ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcas‪t‬ Lisa Stone/Tennis Channel Podcast Network

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's episode, we do a slight pivot. Lisa chats with Thomas Williams, a former member of the USC Trojan and Carolina Panthers football teams, not our usual guest here at ParentingAces!
To watch the video version of this week's episode, click below:
https://youtu.be/zwB2q7Xwzx8
Thomas Williams is a former NFL player and 2x National Champion (USC). After a career ending neck injury, he was forced to find a new purpose for his life. Thomas had always been taught by his mother that life was about more than football, so he had faith that he would find his path.
One of Thomas Williams’ main passions is coaching both college and professional athletes on the inevitable transition to life beyond the scoreboard. He is driven by his mantra, “Athletes are great people first, who just so happen to be great athletes. Greatness may have started with sports but it doesn’t end when you retire… GREATNESS is a lifestyle.” Thomas serves as an NFL Player Engagement Ambassador, teaching college student athletes about character, leadership and the NFL evaluation process.
Tennis players and parents can learn a lot from listening to Thomas's stories of his experience on and off the playing field. He is an inspiration to athletes and non-athletes alike who are trying to figure out how to create their own legacies in this world.
Below are some short clips of Thomas speaking with current and former athletes about preparing for their career after sports:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/168zPPtNcjQ85udLsKJiIsU46e0Kgx6pK/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ufvXFMCvKBmvJx814McBX5e90GevE8id/view
Find out more about Thomas's work on his website, thomasrwilliams.com. You can purchase his books - Permission to Dream and The Relentless Pursuit of Greatness - through our Amazon Shop (ParentingAces may receive a small commission). If you'd like to reach out to Thomas directly, you can do so via this link: http://thomasrwilliams.com/contact/.
As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 15, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.
To watch the video version of this episode:
https://youtu.be/vCBe0cev9-k
Artificial Intelligence has been around for quite a while now. Even though it has been incorporated into other sports training, tennis has been slow to hop on the AI bandwagon. Until now!
Brian Park grew up in Korea then moved to Australia to enhance his junior tennis training and development. He then moved to the US to pursue a college tennis experience at Utah State University before trying his hand on the pro tennis tour. He quickly realized he had the physical skills to compete and win but was missing some of the mental skills needed to find success. Brian returned to school to get a graduate degree in sport psychology and used his new-found knowledge in his role as a junior tennis coach.
Brian eventually enlisted the help of a team of software engineers to create the first AI-based app for tennis, and Apeak was born.
I encourage you to watch the video version of this episode so you can see the app in action - it is so exciting! It requires engagement from the player to go through the various stages of building mental skills and moving on to the next higher level of development.
Brian and Apeak have generously offered a short-term 30% discount to the ParentingAces community. To redeem, you need to go through the following steps:
Instructions:

Only redeemable for 1 year subscription

First 100 subscribers only.

