Latest / Career Clarity with Athletes: A 2ndwind Podcast with Ryan Gonsalves / 119: Myriam Robitaille - From Professional Indoor Volleyball in Europe to Beach Volleyball and Tech Startup Success

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119: Myriam Robitaille - From Professional Indoor Volleyball in Europe to Beach Volleyball and Tech Startup Success · Career Clarity with Athletes: A 2ndwind Podcast with Ryan Gonsalves

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And as you were coming through your career we spoke very earlier about a desire to reach high performance, very much focused on your abilities.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: As you move forward Off the court, what sort of aspirations did you have, or do you have, from that side of the career?
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: I was always someone who had a lot of side project who had a lot of side project.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: So in university I went on to be in a lot of association volunteering, super interested into public policy, which was something I thought I would do at some point, and so a lot of project on the side in nonprofits as well, which, when I found the company that I'm with, who has a it's basically a very innovative fundraising platform that is 100% free for non-profit.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: We're the only one in North America that gives 100% backup donations.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Ryan Gonsalves and welcome to a Second Wind Academy podcast, a show all about career transition through the lens of elite athletes.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Each week, I invite a guest to the show who shares their unique sporting story.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Please join me to delve into the thoughts and actions of athletes through a series of conversations.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Don't worry, there's plenty to learn from those of you that aren't particularly sporty.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Elite athletes are still people after all.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Let's be inspired by the stories of others.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Miriam, welcome to the show.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: It is great to have you on here with me today.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Thank you, ryan.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Really exciting to chat with you about it, and yeah.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Yes, good, I am glad you are excited about the conversation.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: It will be well.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: It's certainly going to be fun and, as I say to many people listening to the show, I always enjoy the conversation.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Hopefully the guest does as well, because it's about learning, it's about sharing and very much your experience as a current pro athlete and you know we'll talk about the thoughts of transition and managing really this, I guess the balance that we've got in life.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: So looking forward to delve in a bit more.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Awesome, same looking forward to it.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Great, well, look, miriam.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: I love to kick off.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: Tell us who you are and what you're up to nowadays.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: Totally so.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: I'm a beach volleyball professional player for Canada.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: I've been playing beach volleyball for three years, but indoor volleyball for two professional years in Europe and then prior to that in college, and then since I'm 12, I'm also first employee of a tech startup in Montreal that have known, that is knowing hyper growth.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: So we're today 33 employees.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: We're mostly focused in Canada and the States, and so I was doing sales when I started and now I'm in recruitment internally for the company.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Wow, I love that.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: I love the shift as well shift in sports and the shift in jobs within that company.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: That's kind of cool.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, actually.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: So one thing that came up about that, when I did shift to beach volleyball and quite at the same time I shifted internally at Zephy the name of the company I realized that one of the things that really kind of guided me was learning.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: And so when I made the decision to go from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball, I felt like indoor, the learnings were very small, like at the end.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: To beach volleyball, I felt like indoor, the learnings were very small, like at the end, whereas beach volleyball I had quite everything to learn, going from playing in a very like control environment to playing with wind, in changing surface.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: The sand is always different in different part of the world, different type of humidity.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: The ball moves differently as well.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: It was quite the same when I went to recruitment, just again learning something new and something that was linked to people.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: So yeah, shifting sands a lot, I guess, moving through recruitment, a lot of things that you possibly have to deal with as well.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: But curious about that shift in from the, even in the volleyball sports as well.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Was that an intentional shift and if so, what made you want to shift within the different, I'll say, codes or types of volleyball?
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: well, I started like one of my first picture with a volleyball is actually I was a ball roller at one of the national tour event when I was like eight years old for beach volleyball, so that's kind of how I got in touch with the sport.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: But quickly I went into indoor because we're in Canada, there's long winters, we don't have beach volleyball year round, so most people start with indoor volleyball.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: So I kind of never taught that I would come back to beach volleyball.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: Until three years ago it was the pandemic.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: Indoor seasons were longer, like eight months abroad alone, no restaurant open.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: It was a bit tougher.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: So I started playing outside a little more and just found out that I really liked it and one of my good friends who I've grown up with played with, played against.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: She was exploring beach volleyball as well, so that kind of ringed the bell into my head that that could be something I explore.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: I've done some local seasons, I've had fun, and so I messaged the national team who at the time were looking for professional indoor volleyball, to make the switch and join the national team, and so that was intentional but also very lucky that they had space for me at that time yes, it is, but it's worthwhile that you asked that.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: You just went out and figured, yeah, I'll give it a shot.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: I quite like that attitude as well, that that it probably helped you.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: You know, actually just get on the field.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Do you think that?
