Kitchen Talk: Pickleball Edition

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 pickleb...

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 work...

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, P...

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 remo...

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 anoth...

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 bra...

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 bec...

Daren Hornig brings his real estate and marketplace expertise to pickleball with Courts App, a new platform designed to simplify court booking across racquet sports. Often described as the “Expedia for racquet sports,” Courts App allows players to book available court time nationwide while helping facilities fill unused courts during off-peak hours. The app creates a win-win ecosystem for players...

The US Open Pickleball Championships is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and with the competition lottery opening this week, we’re taking a closer look at what makes this event one of the most anticipated tournaments in the sport. Often called the Biggest Pickleball Party in the World, the US Open is expected to welcome more than 3,400 athletes from all 50 states and over 40 countries, along w...

When an injury forced former rockstar Gordon Gebert to step away from the stage, he found himself searching for the energy, connection, and purpose that had once fueled his life. Everything changed when he discovered pickleball, a sport that not only reignited his passion but transformed his future. Now the CEO of the National Pickleball League, Gordon shares how he turned personal adversity into...

Forrest Smith, founder of Kineon Labs, breaks down why recovery is the key to playing pickleball for life. We dive into how red light therapy and trigger point therapy help reduce inflammation, protect your joints, and keep your body moving at a high level as the wear and tear of the sport adds up. Forrest also explains how Kineon’s travel-size red light therapy goes beyond injury recovery to supp...

CourtReserve cofounder Ashley Owens shares the remarkable growth story behind one of the leading platforms in racquet and paddle sports. What began as an idea at a kitchen table has scaled into a company serving more than 2,000 clubs and five million players worldwide and recently secured a 54 million strategic growth investment from Mainsail Partners. Ashley opens up about building the business a...

In a historic moment for the sport, professional pickleball players have come together to launch the World Pickleball Players Association (WPPA), the first-ever player-led organization dedicated to uniting athletes and advancing the game. Board member and pro player Dekel Bar joins the show to share what this milestone means for the future of pickleball. From demanding time off to recover to advoc...

Scott Brown is now leading one of the top pickleball apparel brands, partnering with the biggest names in the sport and getting their products featured in national television commercials on ESPN and Fox Sports. His path here was anything but ordinary. After spending 20 years at Nike, Scott moved into the software consulting world but missed working with product. Then one day, a random email landed...

Joe Sexton, Co-Founder and President of Ace Pickleball Club, never imagined franchising would become his long-term career path. After more than 20 years working with top brands like Sky Zone, Joe entered the pickleball world and it changed everything. Inspired by his mom’s life-changing story, he launched Ace with a mission to build community through the sport he grew to love. In this episode, Joe...

Three-time Olympian and national champion in freestyle skiing, Tracy Evans, has always been a trailblazer both in sport and in life. After revolutionizing aerial skiing with groundbreaking jumps, she turned her passion toward creating impact off the slopes by founding Kids Play International, a nonprofit promoting gender equality and education through sport in post genocide communities. In this ep...

Casie Caldwell and Lauren Vosbein, hosts of the podcast Dinks on Tap, are proof that pickleball can change your life in the best way. Casie shares how losing her hospitality career became the spark that helped her finally find work life balance and a new sense of purpose. Lauren talks about moving to Dallas without knowing anyone and how pickleball opened doors to new friendships, competition, and...

Brian Harper, the visionary behind Pickle & Social, shares how he’s blending pickleball with the wildly successful eatertainment model he helped grow at Topgolf. He explains why combining food, fun, and the fastest-growing sport in America is a winning formula, and how the concept’s adaptability allows it to evolve with market demands. Brian also answers one of the industry’s biggest questions...

What happens when love and pickleball collide? In this episode, we chat with Anneliese Niebauer, co-founder of PickleMatch, the first pickleball dating app built for pickleball players. Born out of her own post-breakup journey, Anneliese turned the not-so-fun world of dating apps into something playful, active, and community-driven. PickleMatch connects singles by skill rating, favorite courts, an...

Singer, songwriter, and pickleball poet David Francis joins the show to debut his country & western comedy song about Anna Leigh Waters, the number one pickleball player in the world. Packed with golden pickles, body bags, ATPs, and punchlines, this song captures the spirit of the game and the legend herself. David also shares plans for a full-blown line dance to go with the tune and hopes to...

Pamela DeLoatch, a writer turned athlete from Raleigh, North Carolina, never saw herself as a competitor until a spontaneous pickleball match with a friend changed everything. That moment led to the founding of Black Girl Magic Pickleball, a vibrant and growing community of more than 120 Black women learning to play and love the game. Despite making up less than 8 percent of players nationwide, th...

Curt Carbaugh, founder of C2 Performance, joins the show to break down how his innovative band system is helping pickleball players train smarter and prevent injuries. After years of training Olympic athletes and top-tier pros, Curt developed C2 bands to target muscle imbalances, improve mobility, and boost performance on and off the court. With mobile kits you can use anywhere from hotel rooms to...

Twin sisters and fashion founders Ashley Cornil and Sara Brady turned their love of racquet sports and style into Le Pickle Club, one of the most buzzed about clothing brands blending comfort, elegance, and pickleball flair. After selling their successful women’s accessories line, KIN THE LABEL, the sisters launched Le Pickle Club to capture the social and playful spirit of the fastest growing spo...

We're joined by the woman behind one of the biggest pickleball booms in the country, Emily Akradi. As the founder of the Life Time Foundation and wife of Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi, Emily is the driving force behind bringing pickleball to Life Time clubs nationwide. What started as her personal love for the game has sparked a movement. In over 18 months, Life Time has built over 700 courts ac...

Sarah Bowman and John Braun went from pickleball opponents to an unstoppable duo in business and competition. After reconnecting off the court, they hit the road, traveling the world by car, co-hosting a podcast, and building their brand along the way. Sarah is now chasing a spot in the National Pickleball League, the first pro league for players 50 and over, with John by her side as her trainer....