Beyond the Court: A LOVB Podcast

Coach and leadership teacher Don Bartel knows that internal work is key to external success. Outcome-aware but purpose- and process-driven, he has focused on building skills and actions in athletes from middle school all the way to college. Regardless of location, he weaves the lessons he wishes to teach into an athlete’s daily activities and stresses the importance of giving athletes ownership over their situation. Don also recognizes the outsized effect a coach’s mood can have on their team. After a stern talking-to from Courtney’s dad of all people, he learned to allow athletes to celebrate wins and enjoy their successes. He can even celebrate those successes now; not as his own, but as those of people he cares about. In a wide-ranging interview, Mr. Bartel, as Courtney knows him – he coached Courtney and fellow podcast guest Trevor Thompson when they were younger – discusses all this and more in the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

USC Associate Head Coach Tyler Hildebrand has coached a lot of volleyball and a lot of different types of volleyball. One thing that’s followed him at each stop is the leadership and vision he brings to each position. Women or men, indoor or beach, the technical skills aren’t nearly as important as the vision he helps athletes apply to their practice. With all of his athletes, Tyler stresses the actions that have deeper meanings behind them and that reach across broad subjects. Technical aspects are important, but not as important as the lessons that athletes can apply after volleyball, like perseverance or pushing oneself out of their comfort zone. Good friends, Tyler and host Courtney Thompson cover the importance of leadership and vision, how to test new strategies properly, and other topics during the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

Having made the postseason each year of her 27-year career as head coach at Emory University, Jenny McDowell knows all about competition. Under her tutelage, the Eagles never missed an NCAA Division III tournament, winning two national titles and making seven trips to the national semifinals. She proved her commitment to competition to hundreds of Emory’s volleyball athletes by never being outworked and leading by example. More than the 826 career wins or 27 consecutive postseason appearances, Jenny loved making a difference in her athletes' lives. The work ethic she instilled on the court carried over into athletes’ interviews, medical school and just being a good person. Now, as Director of Coach Development with League One Volleyball, she gets to train other coaches who’ll go on to have countless impacts on young athletes.

Suzie Fritz has been around coaches her entire life. Her mother was a coach, as were her father and brother. She even married a coach. It should be no surprise that she herself went into the family business and has spent 30 years coaching volleyball. During her illustrious career, Suzie has developed a mantra: do less, and do it better. One cannot coach everything at once – she’ll be the first to say that – so by narrowing her focus on one topic at a time, she’s been able to concentrate on one aspect of her team’s play and get stronger results. She’ll bring that mantra to the pros as head coach at LOVB Omaha Volleyball, something that she and host Courtney Thompson discuss during the latest episode of Beyond the Court. 

After years of out-hustling people on the court – proven by leading USC to back-to-back titles – Nicole Davis realized she needed more once she entered the Team USA gym. She needed an edge, and training her mental skills just like she did her physical skills lifted her to the Olympics and two silver medals. During the latest episode of Beyond the Court, she talks with longtime friend and former U.S. teammate Courtney Thompson about her path to mindset training and the importance of feeling good on the court. Coaches can play an outsized role in this by providing agency to athletes, helping them work through anxiety, and centering their language around optimism and strengths.

As a long-time athletic trainer, Katherine Henry knows the importance of taking proper care of athletes’ bodies and minds. Whether it’s proper warmups and cooldowns, entering a certain mindset for matches and tournaments, or staying involved with a team while injured – safely, of course – there are countless ways proper health and wellness habits impact an athlete’s on-court performance and enjoyment of the sport. Now, as Head of Health and Wellness at League One Volleyball, Katherine is able to help LOVB Clubs create healthy, positive and educational environments for young athletes. She and Courtney discuss these topics and more in the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

In the latest episode of Beyond the Court, Courtney and former Navy SEAL Trevor Thompson – Courtney’s brother – talk about sport, military service and how teamwork and leadership plays a critical role in each. While the outcomes may be different, both sport and service require adaptability, a team-first mentality, and the presence of an overarching goal to work toward. A collegiate baseball player, current youth coach, and former leadership instructor at the Naval Academy, Trevor offers unique insight on how to instill leadership in others and stresses the importance of authenticity and motivation. If you’re wondering how to instill this in your athletes (or yourself), Courtney and Trevor will help you learn…in between good-natured barbs one would expect from siblings.

Newly returned from Paris, two-time Olympic medalist and LOVB Salt Lake setter Jordyn Poulter rehashes her experiences at the 2024 Olympic Games. Jordyn set Team USA to second place, earning an unexpected medal after a shortened quad full of injuries and tough matches. If there’s one thing to take away from Team USA’s silver medal, it's the importance of team roles and cohesiveness. Whether they started or entered as a substitute, each player on the roster played an important part during the U.S.’ run to the podium. Jordyn and host Courtney Thompson discuss the importance of roster construction and cohesiveness, the emotional aspect of big tournaments and more in the latest episode of Beyond the Court.

After buying the club in 2009, brothers Matt and Reed Carlson have transformed Club V (Salt Lake City, Utah) from a two-court club with no air conditioning into one of the top programs in the country. It’s not the technical prowess that’s sent over 400 athletes into college volleyball, but the culture in the gym. Matt and Reed have put people and relationships first at Club V and use those as keys to unlocking human potential. They’ve instilled a desire to improve in their athletes, but success isn’t the key result at Club V. Happiness and improvement is, and that’s what they emphasize through their programs.

Coaching shouldn’t involve transactions, it should involve transformations. Longtime UCLA softball coach and current U.S. Women’s National Team Culture Coach Sue Enquist is all in on transforming athletes. Communication, transparency, collaboration, trust, accountability: these all help coaches become the transformational leader athletes need them to be. She and former U.S. National Team setter Courtney Thompson discuss how Sue came to these realizations and how to implement them in sports or the workplace. 

Follow Dr. Gervais on at findingmastery.com, on Instagram and on LinkedIn. Also, listen to his podcast, Finding Mastery, wherever you get your podcasts.2:33: From surfing ocean waves to surfing brain waves8:34: Michael’s beginning with the U.S. National Team10:53: Resources for mental training13:16: On presence, time and growth23:10: Invest in yourself what you want to give others27:43: Support, then challenge36:02: How to help foster grit45:27: Brighten your inner light47:20: Know your values50:20: What are you longing for now?

Three-time Olympic medalist April Ross is coming to the end of her storied volleyball career, but the mental acumen and internal processes that drove her to excel on the court are still as sharp as ever. She talks about how these developed throughout her career, how she found joy on and off the court, and how her priorities have changed from when she just started as a professional athlete. Topics discussed include: One last hurrah for the A-Team and winding down April's careerBecoming a mom and how that shifted  April's perception of herselfThe importance of preparation and process before, during and after a matchHow she developed an intuition that guided her throughout her careerOvercoming perfectionism and boosting priorities other than volleyball