Claim OwnershipThe Leave It Better Podcast
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Explore how to Leave it Better: in life, through the sport of Volleyball. Nebraska Hall of Fame Coach Janice Kruger speaks with the world’s best Volleyball coaches and athletes about the lessons the sport of volleyball has taught them about how to “leave it better.” Are you looking for inspiration on your path of self-discovery? Do you want to build a life with meaning? This is the podcast for you. For more than 30 years Janice Kruger has taught and coached young women leading them to become the best versions of themselves in both sport and life. Each one of her guests has a special formula that has helped them on their journey of personal growth. The ultimate goal of this show is to demonstrate the significance of the human connection and how our journey through life can help us leave it better. This show is powered by the Side-Out Foundation.
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Starting out as a sports psychologist, Paco Labrador was always looking for ways to help athletes and programs bring out the very best in themselves. However, once he saw our life as a head coach could be, he was set on changing paths. Now, as the Head Coach of Volleyball at the Naval Academy, Paco is living his dream. He took the Naval Academy to their first NCAA Volleyball Tournament, and was voted the National Coach of the Year for Division 3. Paco has done great things, perhaps in part because he had a great start… as one of Janice’s assistant coaches back in 1997! Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Abbie McCoy‘s Cancer diagnosis came as a total shock. This mother, athlete, and Penn State alum had always lived A healthy life. Hear how volleyball and Dig Pink put her on a path to recovery, and a permanent mission to help others. If you or someone you care about is battling cancer, you’ll find hope in both Abby’s story, and the advice she has for cancer patients.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
What is the ideal personality for a coach to have? Who should be the most competitive person on the team? How do you manage a new team every year? Coach Julie Jenkins has spent the last 40 years figuring out the answers to these big questions. As the head coach at Trinity University in Texas, Coach Jenkins is the victory leader in Division 3, with 1,080 wins. She’s even been recognized as the national coach of the year twice by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).Janice and Coach Jenkins discuss the strategies they’ve picked up over their generation-long careers.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
A love for volleyball that began as a little boy in Brazil has moved to the U.S. with big results. The Northern Virginia Volleyball Association's Rodrigo Gomes explains how growing up in poverty as a child shaped the way he provides accessibility for the young players in his club. Rodrigo also shares his unique training games he uses to get hesitant kids excited about the sport of volleyball. And hear why when Rodrigo is looking for help with his club, he turns to the moms first.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Meet the woman whose power and bravery on the court led Team USA to their first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s volleyball. Jordan Larson is a four-time Olympian with two silver medals and a bronze to go with her gold. As the new Assistant Coach for the University of Nebraska, Jordan is bringing us some of her best Lessons she discovered while playing on the US Olympic team. Hear how she implements those lessons now as a coach herself, and how you can, too! Find out what separates the Gold medal players from the rest.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
When it come to the coaches you play against, do you see friends, or just competition? Tufts University Head Volleyball Cora Thompson explains how finding ways to partner and work with your fellow coaches raises everyone’s skills, and improves the sport. Cora tells Janice how pushing players AND coaches out of their comfort zones builds trust and teamwork. Above all else, Cora lays out why being authentic and true to yourself is one of the most valuable lessons young coaches need to discover.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
The vast majority of volleyball players go their whole career without winning a national championship. Meet Molly Phillips. She's won three national championships! Two of those wins came back-to-back with the University of Texas. She then moved to the beach volleyball team at the University of Southern California and won her third national championship.Molly tells Janice about her pre-game superstitions, training for the pros, and the importance of the smallest roles on the team.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Being the biggest, fastest, strongest team in the league doesn’t mean anything if you can’t hold it all together mentally during nerve-racking moments. As one of the creators of the NeuroFuel training app, and the executive director of Badger Region Volleyball, Jen Armson-Dyer is training players to build-up their inner strength. Hear how Jen went from being a young player to a leader in the sport at Penn State, simply by accepting the opportunities she saw in front of her.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Think about what it takes to win a state championship. Now imagine doing that 10 times! As the Head Volleyball coach at RHAM High School in Hebron, Connecticut, Tim Guernsey has made that astonishing Achievement. Before Tim began running the volleyball program at RHAM High school, it didn’t even exist. He built it from the ground up into a program now known for dominating the court. Hear why one of his biggest challenges today is teaching his new players that winning doesn’t come as easy as he and his team make it seem.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
How do you fight for yourself? In your home, on the court, or in the hospital, sports geographer and keynote speaker Dr. Jen Fry shows us how to advocate for ourselves in any situation. As a former NCAA player and coach, a TEDx speaker, and now author of the book, I Said No, Dr. Fry knows the ways to navigate difficult situations and conversations. Whether you're battling sickness and need better care from your doctors, or working on rising in the ranks with your team; Dr. Fry explains to Janice how speaking up and advocating for yourself is the way forward.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.orgMore on Dr. Jen Fry at www.JenFryTalks.com
