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Welcome back to the raising unstoppable girl athletes podcast. I'm coach Bree and elite competitor coach for female athletes. And I am so excited that you're here. Mostly because this episode is amazing. We have a bonus episode for you where? Hi, I am interviewing Kylie de Berg. She is a division one beach volleyball player at Louisiana state university. Now this is a great episode for both parents of athletes and athletes, themselves to listen to. So rarely we have episodes that kind of check both of those boxes, but this is one of them because Kylie and I talked a lot about her sports journey and we talked about it from the perspective of. How her mental game has held her back and how it has helped her. In her performance and also to get her where, to where she is today. And we also talked about the perspective of how her parents' support was throughout this entire journey. What was helpful that her parents did and what was not helpful that our parents did. So athlete parents of athletes, you will both benefit from hearing what Kylie has to say in this area. Now, before we get into it, before I introduce Kylie, I want to give a shout out to. An athlete in our community. So Izzy is also college athlete. She is going through the elite competitor program right now. She is. At Clemson university and I am just super proud of Izzy's work on her mental game, her physical game, and it came together for her this past weekend. She actually sent me a text that said hi. So I did my first heptathlon yesterday and today. And holy moly, I did so amazing mentally. I got a personal best in six out of seven of my events. And I usually fall apart really bad before my a hundred. And I stayed so strong and went into it so positive that I ran a 23 second. Personal best. Thank you for everything. And I I'm just so proud of the work. Like I said, that Izzy has been doing, but also to see a wind, like this is just pretty amazing. So is he, I hope, you know how proud I am of you keep up the good work. You got this. All right. You're going to hear from Kylie in a minute, but before we do, I want to give you a little background on her and her amazing. And impressive college career so far. So before coming to LSU to play indoor and then beach volleyball, Kylie was at university of Missouri playing indoor volleyball. And during her time there, she was an ABC, a all American and an all sec team member setting school records in career kills per set points per set. She actually finished third all time at Missouri in service ACEs ninth and career killers and ninth and total points. She also played in three NCAA tournaments. She then came to LSU and led the sec and kills, kills per set points and points per cent. Pretty amazing. And now she is playing beach volleyball for LSU. So Kylie has been through a lot and she's accomplished a lot in her career. I can not wait for you to dive into this episode where we talk all things about her journey and also answering some common questions that I get from athletes. Like, Hey, do you ever get nervous before games? What do you do to manage the pressure of competition? How do you come back from mistakes? How do you train your mind? What role does the mental game play in your game right now? So if you haven't already make sure you share this episode with your athlete, it's going to be a valuable one. And I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy talking to Kylie.

Breanne 3:22

All right. I am here with Kylie Berg. Welcome to the Raising Unstoppable Girl Athletes Podcast. So happy to have you here. As I was kind of reading over your introduction and accomplishments, I'm like, all right, this is amazing. You obviously have earned a lot in your career, and I'm super excited to kind of dig into the story behind it because oftentimes we see a lot of like the accomplishments and the trophies and the, you know, all of that, but. It's never, it's never as easy as it looks. So let's let's get into it. Kylie. Can you take us back to when you first started playing sports and what your journey looked like? When was that? What sports did you play? How did you get to where you are now?

Kylie 4:07

I started playing volleyball when I was in like sixth grade, and it was kind of just like my dad and one of my friend's dad's. We just kind of like did practice and we played like basketball and volleyball for like, Half an hour sections each and we just kind of like practiced and didn't really do much besides that. Starting seventh grade, that's like when I got into the whole club scene and everything. I strictly only played indoor, like beach, like wasn't a thing. And Iowa then. And so like just playing indoor with just people like around my town and everything. My sister. One of my sisters is 10 years older than me and she played collegially at Drake. And so like I watched her growing up and everything and just like watching her, like I knew I wanted to play volleyball in college. And so starting my freshman year, I was volleyball, well, only like, didn't really do any other sports. And then my junior year and senior year, I actually golfed in high school. Me too. Yeah, so just like to try to, I don't know, get something else besides volleyball. So played volleyball and then I golfed and then yeah, am in college now for volleyball. Very cool.

