Pickleballers

Jared Paul (founder of The Kitchen) and Roscoe Bellamy (pro pickleball player)
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The Pickleballers Podcast — hosted by Jared Paul and Dane Iliff, founders of The Kitchen (the largest media company in pickleball), alongside top-ranked pro Roscoe Bellamy — is your new go-to source for all things pickleball.From breaking news and spicy hot takes to hilarious banter and all-star guests, Pickleballers brings the energy. Tune in for celebrity drop-ins, pro insights, and a front-row seat to the fastest-growing sport in America.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Anna Bright: Saying No to Anna Leigh, Girlies Breakup, and Pickleball's Biggest Personality | S3 E10

    -12 H

    Anna Bright: Saying No to Anna Leigh, Girlies Breakup, and Pickleball's Biggest Personality | S3 E10

    Anna Bright is the #2 ranked women's pickleball player in the world, an MLP champion, and one of the sport's most magnetic personalities — a Cal Berkeley graduate who went from Pacific Crest Trail solo hiker to professional athlete in under a year. In this episode, Anna sits down with Roscoe and Jared to pull back the curtain on her journey from junior tennis to the top of pickleball, the business decisions that defined her career, and the personal dynamics that come with competing at the highest level. The conversation is candid, funny, and surprisingly raw — exactly what you'd expect from someone who's never been afraid to say what she thinks. Anna breaks down the story behind "The Girlies" — her viral brand partnership with Rachel Rachel Rohrabacher — and what it was like to walk away from one of pickleball's most beloved duos. She opens up about the game-theory moment that led her to reach out to Anna Lee Waters, including the part nobody knew: she'd already said no once before. Anna also gets into the tension between her fiery on-court persona and the content creator she's becoming off it, why yoga and breath work have quietly transformed the last six months of her life, and what she actually thinks about the yelling controversy that made this podcast feel like it might never happen. Delivered by @DoorDash! 🚗 Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Add us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pickleballers https://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleball https://instagram.com/roscoebellamy https://instagram.com/jpaulthechef Timestamps: 0:00 - Start 1:02 — Welcome Anna Bright 1:46 — Clearing the Air: The Kate Twitter Moment 4:01 — Growing Up in Fort Worth & Junior Tennis 8:42 — Fractured Back at 13 & High School Reset 12:50 — The College Recruiting Process & Choosing Cal Berkeley 17:42 — The Pacific Crest Trail: Solo, 2,500 Miles, 113 Days 24:19 — How Pickleball Found Her 30:49 — Meeting James Ignatowich 36:25 — Building a Brand: The Rise of The Girlies 46:19 — How Playing Full-Time Changes Your Relationship With the Sport 52:04 — The Game Theory Decision: Leaving Rachel for Anna Lee 1:01:27 — What It's Like Playing With the Greatest of All Time 1:07:02 — Biggest Threats on Tour 1:09:24 — Pickleball in Asia & the Sport's Global Future 1:13:53 — Most Entertaining Players to Watch 1:15:47 — What She Wants From the Sport Long-Term 1:22:57 — Fan Q&A: Box Breathing, Yoga & Staying Injury-Free 1:25:56 — The Power 50 Ranking Reaction

    1 h 28 min
  2. Roscoe Bellamy: His Dream Was Gone. His Identity Was Lost. Then Pickleball Changed Everything | S3E9

    2 AVR.

    Roscoe Bellamy: His Dream Was Gone. His Identity Was Lost. Then Pickleball Changed Everything | S3E9

