Kitchen Talk: Pickleball Edition

Russ Johnson and Deb Cohen’s pickleball journey began with Pickleball Citi, a smaller club that gave them the experience and insight to dream bigger. After selling their first facility, they’re taking everything they learned and putting it into Rally Haus Sports, a much larger, community-focused pickleball destination coming this winter. We talk about how their backgrounds in higher education and golf led them to pickleball, the lessons they learned from their first club, why they decided to make a bigger bet on the sport, the challenges of opening a new facility, and their vision for creating a welcoming community built around competition, connection, and friendship. Russ and Deb also share how pickleball has impacted their lives and their advice for anyone looking to build a club of their own. Like the page if you like what you're listening to.

Mark Stephens leads the Pickleball Ministry for SportsLife Leadership, an organization dedicated to building sports communities for kingdom impact and infusing life into sports leaders around the world. Mark shares how he is using pickleball as a platform for ministry, bringing professional players, collegiate athletes, coaches, and others together through worship, fellowship, events, and shared faith. With professional pickleball players spending much of the year traveling from tournament to tournament, Mark is working to create a stronger sense of community and connection for athletes who can often experience loneliness on tour. Through SportsLife Pickleball, he is helping unite players who may have rarely interacted before, while also creating opportunities for college players and programs to build relationships beyond the court. The conversation explores how faith and sports can be a powerful way to build community. Listen and subscribe to learn more.

What happens when a two-sport Division I athlete at Harvard with an accomplished career in finance discovers pickleball for the first time and sees an opportunity to completely change the game? Mary Cannon, co-founder of CityPickle, shares the story of how one game sparked an idea that would bring pickleball to some of New York City’s most iconic locations. From launching the first-ever pickleball pop-up at Hudson Yards in October 2022, when many New Yorkers were still just discovering the sport, to winning the bid to operate Wollman Rink in Central Park for the next 20 years and opening a flagship location in the Paramount Building in Times Square, Mary has helped put pickleball on the map in NYC and beyond, with CityPickle expanding into new markets and destinations. She opens up about taking the leap into entrepreneurship, building CityPickle from the ground up with Erica Desai, and why creating opportunities for women has been such an important part of the company’s culture. Listen to find out how CityPickle got started, what it took to bring pickleball to some of the most iconic places in the country, and what new ventures are on the horizon that could be just as groundbreaking.

Pickleball Hall of Famer and global ambassador Wesley Gabrielsen returns to Kitchen Talk: Pickleball Edition to share how the sport is creating connections far beyond the court. From leading the Dilli Dilwale to a World Pickleball League Team Championship in India, to participating in the Oregon-China Pickleball Exchange and launching his newest venture combining Willamette Valley wine and pickleball experiences, Wesley discusses the exciting opportunities emerging around the world. He also opens up about why he believes pickleball’s greatest strength is its ability to bring people together even during times of global tension. This episode explores the magic behind the sport’s explosive international growth and the relationships being built one dink at a time.

Dill Dinkers CEO, Will Richards, shares how a love for pickleball turned into one of the fastest-growing pickleball franchises in the country. With 27 clubs open across 13 states and rapid expansion underway, Dill Dinkers has also achieved the highest court revenue per court in the industry. Before launching the brand, Will gained franchise experience working with Domino's Pizza and later worked in government contracting before entering the pickleball world. In this conversation, he breaks down the keys to building a successful franchise, the importance of community and culture, thoughts on market saturation, strategic growth, and where he believes the future of pickleball is headed. Follow this page if you like what you're listening to!

Tito Machado, CEO of DUPR, gets real about the highs and lows of building the world’s leading pickleball rating system. From nearly going out of business and facing intense backlash, including death threats, to helping establish DUPR as the clear global standard in pickleball, now used in more than 183 countries. In this candid episode, Tito shares the journey behind unifying ratings across MLP, PPA, and APP, the latest DUPR updates including mixed ratings, age-specific ratings, and AI-powered features, and how community feedback continues to shape the platform’s evolution and the future of pickleball. Follow us if you like what you're listening to :)

Vaibhav Verma, founder of Aero AI, explores how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing pickleball content creation. From his background as a competitive tennis player and Y Combinator-backed founder to building a tool now used by the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, Vaibhav shares how he identified the inefficiency of editing match footage and created AI technology that automatically removes dead time, detects key moments, and generates highlight reels in minutes. Verma discusses the growing role of AI in sports, the impact of social media on pickleball’s rise, and why starting with a real problem, not just the technology, is the key to building impactful products. Follow if you like what you're watching :)

Roger BelAir is using pickleball to bring together inmates, including violent offenders, from places like Chicago’s Cook County Jail, where even individuals convicted of murder are finding common ground on the court. What were once deeply divided groups, including rival gang members who would not speak, are now playing side by side, competing, communicating, and even laughing and hugging one another. Through structure, accountability, and a clear incentive, “Don’t behave, don’t play,” the program gives these men a sense of purpose and belonging while helping reduce violence and disciplinary issues inside. What started as one bold experiment has grown into a nationwide movement, with pickleball now played in 79 prisons across 24 states, as Roger and his organization continue working to reshape prison culture and lower recidivism one rally at a time. Link to volunteer, donate, and find out more: https://www.picleague.org/

Brad Robbins, founder of Kitchen Blockers, the lensless protective eyewear brand talks about redefining safety in pickleball After suffering an eye injury on the court Brad was inspired to create a solution that players would actually want to wear eliminating common issues like fogging glare and discomfort He shares the story behind Kitchen Blockers rapid growth into more than 40 countries the brands partnerships with USA Pickleball and PPA Juniors and why eye protection remains one of the most overlooked aspects of the sport Brad also offers insight into building a mission driven company emphasizing passion community and creating products that truly make a difference.

You probably know Evan Slaughter aka Fit2Serve as the hilarious guy behind the pickleball reels that make us all laugh but his story goes far deeper than social media. An Army veteran, Evan faced PTSD after his service and struggled with addiction, weight gain, and ultimately found himself in rehab searching for a way to rebuild his life. It was there that he discovered pickleball a sport that became not just an outlet but a turning point. Through the game, Evan found healing, community, and a renewed sense of purpose. Today, he uses humor and content to make people smile, spread positivity, and inspire others who may be fighting their own battles. This episode is a powerful conversation about resilience, recovery, and how pickleball quite literally changed and saved his life. Follow to this page for bi-weekly episodes.