Amanda Balionis is a well-known sports reporter who covers golf and the NFL. However, beyond her professional accomplishments lies a story of personal growth, resilience, and a commitment to health and well-being. Amanda's journey reveals how she navigates the pressures of her industry while prioritizing her physical and mental health.
Early Life and Career Aspirations
Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Amanda Balionis knew from a young age that she wanted to be involved in sports. Inspired by legendary reporters like Bonnie Bernstein, Amanda set her sights on a career in sports broadcasting. "I was born in Pittsburgh and moved to Lancaster when I was in 4th grade. Very cool area to grow up in," she recalls. Sports were a central part of her family life. "The whole family was into sports. I remember watching the Steelers with my grandmother on the couch when I was very little. Football and sports in general were always a big part of our lives."
Amanda's athletic background includes competitive swimming, field hockey, and soccer before she discovered volleyball in 8th grade. She continued her athletic pursuits in college, initially playing volleyball at Kutztown University. However, she later transferred to Hofstra University to focus on her career aspirations. "It was interesting because my parents weren’t thrilled when I went to Kutztown and I told them I just really wanted to get it out of my system to prove that I could play college volleyball. I made a deal with them that I would transfer at a certain point, to a school that made more sense for my career. I did that after two full seasons of volleyball and ended up transferring to Hofstra the spring semester of my sophomore year."
During her time at Hofstra, Amanda gained valuable experience at WRHU Radio and completed numerous internships. "I did a full year at WRHU Radio, but chose the route of interning, and did as many internships as one could physically do. My thought process was that I’m so close to New York City and at the time the Jets still shared a practice facility with Hofstra." Although she briefly considered entertainment, interning at US Weekly Magazine, she always found herself drawn back to sports. "At one point I thought I wanted to do entertainment which is why I interned at US Weekly Magazine. But every time I covered a red carpet event, I always ended up finding a sports story, an athlete there who gravitated to sports." She realized her passion lay in sports reporting. "I might not have been the greatest athlete, but I am a really competitive person with an athlete’s mindset."
Navigating Career Challenges
Amanda's path to success wasn't without its challenges. She faced setbacks and moments of doubt, particularly when she felt pigeonholed in her career. After working at PGATour.com for five years, she was told she "wasn’t good enough for a bigger job in golf." This led her to briefly leave broadcasting and take a 9-5 job with Callaway Golf in San Diego. "Right before I got the job at CBS, I actually left broadcasting. I had been at PGATour.com for five years and was basically told I wasn’t good enough for a bigger job in golf. I also wasn’t getting any looks from local sports departments because there was a sense that I only knew about golf. So I was essentially pigeonholed."
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However, her passion for sports eventually led her back to broadcasting. Three months after leaving her dream, she received a call from Turner Sports, offering her a role. "Wouldn’t you know it, three months after I give up on this dream, I got a call from Turner Sports, saying they wanted to bring me back. The year before ,they had eliminated my earlier role due to budget reasons. I was walking my dog near the ocean, sat down near a bench and just started crying. I was just so happy and caught off guard. I called my parents and was crying, just so happy because I knew that I’d be able to say I did it." This opportunity eventually led to her role at CBS, where she continues to thrive. The first person to find me afterwards was Jim Nantz. He said I’d love to talk to you for a second. He said you are a part of this team. You just brought something with your personality and we’re so happy you are here with us and basically, I was there in an audition!
Embracing Golf and Family Heritage
Golf has always been a part of Amanda's life, with her grandparents meeting on a golf course and her parents being avid players. "I grew up on a golf course. My grandparents met on a golf course. My mom still plays three days a week, dad played five to seven days a week when he was alive." Despite initially resisting the sport, she eventually found herself covering golf for the PGA Tour and CBS. "I kind of resisted my parents pushing me to golf and much preferred team sports because I was an only child and was alone a lot. That’s probably why golf didn’t click for me in terms of wanting to play it all that much. It was the ultimate irony when I called my parents and told them I was going to work for the PGA Tour. They were laughing their butts off."
Fitness and Wellness Routine
Amanda Balionis is dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle through a combination of exercise, mindfulness, and self-care. She understands the importance of both physical and mental well-being, especially in a demanding profession.
