What does a former ballet dancer, social worker, and mindfulness educator have to teach the pickleball community? As it turns out, everything.
In this episode, Mark sits down with Michelle Verde, founder of the Wise Mind Project, to unpack why the real game is played in the five and a half inches between our ears. Michelle breaks down the neuroscience behind why we snap, freeze, or spiral on the court — and shares simple, science-backed tools (breathwork, pattern interrupts, and a "reset" mindset) that top athletes and everyday players use to stay centered under pressure.
They also dig into something bigger than the game itself: how pickleball became an unexpected antidote to post-COVID loneliness, why sportsmanship matters more than the scoreboard, and what it really means when "the point is never more important than the person."
If you've ever let one bad point wreck your whole game — or your whole day — this conversation might just change how you show up, on and off the court.
#ThePickleballTalks #MentalGame #PickleballMindset
#WiseMindProject #MindfulnessInSport #PickleballCommunity
#BreathworkForAthletes #SportsPsychology #PickleballPodcast
#TheReset