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

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 14, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we visit with the directors of a junior tennis academy in South Florida about their approach to overall junior development as well as overall human development.
Carley and Marcin Rozpedski are a husband and wife duo who have recently taken the reigns at the Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Not solely by coincidence, they are located just a few blocks away from the IMG Academy, which many of you will know by name if not by reputation.
Both Carley and Marcin are active members of the ParentingAces Facebook community and often offer valuable advice to other Tennis Parents in the midst of this exciting journey with their own kids. As a former top junior and college player, as well as a successful ATP player, Marcin understands what it takes to help a child achieve their dreams on the tennis court. As Carley says, she married into tennis, but now as a Tennis Parent herself, has had her own trial by fire as she has helped guide their three sons on the journey to their goals.
We won't go into too much detail here about the philosophy of Inspiration Academy - you'll need to watch/listen to the podcast for that information - but we do have an amazing opportunity for one female and one male player . . .
Inspiration Academy is offering ONE WEEK OF FREE ALL-INCLUSIVE TRAINING this summer to the winner of the ParentingAces Tennis Means Love contest! To enter, please complete and submit the contest entry form at https://forms.gle/By9NYSjrNJeR6Ujo8 NO LATER THAN MAY 1. The entry form must be completed BY THE PLAYER - please, mom and dad, do not do the entry for your child (and, yes, we'll be able to tell if you did!). We will choose one male and one female to receive the Grand Prize of one week at the Inspiration Academy during Summer 2024 - travel costs to and from the academy will be the responsibility of the winners though Inspiration may be able to assist if needed.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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Welcome to Season 13, Episode 13, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, Lisa talks with junior developmental coach, Aaron Rusnak, about how coaching has changed since he first started playing the game as a nine-year-old child.
Aaron is a highly respected coach and has been teaching tennis for 28 years. He played on the ATP Tour and was nominated in 2021 by Tennis Channel and Top Spin Magazine as a Top 25 Coach in the U.S. 
Aaron has coached College Tennis at a variety of levels and has directed and grown club programs and groups. He has a true talent to see things others don't and knows how to grow and develop a player at any level from the ground up.
As a former player he has the knowledge and personal experience to know what players feel like and what they are going through mentally, physically and emotionally. He uses this knowledge to listen to his players then develop a plan around their specific wants and needs.
Throughout his career, Aaron has seen our sport - and its coaches and players - change in significant ways. But, instead of fighting these changes, Aaron chooses to embrace them, adapting the way he coaches both players and other coaches in pursuit of their goals.
To reach Aaron, you can email him at rushandcrush@prodigy.net, call or text him at 708-471-5416, or follow him on Instagram at @inspire2betennis. You can also find him on LinkedIn at @AaronRusnak and on his website at https://InnovationTennisCoaching.com.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
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Welcome to Season 13, Episode 12, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, we bring you something a little different!
For the past 3 weeks, Lisa has been on site at a variety of junior tournaments. She finishes her stint at the prestigious Easter Bowl in the California Desert.
While there, Lisa had the opportunity to record conversations with Colette Lewis of ZooTennis; Boys 12s player, Rex Kulman; Junior Developmental Coach, JY Aubone; and Junior Developmental Coach and owner of Austin Tennis Academy, Jack Newman.
Since these conversations were done live and in person, and since Lisa's editing skills still leave a lot to be desired (!), this episode may look and sound a bit different from what you usually get from us. That said, we hope you'll check out the video version on ParentingAces.com for the full Easter Bowl vibe!
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13, Episode 11, of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. In this week's podcast, Lisa checks in with former top junior and college player, Jake Beasley.
Jake grew up in the Atlanta area, competing locally and sectionally throughout the Southeast. During high school, he and his family decided he could enhance his training and reach his goal of playing high-level college tennis by moving to the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in South Florida. Jake saw his level rise and, in his senior year of high school, was ready to move back home before heading off to play at the University of South Carolina.
Then, COVID. Like many other college athletes, Jake had to make many adjustments to his life on and off the court. He also had a tough decision as he neared the end of his college degree program: stay for a 5th year as an undergrad or stay for a 5th year as a Master's Degree candidate. Jake chose the latter, continuing to play tennis for the Gamecocks while pursuing more academic learning.
Once his 5th year was complete, Jake was offered the position of Assistant Coach for the men's tennis team while finishing his Master's before moving on to his PhD studies.
In this episode, Jake shares his journey from juniors through college to coaching, along with the wisdom he's gained along the way.
You can reach Jake at jacobpb@email.sc.edu. He tries to avoid social media as best he can but is very responsive to emails!
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 10 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. Dr. Pamela Ellis of Compass College Advisory joins us this week to talk about the intricacies of college admissions and how families can best approach this very important decision.
You've heard me speak - a lot! - about letting your child drive the process of their college recruiting. However, as Dr. Ellis reveals, parents play a crucial role in the college admission puzzle as well. She has worked with thousands of students and their families to help them not only find the best college fit but also to uncover scholarship and other funding opportunities to help take the sting out of higher education.
Pamela Ellis has her BA from Stanford, her MBA from Dartmouth, and her PhD from the Stanford School of Education. As with many entrepreneurs, she discovered a need among families for guidance when it comes to applying to and choosing a college for their children. She founded Compass to meet that need.
She views her role as a partner with the family to help the student find a college that feels like home while avoiding overpaying for that educational experience. Her team is qualified to work with "regular" students as well as student-athletes in identifying great college fits from a variety of perspectives.
To learn more about Compass College Advisory and to contact Pamela, visit their website at https://compasscollegeadvisory.com/.
If you are a junior coach who is interested in bringing in Pamela to talk with and/or work with your players and their families, you can reach her via email at info@compasscollegeadvisory.com.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 13 Episode 9 of the ParentingAces Podcast, a proud member of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, journalist Joel Drucker is back to share his thoughts on all things junior and college tennis.
Joel has been around tennis since childhood. He fell in love with the game, growing up within biking distance to courts in his West LA neighborhood. That love of tennis has taken him around the world as a sought-after journalist and thought-leader in our sport. He has watched the game change over his 6+ decades of life and has seen young hopefuls go on to win at the highest levels of the sport and others fizzle out.
Joel recently wrote an in-depth article on rising young junior player, Iva Jovic, who lives and trains in Southern California. He spent time with Iva, her family, and her coaches, trying to understand who this young woman is, not only as a tennis player but also as a person. You can find Joel's article on the Tennis Recruiting website at https://tennisrecruiting.net/article.asp?id=11532.
Whenever I chat with Joel, whether at a Grand Slam or a junior tournament or just via text message, I am taken by his thoughtfulness around what it takes to succeed in tennis. He has a unique way of looking at - and writing about - the game which is unparalleled. And I always leave our conversations a little wiser and a little "curiouser" to dig deeper.
This particular conversation with Joel meanders into several aspects of junior development, tennis parenting, and what happens when expectations are placed on young players too soon. I hope you'll enjoy Joel's take on our sport and will be inspired to read more of his work! You can find links to his books and articles, as well as a Contact link, on his website at http://joeldrucker.com/.
If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your fellow tennis players, parents, and coaches. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by visiting https://parentingaces.com/membership-join. And check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop (Premium Members received FREE SHIPPING every day!). To support ParentingAces' work with a financial donation of any size via PayPal, click here.
CREDITS
Intro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNE
Audio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices