The Leave It Better Podcast

In the world of women’s volleyball, one coach has racked up more wins than any other. His name is Russ Rose. He spent 40 years at Penn State and picked up seven NCAA Division 1 championships, among numerous other huge successes. So what does it take to not just get to the very top level, but stay there?

Russ’s coaching style holds players accountable. Hear what he sees as problems on the court today.

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: [email protected]

Hot off the court from the 2025 Paris Olympics with her Silver medal, Team USA’s Haleigh Washington shares the heart-pounding moments, the skills that carried the team, and how American volleyball can change its messaging.

Also, get Haleigh’s take on who the best players in the world are right now.

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: [email protected]

A special episode with a unique message of hope. The sport of volleyball is the carrier for the Side-Out Foundation’s mission to end breast cancer. On the frontlines of that mission is Dr. Emanuel Petricoin. He’s a pioneering researcher in personalized medicine, and Co-Director of the Center of Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine at George Mason University. Hear how his work with the Side-Out Foundation is helping transform how we treat breast cancer.

Links mentioned:

• For more information go to www.side-out.org.
• Follow the side-out organization on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digpink
• Have suggestions for the podcast? Email Janice: [email protected]

What does it take not only rack up an impressive win streak, but to find the confidence to keep that streak going?

In 2023, Indiana Wesleyan University’s Candace Moats was honored with multiple ‘Coach of the Year’ awards, in part to her team finishing with a flawless 38 wins and zero losses season (the first time in 6 years for any NAIA volleyball team to accomplish). 

Coach Moats has been coaching volleyball competitively for 40 years. She shares her advice for not caving to the high-stakes pressure. We also hear about the benefit of surrounding yourself with people that you may not always agree with.

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: [email protected]

Everyone should have a chance to play the sports they love. As the President of ParaVolley, Lori Okimura helps players with various physical disabilities come together to compete on the volleyball court. Whether it’s using coconut trees for net posts, communicating through cultural barriers, or playing at the age of 92, as Lori tells Janice, if there’s a will, there’s a hundred ways.

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: [email protected]

Whether you’re training professional athletes to reach their peak, or raising kids to deal with everyday pressures, Juniata Head Coach Heather Pavlik has the experience everyone can benefit from. With a family in sports, Heather knows how to move past failures in a positive way to reach success.

She tells Janice how straightforward honesty helped her gain the respect of her players and fellow coaches

After coming off her second National Volleyball Championship victory, losing only a single match in two full seasons, Heather shares her recipe for winning on the court and off.

Links mentioned:

• Juniata Volleyball website: https://www.juniatasports.net/sports/wvball/index
• 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: [email protected]

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: [email protected]

Steve Grotowski and his wife Capri were taking beach volleyball to the next level. Steve was competing in the Olympics in Beach Volleyball, and Capri was the Head Coach of Florida Atlantic University, with Steve as her Assistant Coach. Then Capri was diagnosed with breast Cancer. She fought on for almost a decade, while still coaching with Steve nearly the entire time. Capri died in 2022. Hear how Steve keeps her memory alive as he works to defeat the terrible disease that killed 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: [email protected]

On the path to become an influential architect, a detour into the world of coaching volleyball wasn’t what the CEO of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Dr. Jaime Gordon would have ever imagined. Now he can’t imagine doing anything else. Hear how coaching his players off the court through some of their most difficult life moments shaped the way Dr. Gordon sees the role of coaches in every sport. Sometimes there were calls to the police. Sometimes there were shoulders to cry on. Every time there were young players and people to lead.

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: [email protected]

Sometimes terrible things can lead to wonderful good. Athletic Director Matt Althage introduced his school to the Dig Pink charity volleyball tournament in 2008 when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, Matt and Head Volleyball Coach Claudia Garcia continue to inspire their players and grow their own tournaments at the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida. Hear how Matt and Claudia's ambition and creativity lead to numerous partnerships with other schools who followed their mission.

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: [email protected]