On the 185th episode of the GreatBase Tennis podcast, Steve Smith and Ivan Ozerets have a conversation with Lisa Pugliese LaCroix. To make an understatement, she has a story to tell. From hitting a backboard in her family's garage that her father painted with Wimbledon colors to becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist to establishing a non-profit organization called Love Serving Autism.
As a junior player, she held numerous number-one rankings. As a college player, she was a member of an NCAA championship team while playing for the University of Florida. Unfortunately, her pro career was cut short by a back injury that demanded surgery.
During the conversation, Lisa discussed the opportunity and privilege she had playing for the late Andy Brandi. Andy connected Steve with Lisa because he simply loved what she was doing with young children with autism.
By listening to Lisa, one can quickly tell that Lisa has a heart of gold. She has found a way to combine her tennis background with her education and experience in the field of personal and interpersonal communication. Research more about her altruistic and heartwarming project by visiting Lisa's website (https://loveservingautism.org/).