Life Lessons from Pickleball™
Life Lessons from Pickleball™
Shelley Maurer and Sher Emerick
E87: Sandy Smith: Healing, Resilience, and Community Through Pickleball
30 minutes Posted Dec 23, 2025 at 8:00 am.
Welcome And Book Announcement
Meet Sandy Smith
Cancer Diagnosis And Early Pickleball Spark
Returning To Play With A Port
Why Pickleball Hooked Her
Community, Faith, And Lynch Syndrome
Identity, Humor, And Marriage Through Cancer
Rebuilding Confidence On Court
Becoming A Coach
The Path To Certified Referee
What Refs Actually Watch
Misconceptions And The “Invisible” Ref
Serves, Lines, And The Drop Serve Rule
Pet Peeves And Tennis Carryovers
Core Coaching Mantras: Return And Run
Transitioning Up And Partner Play
Life Lessons Beyond The Court
Global Access And Youth Growth
How To Reach Sandy
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Show notes
How can pickleball help someone rebuild strength after cancer, find a new community, and become a coach, referee, and leader in the sport? In this episode, Sandy Smith shares her inspiring pickleball journey, from being diagnosed with uterine cancer and undergoing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, to finding her way back to sport through pickleball. Sandy talks about returning to play while still living with a port, discovering that pickleball was both physically possible and emotionally ...