I’m sitting here at Jubala, sipping on my coffee and people watching. There’s an older father and daughter next to me – she’s teaching him to play Mahjong. A few tables down, a group of friends are laughing so hard they’re crying. On the other side of me, two men are talking Rolex watches, coffee cups in hand.

The café is bustling with relationship, and I can’t get enough of it.

It’s proof that spaces where people can connect for an unhurried conversation are the real hot spots. Not the kind of hot spot we connect to on our phone when we need Wi-Fi, but the kind our souls crave – a place to be known.

The Meaning of a “Third Place”

There’s a notion called the “Third Place” that really resonates with me. It describes that space that’s not home and not work – but somewhere in between.

A welcoming spot where people gather informally, build friendships, and find belonging.

A front porch.
A local café.
A neighborhood pub.
A park.

A place where life breathes a little easier.

When Pickleball Becomes a Third Place

As I survey Jubala through this lens, my phone starts buzzing. It’s a group text from our Courts & Couture Fall Retreat. We’re weeks out from it now, and the conversation is still going.

Someone’s organizing a regular open play at their neighborhood court. People are chiming in with all sorts of ideas for play.

And my heart just about bursts.

Because this – this – is our third place.

In a world that moves at lightning speed, where connection often happens through screens instead of smiles, we’re building something slower, deeper, and more real.

Our clinics, retreats, dinners, and soirées aren’t just events. They’re invitations to breathe a little easier. To set down the to-do list. To play, laugh, and linger a while.

One retreat guest said it best:

“We give so much to our families, so to be part of a retreat where the focus was on us and community – it was really special.”

That’s what a third place does. It restores what the everyday rush takes away.

The Art of Savoring

Our word of the month is Savor, and it couldn’t be more fitting. Mendy and I decided to pause our spring retreat this year – to savor more time with our families in that season.

Because we want to practice what we preach.

We believe savoring is sacred. It’s choosing presence over productivity, connection over comparison, and being over striving.

That’s the heartbeat of Courts & Couture.

We’re creating spaces – on and off the court – where women can come, connect, and be cared for. Where you can breathe deeply, be inspired by beauty, invest in yourself, and return home refueled to pour into others.

For many of the women who find us, life has shifted – a new season, an empty nest, a change in career, or a loss. And what they discover here isn’t just a game – it’s community. It’s joy. It’s a reminder that life still has so much good left to savor.

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An Invitation

If you’ve been craving that kind of space – a place to connect, laugh, and let your shoulders drop – we’d love to welcome you.

👉 Sign up to join us for November’s Soiree! We’re hosting a clinic at Lifetime on Tuesday, November 11th and then we’ll gather around the table a local restaurant to savor the evening!

Because here, life breathes a little easier.