Varied Workout Regimen
Amanda's fitness routine is diverse, incorporating strength training, yoga, hiking, and snowboarding. She shares glimpses of her workouts on social media, inspiring others to prioritize their health.
In a recent workout video, Amanda showcases her strength training exercises, including planks, hip thrusts, and medicine ball slams. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. She is seen using weights like landmines, dumbbells, and kettlebells. The Mayo Clinic states, “By stressing your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
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Hip thrusts, as Gymless states, are a compound movement that aids in increasing lower body strength and power, enhancing athletic abilities such as running, jumping, and powerlifting. Allina Health states that squats strengthen and tone muscles in your thighs, butt and calves and improves posture, balance, flexibility and inner core strength.
Yoga and Mindfulness
Yoga plays a significant role in Amanda's life, both physically and mentally. She is a certified Baptiste-style yoga instructor and practices regularly to stay calm and focused. "Through controlled breath and meditative movements, practicing yoga has taught me how to stay calm during difficult situations," she explains. "About three years after I discovered the practice, I became certified in Baptiste-style training. It was an intense 200-hour journey that transformed my mind because it forced me to sort through my own issues before having the capacity to teach others. I now teach whenever I can, and I continue to practice yoga at least a few times a week-the length of each session ranges from 10 to 90 minutes, depending on how stressed I am that day."
Amanda believes that yoga has improved her golf game by enhancing her mental strength and focus. "I’ve reaped more mental benefits from yoga as I’ve become physically stronger, and that’s why golf and yoga are far more similar than people realize-in golf, even if you’ve mastered the swing, you’ll never be satisfied if your mental game is weak, and vice versa."
Outdoor Activities
Amanda enjoys hiking and snowboarding to stay active and connect with nature. She shared photos and videos on Instagram of herself hiking on Camelback Mountain. She captioned the post, “Yearly hike up Camelback Mountain in the 📚There’s absolutely no better way to get out of your own head than by getting into your body in nature and you need to be fully connected and present to what’s happening in the moment. 🌵I never remember how difficult this is until I’m halfway up and there’s no turning back.
According to the University of Rochester, snowboarding, like skiing, is a great cardiovascular workout that strengthens your bones as they tone your muscles.
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Self-Care Practices
In addition to exercise, Amanda prioritizes self-care practices such as taking baths to unwind. Baths have been linked to better sleep and can help minimize anxiety and depression.
Walking
Balionis is seen walking in her Instagram post. Walking has a lot of health benefits. The Mayo Clinic states, “Regular brisk walking can help you: Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat. Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Improve cardiovascular fitness.
Dealing with Criticism and Social Media
As a public figure, Amanda faces scrutiny and criticism, particularly on social media. She acknowledges the challenges of navigating social media and the importance of not getting caught up in negative comments. "It’s a double edge sword. There’s so much good but you have to be careful with it. You can’t get locked in this rabbit hole looking at strangers’ comments for hours on end. I use it as a way to connect with sports fans."
Amanda emphasizes the importance of being authentic and not conforming to stereotypes. "I think a lot of those obstacles come from certain stereotypes and the need for females to fit inside a certain type of box. Once you try to fit inside that box as to what you need to look like, dress like, talk like is the minute you’re in big trouble for a couple reasons. The best lesson I received when I was interning at the New York CBS affiliate was that you have to be yourself and that people will see right through you if you’re not."
She also addresses the disproportionate criticism women in sports face regarding their appearance. "That’s the thing we’re fighting now, is the amount of time that people comment on my outfit instead of the words that are coming out of my mouth. That can be disheartening. No man is going to be criticized to the level a woman would. It doesn’t matter whether I wear pants and a loose-fitting top, I look fat or if I wear a normal looking skirt and top, my intentions are bad, whatever that means."
Philanthropy: Puppies and Golf
Amanda is passionate about animal welfare and founded the nonprofit organization Puppies and Golf, which supports no-kill dog shelters. "I founded this nonprofit called Puppies and Golf. It started even back when I was working at PGATour.com and learned how therapeutic dogs can be. The best part of my week was when I was volunteering. I learned that over 90% of these dogs are saved from high kill shelters. They’re trained to be service animals for veterans."