    Roscoe Bellamy is the co-host of The Pickleballers and a professional pickleball singles player currently ranked #6 in the world. A product of a tennis dynasty — his father founded Tennis Channel and his mother was a pro player — Roscoe rose to become the number one nationally ranked junior in the United States before a series of devastating injuries derailed his path to the pro tour. In this episode, Roscoe sits down with Jared and longtime friend Wesley Burroughs for a rare look at the man behind the mic. The conversation covers Roscoe's full journey from tennis prodigy to pro pickleball player, the mental shift that unlocked his best pickleball, and what it actually takes to compete at the top of the sport while running one of the game's biggest media brands. Roscoe opens up about the two years he lost to a stress fracture at fifteen — a period that stripped him of his identity as a top junior and sent him through a grueling rehab circuit alongside the likes of Anthony Davis and Mike Trout. Two hip surgeries in college effectively ended his pro dream, and it wasn't until a Hawaii trip with Hunter and Yates Johnson that pickleball entered the picture — leading to a sandbagged Pickleball Slam alongside Matt Manassie just two weeks into the sport. Roscoe also gets into the mental transformation that fueled his breakout 2025 run — winning his first PPA gold in Lakeland, reaching finals in Vegas, and finally finding the "dog" in his game that singles pickleball demands. He shares details on his new paddle deal with Luzz, his plans to launch the Pickleball Collective instructional platform, and his goal of finishing 2026 in the top three in the world. Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Add us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pickleballers https://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleball https://instagram.com/roscoebellamy https://instagram.com/jpaulthechef Timestamps: 1:10 — Introducing Roscoe & Wes 2:20 — Growing Up in a Tennis Family 5:00 — Becoming #1 in the Nation at 12 9:12 — Competing Internationally & the Pro Dream 12:01 — The Back Injury That Changed Everything 14:24 — Scholarship to UCLA & Hip Surgeries 17:22 — Mom Discovers Pickleball 20:34 — Going All In on Pickleball 22:35 — Beating Agassi and Roddick for $10k 25:15 — First Pro Tournament in Cincinnati 27:46 — Signing During Tour Wars 29:50 — The Mental Shift That Unlocked His Best Pickleball 32:35 — Finding the Dog: Singles Is a War 35:19 — Goals for 2026 38:32 — Balancing Pro Play, Content & The Podcast 45:46 — Breaking Down the Competition 53:13 — New Paddle Deal with Luzz 54:53 — Life at Home, Family & Girlfriend

    58 min
  3. James Ignatowich: The PPA Termination, Building RPM from China, and the Future of Paddle Tech

    31 MARS

    James Ignatowich: The PPA Termination, Building RPM from China, and the Future of Paddle Tech

    James Ignatowich is a former top professional pickleball player turned paddle company founder, best known for creating RPM — one of the fastest-growing and most talked-about paddle brands in the sport. In this episode, James joins Roscoe and Jared virtually from Shenzhen, China, where he's living full-time and running RPM's operations on the ground. They get into why James has zero regrets about leaving the tour, what it actually takes to build a paddle company from scratch, and why being in China is the biggest competitive advantage in the game right now. James opens up about his PPA termination, calling it suspicious given RPM's early success, and shares a telling detail — he was already mentally checked out of pro play before it happened, more excited about the company than any upcoming tournament. He also reacts to Ben Johns calling him the most talented player he's ever faced, and why that compliment doesn't quite land the way you'd expect. James also gets into the RPM playbook — how they sold 35,000 paddles without enough covers, why dropping the Q2 and V2 simultaneously was a calculated bet, and where he thinks paddle technology is headed. Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Add us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pickleballers https://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleball https://instagram.com/roscoebellamy https://instagram.com/jpaulthechef

    47 min
  4. Alix Truong: How a Teenage Prodigy Became the #1 Vietnamese Pickleball Player | S3 E8

    26 MARS

    Alix Truong: How a Teenage Prodigy Became the #1 Vietnamese Pickleball Player | S3 E8

    Alix Truong is the number one Vietnamese pickleball player in the world and currently ranked eighth on the PPA Tour. She's one of the sport's most compelling rising voices — a player who came up through every level of the game and is now helping grow pickleball across an entire continent. In this episode, Alix sits down with Roscoe and Jared to talk about her journey from a hyper-competitive Vietnamese-American household in Northern Virginia to the PPA Tour. They get into what it's like being a trailblazer for Asian representation in pickleball, the realities of grinding for points without a consistent partner, and why she sees herself playing well into her senior pro years. Alix breaks down what it was actually like going to Vietnam for the first time — working 13-hour days with no time to explore — and how returning on her own terms completely changed her relationship with her heritage. She describes being treated like a princess at tournaments, playing in front of a world-record crowd of 7,900 people in Đà Nẵng, and why she believes the Asian pickleball scene will eventually surpass the US in sheer scale. Alix also opens up about the burnout she hit during MLP last season, getting traded down to Challenger right after one of her best runs with Eric Johnson, and the heartbreak of losing her committed partner Lane to hip surgery just as they'd committed to building something real together. She's candid about what it means to be the only top-10 player without a consistent doubles partner — and what it's going to take to break through. 🧢 Pickleballers Hat: https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Add us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pickleballers https://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleball https://instagram.com/roscoebellamy https://instagram.com/jpaulthechef Timestamps: 1:04 — Introducing Alix Truong 2:46 — Growing Up Vietnamese-American in DC 5:36 — How She Found Pickleball Through Her Parents' Friend Group 10:18 — First Big Tournaments and the Simone Foundation 11:30 — Coming Up With Anna Leigh, Hayden, and Gabe 13:22 — When Pickleball Stopped Being a Hobby 16:23 — The Hard Conversation With Her Parents About Dropping Out 18:17 — Building Her Brand From Day One 20:09 — Going to Vietnam for the First Time 21:17 — Being a Star in Asia and the 7,900-Person World Record Crowd 23:46 — Sponsor Conversations and the Vietnamese Market Opportunity 27:15 — How Asian Conditions Compare to the US 30:19 — Playing With Her Brother LJ and the Sibling Dynamic 34:05 — Her Ceiling and Competing in Anna Leigh's Era 35:32 — Burnout, Getting Traded Down in MLP, and the Mental Toll 40:42 — Losing Partner Lane to Hip Surgery Mid-Season 43:00 — The Next Generation of Junior Players 46:31 — The Future of Asian Pickleball in 5 Years 51:44 — Learning Vietnamese and Falling in Love With the Culture 54:59 — What Makes Anna Leigh Waters So Hard to Beat 58:41 — 2026 Pickleball Predictions 1:01:05 — The Olympics, Vietnamese Citizenship, and What's Next

    1 h 3 min
  5. Enhance Pickleball: Owning the Content Game, $65K Nightmare, and How They Built the Brand | S3 E7

    19 MARS

    Enhance Pickleball: Owning the Content Game, $65K Nightmare, and How They Built the Brand | S3 E7

    Connor Hance and Drew Baird are the founders of Enhance Pickleball — the most-followed pickleball content creators, with more YouTube subscribers and Instagram followers than anyone else in the sport. In this episode, Connor and Drew sit down with Roscoe and Jared to tell the full story of how Enhance Pickleball was built — from a bootstrapped Amazon side project to a paddle and content brand that's changed how the sport is marketed and taught. Connor and Drew break down the business decisions that defined Enhance — what made the Dink Master their first real hit, why they resisted paddles for years before finally breaking through with the Duo, and how their content engine became the ultimate unfair advantage for selling products without outside funding or paid ads. They also get into the hard stuff: a $65,000 shipping disaster that nearly ended the company early, the challenge of being taken seriously as a paddle brand, and what it actually takes to build something real in pickleball from scratch. Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Add us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pickleballers https://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleball https://instagram.com/roscoebellamy https://instagram.com/jpaulthechef Timestamps: 1:06 — Introducing Connor & Drew from Enhance Pickleball 1:28 — How the brand works: Connor on camera, Drew behind the scenes 2:02 — Drew was originally supposed to be the on-camera talent 3:22 — How Connor & Roscoe go way back (played each other at age 9) 5:45 — How Enhance started: Amazon side hustle in early 2022 7:21 — The Dink Master origin story 9:09 — Bootstrapped from scratch: no funding, just tennis lesson money 10:25 — When the content started to take off 13:30 — Connor's backstory: growing up at South Bay Tennis Center 14:40 — Getting homeschooled to chase tennis 15:23 — The moment Connor decided he'd never go pro — and pivoted to business 17:46 — Drew's backstory: North Carolina, IMG Academy, #12 in the world juniors 20:22 — How Drew's hip injury led to him joining the business 22:46 — How their Instagram virality actually works 27:01 — Transitioning from accessories to paddles — and why it was hard 31:37 — Should they have started with paddles from day one? 33:15 — Getting advice vs. going with your gut 34:02 — The $65,000 FedEx shipping disaster 36:08 — How tariffs hit the business 38:17 — Best content advice for pickleball creators 43:49 — Breaking down the new Enhance Turbo paddle 46:10 — The time Amazon delivered a Viking sword to a customer 47:27 — What's next for Enhance Pickleball 49:48 — The biggest pivotal moments building the company 50:50 — Best business advice for anyone starting a pickleball brand today

