The Volley Bubble Ci Michel

Britt Bongaerts almost missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime, being a starting setter on the Dutch national team, which will likely take her to an Olympics during her career. She is currently playing in Poland, and has dreams of Italy and Turkey. 

In this episode we cozy up to avoid the cold Polish weather outside, with some warm socks and a cup of coffee, some traditional Dutch cookies, and have a little chat about all things volleyball, and not. 

We both started our pro careers in the same first club, the ladies in Black of Aachen, Germany, and bond over some fond memories of the place. She admits her online shopping addiction, for clothes but also more recently real estate. She gives us her take on the new Champions League format, and also what it means for a setter to have a 'good day'. 

You can see a whole day in here life on youtube here

Some video clips from the podcast episode here.

And follow Britt on instagram @brittbongaerts

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the full 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!

Madi Bugg has volleyball in her veins, having learned a lot from her mother at an early age. She went on to play at Stanford, and is now in her 5th pro season. She has played in Switzerland, Germany, and now the top team in France. 

We talk about her early days playing and creating a good relationship with the weightroom thanks to a family friend.  We discuss the dilemma for female athletes between a body which performs best on court or 'looks good in jeans'. She lets us in on what it means for a setter to have a 'good game', and the mindset she has as a setter on court. She opens up about the true cost that COVID, ending all sports in March last season, really had on pro athletes, especially for her team and their nearly undefeated season. And how one weird IG DM led to her starring (or atleast being an extra) in a big international movie coming out soon!

This was a great convo and I hope you enjoy!

See the full video here.

Part 2 coming soon.

follow Madi @madibuggs

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the full 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 was a fun one! Karis and I laughed a lot in this episode. Maybe we are both awkward, silly and just don't take it all too seriously. 

We talk about our mutual love for audio books over real books, because as Karis puts it "I cant read more than a page without getting distracted by thinking about sandwiches." We talk about the crazy colors of our alma maters (orange and green, orange and purple). We randomly burst into British accents at one point. And then eventually give some pretty good advice for young players.

There's a lot going on in this episode, so sit back and enjoy. 

Watch the full episode on YouTube here

Watch part 2 here

Follow Karis on instagram: @karisw8

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the full 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!

Amanda (Benny) Benson graduated from the University of Oregon, and went on to represent Team USA, as well as play pro in France, Germany and now Switzerland. She is a high achiever but so multifaceted, as you will hear. She has compiled her writing and poetry into a book, and started a personal styling business with her downtime in quarantine. We talk about the fears and highs of building a business from scratch, the comparison trap, and why female athletes are sometimes overly sexualized in their sport. 

Great episode for anyone who loves volleyball but it driven to wear multiple hats, and sees themselves as more than just an athlete. 

See the full Volley Bubble episode here

Part 2 of the episode here

Follow Benny on instagram @amandasbenson

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the full 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!

Meg Wolowicz is a Northern Illinois alum, and has gone all in on the pro life! Czech, now Switzerland, she has no intention of stopping any time soon. She loves the travel, meeting new people, making experiences, and of course Swiss cheese. We discuss growing up tall, how to handle comments about weight, sacrifices for going pro and all the good stuff about living overseas. 

She also talks about dealing with the possibility of never playing again after her second shoulder surgery, and how she made the decision that would impact the rest of her life. 

watch the full youtube video here

and part 2 here

meg on instagram: @megwolowicz

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!

Olga Strantzali learned to play at 5 years old, and thus knows she is a 'stable' player who rarely suffers from self doubt! She is a former UMiami Hurricane, and has found herself in Italy A1 Cuneo, after a few seasons in Poland and France. She didn't think University was for her after a difficult freshman year at UCLA, but luckily gave herself a second chance and felt at home on campus in Coral Gables. As a former 'Cane myself, I can totally understand. It's all about the U after all...

Olga loves her summers at home in Greece, but talks to me about the joys of life as a pro player. We discuss her tactics for fending off doubt, how to fill free time with tik tok and shopping, and her definition of a good teammate. Olga is graceful, stylish, and welcomed me to her bubble in Cuneo with a smile! 

see the full video we recorded together of a day in her life on YouTube here!

follow Olga on instagram: @olgastrantzali

Visit YouTube.com/cimichel for the full 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!