When inspiration strikes, don’t be afraid to just make space for it.

I have a lot of creative energy. What I don’t have is a lot of time to express that creative energy.

Expressing creativity can come in many forms. It doesn’t have to fit into any specific boxes. It can be channeled into many areas. And that’s what I am doing right now.  That’s why you’ll notice that I have started an Etsy Shop, and I have started creating many new products for the bowling community.

I’ve always had so many ideas for bowling products that I wanted to do but never made time to create them. Lately, I just decided to go for it. 

I think it’s important to take action when inspiration strikes. Or you might lose some of it.  It also feels really fulfilling to express my creativity this way, and it has been really fun continually adding to the Etsy shop. The water bottles, the notebooks, the clocks. Everything I’ve been creating is to keep you focused, uplifted, and enjoying the game.

There is something for everyone. 

I truly have had so much fun creating these bowling items. (PS – if you have an idea for a product, please reach out. I may make it happen!)  

I also have the coolest Bowling Progress Journal, which is available now on Amazon. I know a lot of you like to keep track of your scores and fill in the pins that you leave. I took it one step further. There’s a space for you to write where you’re standing, what your target is, and what ball you’re using. All in a tracking book! You can find that here! (Also, I should mention that the hardbound book is beautiful.)

There’s also a “One Line a Day” journal I just created! You can find that on Amazon. You can use it to reflect on your day when you’re getting ready for bed. It’s not intimidating because it truly is just one line about your day. But, it’s pretty cool when the month is over to see your entire month in one-liners. Check it out here!

Even though life has been really busy lately, I have been carving out time to follow through on my spark of an idea to create more for you.

A few bigger resources are in development at the moment too.

You know that I often give advice about “processing the process.” One of the things I emphasize is getting a journal, as it’s a space and opportunity for processing the process. I recognize that slowing down and self-reflection isn’t an easy or natural instinct for everyone. So, I want to make it easier for you to do.

I’m developing a full bowling journal to help you be more intentional with how you’re feeling – on and off the lanes. It’s about assessing where you are (in both your physical and mental game) and where you want to be. I’m so excited to see where that will take you and what you’ll be able to learn about yourself.

Acknowledging all of the sides to the bowling process through a reflective journal practice has been very empowering for me, and I want others to be able to experience that too.

We live in such an external world. We don’t take the time to slow ourselves enough to really learn from our experiences. Not enough people prioritize journaling. 

Why I am developing all of these new products really comes down to the same reason I created the Elite Youth Tour more than 10 years ago. Inspiration and empowerment. Watching my EYT youth, I’m so proud of how they are making a difference, becoming who they want to be and surprising themselves with their own capabilities. Now, I just want to keep evolving how I can inspire others to reach their own potential.

While I have been thinking about more ways to support youth in their athletic journey, I have realized that I can serve as another supporting backbone to youth empowerment. Parents. 

Unfortunately, there’s less support out there for parents of athletes. 

When you’re a parent to an athlete, there’s a whole other dimension to your parental responsibility. So it is really important to decide who you are going to show up as in support of your athlete. However, as I look around – in bowling and in other sports – I often see parents struggle with how to navigate the dynamic of being a parent to an athlete.

The truth is that not every parent even realizes the power of their part in a child’s success as an athlete.

I know from experience that youth athletes are not on their journey alone.

I’ve been on both sides. Being a competitive youth bowler myself and being a parent to Madden and Jersey as they begin to pursue competitive sports.

Parenting an athlete is not a responsibility to take lightly. 

Helping these parents navigate that journey is another way that I can serve the youth bowling community.

I was honored to visit The Bohn’s Elite Training Center this week to chat with youth bowlers preparing for Junior Gold. We talked about the mental game and I presented them with a really great mindset workshop. But later that night I held a session for parents. I think putting time to intentionally think about how we can help our youth bowlers on the lanes is essential for their success. 

Up until now, when I’ve given workshops, they have been focused on the bowler. I’m excited to branch out to giving my new workshops for parents: Empowering Your Youth Bowler, A Parent’s Playbook. 

Parents play such a major role in any young athlete’s success.

Let me know if this is something that might interest you! I am definitely up for doing live parent workshops online as well. Don’t take for granted how supporting your youth bowler can affect their success on the lanes and beyond.