Breanne 5:14

Okay, so You, you kind of played a variety of sports kinda leading up to high school. You were like, all right, I have now my goal in mind, and that's to play volleyball. And we hear that a lot from our athletes too. They're like, I want to play in college, or I wanna play at the next level. And so you kind of go all in on that. And you had a, you had a model of what that looks like, like having that kind of built into your family, somebody that's older than you, you kind of sa saw her path and wanted that too. And then where, so let's talk college. Where has your journey taken you there? My freshman

Kylie 5:45

year I was at Illinois. Illinois for a year. Things just like didn't really work out. So then I transferred to Missouri. I was there playing indoor for three years. Mm-hmm. I graduated from Missouri and then with Covid and everything, I got another year to play indoor. So I came to lsu, played indoor two falls ago and then, not this, not this spring, but last spring. Strictly only went to then beach only. Cool. How was

Breanne 6:10

that jump from indoor to beach?

Kylie 6:13

It was it was intense for sure. My coaches here helped so much when I was still playing indoor, I would come out for like half an hour to an hour every week, just really just like working on setting and just like getting used to the sand and, mm-hmm. So they just, like my support system here had just been really huge and actually have made it probably like easier than it should have been. So it's been really, it's been good though. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome.

Breanne 6:37

Okay. Kind of looking at your, your journey as a whole, and maybe even more recently, this is kind of a, a big broad question, but what, what role does the mental side of the sport? Now we know that our programs and this podcast is kind of focused on like that part of our game. What role does the mental game play in your sport? How important is it to you?

Kylie 6:59

So beach volleyball there's no subs in games and so if you're having a breakdown or you're just not there mentally, you've gotta just get over it somehow and stick it out cuz it's just you and your partner out there. And so I'd say that like beach volleyball is like, I think more mental than it is physical. And just being able to have a strong mental game is something that I am still not even anywhere close to where I. Can be. And just having that mental game for beach volleyball is something that like we're all still working on.

Breanne 7:32

Yeah. And you say beach volleyball specifically. And my mind also went to like, that's true. You, you're in it and there's, there's no out, you know, like you're not gonna get set. Like you have a certain, I mean, you have breaks, you have time out set, but like, You just have to like do it. My mind also went to, I mean, I played volleyball in college too, and golfed, and I was like, golf also is like super mental, although you ha kind of have time to like walk. Well, depending on how far you hit that ball, you know, you have, you have a certain amount of time before you get to, you're like, your next shot. But I'm like, oh my gosh. You could play the same exact course. The same like the next day. And it's like totally different. It's like, well, what changed? The course didn't change. The club didn't change, ball didn't change. Hmm.

Kylie 8:18

So,

Breanne 8:19

only leaves some, some options there, but yeah. Can you talk about kind of what you are working on on, when we talk about like mental side of the game, what, what are you working through and working on right now? So

Kylie 8:34

one of the main things I think for me is like being able to move on after a point, because again, it's only you and your partner. So like you are touching every single ball, like every single rally. Like you have some hand in the game, no matter like what it is. And so like being able to forget about that last point that just happened and being able to move on is something that like my partner and I for sure are working on and. Just like having that small cue or like we like to say next ball or like, we'll get this pass. Or like something small like that that like cues us in like the pass doesn't matter. And just being able to move on and be able to play and get the next point and not have like points and mistakes like keep adding up on them. Cause it's a very short game. And so the next ball is very important. Mm-hmm.

Breanne 9:22

Yeah, I love that. We talk about that a lot too, how like there's literally nothing you can do about what happened. There's like, it's impossible. And so it's really, it's wasted time and wasted energy away from what you can be doing now if we're focusing on the past. And then same thing for like too far in the future, like worrying and anticipating, yeah. There's a certain aspect that we need to, like, there's. Tactical aspects involved. Like we gotta anticipate what might happen, but like, worrying about it, like wondering about things like takes us away from the present moment where we know we perform our best. Like we get into flow state when we're in that present moment. So I love that, like next point. You mentioned that you and your partner had, or, and you have worked with a sports psychologist or like mental trainer at lsu. Can you talk about that? Like how was that helpful? Is that helpful? What do you guys do exactly?