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: I suppose a lot of it comes down to aspirations, and what did you want to become or achieve, so, certainly as a younger lady?
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: What was your intention?
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: What hopes did you have in terms of where volleyball or sport would take you?
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: That's a really good question.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: I think that's something that has changed over the time and that I've quite wanted to pay attention as it was changing, not sometime over a longer period and sometime a little like more aware when the shift was happening.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: When I was younger, I know I started and I had a lot of fun.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: I was playing with my best girlfriends.
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: And then early on, like two years after starting the sport, I switched to a school, to arguably the best team in Quebec, the province where I'm from at the time, and we went on to win national championship with a very small team that really, like you would call very much underdog if that, and so that kind of strike like the competitiveness inside of me and I realized then that like, oh wait, I could actually like play higher level.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: First I was really more achievement driven, recognition driven, I think, like I was like pushing myself a lot because I knew there was like that little cookie at the end like of I think it really now I would say it wasn't the healthier, but that's still what allowed me to be here today.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: And then, as I go, I think there's a huge part of exploring that is there for me.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: I'm kind of using my body to get to know myself at a deeper level, the same way that you can use your mind, the same way that you can use a lot of other things.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: For me, sport is the way that I learn about myself.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Right, talk to me about that.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: How, how, through your body, are you learning about yourself?
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Uh, yeah, so we kind of uh.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: So I have a mental coach that I work with since about over half a year almost a year now, which has been amazing.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: But basically beach volleyball it's about.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: It can be anywhere a game between 25 minutes and an hour, depending if you win quickly or lose quickly, or if it's a tight game, quickly or lose quickly, or if it's a tight game it's in changing conditions teammate, a single teammate, no coaching during the game.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: It's more like a it's a game of chess so, and it's always changing.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: So we call it the pressure cooker with my mental coach, where there's a lot of things that just come up in a very short amount of time and that you need to deal with At beach volleyball as well.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: When you go into a gap of like three, four points, it's really hard to catch up.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: So if the other team is playing well, so there's just a lot of the mental discourse that comes up that are you see them very clearly on the court, but somehow these mental discourse are just like happening a million time a day.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: I just don't pay, I was not paying attention to them yes, yeah so I'm learning about these.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: I'm learning about how some have been creating like, really like unconscious suffering, just like mental discourse going on and on that like first either believed in or didn't know how to stop them.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: And so now I'm learning to know, like, what are the low-hanging fruits that I can look at and what are some of the things that I can do to switch the anger, the sadness, into joy, into like yeah being proud of myself, being grateful, like so changing who's in the driver's seat that is fascinating.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: It truly is.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: I mean, I love the fact you're using your body or learning through your body how your mind is thinking and opening your awareness.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: I certainly have found a lot of joy exploring habits and the way that we build habits as athletes and habits off the field, and how recognizing those and making adjustments perhaps to our points of belief and how you know how that can augment our reactions to that as well.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: What is it that made you introduce a mental coach into your life at this stage?
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: That's a good question.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: I think it was kind of seeing.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: So he's like also my physical coach.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: He's really much into movement, so really kind of trying to see through the body, like where the blockage are and really putting oil on it, almost so more of that kind of mentality than like the heavy lifting.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: And so with him I was like every time that we did a new program he was coming to me and he was like what do you think is blocking you from passing the qualifier into that level?
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: Because the beach volleyball is three tier on the world tour.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: I've been playing mostly on the second and third tier, but never in the main draw of the second, for instance.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: So he was always asking me like what do we need in the gym to allow you to get to that next step?
