Pickleball Therapy

Ep. 290 - Find Your Intensity Goldilocks Zone

Managing intensity on the pickleball court helps players find their personal “Goldilocks zone” between overexertion and disengagement. In this episode, we draw on real examples and mental performance principles to explain how both excessive emotional release and low focus can hinder performance. Listen in for practical strategies to maintain steady, effective intensity throughout play and elevate your consistency.  Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/290-find-your-intensity-goldilocks-zone/

Ep. 289 - Recognition SuperPower

There's an often-overlooked superpower of recognition and it directly impacts your performance on the court. On this episode, we break recognition into three practical levels, from tracking your own shot execution to identifying opponent patterns and uncovering what’s holding your game back. Learn how strengthening this mental skill can guide smarter decisions and help you play with greater clarity and purpose. If you want me to be your Coach and Guide, send me an email at tony@betterpickleball.com and put the words "coach me" in the subject line. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/289-recognition-superpower/

Special Episode - Alec Martone The Fail First Podcast

What if failure wasn't the thing to avoid — but the fastest path to getting better? In this special episode of Pickleball Therapy, I sit down with Alec Martone,  host of the Fail First Project podcast, for a conversation that goes well beyond pickleball. Alec shares his personal journey — from getting the yips as a baseball catcher, to navigating fear and regret, to building a platform where neuroscientists,  pro athletes, and entrepreneurs all converge on one idea: fail first, learn first. Then we bring it home to pickleball. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/1537-special-episode-alec-martone-the-fail-first-podcast

Ep. 288 - Setting Realistic Expectations

Unrealistic expectations quietly fuel frustration on the court. In this special episode, we examine the “win or bust” mindset many players adopt to rethink how we define success in our sessions. Drawing insights from Pickleball Therapy, The Book, this episode offers a more grounded approach—one that accepts both wins and losses as part of the game. Listen in to reset your expectations and elevate your mental performance.  Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/288-setting-realistic-expectations/

Ep. 287 - Guest Host CJ Johnson - Navigating the Obstacles to Being a Women Athlete

What does it mean to fight to be seen as an athlete — not once, but across an entire lifetime? In this episode of Pickleball Therapy, guest host CJ Johnson — co-head coach at Better Pickleball and a professional skier and PGA golf professional — shares her personal story of navigating life as a woman athlete over five decades. From being called "son" on the ski lift as a child, to being redirected to the women's tees as a golf pro who outdrove most men, to receiving unsolicited advice on the pickleball court despite being a widely recognized coach, CJ's experiences paint a vivid picture of the toll that constantly being underestimated can take. Show Notes: https://betterpickleball.com/287-guest-host-cj-johnson-navigating-the-obstacles-to-being-a-women-athlete