Kylie 10:14

A psychologist, like every week and I meeting this morning with her and we talked a lot about not being so cut up in the future and like so like I only have a month left here, and so being. Very limited games. And so how do we pick, like, take the game, but not think about like the whole game and think about just like each single point, because each single point is what matters. And like you said, being in the present moment, and sometimes I do a bad job of like thinking through, like, like thinking about the whole game entirely instead of just like, write what I'm doing at that second. And so, Just like being able to be present and figure out the next ball and like what we can do to better that next ball. And then with, we worked as like a whole team with a, his name's Dr. Larry Woodman and we worked a lot with like breathing and stuff with him and like being mindful. And before every practice we do this thing called mindfulness and it's like we're literally just sitting there for like two to three minutes just focusing on breathing and how. Much an impact like your game and how like honestly like relaxed. You feel like after you like do just like focus on your breath work for like 30 seconds.

Breanne 11:30

Oh my gosh. I love that. And yeah, we incorporate a lot of breath work, mindfulness visualization in our program. And one athlete just the other day texted me and she was like, it sounds so simple. I didn't know that. Like just I. Focusing on your breath, or even like taking a few deep intentional breaths can make such a big difference mm-hmm. In how you show up and how you perform. And it is, it's like the simplest things that do make the biggest difference, but also the simplest things that are the easiest to overlook or think like, oh, this is not gonna make any difference. Yeah.

Kylie 12:01

I remember like, just honestly, like when I first started, I was like, Breathing can't really control my game that much. Like I don't wanna do this, but like doing it for a year and a half, just like consistently has definitely paid off for sure.

Breanne 12:14

Yeah. Oh, I love that. Okay, so the consistency, that's my next question. You kinda already hit on this, but how do you currently train your mind? Like do you, what routines do you have? Mm-hmm.

Kylie 12:26

So, like I said, we do this before we practice. We literally like sit in our team room and on a, on our speaker just. Have a guided meditation for like, it's like three to five minutes usually. And we just sit there with our eyes closed and just like listen to it. And usually it tells you like, breathe in for four seconds and then breathe out for like six seconds. And it's like we do that one every day. Doing that every day can definitely have a big impact on you for sure.

Breanne 12:53

Yeah. Cool. So it sounds like you guys have a combination of like breath work, meditation, visualization, and then you are also constantly talking about where your focus is in training and in competition. What about self-talk? Has that come up? For you.

Kylie 13:12

Yeah. So when I was a sophomore, I was just not a good positive self talker at all. I was like, ah, you suck, you shank this ball. Like you don't deserve to be passing. Like you're just so bad. And definitely been working on that. And I think now it's gotten to the point where I can like tell myself like, you got it. Like you're fine. And especially. Again, beach volleyball, two people like you have to be able to pass the next ball or set the next ball. And so just trying to think of ways that I can be positive towards myself, because I definitely can feel that, like when I am positive versus saying in practice like, oh, you suck. Like that was a, that was like, that was a stupid mistake. Like when I say negative things, I can definitely feel like it, honestly like sitting on me more versus like when I'm like, You got the next pass or like you're fine or like you can do this, you deserve to be here, or like something positive like that. It definitely like, it honestly like makes me like feel lighter and just more honestly confident in myself that I can do it.

Breanne 14:14

Yeah. That is so good because sometimes I don't know if it's true for you, Kylie, but for me, and for a lot of athletes that are in our program, they think that they have to be hard on themselves in that way. It's like a, almost like they're raising the, their standard for themselves and like if they. If they don't beat themselves up, then they're somehow going to like let their guard down and not play as well. But you just said, when I am focusing on productive self-talk and I am more positive, I feel lighter. And I'm assuming that when you feel lighter and more confident, you play better. Right. So do you, have you noticed a, a difference there in how you talk to yourself?

Kylie 14:53

Perfect. And one of our things that our mindfulness person says or whatever, and they're like, talk to yourself how you would talk to like your friend. Like you in a game wouldn't be telling your friend that they suck and that they're so bad and that they shouldn't be passing. Like, you wouldn't tell, like say that stuff to your friend. So like, why are you saying that to yourself? Because what you hear is like what you're gonna believe and yeah.

