Talk Pickle To Me

When it comes to defying the odds and leaving crowds speechless, no one does it quite like this week’s guest: Len Yang. Len isn’t just another name in the pickleball scene—he’s the player who beat legends like Andre Agassi and Anna Leigh Waters. In this episode, we dive deep into his pickleball journey, his mindset and he takes us through the day when he made headlines in the pickleball space. Fro...

With the 2025 MLP season opener last weekend, I thought what better time to dissect my hosting experience and the pickleball landscape, than now. This is my third year being associated with MLP, and what a whirlwind this experience has been. From dreaming of hosting like Ally Love, to getting the opportunity to, I have truly loved every second of creating the fun and lively environment that MLP en...

Major League Pickleball is hands down the most exciting pro pickleball experience for fans! With the 2025 season just one day away, we had no other than Samin Odhwani on the podcast to give us all of the ins and out of the business. Samin has recently traded his position as GM of the Brooklyn Aces to become the Chief Strategy Officer of UPA and newest Commissioner of MLP. UPA, consisting of PPA an...

Tennis pro turned pickleball star, you will never see this guy giving less than 110% on the court. This week’s episode is with no other than, Andrei Daescu. Growing up in Romania with a father who played professional basketball, Andrei was introduced to sports at a very young age. Surprisingly, Andrei fell in love at first swing and quickly traded in his basketball for a tennis racket. By age 12 A...

When it comes to bringing people together and sharing happiness, there is one person who stands out amongst the rest. That person is this week’s guest and founder of Necker Island Pickleball Forum, Casey Brown. Not only is Casey amazing at coordinating events, but she is one of the sweetest and hardworking women in pickleball. Growing up in a small town in Pensilvania, Casey has always loved bring...

This episode of Talk Pickle To Me is truly a special one. This week I was able to sit down with my best friend and Duke teammate, Callie Simpkins. Callie is a true leader, businesswoman, and rule follower- the yin to my yang. Not only was Callie an amazing soccer player and Captain at Duke University, but her career in finance is even more impressive. After nearly 8 years at Goldman Sachs, Callie...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our tenth guest is mother and coach, Leigh Waters! If you know anything about pickleball, you have probably heard of Leigh Waters and her daughter, Anna Leigh Waters, who stands undeniably as the #1 professional pickleball player in the world. Growing up as an only child, Leigh learned from a young age the importance of parental influence on t...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our ninth guest is APP star, Megan Fudge. Megan is not only an incredible pickleball player with top rankings in all three events on the APP Tour, but she is also a wife to professional pickleball player Ryler DeHeart, and a mother to their two children, Lily and JR. Megan grew up in Germany, where she began her tennis career. At age 15 she le...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our eighth guest is sports businesswoman, Anne Worcester. Anne was the first and youngest female CEO of any major sports organization, the tournament director of the Connecticut Open for 20 years, President of Universal Tennis, and is now the strategic advisor for UPA (MLP & PPA). Anne attributes much of her success to her parents, who ins...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our seventh guest is one of the best pro pickleball players in the world and an absolute fan favorite, Anna Bright. Anna was the #2 tennis recruit in the nation for tennis out of high school, valedictorian of her class, and completed high school a year early. Anna took her talents to Cal Berkeley where she played D1 tennis and double majored i...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our sixth guest is with the badass businesswoman and professional pickleball player, Jill Braverman. Growing up in a one sport family with two older sisters, Jill quickly learned competitive edge. Attending Pepperdine University at just 16 years old, Jill double majored in Spanish and Marketing, finished top in her class, and was the first stu...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickle series, our fifth guest is PPA Tour O.G., Hannah Johns. From teaching English overseas in Prague, interviewing players on the PPA Tour, opening her own pickleball club, and now being Senior Chief Editor of pickleball.com ( http://pickleball.com ), Hannah is the ultimate jack of all trades. Coming from an unorthodox upbringing in Maryland, Hannah is one of...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our third guest is pickleball businesswoman, Jenny Klitch. Jenny is a former professional Tennis player, seasoned sports lawyer, previous MLP Commissioner, former SVP of pro player relations and competition at the APP Tour. She is also a wife and mother of three children. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, Jenny learned from an early age to never limit...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickle series, our third guest is the GOAT, Simone Jardim. Simone is an All-American College Tennis athlete, a coach, one of the most decorated pro pickleball players of all time, and an inductee to the pickleball hall of fame. Simone is also a wife, mother of 2 kids and MANY animals! Kaitlyn sits down with Simone to dive deep into Simone’s life- growing up in B...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickleball series, our second guest is Sarah Carpenter. Sarah is the Lead Data Scientist at DUPR and getting her PHD. She is the brains behind the algorithm! Kaitlyn asks Sarah the questions that all amateur players want to know- how can you raise your DUPR, why isn’t DUPR broken out by age, why aren’t gender doubles and mixed doubles separate ratings, and so mu...

In our 10 Most Influential Women in Pickle series, our first guest is the one and only Julie Johnson, a mother & coach to two of the best professional pickleball players in the world- JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson, a coach to the 2024 MLP Champions, the Dallas Flash, a physical therapist, and a pro pickleball player herself. Kaitlyn gets the opportunity to learn more about Julie’s background, h...