Pickleball & Partnership: On Transformation, Growth & the Game of Becoming

Charlotte Jukes

Welcome to Pickleball & Partnership, the podcast about Transformation, Growth, and Becoming...both on the pickleball court and in life. I'm Charlotte—Registered Nurse of 37 years, now Life Coach, Podcast Host, and lifelong student of what it means to evolve. Each week, I share honest reflections on the messy, courageous work of personal growth: how we heal, pivot, release old identities, and step into more authentic versions of ourselves. The pickleball court is where I see everything clearly. My triggers. My patterns. My resistance to change. Every rally becomes a mirror—showing me where I'm gripping too tightly, where I need to trust more, where I'm still playing small. And what I learn on the court applies to everything off it! This podcast explores: Nervous system healing and regulationIdentity shifts and career transitionsRelationship dynamics and emotional patternsThe cost of transformation (and why it's worth it)How to go all in when you're terrifiedWhat it means to integrate who you were with who you're becomingThis isn't motivational fluff. It's real talk about growth...the kind that honours the grief, the discomfort, and the beauty of becoming. If you're navigating transition, doing inner work, or just trying to understand why change feels so hard — this podcast is for you. Hit subscribe and join me every week for stories, insights, and the lessons the court keeps teaching me about life.

  1. 4d ago

    Being Me Is Enough: The Path to Feeling Worthy

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Charlotte demonstrates a powerful coaching exercise she uses for herself and her clients.  She explains that even with great strategy and consistent effort, people can hit an “invisible wall” that is usually driven by unconscious beliefs about worthiness, such as feeling success isn’t safe or believing they don’t deserve it.  Charlotte emphasises embodiment — accessing worth through the body and nervous system rather than just mindset shifts — drawing on 37 years in healthcare and her belief that the body holds wisdom the mind can’t process.  She models a vulnerable self-coaching exercise: voicing self-doubt, locating it in her body, linking it to childhood pressure, offering compassion to her “little one,” and then inquiring into the belief “being me is not enough.”  Charlotte lists grounded examples from her work, coaching, marriage, parenting, and pickleball to support “being me is enough,” practices self-forgiveness, chooses an affirmation, and commits to sharing this raw recording as a podcast episode. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:39 The Invisible Wall 02:41 Embodiment Over Mindset 05:16 Guided Exercise Begins 06:07 Giving the Inner Critic Voice 06:47 Body Sensations and Origins 08:12 Breathing and Self Compassion 12:33 Challenging the Core Belief 13:21 Proof Being Me Is Enough 18:43 Self Forgiveness Practice 24:06 Embodied Worth and Affirmations 25:17 Integration and Closing Reflection Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    28 min

  2. Jun 30

    Embracing Change: Who Am I Now?

    Send us Fan Mail This episode is also available in VIDEO format on YouTube. In this episode of the Pickleball and Partnership Podcast, Charlotte reflects on recent conversations about grief and a life change that included losing her mum, discovering she was pregnant two days later, starting a new job five days later, and welcoming her younger brother into her home.  Charlotte explores a listener theme — “I don’t even recognise the person I used to be” — and discusses what happens after healing and transition, when identity shifts bring loneliness and discomfort. She explains that meaningful transformation involves grieving old identities (people-pleasing, staying quiet, overworking, never asking for help) because familiar patterns feel safe to the nervous system even when unhealthy.  Using pickleball skill development as a metaphor, she notes that feeling frustrated and confused before expansion is evidence of rewiring, not failure. She invites listeners to ask who they are beneath roles and who they are becoming. 00:00 Welcome Back and Recap 01:36 Who Am I Now 02:27 Grieving Old Identities 06:17 Safety and the Nervous System 08:19 Pickleball Growth Analogy 10:45 When Growth Feels Like Grief 13:27 Inner Child and Survival Roles 15:04 Questions for Your Becoming 17:18 Invitation and Closing Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    20 min