Breanne 15:15

Oh my gosh. You said something, you said some gold right there. What you hear is what you're gonna believe. Like we actually do get to control the narrative, really, and we get to control what happens out there based on what we tell ourselves. And obviously that doesn't go without hard work. Like you have put in the reps and you know, the training, but that paired with that positive self-talk and the mindfulness and all of these things you're doing to train your mind is really what unlocks your ability to play to your potential. So many good things. Okay. I do, I have a couple of questions before we go into some rapid fire, like common questions that athletes get, they ask me. But first I wanna I kind of wanna go back a little bit to high school, so, mm-hmm. Let's travel back to high school Now. Put yourself in high schooler shoes. Okay. And let's talk specifically about Your parents support. So as we were talking offline about this, this podcast is typically for parents of athletes on how they can best support their athlete daughters. And so I'm just curious from your perspective and thinking about the parent support that you had In high school were, were there things that your parents did that were really helpful and you felt like actually contributed to how you played out there? And were there things that maybe weren't so helpful and can you talk about that?

Kylie 16:33

Yeah, so my parents are like always went to every single club tournament and I know like it's hard as parents like be there all the time cause you got work and stuff, but like my parents being there just all the time really just helped me and just know that like, I, I just felt loved and like just having them be there and like, just wanting to be there too was just really big. And I think just being, honestly, sometimes I know it's like awkward, but like just sitting in silence, like after a game or like not even talking about the game is like what has definitely like made it easier for me to like, Move on some games, but then also not have your parents like, be like your second coach. Cuz I know that parents, especially in clubs, think that they're always right and granted like they could be right? But it's up, up, it gets up to the coach like what they're gonna do and it's up to Yeah, like the coach, like honestly has a final say and like your parents like talking bad about your coach, like your teammates in the car ride or on the side like after like that just like it doesn't do anything positive for you. And my parents definitely did a good job of not like bringing any of my coaches down or like any of my teammates down after. And we just honestly really never talked about the game after. And. We, I guess kinda, now my dad is kind like, oh, like you need to sit with your hands. You need to like, be able to like like give your partner better sets. And and I've gotten to the point where I'm like, like, dad, just like, I don't care. Like, just let me play and like don't talk about it. And he's gotten now to the point where like he understands that I don't wanna talk about it with him. And it's just huge. I think listening to your kid and like what they want. Versus like what you want as a parent.

Breanne 18:28

Yeah. I mean that is so, so wise. And that last, you also had a little nugget of gold there too, like thinking about what your kid wants versus what you want. Because I'm sure, I mean, yeah, once when my daughter gets older, I mean, she's five right now and she's kind of getting into sports and I already feel this like, Kind of urge to want to like jump in or say, you know, so I think it's like common as like former athletes and coaches and you know, if you've played the game for a long time or you've played sports, it's just like, and you just really want the best for your kids and you really think that you're helping. But we have to constantly check, I'm speaking as a parent now, like, we gotta check this. Where is this coming from? Is this because my daughter wants this or is this because I want this? Yeah, so good. And that sit in silence. That is the hardest for parents. We talk about that a lot, a lot in the, in the program. It's like, I wanna fill the, I gotta fill it with something I needed to. Woo. And so I think that, you know, that's parents. I hope you're listening that, like, that's actually helpful in some ways. And you said you talked to your dad now, did you talk with your parents throughout high school at any time on like, Hey, this is helpful, this isn't helpful, anything like that?

Kylie 19:40

Necessarily, or I guess, I guess some games my dad, especially in like our high school games would just be like screaming, like really loud and like I do a good job of like toning things out, but like it's just his voice that I can just hear like all the time. And sometimes it would just get really honestly annoying and like I am trying my best and it's not like I want to play bad. So like, dad, be quiet. And I definitely remember like telling him that he needs to like stop being so loud. Mm-hmm. And he was definitely very receptive of that and like just listened to what I wanted and. Yeah, he was definitely really good at that part.

