SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hi, I'm Shelly Mauer. And I'm Cher Emreck. Welcome to Life Lessons from Pickleball. Where we engage with pickleball players from around the world about life on and off the court. Thanks for joining us. Before we get started, we have something really exciting to share.

SPEAKER_02: 0:18

Our book, Life Lessons from Pickleball, is now available on Amazon, and a portion of every sale is donated to Operation PaddleLift.

SPEAKER_01: 0:27

Your purchase helps deliver paddles, nets, and resources to underserved communities around the world.

SPEAKER_02: 0:33

Thank you for being a part of Growing the Game We All Love. Now let's jump into today's episode. Welcome everyone to Life Lessons from Pickleball. We are super glad to have with us today Aaron Trost. And Aaron, you have truly taken pickleball around the world, and I mean literally around the world.

SPEAKER_03: 0:53

Aaron, you are the founder of Pickleball Planter. See that behind your head there. A nonprofit that has brought the game and its spirit of connection to countries around the globe. From Honduras and Hungary to Ukraine and beyond. You use pickleball as a way to build community, teach life skills, and share hope.

SPEAKER_02: 1:15

You're also a 5.0 rated player, instructor, and former teaching pro at Chicken and Pickle. I love that name. But what really stands out is your heart and your belief that pickleball can be a tool for healing, joy, and purpose.

SPEAKER_03: 1:32

We are excited to hear about your travels and stories, but let's start at the beginning. What was going on in your life when you were first introduced to pickleball?

SPEAKER_00: 1:42

Yeah, you know, so I did not want to get into pickleball. Um a friend of mine always asked me in the summer of 2017, he got into playing pickleball, and he's like, Hey, Aaron, let's go play pickleball. And I'm like, No, I don't want to do that. That's for old people. It looks stupid. I don't want to do it. But one night I was bored or something, and I went out and played with him, and he just mopped the floor with me. I mean, it wasn't even we played singles, and I just got destroyed. And uh my friend, his nickname is Power Paddle Peter.

SPEAKER_04: 2:18

Oh.

SPEAKER_00: 2:18

And uh, he is one of these people that if you lose to him in something, you will never hear the end of it. So that summer, I didn't, I was gonna start seminary in the fall, and with my line of work, I didn't have a lot going on during the summer. So I had a lot of time to play pickleball. So I kind of played every night for like a month and a half, and we mostly played singles. And in a month, I realized like, wow, I lost like 10 pounds. I needed to lose about 20 pounds. So in two months, mostly playing singles with power paddle Peter, I lost like 20 pounds, and I could beat him finally. Uh so then I realized this pickleball thing isn't that bad. I actually kind of like it. So uh yeah, I I went in uh kind of grudgingly, and uh within a few months I was kind of hooked like everybody else probably uh listening is.

SPEAKER_02: 3:09

And so from what is his Powerball Pickle? What is his name?

SPEAKER_00: 3:14

PowerPaddle Peter, yep.

SPEAKER_02: 3:16

PowerPaddle Peter's a legend in Kansas City, yep. Oh man, that is cool. So since that time, how did Pickleball Planter evolve?

SPEAKER_00: 3:27

Yeah, so I did the pickleball, I would say the I don't know, the tournament thing kind of seriously for about a year and a half. And you know, I worked my way to be a 5-0 player and I did some pro tournaments, but I wasn't gonna make any money doing it. My career winnings were$265 and a$50 gift card to a steakhouse. Um and the steakhouse actually it got shut down because of food poisoning, so I haven't even gone there. I'm not sure if I want to. So yeah. So yeah, I just kind of wanted to do something with pickleball. I did a little missions work uh when I graduated college, and you know, I kind of had an idea of you know, pickleball overseas could be something that, you know, people enjoy, that kids enjoy. And it's an intergenerational sport as we know, and it's one of those few sports where, you know, both genders, young and old alike, can play and have good, fun, competitive games. So it just kind of I had that idea in my head, especially during the pandemic, when I just kind of didn't feel like traveling for tournaments anymore. I worked for Chicken and Pickle as a teaching pro. Um, and it was gonna be my fun job for about a year. But within a week of moving to San Antonio to do that job, the pandemic started. And uh pickleball in a pandemic, uh, yeah, for some people it was a great experience. For me, it's kind of like, yeah, this fun job in a pandemic, you know, telling people, hey, don't hit the third shot out of the air, you know, put your mask up or whatever. Like just trying to do all that in a in a pandemic wasn't exactly my idea. So I quit on good terms with them, and I kind of wrestled with what I wanted to do next with pickleball because I didn't think playing or coaching full time was what I was called to do. Um, but I kind of have an unusual job where I have a lot of free time every other year. And so that's where the pickleball planner idea came up, and that's kind of what I've done for the last four years with it is you know, do missions work. I've been to 14 different countries and you know, really excited to see the game, you know, grow all over the world and you know help bring people the same joy and fun that you know we enjoy right here in America.