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: And first, like the two, three, four, first program, it was like I think I need to move better in the sun, transitioning from indoor, that's quite naturally.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: Or I think my shoulders are tight, tight, like my hitting is not as fast, it's not as efficient.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: So it was always kind of there until like a point where it had been like probably a year that I was training with him and I was like it's my mental I'm breaking, like I'm playing well, until the point that I'm like, oh, maybe I, maybe I'm going to make it this time.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: And then loss of focus, and then like bunch of thoughts coming in and I was like, well, definitely, like it makes sense.
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: I've done like thousands of hours of volleyball, of physical training.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: People say beach volleyball is 80% mental.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: I've barely done 10 hours in my life, so it was just the mat ain't matting, like I need to add something there.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: And I had heard like my coach was coaching some of my teammates and so I just kind of jumped in with him and that worked really well.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: Miriam, that is beautifully put and the awareness that you've gone through to recognize in order to get to that next level requires definitely hours and hours of physical practice.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: But we always say elite sport is a mental game.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: But to that point we never do the mental training.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: You know, we don't start the mental training.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Perhaps you shouldn't be starting at eight or 10 years old, perhaps not.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: But it's being aware of your emotions, your feelings, what's going on, and for you to recognize that was perhaps the bit that was holding you back Kudos.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: I think that is excellent, even better that you've since taken action.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: So I think that is really good.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: How do you think that's improved your?
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about your game first.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: How do you think it's improved your game in this short period?
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: I would say definitely being more present, or even aware of the moment where I shift from presence to kind of craving something that is not there yet.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Love the use of yes.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, A little bit of that that I'm able to then bring back and chat with my coach and I would say in general, just like being more present.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Allow me to just like technically, also be aware of my breaking points, what goes first technically when my mental goes, and just that has allowed me to in the moment when I feel a little more stressed and just have a little cue of like all right, now you're gonna focus a little more on that thing, because usually that's what goes first and that can affect the game, good or bad.
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I understand, I understand.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: I see where you're coming from.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: I'll tell you.
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: What you just made me think is you go from the you said the pressure cooker, right, so you're in that pressure cooker of the court when you're doing beach volleyball, but then it sounds like you move from that into a startup environment where you are employee number one, which, for for everything I'm in with regard startups, that's a pressure cooker as well and, in fact, even more crazy at least there's a boundary and there's a time limit into a game of beach volleyball.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: So how does I guess your mental strength, or to what extent do you, interplay between using it for beach volleyball performance and then shifting it over to give you a level of excellence in your day-to-day job or your day job in an inner startup?
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: yeah, that's a really good question as well.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: I think there's a lot of things that switch from one to the other, like I know, for instance, like professionalism, like on the workplace, somehow is understood, definitely on the field or on the court sometime.
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: So I think there's that one way, like bringing the professional, like startup corporate vibe to the field or to the court, is also helping me there.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to think the other way around.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: I think like one major thing has been I see myself in the workplace being a little more sensitive to feedback.
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: We have a big feedback culture at work where, like, you kind of really want to force yourself to give feedback when you have one and not keep it to yourself.
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: Otherwise it can be considered missed impact of getting better as a team.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: But you also learn to receive feedback and be optimistic.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: Just believe that your colleagues are also just wanting you to like improve and grow in competencies and all of that.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: And I've realized that there is a difference between I receive feedback in the workplace and the way that I receive feedback on the court.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: So in the workplace I felt like I was more sensitive or like sometime when I'm tired, taking it more personal.
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: It's at a very subtle level.
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: I think I process internally differently and the outside it might look the same, but on the court I am craving feedback.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: But on the court I am craving feedback.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: I like, if I have a coach with me, I'm like whoa, like this is the best thing ever, like, give me feedback.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: And I'm going to try the 30 different way to do that, and once I've tried them, I'll figure out what's mine and at least I'm confident that this is mine.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: And so I think there is like there is room for applying that to the workplace as well, although it's a bit different, like how, like normally you receive feedback, you apply right away, because it's like shorter term work, like it's.
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: Maybe I'm still thinking about it.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: It is fascinating.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: I get on the court in the game your partner, they tell you, move up, stay to the left.
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: This is what they're doing every time you got to react to it.
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: And they have a split second to tell you and you're like I'm on it.
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: And they have a split second to tell you and you're like I'm on it.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: We move into the and it's different.
