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ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast
ParentingAces - The Junior Tennis and College Tennis Podcast
Author: Lisa Stone
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Host Lisa Stone discusses the various aspects of developing a tennis player from beginner through the juniors to college and beyond. Her weekly guests include experts in coaching, parenting, mental toughness, fitness & nutrition, technology & equipment, and college recruiting. Stone provides invaluable information for parents, players, and coaches.
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Welcome to Season 15 Episode 9 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, Lisa is joined by Tennis Parent and Entrepreneur, Jeremy Saline, to discuss the impetus behind On The RISE Tennis.Jeremy is the father of 4 children, the oldest of whom has fallen in love with tennis. As his daughter started improving and expressing the desire to play at higher and higher levels, Jeremy - like many of us - was hit by the rising costs associated with her development. He started projecting those costs over her remaining junior tennis years and realized the current model just isn't sustainable for most families out there."What if," he thought, "there were a way to bring junior players together as a team and share some of those costs? What if we could attract sponsors and donors to offset some of the expense?" And he got to work creating On The RISE Tennis.Jeremy applied for 501(c)3 status, pulled together a board made up of people in the tennis and non-profit worlds, and got to work.On the RISE Tennis identifies and nurtures junior athletes with the potential to compete at the highest levels. Its mission goes beyond the court, using tennis to teach discipline, self-confidence, resilience, leadership, and integrity through the RISE Individual Performance Program.The organization is committed to shaping well-rounded individuals by:Encouraging high-quality training and competitive opportunities to enhance tennis skillsPromoting the pursuit of strong academic achievementDeveloping leadership skills and building confidence both on and off the courtFostering a spirit of service and encouraging athletes to positively impact their communitiesCultivating the TEAM RISE culture, where athletes support one another and grow togetherIf you are interested in learning more about On The RISE Tennis and/or if your player would like to apply to be part of Team RISE, you can reach out to Jeremy at info@ontherisetennis.org. If you would like to support his efforts through a financial donation, you can do so via this link. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 8 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, Lisa is joined by the parents of 2025 Little Mo International Champion Olivia Arage - Lynn and Michael Arange.It's always interesting to hear about a young player's developmental journey through tennis. While Olivia is early in the process, Michael and Lynn have done a great job so far of keeping her love of the game alive while ensuring she is getting the right balance of instruction and competition and a life outside of tennis.Finding the Little Mo series has given the Arage family a great way to help Olivia hone her competitive muscle while learning that tennis is about more than hitting a fuzzy yellow ball across a net. Olivia is making friends from all over the world, learning about other cultures, and developing a working knowledge of what it means to be a citizen of the world. If you would like information on Little Mo, visit their website at https://mcbtennis.org/. The direct link for Little Mo tournaments is https://mcbtennis.org/tournaments/.To reach Michael and Lynn, email them at michael.arage@gmail.com. You can also follow Olivia on Instagram at baby_beast_tennis.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 7 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, Lisa is joined by former LSU Women's Tennis Coach, Tony Minnis.Tony grew up in a tennis family. His father coached college tennis and both his brother and sister played college tennis, all in his home state of Louisiana. After his own stellar college tennis career, Tony realized coaching was in his blood, and he went on to coach at all levels of the game.Tony Minnis finished his career in college tennis as the most decorated Head Coach in the history of LSU Women’s Tennis. He was the first African American Head Coach hired in any sport at LSU. And during his 21 seasons as the LSU Head Coach, Minnis collected a host of accolades that place him squarely among the most respected coaches in the country.After finishing his coaching career in 2012, Minnis became the host of the groundbreaking TV show “Inside College Tennis with Tony Minnis” which aired on the Tennis Channel and was the first TV show to feature college tennis. And it featured institutions such as Tulane, TCU, University of Minnesota, and the HBCU National Tennis Championships. He then went on to host the TV show “College Sports Weekly”, which currently airs on Fox College Sports. Some of the institutions featured during Tony Minnis’ tenure were schools such as Harvard, SMU, the NCAA Men and the Women’s Tennis Championships along with the “Pray for Luke” and “Hiding Inside the Baseline” documentaries. Minnis’ responsibilities included hosting, writing, and locating the content and stories. To watch Tony's documentary on Team Luke, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IojLFYj9aPk.Now, his focus is on helping athletes OFF the court. Tony works with individuals and teams to develop a stronger mindset, incorporating goal-setting and visualization into the training. He brings his decades of coaching experience as well as his empathetic style to high school and college players who want to become their best selves on and off the tennis court.You can follow Tony on social media including Instagram and Facebook. You can also reach him through his website at https://www.minnisproduction.com/ or via email at tonyminnis55@gmail.com. Tony has also graciously offered his cell number which is 225-910-0002.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 6 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week's guest, Reese Brantmeier, is one I've wanted to have on the pod for a few years, ever since watching her play at National Hardcourts in San Diego for the first time. I'm thrilled to get her on to discuss her unique junior development pathway to being a top junior player and the current NCAA Women's Singles Champion.Reese grew up in an area of the US known more for ice hockey than tennis. When she fell in love with our sport, her family knew they were going to have to think outside the box to help Reese reach her full potential. USTA soon recognized Reese's affinity and talent for tennis and supported her need for instruction and competition through trips to the National Campus for camps and training.Fast forward several years to Reese's outstanding college tennis career at the University of North Carolina, well-known for producing several top professional players. Side-lined by injury and multiple surgeries, Reese was determined to make her final year of college a great one, both on and off the court. As you will hear, she has worked hard in the classroom (education is very important in the Brantmeier household!) and on the tennis court and hopes to help her team win one more national championship in May!You can follow Reese on Instagram at https://instagram.com/rs.brntmr. You can learn more about her non-profit organization to bring tennis to more kids in her hometown of Whitewater, Wisconsin, at https://www.reesebrantmeierproject.com/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 5 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, Peter Clarke of CoachLife shares the latest developments in this unique online coaching platform.In Season 13, we featured several coaches who offer virtual instruction via the CoachLife platform. Now, we have the founder himself discussing the incredible international coaching talent his team has recruited to work with players of all ages and stages to develop their tennis game to its full potential. Additionally, Pete talks about the new CoachLife Academy based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The facility has both hard and clay courts as well as a fully-equipped gym, pool, lounge, and professional training environment. Overseen by former USTA Coach, Diego Moyano with full match analysis by Jason Frausto and footwork and movement training offered by internationally-respected coach Dave Bailey and strength and conditioning offered by Dr. Niko Tejeda, the CoachLife Academy proves to be a one-stop-shop for any junior player looking to grow and improve.For more information, visit the CoachLife website at https://coachlife.com. ParentingAces members automatically receive a 5% discount off the first year of the yearly subscription by using code PA when entering the site at this link: https://coachlife.com/?ref=PAAs always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 4 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we'll be looking at a new piece of equipment that allows players to practice at home or anywhere, really, when court time is not an option.John Davey is a self-taught tennis player and former standout #1 singles player on his NCAA Division 1 team at the University of Vermont. Aspiring to play professionally after college but side-lined by injury, he refocused into a successful career on Wall Street before turning to entrepreneurship.“After selling my last business, I was coaching for fun at a local club but I saw so many people getting discouraged by the steep and expensive learning curve. I could relate since my parents couldn't afford tennis lessons so I had to teach myself by hitting against a wall. I started thinking about ways to make learning and practicing easier, less expensive and more fun, and Fast Track Tennis was born.”Now partnering with former WTA Pro and Olympic Tennis Gold Medalist Zina Garrison to develop the 1-2-3 Method of teaching tennis to young players, John is bringing Fast Track to schools, parks, and even college teams. Players can use the equipment on their own or pair it with instruction via the Fast Track apps (available for ios and Android).John has generously offered a discount to the ParentingAces community. Simply go to https://fasttracktennis.com/ and use code PA10 for 10% off the retail purchase price ($379.99 - $37.99 = $342). Please note there is a $35 flat rate shipping fee anywhere in the 48 states and no sales tax unless you are shipping to CT. As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 3 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, junior tennis players and their parents will learn what it takes academically to be eligible to play college tennis.Shaquana Miller is a former college athlete and coach, currently working as the Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Support at Division II Anderson University in South Carolina. After seeing far too many student-athletes being deemed ineligible to play their sport in college because of small, fixable issues with their high school academics, Shaq started Next Play Athletics Consulting.Shaq works with college-bound athletes and their families alongside their high school guidance counselors to ensure their high school classes and overall curriculum meet the NCAA eligibility requirements. If these issues are caught early, then junior players can check the proverbial box in terms of their academic standing when it comes time for college recruiting to begin.If you're interested in working with Shaq, you can reach out to her via email at info@nextplaycathleticsconsulting.com. You can also schedule a free call with her via the website at https://www.nextplayathleticsconsulting.com/. Be sure to follow Next Play on Instagram at nextplayathletics_.