SPEAKER_02: 5:33

You went to Ukraine.

SPEAKER_00: 5:34

Yeah. I've been in Ukraine twice. Um, so yeah, it's a very special place on my heart. Um, so yeah, I've been there. A lot of people think it's crazy to go there, but in my opinion, in western Ukraine, it's incredibly safe. I I think there's almost no chance of anything really bad happening. The people of Ukraine are just wonderful. I mean, incredibly friendly. Uh, you know, the food is outstanding. Um, so yeah, I've been there. You know, getting there is a hard part because you can't fly into Ukraine. So you have to, you know, you gotta go to like, you know, maybe go into Hungary through Budapest or go into Poland through Warsaw. I've done both. And then you got to kind of bust your way in. So uh, but when you get there, you know, it's it's pretty I mean, I I I think Ukraine has been probably maybe my favorite country to beat uh to be in so far, at least one of them. Um, you know, people are wonderful, easy to kind of get around. Um, so yeah, I've been to Ukraine and you know, with with what's going on there, I know you had Anna on your show. I love that interview. What a wonderful person. Um, they're really trying to do big things in Ukraine with pickleball. Um, you know, they're they're trying to bring it to, you know, I think nearly 180,000 people disabled due to the war. I mean, that's just horrible. Um to go there and work with the Federation. I also worked with the Fellowship of Christian athletes there uh at a youth camp. And um, yeah, it's very rewarding because, you know, some of the people I'm working with, you know, now in Ukraine, uh, like some of the FCA guys that I'm working with, they're working now not only to bring pickleball to kids in Ukraine, but to wounded warriors and people disabled. I just got a WhatsApp message from one guy out there uh in Reivne that I worked with. And yeah, I mean, he's working with, you know, people disabled due to the war and they're playing pickleball. So definitely a very rewarding thing to do. Um, you know, a lot better for me at this point than I'm not sure if I'm good enough to win a medal anyway these days with how good pickleball's getting, but you know, definitely feel like there's a more lasting impact doing something like that with my time uh than me, you know, traveling to do a tournament and winning one match and you know losing and you know, wondering what do I do in Tulsa today? You know, so you know, so yeah. So been to Ukraine, been to other places, and you know, really have a heart uh to see Ukraine build up pickleball because I know it's for a very noble cause.

unknown: 7:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 7:58

Was there a particular story there about a person or a family that you can share with us?

SPEAKER_00: 8:05

So I was invited to Ukraine. It started with uh my second trip to Ukraine. I was invited by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They have like a youth camp. Um, they do a lot of youth sports camps. So they were gonna introduce pickleball as one of like 13 sports at the camp. So it's definitely a little different teaching pickleball with youth, especially with a language barrier, than teaching adults. So um the first day we had to teach on an outdoor basketball court that was very beat up, so the ball could barely bounce on it. I had probably 40 kids aged eight to 14. Only a handful spoke some English, and I only could probably set up three, three courts. So pickleball with kids in that kind of setting, you can do it, but it's not going to be pickleball for real. You know, so that you know, so that camp each week basically kids could play pickleball because they were doing like 13 or 14 different sports in five days. So they everybody had their you know one day of pickleball. So we did a lot of you know, kids hitting it to themselves and have some games with that, you know, they would learn how to serve, they would try to return my serve, we'd have contests. So the kids had a blast, but we really didn't get to the real rules of pickleball in any of the sessions. We just couldn't. Um, but it can work, you just have to be creative. And I've taught so much pickleball to kids um internationally. I do some stuff here in the urban core in Kansas City too, that you know, I just know how to handle those situations because I've done it so much. Where if that happened the first you know time I you know taught overseas, I'd probably be like, what am I gonna do here? But I've done it enough now where I kind of know what to do.

SPEAKER_02: 9:51

And the game is just fun anyway. So even if you're not following the rules and all that, what you're doing is you're giving them a wonderful opportunity to just have a blast and learn some of the basics of the game and eventually they'll pick up all the others. But I think that experience in the midst of such horrible tragedy that's happening in that country, whether it's bombs right in their streets or not, they know people who are being hurt and they know the fear that who knows what's going to happen tomorrow or even later today. So yeah, I think that's just amazing that you've provided that and even twice there in Ukraine. But you've recently come back from another trip. Tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00: 10:35

Yeah, I was in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and then the Philippines for about a day and a half, but I was gone in Southeast Asia about three and a half weeks. Pickleball is exploding there. I mean, Malaysia and Vietnam. I've been to both this year. There are pickleball courts all over the place. It's like being in the U.S. There's a pickleball court just about, you know, on every, I feel like every every kind of block, there's a pickleball court, at least in the in the major cities. So yeah, I worked with some churches and organizations teaching pickleball there. I mean, I had I probably did 20 clinics in about 20 days. I mean, I had at least one or two a day. Wow, and usually there were church clinics and they were incredibly well attended. And and it and the great thing is it just wasn't, you know, Christians. It was Muslims, Christians, people like just coming together at a church to do pickleball. So just like what you see in the US, how pickleball has kind of been a uniting thing where people, um, you know, whether political or religious or whatever the difference is or you know, class differences, you see that kind of put to the side for pickleball. It was the exact same thing, kind of in you know, Indonesia, uh, Malaysia, Brunei, those are Muslim countries. Brunei is under Sharia law, couldn't have been easier there. Very friendly, people speak English, and yeah, my clinics were very well attended, and even though churches hosted them most of the time, you know, you would look in who was in attendance and it would be a little bit of everybody.

SPEAKER_02: 12:03

So were girls playing as well?

SPEAKER_00: 12:06

Yeah. Oh yeah. Wow. Yeah, there are women playing in Habaj. And yeah, I mean, it would it definitely. Yeah, I mean, it it definitely um yeah, I mean, uh, yeah, the uh really anywhere in Southeast Asia uh right now, there in the major cities, there are people playing pickleball.

SPEAKER_02: 12:24

And was language an issue?

SPEAKER_00: 12:27

You know, what I found in Asia, in most of the major cities, I mean, there's a lot of people that speak English. In Malaysia and Brunei, English is basically known by everybody. In Indonesia, at least in Jakarta, where I was most of the time, um, there was a lot of English. So most of the time I didn't even need a translator there. Um, so in Asia, in the major cities, a lot of the time I don't have to have a translator.

SPEAKER_03: 12:54

Wow. Isn't it? I'm just is that listening to your stories, I mean it's it's just incredible how pickleball is such a common thread. How it's such a community builder over all the different cultures.

SPEAKER_00: 13:07

Yeah, no, I think there's something about it that first off, they never should change the name pickleball. Because I think I don't know. I I've played pickup basketball and all these like super serious sports where you attract a lot of people that some people that are good people that want to have fun, and other people that take themselves too seriously. Right. I think the name pickleball, you screen out the people who take themselves way too seriously, and you're you get more of the fun people. So I think that's the same overseas. I think a lot of people, they're like, oh, pickleball, that kind of, you know, they're like, I think you're getting the kind of person that maybe doesn't take things quite as seriously. Uh, they want to have good, clean fun. They want to kind of be in a more unified culture where people aren't, you know, you know, throwing stones at each other. I think you kind of it's similar overseas as it is in the US.

SPEAKER_02: 13:58

I just I think you're absolutely right. And as you say, not just cultures, but faiths, politics, you name it, it just uh supersedes everything. So have are all of your trips associated with the Global Pickleball Federation?

SPEAKER_00: 14:12

So most of my stuff goes through uh kind of comes through missionaries or Christian organizations.

SPEAKER_04: 14:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 14:18

So what the way I kind of do it is usually what I have what I call an anchor event. So, like in Ukraine, for example, um, FCA invited me to do that youth camp. So I was committed to Ukraine for at least a week. So when I go to um a nation, I reach out to the governing body and be like, hey, you know, I played pickleball a long time. I'm a kind of a low 5-0 player. If you want to do anything with me, whether to play some games or do a clinic or whatever, I'm happy to, you know, be of help. And so usually after I've committed to something, then I start reaching out um to other kind of organizations that might have an interest in me, and then I kind of build a trip around it. So usually I have a fair amount of, you know, what I would say Christian athletic contacts now. Um, and I'm kind of known as the pickleball guy because they have, you know, in the more established sports, they have lots of people who do soccer and baseball and basketball, but there are only a handful of pickleball people out there, and I'm one of them. So I kind of get referred out sometimes for things like that. That's kind of what happened in Malaysia, Indonesia, that's what happened in Ukraine. So I kind of commit to something that they want me to do, and then I kind of build a trip around that and reach out to other, you know, pickleball organizations in the country that might have an interest in working with me.

SPEAKER_03: 15:33

That is incredible. Can you share a specific story with us from Malaysia?

SPEAKER_00: 15:40

Boy, I there's a lot of good stuff in Malaysia. I mean, Malaysia might be Malaysia and Vietnam right now are probably after the US, the most have the highest amount of people playing pickleball per capita in the world right now. I mean, it is Malaysia, it is for real. I mean, I I went to three different cities and um it's just exploded. I mean, they have really nice brand new courts. Most of the courts have to be rented, um, but they're really nice. They are full all the time. I mean, I did, yeah, I did a I did um a couple of different clinics with the church um and um yeah, in the capital, and they were incredibly well attended. So Malaysia, it and it's and it they speak English there too. So it's it's basically Malay and English are the languages, but just about everybody speaks English. The signs are in English. So if you're looking for like a fun pickleball vacation somewhere and you only speak English, that's where you want to go. So beautiful, right?

SPEAKER_02: 16:42

Yeah, in the villages as well, or mainly city?

SPEAKER_00: 16:47

Usually I teach uh in the cities. I've done a couple things that are kind of more out in the sticks or whatever you would call it, but usually kind of the main purpose of what I try to do is I try to engage with what I would say the athletic leaders are, so then they can kind of spread the game. So it worked out perfectly, like in Indonesia. I work with a gentleman who has contacts all around Indonesia, which that's a really big place. Um, and basically I got him trained up on pickleball and he has equipment and stuff like that. So he's taken it to children's homes and different kinds of places around Indonesia. So usually the people that I would say are highly leveraged in athletic kind of circles or in the major cities. So because I can only cover so much ground, um, it usually makes more sense for me to be in a major city and do some stuff there. Yeah. And then let the people that I'm working with and training and and and they're bouncing things off off of me, they can kind of go throughout the nation and the harder to reach places and do pickleball.

SPEAKER_02: 17:46

So you're teaching coaching as well.

SPEAKER_00: 17:48

Yeah, I mean, I do some kind of teach the teacher, coach the coaches, and because I have a lot of experience of pickleball within Christian ministry, I kind of tell them how that can work because I've seen a lot of different ways that it can be done. Because one big thing I want to do with pickleball planter is encourage churches, just like there are churches all around the U.S. that that host open play pickleball, yes, is I try to train them how to do that because that's a win-win for the whole community. So that's a big thing of what I try to do with Pickleball Planter is kind of train people in ministry, how they can use it and make it open to the public and and stuff like that, so they can you know grow the game and and do some positive stuff in the community.

SPEAKER_02: 18:29

And do you have an opportunity to get to know people's stories or how this game is affecting them? Or is it yeah? Can you do that? Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_00: 18:40

I made so many friends around. I mean, the best part of doing this is just the uh lifelong friendships that you make from it, just like I think most of us who've played pickleball a long time. Yeah, the game is fun and it's great exercise, but I think the most valuable thing is the friendships and relationships that you know you wouldn't have had if it wasn't for this silly game with a plastic ball. Right. And the same thing around the world. I mean, I have friends now in in 14 different countries. I think every country I've gone to, I've made, you know, a friend out of it that we keep up with to this day with WhatsApp. And um, yeah, I mean, that's really I think the most rewarding thing for me is I know that I've made some good friends that um are now pickleholics trying to do something uh in their country with pickleball. So that that's what keeps me going.

SPEAKER_03: 19:24

I was just curious, out of his 14 different countries, what's been your favorite?

SPEAKER_00: 19:29

You know, and that's a really good question. Um, I I could make an argument for a lot. I would say I'm a little biased towards Ukraine, mostly because of what they're going through right now. Yeah. Um, you know, I went to Kyiv, and most of the time I've been to Ukraine twice, and all but a week we're in very safe parts of Ukraine. But I did spend a week in Kyiv, and that's a little more edgy. Um, and I mean the first night I was there, I slept through it, but there was an air alert, and I guess it killed like 10 people or something like that. Um, you know, so. So just kind of working with uh the Ukrainian Pickleball Federation, I know you had Anna on, and you know, I got to know kind of their president out there, and uh, he's a wonderful guy. And, you know, just kind of seeing them embrace pickleball, which in Ukraine right now, I mean, pickleball, it's not like Asia where you know pickleball's exploding. I mean, it's picked up a little bit of Ukraine, but it hasn't exploded. But they're kind of the true believers in pickleball, and kind of their big goal is to bring it um in the adaptive setting. And um, you know, so kind of work with them and all kinds of people around the country. And if any of them are listening, thank you. Donated paddles uh to for me to bring out to Ukraine. We got over like 200 pickleball paddles and nets and all kinds of stuff in there. It's hard to get equipment in Ukraine. So yeah, I mean, I I think with what Ukraine is going through right now, um, I would say maybe that's my favorite because I I know it's very rewarding doing stuff there. Um, but every country I've been to, I mean, I can make an argument that they're my favorite. So I guess a country that's going through a war is probably, you know, that that tips my my uh heart in their direction a little bit just because of what they're trying to do and what a noble cause that is.

SPEAKER_03: 21:16

Yeah. Well, and you're heading off to India, you had mentioned next, and that's pickleballs exploding there now.

SPEAKER_00: 21:22

I hear it's really exploding in India, and uh yeah, I um had some really good calls with a guy in sports ministry that's setting stuff up. So I'm still working out some of the final details on when exactly I leave and come back. Um, but yeah, I can't wait. Uh I've all I love Indian food. Um, and uh I can't wait to have some butter chicken in India rather than in the US here.

SPEAKER_02: 21:44

So be ready for the spice in Indonesian Malaysia.

SPEAKER_00: 21:48

They always warn me about um the spice, but I eat a lot of Mexican food and I pour Tabasco all over it. So they were like, we've never seen an American like you before. So we'll see if India can give me trouble. Now, Thailand, I did go to Thailand and I got some of their hot stuff, and they're hot, they know what they're doing with the hot stuff. I'm not sure if I'm quite Thai hot, but I can handle Malaysia and Indonesia.

SPEAKER_02: 22:11

Where will you be in India?

SPEAKER_00: 22:13

We're still working at like Calcutta, you know, probably New Delhi. But uh honestly, a lot of times these trips, everybody else is planning them, and it's like just tell me where I show up or what my where I need to get my train ticket. Um so the the thought in India that I'll spend uh a couple days in each city, probably two, three days in each city, and I might I might go to 10 different cities. I mean, they're kind of in charge of all of it.

SPEAKER_02: 22:35

So that's a nice way to travel.

SPEAKER_00: 22:38

You say just yeah, well, I mean, uh, you don't want me setting it all up. That would be a disaster, you know. But uh, you know, I can teach pickleball and you know I can get by overseas. When I first started doing it, it would felt a little comfortable. But now, even with a language barrier, I feel like I've done it enough where I I can get it down. But you don't want me picking out venues and doing all that because it's a whole different animal overseas, you know. To travel anywhere in Asia, you know, I mean it's like an hour and a half to go like three miles in the car. They have to think all this very through on transportation and logistics and all that, and I would I would screw all that up. So, you know, you know, they're in charge of that.

SPEAKER_02: 23:14

So was there a moment because you were going to seminary, but then you did you go to seminary?