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: And you mentioned a beautiful word.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: You mentioned trust.
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: You know it's something you mentioned there about with a coach, with your partner, you build trust so that you truly believe that what they are saying is for you to be better, for the team to be better, so you can ultimately win the game, or and move up up.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: When we bring that then into the workforce, and you have your colleagues telling you this, it does make me wonder is one of the differences?
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: Trust is one of the differences?
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: Are we all playing towards that same goal of winning this match, which is really clear objective?
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: I wonder, is that one of the differences, that that we sense?
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: yeah, no, I was when I was saying that I was actually talking about my colleagues.
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: So I have a ton of trust that they're there to like, really make me like better also in my job and all.
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: I do have that as well.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: On the court, I think it's maybe, if I'm trying to think out loud, I think it could be linked to maybe you see faster result on the court.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: I'm doing this the next point I'm getting a block, or the next point we're getting the defense we're looking for, then right away confirmation on what we've just been working, Whereas in the workplace sometimes it's more like I've done, like you know, a part of the project.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: You give me feedback the next time I'm going to apply it.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: Might be a little longer down the road, and so my mind might have more time to pick it up and break it apart and wonder if that's really going to be the result, because you don't see it right away.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that feedback loop is so fast and it does remind me of at least for me as a football player scoring an own goal in the last game of the season and it's like I've got to wait.
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: I've got to wait months until I can fix that.
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: When you know you're playing the next day or the next week, at least you can react and you can try and make amends, and so that's what it takes me from a sport perspective.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: Here you're quite right.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: In an office you do a sales presentation and they give you feedback and it's like great, when's the next one?
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: Oh, it's next week.
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: Oh, I've got to wait until then.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: I might forget now.
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: And then you take it all apart and perhaps it then becomes a bit negative.
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: But I do like the way you mentioned taking feedback optimistically and finding that optimism and and moving you forward.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: As you take that totally, I think that's a huge, huge piece, yeah.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: So, thinking about you, then you talking a bit about what you're doing today, I'm interested, just briefly what is the state of, I guess, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, in terms of professionalism?
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: I suppose I'm interested in your journey, so the journey to where you are today in terms of your volleyball career.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: At what point did you start to realize you were good?
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: I think it was probably around 14, 15.
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: It was the first.
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: I was coming from, a very small school that did not perform really well, and, like at the provincial championship that we call, which I got approached by one of the person responsible to build the provincial teams that summer.
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: And responsible to build the provincial teams that summer Normally there's only two provincial teams, but that year they were able to bring a third one for the Francophonie game.
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: So, like all the people speaking French in Canada, like it's kind of a mini Olympics for all the Frenchies, and that was based on just like scouting and selecting players.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: And so he came to talk to me, to talk with my parents, just ask if I would be interested.
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: I was like, oh my God, what?
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: Like I never thought like that would happen and so I just made the long list and they cut it to the short list I made.
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: The team went on.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: I don't think I was really good back then, honestly.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: I was like a lot of potential, but very raw potential, and so then after that then I kept on making kind of the provincial team, then went on to do the Canada games.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: Then it kind of just went on with more confirmation in college and doing the university games, and so that was just really propelling me like a different state of my career and my journey.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: And as you were coming through your career we spoke very earlier about a desire to reach high performance, very much focused on your abilities.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: As you move forward Off the court, what sort of aspirations did you have, or do you have, from that side of the career?
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: I was always someone who had a lot of side project.
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: So in university I went on to be in a lot of association volunteering, super interested into public policy policy, which was something I thought I would do at some point and so a lot of project on the side in non-profits as well, which, when I found the company that I'm with, who has a it's basically a very innovative fundraising platform that is 100% free for non-profit.
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: We're the only one in North America that gives 100% back of donations.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: So like that's where the traction come from.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: But when I saw them I was like, wow, I honestly never thought I would be for a for-profit company, but the mission is awesome and it's kind of like adding impact and value in another way.
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: Kind of like adding impact and value in another way, like so I suppose, to answer the question, it's been like again exploring and like just like it has been turned towards like society and trying to make things better in a certain way.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: So that was kind of the directive line that I had, but I have yeah, I don't know if I had answered the question.