Breanne 20:20

Yeah. That's awesome. I mean, it's awesome that you can have a conversation like that with your parents and it's really great that he was receptive and was open because I do hear, not oftentimes, but sometimes it'd be easier just to kind of shut that off and be like, no, miss, I mean, I keep doing my thing and yeah, so it's great. Cool. Okay. I, I have some, I have a list of rapid fire. I say they're rapid fire. They're probably not gonna be rapid fire because there's, there's some good questions in here that I often get from athletes. Typically you know, at the high school, middle school level who are. Kind of working through the very normal parts of their sport, which is so interesting to me because what you mentioned kind of already is like, oh, you know, beating yourself up and, you know, trying to really be focused on the present and how it's still something that you're working on is like some of the very similar things that they're going through right now too. So, athletes, I hope if you're listening that you see that, that this is like a constant journey in your career. So, first question, very simple. Do you ever get nervous before games? I get nervous all the

Kylie 21:20

time. I think I honestly like a very, our first game this year was against Tulane and they were, I think, ranked at the time, but I just like, I just remember like sitting like on the bus ride there and just being so nervous and like, I've been playing this game for like a year now, like, why am I nervous? Like, it's just another game. But I think just having. That like pressure too of like, it's your first game and it's against a team. That's good. And they're also like from, they're in Louisiana, so like that Louisiana r and just like all of it, just like building up. Definitely was very nervous about that.

Breanne 21:56

Yeah. And so how do you deal with that, that nervousness and those feelings before games?

Kylie 22:03

I think, sorry, I talked about this with my psychologist too this morning. Like making those nerves known and learning to like, feel what the nervousness feels like, but then also like voicing that to your partner. And I've had, like, I have a really good connection with my partner and like I told her before the game, like I'm nervous and I like, sorry if like, the first couple points is bad, but like, it's really just like the nerves and like she's very receptive too. And, and she's thankful that I told her because like, she's like, I'm nervous too and like we. Shouldn't be nervous because it was just like a game. But we were definitely both nervous and I think talking about it and like feeling those feelings definitely made it easier for us.

Breanne 22:46

Yeah, I love that. We recently had an expert on the podcast in our community who works with teens with anxiety and she mentioned that naming the emotion actually decreases the feeling of it by about 50%. And so yeah, what you said works like even just saying I'm nervous, you know, and just like acknowledging it is, is actually a strategy. So, yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Okay. How about this one? How do you stay motivated? Like you've been playing the sport for a long time, maybe not beach in particular, but like volleyball, sports for a really long time. Are there times you don't feel motivated and how do you stay motivated?

Kylie 23:21

There's definitely times when we lift at like 6 30, 7 in the morning and like, I feel like I just don't wanna do it, or I, like, I don't wanna go to practicing today because I've been doing it for so long. We've definitely talked about this as a team too, but like, Having, like thinking of, I get to do this, like I get to be here and I get to go to practice and I get to go to Lyft. Like I get to be able to wake up at six 30 in the morning and go to Lyft has definitely helped us. Versus like having that feeling of, oh, like I don't wanna do this. Just like even those like small comments, like negative comments, just like, don't help and it's like trying to stay. I guess like motivated in that way. Like, I get to be here and I get to play this wonderful sport that many people will never have the option to play in college and mm-hmm. Like having that get to mentality. And I honestly like two, having a goal at the end. So like my main goal is like to make the Olympics in 2028, and that seems like so far away, but it's already 20, it's already mid, like middle 20, 23 and like it's just going by so fast. And so. Like thinking of like having that main goal, that huge goal, like in the end, like keeps me motivated to like also like work on like the small individual goals that I have too.

Breanne 24:32

Yeah, that's really good. That language is so key. And again, how we talk to ourselves really impacts how we show up and what we do. And then I love that, you know, we call those like the, the North Star goals. Like what are those big things that are in the future that like, we don't necessarily look at every day, but we look at them and then we kind of like look down and get back to work and you know, that's the thing that's guiding us. So, yeah. That's awesome. Okay. How about pressure? So obviously you've played on big stages, you've played, you know, you still are playing at a successful division one college. Like do you feel pressure and how do you handle it?

