It was awesome to bring back Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss to talk about their transition to professional beach volleyball and what makes their partnership tick so well. I always say you must have enough talent to compete for championships, but how well you attack the non-technical aspects of your sport often determines if you and your team can max out when it matters the most. One of the few positive events to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the unlikely partnership of Taryn and Kristen while playing for the Beach Volleyball program at LSU. Even though they went undefeated while paired together during their last season at LSU, winning AVCA Beach Pair of the year, their rapid ascent to the top professional ranks in their first full year on the AVP Tour in 2022 has surprised many people. I have known Taryn since her days at Creighton University, where she played indoor volleyball, and have had the pleasure to watch her grow as a person and in her sport, so nothing surprises me with her—and if you know Kristen, she is the engine that drives home excellence. I love talking about growth through adversity, so it should not surprise you that my favorite part of our conversation was their performance struggles during 2022. But that laid the foundation for their next growth level, leading them to be named the AVP Beach Team of the year in 2022!

This episode is brought to you by the Max Out Mindset Video Series for Volleyball:

• 7 PowerPoint-driven sessions taught by Dr. Widman covering Preparing your Mind for Battle, Max Out your Mind & Max Out your Team.

• Downloadable actionable workbook with over 100 questions, discussion points and suggestions for team exercises.

• Over 45 videos from some of the best athletes, coaches, teams, and leaders in the world, including Olympic gold medal winners Jordan Larson, Jordan Thompson, Kim Hill, and Justine Wong-Orantes

• Numerous lessons from some of the best to coach or play in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, and the NCAA to help validate all the Max Out Mindset principles on how to prepare your mind for battle, max out your mind and max out your team!