What if pickleball became the one thing that carried you through cancer and then helped you change lives around the world?

Mark Palm, founder of Samaritan Aviation, shares his incredible journey from mission pilot to USA Pickleball National Champion. After a cancer diagnosis, pickleball became his lifeline physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Today, Mark is not only saving lives in remote villages in Papua New Guinea through life-saving flights, but also introducing pickleball to kids playing on a helicopter pad. His son, pro pickleball player, Drake Palmer, is also making his mark on the game.

This episode is about resilience, purpose, faith, and the powerful ways pickleball connects us all.

https://samaritanaviation.org/

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

How does a lifelong racquet sports player turn a local need into one of the Pacific Northwest’s most exciting new indoor pickleball communities?

In this episode, Randy Fuller, founding partner of Rally Pickleball Club in Auburn, Washington, shares how pickleball first came into his life, why the sport hooked him so quickly, and how four local entrepreneurs came together to create a vibrant indoor space for players of all ages and skill levels. Randy talks about his background in tennis, teaching, business ownership, and what inspired the vision for Rally Pickleball Club as a true community-based pickleball destination. 

He also gives a behind-the-scenes look at building the facility, from transforming a historic industrial building into 14 indoor cushioned courts to adding amenities like cabanas, a pro shop, physical therapy services, tournaments, intro classes, and flexible event space. Along the way, Randy reflects on family, entrepreneurship, community, and why pickleball continues to be such a welcoming, lifelong sport for everyone. 

This is a fun and inspiring conversation about indoor pickleball, Rally Pickleball Club, Auburn Washington, pickleball community, entrepreneurship, family, racquet sports, active living, and the life lessons that come from building a place where people can connect, compete, and belong. 

https://rallypickleballclub.net/

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

How can pickleball become a force for global good, community connection, and life-changing opportunity?

In this episode, Susan “Dinker Bell” Swern shares her remarkable pickleball journey, from first discovering the game after years of tennis to founding the Pickleball for Good Fund, a nonprofit built on the belief that pickleball can create social impact far beyond the court. Susan talks about how the sport became more than a passion and turned into a calling, leading her to launch initiatives that support underserved communities, expand access to equipment, and help grow the game around the world. 

She also shares the heart behind Operation PaddleLift, her effort to bring paddles, balls, and nets to emerging pickleball communities in East Africa, including Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and beyond. Susan reflects on the joy she witnessed, the barriers these communities face, and why pickleball has the power to change lives through connection, inclusion, active aging, youth development, and community building. 

Along the way, Susan opens up about the influence of her parents, the love story she has with pickleball, the meaning behind her nickname Dinker Bell, and the life lessons she has learned about purpose, legacy, sustainability, and choosing a life that matters. This is an inspiring conversation about pickleball, nonprofit leadership, Operation Paddle Lift, global pickleball growth, active aging, community impact, youth sports, and using sport to make the world better.

https://pickleballforgood.org/

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

How can pickleball become a bridge to hope, healing, education, and opportunity for girls who have been left behind?

In this episode, Coach Andy from Uganda shares the powerful story behind Pickleball Kids Uganda and Growing the Game for Girls Uganda. Andy explains how pickleball first entered his life through tennis, and how he quickly realized that this simple, accessible sport could become much more than a game. In communities facing poverty, early pregnancy, abuse, and limited access to education, he saw pickleball as a tool to create belonging, confidence, safety, and a new future for disadvantaged girls. 

Coach Andy also shares how his programs combine pickleball with vocational education, mentoring, and life skills training. Through sport, girls are being connected to opportunities in tailoring, hairdressing, electrical installation, plumbing, welding, teaching, and other practical skills that can help them support themselves, their children, and their families. He tells inspiring stories of girls whose lives have been transformed through pickleball, education, and community support, and explains why his deeper mission is not only to grow the game, but to develop leaders, mentors, and hope in every community he reaches. 

This is a deeply moving conversation about pickleball, Uganda, girls’ empowerment, youth development, education, vocational training, social impact, community transformation, global pickleball, and the life lessons that remind us we are all winners. 

https://www.instagram.com/coachandypickleball?igsh=MTMwZmdicmw5c2xtZw==

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

What happens when one of the biggest pickleball festivals in the country brings competition, connection, vendors, clinics, networking, and community all under one roof?

In this episode, Kelsea Thompson, director of PickleCon, shares how she first discovered pickleball while running an indoor sports complex and how that journey led her to help build one of the largest indoor pickleball festivals in the United States. She talks about the vision behind PickleCon, what makes the event so unique, and how it has grown into a one-of-a-kind experience for amateur players, juniors, seniors, adaptive athletes, vendors, brands, and pickleball fans of every level. 

Kelsea also opens up about recovering from a serious accident, how pickleball helped her reconnect with movement during rehab, and why she believes the sport truly is for everyone. She shares thoughtful insights on consistency, community, leadership, and what it takes to create an event where people can compete, learn, network, and feel like they belong. 