This code expires on April 4th 2021

Only redeem this code on Apeak website. Here is the link

https://www.apeak.com/redeem/PARENTINGACES
30% code: PARENTINGACES
After April 4, ParentingAces Premium Members can purchase the app at a 20% discount using the code found on our Member Discounts page here.
As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. We're capping off Women's History Month with this week's guest, Sarah Borwell.
To watch the video version of this week's episode, click https://youtu.be/Dx1os5GkIzM.
Following a very strong junior career, Sarah Borwell left her home country of Great Britain to play college tennis in the US. She attended the University of Houston after transferring from Rice University at the end of her freshman year. She then launched a successful career on the WTA tour, reaching as high as 65 in the world.
Because of her love of her own college tennis experience, Sarah began helping other British tennis players understand the options available to them once their junior tennis careers were complete. She founded TennisSmart, the first company dedicated solely to helping British tennis players and stopping the drop-out rate in British tennis. More recently, Sarah has partnered with Barry Fulcher to create The Student of the Game.
The Student of the Game provides a better support network for British junior players and parents as they explore the four distinct pathways beyond junior tennis: British university, American university, the professional tennis tour, and the tennis industry. Sarah and Barry have curated a team of experts and consultants to guide participants with content, on-court training, and educational materials delivered in the form of 2-day camps.
For more information on The Student of the Game, you can visit their website at https://www.studentofthegame-britishtennis.com/. You can also follow Sarah on Twitter and Instagram @SarahBorwell.
As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 13, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.
To watch the video version of this episode, go to https://youtu.be/jIpv9njrJwQ.
When young people arrive on campus for college, we parents have to do a giant pivot in terms of our role in their lives, both on and off the tennis court. Part of this pivot is understanding if and when we should intervene when our children have an issue with their coach, a teammate, or otherwise.
In this week's episode, former college coach, Tina Samara, gives us some real-life examples of when and how we and our children should handle these issues to get a desirable resolution.
Tina played both professional tennis and semi-pro golf herself, and she understands what is required to become a champion. On the WTA tour, she reached a career-high ranking of 223 in doubles and played in the US Open Singles in 1994 and 1995. During her US College playing days, she won three NCAA National Team Championships and was the #1 ranked NCAA doubles team for the University of Georgia in 1995. Following her sporting achievements, Tina went on to coach Division 1 women's college tennis for 11 years and was known for her practical, empathic and direct approach to the holistic development of both the person and the athlete. In addition, Tina also competed as a semi-pro golfer for three years winning the New York State public links event in 2003. Tina privately coaches and mentors many teenage athletes to help them transition from high school into college by pursuing their sporting goals and dreams. She is the owner and founder of Transition Coach 4 Athletes. This service helps student-athletes navigate the often challenging world of balancing study and maximizing sports performance as well as helping find US College Scholarships.
You can contact Tina directly via email at tina@transitioncoach4athletes.com. You can also visit her website at transitioncoach4athletes.com.
For a questionnaire with a follow-up FREE College Placement call with Tina, click https://tina263124.typeform.com/to/PDRqB3
As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network.
To watch the video version of this week's episode, click https://youtu.be/J9-fr9zJDys.
Second Serve was created two years ago by Amani and Ayanni Shah, nationally-ranked junior players out of the San Diego area. It is a youth-run non profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of underprivileged kids who love tennis by supporting them with the equipment they need.
​The Shah Sisters and their team redistribute used tennis equipment to kids in underserved communities to facilitate their involvement in tennis. They have expanded their efforts to partner with multiple National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) sites in low income communities of California, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Texas. They also now have international sites in Uganda, Mexico, India, and soon Argentina and Zimbabwe. 
Now, Second Serve is not only seeking additional Team Members but also financial donations to support the shipping of equipment around the world. ParentingAces is partnering with Second Serve to help promote their mission.
Ideally, we would like to help them get chapter presidents in as many cities and states as possible. We are helping to get the word out to high schoolers around the country to join their team. This will allow Second Serve to tap into more communities for donations and in turn serve greater numbers of children. It also gives junior tennis players around the country a platform to give back. Second Serve will follow up with these new team members with an email, call, and starter package. 
Eventually, these Second Serve Presidents could help in many ways such as organizing and playing ‘charity exhibition’ matches where funds raised from parents and community would help pay for shipping, or even committing to providing tennis lessons and clinics this summer to Elementary and Junior High underprivileged kids. Down the road, there could even be ‘Second Serve Fellows’ who would travel to teach tennis to the underprivileged. 
Once Second Serve has a big army of leaders to serve with them, the possibilities are endless!
For more information and to get involved, visit https://www.secondserve.club/. To make a financial donation, visit https://www.secondserve.club/donating. To apply to become a Team Member, visit https://www.secondserve.club/join-our-team. You can also follow Second Serve on Instagram @secondserveclub.
As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 11, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, to further our observance of Women's History Month, we chat with USTA Past President Katrina Adams about her life in tennis and her newest endeavor as the author of OWN THE ARENA: Getting Ahead, Making a Difference, and Succeeding as the Only One.
To watch the video version of this week's podcast:
https://youtu.be/GpN8fzSW84A
Katrina Adams grew up in Chicago, the youngest of three children with 2 older brothers. Her parents were both school teachers, so Katrina was brought up understanding the value of education. As such, after graduating high school at age 16, she accepted a tennis scholarship to Northwestern University before leaving after her sophomore year to pursue a professional tennis career, eventually becoming the first black - and youngest - president of USTA in 2015!
In this week's episode, you'll hear Katrina talk about her junior development process, her parents' involvement in her tennis life, and how she has used the lessons learned along the way to become the successful player, coach, volunteer, board member, businessperson, and author she is today.
Katrina's book is divided into 12 chapters which she calls her 12 Winning Match Points. From the book's description on Amazon: As Adams shares a wealth of stories from her career and personal life, as well as insights from top tennis professionals, she provides invaluable information on meeting life’s tests both on the tennis court and off. Own the Arena offers fresh perspectives on having presence, being remembered, directing a conversation, and moving boldly in spaces where “you are the only one.” It also covers good sportsmanship—treating others with respect and being inclusive and open to diverse perspectives. Tennis is said to be 90 percent mental; this book shows how to take the elements of mental fortitude and use them to achieve greatness. By embracing and expressing one’s inner grace and humanity, Adams shows, you can own the arena.
For more information on Katrina, visit her website, katrinamadams.com. To purchase her new book, click here. (Note: ParentingAces may receive compensation for purchases made through this link.)
As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices