Life Lessons from Pickleball™

E96: Kelsea Thompson: Building Pickleball Community at PickleCon

• Shelley Maurer and Sher Emerick • Episode 96

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0:00 | 28:02

What happens when one of the biggest pickleball festivals in the country brings competition, connection, vendors, clinics, networking, and community all under one roof?

In this episode, Kelsea Thompson, director of PickleCon, shares how she first discovered pickleball while running an indoor sports complex and how that journey led her to help build one of the largest indoor pickleball festivals in the United States. She talks about the vision behind PickleCon, what makes the event so unique, and how it has grown into a one-of-a-kind experience for amateur players, juniors, seniors, adaptive athletes, vendors, brands, and pickleball fans of every level. 

Kelsea also opens up about recovering from a serious accident, how pickleball helped her reconnect with movement during rehab, and why she believes the sport truly is for everyone. She shares thoughtful insights on consistency, community, leadership, and what it takes to create an event where people can compete, learn, network, and feel like they belong. 

This is an inspiring conversation about PickleCon, pickleball festivals, amateur pickleball, adaptive pickleball, pickleball community, sports events, recovery, leadership, and the life lessons that come from showing up, staying consistent, and building something bigger than yourself.

📘 The Expanded Edition of Life Lessons from Pickleball™   is now available on Amazon

Learn about the book and us at: https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleball.com

Order the book here: https://a.co/d/0a71i3Fq

An uplifting collection of short reflections and life lessons inspired by our podcast conversations with people from around the world. Through stories of community, empowerment, and joy, the book offers inspiration both on and off the court. about community, empowerment, and joy through the game of pickleball.

A portion of every purchase supports Operation PaddleLift™, a Global Pickleball Federation initiative providing paddles, balls, nets, and other essential pickleball equipment to underserved communities around the world.

Contact us:  www.lifelessonsfrompickleball@gmail.com

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Music gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen