There’s a reason people say sharing your struggles makes them a little lighter. Amanda Balionis just lived that out in real time. After dealing with a painful physical setback that she later tied to grief over her late father, the longtime golf and NFL reporter found herself surrounded by care and support. The messages poured from both her sports community and her 355k Instagram followers. Touched by all this, Balionis has penned a note of gratitude.

On her Instagram story, Balionis thanked everyone who reached out. “Thank you to everyone who dm’d me with your stories and tips for pinched nerve pain. And those who shared your personal stories of loss and grief. I love this community, and I love how open you all are with your own stories and struggles. It’s a needed reminder right now that there is so much good out there ❤️❤️.” She wrote this message while on a flight to Baltimore, where she will be covering the Browns-Ravens match at the M&T Bank Stadium.

Caught up with all such NFL action, the CBS reporter took some time off recently to share what she was going through. Two days ago, Amanda first shared that she was battling serious discomfort in her spine. “I’m seeing a chiro tomorrow morning and have been alternating ice and heat today, which has kept the pain mostly at bay,” she wrote on Instagram then. By that time, the unease had reached her fingers. But then she opened up further behind the actual reason for her pain.

In the same story, Balionis connected the flare-up to something deeper. Actually, the day she shared this story was also the day of her late father’s 7th anniversary. Her dad passed away in 2018, just two years after a tragic car accident. Amanda has often spoken about the special bond she shared with him and how he was the one who introduced her to sports, which, as we all know, has shaped so much of who Balionis is today. “My body screams at me to pay attention before my emotions catch up. This pain 100% started for me because of emotional distress,” she admitted.

The next day, she saw a chiropractor, who informed her of the source of the pain. It was caused by a pinched nerve in her neck at the C4/C5 level, due to a vertebra or disc pressing on the nerve. By then, the pain had moved down her spine, settling between her shoulder blades. This was just days before she was about to start her NFL duties across the country. “I’m stopping the heat therapy, sticking to ice and Advil. Acupuncture appointment tonight for a final Hail Mary before a crazy few weeks of travel,” she wrote on her Instagram.

It’s tough to see this setback for Balionis after such a great year. She covered the Masters, where Rory McIlroy finally completed his career Grand Slam, hosted AWS Live at the TOUR Championship, and is now stepping into her dream role with the NFL.

But through all of it, there’s one thing that keeps her grounded.

Amanda Balionis and her love for dogs

For Amanda Balionis, giving back has always been a way to feel whole. When she was in Jacksonville working for the PGA Tour, she volunteered with K9s for Warriors and realized how much it meant to her. Moving to San Diego for Callaway, that piece went missing. So she teamed up with a friend’s apparel brand to launch the first “Puppies and Golf” shirt, with proceeds going straight to K9s for Warriors. The project raised over $30,000!

Later, as her CBS career took off, she found herself on the road nearly year-round, living her dream but also feeling strangely hollow. That’s when she started visiting animal rescues in different cities and sharing adoption stories on her Instagram. The response was overwhelming.

Now, Puppies and Golf has grown into a full nonprofit with a clear mission of promoting adoption, supporting shelters, and creating more dog-to-human connections. For Amanda, it’s more than charity. No matter how busy or chaotic her career gets, she can always ground herself in something bigger than sports – the love for dogs.