Find A Way with Matt Lavinder

Pablo, a professional pickleball player, shares his incredible journey from growing up in a sporty family in Bogota, Colombia to becoming a top pickleball player in the world. He discusses his early days playing soccer, transitioning to tennis, and the challenges he faced, including traveling long distances for training. Pablo reflects on his college experience in the US, his initial struggles with the English language, and his ultimate shift from tennis to pickleball. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, proper technique, and mental strength in reaching the top of his game. Pablo also talks about his partnership with Federico Staksrud and their rise in the pickleball world, highlighting the intense training and strategic changes that have shaped his career.

“Don’t let the last point define you.” The PPA #1 ranked pickleball player in the world talks about his journey, what it takes to make it as a professional, and advice for young kids. 

King University Hall of Famer and current Director of the Sporting Kansas City professional soccer academy guides us through the narrow path for young professional players in the MLS Academy program. He explains how talent creates the opportunity, but other important factors determine whether prospects make it to become professionals. This conversation is filled with unexpected insights from the culture in his native Zimbabwe to building a culture for high performers in a professional training ground.

Daniel Shew has become an expert on restoring old and historic homes. He discusses the process, surprises, and purpose behind his restorations. We also dive into the history that these houses have taught us about the lives of the founders of Bristol. It’s a really interesting dive into Bristol’s history, slavery, and Appalachian culture as told by the houses built by Bristol’s founding families. 

Andy Hare is the inspirational principal of Sullivan East High School, a small county high school in Bristol that is doing extraordinary things. Andy discusses the super powers of this generation, their dreams, obstacles, and the intentional work the school is doing to empower them. It’s an inspirational approach that has the community bought into Patriot Pride from kindergarten through high school.

Samantha Gray, the executive director of Theatre Bristol and parenting coach, gives valuable insights into parenting, raising resilient children, and the importance of a community. We also talk about her work with Theatre Bristol, the power of theater, leadership, and their recent purchase of the Cameo Theater. Samanha shares valuable insights from her 30 years of instructing parents and building theater programs. 

There are 67,000 cases of child abuse and neglect every year in Tennessee. Missy Sturgill describes the important work volunteer court appointed special advocates (CASA) are doing for kids in the court system. With 3,000 cases every year in Sullivan and Hawkins Counties, CASA volunteers advocate for abused and neglected children as they navigate the court system. It’s an inspiring story of how normal people become heroes and make a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of kids every year. 

Matt Yelton, 4x National Champion college soccer coach and director of FC Alliance North, discusses the purpose of youth sports. We discuss the development of youth players, what we’re trying to achieve, and what American youth sports often get wrong. Matt goes deep into what a healthy model looks like, the art of coaching, and how it can ultimately develop character.

Margaret Feierabend is a true civil servant and Bristol leader who served as the first female mayor of Bristol in 1997.  She discusses the challenges Bristol faced then and now, walking us through critical moments when Bristol set itself up for success. A true community organizer, she talks in depth about the socioeconomic challenges facing Bristolians, childhood trauma, federal funding uncertainty, and how organizations are meeting needs at the local level. 

Blake Collins lives what many view as the American Dream as the owner of Goodman Jewelers, a historic storefront on State Street, and a professional mandolin player. Blake discusses so many interesting things, including the apprenticeship required to learn a skilled craft, the satisfaction it brings, the challenges of the business, his passion for music, and a vision for music in Bristol. 

Emory & Henry University Football Head Coach Quintin Hunter on his 9-2 season, the nuances of the game, tough love, and the art of leading college players in today's culture. Coach Hunter explains the culture around Emory & Henry's "Blue Collar, Gold Standard" core value. It's a refreshingly positive approach to leadership and college football. 

Tennessee is the national leader in gambling addiction treatment. Dr. Meredith Ginley is the director of the Gambling Clinic at ETSU. This is a hopeful episode as Dr. Ginley describes the complicated patterns that lead to gambling problems and the typical 10-week recovery plan they've developed from the clinic's years of research and case studies. 

Bristol Motor Speedway's Logan McCabe shares the culture, values, and history that have made Bristol, The World's Fastest Half Mile, the favorite speedway among NASCAR fans. It's a lesson on building an authentic culture around exceeding expectations and empowering teams to solve problems. Everyone knows Bristol does racing differently and Logan shares the ideas and work behind it all.

City Manager Kelli Bourgeois on the way Bristol TN has chosen to embrace the hard things, what she calls "The Hard Right", rather than choosing the safe and easy bureaucratic approach. She gives a compelling argument for why, demographically, cities must choose to grow or die and how Bristol is using creativity and its uniquely positive culture to punch above its weight. An experienced city manager, Kelli is honest about the challenges facing local government, benefits of public/private partnerships, leadership, Bristol's competitive advantages, and exciting new projects to further develop downtown. 

Matt Hawn, recently vindicated by a court decision to overturn his dismissal for assigning controversial materials in a contemporary issues class that has drawn national attention, discusses his own passion for coaching and teaching amidst the extraordinary challenges facing teachers. Matt, born and raised in the same county school system he taught and coached, talks about why it's so important to challenge students and how that is so difficult in today's culture.What is Find A Way with Matt Lavinder?The stories of entrepreneurs, leaders, coaches, and interesting people.