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: You gave a good answer.
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: I'm kind of losing myself here but it is all good.
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: I suppose I'm wondering then, as you came through university, so you're studying, you have these side projects and you're competing in this, this life, in this period after university where you're having to sort of work and balance to an extent this dual career, what challenges have you faced in finding that balance between high performance sport and building an off-court career?
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: It's definitely been some challenges, mostly in terms of time management.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: So what happened is I finished college, I went to play my first professional season in Germany and, frankly, after my first season I thought I was done.
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: So towards season finishes in April, I thought I was just done with sport and so I was coming back to Canada in April.
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: I thought I was just done with sport, and so I was coming back to Canada in April.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: And in February March, I just got on the market for the first time and I was like I'm getting a job, I'm coming back to Canada, I'm gonna spend at least a year there and I'm getting a job.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: So I did that just what happened?
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: what experience in Germany.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: That was like hey, I'm done this job, so I did that.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: What happened?
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: What experience in Germany.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: That was like, hey, I'm done, this is it.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: It's weird, from what I remember, like I think I got bored.
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the level was not, and it's not that it was not challenging, I think it was repetitive.
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: I was playing, like when I was in indoor volleyball I was a middle blocker which you basically, if you look at like the nine meter net, you just like shuffle right and left most of the game you're not really part of the offense.
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: You're being taken out of the court on the back line, like on the defensive line, so the three turns that you're in the back, you're outside the court replaced by a defensive specialist.
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: I was like I'm here playing 50% of the game, whether I'm starting, you know, I'm starting, it's great, I'm playing professionally, but I'm playing 50% of the game.
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: So I was like I have other interests, I'm gonna go explore that.
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: Found that awesome company the day after I landed started the job right and four months later I was back full-time.
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: So there's a bit there that like.
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: And then I never stopped so that is weird.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: So, firstly, you're probably one of the first athletes I've spoken to who says yeah, I was a pro, but it was boring doing the same same thing and kind of rotated out but it wasn't what you had.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: Well, I don't know, had you articulated, had you voiced what you expected professional sport to be like before you got on the plane?
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: that's such a good question because I think that's starting to be talked about a lot.
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: But basically, when you go eight months to Europe, you only do sport.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: Naturally, you're being paid to do sport for the almost the first time, like so enough money to live.
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: And it just turned out that in Germany I was in a second division as a first contract and we were practicing from 7 to 10 pm, which mean that I had 12 hours in my day that I didn't know how to fill.
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: And that was the first time because in college I was doing like a full-time load.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Of course I was involved outside, I was having sport, I was having my social life.
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: Now you're alone, almost yes, yeah on another time zone and you have so much time.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: So that was, I think, one thing that I was like I can't do this, I'm gonna go nuts, and I ended up in the second half of the season.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: Actually, I did translation when I was in college.
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: I ended up freelancing in the second half of the season because I was like I need to do something during the day and then I did that and I started working in a hotel as well, like two mornings a week, and then I felt so much happier.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: That was day and night.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: I think there's a little problem that I couldn't rest Like.
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: That's one thing that I found with like, with time, that I like learning to rest and be comfortable in rest.
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: But that was something there, so fast forward, I think the challenge is now I've decided to keep going with that, with my work, my career, outside of volleyball, mostly because it fulfills me and it brings a balance in another way that beach volleyball does.
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: Right now I get to like kind of find yeah, in what way?
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: in what way does that career outside of the game bring you a balance?
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: first like switch the, the thinking.
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: So I'm it's very much like volleyball, is very physical, and then you go into like a recruitment, you speak with a lot of people but you have to do a lot of kind of thinking processes internally.
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: That happens on the on the court, but not as much so I think it changes just the, the energy of the day.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: But I also work like for a social impact startup and so the people that are around me are like super involved in the community, something I didn't have as much when I grew up.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: So I kind of find back that community of people that are really turned towards the society and that are going out of like their world to like make an impact, and so that that is nourishing in a way as well, in a way that brings me energy and doesn't only take energy from me.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: Well said.
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: It's like you found your people and you have this common purpose, common goal, and you have this common purpose, common goal and so, like you say, you get that nourishment, your bucket is filled spending time with them, just as, in a similar way, I guess playing a sport you love also nourishes you and gives you that well, I guess, energy.
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: As you said, it energizes you.
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: So, in some respects, the balance that you've got I probably shouldn't even use the word balance, because what you've got is this harmony between playing a sport you enjoy, getting that physical push or physical drive alongside your I'm going to say mental, but it's as much I think it's your heart in terms of this passion and working with an impact company as well, and so what you have is a harmony career.
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: Maybe that's it.
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: We've coined a new phrase here and it's new.
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: You're not in a dual career, but you you're in a.
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: You have this sort of harmony between your on-field and on-court and off-court world totally.
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: I like it.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: I never thought of it like that, but that's, that's exactly it.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: And it requires, you know, like I don't know if, like going for an Olympic, going even next year for a world championship, like I think it's going to be something to reassess because I'm going to be spending more time on the world tour in Asia, which is like flip, completely, completely like opposite for scheduling, for like talking to people.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: So I think there's always some stuff, there is some more challenge coming up and even like I'm lucky that I have a lot of flexibility with my work.
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: I can work from where I want, the hours I want.
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: I'm part-time that's one thing that is important to say.
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: I'm only 20 hours a week.
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: I don't think I could be doing more if I want to keep the resting piece and the recovery piece, but there are definitely challenges ahead in terms of managing harmony career yes, yeah, the and those challenges.
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: Now you're still playing right, you're playing at the top level.
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: You wonderfully have represented your country and you know, like you say you're thinking about.
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, there'll be challenges that you will have to overcome.
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: To what extent do you feel ready for those challenges?
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: Are they something that you see as close by, or do you think it's something?
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: Well, it's fine, I don't even need to think about that yet.
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: I don't think I need to think about it yet, just because there's a lot of uncertainty and I know I know what the next four months are going to look like for me and I've got that figured out.
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: So next year is more like I think it's going to be something to reassess around December when things are getting clearer.
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: The the first half of the season, at the beginning, is a little slower.
• 31:42
  Speaker 2: So there is time there and there is like periodization during the year.
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: So you're gonna go, there's tournaments going on, like on the world tour, from January, february until December.
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: You can play them all.
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: They're all over the world.
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: So there is kind of like a way that I can deal with it that we need to like peak in certain moment of the season and that we know at the beginning of the year we determine this is our peaking zone, these are the tournaments that we want to peak at, that we're going to rest and then peak again closer to world championship, for instance, and so with that periodization being made at the beginning of the year, I think there are ways that I'm going to be able to find.
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: Well, here I'm going to be less available and between during that time then I'll be able to give a little more to the company I work for yeah, that's right.
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: That is a scheduling that that certainly has to come into play, and you talk about the challenges from you physically in your career and where you want to go next or what you think you're capable of next.
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: I suppose it's just an interesting thing.
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: You work in a firm that clearly gives you the flexibility to work your body probably going to tell you when it's ready.
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: A question I often pose or I hear with athletes who are probably like yourself, where physically you feel well, I can keep going, but mentally I do want to keep working in this role or have a bigger impact.
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: What do you think the key elements are going to be that are going to help you make a decision about how far you push yourself physically or, you know, through your sport?
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: I think there's a lot of like learning to sink in with yourself and really kind of uh, listen to what is there.
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: I have more of the tendency that the more I do things, the more, the more, the more I want to go and then I just realized at the end of the day that I am exhausted.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: So one piece that we have been working with my coach is kind of discernment in the way of like in before starting, let's say, my job job, like before getting on my computer and getting on meetings.
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: Can I take a second and just trying to connect and see what is the right thing to do right now?
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: Is it to go for a walk before starting work?
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: Is it like what do I feel like would be nourishing before I get into something, so that I don't get, I don't just go and tick boxes and then at the end of the day I'm exhausted.
• 34:24
  Speaker 2: So it's a more like giving myself flexibility within the day to be okay, now it feels right to work.
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: So I'm going to work now, depending on like when I can.
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: So I think the answer to that is going to be to kind of connect with myself often and see like, is that still nourishing me?
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: Has that been pulling more out energy than than giving me energy and trying to see and assess kind of in the present, if that still feel aligns?
