Welcome to Season 11, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa chats with Brett Connors, current producer at the Tennis Channel and son of World Number 1, Jimmy Connors, and his wife, model Patti McGuire.
Growing up as the child of world-famous parents can be a pressure cooker. You're always being held up in the world's eye to the uber-high standards set by your parents. In Brett Connors's case, he definitely faced some of that pressure but has found a way to forge his own path and identity both in and outside of the tennis world.
Not only did Brett and his younger sister, Aubree, have to deal with their parents' fame but also with their dad's frequent time away from them as he traveled the world competing. That said, their mother found a way to bring a sense of normalcy to their childhood while encouraging them both to pursue their own interests and dreams.
After playing both golf and tennis as a young child, Brett eventually chose to pursue golf in college and still plays to this day. Leaving junior tennis and discovering a passion for photography and production have helped him find his own unique identity separate from his "Pops" and also led them both to co-hosting a podcast, Advantage Connors where they talk about tennis, for sure, as well as other topics of interest.
To see Brett's photography and keep up with his latest podcast episodes, you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The Advantage Connors podcast is on Instagram here.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here. 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!).
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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Finding My Own Identity ft. Brett Connors

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 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

Lisa Live from Easter Bowl 2024

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 11, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa checks in with former top junior and college player, Jake Beasley.
Jake grew up in the Atlanta area, competing locally and sectionally throughout the Southeast. During high school, he and his family decided he could enhance his training and reach his goal of playing high-level college tennis by moving to the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in South Florida. Jake saw his level rise and, in his senior year of high school, was ready to move back home before heading off to play at the University of South Carolina.
Then, COVID. Like many other college athletes, Jake had to make many adjustments to his life on and off the court. He also had a tough decision as he neared the end of his college degree program: stay for a 5th year as an undergrad or stay for a 5th year as a Master's Degree candidate. Jake chose the latter, continuing to play tennis for the Gamecocks while pursuing more academic learning.
Once his 5th year was complete, Jake was offered the position of Assistant Coach for the men's tennis team while finishing his Master's before moving on to his PhD studies.
In this episode, Jake shares his journey from juniors through college to coaching, along with the wisdom he's gained along the way.
You can reach Jake at jacobpb@email.sc.edu. He tries to avoid social media as best he can but is very responsive to emails!
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

Finding My Own Identity ft. Brett Connors

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