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 2 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we take another look at an incredible tennis travel experience for junior players - Tennis:Europe.Martin Vinokur is a former high school teacher and tennis coach who is in Year 52 of taking junior tennis players to Europe to train and compete. Mike LeVan is a former college player and has been a coach for Tennis:Europe 7 times. Mike is also now working behind the scenes with Martin to ensure program participants have the best possible experience.Tennis:Europe is different from other tennis/travel programs in that its goal is for players to get as much tournament play as possible while traveling as a co-ed team. They offer several different trips between June and July, and you can find details on the 2026 offerings at https://www.tenniseurope.com/our-trips. Each team is accompanied by a minimum of 2 coaches - one male and one female - who travel with the players from JFK Airport in New York and see them safely through their journey.In this episode, you'll hear what a typical day may entail, what is required to attend, and what the expectations are for all travelers. If you are interested in having your child join a Tennis:Europe trip this coming summer, be sure to take a look at their website at https://www.tenniseurope.com/ then schedule an information-gathering call with Martin by emailing him at info@tenniseurope.com or calling him at 203-322-9803. You can also follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tenniseurope/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 15 Episode 1 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, you get me, Lisa Stone, for a brief chat about what you can expect from this podcast over the next year.ParentingAces is here for YOU, and I want to make sure I'm providing all the information you need to have a successful Tennis Journey with your child(ren). Please reach out with any suggestions as to topics and/or guests, and I will do my best to work them into an upcoming episode. We have a great year for you, focusing on the joy of this journey and how you can make the most of it for yourself, your child, and your entire family. It requires work on the part of everyone involved, not just your child and their coach. You, the Tennis Parent, must be willing to put in the work, too, so you are prepared and educated on how to help your child reach their goals on and off the tennis court.That's where ParentingAces comes in! Through our articles, podcasts, social media, and one-to-one consults, the goal is to help all tennis parents complete this journey with a great relationship with their child and feel good about how they got there. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any suggestions, questions, comments, or anything else - ParentingAces is here for YOU!As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through junior tennis and the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to the final episode of Season 14 of the ParentingAces Podcast! We close the season with a thought-provoking discussion with coach Duey Evans centered around the secrets to better coaching.As in the majority of our conversations here, this one once again turns to the importance of communication. In Duey's more than 3 decades of tennis coaching, he has given much thought to how our sport can do better on the part of coaches and players, and as a direct adjunct, parents.Duey has spent the last several months writing thought pieces for his The Performance Architect website, many of which we have reprinted on ParentingAces.com. The impetus behind these writings is to figure out what goes into quality coaching and how better - and more thoughtful - communication can improve the coaching experience for all parties. In this episode, Duey and Lisa dig into the various ways we communicate, why and how certain limiting habits get ingrained into our personal style of communication, and how we can move into more effective individualized communication to have more positive experiences on and off the tennis court.Our hope is that this final episode of the season will give you some things to think about and maybe work on as we all move into 2026.To get in touch with Duey, you can reach out via his website at https://www.theperformancearchitect.com/contact. You can also find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/duey.evans.We will be back in January with Season 15! In the meantime, please enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones, however you choose to celebrate it! Thank you for supporting ParentingAces and your child(ren)'s Tennis Journey. Wishing you all the best as 2025 comes to an end and we prepare to start fresh in the New Year!As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 44 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, sports psychologist and former top junior and pro player, Jeff Greenwald, joins Lisa to discuss the importance of mental training FOR TENNIS PARENTS!On this podcast, we've covered mental training for junior players many, many times. This episode is the first to address mental training for parents, digging into the why and how of it with someone who has plenty of experience as both player and parent. Jeff Greenwald, M.F.T., is an internationally recognized sports psychology consultant/elite mental coach and licensed therapist. Frustrated with his performance as a modestly ranked professional tennis player in his twenties, Jeff went on to earn