    53 min
  6. Vivienne David: The Real Story Behind Her Retirement | S3 E6

    12 MARS

    Vivienne David: The Real Story Behind Her Retirement | S3 E6

    Vivienne David is one of the most beloved players pickleball has ever had — a true fan favorite, a bright light on tour, and a former world No. 2 in mixed doubles who just announced she’s stepping away from pro pickleball. In this episode, Vivienne sits down with Roscoe and Jared to tell the real story behind her retirement — what tour life actually feels like when you’ve been grinding for years, why she’s at peace with the decision, and why she’s still playing more pickleball than she expected now that she’s free from constant travel and pressure. Vivienne opens up about her legendary partnership with Thomas Wilson — why it worked so well, why it felt effortless, and how losing that “partner in crime” changed everything for her mentally. She talks about Thomas’ health scare, how it shifted her perspective, and why it made her realize what mattered most beyond wins, rankings, and contracts. Vivienne shares her full backstory — growing up 1 of 7, being homeschooled, burning out from tennis young, working in her family’s tennis/pickle shop in Florida, and accidentally getting hooked after getting “whooped” by older players on demo day. She also breaks down what she wants next: faith, community, family, potentially coaching or commentating… and yes, the one scenario where she’d consider coming back to play tournaments again. Delivered by @DoorDash ! 🚘 Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Add us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pickleballers https://instagram.com/thekitchenpickleball https://instagram.com/roscoebellamy https://instagram.com/jpaulthechef 1:05 — How retirement feels: freedom, peace, still playing locally 3:07 — Vivienne & Thomas Wilson: the partnership everyone loved 5:01 — Why fans loved them 7:30 — Vivienne’s backstory 8:43 — Working at the family tennis/pickle shop 10:17 — Abby David + early pickle roots 11:58 — First time playing pickle 12:50 — 2019 breakthrough 14:08 — Turning pro: sponsors, early tour era, finding her lane in doubles 15:36 — Entering PPA era 16:24 — First MLP at Dreamland 22:30 — Wanting to beat Anna Leigh 24:12 — Partnership chemistry: why Vivienne + Thomas worked 24:47 — How Vivienne brings out a partner’s best 26:01 — Biggest tour moment 27:05 — Thomas’ health scare 29:01 — Why she retired: tour grind, body, family, missing life at home 30:55 — Would she come back if Thomas returned? 31:33 — New goals 33:31 — Best player she faced: why Anna Leigh under pressure is different 35:00 — Favorite shot + elite defense tips for amateurs 37:02 — What’s next in pickleball

    39 min
  7. Hunter Johnson: The Truth About Being #1 in the World | S3 E5

    5 MARS

    Hunter Johnson: The Truth About Being #1 in the World | S3 E5

    Hunter Johnson is the world #1 singles pickleball player — the top spot in the fastest-growing sport on the planet, and a title that comes with way more pressure than people realize. In this episode, Hunter sits down with Roscoe and Jared to talk about what it actually feels like to be #1 in the world — the confidence it takes to get there, the doubts that creep in once you finally arrive, and the psychological weight of knowing every match is someone else’s Super Bowl. He breaks down the “now what?” moment after reaching the pinnacle, how he deals with the target on his back, and why he’s still more hungry than ever to keep the spot. Hunter explains why singles is the future of the sport — and why he believes it’s the format that will make pickleball go mainstream. They talk the Lifetime ball, how singles strategy has changed, why baseline pressure is becoming more valuable, and how the separation between pros and everyone else is getting bigger fast. Plus: the biggest threats to the #1 ranking, how he thinks about the field (Fed, Haworth, Connor, Garnett, and more), and the small tactical adjustments that actually decide matches at the top. Hunter opens up about the mental side of competing — negative self-talk, self-sabotage, pressure, perspective, faith, and what kind of champion he wants to be on and off the court. They also revisit the Lakeland match, momentum (real or not), what it taught him, and how he’s approaching 2026 with a better mindset and a clearer purpose. Delivered by @DoorDash ! 🚘 Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Instagram: 📲 @pickleballers 📲 @thekitchenpickleball 📲 @roscoebellamy 📲 @jpaulthechef 2:29 — The pressure of #1: psychology, emotions, staying hungry 2:59 — Hunter vs Yates (Palm Springs match) 5:28 — Pickleball time moves different (tour life perspective) 8:13 — Gratitude + why being a pro makes time feel “slow” 9:18 — Lakeland controversy + the post moment 11:00 — The real issue: self-talk, mindset, and being watched as #1 12:09 — “Now what?” after reaching the pinnacle + staying there 13:35 — Self-awareness, faith, perspective, and owning your behavior 16:35 — The platform of #1: being a role model for juniors 19:15 — Target on his back + using pressure as fuel 20:18 — Momentum: real vs mental construct 23:18 — Who threatens the #1 spot? 28:59 — Hot take: singles will make pickleball mainstream 30:24 — Why singles pops on TV 32:07 — Hot take: Ben & Anna Leigh should split and become rivals 35:49 — Ball talk: Lifetime vs Franklin 38:15 — Recovery: Hunter’s full routine 41:04 — 120-second backstory 43:40 — “Civil war draft”: 3 pros you’re taking to survive 45:57 — Hunter vs Anna Leigh practice story 47:46 — How far could Anna Leigh go in men’s singles? 48:44 — The future

