August 13, 2024 • 50 mins
In this Paralympic PowHERful Podcast, sitting volleyball player Nicky Nieves details her journey of coming to grips with her limb difference. And dives into how she's using her journey to inspire others, while keeping her own competitive fire burning with her shot at revenge in Paris.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:07):
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Speaker 3 (00:18):
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(00:41):
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Speaker 4 (00:44):
Hello friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast. I'm your
host Aja McCord. In this podcast, we introduce you to
powerful women who are changing the game in and outside
of their field of play. These are women's stories, women
who happen to be doing things that many of us
can only dream of, but the lessons and inspiration they
share is universal.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Welcome friends to another episode of the Powerful Podcast, where
we are highlighting some of the most amazing women who
are competing for Team USA this summer in Paris. And
I could not be more excited for our next guest
because this woman is a member of Team USA's sitting
volleyball team. She has made her third Paralympic roster, getting
ready for her second Paralympics. She is the director and
(01:28):
founder of Limitless People Incorporated, which is all about providing
volleyball for all and just a joyful human being to
be around. So, Nicki Mihana is, thank you so much
for joining us here on.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
The Powerful Podcast.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
Yeah, be share, thank you for having me. I'm super
excited to just chat.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I know it's going to be so fun.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I have so many things that I want to talk
with you about, but I want to start with the
Paralympics because for you, like I mentioned third Paralympic roster,
but only the second time, you're actually going to go
to Paris. So we're going to go to the Paralympics.
So walk me through what unfolded for you before Tokyo.
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Yeah, so man COVID. COVID happened and it was weird.
I came out to Oklahoma City to train as I
usually do whenever we have big events. And of course
before the games, I'll come out to Oklahoma City. We
trained in Edmund at University of Central Oklahoma to train,
and then it got postponed, and I remember going home
(02:24):
for a little bit and then coming back out and
everything was just super strict with mask and having to
get tested every day, and then we had a positive
test within I'll just say, like our family wasn't just
within our volleyball family. And it was right before we
were gearing up to leave, So I'll say at this point,
maybe it was like five or six days before we
(02:47):
were gearing up to leave, and I remember being nervous,
and we still had to send the test every day
and it was coming back negative. And I remember feeling
funny on the drive back home because I I drive
my car too, and then back to the state of
Florida so I can have transportation, right, And I honestly
like nervous, yes, but really didn't think anything of it
(03:09):
because I'm all seismatic, so I'm like, oh, like my
asthma was flying up. It is what it is. Got
back home and I was like, well, maybe I should test,
but I didn't want to use the test that they
gave us that like had to be sent in. I
was like, I'll just go and get a rapid and
I think I went to like three different CBS's and
(03:30):
I couldn't find a rapid. I remember like talking to
my temate on the phone and I was like, I
can't find one. She like went out to go get
one too, because she was super nervous. And finally like
I just I don't know, like I feel like it's
like that looming like what if, but you're like no, no, no,
like it's fine, and man, I remember like things like
(03:51):
my body just felt weird, and I remember like faintly
kind of like losing like smell, and I was like,
there's no way. And I went and I tested. And
with any of the tests, usually it's they say like
oh like within fifteen to twenty minutes, but when you
are positive, it pops quick like I swear, it's like
five seconds and like the positive will come up. So
(04:14):
I'm like swave and I like put it in literally
like five to ten seconds past and like the little
white comes on because it was a battery powered test,
Oh gosh, and I'm that I can laugh about it now.
I've done a lot of processing, but I was like no,
like no way, no way, and I like went and
did another one and it came back and I was mortified,
(04:35):
Like I didn't want to tell my teammates, I didn't
want to tell my coach, just because I felt like
I was such a disappointment, like I did everything that
I was supposed to do. My best friend was getting married.
I didn't even do her bachelorette and I was her
maid of honor. Other fun events that were going on,
like I just decided not to do them because I
was like I want to be as safe as I
can be. I want to show up for my team.
I don't want to get sick. I want to enjoy
(04:55):
these games. And even like with sponsorships like I was
with Nike and City Bank, and thankfully I'm still with them,
so they still supported me. Even post Tokyo, I like
didn't know where to put my face, like I didn't
know how to say it, like such a shame that
came with it, and just kind of like now you
have to like go through everything right, like the people
(05:15):
that are expecting you to be there, friends and family.
So I waited. Two days went by and we're like
all in the group chat like, yeah, another negative. We're
about to leave, and I'm just like like not saying anything.
And then finally I was like, well, I mean we're
about to leave like tomorrow, Like I can't there's I
(05:36):
can't hide it anymore. So I remember I think it
was calling my coach. I called him first, and I
remember like sobbing and I can't even The only things
that I remember telling him was like, I'm so sorry,
and he was super like sad and disappointed. But I
just felt so bad because I felt like I let
him down. I don't I honestly, like I just feel
(05:58):
like it's repressed. Like I don't remember how I told
the team. I do remember having to like go back
and forth with our MGB about like releasing like a
statement because it hadn't even been like twenty four hours yet,
that they were like, oh, hey, by the way, we're
going to put something out that's saying that so and
so is replacing you or something of the sort that
would indicate that I got COVID, and I was like
(06:22):
absolutely not, like that's not fair. I haven't even told
like my family yet. The only people that knew at
this point was just my mom and my dad so
like going back and forth with that, and then like
time is like so wild, so like emailing my coaches
like this is about to happen, like can you please
tell them to stop or like just to wait, And
eventually they did give me a little more time, thankfully,
(06:44):
with my coaches advocating for me as well. But they
changed it and the way that they worded it didn't
necessarily imply that I was the one that was sick.
It was just like, oh, an alternate or something of
the sort was getting taken. And from there then I
remember I had like posted a video, which is funny.
I was just looking for it the other day. I
(07:05):
was like I can't find it. I'm like my prob. Yeah,
I remember like making a video that was just like
I'm not going like I'm not going to be there.
And even before making that video, I think we already
had like played like our first game or something like that.
(07:27):
So like the phone call started coming and they were
like we don't see you on the court, like where
we don't see you on the bench, Like what's going on?
Where are you? Like all the texts and stuff, So
I like sent out I posted that message and it
was just like hey, I'm not going like it's really unfortunate,
and man, it was a really hard time just because
you feel like you let so many people down. It
(07:50):
was a longer quad instead of four years, and that
was five years having to see my team. We're getting
to see clips because to this day, I haven't I
don't I've processed, but I haven't processed enough courage to
watch our matches yet having them come back with another
gold medal and knowing that you, like I wasn't there,
(08:13):
and then just like some of the conversations that I
had with some of my teammates that were over there,
it just was really a hard a really hard time,
like redefining your worth, redefining your role, which sucks to
say because you know, I'm more than an athlete, But
in a situation like that where like that's just like
your life and your trending so hard for it, your
(08:35):
identity gets wrapped up at it. So it's just like,
am I like? Am I worth these brand deals? Am
I worth? Like people wanting to do work with me
or wanting to sponsor me? I don't know how to
have these conversations on mental health was really a big thing,
and oddly enough, like I'm finishing my master's in clinical
(08:57):
mental health right now to be a therapist. But even
in those moments, like I'm learning how to really create
the boundary and like reach out to the people that
were closest to me that like, hey, I'm not doing
well on like the night of like our gold medal match,
like one of my friends Jenny or one of my
friends Jenny was like, hey, come out with us, and
(09:18):
like just kept me on. I was like, I want
to go home, and she's like, well, we're gonna go
here now, like just come. So just like thankful for
like friends that I have like that, And I don't know,
I feel like it gave me a lot of character development,
even so that situation sucked and just taught me how
to be resilient. Taught me how to like really define
my needs and express my needs and know when I'm
(09:41):
not okay. And although I am a super cheery person
and I like to be that loud like let's go
and get everybody going, I need to make sure that
I'm okay before I can pump everybody else up.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
So that is definitely lesson.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
That is the hardest lesson, especially for assuming you have
a some amount of extrovert in you.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
I think I'm like pretty balanced, Like it's weird when
I'm like, good to go, I'm like, let's go, well
rock and I'm screaming, I'm cheering, and then I'm like,
all right, I need to like walk by myself.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
And I think recharged, yes.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Because I think I have that same sort of like
I get energized around people for sure, and also have
gotten really good at like being okay, being by myself too.
But I think you touched on so many things and
like the lessons we really like dove right in here.
This was like a podcast that started from the very
beginning but which I'm obsessed with. But I think that
one of the things you touched on, like I cannot
(10:35):
wait to get into who you are as a volleyball player,
but we dove right in with who you are as
a human being and some of the lessons that you've
learned because of your sport.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
I think that's so powerful.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
To talk about the mental health side of not just
in because it wasn't It was an injury in the
sense that it kept you from playing, but then there
was also that time there was so much shame, right
about like I did, I must have done something wrong
in order to this, And so I remember all the
time being so scared in that time, not just of
(11:08):
getting COVID and the implications of it, but the shame
of if I can't show up for work, or if
I can't you know, meet with my family for the holidays,
so I.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Haven't seen in two years at this point or.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Whatever it is, right, it is like that shame is
something that I think probably us as a society, us
as a generation, like are certainly.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
Still processing for sure. Just man, just knowing that you
and you don't know how anybody else is gonna like
take it right, Like one of my teammates got COVID
and she was completely fine, no symptoms at all, and
then somebody else could literally fall on their deathbeds. So
it's like, not only am I affecting my team's ability
to show up and perform, because I'm like a starter
(11:51):
that gets on the court that's expected to like deliver. Now,
who am I around? How am I isolating? Because I
was at home and there was a bunch of us.
It was like me and my mom, my dad, my
oldest niece, and then my grandmother and my grandfather and
my grandfather's like was what ninety ninety two at the time,
and my grandma was what like eighty nine, eighty eight,
(12:12):
eighty nine. So it's just like all the stressors try
and then just like a balance like now, like my
parents don't like seeing me upset and I'm like their
daughter and they're just like okay, like let's just get
out of the funk, and like trying not to make
them feel bad, but like, hey, like you guys have
to understand, like I am not okay, Like I'm really
sad right now, I'm grieving and like, but I'm also
(12:32):
like isolated. So it just man, it was like literally
just like a whole world within itself and like having
to like juggle everything, yeah, and then come out at
the end of it like okay, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, so let's let's talk about sort of the quote
unquote end of it and like making this third Paralympic
roster and locking in your spot for Paris. How how
much would you say that that missing the Tokyo Paralympics
motivated you in these last three years to be as
(13:05):
strong as you could be, as prepared as you could be,
to make this third Paralympic roster.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
Yeah, I think if anything, it has pushed me more
to go after the possibility of being the absolute best
that I could be. And it's weird that I say
that because I always compare myself to like the last
event that's happened. Let me explain it. So like every quad,
(13:33):
there's like a World Championship, there's a Zonos, there's like
one major tournament every year in that quad. So for me,
I compare myself to the last quad and how I performed.
