I grew up in the glaring reflection of fluorescent lights on a gymnasium floor in Wyoming, the gym brat of a volleyball coach. My earliest memories were watching my dad encourage, educate and exhibit the vast emotions that are inherent with sports and teenage girls. I didn’t know it then, but coaching would end up being the one career I continually turn back to and truly thrive in.
I was a multisport athlete through high school and went on to play volleyball for two years at the collegiate level before I crashed and burned out hard. I was overworked, under-fueled and mentally exhausted. The sport that I'd loved my whole life had made me hate myself and the game. During those last few years, there were constant negative comments made about our bodies, our eating and our weight.
I’m lucky that I’ve always had high self esteem and confidence but know many others who were negatively affected by the way we were treated and spoken to. However, it still took me months to even want to step back onto a volleyball court.
I’m currently a mom of three girls, volleyball club director, PN1 nutrition coach, and collector of foster dogs. I'm currently in an amazingly unique position of starting a varsity volleyball program from the ground up so most of my spare time is spent in the gym with teenage girls. Usually with a much needed coffee in hand. Look, we all have our gifts, and one of mine happens to be connecting with teenagers. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy though and caffeine definitely helps!
Using not only my experiences but also listening to the things my teams say, watching how they eat, hydrate and treat themselves, I realized more emphasis needs to be put on helping girls figure out how to do all of these things properly. I’ve seen great results with not only my teams but also my own daughters and want to share that with others.