The Volley Bubble

Wow. If you listen to any of these episodes, listen to this one. Caila opens up so honestly about her struggles with mental health, eating disorders and body image in this raw episode of the Volley Bubble. Months away from family and friends can take a toll on your wellbeing, physically and mentally, and Caila lets us in on her experiences, as well as some methods for coping, and helping teammates or friends than might be going through something similar. 

Caila Stapleton graduated from San Diego University, and has played pro in Switzerland, Finland and France. She is 27 year old American Setter from California, who has tasted pro life and also the real world. She is brutally honest and candid in this interview, and shares her insights on the true highs and lows of life as a pro athlete overseas. 

See a full day in her life on the YouTube episode we filmed together here!

Follow Caila on instagram @cailastapleton

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!

Jaali Winters has been chasing the dream of playing pro in France since the age of 14, and she shares the 'secret' to making that dream come true. 

Jaali is playing for Saint Raphaël in the top French League. She played college volleyball at Creighton University, and is now in her second professional European season here in France.  She is a 23yr old outside hitter who is a bit obsessed with peanut butter, loves Frank Ocean but hates apple pie!

See a full day in her life on the YouTube episode we filmed together here!

Follow Jaali on instagram @jaaliwinters

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!

In this episode, Tessa Grubbs and I discuss the importance of finding passions outside of the sport of volleyball, and how those pursuits can actually improve your game as an athlete. 

Tessa currently plays for Mougins in the top French League. Before that she played at the University of Tennessee, as well as a short first professional season in Slovenia.  She is a 22yr old outside hitter who has a passion for Louis Vuitton, mental health work and is currently mastering the subtle art of not giving a f*ck. 

See a full day in her life on the YouTube episode we filmed together here!

Follow Tessa on instagram @tessa_grubbs17

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!

Micaya White talks all about the importance of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable as a top performing athlete. 

Micaya is the new starting outside hitter for RC Cannes in the top French League. She has just entered her first full professional season, having played a short season in Puerto Rico, and was a four-time All-American at the University of Texas.  She is a 24 year old pescatarian, who practices yoga and loves fresh laundry straight out of the dryer.

See a full day in her life on the YouTube episode we filmed together here!

Follow Micaya on instagram @cayamonet

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!

Ronika Stone teaches me a thing or two about TikTok, as well as how she views social media for top athletes in 2020.  

Ronika plays for Volero Le Cannet in the top French League. She is in her first professional season, and played undergrad at the University of Oregon. She is a middle hitter/blocker, loves her Normatec, and is soon to join the vlogging world! Hear all about her experiences in the first two weeks of playing abroad, including overweight luggage and adaptation to life without a dryer. 

See a full day in her life on the YouTube episode we filmed together here! You'll get to know Ronika a bit more, and see where she lives and trains with her team in France. Also a bit about her sunflower seed addiction and practice day rituals. 

Follow Ronika on instagram @ronikastone

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!

Malina Terrell talks us through how to acknowledge, but not give too much power to, the weak link in your mental 'crew'. This 28yr old outside hitter has a fascination for leopards and elephants, her friends call her a 'pineapple', and she meditates every day before training. She plays currently for the Béziers Angels in the top French League, where she was named top scorer in the league 2020. Before that he played at the University of San Francisco, as well as professionally in Denmark, Germany, Puerto Rico, Finland and now France.  

See a full day in her life on the YouTube episode we filmed together here!

Follow Malina on instagram @malinaterrell

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!

This is The Volley Bubble Podcast. 

Whats up guys, I'm Ci Michel; Professional Volleyball Player, Olympian, Photographer, YouTuber and now, Podcaster! I have been playing volleyball professionally for ten years and I want to shed a little bit of light on what that means, especially in the era of 2020 and COVID. So I'm driving across Europe on a mission to meet other professional female volleyball players, and tell their stories. Because as you guys know, each one of us is so much more than just an athlete. 

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the Volley Bubble Video Series, to see behind the scenes with each of the podcast guests, as well as tons of videos about life as a professional volleyball player and how to go pro! Follow along on instagram @vb_ci. Be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast, and let me know any of your suggestions for future guests! Share this episode with friends or on your socials and tag me so I can repost! It really means a lot! Thanks for listening!