So I'm like, what did my body look like? How
was I eating, how was I hitting, how was I blocking?
Like whatever the case may be, to try and beat
that past version. So it feels weird to say, like, oh,
(13:56):
this pushed me to be the absolute best because there
was like no measuring in Tokyo because I didn't wasn't
able to perform, but I knew that I felt like
I was at my best and I was at my peak.
So now it's almost kind of like doubling down and
I came out stronger mentally because I dealt with like
the death of an event, which is like the best
(14:19):
way to describe it. Like it's something that you're training
so hard for your preparing and then it just got
like snatched from me. Yeah. So now I'm just like, oh,
I'm being like the best version that I can be,
and I know what I was going to potentially look
like going into Tokyo, and now I'm like, oh, like
for sure, like I'm doubling down and I'm going in
and I'm taking everything that like belongs to me, like
(14:40):
it's it's literally redemption, like sorry and redemption against me. Yeah,
but it's so weird because literally redemption for myself. Like
it's not even like oh, I'm going in to go
against like China again, like yeah, no, Like I'm literally
like going in like redemption like for the at the Games,
like I'm taking everything that like was oh two years Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
That's so interesting because I think so much the time
as athletes, we get so motivated by our by something, right,
it takes something to like really get that competitive flame going,
and so for you, it's like missing that has made
you be like all right, Paralympics, you are not ready
for the wrath upon which I will ensue on you
in Paris because It's been too long since I've had
(15:23):
my chance.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Here literally literally like just everything all like the pens
up energy and excitement and man like everything like what
you've been eating, how you've been training, like being with
your teammates, just everything is just doubled. Now, Well that
has me.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
So hyped to watch you compete in Paris. I want
you to give us a little bit of insights. So
we like picked up your story at the most recent chapter,
but let's let's start at the beginning. Let's start at
the beginning chapters because I would love for people to
get to know how this fiery, passionate, amazing woman came
to be.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And your story is very unique.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
You were, I guess talk me through how you found
the Paralympic movement, how you sort of worked through a
childhood where you were incredibly athletic three different sports in
high school, I do believe, all while not having a
left arm below.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
The wrist right.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
And so walk me through just what defined Nikki in
your childhood that you found a haven in sports.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
Yeah. I've just really loved sports my whole life in
a sense, like to play it. Like if people were like, oh,
let's let's go watch it, I'm like, eh, but like
if I could go play it, that's fine, and I
at that time, like growing up, really felt like I
found community and I found like my friends and something
that we were all passionate about. So I played volleyball,
(16:47):
I ran track, I was a cheerleader, and at the
ends of it all, I was like, okay, like when
I'm done, I still want to play volleyball outside of
high school. So I did. I went to Queen's College
and I don't even want to say notre but like
the buzz that came from it, like, oh my gosh,
like Queen's College has a girl that's playing volleyball out
of hand. At first I was like, oh, yeah, I
(17:07):
guess like you can do interviews and stuff. And then
after a while, I was like this is so stupid
because I don't want people to look at me and
say like, oh, she's so inspired because she's doing something
without a hand, like be inspired because I'm a great player,
or I exceeded like that position's like skill, like you
know what I mean. Yeah, So after a while I
was just like I don't want this. I remember telling
(17:28):
r Ad at the time, I was like, I don't
want to do any more interviews. I don't want to
talk to anybody else, like I just want to play volleyball,
and finally I want to I want to say maybe,
Like at the end of the season, he was like, hey,
like somebody reached out and you know, they wanted to know,
like if you're interested in sitting volleyball. They said, hey, like,
we see you have a player without a hand. We
have sitting volleyball. We want her to come and try it.
(17:51):
And I was like, okay, that sounds cool, like through
that and literally and like as ignorant as it is,
because like my whole life growing up, my parents were like,
if you want to do something, okay, we'll figure out
away and get it done. They didn't know about para
sport or adaptive sport. It was almost kind of like
I was just a leprechaun, like I'm the only one
(18:11):
and I'm existing and I'm trying to figure out a
way to make it work within this world being the
only one, knowing that you're not the only one, but
I don't. I don't see anybody else. I don't have
any other limb different friends. So for me, in my mind,
I was like I do not want to play a
sport that's adapted because I don't want people looking at
(18:32):
me like taking pity, like I couldn't hack it because
for so long I was just fighting to be seen
as an athlete, like a regular athlete, just like everybody else.
I don't want to be seen as like the pity
or like the inspiration. So I definitely don't want to
go sit on the floor and play volleyball. I don't
want to do that. So they kept asking and I
was like, oh, maybe I'll think about it. And my parents,
(18:55):
especially my dadd he was like, hey, just go try it.
They're paying for everything. You don't like it, you just
leave it like nobody's forcing you. I'm like, okay, I guess.
So I remember like going on to my first camp.
It was at Fort Sam Houston and San Antonio, and
if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I was the
only girl and it was all military men. And anybody
(19:17):
then knows military men. No, they talk smack like they
literally will talk smack, and.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
I really just put men on the court and they
talk smack like I don't even know, literally military.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
But like my local gym, the whole last mac talking going.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
On literally and like throwing the fact that like I
wasn't a kid. I was already like what twenty one,
twenty one, twenty two. So they're like, oh, game on,
Like we don't have to be nice, like you're in
the twenties, like you're an adult. Yeah, so we like
go and they're like popping off their legs and like
popping off their arms and just like getting on the court,
and I'm just like my flabber was gasted. I was like,
I don't understand how these people just pop off their
(19:53):
limbs and they don't care and they just hop on
the court like they were just like playing, and they're like,
she can't even pass, she can't like just I really
just talking Tomac. And of course it's the same, but
it's different because now my movement is different. I'm having
to learn how to read quicker and move before I
touch a ball. I don't have the use of like
(20:15):
jumping or like just getting my legs to take me somewhere.
And now it doesn't matter if I can jump really high,
because we can't jump, so the six foot three person
in front of me has a better chance of blocking me.
Like everything just got a lot harder, and the court's
way smaller. It's eleven by six meters, so I'm getting
hit in the face a lot because I don't have
(20:35):
that quick a reaction time yet because I'm not playing
city volleyball. So it was really difficult. And after, like
by the end, I think it was like almost like
the last day, I remember like hanging out with one
of the guys and he was just like telling me
a story about being an Iraq and he had gotten
blown up by an ID and like it was the
only survivor and like just telling me like all of
(20:56):
these stories and I just like start crying and he's
like like literally like what is wrong with you? Like,
and in my head, I'm like that's all. I've never
been around adaptive people, Like I've never been around like
people that are missing parts like me. You're telling me
the super sob story, like that's so sad and you
don't even care, like you just popped off your leg
and I'm over here like I don't want anybody to
(21:19):
look at my hands and like feel sorry for me.
And sometimes I hide it, like if I'm being honest,
like I don't want the extra eyes or people staring
at me, so I hide it and you're just fine,
like what so immediately I'm like, I feel so stupid
and I'm just like crying. He's like, what's wrong, And
I was like, well, everybody's just so confident and I've
(21:40):
been like hiding my hand this whole time. Like it
was just ye, it was a mess. So literally, from
that camp, I was like well maybe and they were like, well,
come and try another one. And I was like okay.
And I don't want to say like I was like
hooked completely, but one aspect that did hook me was
I was a space of other people that were genuinely
(22:03):
like me. They were missing limbs, they were trying to
figure out things in life, just like I was a
lot of them. Once I started, I met the women.
A lot of them had played college sports, some of
them had played D one, some of them didn't meet
adaptive sports until their collegiate career, just like I did.
And I finally felt like I had a connection, like
(22:25):
I could like talk and like express myself and like hey,
how did you how did you do this? And little
by little I was like, Wow, there's like so much
more opportunity for me to just grow as an athlete
sitting volleyball wise rather than traditionally because now I'm forced
to have to like read the court more. And now
I'm forced to have to like make like just be
(22:46):
an intune athlete, because if I'm honest, when I'm standing,
I'm just a dumb jock. I'm like, nobody can out
jump me. And I'm like trying to like out jump
everybody and just like hitting the ball and I don't care,
and I'm like blocking and that's it. And then now
I'm like, Okay, if you just wail it, that girl's
gonna block you straight down and you're gonna look stupid,
like You're like you literally have to like place your
(23:06):
stuff and be smart and reach high and like move quick.
So I don't know, like it just it literally just
kind of captivated me, and it made me the confident
person that I am today because I saw other women
do it. I saw Kendra Lancaster that played on my
team that was missing her hand that she was like
just whatever, mind you. She wore a prosthetic, and I
also was like anti prosthetic. Now I feel a little
(23:28):
bit better about it, but like starting I was like,
I don't want a prosthetic. I don't want that people
gonna stay at men more. And like seeing her with
her prosthetic and she just like didn't care. And then
I'm seeing like Michelle Schiffler at the time, and she
had like her arm was even shorter, and she like
was just so like her personality was just like vibrant
and just very like joyous and like ah like all
(23:50):
the time, and like when she's talking, she's like using
her hands and we're like out and she's like this
and I'm just like like again like gasping, like oh
my god, like these women don't care. Yeah, So for me,
it just really like pushed me out and it was
just like be proud of who you are and be
the person that you needed to see because now it's
(24:11):
opening doors for me to like go and coach at
places like Nobility where I'm coaching other limb different kids,
and I'm like, man, like, had I had this when
I was young, like I would have been at this
place way earlier than like reaching it in my twenties.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
So that's what I was going to ask you, is
listening to your story.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Right you are one of the paralympians who was born
with their limb difference, right like you were born without
a left hand, and so I can imagine when you're
the only one growing up like that.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Of course you want to fit in.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
That's like every teenager who's ever existed, right, Like, you
just want to fit in, And a lot of times
there's ways to do that, right, Like you can change
your hair, you can wear the makeup, but you had
a limb difference that was much harder to sort of
to fit in quote unquote, right, I can imagine that
when you were around that group of people, it was
(25:03):
like that that twelve year old girl felt some freedom
for the first time of like, no, this actually I
feel free to be entirely myself. And of course I'm
sure you had community and great and your parents not amazing,
but there's something to say about being met exactly as
you are with people who look like you literally physically
(25:24):
have been through what you've been through. It's like why
community is so freeing because, yeah, because it's your people,
and that's just like all there is to it.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
Yeah, it literally allowed me to exist authentically. And not
to say that I didn't exist in other spaces authentically,
but it's just a difference being able to like express
yourself and not sugarcoat things because you don't know how
people are gonna take it, and everybody's entitled to their
feelings and their opinions, but it's it's always a little
scary being that vulnerable with someone is unaware or they
(25:57):
don't know about your situation, or like they're just ignorant
to because they don't know yet, you know. Yeah, it
was just really nice, and it is really nice to
just be able to just exist and not have to
worry about small little nuances because they're going through it
or have gone through it with me.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, so okay, So take me from the volleyball player
who was taking the trash talk and realized at twenty one, like,
oh shoot, I may be really good at sports. I'm
not good at this one too. Now making your third
Paralympic ross, Like, what did you embrace to become this
amazing sitting volleyball player.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
That you are?
