PICKLEBALL, PERMACULTURE & THE POWER OF COMMUNITY 🥒🏓🌱

What happens when a nuclear engineer, permaculture enthusiast, father, athlete, and pickleball club owner sit down for a conversation about the future of our communities?

You get one of the most fascinating conversations yet on Kitchen Conversations.

In this episode, Mike sits down with Keith St. Jean, co-owner of The Dink Den in Cobourg, Ontario, to explore a story that goes far beyond pickleball.

Keith shares how a high-school physics teacher helped shape his path into nuclear engineering and sustainability, why he became deeply fascinated with permaculture, and what it really means to build a society that thinks beyond the next 30 days—or even the next 30 years.

Then we get into the game that brought us together: pickleball.

Keith tells the hilarious story of how his wife, Trish, essentially forced him onto a pickleball court after he initially dismissed the sport as “lawn bowling.” What happened next became a passion that would eventually lead to the creation of The Dink Den, a state-of-the-art indoor pickleball facility designed not simply as a place to play, but as a community hub.

We talk about:

🏓 How Keith went from reluctant beginner to pickleball fanatic

🌱 What permaculture actually means—and why it goes far beyond gardening

🌎 Sustainability, food systems and thinking seven generations ahead

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 How pickleball brings multiple generations together

🤝 Why the social side of pickleball may be even more important than the sport itself

🏢 The philosophy and design behind The Dink Den

💡 How the world's best pickleball facilities inspired its creation

❤️ Pickleball's ability to combat loneliness and build meaningful relationships

🌳 The surprising connection between permaculture and community-building

🔥 Why strong communities may be one of our most important resources for the future

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is simple:

Pickleball isn't just about hitting a ball over a net.

It's about people.

It's about friendships, families, competition, health, connection, belonging—and creating places where people actually want to spend time together.

And perhaps most importantly, Keith makes a compelling case that building stronger communities today may be one of the most sustainable things we can do for tomorrow.

Whether you're a dedicated pickleball player, someone curious about permaculture, interested in sustainability, or simply someone who believes communities matter, there's something here for you.

Connect with Keith and the team at Dink Den

Website: https://dinkdenpickleballclub.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61577539997025

Canadian Permaculture Legacy YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfz0O9f_Ysivwz1CzEn4Wdw

🎧 Welcome to Kitchen Conversations.

If you enjoyed this episode, LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔, and SHARE it with someone who needs to hear this conversation.

And tell us in the comments:

What brought YOU to pickleball—and what has the game given you beyond the court?

#KitchenConversations #Pickleball #PickleballPodcast #TheDinkDen #Permaculture #Sustainability #Community #PickleballCommunity #PickleballLife #PickleballCanada #OntarioPickleball #Cobourg #KingstonOntario #HealthyCommunities #CommunityBuilding #SustainableLiving #FutureGenerations #MentalWellness #ActiveAging #Family #Friendship #IndoorPickleball #PickleballAddiction

And that wraps up this episode of Kitchen Conversations.

If you enjoyed the conversation, be sure to follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves the game as much as you do.

And if you want the full experience, including the visuals, head over to YouTube and watch the episode at

https://www.youtube.com/@KitchenConversationspodcast

Or search Kitchen Conversations Pickleball Podcast

That’s where these stories really come to life.

You’ll also find links and show notes in the episode description.

Until next time…

more than dinks, drops and drives…

these are stories from behind the paddle.