Master’s Degrees in clinical and sports psychology. During this process, he discovered the fundamental principles of athletic performance that propelled him from a moderately successful tennis player to No. 1 in the world in his age group and two ITF world titles. Jeff has written a new book, THE MENTAL EDGE FOR YOUNG ATHLETES: A WORLD CHAMPION'S MENTAL TOUGHNESS GUIDE FOR ATHLETES, PARENTS, & COACHES IN THE DIGITAL AGE (visit https://amzn.to/4pexg5D to order your copy). In it, he devotes the final section to Tennis Parents, giving us actionable tools to do a better job with our own thoughts, words, and actions as we go through this journey with our child(ren).If you are interested in reaching out to Jeff, you can visit his website at https://mentaledgeforsports.com/. Be sure to sign up for his email newsletter list while you're there! You can also follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jeff_greenwald/ or reach out directly at jeff@mentaledge.net.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 43 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, Ben Shapiro of Atlas Tennis is back to talk about the phenomenal trips they took in Summer 2025 and what's on deck for Spring Break and Summer 2026.Tennis, travel, and human connection—these are the foundation of Atlas Tennis. Well before they started Atlas, the founders knew there was so much potential in bringing these things together, and that belief is what drives Atlas to create one-of-a-kind tennis camps and experiences. They take small groups (10-15 teens plus 2-3 well-vetted coaches per group) of junior tennis players ages 13-18 to the UK and Europe to experience their sport in a whole new way.For 2026, Atlas is offering their summer experiences but also adding in Spring Break trips for high school teams and individual players who are looking for a different type of training environment for 4-5 days. In order to get more information on these offerings, go to the Atlas Tennis website at https://atlas.tennis/learn-more/. You can also reach out to Ben directly at ben@atlas.tennis or message him through the Atlas Tennis Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/atlastennis/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 42 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, we're doing things a little differently - we asked you what you want to know about player health and injury prevention from the Director of the Emory Tennis Medicine Program, Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, then gave him the opportunity to answer your questions.Dr. Jayanthi is also the co-director of the Emory Youth Sports Medicine Program and has 25 years of experience caring for athletes at all levels: youth, collegiate, and professional. He sits on the USTA Sports Science Committee and writes articles for USTA's Serving Success website which provides information to parents, players, and coaches. Dr. J combines research and education to provide the best care in sports medicine. Our previous podcasts with Neeru:https://youtu.be/K5isy7cJXHwhttps://youtu.be/2HklV3jW4TYhttps://youtu.be/y6X8nAvj24gNeeru mentions our recent podcast with Mark Kovacs. You can find that at https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/keeping-our-jr-players-fit-injury-free-ft-dr-mark-kovacs/.To request an appointment with Dr. J, call 404-778-3350 or visit emoryhealthcare.org/njayanthi. He is available for virtual consults as well as in-person assessments and treatment. You can also find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/neeru.jayanthi.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 41 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This week, Lisa is joined by former top Ukranian junior, NCAA All-American, and current WTA professional and coach, Veronika Miroshnichenko.At the age of 14, Veronika and her developmental coach made the tough decision for her to move to the US to increase the level of her training. She left her parents and younger sister and made a commitment to be the best tennis player she could be. Her journey led her to US College Tennis at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles where she had a stellar career, playing professional tournaments along the way. During that time, Veronika found that she also had a passion for coaching, especially younger players, and found her way to her current coaching mentor, Susan Nardi. In this episode, Veronika talks about her coaching philosophy, what she has learned through her own journey that helps her be an effective coach, and how her experience is helping her parents do a better job with her younger sister's tennis journey.Veronika is active on social media - you can find her on Instagram and Facebook and message her on either platform. You can also email her at veronica.mirosha@icloud.com.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 40 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, former top junior and pro players, Sky Kim, shares his journey through injury and recovery which led him to coaching and entrepreneurship through his company, Road to Pro.As a child, Sky moved with his father from South Korea to South Florida to train at IMG with Nick Bollettieri. He was training alongside Maria Sharapova, Tommy Haas, and Venus and Serena Williams, among others. After going through two knee surgeries and multiple shoulder injuries, Sky decided to retire from a professional playing career to move into tennis coaching. Once realizing that not only did he need to preserve his own body if he wanted longevity in his coaching career but also other players and coaches were suffering with the same injuries he had endured. Sky put his love of engineering to use by developing unique vibration dampeners, insoles, and performance socks to reduce the wear and tear of tennis on the