Speaker 5 (26:34):
Yeah, well, the first thing was just not being ashamed
to say that I play sitting volleyball, because now I
was like, oh, I accept it, but I don't know
how other people are. One of the first people I
told was my childhood best friend. So I grew up
in New York, we moved to Florida, and then I
went back to Queens and I went to Queen's College
(26:54):
because I'm from Queens and a lot of the people
that were there were the same people that I went
to school with. A lot of them I'm like bumping
into and like talking to, which is kind of cool.
And one of them the very first people that I
told her name is i Nes Thompson. She was like
my kindergarten through like fifth grade best friends. And I
was like, I know, it's just so crazy because I'm
like playing sitting and I don't know, Like she was
(27:16):
like girl, like who cares? Like that's all like like
she was just like it is one day, like go
do it. Oh my gosh, se USA. And at that
time it wasn't even as big yet, and this was
like two thousand and eleven, so like when you compare
like twenty twelve games, so like what it is now,
like it's grown exponentially. So even telling her, I was
(27:37):
like scared, and I was like, well, people are gonna
juge me. They're gonna think I'm lessing, and She's like
who cares, like, just go do it. So I'm like okay.
And even along like the beginning stages, like when I
would tell some people like she helped a lot because
I was like, Okay, I'm I gonna care. But like
some people will be like oh yeah, like okay, like
that's great, or like why would you stop playing at
(27:57):
Queen to like go play sitting like it just understand it.
And we're like traveling, like oh I just downloaded WhatsApp
because I made friends in Brazil and like we're texting
and they'd be like, oh yeah friends in Brazil, Like yeah,
I'm like yeah because we had like like a tournament
or something, you know what I mean. Yeah, And then
like it literally just took like not caring, like you
(28:20):
just can't care what people are going to say. And
a lot of that also came from like wanting to
be on the court, so like I'm either gonna be
like shameful and like not show up what I need
to show up, or just not care and like do
the extra work. And I decided to like do the
extra work. So I like moved to Oklahoma City for
two I don't remember if it was like two or
two and a half years to train and then just decided, okay,
(28:42):
if I'm leaving, like every time we have a bigger tournament,
I have to make sure that I'm like coming back
and training for extended periods of time, and it's taken
a lot of work to be where I'm at currently.
To become a starter, it's taking a lot of work.
And to be honest, like, although I feel like I
played really well, it's still something that has to be earned,
you know, Like I just I can't just expect to
(29:04):
start on the court. I have to work for it,
and I prove myself every single time, even years later.
So it's I don't know, it's just deciding deciding that
I wanted to do that, I wanted to do the work,
I wanted to show up and be the best that
I could possibly be, and putting that my foot forward
to do so.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Yeah, So, other than the probably obvious difference of standing
versus sitting, what is the biggest thing that you had
to adapt about your game to be a great sitting
down player?
Speaker 5 (29:36):
There are still things that are adapting, if I'm quite honest,
fair fair, because I like sometimes I'm like, oh, I
like I do this when I'm standing up, but I
can't necessarily do this when I'm standing down, because a
standing down, when I'm sitting.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Down, standing down it works, yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
Because it doesn't necessarily like translate or like yeah, even now,
mind you, I'm a middle everybody knows that middle headers
and blockers do not play defense. We go in the
back row when we serve. Defend for your life so
you can stay in so if you have to, when
you have to get out, it's not because of your
own mistake, you know. But standing on my feet, I
felt so much more confident because I can run, I
(30:17):
can go and get a ball, and I have so
much more space to pass a ball. I am never
taking a ball above my head or trying to hand
pass it or none of that, whereas in sitting there's
no other option. Or like when balls come like midway
and some people are just taking it quick, I'm like,
ten years later, I'm still trying to figure out how
(30:38):
to do this, Like even in practice now, I'm like
I don't know where to put my hands, like literally
so that or like blocking a ball, My serve has
been really weird. Okay, as far as I can stand,
I don't, and I still can't find the correlation or
like the difference and why I'll like struggle sitting and
then standing. I'm just like pop the ball and serve
(31:00):
it over and then yes, when I'm sitting down, I'm
like I don't know if it's like too much torque
or like sometimes I'm like four and I like whale
the ball, or like some like it's so weird, or
like there's been times where like I hit my teammate
in the back of the head and I was like
so embarrassed, Like literally it was so embarrassing. I got
up and I bowed and I walked off. I was
like sorry, like relax, so like it's literally like things
(31:23):
like that where I'm just like, oh, like this, like
it's the same, but it's different, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
I think we're going to reframe that story of hitting
the serf like thor and that just means that your
nickname going into Paris is Nikki the hammer nee of it.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
And then hammer just means.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
That you're gonna put it down not on the serf,
not in the back of your teamate's head, but everywhere.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
On the court.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Literally literally, I'm just like I feel like it's just weird,
like there's no one between, Like I feel like I
barely touched it and it flies, or I'm like putting
all my might in and it's like a wet noodle,
like just like, okay, it.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Has done sports right, Like we all get it.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
There's like there's those times like I was a gymnast
and I would swear to you that I did this
skill the exact same way, and yet this time I
landed on my head and the last time I land
on my feet. So like Explaicama that like you can't
it just sometimes yeah, it just sometimes doesn't make sense.
So that is a universal experience. Okay, So for those
(32:24):
who are just getting into the sport of sitting volleyball,
like you mentioned, it has grown so much in the
last decade plus, which is amazing. We love to see it.
So give us some context the history of teensa sitting
volleyball and what you guys are are the legacy that
you are creating as a Paralympic team.
Speaker 5 (32:42):
Yeah wow. So we've always been super competitive, thankfully, because
I'm a believe a believer. Sorry, so I will say
thank you Jesus. We've always made it to the podium.
And I want to say that Rio was probably the
turning plant for us because it's like when we started
(33:03):
to lock in together as a team, we started to
work with a sports psychiatrist. We started to be more vulnerable,
open and honest with each other and stress each other
that we're showing up, that we're doing the work even
when we don't see each other, and we're taking care
of ourselves. And as our team continues to evolve and
some people retire and some people knew people come in,
(33:27):
the biggest thing that we've been working on is just
a culture of taking care of yourself and being honest
and really taking recovery seriously and advocating for yourself because
nobody is going to advocate for you the way that
you do. And although we'll support each other, kind of
giving that push to speak up for yourself, express your needs,
(33:49):
what do you need, what's not working for you, what's
working for you? And also with that advocating for our
sport and advocating for our program and what what can
we do to make it better? How can we get better?
What do we need as a whole? So just really
I don't know. The culture and the program has shifted
(34:09):
a lot in a sense that it's just it's on
the up and up on the positive side. So yes,
we are performers and we deliver and we execute and
we compete, but like with that comes eating well with
our dietician and getting that recovery and making those appointments
and taking care of our bodies and advocating when we
just can't do something like we are really notorious for
(34:31):
playing like through injury. It's just something that's been like normal,
So not normalizing that, like denormalizing that, like I need
probably need to sit this one out or like this
practice out and take care of myself and make an
extra doctor's appointment, whatever the case may be, to make
sure that I can show up one hundred percent for
the team.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
One of the things that I think is so interesting
about what you just said, and something that is so
important to highlight when we're talking about a lot of
Olympic sports and certainly almost all the Paralympic sports, is
that this cannot be a full time job for you
because you have to do other things in order to
sustain a life that then creates an opportunity for you
(35:12):
to go train and for you to go compete and
all these things.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
And I know you have some amazing sponsors alongside of.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
You, Yeah, but that is such a reality for like
I said, a lot of Olympians and certainly a majority
of paralympians that that is a big burden to carry
in addition to being the best in the world, right
because like everybody wants to like TMSA, nobody's more patriotic.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
Right.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Then as soon as the Olympics come around, all of
a sudden, the countries everything's divided, us is gone now
because we're we're all.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
Rooting for Team USA. Yeah, but you guys have to
go through so much to be ready to carry the
burden of that flag with you.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Yeah, it's kind of wild to think about because two
things can exist at one time, but these two things
are like extremely contradicting because you need to work in
order to provide for yourself, in order to get the training,
to get the resources. But in that working, you're also
(36:10):
taking away from your ability to train and to show
up and to do what you need to do. Same
goes with securing sponsorship dollars and like putting yourself out there,
you know, putting the work out there so people could
see you, and then trusting you know, agents and publicists
and marketers to actually do the right thing. And man,
(36:32):
it's just I just feel like it's so opposite, Like, yeah,
two things can exist at one time, but like it's
super difficult, like teammates are not taking any vacation to
save their vacation time to be able to go to
the Paralympic Games or kind of cutting things up or
like working extra to make up for extra time so
(36:53):
they can go to that tournament or so they could
have one extra day because really, like, yes, although the
games are fun, are still exhausting, like you're competing and
once you're done, it's just like a kind of like
an energy dump, like the postgame blues and really like
you're just expected to show up the next day. Yeah,
(37:14):
so it's like working hard, like get those extra hours
so you don't have to show up the next day.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
So she so with that, that's obviously like a big,
a big purpose behind the Powerful podcast is we want
to tell these stories so that we can make sure
that people know, Hey, I fell in love with Nikki when.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
I heard her on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
I've rooted her on in Paris. What is something that
people can do tangibly to support Team USA sitting boll
support you year in, year out, because we all know
the games only come around every four years, and you
all got to do a lot of things in those
three and a half years in between to be.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Ready to go again.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
Yeah, my biggest thing would be just support on the socials.
Follow our team page, the USA Women's sitting team, follow
up visual pages like my page. Watch us on the
channels if you can. I know NBC is going to
be putting some stuff out there. I know Peacock is streaming.