• 34:57
  Speaker 2: There's also an easy way to look at result.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: Have I been performing?
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: Have I not been performing?
• 35:01
  Speaker 2: But I find this is so much like there is so much thing coming into that there's a lot of noise that you can just look at result.
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly.
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, you haven't been performing, of course, like you haven't been to the gym, and it's like what, like you know, stuff like that, that is like first things that pop up that are like common, just common belief yes around high performance.
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: That don't resonate when I look inside and I just ask myself is that so for me?
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: yes, yeah, I'm curious.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: Look, thinking about what is for me and and where.
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: Where should I be?
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: You mentioned earlier you.
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: The game of volleyball in its sort of broadest sense is something that you have, that you clearly enjoy Beach indoor.
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: That's something that you have excelled at, and what I describe for many people is there.
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: You've managed to find the game you love, but you've changed the format, the role and things like that, but it's still the game of volleyball at its pure.
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: Likewise, you're now in an organization for the other 20 hours of the week when you're working.
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: You're in an organization where you've moved and you've changed roles within that organization, but it's still the same organization, same impact, same purpose, same goals and the way it works.
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: But your same impact, same purpose, same goals and the way it works, but your role has changed within that.
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: So it sounds like similar to volleyball.
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: You found your place, you found your people in the environment that you're currently working in.
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: So I'm curious how did you find that?
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: How have you managed to find an environment where you want to work?
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: What's your secret, secret sauce?
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: It's in the two.
• 36:41
  Speaker 2: I think it was like to be really aligned with my value.
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: I think I have a strong kind of a detector.
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: When I'm not like feeling aligned with something, I shut down, like I lose my energy.
• 36:53
  Speaker 2: It's like if there is a big like trap that is sucking out all the energy, and so for me it's really easy to know when I'm out of sync In the workplace.
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: I think that was part luck and part like I really liked what they were doing.
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: And then I started with the two co-founders that are now good friends, so like going into it, I really trust what they're doing and I really like how they have like managed to become for the first time co-founders, managers, and really set the tone for now probably the best team I've ever seen in my life, including sports team.
• 37:27
  Speaker 2: You know it's incredible to have 30 people super in sync.
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: So I think that part was co-built, which had something to do, but like now it just feels really aligned and that it has a flow of itself.
• 37:42
  Speaker 2: For beach volleyball at beach volleyball, like some other federated sports, you have two ways to do it.
• 37:48
  Speaker 2: You can either be so in Canada, for instance, we have some centralized federation, which means all the athletes that receive money from Sport Canada, they have to be in the same location.
• 38:01
  Speaker 2: Canada is massive, six-hour flight to go from east to west.
• 38:07
  Speaker 2: A lot of people come from different places, and so you can be with the federation and receive Sport Canada money, or you can do it as a Canadian representative, which you sign the same contract of competing under the Canadian banner in the same competition, the same way.
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: That doesn't change the world tour, but you don't receive money, and so this is one of the downside.
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: So I have chosen.
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: I have been there, I have been with the federation.
• 38:39
  Speaker 2: So I have chosen.
• 38:43
  Speaker 2: I have been there, I have been with the federation and today I am Canadian representative or independent athlete where I am like self-funded.
• 38:47
  Speaker 2: But I also get to choose my team, which to me has been major shift in creating that environment that you were asking about.
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: So I get to choose my coaches, like volleyball coaches, mental coaches, physical coaches.
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: I get to choose my schedule, which sometimes brings also more mental load into like preparing everything, having you know, like a practice plan, making sure you have players to play against, cause if you're only two, you can, you can do a practice, but it's not going to be like game Like if this is what you're trying a practice but it's not going to be like game-like if this is what you're trying to do.
• 39:21
  Speaker 2: So it's more like around building that environment for me and seeing if it's aligned.
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: It has its challenges where it requires, like I said, a lot of work to do, but in the end I'm looking to play for the long term.
• 39:37
  Speaker 2: Today, maybe tomorrow, that's going to change, but today I'm looking for two Olympic cycles at 30 years old, so that means possibly until I'm 40.
• 39:45
  Speaker 2: And one thing that has been major for me is to enjoy it.