body. HIs products are now available on his website, RTPtennis.com. Sky has graciously set up a discount for the ParentingAces Community - ParentingAces20 for 20% off your order!Sky has also worked very hard to overcome his introvert personality by creating an online coaching platform on YouTube where he has over 100,000 subscribers. You can follow his channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Lsu90hbliCn9_Vkp7WtLw/featured.As if that weren't enough, Sky has written the book, ART OF WAR: ART OF TENNIS which you can purchase online at https://rtptennis.com/products/art-of-war-art-of-tennis-by-sky-kim-1. The book bridges the ancient wisdom of Sun Tzu with the modern battles of competitive tennis. By drawing striking parallels between warfare and the tennis court, this book unveils the hidden roles of the player, coach, and parent—mirroring the general, the strategist, and the king in a campaign for excellence. Through real experiences of top juniors and pro players, it answers the toughest, most often ignored questions that arise on the journey to world-class performance.Currently, Sky is coaching in the LA area as well as continuing to provide virtual coaching via YouTube. You can follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rtptennis/ or reach out to him via email at sky@rtptennis.com.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 39 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with former top junior and long-time coach and coach-educator, Kyle LaCroix.We've kind of followed a theme in our most recent episodes, one in which we've examined the state of junior tennis coaching and how to make it a better experience for the coaches, players, and parents. The hope is that, through these conversations, we can get the ball rolling to improve coach education, parent education, and the overall experience of families and professionals involved in our sport.Here's a little bit more about Kyle and why he's a great guest to tackle this subject:Kyle LaCroix has a proven track record of service and success in the racquet sports industry. A RSPA (Racquet Sports Professionals Association , Formerly USPTA) Master Professional, and a decorated industry veteran that is also certified by RSPA Padel, Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), Registro Profesional de Tenis (RPT), Global Professional Tennis Coaches Association (GPTCA) and the United States Center For Coaching Excellence (USCCE). Kyle has spent the past 25+ years as one of the foremost experts and leaders in coach development. Having worked with players of all levels, across numerous racquet sports as well as coaches, Kylebrings with him a wealth of knowledge through work at clubs and academies. Kyle has served the racquet sportsindustry in a multitude of capacities including being a RSPA Florida Division Tester/Coach Developer for 17 years and a member of the RSPA National College Curriculum Committee, The RSPA National Membership Committee, The RSPA Strategic Planning Committee as well as other board appointments. Kyle has tested, certified and mentored over 1700 individual tennis coaches from around the world. In 2014, Kyle became the youngest recipient of the RSPA National Tester/Coach Developer of The Year Award. Kyle is The Chief Education Officer of SETS. He holds a B.S. Degree from Ferris State University in Professional Tennis Management. A B.S. Degree in Marketing as well as an MBA from The University of Michigan. He also has an M.Ed. from Stanford University.To get in touch with Kyle, you can email him at kyle.lacroix@setsconsulting.org. You can also follow him on Twitter @SETS_Consulting and Instagram @sets_consulting.For our podcast with Kyle's wife, Lisa, go to https://parentingaces.com/podcasts/love-serving-autism-ft-lisa-pugliese-lacroix/.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 38 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa is joined by Sam Parfitt, former top junior and collegiate player and the founder/CEO of The True Athlete Project (TAP).TAP has pioneered a holistic mindfulness-based approach that unleashes sport's potential to change lives across diverse contexts. They believe sport can play a powerful role in building a happier, healthier, more compassionate world. But too often, sport fails to live up to its potential, driven by a win-at-all-costs culture that dehumanizes people and leads to dropout, burnout, bullying, and disastrous mental health outcomes. TAP wants sport to be joyful and freeing, and to bring people together. They have become leaders in how to change the culture of sport, working with national and international governing bodies, community sports centers, schools, colleges, coaches, athletes, referees, and parents.Sam Parfitt holds an MSc in Sport Policy, Management and International Development from the University of Edinburgh, where he then became an associate tutor. His dissertation focused on the role of sport coaches as social change-makers. He is a certified mindfulness teacher and a USPTA professional tennis coach with experience coaching all ages and standards - from total beginners to internationally-ranked juniors.While Sam suffered with poor health during his time in the US, Sam endeavored to use his experiences in sport - both positive and negative - to help others. His academic work centered around sport and identity, and he became intimately involved in establishing projects which used sport as an agent for social change. He worked extensively within the context of sport for at-risk Hispanic youths and won multiple awards for his efforts, including the 2012 UTC and City of Chattanooga public service award and the Coleman Lew & Associates Leadership Award.After working within an NCAA Division I athletics department, he was appointed director of athletics at Saint Peter's School - an