    51 min
  8. Andre Agassi: How Pickleball Changed His Life | S3 E4

    26 FÉVR.

    Andre Agassi: How Pickleball Changed His Life | S3 E4

    Andre Agassi is one of the most iconic athletes of all time — an 8-time Grand Slam champion, Olympic gold medalist, and a legend changed tennis forever. In this episode, Andre sits down with Roscoe and Jared to explain why he’s gone all-in on pickleball — not as a gimmick, not as a cameo, but because the sport genuinely hooked him. He breaks down what tennis players don’t understand yet: pickleball isn’t just “easy” — it’s insanely nuanced, mentally exhausting, and filled with tiny variables that change everything in real time. He even explains why two hours of tennis leaves him energized… but two hours of pickleball leaves him so mentally cooked he can’t even make it to the shower. Andre dives deep into his game and what he’s learning — what translates from tennis, what absolutely doesn’t, why the rhythm and “blood pressure” of pickleball is harder to manage, and why he’s become a right-side player focused on forehand dinks, two-handed counters, and deception. He also answers the big questions: tennis vs pickleball difficulty, what he would change about the sport (including a wild idea to widen the net posts), why pickleball struggles on TV with camera angles, how the Lifetime ball is changing singles, and why paddle “grab/spin” might matter more than pure power. Andre tells the story of playing the US Open with Anna Leigh Waters — including the one thought he couldn’t shake: “Don’t be the first person to lose with Anna Leigh.” He shares how a back injury nearly derailed the run, how fierce Anna Leigh is as a competitor, and why pickleball has genuinely changed his life — physically, mentally, and socially — even in his mid-50s. Delivered by @DoorDash ! 🚘 Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Instagram: 📲 @pickleballers 📲 @thekitchenpickleball 📲 @roscoebellamy 📲 @jpaulthechef 1:25 — Tennis vs pickle “animosity” + Andre’s take 2:35 — The real reason he fell in love with pickleball 4:28 — Small margins + why pickle is tricky for TV 6:47 — Andre’s game: what translates from tennis + what he’s working on 9:39 — Pickleball Slam prep: when he actually got committed 11:30 — Roscoe’s Pickleball Slam story + why Andre matters to the sport 12:59 — Tennis/pickle/padel: do they grow together or cannibalize? 15:38 — Andre’s honesty: “Tennis is the Everest of racket sports” 17:07 — Crazy poker story 18:57 — US Open with Anna Leigh Waters 22:06 — How Agassi x Joola partnership happened 26:24 — Gambling in pickleball 29:39 — Andre’s dinner speech to Joola pros 31:23 — What pro would Andre play with? 33:36 — What would he change in pickleball? 40:08 — Singles evolution + the Lifetime ball changing 44:50 — What’s harder: tennis or pickleball? 47:01 — Carlos Alcaraz on a pickle court 52:53 — Pickleball Olympics path: college + scholarships 54:13 — Legacy + why he wants to help grow the game 55:38 — Has pickleball changed his life? #pickleballers #andreagassi #pickleball #ppa #mlp

    58 min
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À propos

The Pickleballers Podcast — hosted by Jared Paul and Dane Iliff, founders of The Kitchen (the largest media company in pickleball), alongside top-ranked pro Roscoe Bellamy — is your new go-to source for all things pickleball.From breaking news and spicy hot takes to hilarious banter and all-star guests, Pickleballers brings the energy. Tune in for celebrity drop-ins, pro insights, and a front-row seat to the fastest-growing sport in America.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Informations

  • Création
    Jared Paul (founder of The Kitchen) and Roscoe Bellamy (pro pickleball player)
  • Années d’activité
    2025 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    39
  • Classification
    Contenu explicite
  • Copyright
    © Jared Paul (founder of The Kitchen) and Roscoe Bellamy (pro pickleball player)
  • Site web de l’émission
    Pickleballers
  • Fournisseur
    Pickle Ballers

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