Dinks On Tap: The Happy Hour Pickleball Podcast

Have you ever made it to the front of the paddle line at pickleball open play, only to have your partner dis you because she didn't want to play with "a beginner"?

Yeah, that happened to today's guest, Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, one of the celebrities who play pickleball when no one's filming.

After sharing drinks with Mary and her husband, Ted Danson, we knew we had to have her on the pod to talk all things pickleball community, how to keep growing at any age, and the weird "gift" she was given after what was supposed to be a routine surgery (that's the Mary Steenburgen music story).

She's spilling the tea on who got her into the game, how she won her first sports ribbon at 40 by a complete fluke, and how she and Jake Johnson became friends through improv on the set of The Dink movie. We also get into what beginner pickleball is like when strangers expect a movie star to be good, and her take on pickleball for seniors, court shoes included.

We talk about:

How Mary scored most of her team's 6 points alongside the partner who called her "a beginner," back before The Dink Movie came out

The crash course in pickleball open play etiquette she needed first, starting with how the paddle line works

Who got Mary to pick up a paddle, and the support that kept her enthusiasm going

The word Mary makes her 5 grandchildren add to the sentence "I can't do this"

The night of pickleball with the crew of The Dink that Mary will never forget

Why pickleball people are the best, and how the sport spans generations

The "gift" Mary got after a bit of anesthesia, which she didn't see as a gift and which turned into a whole other career

Why aging by accomplishment, over aging by diminishment, is Mary's case for pickleball for older adults

We also serve up Mary's take on why pickleball friends are some of the best friends you'll make. And if you've ever Googled "is pickleball good for seniors," her love letter to the game at the end is your answer.

Pour something cold and press play.Cheers,Casie and LaurenDinks on Tap

Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us:

Instagram: @dinksontap

Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com

Connect with Mary:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_steenburgen

Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament: https://delmar.wine/event/drew-brees-celebrity-pickleball-tournament/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP20 — 20% off Pickleball spectator tickets only)

Del Mar Food & Wine Festival: https://delmar.wine/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP15 — 15% off all Grand Tasting ticket tiers.)

We all love a Gail. We've met her at open play, we've been her on a bad-line-call day, and we've absolutely texted the group about her afterward. We love her enough that we tracked down the woman behind the Gail character in the movie, The Dink, and brought her to your favorite pickleball happy hour podcast.

In this episode, we sit down with Cleo King, the actress who plays Gail in The Dink, to talk about how a same-day audition turned into the role everybody quotes, what a month of learning pickleball from Brad Gilbert looked like before cameras rolled, and what the pickleball community has been telling her since the film came out. We also get into pickleball etiquette, because Cleo has opinions about people who aim at people.

Until Jake Johnson called, she'd picked up a paddle twice in her life. Now she plays three times a week, packs three paddles when she travels, and belongs on any honest list of celebrities that play pickleball.

In this episode, we talk about:

The phone call from Jake Johnson that turned an ordinary drive to Palm Springs into an audition on an actual court

Why the casting team wouldn't let Cleo talk to the other women reading for Gail, and what she did anyway

What Cleo was more nervous about at the audition, and it wasn't the eleven pages she'd memorized overnight

What most of The Dink movie cast had in common before those lessons started, and who the exception was

The one adjustment that fixed Cleo's return of serve, which every regular already knows and nobody had told her

Where the "do the dishes while you're in there" line came from, and what director Josh Greenbaum said when she asked to try it

Why Cleo's pet peeve has nothing to do with the rules and everything to do with where you aim

How Casie and Lauren's Dallas screening crowd reacted to the pickleball movie, and the two lines they quoted on the way out

The fantasy foursome that includes Ron Howard and Oprah, and the reason Michelle Obama didn't make the cut

If you've ever had a Gail in your group, or suspected you might be the Gail, this conversation will make you love her a little more.

Pour something cold and press play.

Cheers,

Casie and Lauren

Dinks on Tap

Drew Brees Celebrity Pickleball Tournament: https://delmar.wine/event/drew-brees-celebrity-pickleball-tournament/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP20 — 20% off Pickleball spectator tickets only)

Del Mar Food & Wine Festival: https://delmar.wine/ (Promo Code: DINKSONTAP15 — 15% off all Grand Tasting ticket tiers.)

Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us:

Instagram: @dinksontap

Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com

Connect with Cleo:

Instagram: @cleoking5404

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleokingactress

Watch Cleo as Gale in The Dink on Apple TV. She's the one running the country club, and the dishes line is worth the price of admission on its own.

Cleo plays Big Mama in Nemesis, an eight-episode crime thriller on Netflix. It's already renewed for season two, so there's time to catch up.

What really goes on behind the scenes of Major League Pickleball?

In this episode, we sit down with LA Mad Drops team owner Alex Geesbreght to get an inside look at how MLP works, from team contracts and player movement to the MLP draft, scouting, ownership, and the business behind the sport.

Alex walks us through some of the biggest questions we have had about pickleball players, pickleball teams, and the decisions happening off the court. We also talk about where the league could be headed, what still needs to evolve, and why the next few years could be especially important for pickleball leagues.

You’ll learn:

How trades work during the MLP season, including who starts the conversation and what teams are actually trading for.

