it means to finally become friends with food instead of fighting it. 

Leanne also opens up about discovering pickleball during the pandemic after first dismissing it as “slow motion tennis,” only to fall completely in love the moment she stepped on the court. She shares how pickleball helped her reconnect with her athletic side, lose 30 pounds, build confidence, and feel like a badass again after years of feeling disconnected from that part of herself. Along the way, she reflects on a dramatic on-court face plant that became its own life lesson in resilience, grit, and refusing to quit on yourself, even when things get messy and painful. 

This is a heartfelt and empowering conversation about pickleball, nutrition, SavingDinner.com, women’s health, menopause, family dinner, resilience, healthy aging, mindset, confidence, body image, and the life lessons that remind us it is never too late to get strong, take back your body, and live fully in bloom. 

https://www.savingdinner.com

https://www.savingdinner.com/retreat/

📘 Our book Life Lessons from Pickleball™ is now available on Amazon

Order the book here: https://a.co/d/0bHPFYve

A collection of short, true stories from players around the world about community, resilience, and joy through the game of pickleball.

A portion of proceeds supports Operation PaddleLift, through the Global Pickleball Federation, distributing paddles, balls and nets to underserved communities around the world.

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Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

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