Taking immature high school players and evolving them into formidable athletes takes more than just carefully planned training routines. Coach Stephanie Noriega has found a way to grow her players her players into confident and caring young women, unafraid of new challenges. She’s the Head Coach of Volleyball at West Springfield High School in Virginia. Just as important, Stephanie helped build and grow the Dig Pink charity tournaments with the Side-Out Foundation at their very beginning.Stephanie shares her way of inspiring her players to win on the court, and be proud of themselves off the court.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
She knew how to beat her opponents on the court, but beating breast cancer was a challenge Fatima Balza didn't know how to approach. For this former star Penn state volleyball player and current coach of Western Nebraska Community College, Fati took to treating her cancer like she was training for a tournament. In the process, it changed her outlook on everything. As Fati explains to Janice, she is a Venezuelan native who never says “no“ to a challenge. Her enthusiasm and positivity is absolutely inspiring.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Talent comes at a young age — whether you’re playing or coaching. As someone in her mid-twenties, Katie Oleksak has quickly rose in the world of volleyball.This NCAA Woman of the Year nominee broke the career assist record (5,083) at Colorado State University, and earned All-American honors each of her four seasons. After graduating, Katie wasted no time going pro and competing in Switzerland. She took a chance during the pandemic From there, Katie made the transition from the court to the clipboard, becoming the Director of Volleyball Operations at University of San Diego. Katie also serves as the community engagement leader for the Dig Pink organization. Hear her philosophy on taking chances in life, even when you’re worried of the outcomes.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
There are great players to coach, there are tough players to coach, and then there are your own kids. Former Louisiana State University Coach Fran Flory coached her daughter on her NCAA volleyball team. It's just one of the hilarious stories this SEC Coach-of-the-Year shares with Janice. Her rise to Head Coach at LSU was a complicated one, despite multiple Final Four appearances -- find out why. Recently, Coach Flory has been guiding the Vegas Thrill in the Pro Volleyball Federation. Find out the difference she sees in players that make it as pros, and those that wash out.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Team USA has only ever won four Olympic Gold medals in volleyball. One of those Golds belongs to coach Hugh McCutcheon. He led the men’s team to Gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Hugh then switched over to coach the U.S. Women’s National team to a Silver medal finish at the London Olympics in 2012. Now serving as the Assistant Athletics Director for the University of Minnesota, Hugh talks with Janice about his keys to success, and the differences between winning on a national stage versus winning on a global stage at the Olympics. Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
If you want your team to stay strong in NCAA sports, you've got to stay up-to-date with the competitive world of coaching and recruiting in collegiate athletics. Utah Head Coach Beth Launiere is an expert at what it takes to stay in the fight for championships, season to season. Beth and Janice discuss the importance of making personal connections with today's athletes, the role of mentorship, and the balance between personal life and coaching responsibilities. Beth shares her ideas on building a strong program culture, the impact of business principles on coaching, and the significance of self-care, especially in light of her own health challenges.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Ever wonder how balls get made, jerseys get designed, and sports equipment gets tested? Jake Licht knows. As the president and CEO of Báden Sports, it’s Jake’s responsibility not to just make your sports supplies, but make them the best. Janice talks with Jake about the unique path that got him involved with Báden Sports. And hear how, as a CEO, he has learned to lean on himself and others during challenging times.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
What's the difference in coaching professional athletes versus college athletes? Coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn has done both; first for Texas A&M, and now for the Omaha Supernovas. Hear what makes this legendary 2019 SEC Coach of the Year respected by both her players, AND her opponents. Bird and Janice debate They explore the challenges and opportunities in coaching, the significance of community engagement, and the evolution of players in the pro landscape. Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
As a coach, would you choose a player with a small role on a winning team, or take a player with a big role on a losing team? University of Pittsburgh Head Volleyball Coach Dan Fisher has built a VERY successful career out of recruiting players from all types of backgrounds. He tells Janice about his methods and philosophies when it comes to standing out in an extremely competitive field.Also, discover the superstitious habit Coach Fisher got hooked on after leading his team on an incredible win streak.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
Focusing on progress over immediate results; that's how Corinne Hamer and Cayla Kapelke run things at the Infinity Volleyball Club in Colorado. These youth club owners are molding the stars AND the coaches of tomorrow. In their family-oriented environment, Corinne and Cayla are pushing coaches to be able to perform the same drills they put their players through. How does it all work out? Hear what they tell Janice.Links mentioned: For more information go to www.side-out.org. Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sideoutfndn/Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: leaveitbetter@side-out.org
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