Watch all the channels, and don't even don't only just
(38:11):
watch volleyball, like, try and watch all of the sports,
because the more eyes that we get, the more value that,
you know, the streaming gives to us. Like Okay, well
they had so many hours as time, let's up it.
They had so many hours, you have so many people.
Let's increase it. And through that increase comes everything else, right,
like other companies saying like oh wow, like hmm, like
(38:34):
they're they're getting a lot of eyeballs. Maybe I do
want to sponsor more athletes. Maybe I do want to
give more athletes jobs. I know that there's I can't
remember them at the top of my head right now,
but there's two. I know LA twenty eight does it.
It's a fellowship program for athletes. And there's another company
that does I want to maybe I want to say Visa.
So there might be three. But these are companies that
(38:56):
put values in athletes, so where they're like offering jobs
that are giving you the ability to go and train
if you need to go and train, or go and compete,
while also offering you a full time position and letting
you see the different roles that you might serve best in,
and then also offering you a full time after that,
like fellowship is done. So some of them might last
six months, some of them might last a year, but
(39:18):
definitely more support, more eyeballs, more sharing, whenever you see it,
post to comment, repost.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
What I.
Speaker 5 (39:27):
Literally literally, just get the engagement up, to share with
your friends, put it in spaces if you have the
ability to put it in spaces. I always tell people
pay it forward. If you're a PE teacher, if you're
a teacher, if you are a SPAD teacher, Like, hey,
let's plan adaptive sports today. Let's try sitting volleyball. We
have chairs of available, let's try wheelchair basketball, whatever the
(39:47):
case may be. To help normalize it, to help spread
the Paralympic movement, and to just get more engagement both
on a socials, on phones, whatever, laptops, but in real
life as well.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
I love that the things that you have done is
really take that real life approach by starting limitless.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
So can you tell us a little bit about you
about your foundation?
Speaker 5 (40:12):
Yeah, for sure, it is like my little baby. So
it's not. What I love about it is that it's
not huge, because it's meant to hit from the heart.
What I want to do is spread more volleyball, awareness,
more volleyball, both traditional and sitting, to everyone, regardless of
their financial ability, regardless of where they're geographically located, whether
(40:36):
it be a camp, a clinic. We've done community outreach
where we're just like feeding a community. Maybe I just
did a like I teamed up with the Department of
Recreation in Puerto Rico for a town called no Umacao
for this out of Umacau and we just did like
(40:56):
did volleyball and they did some games too. So literally
just saar volleyball, teaching the skills if they need to
be taught the skills, or giving you maybe some extra
playing times, some extra practice time. I know for me,
my parents, fortunately I'm the last kid, so my parents
invested a lot of money for club volleyball and I joke,
(41:17):
and I'm like, oh, it all paid off, right, Like
all the money, all the time and investment like paid off.
And I know that there are so many barriers, especially
with volleyball it's almost kind of like a country club
sport at this point, with all the money that you
need to put in. What would another kid become if
they only have like ten percent of the opportunity that
I had, or even five percent, you know, like could
(41:38):
they get a little bit further, could they get more
eyes on them, could they better a skill? And maybe
now that team wants to pick them up. So really
just spreading opportunity in any way that I can.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
I love it well.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
I am so grateful for just the chance to get
to talk with you and learn a little bit more
about your story and limitless and just the like I said,
it's so apparent because I've been following you on social
for a while and it's so obvious from both your
socials and also from this interview that you are authentically joyful,
which I think gives you a very big difference than
(42:11):
just like happy, right because I think oftentimes the highlight
reels seem happy. But it's very clear that you've done
the work to be authentically joyful, regardless of circumstance or
obstacles or whatever. And so I'm so excited that the
powerful podcast fan is going to get.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
A chance to know you a little bit better.
Speaker 5 (42:29):
WO.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
So, now we're going to move into our segment called
Something to Sip On. It's brought to you by the
Sports Spra, which is the very first women's sports bar
in the entire world. And so the week that we
have this interview coming out, they are going to have
a featured mocktail called the Nikki.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
What is in the Nikki?
Speaker 5 (42:47):
Oh? Man, I'm like super simple, but like not so.
I like sparkling water, okay, my favorite is any strawberry
sparkling water and true sparkling water. Not the ones that
are like, oh, it's sparkling water and it has like
some juice at it. That's so nasty. Well it's not.
Let me take that back.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
It's not nasty, but it's yeah, it's not getting.
Speaker 5 (43:07):
So sparkling water. I don't like the ones that have
juice in it. I just like the ones that have
regular just sparkling water with the taste. I don't know
how they get the taste. I just know that it's
not juice, and I'm with it. So sparkling water, I
like strawberry, and then I like tart cherry because tart
cherry helps with recovery relaxation, So I like to add
a little shot of tart cherry into that. And then
(43:30):
sometimes if it's NSEF certified, you can add a little
magnesium into that to help with the sleep more of
the relaxation. That's like my jam. And then I'm like
super fancy. I'll like put it in like a little
champagne glass or like one of like my little fancy
target glasses because it just makes me feel better about myself.
Like Ballad, I'm living in this mansion and I just
have like my mocksail, like my bartender just like made
(43:51):
it up for me, and like now after a long
damp like training, could just like get in my robe
and like sit in bed and read.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Okay, I love it.
Speaker 5 (43:58):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (43:58):
So that's what we sip it on at the sports
Bra the week that the Nicky comes out.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
And now we're moving to our final segment.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
It's called the Powered Up segment, and it is where
we go rapid fire questions and I'm terrible at rapid fire,
it turns out because I always love the story behind
the question, so I'm gonna try and stick to my
game plan. Okay, So first one coffee or tea coffee? Okay,
that's easy. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Speaker 5 (44:26):
My gosh, I was just thinking about this cold stone
and it's not a flavor. I like cake batter with
yellow cake mix and cookie down extent.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Oh okay, I like that. Go to meal after playing
city volleyball.
Speaker 5 (44:41):
This is probably gonna be so weird. I really like eggs,
so okay, if I'm home, probably like scrambled eggs and
toasts literally, like I could eat it in the morning
and at night, Like it doesn't matter. I just like
all day every day.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Okay, great early to bed or early to rise or
your night out.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
Oh I feel like man, no early to rise and
not even on purpose, it's because I have to.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
Fair very valid. What is a favorite place your sport
has taken you?
Speaker 5 (45:22):
Ooh Japan? Ooh?
Speaker 1 (45:24):
What city?
Speaker 5 (45:25):
Yeah, Tokyo?
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Oh very cool?
Speaker 5 (45:29):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
If you were not a Paralympican and sitting volleyball, what
sport would you want to compete in? Either the Paralympics
or the Olympics in.
Speaker 5 (45:37):
Oh Man, I'm like so biased because it just be volleyball.
Gotta be beach, she said.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Actually, I'm really good in my zone and keep me here.
Speaker 5 (45:49):
Literally, I've tried other sports like besides running, but I'm
just like, oh, I don't want to do that like competitively.
I just want to do it for fun. Like I'm
I'm a running early now and I'm training for a half.
Like I just want to do it for fun. Yeah,
Like I don't want to do it, Like that's just
so much stress. Like just give me like a ball
and let me just go a.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
Very beautiful venues. Yeah, okay, what is your favorite dessert?
Speaker 5 (46:12):
My favorite dessert? Oh man, I don't think I have
a favorite because I love it all. Okay, I'm such
a sweet girl. Like I love pastries. I love Ooh,
there's a pacook. I'm like, no, I'm thinking about it.
I'm like, oh my.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
Gosh, we're recording.
Speaker 5 (46:28):
There's a pastry and it's guava and cheese. So it's
like the guava filling and then like the cheese and
it has like that flaky like crust and like some
people will like put the little wash over it with
the sugar. And Publics. There's a very popular supermarket chain
in the Southeastern hemisphere. It's called Publics, And if you
(46:51):
want the freshest pastries, go to Publics and they they're
guava and cheese.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
The first time somebody told me about Publics because I'm.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
San Diego, so like, yeah, never heard of it, right,
I didn't spend a lot of time in Florida, like never.
Then covered the super Bowl in Tampa and somebody was like, no,
public so you've got to go there.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
We're gonna get our stuff for the beach and blah
blah blah.
Speaker 5 (47:10):
And I was like, yes, oh that's a true Flureadi
and go to Publics before.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
The beach to a grocery store, like let's go pick
up food somewhere, and they're like, no, we're going to Publics.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
And I was like, this stuff was good, Like it
was very good.
Speaker 5 (47:22):
Everything's good. Their produce is good, their fruits are top tier,
their bakery like everything. Yeah, it's like.
Speaker 1 (47:29):
It's like the South.
Speaker 3 (47:30):
It's like the South slash Florida's like secret hidden thing.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (47:38):
Okay, and then the last sort of last part for
this one is what is the best piece of advice
you've ever gotten.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
Man, the one that's been like sticking in my head
recently because I can't even say best piece because so
many people have like poured life to my life. The
best one is probably from my old teammate slash friend.
Her name is Carrie Miller Ortiz, and I remember we
were at a tournament one time and they were like
(48:12):
giving out like best hitter awards and all this other stuff.
And I don't know what we were talking about or
if we were even like talking, but she like turned
to me and she's like, you don't think you can
win one of those awards, and like it just never
had even dawns on me. I was just like, oh, like,
I'm on the team, I'm doing the best that I
can whatever, And she was like, you don't think you
could win one of those awards, Like you absolutely can,
(48:33):
and just literally like just like flicked a switch in
my head, like, oh, I absolutely can. Like it doesn't
have to be like the same people now, mind you.
I'm still fighting for one of those awards and it's
a little hard when you only play three rotations on
the court, but I man, like it's literally like kept
(48:53):
the fire under me going, oh.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Okay, and then this is the Powerful podcast, So I
to know what does powerful mean to you?
Speaker 5 (49:04):
Man? Powerful to me means living authentically and free of
any perception that people want you to live in. It
just means to be you, to exist, to do what
you need to do, to be happy, to have those
healthy boundaries, to get the help that you need. Just
(49:27):
it's powerful to be you. So be you exist in
who you are.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
When do you feel the most powerful?
Speaker 5 (49:36):
Man? I feel the most powerful when I am helping
clients at my internship because I feel like I've been
learning so much and I'm able to help them in
their journey. So when they come back and like they
tell me success or they're like trust me with something
(49:59):
that's super into me and lets me know that I'm
doing my job and I'm trusted to be along with
them on their journey. So I just feel like super
powerful of them, like strong, and I'm like, we can
get through anything together.
Speaker 1 (50:12):
Look, I absolutely believe it.
Speaker 3 (50:14):
I'm just I'm so grateful that you took the time
to do this podcast. I know you're so busy getting
ready to compete in Paris, and I just I cannot
wait to root you on in Paris and beyond.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
So thank you Nikki for being on foutful. Thank you
all right, we'll see you all next week. Thanks for
joining us.
Speaker 3 (50:29):
This is a reminder to check us out every Tuesday
all summer long, everywhere you get your podcasts. And if
you really enjoy this and don't want to miss an episode,
be sure to hit that subscribe button.
If you're listening to this podcast, we know one thing
for absolute certain you are a fan of women's sports.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
And there's nothing better than enjoying women's sports with community,
and no better place to find that community than The
Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, the very first women's sports.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Bar in the world.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
The owner Jenny Wynn and her team have created the
best atmosphere combined with top tier menu and cocktail options
to root on your favorite team. So next time you're
in Portland, be sure to stop by the sports Bra
and don't forget all summer, the sports Bra will be
featuring drinks picked out by our powerful women, So stop by,
have a sip, and enjoy the summer sports season jam
(00:41):
packed with women's sports at the Sports Bra.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Hello friends, and welcome to the Powerful Podcast. I'm your
host Aja McCord. In this podcast, we introduce you to
powerful women who are changing the game in and outside
of their field of play. These are women's stories, women
who happen to be doing things that many of us
can only dream of, but the lessons and inspiration they
share is universal.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Welcome friends to another episode of the Powerful Podcast, where
we are highlighting some of the most amazing women who
are competing for Team USA this summer in Paris. And
I could not be more excited for our next guest
because this woman is a member of Team USA's sitting
volleyball team. She has made her third Paralympic roster, getting
ready for her second Paralympics. She is the director and
(01:28):
founder of Limitless People Incorporated, which is all about providing
volleyball for all and just a joyful human being to
be around. So, Nicki Mihana is, thank you so much
for joining us here on.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
The Powerful Podcast.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
Yeah, be share, thank you for having me. I'm super
excited to just chat.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I know it's going to be so fun.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I have so many things that I want to talk
with you about, but I want to start with the
Paralympics because for you, like I mentioned third Paralympic roster,
but only the second time, you're actually going to go
to Paris. So we're going to go to the Paralympics.
So walk me through what unfolded for you before Tokyo.
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Yeah, so man COVID. COVID happened and it was weird.
I came out to Oklahoma City to train as I
usually do whenever we have big events. And of course
before the games, I'll come out to Oklahoma City. We
trained in Edmund at University of Central Oklahoma to train,
and then it got postponed, and I remember going home
(02:24):
for a little bit and then coming back out and
everything was just super strict with mask and having to
get tested every day, and then we had a positive
test within I'll just say, like our family wasn't just
within our volleyball family. And it was right before we
were gearing up to leave, So I'll say at this point,
maybe it was like five or six days before we
(02:47):
were gearing up to leave, and I remember being nervous,
and we still had to send the test every day
and it was coming back negative. And I remember feeling
funny on the drive back home because I I drive
my car too, and then back to the state of
Florida so I can have transportation, right, And I honestly
like nervous, yes, but really didn't think anything of it
(03:09):
because I'm all seismatic, so I'm like, oh, like my
asthma was flying up. It is what it is. Got
back home and I was like, well, maybe I should test,
but I didn't want to use the test that they
gave us that like had to be sent in. I
was like, I'll just go and get a rapid and
I think I went to like three different CBS's and
(03:30):
I couldn't find a rapid. I remember like talking to
my temate on the phone and I was like, I
can't find one. She like went out to go get
one too, because she was super nervous. And finally like
I just I don't know, like I feel like it's
like that looming like what if, but you're like no, no, no,
like it's fine, and man, I remember like things like
(03:51):
my body just felt weird, and I remember like faintly
kind of like losing like smell, and I was like,
there's no way. And I went and I tested. And
with any of the tests, usually it's they say like
oh like within fifteen to twenty minutes, but when you
are positive, it pops quick like I swear, it's like
five seconds and like the positive will come up. So
(04:14):
I'm like swave and I like put it in literally
like five to ten seconds past and like the little
white comes on because it was a battery powered test,
Oh gosh, and I'm that I can laugh about it now.
I've done a lot of processing, but I was like no,
like no way, no way, and I like went and
did another one and it came back and I was mortified,
(04:35):
Like I didn't want to tell my teammates, I didn't
want to tell my coach, just because I felt like
I was such a disappointment, like I did everything that
I was supposed to do. My best friend was getting married.
I didn't even do her bachelorette and I was her
maid of honor. Other fun events that were going on,
like I just decided not to do them because I
was like I want to be as safe as I
can be. I want to show up for my team.
I don't want to get sick. I want to enjoy
(04:55):
these games. And even like with sponsorships like I was
with Nike and City Bank, and thankfully I'm still with them,
so they still supported me. Even post Tokyo, I like
didn't know where to put my face, like I didn't
know how to say it, like such a shame that
came with it, and just kind of like now you
have to like go through everything right, like the people
(05:15):
that are expecting you to be there, friends and family.
So I waited. Two days went by and we're like
all in the group chat like, yeah, another negative. We're
about to leave, and I'm just like like not saying anything.
And then finally I was like, well, I mean we're
about to leave like tomorrow, Like I can't there's I
(05:36):
can't hide it anymore. So I remember I think it
was calling my coach. I called him first, and I
remember like sobbing and I can't even The only things
that I remember telling him was like, I'm so sorry,
and he was super like sad and disappointed. But I
just felt so bad because I felt like I let
him down. I don't I honestly, like I just feel
(05:58):
like it's repressed. Like I don't remember how I told
the team. I do remember having to like go back
and forth with our MGB about like releasing like a
statement because it hadn't even been like twenty four hours yet,
that they were like, oh, hey, by the way, we're
going to put something out that's saying that so and
so is replacing you or something of the sort that
would indicate that I got COVID, and I was like
(06:22):
absolutely not, like that's not fair. I haven't even told
like my family yet. The only people that knew at
this point was just my mom and my dad so
like going back and forth with that, and then like
time is like so wild, so like emailing my coaches
like this is about to happen, like can you please
tell them to stop or like just to wait, And
eventually they did give me a little more time, thankfully,
(06:44):
with my coaches advocating for me as well. But they
changed it and the way that they worded it didn't
necessarily imply that I was the one that was sick.
It was just like, oh, an alternate or something of
the sort was getting taken. And from there then I
remember I had like posted a video, which is funny.
I was just looking for it the other day. I
(07:05):
was like I can't find it. I'm like my prob. Yeah,
I remember like making a video that was just like
I'm not going like I'm not going to be there.
And even before making that video, I think we already
had like played like our first game or something like that.
(07:27):
So like the phone call started coming and they were
like we don't see you on the court, like where
we don't see you on the bench, Like what's going on?
Where are you? Like all the texts and stuff, So
I like sent out I posted that message and it
was just like hey, I'm not going like it's really unfortunate,
and man, it was a really hard time just because
you feel like you let so many people down. It
(07:50):
was a longer quad instead of four years, and that
was five years having to see my team. We're getting
to see clips because to this day, I haven't I
don't I've processed, but I haven't processed enough courage to
watch our matches yet having them come back with another
gold medal and knowing that you, like I wasn't there,
(08:13):
and then just like some of the conversations that I
had with some of my teammates that were over there,
it just was really a hard a really hard time,
like redefining your worth, redefining your role, which sucks to
say because you know, I'm more than an athlete, But
in a situation like that where like that's just like
your life and your trending so hard for it, your
(08:35):
identity gets wrapped up at it. So it's just like,
am I like? Am I worth these brand deals? Am
I worth? Like people wanting to do work with me
or wanting to sponsor me? I don't know how to
have these conversations on mental health was really a big thing,
and oddly enough, like I'm finishing my master's in clinical
(08:57):
mental health right now to be a therapist. But even
in those moments, like I'm learning how to really create
the boundary and like reach out to the people that
were closest to me that like, hey, I'm not doing
well on like the night of like our gold medal match,
like one of my friends Jenny or one of my
friends Jenny was like, hey, come out with us, and
(09:18):
like just kept me on. I was like, I want
to go home, and she's like, well, we're gonna go
here now, like just come. So just like thankful for
like friends that I have like that, And I don't know,
I feel like it gave me a lot of character development,
even so that situation sucked and just taught me how
to be resilient. Taught me how to like really define
my needs and express my needs and know when I'm
(09:41):
not okay. And although I am a super cheery person
and I like to be that loud like let's go
and get everybody going, I need to make sure that
I'm okay before I can pump everybody else up.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
So that is definitely lesson.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
That is the hardest lesson, especially for assuming you have
a some amount of extrovert in you.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
I think I'm like pretty balanced, Like it's weird when
I'm like, good to go, I'm like, let's go, well
rock and I'm screaming, I'm cheering, and then I'm like,
all right, I need to like walk by myself.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:13):
And I think recharged, yes.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Because I think I have that same sort of like
I get energized around people for sure, and also have
gotten really good at like being okay, being by myself too.
But I think you touched on so many things and
like the lessons we really like dove right in here.
This was like a podcast that started from the very
beginning but which I'm obsessed with. But I think that
one of the things you touched on, like I cannot
(10:35):
wait to get into who you are as a volleyball player,
but we dove right in with who you are as
a human being and some of the lessons that you've
learned because of your sport.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
I think that's so powerful.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
To talk about the mental health side of not just
in because it wasn't It was an injury in the
sense that it kept you from playing, but then there
was also that time there was so much shame, right
about like I did, I must have done something wrong
in order to this, And so I remember all the
time being so scared in that time, not just of
(11:08):
getting COVID and the implications of it, but the shame
of if I can't show up for work, or if
I can't you know, meet with my family for the holidays,
so I.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Haven't seen in two years at this point or.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Whatever it is, right, it is like that shame is
something that I think probably us as a society, us
as a generation, like are certainly.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
Still processing for sure. Just man, just knowing that you
and you don't know how anybody else is gonna like
take it right, Like one of my teammates got COVID
and she was completely fine, no symptoms at all, and
then somebody else could literally fall on their deathbeds. So
it's like, not only am I affecting my team's ability
to show up and perform, because I'm like a starter
(11:51):
that gets on the court that's expected to like deliver. Now,
who am I around? How am I isolating? Because I
was at home and there was a bunch of us.