  3. Jun 22

    Navigating Life's Sudden Changes: From Grief to Growth

    Send us Fan Mail Charlotte continues last week’s conversation about grief, focusing on pivotal moments when life splits into “before” and “after,” and shares her experience of losing her mum to renal cancer: diagnosis in 1994, death in December 1996 when Charlotte was 27, and the disorienting, overlapping emotions and nervous-system overwhelm that followed.  She describes denial as protection, how familiar places felt unfamiliar, and how she became the emotional caretaker at the funeral, supporting family while suppressing her own feelings. In rapid succession she and Neil took in her younger brother, learned they were unexpectedly pregnant two days after her mum died, married three months later, and she faced a new nursing role; nine months later, after the birth of their daughter, she experienced postnatal depression.  Charlotte emphasises that grief isn’t linear, people often need presence rather than solutions, and she uses pickleball to illustrate how one moment can change everything, redefining strength as feeling, receiving support, and allowing transformation over time. 00:00 Welcome Back and Why This Matters 01:06 When Life Changes Overnight 02:49 Mum’s Diagnosis and Denial 05:02 Grief in the Body 07:29 Being Strong for Everyone 09:58 Pregnancy Amid Loss 11:25 What Help Really Looks Like 14:09 Postnatal Depression After Grief 17:16 Grief Isn’t Linear 18:45 Pickleball and Sudden Pivots 21:53 Choosing How We Respond 23:33 Redefining Strength and Healing 26:14 You’re Not Broken Closing Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    28 min

  4. May 14

    The Sacred Journey of Grief: Love, Loss, and Presence

    Send us Fan Mail Charlotte reflects on the overwhelming response to a prior episode featuring a conversation with her mother, who died nearly 30 years ago, and explores grief as a profound expression of love rather than a problem to fix.  Charlotte shares her experience of losing her mum to renal cancer in 1996 at age 27, the disorientation and physical impact of grief, the pressure to support family, starting a new job, and learning she was pregnant days after her mum’s death, later experiencing postnatal depression amid many life changes.  She challenges common messages like “be strong” and “time heals,” explains that Kübler-Ross stages are non-linear, and emphasises that support can be simple presence without advice.  Using a pickleball analogy, Charlotte notes there’s no going back, only integrating change, and affirms there is no right way or timeline to grieve; joy and grief can coexist, and ongoing grief reflects enduring love and connection. 00:00 Welcome And Why Grief 02:54 Mum's Death Story 06:14 Funeral And Family Weight 08:37 Pregnancy Amid Loss 09:50 When Help Hurts 13:07 Remembering Her Love 14:42 What Grief Really Is 16:28 Stages Are Not Linear 19:42 Support Doesnt Need Perfect 20:48 Grief As Sacred Love 23:11 Pickleball Reset Lesson 25:27 No Right Way To Grieve 27:21 Love Continues After Death 29:28 Doorway Moments And Meaning 30:34 Closing Thanks Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    31 min

  5. May 5

    A Conversation With My Mum… What She Still Teaches Me About Love, Loss, and Becoming

    Send us Fan Mail Charlotte shares an unplanned, deeply personal episode of Pickleball and Partnership reflecting on her mother, who died in 1996 nearly 30 years ago, and the lasting feeling she associates with her—“soft, warm, and brown.”  She leads a quiet, connected conversation with her Mum about what she misunderstood when younger, including the complexity of love and her mother staying after betrayal, and explores how Charlotte still “hides in strength” instead of showing vulnerability in relationships. The conversation addresses the fear of outgrowing others, growth through discomfort, and making space for grief as “love that still has somewhere to go.”  Charlotte connects these lessons to pickleball—playing with joy rather than perfection—shares a treasured cross stitch and note from her Mum, reads “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Elizabeth Fry, and invites listeners to reach out and have the conversations they’ve been longing for. 00:00 Unexpected Episode Shift 01:34 Remembering Mum’s Presence 02:58 Breath and Begin the Dialogue 03:16 Strength Softness and Staying 05:31 Hiding Behind Capability 07:56 Outgrowing and Becoming 09:50 Walk Through Discomfort 10:52 Play Joy and Pickleball Lessons 11:58 Making Space for Grief 13:46 You Are Doing More Than Okay 14:47 Cross Stitch and Lasting Love 15:55 Have the Conversation Now 17:02 Poem Do Not Stand at My Grave 18:07 Closing Thanks and Invitation Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    19 min

  6. Mar 31

    The Path to Transformation: Letting Go to Grow

    Send us Fan Mail Charlotte Jukes shares the uncomfortable cost of going all in on her podcast and new coaching work: the identity loss and grief of stepping away from nursing after 37 years. She describes how being a nurse provided instant respect, external validation, competence, certainty, and the comfort of being known, and how leaving forced her to become a beginner again, tolerate uncertainty, and release the need to be liked, understood, or agreed with.  Charlotte connects this to nervous system safety, explaining how the unfamiliar can trigger fear and resistance, like a pickleball player resisting a coach’s changes. She emphasises integrating—not discarding—past identities, offers a brief guided reflection on releasing and integrating, and reframes grief as a sign of real transformation, inviting listeners in transition to seek support and keep becoming. 00:00 All In Transformation 02:47 Leaving Nursing Identity 04:48 Losing Validation 05:39 Beginner Again 09:25 Becoming Unrecognized 11:17 Integrating Past Self 13:39 Podcast Vulnerability 14:49 Voice And Perfectionism 18:32 Pickleball Change Lesson 21:13 Nervous System And Grief 24:07 Six Things To Release 28:05 Guided Release Practice 31:09 Grief Means Growth 33:08 Loose Grip Metaphor 35:15 Closing And Support Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    37 min