Kylie 25:07

Yeah, I feel pressure all the time. I think just recently, especially this last semester, like understanding what the pressure is, but then also like flipping it and having also that mentality that. I like get to feel pressure and like learn to love that feeling because like if you don't play college sports or don't play sports in general, like you don't really feel that pressure anywhere else in the world. And so like thinking again, like I get to feel this way and I get to do this like with my best friends on the court, like I get to have this feeling of pressure and like in beach it come like it could come down to like one court at the end. And so just like having that. Like knowing that it could literally come down to like your pair if you win or lose that game for your team, and just learning that like, it's fun and it's just a different feeling that not everyone gets to feel and Yeah.

Breanne 26:05

Yeah. I about that. We always say pressure is a privilege and you know, like, again, it's just a, that's a mindset shift around it and like mm-hmm. Seeing it as fun versus seeing it as something that's gonna make me crumble. So, yeah. Yeah. Okay. How about this? Have you ever been injured or like sidelined and how did you come back? So

Kylie 26:28

my freshman year I strained my acl and then honestly two, so not this last weekend, but the weekend before I rolled my ankle kind of bad. And so, Well, originally, like I already have just like bad ankles anyways. And so I did it again two weeks ago and so I haven't been practicing like last week or this week. And so when I am injured and I hon like I started doing this last week I ride the bike for like 30 minutes while I'm like my whole team's practicing and stuff, but like. Putting myself like visually into practice and like still getting those reps when I physically can't, but like I mentally can still be there and still like be out there engaged with my teammates and still like cheering them on from the bike that I'm riding and just like still being present in the moment because the I'm pretty, like, I'm guessing, like you've said this like mental game is like so huge and like visualize visual visualization is also like so big too, and mm-hmm. Like you can get better just visualizing and mm-hmm. Like playing the sport long enough. Like I know what it feels like to be able to pass the ball, to be able to hit a ball, to be able to set a ball. So like, like visually doing that in my mind has definitely been something I've been working on the last two weeks.

Breanne 27:46

Yeah. Yeah, that's huge. We tell athletes like kind of our injury protocol. Part of it includes visualization because you recruit the same neuro neuro neurotransmitters and like the same neural pathways are being created like in your mind versus real life as long as you're recruiting like all five senses and getting into it. So, yeah. That's awesome. Okay. How about this one? I get this question a lot. Negative teammates. Have you ever had teammates that you just like, don't get along with, or maybe they're really bossy? I get that question a lot. And how do you handle that?

Kylie 28:17

A couple ways that I've handled it. Like one, and it probably sounds bad, but like just ignoring them. Not like ignoring them, but like not listening to like the negativity and like. Who you include yourself with is like what matters. And like trying to find the positive people on your team has been very helpful. And like just surrounding yourself with the good people versus being around like the negative people. That's, yeah. We've had, we've had a couple just like negative people in the past that I've played with, and so just like not associating yourself with them, like when you have the option to versus not to, and. Yeah, yeah. Teammates are big. Cause like you said earlier, like you, what you hear and if you hear the negative all the time, like that's what you're gonna start like saying and doing and thinking. And so if you're around the positive people, that definitely makes a big impact.

Breanne 29:10

Mm-hmm. Yeah, for sure. And I, I tell this to athletes and like as a coach too, I experience it like there, there will always be, I think actually Sue inquest who's a really successful softball coach has this whole image of like the bottom 30% top 30%, and then like the middle 60 and like at on any team or any group that you're part of. There likely will be about like 30%, hopefully less, but like there's gonna be a number of people who are just negative, like no matter what you do to try and change their mind like that, that's just like their outlook. And maybe they haven't trained their minds like, like other, they don't understand or, or buy into the fact that like productive and positive cell talk is actually more useful. But anyways, there's those people and it's like not worth your effort to try and. Change them. But when there are so many other people who are either like top 30% super positive, helpful for you, or even like that middle, that's kind of like influential, like can be influenced. And it really depends on where we place our effort and like our focus. And the problem is the negative people draw our attention so easily. Yeah. And so even though it's likely only a few people, it feels like it's overwhelming, so. Okay. Alright. This one, I mean, maybe you would have to go back in history for this, but playing time issues. Playing time issues and like coach relationships, anytime you've been like dissatisfied with the amount of playing time you're getting and how you, how you handled that or Theoretically. Yeah.

