Kim Hill is one of the most decorated volleyball players in U.S. history. She has been on the United States women’s national volleyball team during a stretch where they won a gold medal at the 2014 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics. She was a member of the first U.S National team to ever win a gold medal in the 2020 Olympic Games! Her focus on the importance of the non-technical skills of volleyball, such as working on vulnerability, building relationships, role clarity, and role acceptance, stood out to me as drivers of getting her teams to max out. She is now on the board of LOVB and was just named the volunteer coach for the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team.
Coach Alicia Williams | Making History in Volleyball
Alicia Williams won back to back championships at Iowa Western in 7 months! It is so hard to repeat as National Champions in any sport, let alone seven months apart! Alicia Williams shared her thoughts about the team before the match. "I am in disbelief at what this team has done in the last week. The joy and passion of coming together with a common goal are unmatched. I have never hugged so many players more than I have in the last two days! They are incredible and so fun. I love each and every one of them. Let's see what happens tonight." How cool is it to feel this way about your team and their journey before the final outcome is even known? It is so fun to collaborate with a team that buys into training all the necessary ingredients required to be in a position to max out when it matters the most. Developing an elite mindset can be trained like any physical skill, and Iowa Western put in the work. In Set 5, they were the tougher team—the fearless team, and it showed especially in the last 5 points of the match. Today on the podcast, we explore her journey as a player, an assistant coach, to back-to-back national championships, and Alicia Williams Named NJCAA Volleyball Coach of the Year. Alicia is currently the head volleyball coach at Bradley University.
Coach Renee Saunders | A Master at Getting Her Teams to Max Out When it Matters the Most
Welcome to a repeat guest on the Max Out Mindset podcast—Coach Renee Saunders. She is one of the nation's top high school volleyball coaches at Skutt Catholic HS in Omaha, Nebraska. Her team has won 7 State championships in a row—a record in Nebraska! She was named one of two National High School Coaches of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for 2020. We focus on the journey of her past two seasons as she shares several nuggets that will help other coaches continue to build their culture and learn additional strategies to help their teams max out when it matters the most.
Jordan Larson | the GOAT of Women’s Volleyball
Jordan Larson | the GOAT of Women’s Volleyball
How can I not be more excited for the Part II interview with Jordan Larson? In my humble opinion, she is the best female volleyball player in United States history. Her accolades are too many to mention, and they can be summed up in two words-The GOAT! As usual, my guests will hear an unfiltered, honest conversation about what it took for Jordan to elevate her performance on the biggest stage in the volleyball world while doing everything she could to model the behaviors she wanted for those she helped to lead as well. She displayed vulnerability by sharing her worries about the Olympic journey, her fears of not reaching their end goal, and her unusual emotional display in the hours leading up to the Olympic Gold Medal match. In the end, she talks about all the non-volleyball skills that the USWNT worked on to gain a competitive advantage and come up with the ultimate prize-a Gold Medal!