SPEAKER_00: 23:20

Yeah, it's kind of a bizarre, you know. I went to seminary and uh I wasn't sure if I was going to go into Christian ministry full time right away or down the road, but you know, I'm single and I have spare time when I'm I'm my my job. The only time you'll hear me mention politics and pickleball when I bring up my job. So I I'm a political consultant, so I do research and advertising on political campaigns. So during an election year, I'm very busy, but during a non-election year, I'm less busy. So I went to seminary and did a lot of classes when I wasn't as busy. And um, you know, and that's when I got into pickleball. And uh when I graduated seminary, I knew I wasn't gonna be like, you know, retiring from my job and becoming a pastor immediately. But I was thinking of practical ways to use pickleball, and I just saw what a positive benefit pickleball made in people's lives, whether it was physically, mental health, spiritually, no matter what it was, I felt pickleball had a lot of benefits. So that's kind of what motivated me to get more involved in pickleball in like a ministry setting. So initially I was thinking just more in the US. Um, in Kansas City, I'm kind of known as that evangelical pickleball guy. So a lot of people were like, hey, Aaron, could you teach pickleball at my church or whatever? I I kind of became that guy, not by design, but just kind of just happened. And then when I started thinking more critically about pickleball and missions work, that's where I kind of came up with the idea of pickleball planner. So it was kind of a slow transition from seminary. When I started, I was just horsing around with power paddle Peter. And then a couple of years after, then I'm going to Honduras and some of these places and teaching pickleball. So it's kind of a slow transition to get there.

SPEAKER_02: 25:00

The lovely path. The lovely path that led you to where you are now and making an impact around the world really is very heartwarming to know that you're doing this. Thank you. And thank you for using your heart the way you do in your life and in your work.

SPEAKER_00: 25:17

It's kind for you to say, I mean, a lot of people have helped make this possible for me, and uh very blessed for to have uh good donors and good support and generosity from paddle companies given paddles and ordinary people, you know, uh given that. So thank you if any of you are listening for that. And there are a lot of people who are planning pickleball that, you know, you know, don't get any credit, don't get any, and and they're the people really making it work. I mean, there's so many people that they're bringing it to a children's home, they're bringing it to a youth center, they're bringing pickleball to a senior center, uh, whether domestically here or abroad, and and those are the real people that make pickleball grow and work. And um, they're all kinds of people doing what I'm doing. They just don't have an organization, they don't have any finances to do it, but they do it anyway, and those are the real heroes, the people that are growing pickleball, and uh they're just doing it out of the goodness of their heart.

SPEAKER_02: 26:06

Well, you're a hero too, Aaron. Really, really you are, and it's okay to own it.

SPEAKER_00: 26:12

Well, I you know, uh I'll I'll embrace it if you say it. So there we go. But uh yeah, no, it's uh it's been an honor to teach pickleball in a variety of settings and looking forward to uh keeping on doing it.

SPEAKER_02: 26:24

So, in all of your adventures, what are some life lessons that you've either gleaned while you were playing pickleball or in life that you find yourself using on the court in pickleball?

SPEAKER_00: 26:35

Yeah, I think the number one life lesson is, and it took me a while to actually believe it. But um try to use pickleball more for somebody else's good rather than your own. And I'm a very competitive person. I want to be good at pickleball, I want to win. If you saw me at the courts, you'd think I'm a nice guy, but I'm going, oh, dog gaunt it or whatever. And you know, I get I get kind of fired up to, you know, because I want to win, and you know, I want to be the best I can, but I reached a point after playing for about four years or so, I'm like, maybe I can get like two percent better, but that's not nearly good enough to, you know, beat some of the best players in my city. Um, you know, and uh, and so I just reached a point where I have to have a, you know, kind of a more comprehensive attitude about pickleball than just for my benefit. So it took me a while, maybe it took me a couple years into pickleball planner until I realized, you know, I'm getting just as much joy out of growing pickleball, taking it somewhere else, than you know, me having a good day at the courts. Um, so it's kind of like a habit. You have to do it enough, and then eventually you get there. So for people listening out there, like, you know, yeah, I mean, sometimes you might be bored out of your mind when you're trying to explain to a seven-year-old how to hit the ball over the net or whatever. I've been there. Um, but you know, over time, you it just you just you just learn to embrace it. And uh it's very rewarding. So now when I go travel overseas, I hardly ever play competitively when I do that because I'm just teaching all day and mostly teaching people not to hit third shots out of the air and stuff like that. So um, yeah, so when that happens, you know, I don't play for sometimes and I get busy with work. So sometimes I don't play for a month and a half to two months of competitive pickleball, but I'm kind of okay with that because I'm I'm doing pickleball uh with pickleball planner and growing the game, and I've just been able to embrace it. So the number one life lesson is learn to embrace uh bringing pickleball to other people, and eventually you'll have um just as much satisfaction from that than playing yourself.