Kylie 30:40

So my freshman year I really didn't play when I was at Illinois and. Being in the moment, I definitely did not handle it the right way. And I think like, I was just not happy because like I wanted to be out there playing. And I like now looking back and coaching has helped me so much that like, you still have such a, a huge role on the sideline that you like, won't even realize in the moment. But like when I, when people are out there playing, like they look to the sideline and like, Look to see what you're doing or like, honestly, I get your energy for like from you too. So like if you're on the sideline and you're just like sitting there and you're mute and you're like, you're not saying anything, which I was half the time when I was a freshman, like the people on the court feed off that and they're like, oh, like our bench is quiet. So like, why do I, like, why do I need to be like energetic and happy versus I've been on teams now, especially. This like last year at beach, our teammates who aren't like in the lineup right now are so happy and they're so like, willing to be so positive and so cheerful and just like are still giving it their all, even though they're not on the sideline or not in the position that they wanna be in. And like, we feed off that playing and it's just so important to have and it's so hard to realize like in the moment, but it's definitely. Huge for sure.

Breanne 32:06

Yeah. It is probably one of the toughest things. Yeah. You know, to be in a role where you don't necessarily want to be in you know, and, and we teach athletes too. Like there's, there's that piece of it and that is, is so important. Like your mindset, your outlook, your attitude about it. And then also, you know, facilitating a discussion with the coach just to make sure you're clear, I'm like, What your role is. Have you ever had conversations with coaches?

Kylie 32:29

Yeah. Role accept is something that we've talked about a lot this last year at lsu, and I wish we would've talked about that my freshman year. And I think that's something that was missing from our leaders is the communication of role acceptance and that like you just have to accept where you're at and if you're not then, then get out pretty much. But talking about that, like with our teammates and our coaches have been. Really big about like look like this is where you're at. But like we do have the opportunity to like work up and like real acceptance and real clarity of like, like this is where you're at and like this is where you could be if like you continue to like work and push and like do all that. And so, yeah, like our coaches have been really good with their communication piece, but like also as a team, like we've talked about the role implement, this is just how it is sometimes. Yeah.

Breanne 33:23

Yeah, totally. That's good. Okay, let's see here. Two more questions and, alright, this one is, what does your pre-game routine look like? Well,

Kylie 33:36

it's kinda hard and beach volleyball when you play four games and a weekend and like, it's hard to get into a routine. But something that I try to do is that like, Before we go out, so we all, like, before the game, we all like shake hands, like with the other team. And so we have like a couple minutes or a minute or so to like sit on the bench and I try to like just be there like with my teammate and like just again, breathe with her and mm-hmm. Just like get into the moment and just like feel the feelings that we're feeling and talk about them and then breathe and then just like go out and play. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah,

Breanne 34:16

that's awesome. And you know, pre-game routines don't have to be like, elaborate, like, you know, I put this phu on and then this shoe and then I like, but yeah. That's great. Okay. Last question is, what would you tell aspiring college athletes? So those athletes that are maybe in middle school right now, high school right now, they're trying to get to the next level. What advice do you have for

Kylie 34:39

them? To keep working because it is worth it in the end. And if you do like, get the opportunity to play in college, which there are many opportunities to play, so like don't let it just be division one. Like there are many levels that you can play at and everything. And so like, just like keep working because it does, it really does pay off in the end. And it's just been such a fun ride that I've been on. And again, like being in middle school, like wanting to play in college and then now like, Almost graduating from college. Like, it's just been so much fun and to just like enjoy the moment cuz it does go by so fast and mm-hmm. This is my sixth year in college and I feel like I've been here for like three months and yeah, it's just crazy how fast it goes. Yeah. Oh yeah.

Breanne 35:23

That's great. Great advice. Well, Kylie, it's been a pleasure to have you on the podcast. We really appreciate you taking time outta your super busy training schedule. And you're in season right now too, so. Thank you. So congrats and good luck the rest of the way and hope to see you competing in the Olympics. Yeah, for sure's a goal. Well, thanks again, Kylie.

Kylie 35:48

Thank you so.