Kitchen Conversations Podcast
Kitchen Conversations is a story driven podcast that explores the lives behind the paddle, uncovering the personal journeys, careers, and defining moments of the people who make up the pickleball community. Through thoughtful, unhurried conversations, host Mike Spies goes beyond dinks and drives to reveal the character, resilience, and human connection that truly define the game.
Episodes
17 episodes
SMASHING Success!
What happens when you take an old warehouse… and turn it into one of the most electric pickleball communities in Canada?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Jody Allen and Jeff Allen, the visionaries behind Smash Co...
Canada’s Padel Pioneer
He Brought Padel to Canada 🇨🇦 | The Untold Story of Bill StamileWhat happens when one man stumbles onto a sport… and decides to change a country with it?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Canada’s padel pi...
All it took was 10 minutes to get hooked!
What happens when a lifelong tennis pro gives pickleball just 10 minutes… and it completely changes his life?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations – Stories Behind the Paddle, I sit down with Kevin Beeson—elite coach, national champi...
Ottawa Pickleball Association- President Diana Dowthwaite
What does it take to build one of the most organized and respected pickleball communities in North America?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations – Stories Behind the Paddle, I sit down with Diana Dowthwaite, President ...
Dr. Colin Campbell- Pickleball Injury Prevention
What if the person who could extend your pickleball life…doesn’t even play the game?In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Colin Campbell, a chiropractor from the Nepean Active Health Clinic who sees the game from the outside looking in ...
DUPR Confused! Pickleball Ratings explained with Rick Bigelow
What exactly is DUPR… and why is the entire pickleball world talking about it?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations: Stories Behind the Paddle, Mike sits down with Kingston pickleball leader and founding Kingston Pickleball C...
Living in a Yurt- Loving Pickleball!
What happens when a guy living in a yurt becomes one of the most influential voices in pickleball?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Mike “Sleeves” Sliwa… one of the most recognizable, unfiltered, and thought-prov...
Changing the Face of Pickleball
What if the biggest risk in pickleball… isn’t your opponent?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Brad Robbins — the mind behind Kitchen Blockers — a product that’s not just entering the game……it’s trying to ...
Pickleball Hall of Fame Inductee Steve Paranto
He didn’t just play the game… he helped shape it.In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Pickleball Hall of Famer Steve Paranto… a man whose fingerprints are all over the modern game.From the earliest days of p...
1976 The First EVER Pickleball Tournament in the World
Before the millions of players…Before the pro tours…Before pickleball became what it is today…There was 1976.In this episode, we sit down to uncover the story of Johannes F. Lisiecki — the man behind the South Center Ath...
Her Heart Attack ended her Mud Racing Days
In this episode, hear how a heart attack on a mountain during a mud race changed Kelli’s sports trajectory.Plus- what if the most important thing about pickleball…has nothing to do with pickleball?In this episode, we sit down...
The Huffin Puffin Muffin Girls
The Huffin Puffin Muffin Girls is one of the most charming and meaningful stories to come out of Kingston pickleball.In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, Mike sits down with Pam Bidinost, one of the founding forces behind the Kingst...
Pickle Power
Pickleball with Purpose | Pickle Power Ottawa FundraiserWhat happens when pickleball meets purpose?On April 18th, the courts at The Forge Pickleball Club come alive for something far bigger than competition. Pickle Power Ottawa ...
PICKLEBALL PASSION
What happens when an entire family falls in love with pickleball… and never looks back?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, Mike sits down with the Kawamotos — a family that has become synonymous with excellence, humility, and hear...
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BounceBack Pickle. Bringing cracked, broken pickleballs back to life
What if one of the fastest-growing sports in the world also had a hidden waste problem… and no one was doing anything about it?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Dillion Rosenthal, the founder of Bounceback Pickle...
Pickleball In Prison
What if pickleball could change lives… inside prison walls?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Roger BelAIr, the founder of PICL, a movement doing something almost impossible.He is bringing pickleball into ...
Senior Pickleball TIPS- Meet the face and the man behind the Facebook Group
What happens when a “semi-retired” fundraiser from England accidentally builds one of the largest pickleball communities in the world?In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Paddy Hunter-Murphy, the driving force behin...
