The Kitchen PickleballJune 11, 202600:57:31

Hannah Johns: The Johns Family Origin, Growing The PPA, and Pickleball's Wildest Early Days | S4 E3

In this episode, Hannah sits down with Roscoe and Jared to pull back the curtain on the Johns family, the wild early days of the PPA, and what it really took to turn pickleball into a legitimate professional sport. It's part origin story, part behind-the-scenes tour, and entirely worth your time.

Hannah opens up about growing up as one of seven homeschooled kids on 12 acres, how Ben showed freakish hand-eye coordination before he could even talk much, and the moment the family realized pickleball might actually be something real โ€” when the first major Franklin sponsorship came in and changed everything.

Hannah also gets into the grind of being PPA Employee #4 โ€” arranging player housing, getting screamed at when a pro peed in a host's garden, and the relentless skepticism from networks and fans who said tickets would never sell. She shares what she's most proud of: helping prove every single naysayer wrong.

Delivered by @DoorDash! ๐Ÿšช

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Timestamps:
1:14 โ€” Welcome, Hannah Johns
2:09 โ€” Why Hannah Stepped Away from Sideline Reporting
3:19 โ€” Three Years, Zero Missed Tournaments
4:05 โ€” Traveling the Tour with Ben and Colin
5:28 โ€” How Ryan Sherry Got Hannah Into the PPA
6:00 โ€” Living in the Czech Republic and the Rough Return Home
7:34 โ€” Growing Up Johns: Homeschooled on 12 Acres
10:31 โ€” The Siblings: A Family of Savants
12:24 โ€” How the Johns Family Found Pickleball
16:13 โ€” Who Had the X Factor Growing Up?
17:03 โ€” Ben at Age 3: The Pool Cue Story
22:37 โ€” When Pickleball Was Just Another Hobby for Ben
25:27 โ€” Colin Signing with Electrum and the Early Sponsorship Era
26:04 โ€” How the Johns Family Reacted to the Brothers' Rise
28:25 โ€” Hannah's Goal: Not Being Known as Ben's Sister
30:04 โ€” The Sideline Reporter Craft: Prep, Notes, and Questions
31:15 โ€” Crying in Hotel Bathrooms Before Going on Air
32:12 โ€” Crazy Stories from Tour: The Incident That Almost Sent Someone to Jail
34:20 โ€” The Housing Program and the Garden Incident
36:35 โ€” Misunderstandings About the Early Days of Pickleball
40:41 โ€” The Real Milestones: Salaries, Ticket Sales, and Networks
44:15 โ€” Hannah's Proudest Accomplishment
44:49 โ€” Proving Every Naysayer Wrong
46:01 โ€” The Moment Ben Started Getting Recognized in Public
49:12 โ€” Could Hannah Go Pro? The Black Sheep of the Family
51:30 โ€” The Best Sideline Interview Hannah Ever Did
52:24 โ€” What Most People Misunderstand About Ben Johns
53:55 โ€” Where Hannah Sees Pickleball in 5 Years
PPA, Ben Johns, Pickleball, MLP, The Kitchen Pickleball,