This is an inspiring conversation about PickleCon, pickleball festivals, amateur pickleball, adaptive pickleball, pickleball community, sports events, recovery, leadership, and the life lessons that come from showing up, staying consistent, and building something bigger than yourself.

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

How can pickleball help someone rebuild their life, rediscover purpose, and become the kind of coach who changes other people’s lives too?

In this episode, Thomas Yelloweyes shares his extraordinary story of trauma, foster care, loss, survival, and reinvention. Thomas opens up about growing up in the foster care system, facing deep instability and heartbreak from an early age, and later finding himself at another rock-bottom moment as an adult, living out of his car, searching for direction, and trying to figure out what came next. Then pickleball entered the picture, and everything began to change. 

Thomas talks about the first time he wandered onto a pickleball court, the older women who welcomed and cared for him, and how the sport gave him not only community but also a path forward. He shares how his background in corrective exercise, coaching, and movement analysis led him to create Night Train Pickleball and the Night Train Method, a five-tier system designed to help recreational players build confidence, strengthen fundamentals, and become resilient, tournament-ready competitors. 

This is a deeply moving and inspiring conversation about pickleball, trauma recovery, foster care, resilience, coaching, confidence, mental toughness, pickleball instruction, Night Train Pickleball, and the life lessons that remind us life is not done with us yet. 

Night Train Drilling Guide ebook: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/PcKAinvIZQjW8YRUQsHl

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

Will Parton shares how a major life move and starting over in a new country led him to discover the true power of the pickleball community. As a lifelong racquet sport athlete, Will found connection through pickleball and turned that experience into innovation by creating Hitch, an app designed to help players find partners, games, and meaningful community.

In this episode, we talk about belonging, entrepreneurship, technology that enhances human connection, and how pickleball makes it easier to build friendships at any stage of life.

If you have ever moved to a new place, walked up to open play not knowing anyone, or wished finding your pickleball people was easier, this conversation is for you.

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

We are honored to share that Mani Barajas-Alexander is featured in our new book, Life Lessons from Pickleball™ and as this episode airs, Sher and Shelley are experiencing Pura Vida at Mani’s place in Costa Rica.

In this special encore conversation, Mani shares how Pura Vida House became far more than a luxury villa. It is a thoughtfully designed pickleball experience that blends movement, connection, nature, and the Pura Vida lifestyle.

From morning pickleball sessions and world-class instruction, to chef-prepared meals, beach sunsets, wildlife, and unforgettable adventures, Pura Vida House offers a week that nourishes both body and soul.

This is not just a pickleball vacation. It is an experience rooted in relationships, community, and living life fully.

If pickleball in paradise has ever crossed your mind, this episode is for you. 🌴🏓

https://www.thepuravidahouse.com/

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

How do you rewrite your life one step at a time when you feel stuck in a body and mindset that no longer feel like your own?

In this episode, Brian Montgomery shares one of the most inspiring transformation stories we’ve heard on Life Lessons from Pickleball. After years of putting himself last, Brian found himself close to 390 pounds, struggling physically, and facing serious health concerns. But instead of waiting for the perfect moment, he started walking, setting small goals, building consistency, and choosing himself one decision at a time.

That journey led to more than 190 pounds of weight loss, a reversal of type 2 diabetes, and a whole new life on and off the pickleball court. Brian talks about discipline, identity, community, and how pickleball gave him joy, confidence, friendship, and a new sense of purpose. He also shares the importance of starting small, staying consistent, and not waiting for “someday” to begin.

This is a powerful and uplifting conversation about weight loss, health, mindset, pickleball, accountability, community, and the life lessons that come from finally choosing yourself.

ProDrive Pickleball (affiliate): https://prodrivepickleball.com/?ref=BRIANMONTGOMERY

 PickleStrong: https://picklestrong.com/

https://www.instagram.com/briantmontgomery?igsh=ZXJib2w2MXA0ZmY5

TikTok: @brianmontgomery01

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.

How can pickleball, psychology, and travel come together to create joy, connection, and a more vibrant way of aging?

In this episode, Audrey Phillips shares her remarkable journey as a psychotherapist, educator, tournament player, pickleball ambassador, and creator of unforgettable group adventures that have brought people together for decades. Audrey talks about how her early calling to psychology, her love of people, and her lifelong passion for sports all came together in pickleball, a game she fell in love with nearly 20 years ago and has continued to champion ever since. 

She also shares the story behind her pickleball travel experiences, how those trips grew from one joyful idea into a beloved tradition, and why she believes pickleball is unlike any other sport when it comes to building community across ages, backgrounds, and skill levels. Along the way, Audrey reflects on competing into her late 70s, staying mentally and physically engaged, and the life lessons she has learned about positivity, openness, humor, fear, and choosing love over limitation. 

This is a warm and inspiring conversation about pickleball, psychology, active aging, pickleball travel, senior pickleball, community, friendship, emotional wellness, and the life lessons that come from staying curious, staying connected, and continuing to play. 

📘 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.

Contact us:  [email protected]

Follow and watch:
https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316
https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/
https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPod

Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen 

Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.