E77: Riley “Smiley Riley” Palmer: The Floating Court That Went Viral

How can pickleball help heal heartbreak, spark new love, and even inspire a floating court in the middle of the water?In this episode, Riley Palmer, better known as Smiley Riley, shares her incredible pickleball journey from rebuilding her life after divorce to becoming a coach, mentor, USA Pickleball ambassador, and entrepreneur with a passion for growing the game. Riley opens up about how pickleball helped her heal, refocus, and rediscover herself, and how the court became a place of joy, community, and new beginnings. She also shares the story of reconnecting with an old classmate who eventually became her partner after finally agreeing to take a pickleball lesson, proving that sometimes love and pickleball really do go hand in hand. And then Riley tells the fascinating story behind her floating pickleball courts, from the original idea in Croatia to designing and launching courts that can now be played on both water and land. This is a fun, heartfelt, and inspiring conversation about pickleball, healing after divorce, entrepreneurship, second chances, coaching, creativity, travel, and the life lessons that come from saying yes to joy and trying something new. https://smileyrileypickleball.comhttps://www.instagram.com/smileyrileypickleball?igsh=MW1lMDU1M3lqd3V6OA==📘 Our book Life Lessons from Pickleball™ is now available on AmazonOrder the book here: https://a.co/d/0bHPFYveA collection of short, true stories from players around the world about community, resilience, and joy through the game of pickleball.A portion of proceeds supports Operation PaddleLift, through the Global Pickleball Federation, distributing paddles, balls and nets to underserved communities around the world.Contact us:  [email protected] and watch:https://www.lifelessonsfrompickleballpodcast.comhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557275391316https://www.instagram.com/lifelessonsfrompickleball/https://www.youtube.com/@LifeLessonsFromPickleballPodMusic gifted to us by Ian Pedersen: @ianpedersen Thanks for listening and you can also watch us on Youtube.