  7. Feb 3

    Stop Dabbling: The Power of Consistent Commitment

    Send us Fan Mail In this milestone episode of 'Pickleball and Partnership,' Charlotte reflects on a year-long commitment to recording a podcast every week. Despite doubts, fears, and challenges, the journey reveals the power of consistent effort and how it can transform one's identity.  The episode delves into the universal principle that true change comes from going all in on one thing and explores how this commitment has not only grown the podcast but also improved relationships, business, and self-confidence.  Tune in to discover key takeaways on building consistency, handling criticism, and the importance of sustained action over sporadic effort. 00:00 The Promise: A Year of Commitment 01:33 Welcome to Pickleball and Partnership 02:25 Facing the Fear of Starting 06:30 The Power of Consistency 08:04 Overcoming Challenges and Doubts 10:02 The Transformation Through Commitment 13:43 The Science Behind Commitment 15:33 Choosing Your One Thing 18:39 The Magic of Consistency 21:55 Reflecting on the Journey 26:32 Key Takeaways Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    29 min
  8. Why You Can't Rest: Overcoming the Invisible Load and Nervous System Dysregulation

    Jan 27

    Why You Can't Rest: Overcoming the Invisible Load and Nervous System Dysregulation

    Send us Fan Mail Happy Happy 1st Birthday Pickleball & Partnership 🥳 🎉 In this episode of Pickleball in Partnership, host Charlotte Jukes delves into the often overlooked Invisible Load that many carry, which makes true rest feel unattainable. She explains how our nervous systems are conditioned to remain in a state of hypervigilance, which impacts our ability to truly relax. Charlotte shares personal anecdotes, the science behind nervous system states, and practical steps to signal to your body that it's safe to rest.  She also celebrates a year of the podcast and encourages listeners to prioritise self-care and rest for sustainable well-being. Follow along for actionable advice on how to rewire your nervous system for true relaxation. 00:00 Introduction: The Struggle with Rest 00:57 The Invisible Load: Why Rest Feels Impossible 04:42 Understanding Your Nervous System 05:48 Personal Story: Hypervigilance and Its Impact 07:22 The Importance of Resetting: Lessons from Pickleball 11:52 Practical Steps to Teach Your Body to Rest 18:10 The Necessity of Rest: Final Thoughts 20:11 Conclusion: Embracing Rest and Moving Forward Pickleball & Partnership Facebook Page Please jump on over and say "Hi" - I would love to hear from you... email: cejukes@gmail.com  https://www.facebook.com/conejukes https://www.facebook.com/groups/848118700833703 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pickleball-partnership/id1775742795 Get your FREE Top 10 Tips for Playing Pickleball with Your Partner subscribepage.io/Top-10-Tips-Partner-Pickleball Music: Purple Planet Music Thanks to Purple Planet Music for Pickleball & Partnership Intro and Outro music Purple Planet Music is a collection of music written and performed by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.

    22 min
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About

Welcome to Pickleball & Partnership, the podcast about Transformation, Growth, and Becoming...both on the pickleball court and in life. I'm Charlotte—Registered Nurse of 37 years, now Life Coach, Podcast Host, and lifelong student of what it means to evolve. Each week, I share honest reflections on the messy, courageous work of personal growth: how we heal, pivot, release old identities, and step into more authentic versions of ourselves. The pickleball court is where I see everything clearly. My triggers. My patterns. My resistance to change. Every rally becomes a mirror—showing me where I'm gripping too tightly, where I need to trust more, where I'm still playing small. And what I learn on the court applies to everything off it! This podcast explores: Nervous system healing and regulationIdentity shifts and career transitionsRelationship dynamics and emotional patternsThe cost of transformation (and why it's worth it)How to go all in when you're terrifiedWhat it means to integrate who you were with who you're becomingThis isn't motivational fluff. It's real talk about growth...the kind that honours the grief, the discomfort, and the beauty of becoming. If you're navigating transition, doing inner work, or just trying to understand why change feels so hard — this podcast is for you. Hit subscribe and join me every week for stories, insights, and the lessons the court keeps teaching me about life.

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