independent K through 5th school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There, he had the chance to create his own athletics program around a set of ideals that would help the children enjoy a positive start to their sporting careers. The program included a novel parkour program, sports poetry, mindfulness, and brought the school into the news for his inclusive and innovative approach to the holistic training of young athletes.During his time at St.Peter's School, Sam was also an NCAA Division I women's tennis coach, helping to take the Mocs to their best record for over twenty years.Sam has also worked with the Mastercard Scholars Foundation and advises several NGOs. He has delivered mindfulness to Olympians and Paralympians across over thirty sports.If you're interested in learning more about The True Athlete Project, visit their website at https://www.thetrueathleteproject.org. You can reach Sam directly via email at sam@thetrueathleteproject.org.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 37 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, we hear from Quinn Borchard, a former top junior, college, and professional player who is now coaching his own two sons through the juniors.Parenting a child who aspires to be the best at their pursuit - whether that's in academics, the arts, or in sports - is challenging, to say the least. Parenting that child while also acting as his primary coach adds a whole new level of challenge! Quinn Borchard has taken on the challenge with both of his young sons and is doing so very successfully.In this podcast, Quinn goes into detail about his approach to both parenting and coaching his children and shares their weekly schedule and how he and his wife work together to ensure family harmony.Quinn is happy to chat with anyone looking for guidance on their own child's tennis journey. You can reach out to him through the ParentingAces Facebook Group or via email at quinnborchard@gmail.com.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 36 of the ParentingAces Podcast! In this week's episode, Lisa chats with WTA tour coach and former USTA National Coach, Michael Joyce, and high-performance junior coach, Todd Widom about what true high-performance coaching looks like and what it takes to make it to the top levels of our sport.Michael was a top junior player, winning Kalamazoo in the Boys 18s, who went on to a successful professional tennis career before turning his sites to coaching. Since entering the coaching arena at age 22, he has worked with Maria Sharapova, Jessica Pegula, and Ashlyn Krueger, among others. He has also worked with numerous junior players who had their sites on becoming pro players.Todd Widom runs a successful tennis program in Florida with a focus on preparing his players for college tennis and beyond. Todd also had an amazing junior and college tennis career before embarking on the pro tour. He brings those experiences to his work as a coach today.Both of these men grew up with strict junior coaches - Robert Lansdorp and Pierre Arnold - who taught them the value of hard work, commitment, and patience. Tennis development is a long process where the focus needs to be on growth over results and rankings.To contact Michael, you can email him at Michaeltjoyce73@gmail.com or call/text him at 407-421-4341.To contact Todd, you can email him at todd@twtennis.com. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://instagram.com/toddwidom_tennis.As always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
Welcome to Season 14 Episode 35 of the ParentingAces Podcast! This is the final in our 3-part series of interviews recorded at the 2025 US Open Junior Championships, and it’s another long one, this time featuring the Tennis Parents!Lisa chats with the parents of Wimbledon Junior Boys Singles Finalist Ronit Karki, Kanchan Joshi; US Open Junior Boys Singles Quarterfinalist Andy Johnson, Cindy Johnson; US Open Junior Boys Doubles Champion Keaton Hance, Courtney Hance; and US Open Junior Boys Doubles Champion Jack Kennedy, Bryan Kennedy.Please keep in mind these juniors are playing at the highest level of our sport, and their journey may look very different from the one your family is on. That said, all four parents offer some great nuggets of wisdom and advice!For the draws of each US Open Junior event:Girls Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-singles.htmlGirls Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-girls-doubles.htmlBoys Singles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-singles.htmlBoys Doubles: https://www.usopen.org/en_US/draws/junior-boys-doubles.htmlAs always, I am available for one-to-one consults to work with you as you find your way through the college recruiting process. You can purchase and book online through our website at https://parentingaces.com/shop/category/consult-with-lisa-stone/.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. Please be sure to check out our logo’d merch as well as our a la carte personal consultations in our online shop.CREDITSIntro & Outro Music: Morgan Stone aka STØNEAudio & Video Editing: Lisa Stone
























Hi, in your description of the podcast you mentioned that because internationals won't be able to get visas or be able to travel, next year could be a great opportunity for American players. I didn't hear this specifically mentioned in the audio of the podcast. Do you have any thoughts as to when the coaches will start looking specifically at Americans? I mean the recruiting season is almost finished and still most rosters are full of internationals of all levels (freshman to senior) and I see coaches still enthusiastically reacting to videos from internationals. Aren't they worried they might end up with an empty bench next year?
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