If we told you that you’d have to interview Tiger Woods, would you be nervous? You would be right? Well, that was exactly the case with Amanda Balionis Renner. She did try playing golf when she was young but it was too much for her to carry a heavy golf bag, hence she decided not to pursue it. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, she always had a passion for sports and storytelling, and it worked out great for her.
After college, Balionis found herself completely in awe of broadcast journalism. Hence, she started by covering golf for the PGA Tour in 2011, and for her second sit-down interview, she got a pleasant surprise. In an interview with Links Magazine, Balionis revealed that she had lost sleep for days when she was informed that she was going to interview the GOAT!
“I lost a lot of sleep before that interview,” said Balionis. She also shared that her legs were shaking uncontrollably during the interview, that’s how much nervous she was. “I think Tiger was my second-ever sit-down interview. I’m very thankful the camera angle was from the waist up; my legs were shaking uncontrollably from nervousness.”
Balionis joined CBS in 2017 as a full-time reporter, covering college football, golf and NFL games, so she interacts with many famous entities. Does she still get nervous? No, the journalist has devised a special technique to calm her nerves. When asked about her go-to stress relievers, Balionis dished about her love for yoga. She’s a certified teacher, thanks to her 200-hour certification. “Whenever I start to feel stressed or anxious, I know I have the tools to come back down,” she said.
And she’s not alone; tons of PGA Tour players have told her they’re also into yoga and meditation, not just for flexibility but to stay chill under pressure. “I can’t tell you how many PGA Tour players tell me they’ve implemented yoga or meditation into their everyday routines,” continued Balionis. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Michelle Wie West are some of the golfers who have turned to yoga for the betterment of their bodies and minds. So, now that Balionis already has so many fellow yoga lovers in the industry, can she be seen making a career out of it anytime soon?
What is the next step in Amanda Balioni’s career?
Whatever may be the next step in Balionis’s career, it’s certainly not a yoga teacher, as she already has so many fans in the golf community. She will undoubtedly be a great instructor if she wants to be, but now is not the right time for it. The amazing golf journalist has a heap of followers on her socials, who wait in the hope of new sports news and updates daily. So a career change at the moment is perhaps a big no for Balionis.
Balionis started a non-profit organization named Puppies and Golf in her twenties and is on a mission to rescue furry friends in need. What inspired her was the volunteer work at K9s For Warriors and visits to no-kill shelters near PGA Tour stops. Through Puppies and Golf, she aims to spread awareness about adopting dogs from shelters instead of buying from breeders. Truly amazing! She recently collaborated with Rory McIlroy at the 2024 Zurich Classic to encourage more people to adopt shelter dogs which sparked the rumors of them dating.