What happens when team contracts expire

How the MLP draft works and why teams are bidding for draft positions rather than directly bidding on players.

Why a salary cap and minimum team spending could become important parts of the league’s future.

How a team owner thinks about roster decisions, spending, and building a competitive organization.

What Alex looks for when evaluating pickleball players, including qualities that have very little to do with pure talent.

Why a stronger developmental system could change how pickleball teams discover and develop future stars.

How professional teams can build sustainable pickleball business models through sponsorships, merchandise, events, and stronger local communities.

Why permanent home venues could help pro pickleball feel more like a traditional professional sports league.

What could make future pickleball leagues more sustainable for owners, players, and fans.

We also get into Alex’s competitive side, the players he loves watching, and why he believes pickleball has become much bigger than what happens on the court.

If you have ever wondered how the business of Major League Pickleball really works, this conversation gives you a rare look behind the curtain without taking away the fun of watching it all unfold.

Pour something cold and press play. Cheers,

Casie and Lauren

Dinks on Tap

Listen to Part 1 of our conversation, where we get into Alex Geesbreght’s story, how he became involved in professional pickleball, and what led him to ownership of the LA Mad Drops.

Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us:

Instagram: @dinksontap

Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com

Check out Prax Leadership to learn more about Alex's approach to leadership.

Want to see the team Alex talks about in this episode? Head to the Los Angeles Mad Drops official site for the roster, schedule, and everything happening with the squad this season.

Pickleball has a remarkable way of pulling people into your life who probably never would have been there otherwise.

You can be on the court with someone 20 years younger than you, someone 20 years older than you, a complete beginner, or a highly competitive player, and somehow everyone still feels like they belong. That mix of movement, competition, family connection, and community is a big part of what keeps so many of us coming back.

In this episode, we sit down with Alex Geesbreght, majority owner of the Los Angeles Mad Drops, to talk about what makes pickleball so different and what he has learned through team ownership in Major League Pickleball.

Alex shares how pickleball brought multiple generations of his family together, why competition can make us feel more alive, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to team dynamics, team culture, and leadership.

We also get a behind-the-scenes look at professional pickleball, including how a team owner thinks about trades, players, long-term growth, and the responsibility that comes with helping shape the fastest-growing sport while it is still finding its footing.

And because Alex brings years of experience as an entrepreneur and leader to the Mad Drops, the conversation goes well beyond pickleball. We get into business leadership, the leadership lessons he carries into professional sports, and why being willing to have difficult conversations matters when you are building something with people you genuinely care about.

If you’ve ever wondered why pickleball seems to become so much more than a game for the people who play it, this conversation will probably feel very familiar.

Pour something cold and press play.

Cheers,

Casie and Lauren

Dinks on Tap

Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us:

Instagram: @dinksontap

Facebook: @DinksonTapWebsite: dinksontap.com

Check out Prax Leadership to learn more about Alex's approach to leadership.

Want to see the team Alex talks about in this episode? Head to the Los Angeles Mad Drops official site for the roster, schedule, and everything happening with the squad this season.

Nobody warns you about this part of pickleball.

Your favorite doubles partner moves away, levels up, or… stops putting you on the calendar. Suddenly, “it’s just pickleball” doesn’t come close to describing what’s happening.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Amanda Sovik-Johnston, founder of The Connected Competitor and the sports psychologist behind the blog post “Pickleball Will Break Your Heart”. We talk about the mental game behind partner breakups, changing groups, and the real grief pickleball players can experience when relationships on the court shift.

Amanda explains why losing a pickleball partner can hit so hard, why being left out can trigger more than disappointment, and how ratings, skill gaps, and changing friendships can turn a game you love into an emotional minefield.

In this episode, we talk about:

Why losing a doubles partner can feel like a real breakup

What to do when your pickleball partner starts fading out without saying why

Why pickleball players can take partner changes so personally

How Amanda handled her own partner moving away, including the goodbye letter and the "auditions on the off days"

How performance anxiety can actually come from worrying about whether you belong

Why anxiety in sports often has a social side

What DUPR rating conversations miss about ratings, access, and friendships

Amanda's three intentions for every game and how naming your intention before you show up changes who you play with and what you get out of it

Why healthy competition can make both you and your friends better

What to do when your regular group dissolves and how to keep growing without leaving meaningful relationships behind

The pickleball community gives us connection, competition, friendship, and sometimes heartbreak. And if you’ve ever lost a partner, watched your group change, or wondered why being left out bothered you so much, this conversation will make a lot of things click.

Cheers,

Casie & Lauren Dinks on Tap

Let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with us:

Instagram: @dinksontap

Facebook: @DinksonTap

Website: dinksontap.comCurious about your rating? Check out My DUPR Coach to get an initial DUPR rating, especially if you're new to the game.

Connect with Amanda:

Instagram: @theconnectedcompetitor

Website: https://www.theconnectedcompetitor.com/

Read the blog post that inspired this entire conversation: Pickleball Will Break Your Heart

If your biggest opponent lives between your ears, start with The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey, the performance classic Amanda references with her coaching clients.Want more of Amanda's take on the game we all love too much? Her pickleball book is in progress, and www.theconnectedcompetitor.com is where the news will land first.