I grew up on a grass tennis court in Hopewell, VA, where I learned the game not so much as a competitive sport, but as a fun family affair. After playing number one for the Hopewell High School tennis team, I taught tennis during summer breaks while earning a bachelor’s degree in music education from VCU. I spent the next 20 years raising three kids and 15 years home schooling them, two of whom played for their local high school tennis squads.

In 2013 my son and I discovered the wildly popular sport of pickleball. I served as a pickleball Co-Ambassador in Woodbridge, VA from 2017-2021, and was instrumental in working with the local Pickleball Community and County Officials to usher in the first outdoor dedicated courts in the Northern VA area. I earned my IPTPA instructor certification in 2018 and soon after began teaching pickleball for Prince William County. In 2021, I took on the role of lead pickleball instructor at the Lee District Rec Center (now Franconia Rec, Fairfax, VA), while continuing to offer private and group lessons/clinics throughout NoVA.

Today, I teach all around the Richmond, VA area, offering group clinics and lessons both indoors and out. My brand, Pickleball-Zen, focuses on body awareness to help promote mindful movement for safety & success both on and off the court.