It was like me and my mom, my dad, my
oldest niece, and then my grandmother and my grandfather and
my grandfather's like was what ninety ninety two at the time,
and my grandma was what like eighty nine, eighty eight,
(12:12):
eighty nine. So it's just like all the stressors try
and then just like a balance like now, like my
parents don't like seeing me upset and I'm like their
daughter and they're just like okay, like let's just get
out of the funk, and like trying not to make
them feel bad, but like, hey, like you guys have
to understand, like I am not okay, Like I'm really
sad right now, I'm grieving and like, but I'm also
(12:32):
like isolated. So it just man, it was like literally
just like a whole world within itself and like having
to like juggle everything, yeah, and then come out at
the end of it like okay, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, so let's let's talk about sort of the quote
unquote end of it and like making this third Paralympic
roster and locking in your spot for Paris. How how
much would you say that that missing the Tokyo Paralympics
motivated you in these last three years to be as
(13:05):
strong as you could be, as prepared as you could be,
to make this third Paralympic roster.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
Yeah, I think if anything, it has pushed me more
to go after the possibility of being the absolute best
that I could be. And it's weird that I say
that because I always compare myself to like the last
event that's happened. Let me explain it. So like every quad,
(13:33):
there's like a World Championship, there's a Zonos, there's like
one major tournament every year in that quad. So for me,
I compare myself to the last quad and how I performed.
So I'm like, what did my body look like? How
was I eating, how was I hitting, how was I blocking?
Like whatever the case may be, to try and beat
that past version. So it feels weird to say, like, oh,
(13:56):
this pushed me to be the absolute best because there
was like no measuring in Tokyo because I didn't wasn't
able to perform, but I knew that I felt like
I was at my best and I was at my peak.
So now it's almost kind of like doubling down and
I came out stronger mentally because I dealt with like
the death of an event, which is like the best
(14:19):
way to describe it. Like it's something that you're training
so hard for your preparing and then it just got
like snatched from me. Yeah. So now I'm just like, oh,
I'm being like the best version that I can be,
and I know what I was going to potentially look
like going into Tokyo, and now I'm like, oh, like
for sure, like I'm doubling down and I'm going in
and I'm taking everything that like belongs to me, like
(14:40):
it's it's literally redemption, like sorry and redemption against me. Yeah,
but it's so weird because literally redemption for myself. Like
it's not even like oh, I'm going in to go
against like China again, like yeah, no, Like I'm literally
like going in like redemption like for the at the Games,
like I'm taking everything that like was oh two years Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
That's so interesting because I think so much the time
as athletes, we get so motivated by our by something, right,
it takes something to like really get that competitive flame going,
and so for you, it's like missing that has made
you be like all right, Paralympics, you are not ready
for the wrath upon which I will ensue on you
in Paris because It's been too long since I've had
(15:23):
my chance.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Here literally literally like just everything all like the pens
up energy and excitement and man like everything like what
you've been eating, how you've been training, like being with
your teammates, just everything is just doubled. Now, Well that
has me.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
So hyped to watch you compete in Paris. I want
you to give us a little bit of insights. So
we like picked up your story at the most recent chapter,
but let's let's start at the beginning. Let's start at
the beginning chapters because I would love for people to
get to know how this fiery, passionate, amazing woman came
to be.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And your story is very unique.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
You were, I guess talk me through how you found
the Paralympic movement, how you sort of worked through a
childhood where you were incredibly athletic three different sports in
high school, I do believe, all while not having a
left arm below.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
The wrist right.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
And so walk me through just what defined Nikki in
your childhood that you found a haven in sports.
Speaker 5 (16:24):
Yeah. I've just really loved sports my whole life in
a sense, like to play it. Like if people were like, oh,
let's let's go watch it, I'm like, eh, but like
if I could go play it, that's fine, and I
at that time, like growing up, really felt like I
found community and I found like my friends and something
that we were all passionate about. So I played volleyball,
(16:47):
I ran track, I was a cheerleader, and at the
ends of it all, I was like, okay, like when
I'm done, I still want to play volleyball outside of
high school. So I did. I went to Queen's College
and I don't even want to say notre but like
the buzz that came from it, like, oh my gosh,
like Queen's College has a girl that's playing volleyball out
of hand. At first I was like, oh, yeah, I
(17:07):
guess like you can do interviews and stuff. And then
after a while, I was like this is so stupid
because I don't want people to look at me and
say like, oh, she's so inspired because she's doing something
without a hand, like be inspired because I'm a great player,
or I exceeded like that position's like skill, like you
know what I mean. Yeah, So after a while I
was just like I don't want this. I remember telling
(17:28):
r Ad at the time, I was like, I don't
want to do any more interviews. I don't want to
talk to anybody else, like I just want to play volleyball,
and finally I want to I want to say maybe,
Like at the end of the season, he was like, hey,
like somebody reached out and you know, they wanted to know,
like if you're interested in sitting volleyball. They said, hey, like,
we see you have a player without a hand. We
have sitting volleyball. We want her to come and try it.
(17:51):
And I was like, okay, that sounds cool, like through
that and literally and like as ignorant as it is,
because like my whole life growing up, my parents were like,
if you want to do something, okay, we'll figure out
away and get it done. They didn't know about para
sport or adaptive sport. It was almost kind of like
I was just a leprechaun, like I'm the only one
(18:11):
and I'm existing and I'm trying to figure out a
way to make it work within this world being the
only one, knowing that you're not the only one, but
I don't. I don't see anybody else. I don't have
any other limb different friends. So for me, in my mind,
I was like I do not want to play a
sport that's adapted because I don't want people looking at
(18:32):
me like taking pity, like I couldn't hack it because
for so long I was just fighting to be seen
as an athlete, like a regular athlete, just like everybody else.
I don't want to be seen as like the pity
or like the inspiration. So I definitely don't want to
go sit on the floor and play volleyball. I don't
want to do that. So they kept asking and I
was like, oh, maybe I'll think about it. And my parents,
(18:55):
especially my dadd he was like, hey, just go try it.
They're paying for everything. You don't like it, you just
leave it like nobody's forcing you. I'm like, okay, I guess.
So I remember like going on to my first camp.
It was at Fort Sam Houston and San Antonio, and
if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I was the
only girl and it was all military men. And anybody
(19:17):
then knows military men. No, they talk smack like they
literally will talk smack, and.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
I really just put men on the court and they
talk smack like I don't even know, literally military.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
But like my local gym, the whole last mac talking going.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
On literally and like throwing the fact that like I
wasn't a kid. I was already like what twenty one,
twenty one, twenty two. So they're like, oh, game on,
Like we don't have to be nice, like you're in
the twenties, like you're an adult. Yeah, so we like
go and they're like popping off their legs and like
popping off their arms and just like getting on the court,
and I'm just like my flabber was gasted. I was like,
I don't understand how these people just pop off their
(19:53):
limbs and they don't care and they just hop on
the court like they were just like playing, and they're like,
she can't even pass, she can't like just I really
just talking Tomac. And of course it's the same, but
it's different because now my movement is different. I'm having
to learn how to read quicker and move before I
touch a ball. I don't have the use of like
(20:15):
jumping or like just getting my legs to take me somewhere.
And now it doesn't matter if I can jump really high,
because we can't jump, so the six foot three person
in front of me has a better chance of blocking me.
Like everything just got a lot harder, and the court's
way smaller. It's eleven by six meters, so I'm getting
hit in the face a lot because I don't have
(20:35):
that quick a reaction time yet because I'm not playing
city volleyball. So it was really difficult. And after, like
by the end, I think it was like almost like
the last day, I remember like hanging out with one
of the guys and he was just like telling me
a story about being an Iraq and he had gotten
blown up by an ID and like it was the
only survivor and like just telling me like all of
(20:56):
these stories and I just like start crying and he's
like like literally like what is wrong with you? Like,
and in my head, I'm like that's all. I've never
been around adaptive people, Like I've never been around like
people that are missing parts like me. You're telling me
the super sob story, like that's so sad and you
don't even care, like you just popped off your leg
and I'm over here like I don't want anybody to
(21:19):
look at my hands and like feel sorry for me.
And sometimes I hide it, like if I'm being honest,
like I don't want the extra eyes or people staring
at me, so I hide it and you're just fine,
like what so immediately I'm like, I feel so stupid
and I'm just like crying. He's like, what's wrong, And
I was like, well, everybody's just so confident and I've
(21:40):
been like hiding my hand this whole time. Like it
was just ye, it was a mess. So literally, from
that camp, I was like well maybe and they were like, well,
come and try another one. And I was like okay.
And I don't want to say like I was like
hooked completely, but one aspect that did hook me was
I was a space of other people that were genuinely
(22:03):
like me. They were missing limbs, they were trying to
figure out things in life, just like I was a
lot of them. Once I started, I met the women.
A lot of them had played college sports, some of
them had played D one, some of them didn't meet
adaptive sports until their collegiate career, just like I did.
And I finally felt like I had a connection, like
(22:25):
I could like talk and like express myself and like hey,
how did you how did you do this? And little
by little I was like, Wow, there's like so much
more opportunity for me to just grow as an athlete
sitting volleyball wise rather than traditionally because now I'm forced
to have to like read the court more. And now
I'm forced to have to like make like just be
(22:46):
an intune athlete, because if I'm honest, when I'm standing,
I'm just a dumb jock. I'm like, nobody can out
jump me. And I'm like trying to like out jump
everybody and just like hitting the ball and I don't care,
and I'm like blocking and that's it. And then now
I'm like, Okay, if you just wail it, that girl's
gonna block you straight down and you're gonna look stupid,
like You're like you literally have to like place your
(23:06):
stuff and be smart and reach high and like move quick.
