Meet Maggie Zheng

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maggie Zheng. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maggie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I don’t think purpose arrives all at once — it’s something you uncover through small discoveries and the experiences you put yourself in. At every stage of my life, my sense of purpose has shifted because I was out there doing things.

At 18, as a pre-med student, I believed my purpose was to become a reconstructive surgeon.
At 22, entering the fintech startup world, it became about building tools that made financial stability and generational wealth more accessible.
At 24, as a Director of Fundraising, I found purpose in helping other founders raise capital and bring their ideas to life.
And now, at 27, I feel deeply aligned with building community — creating spaces where people can find connection, common ground, and friendship through shared experiences.

But what I’ve learned is that you can’t think your way into purpose. You have to go out and live. Spend time with people. Challenge yourself. Do things that make you uncomfortable. Have conversations with people who are completely different from you. Purpose comes from exposure — from letting yourself feel, explore, and be changed by the world around you.

You can’t find purpose without investing time and energy into learning what you care about. To have a purpose is simply to care about something deeply enough to want to do something about it. And that only happens when you give yourself the chance to discover it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the founder of COURT & CREW, a pickleball sportswear and lifestyle brand built around community, connection, and shared experiences. What started as a way to meet people after moving to LA turned into a movement — one that’s now grown into thousands of players, sold-out events, and a brand that reflects the culture of modern pickleball.

What makes COURT & CREW special is that we’re not just selling clothes — we’re building a club. People come for the pickleball, but stay for the friendships, the energy, and the feeling of belonging. Our community spans from casual players to semi-pro and pro athletes, and we’ve hosted events everywhere from LA and San Francisco to San Diego, Portland, Detroit, and even Taipei.

Our growth has been entirely community-powered. Every event we’ve hosted in the last year has sold out within minutes, with extensive waitlists. Our Discord has grown to over 1,800 members. And through it all, we’ve stayed committed to our mission: creating high-quality apparel that reflects pickleball’s fun, social, slightly quirky culture — clothes people actually want to wear both on and off the court.

This year has been especially exciting for us. We’ve collaborated with brands and facilities across the country, and recently brought pickleball to TwitchCon for the very first time. Thousands of creators and fans walked through our activation, and it became one of the most talked-about installations of the event. That moment really solidified how universal the sport — and our brand — can be.

We’ve also partnered with Major League Pickleball; Equinox and the Kitchen; luxury hospitality groups like the Ritz-Carlton and Westin Hotels; and multiple paddle and hydration brands. And this is only the beginning.

Product-wise, COURT & CREW is focused on elevating the sport’s aesthetic. Our first collection launched to a 1,500+ person waitlist, and we’re continuing to expand — introducing men’s active shorts, women’s active skirts, and limited-edition drops for our events. Everything is designed to be colorful without being chaotic, elevated without being stuffy, and reflective of the modern, social side of pickleball.

We also have big plans ahead, including opening our own pickleball spaces by repurposing underutilized real estate — awesome, high-end club environments that still feel true to the vibrant energy of the sport.

Ultimately, COURT & CREW is about more than pickleball. It’s about giving people a place to connect, to feel seen, to belong. And it’s been the greatest privilege of my life to build something that brings people together — on and off the court.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Being relentlessly resourceful.
Building COURT & CREW has required a level of scrappiness I couldn’t have imagined. I had to learn manufacturing by flying to Guangzhou alone. I had to figure out events by just…hosting them. I had to learn e-commerce, partnerships, design, fundraising, and community building on the fly.
My advice: don’t wait to feel “ready.” Start with what you have, google what you don’t know, ask questions, and be willing to figure things out as you go. Resourcefulness compounds faster than almost any hard skill.

2. Listening deeply — to customers, to community, to your intuition.
Our entire brand grew because I listened. Players told me they couldn’t find apparel that reflected pickleball’s culture. Event attendees told me what they wished existed. Our ambassadors, creators, and partners constantly shape what we build next.
For anyone starting out: spend time with your customers. Talk to them in person. Ask what frustrates them and what excites them. Your community will show you the right direction long before the data does. And sometimes before you even have enough meaningful data.

3. Getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
Every meaningful pivot in my purpose came from pushing myself into something new: moving cities, joining startups, learning to pitch investors, going full-time on COURT & CREW, hosting events in cities where I didn’t know a single person. Growth happens when you regularly put yourself in rooms, conversations, and situations that stretch you.
My advice: intentionally do one thing a week that feels out of your comfort zone — initiate a partnership, attend an event alone, post a story about something real, launch the product before it feels perfect. Discomfort is a muscle; the more you strengthen it, the more opportunities you’ll unlock.

Ultimately, the most impactful thing you can do early on is move. Once you start doing things, opportunities will start coming to you as well.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Absolutely. COURT & CREW has always been fueled by community and collaboration, and we love working with people and brands who share similar values — modern, community-driven, culturally aware, and not afraid to go against tradition a bit.

We’re especially excited about partnering with:

Brands creating on-trend, elevated products that align with an active, social lifestyle

Companies rethinking what community looks like, whether through experiences, wellness, sports, or culture

Creators and founders who bring creative energy and want to build something fun and memorable together

And in the future, I’d love to explore clothing collaborations with brands whose aesthetics complement ours

If you’re reading this and think we align well, I’d love to connect. The easiest way to reach me is through Instagram DM at @thecourtandcrew, or by email at [email protected]
. We’re always open to creative ideas, co-hosted events, product collabs, or anything that helps bring people together in a fresh, modern way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thecourtandcrew.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecourtandcrew/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggizine/
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maggizine