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: I don't want to go 10 years looking back and be like, wow, that was half my life and I suffered, suffered the whole way through and I wanna I wanna find like a balance in the everyday.
• 40:04
  Speaker 2: So, um, I think the answer would be like building the environment has been a huge part for me yes, you've built it.
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: You built the environment.
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: You didn't just go looking for it, you actually took a bit of agency yourself and said, well, I'll create it, I'll go and find it, I'll make these things happen and crucial decisions, leaving the federation to become an independent.
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: But that's enabled you to build what you want and how you see it.
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: Interestingly, from a corporate perspective, you're building it as in recruitment now.
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: So you will recruit the people who, who align with, I guess, in real sense, who align at least at a value level, at a value set, with the organization that you're working for.
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: When you're at university, did you the extracurricular, the associations that you worked with?
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: To what extent are they aligned to the types of things that you're doing today?
• 40:58
  Speaker 2: A little bit Like I was like so I was working.
• 41:01
  Speaker 2: For instance, I've done like an event, like fundraising event for a nonprofit that you had to recruit participant for the fundraising event, so that, like the outreach, was something that I had done before.
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: Similarly, like I had done like a symposium where you needed to recruit like speakers, but also like get people in the attending and then organize those things.
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: So I don't do as much of like the organizing the event, but definitely I think like getting people on board is something that I have been doing for a long time now that I'm thinking of it, and even when I started at Zephyr I was in sales and the platform is free.
• 41:43
  Speaker 2: So my role was just to basically talk to people and let them know of something cool and help them get onboarded.
• 41:52
  Speaker 2: So I think onboarding people have been probably the common link too.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: That's great, great, miriam, you know, I think it's so.
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: It's been fascinating speaking to you just learning your journey, at least to where you are at today, and you know, like you say, we've got another couple of Olympic cycles to go through from a sporting perspective, whilst continue to build, I guess, a culture, a rich culture and environment where you want to see yourself.
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: You know, when you think of others who are embarking on their career and they're going to be listening to this and thinking, wow, schwentz did, pro, came back and now is managing this, this harmony that we've now got between sport and this off court world, what could I do to best prepare myself?
• 42:40
  Speaker 1: As I'm starting my journey?
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: What guidance would you give from your experience?
• 42:46
  Speaker 2: I think for me it would be to kind of shut off the noise around, like you need you know, like you need to do this, you need to get ready for the future in all these things that you need to, or that is like the prescribed way to do it, and to kind of look what feels right.
• 43:04
  Speaker 2: It's hard sometimes to connect, but really like, if you just like close your eyes, journal any way that you have to, to connect to yourself and to kind of get to the what feels like the real voice, like that is not just a constant chatter, just trying to see like what would be your ideal day to day.
• 43:22
  Speaker 2: Like you know, are you going to end track with people?
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: Are you going to build something like developers do?
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: Like you know, really like in the direct sense, like just trying to feel like what you would be so happy, spending your day doing what it would look like, and then be bold to go maybe into some avenue that you didn't think of but that are coming to you, to explore those with kind of an open mind and just see if they they check the boxes for the criteria that you have come up with sometime.
• 43:56
  Speaker 2: It's like it's really just not what you've been thinking of so.
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: Very true, miriam.
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: Thanks very much again.
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: Just finally, for those listening who want to follow your journey, perhaps get in touch.
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: What are the best ways to do that?
• 44:11
  Speaker 2: I think Instagram is my chosen platform, so they can find me at.
• 44:16
  Speaker 2: It's Miriam Robb, m-y-r-i-a-m-r-o-b on Instagram for Robbitaille, so that's where I'm posting most things about where I am right now.
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: Perfect Miriam.
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: Thanks very much for joining me today.
• 44:32
  Speaker 2: Thanks, ryan, that was a pleasure.
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the Second Win podcast.
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: We hope you enjoyed hearing insights from today's athlete on transitioning out of competitive careers.
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: If you're looking for career clarity for your next step, make sure you check out secondwindio for more information or to book a consultation with me.
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: I'd like to thank claire from betty book design, nancy from savvy podcast solutions, and cerise from copying content by lola, for their help in putting this podcast together.
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: That's all from me.
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: Take it easy Until next time.