George Kittle’s sister, yoga teacher Emma Kittle, has supported her brother throughout his life and NFL career

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle thanks his sister, yoga teacher Emma Kittle, for helping him in his career.

George has been one of the NFL’s top tight ends for nearly a decade. He’s been named to the Pro Bowl five times and helped lead the 49ers to two Super Bowl appearances.

He’s had his big sister in his corner along the way, whether she’s helping him become better on the field through her yoga teaching or cheering him on from the stands. Most recently, Emma supported her little brother at the premiere of Netflix’s Receiver, a new docuseries that follows the 2023 NFL season of George and other football players.

After initially pursuing law school while at the University of Oklahoma, Emma got into yoga to help with the stress and eventually enjoyed it so much that she became a yoga teacher. She has since helped design programs for athletes entering the NFL combine and helped professional football players prolong their careers.

And while George is known for his big personality on and off the football field, Emma still views him as she did growing up.

“People only know George as the size and the attitude and the swag that he has now,” Emma told NBC Sports in 2020. “But I feel like I just see him still as my little brother.”

In 2023, Emma married former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Cody Ponce with her family — including George — in attendance.

Here’s everything to know about 49ers tight end George Kittle’s sister, Emma Kittle.

Emma and George come from athletic beginnings

George and Emma have been involved in sports their entire lives. Their parents, Bruce Kittle and Jan Kreiger, are not only former athletes but were also often their coaches when they played sports growing up.

Bruce played as an offensive lineman for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team in college — which is also where George also played college football — and led the team to the Rose Bowl as a co-captain in 1982. He returned years later to coach the team. Jan was also a star athlete, having been inducted into the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame and went on to play both softball and basketball at Drake University.

“It’s been everything to us. Sports has always been a huge part of our lives. It’s never really felt like it was just sports though because we were raised playing,” Emma told NBC Sports. “George and I were raised outside, so a lot of times we were either on a farm or doing something together, but once it became time for us to play sports … our parents were such a big part of it and they were always our coaches.”

“I mean we were just always together so it just seemed like another thing for us to do and a way to burn off energy and compete and have fun. It was just such a natural progression,” Emma continued.

She and George were competitive growing up

With their sporty backgrounds, it’s no surprise that George and Emma were competitive with each other while growing up. They would even compete against each other by running routes with a football in their hand at rest stops on road trips, with Emma often winning.

“I remember kind of rubbing it in his face,” Emma told NBC Sports. “I always had a lot of fun doing it and I think It was fun because I wasn’t a little girl who was thinking I was going to go to the NFL … but I loved playing because [my family] loved it so much and so I loved being able to not only be a part of it, but to be really good at it.”

“I liked being able to compete and to be better than him, but I don’t ever remember us getting mad at each other,” Emma continued. “It was just so much fun to play and to be out there, but obviously I had a great time because I was winning.”

In the same interview, George confirmed that Emma was often the winner of their competitions during their younger years.

“Probably up until fifth grade, she whooped up on me. She was super athletic. She was way more athletic than me when I was a kid,” George said.

Emma and George were both Division I college athletes

George may be the most well-known athlete in the Kittle family as the tight end of the San Francisco 49ers, but Emma has also had athletic success. Both were Division 1 athletes, with George playing football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and Emma briefly playing volleyball for Iowa before transferring to the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

During George’s Iowa career, his team never had a losing season and went on to play Michigan State in the 2015 Big Ten Championship. Emma was already entering her college volleyball career having been named the Iowa City Press-Citizen Female High School Athlete of the Year.

She is a yoga teacher

When Emma was initially preparing to enter law school, she was very stressed and found a healthy outlet in yoga. She became so passionate about yoga that she became a teacher, working with her brother George and other NFL players to help prolong their careers and avoid injuries.

She now runs her own practice, Hidden Pearls Studio, which offers “yoga and breath work with the intent of healing the world by healing the self.”

George credits his sister for helping him improve on the field and extend his career

Emma teaching George yoga has played a big role in helping him overcome injuries in his career and excel as one of the NFL’s best tight ends. In turn, George has also been involved in classes for Hidden Pearls Studio.

She is married to former MLB player Cody Ponce

In June 2023, Emma married former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Cody Ponce. George attended his big sister’s wedding with his wife, Claire Kittle, and the rest of his family, posting a series of pictures on Instagram with a congratulatory message to commemorate the occasion.

“Happy days!! My Seester got married! An incredible weekend in Santa Fe🤍 congrats to Emma and Cody for finding their best friend, it makes life really fun. Lots of love for them!” George captioned the post.

She hosts a podcast with George and her father Bruce, which they have turned into a wellness brand

Emma spends a lot of time with her family and they have many similar interests like football, yoga and wellness, so they turned it into weekly conversations on the Hidden Pearls Podcast. The podcast is hosted by Emma, George and their father Bruce with topics ranging from football — including weekly coverage of the 49ers — to wellness, relationships and what the family is up to.

The podcast’s official description reads: “Join the Kittle Family on their mission to UNITE the world through storytelling.” Hidden Pearls also features a range of guests including Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who has gone up against George twice in the Super Bowl and runs Tight End University with George and Greg Olsen.

They have also turned the Hidden Pearls brand into an app and website that features meditation videos and yoga instruction by Emma to promote overall physical and mental well-being.

She gets to work with WON — Women of the 9ers

The Women of the 9ers — also called WON — is a club that allows female fans of the 49ers to connect with other fans and attend events exclusively tailored and available to them. One of the signature events is a yoga class taught by Emma, which George even made an appearance at as shown in a video that Emma posted on Instagram.

“Year 4 baby!! It’s always an honor to teach at @levisstadium ️‍ Thank you to all the women for showing up, all the vendors for sharing their amazing work, and for the amazing team who put the event on,” Emma wrote in the caption. “The divine feminine moves through the veins of the @49ers and I’ll always be here to celebrate her!”

She supports George’s career through thick and thin

Emma is a staple at George’s 49ers games, attending many of his games in San Francisco, often with her parents and George’s wife Claire. She usually covers each week of the 49ers’ season on the Hidden Pearls Podcast and is frequently joined by her brother.

She often posts pictures of herself on Instagram at George’s games, featuring supportive messages to her little brother. One message in particular came after the 49ers’ nail-biting overtime loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl in February 2024.

“My heart won’t be over this one for a while but it’s hard not to look back and feel gratitude and pride for this wild ride. 🤍,” Emma wrote. “So proud of you @gkittle 🤍 your strength and wisdom went to a whole new level this season. I love you little brother.”

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