So I don't know, like it just it literally just
kind of captivated me, and it made me the confident
person that I am today because I saw other women
do it. I saw Kendra Lancaster that played on my
team that was missing her hand that she was like
just whatever, mind you. She wore a prosthetic, and I
also was like anti prosthetic. Now I feel a little
(23:28):
bit better about it, but like starting I was like,
I don't want a prosthetic. I don't want that people
gonna stay at men more. And like seeing her with
her prosthetic and she just like didn't care. And then
I'm seeing like Michelle Schiffler at the time, and she
had like her arm was even shorter, and she like
was just so like her personality was just like vibrant
and just very like joyous and like ah like all
(23:50):
the time, and like when she's talking, she's like using
her hands and we're like out and she's like this
and I'm just like like again like gasping, like oh
my god, like these women don't care. Yeah, So for me,
it just really like pushed me out and it was
just like be proud of who you are and be
the person that you needed to see because now it's
(24:11):
opening doors for me to like go and coach at
places like Nobility where I'm coaching other limb different kids,
and I'm like, man, like, had I had this when
I was young, like I would have been at this
place way earlier than like reaching it in my twenties.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
So that's what I was going to ask you, is
listening to your story.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Right you are one of the paralympians who was born
with their limb difference, right like you were born without
a left hand, and so I can imagine when you're
the only one growing up like that.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Of course you want to fit in.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
That's like every teenager who's ever existed, right, Like, you
just want to fit in, And a lot of times
there's ways to do that, right, Like you can change
your hair, you can wear the makeup, but you had
a limb difference that was much harder to sort of
to fit in quote unquote, right, I can imagine that
when you were around that group of people, it was
(25:03):
like that that twelve year old girl felt some freedom
for the first time of like, no, this actually I
feel free to be entirely myself. And of course I'm
sure you had community and great and your parents not amazing,
but there's something to say about being met exactly as
you are with people who look like you literally physically
(25:24):
have been through what you've been through. It's like why
community is so freeing because, yeah, because it's your people,
and that's just like all there is to it.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
Yeah, it literally allowed me to exist authentically. And not
to say that I didn't exist in other spaces authentically,
but it's just a difference being able to like express
yourself and not sugarcoat things because you don't know how
people are gonna take it, and everybody's entitled to their
feelings and their opinions, but it's it's always a little
scary being that vulnerable with someone is unaware or they
(25:57):
don't know about your situation, or like they're just ignorant
to because they don't know yet, you know. Yeah, it
was just really nice, and it is really nice to
just be able to just exist and not have to
worry about small little nuances because they're going through it
or have gone through it with me.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Yeah, so okay, So take me from the volleyball player
who was taking the trash talk and realized at twenty one, like,
oh shoot, I may be really good at sports. I'm
not good at this one too. Now making your third
Paralympic ross, Like, what did you embrace to become this
amazing sitting volleyball player.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
That you are?
Speaker 5 (26:34):
Yeah, well, the first thing was just not being ashamed
to say that I play sitting volleyball, because now I
was like, oh, I accept it, but I don't know
how other people are. One of the first people I
told was my childhood best friend. So I grew up
in New York, we moved to Florida, and then I
went back to Queens and I went to Queen's College
(26:54):
because I'm from Queens and a lot of the people
that were there were the same people that I went
to school with. A lot of them I'm like bumping
into and like talking to, which is kind of cool.
And one of them the very first people that I
told her name is i Nes Thompson. She was like
my kindergarten through like fifth grade best friends. And I
was like, I know, it's just so crazy because I'm
like playing sitting and I don't know, Like she was
(27:16):
like girl, like who cares? Like that's all like like
she was just like it is one day, like go
do it. Oh my gosh, se USA. And at that
time it wasn't even as big yet, and this was
like two thousand and eleven, so like when you compare
like twenty twelve games, so like what it is now,
like it's grown exponentially. So even telling her, I was
(27:37):
like scared, and I was like, well, people are gonna
juge me. They're gonna think I'm lessing, and She's like
who cares, like, just go do it. So I'm like okay.
And even along like the beginning stages, like when I
would tell some people like she helped a lot because
I was like, Okay, I'm I gonna care. But like
some people will be like oh yeah, like okay, like
that's great, or like why would you stop playing at
(27:57):
Queen to like go play sitting like it just understand it.
And we're like traveling, like oh I just downloaded WhatsApp
because I made friends in Brazil and like we're texting
and they'd be like, oh yeah friends in Brazil, Like yeah,
I'm like yeah because we had like like a tournament
or something, you know what I mean. Yeah, And then
like it literally just took like not caring, like you
(28:20):
just can't care what people are going to say. And
a lot of that also came from like wanting to
be on the court, so like I'm either gonna be
like shameful and like not show up what I need
to show up, or just not care and like do
the extra work. And I decided to like do the
extra work. So I like moved to Oklahoma City for
two I don't remember if it was like two or
two and a half years to train and then just decided, okay,
(28:42):
if I'm leaving, like every time we have a bigger tournament,
I have to make sure that I'm like coming back
and training for extended periods of time, and it's taken
a lot of work to be where I'm at currently.
To become a starter, it's taking a lot of work.
And to be honest, like, although I feel like I
played really well, it's still something that has to be earned,
you know, Like I just I can't just expect to
(29:04):
start on the court. I have to work for it,
and I prove myself every single time, even years later.
So it's I don't know, it's just deciding deciding that
I wanted to do that, I wanted to do the work,
I wanted to show up and be the best that
I could possibly be, and putting that my foot forward
to do so.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Yeah, So, other than the probably obvious difference of standing
versus sitting, what is the biggest thing that you had
to adapt about your game to be a great sitting
down player?
Speaker 5 (29:36):
There are still things that are adapting, if I'm quite honest,
fair fair, because I like sometimes I'm like, oh, I
like I do this when I'm standing up, but I
can't necessarily do this when I'm standing down, because a
standing down, when I'm sitting.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Down, standing down it works, yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:55):
Because it doesn't necessarily like translate or like yeah, even now,
mind you, I'm a middle everybody knows that middle headers
and blockers do not play defense. We go in the
back row when we serve. Defend for your life so
you can stay in so if you have to, when
you have to get out, it's not because of your
own mistake, you know. But standing on my feet, I
felt so much more confident because I can run, I
(30:17):
can go and get a ball, and I have so
much more space to pass a ball. I am never
taking a ball above my head or trying to hand
pass it or none of that, whereas in sitting there's
no other option. Or like when balls come like midway
and some people are just taking it quick, I'm like,
ten years later, I'm still trying to figure out how
(30:38):
to do this, Like even in practice now, I'm like
I don't know where to put my hands, like literally
so that or like blocking a ball, My serve has
been really weird. Okay, as far as I can stand,
I don't, and I still can't find the correlation or
like the difference and why I'll like struggle sitting and
then standing. I'm just like pop the ball and serve
(31:00):
it over and then yes, when I'm sitting down, I'm
like I don't know if it's like too much torque
or like sometimes I'm like four and I like whale
the ball, or like some like it's so weird, or
like there's been times where like I hit my teammate
in the back of the head and I was like
so embarrassed, Like literally it was so embarrassing. I got
up and I bowed and I walked off. I was
like sorry, like relax, so like it's literally like things
(31:23):
like that where I'm just like, oh, like this, like
it's the same, but it's different, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
I think we're going to reframe that story of hitting
the serf like thor and that just means that your
nickname going into Paris is Nikki the hammer nee of it.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
And then hammer just means.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
That you're gonna put it down not on the serf,
not in the back of your teamate's head, but everywhere.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
On the court.
Speaker 5 (31:48):
Literally literally, I'm just like I feel like it's just weird,
like there's no one between, Like I feel like I
barely touched it and it flies, or I'm like putting
all my might in and it's like a wet noodle,
like just like, okay, it.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Has done sports right, Like we all get it.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
There's like there's those times like I was a gymnast
and I would swear to you that I did this
skill the exact same way, and yet this time I
landed on my head and the last time I land
on my feet. So like Explaicama that like you can't
it just sometimes yeah, it just sometimes doesn't make sense.
So that is a universal experience. Okay, So for those
(32:24):
who are just getting into the sport of sitting volleyball,
like you mentioned, it has grown so much in the
last decade plus, which is amazing. We love to see it.
So give us some context the history of teensa sitting
volleyball and what you guys are are the legacy that
you are creating as a Paralympic team.
Speaker 5 (32:42):
Yeah wow. So we've always been super competitive, thankfully, because
I'm a believe a believer. Sorry, so I will say
thank you Jesus. We've always made it to the podium.
And I want to say that Rio was probably the
turning plant for us because it's like when we started
(33:03):
to lock in together as a team, we started to
work with a sports psychiatrist. We started to be more vulnerable,
open and honest with each other and stress each other
that we're showing up, that we're doing the work even
when we don't see each other, and we're taking care
of ourselves. And as our team continues to evolve and
some people retire and some people knew people come in,
(33:27):
the biggest thing that we've been working on is just
a culture of taking care of yourself and being honest
and really taking recovery seriously and advocating for yourself because
nobody is going to advocate for you the way that
you do. And although we'll support each other, kind of
giving that push to speak up for yourself, express your needs,
(33:49):
what do you need, what's not working for you, what's
working for you? And also with that advocating for our
sport and advocating for our program and what what can
we do to make it better? How can we get better?
What do we need as a whole? So just really
I don't know. The culture and the program has shifted
(34:09):
a lot in a sense that it's just it's on
the up and up on the positive side. So yes,
we are performers and we deliver and we execute and
we compete, but like with that comes eating well with
our dietician and getting that recovery and making those appointments
and taking care of our bodies and advocating when we
just can't do something like we are really notorious for
(34:31):
playing like through injury. It's just something that's been like normal,
So not normalizing that, like denormalizing that, like I need
probably need to sit this one out or like this
practice out and take care of myself and make an
extra doctor's appointment, whatever the case may be, to make
sure that I can show up one hundred percent for
the team.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
One of the things that I think is so interesting
about what you just said, and something that is so
important to highlight when we're talking about a lot of
Olympic sports and certainly almost all the Paralympic sports, is
that this cannot be a full time job for you
because you have to do other things in order to
sustain a life that then creates an opportunity for you
(35:12):
to go train and for you to go compete and
all these things.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
And I know you have some amazing sponsors alongside of.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
You, Yeah, but that is such a reality for like
I said, a lot of Olympians and certainly a majority
of paralympians that that is a big burden to carry
in addition to being the best in the world, right
because like everybody wants to like TMSA, nobody's more patriotic.
Speaker 5 (35:34):
Right.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Then as soon as the Olympics come around, all of
a sudden, the countries everything's divided, us is gone now
because we're we're all.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
Rooting for Team USA. Yeah, but you guys have to
go through so much to be ready to carry the
burden of that flag with you.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Yeah, it's kind of wild to think about because two
things can exist at one time, but these two things
are like extremely contradicting because you need to work in
order to provide for yourself, in order to get the training,
to get the resources. But in that working, you're also
(36:10):
taking away from your ability to train and to show
up and to do what you need to do. Same
goes with securing sponsorship dollars and like putting yourself out there,
you know, putting the work out there so people could
see you, and then trusting you know, agents and publicists
and marketers to actually do the right thing. And man,
(36:32):
it's just I just feel like it's so opposite, Like, yeah,
two things can exist at one time, but like it's
super difficult, like teammates are not taking any vacation to
save their vacation time to be able to go to
the Paralympic Games or kind of cutting things up or
like working extra to make up for extra time so
(36:53):
they can go to that tournament or so they could
have one extra day because really, like, yes, although the
games are fun, are still exhausting, like you're competing and
once you're done, it's just like a kind of like
an energy dump, like the postgame blues and really like
you're just expected to show up the next day. Yeah,
(37:14):
so it's like working hard, like get those extra hours
so you don't have to show up the next day.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
So she so with that, that's obviously like a big,
a big purpose behind the Powerful podcast is we want
to tell these stories so that we can make sure
that people know, Hey, I fell in love with Nikki when.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
I heard her on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
I've rooted her on in Paris. What is something that
people can do tangibly to support Team USA sitting boll
support you year in, year out, because we all know
the games only come around every four years, and you
all got to do a lot of things in those
three and a half years in between to be.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Ready to go again.