SPEAKER_02: 28:39

Oh I love that. That one's a good one. Oh, that's a good one. In fact, I was telling uh telling you before we got started that we have this book, right? It's called Life Lessons from Pickleball, a book, and it just got published, and it has the synopsis of the very 92 of our guests and their life lessons. And I said to you, you're gonna be in book number two because we just love your story, and we and that life lesson is primo, just beautiful, just beautiful.

SPEAKER_00: 29:15

Well, thank you. Well, it uh yeah, it took me a while to learn it. I'm sure there are other people that are much more altruistic that will learn it much faster than me.

SPEAKER_03: 29:22

Right when you said that, I was like, that was your kind of Jesus moment.

SPEAKER_02: 29:30

That's good, that's good. So, how can people find you and support you, Aaron?

SPEAKER_00: 29:35

Yeah, my uh website is uh pickleballplanter.com. It's a 501c3. You can learn about it's a it's a bare bones website. We're using our limited resources to for pickleball equipment and travel and not flashy websites. So prepare to be not impressed, but it it's very functional. Um, I'm on social media. Anybody can add me on Facebook and Instagram, Aaron Troost. Uh T-R-O-S-T Aaron Trost. I'm on Instagram as Aaron Trost Pickleball. My new last name is pickleball on Instagram, and uh Facebook Aaron Trost. I have a pickleball planner Facebook page as well. So yeah, if you like what you heard from me, uh feel free to follow me, learn about pickleball planner. I'd love to talk to you sometime about what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_02: 30:17

Awesome. In fact, I called you Trost at the beginning of this of the show.

SPEAKER_00: 30:21

It's within you're it's within it's good enough. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 30:23

Within the margin of error.

SPEAKER_00: 30:25

Yeah, within the margin of error.

SPEAKER_02: 30:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 30:29

Yeah, it's a German name. And when I in Chicago, I grew up in Chicago, everybody mispronounced it trust. When I moved to Kansas City, there's a street called Trust. So when I moved here, it's Aaron Troost. So if you mention Trost, Troost or Trost, I'll acknowledge it.

SPEAKER_02: 30:46

If it's close, it's good. Well, oh, thank you so much for being a guest on this show. And thank you for the work you're doing.

SPEAKER_00: 30:55

Oh, well, thank you. Uh thank you for having me. Um, yeah, love your podcast. I've listened to several episodes. I need to binge that more because I love what you're doing with the podcast, is we're going beyond delaminated paddles and third shot drops. We're actually covering substance and pickleball. So love what you're doing, and uh hopefully we'll talk again sometime about one of my trips.

SPEAKER_02: 31:14

Yeah, have fun in India too.

SPEAKER_00: 31:17

I can't wait for that butter chicken.

SPEAKER_02: 31:20

Bring some back. Well, thank you, Aaron, and thank you all. Oh my gosh. And be sure to find ways to be supportive of this amazing work that Aaron is doing. Say again your your um website.

SPEAKER_00: 31:37

Yeah, pickleballplanter.com.

SPEAKER_02: 31:39

There it is, pickleballplanter.com. Thank you all, and we look forward to a new conversation next week. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_03: 31:47

Bye-bye. If you love our podcast, we'd be so grateful if you'd take a few seconds to follow or subscribe to Life Lessons from Pickleball. This ensures you'll never miss an episode and helps us continue these wonderful conversations.

SPEAKER_02: 32:01

On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, go to the show page and tap the follow button in the top right corner. And on YouTube, click the subscribe button under any of the episodes. Thanks so much. Hope to see you on the court.