Speaker 5 (37:50):
Yeah, my biggest thing would be just support on the socials.
Follow our team page, the USA Women's sitting team, follow
up visual pages like my page. Watch us on the
channels if you can. I know NBC is going to
be putting some stuff out there. I know Peacock is streaming.
Watch all the channels, and don't even don't only just
(38:11):
watch volleyball, like, try and watch all of the sports,
because the more eyes that we get, the more value that,
you know, the streaming gives to us. Like Okay, well
they had so many hours as time, let's up it.
They had so many hours, you have so many people.
Let's increase it. And through that increase comes everything else, right,
like other companies saying like oh wow, like hmm, like
(38:34):
they're they're getting a lot of eyeballs. Maybe I do
want to sponsor more athletes. Maybe I do want to
give more athletes jobs. I know that there's I can't
remember them at the top of my head right now,
but there's two. I know LA twenty eight does it.
It's a fellowship program for athletes. And there's another company
that does I want to maybe I want to say Visa.
So there might be three. But these are companies that
(38:56):
put values in athletes, so where they're like offering jobs
that are giving you the ability to go and train
if you need to go and train, or go and compete,
while also offering you a full time position and letting
you see the different roles that you might serve best in,
and then also offering you a full time after that,
like fellowship is done. So some of them might last
six months, some of them might last a year, but
(39:18):
definitely more support, more eyeballs, more sharing, whenever you see it,
post to comment, repost.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
What I.
Speaker 5 (39:27):
Literally literally, just get the engagement up, to share with
your friends, put it in spaces if you have the
ability to put it in spaces. I always tell people
pay it forward. If you're a PE teacher, if you're
a teacher, if you are a SPAD teacher, Like, hey,
let's plan adaptive sports today. Let's try sitting volleyball. We
have chairs of available, let's try wheelchair basketball, whatever the
(39:47):
case may be. To help normalize it, to help spread
the Paralympic movement, and to just get more engagement both
on a socials, on phones, whatever, laptops, but in real
life as well.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
I love that the things that you have done is
really take that real life approach by starting limitless.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
So can you tell us a little bit about you
about your foundation?
Speaker 5 (40:12):
Yeah, for sure, it is like my little baby. So
it's not. What I love about it is that it's
not huge, because it's meant to hit from the heart.
What I want to do is spread more volleyball, awareness,
more volleyball, both traditional and sitting, to everyone, regardless of
their financial ability, regardless of where they're geographically located, whether
(40:36):
it be a camp, a clinic. We've done community outreach
where we're just like feeding a community. Maybe I just
did a like I teamed up with the Department of
Recreation in Puerto Rico for a town called no Umacao
for this out of Umacau and we just did like
(40:56):
did volleyball and they did some games too. So literally
just saar volleyball, teaching the skills if they need to
be taught the skills, or giving you maybe some extra
playing times, some extra practice time. I know for me,
my parents, fortunately I'm the last kid, so my parents
invested a lot of money for club volleyball and I joke,
(41:17):
and I'm like, oh, it all paid off, right, Like
all the money, all the time and investment like paid off.
And I know that there are so many barriers, especially
with volleyball it's almost kind of like a country club
sport at this point, with all the money that you
need to put in. What would another kid become if
they only have like ten percent of the opportunity that
I had, or even five percent, you know, like could
(41:38):
they get a little bit further, could they get more
eyes on them, could they better a skill? And maybe
now that team wants to pick them up. So really
just spreading opportunity in any way that I can.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
I love it well.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
I am so grateful for just the chance to get
to talk with you and learn a little bit more
about your story and limitless and just the like I said,
it's so apparent because I've been following you on social
for a while and it's so obvious from both your
socials and also from this interview that you are authentically joyful,
which I think gives you a very big difference than
(42:11):
just like happy, right because I think oftentimes the highlight
reels seem happy. But it's very clear that you've done
the work to be authentically joyful, regardless of circumstance or
obstacles or whatever. And so I'm so excited that the
powerful podcast fan is going to get.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
A chance to know you a little bit better.
Speaker 5 (42:29):
WO.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
So, now we're going to move into our segment called
Something to Sip On. It's brought to you by the
Sports Spra, which is the very first women's sports bar
in the entire world. And so the week that we
have this interview coming out, they are going to have
a featured mocktail called the Nikki.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
What is in the Nikki?
Speaker 5 (42:47):
Oh? Man, I'm like super simple, but like not so.
I like sparkling water, okay, my favorite is any strawberry
sparkling water and true sparkling water. Not the ones that
are like, oh, it's sparkling water and it has like
some juice at it. That's so nasty. Well it's not.
Let me take that back.
Speaker 1 (43:05):
It's not nasty, but it's yeah, it's not getting.
Speaker 5 (43:07):
So sparkling water. I don't like the ones that have
juice in it. I just like the ones that have
regular just sparkling water with the taste. I don't know
how they get the taste. I just know that it's
not juice, and I'm with it. So sparkling water, I
like strawberry, and then I like tart cherry because tart
cherry helps with recovery relaxation, So I like to add
a little shot of tart cherry into that. And then
(43:30):
sometimes if it's NSEF certified, you can add a little
magnesium into that to help with the sleep more of
the relaxation. That's like my jam. And then I'm like
super fancy. I'll like put it in like a little
champagne glass or like one of like my little fancy
target glasses because it just makes me feel better about myself.
Like Ballad, I'm living in this mansion and I just
have like my mocksail, like my bartender just like made
(43:51):
it up for me, and like now after a long
damp like training, could just like get in my robe
and like sit in bed and read.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Okay, I love it.
Speaker 5 (43:58):
I love it.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (43:58):
So that's what we sip it on at the sports
Bra the week that the Nicky comes out.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
And now we're moving to our final segment.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
It's called the Powered Up segment, and it is where
we go rapid fire questions and I'm terrible at rapid fire,
it turns out because I always love the story behind
the question, so I'm gonna try and stick to my
game plan. Okay, So first one coffee or tea coffee? Okay,
that's easy. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Speaker 5 (44:26):
My gosh, I was just thinking about this cold stone
and it's not a flavor. I like cake batter with
yellow cake mix and cookie down extent.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Oh okay, I like that. Go to meal after playing
city volleyball.
Speaker 5 (44:41):
This is probably gonna be so weird. I really like eggs,
so okay, if I'm home, probably like scrambled eggs and
toasts literally, like I could eat it in the morning
and at night, Like it doesn't matter. I just like
all day every day.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Okay, great early to bed or early to rise or
your night out.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
Oh I feel like man, no early to rise and
not even on purpose, it's because I have to.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
Fair very valid. What is a favorite place your sport
has taken you?
Speaker 5 (45:22):
Ooh Japan? Ooh?
Speaker 1 (45:24):
What city?
Speaker 5 (45:25):
Yeah, Tokyo?
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Oh very cool?
Speaker 5 (45:29):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
If you were not a Paralympican and sitting volleyball, what
sport would you want to compete in? Either the Paralympics
or the Olympics in.
Speaker 5 (45:37):
Oh Man, I'm like so biased because it just be volleyball.
Gotta be beach, she said.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Actually, I'm really good in my zone and keep me here.
Speaker 5 (45:49):
Literally, I've tried other sports like besides running, but I'm
just like, oh, I don't want to do that like competitively.
I just want to do it for fun. Like I'm
I'm a running early now and I'm training for a half.
Like I just want to do it for fun. Yeah,
Like I don't want to do it, Like that's just
so much stress. Like just give me like a ball
and let me just go a.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
Very beautiful venues. Yeah, okay, what is your favorite dessert?
Speaker 5 (46:12):
My favorite dessert? Oh man, I don't think I have
a favorite because I love it all. Okay, I'm such
a sweet girl. Like I love pastries. I love Ooh,
there's a pacook. I'm like, no, I'm thinking about it.
I'm like, oh my.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
Gosh, we're recording.
Speaker 5 (46:28):
There's a pastry and it's guava and cheese. So it's
like the guava filling and then like the cheese and
it has like that flaky like crust and like some
people will like put the little wash over it with
the sugar. And Publics. There's a very popular supermarket chain
in the Southeastern hemisphere. It's called Publics, And if you
(46:51):
want the freshest pastries, go to Publics and they they're
guava and cheese.
Speaker 1 (46:57):
The first time somebody told me about Publics because I'm.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
San Diego, so like, yeah, never heard of it, right,
I didn't spend a lot of time in Florida, like never.
Then covered the super Bowl in Tampa and somebody was like, no,
public so you've got to go there.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
We're gonna get our stuff for the beach and blah
blah blah.
Speaker 5 (47:10):
And I was like, yes, oh that's a true Flureadi
and go to Publics before.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
The beach to a grocery store, like let's go pick
up food somewhere, and they're like, no, we're going to Publics.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
And I was like, this stuff was good, Like it
was very good.
Speaker 5 (47:22):
Everything's good. Their produce is good, their fruits are top tier,
their bakery like everything. Yeah, it's like.
Speaker 1 (47:29):
It's like the South.
Speaker 3 (47:30):
It's like the South slash Florida's like secret hidden thing.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (47:38):
Okay, and then the last sort of last part for
this one is what is the best piece of advice
you've ever gotten.
Speaker 5 (47:50):
Man, the one that's been like sticking in my head
recently because I can't even say best piece because so
many people have like poured life to my life. The
best one is probably from my old teammate slash friend.
Her name is Carrie Miller Ortiz, and I remember we
were at a tournament one time and they were like
(48:12):
giving out like best hitter awards and all this other stuff.
And I don't know what we were talking about or
if we were even like talking, but she like turned
to me and she's like, you don't think you can
win one of those awards, and like it just never
had even dawns on me. I was just like, oh, like,
I'm on the team, I'm doing the best that I
can whatever, And she was like, you don't think you
could win one of those awards, Like you absolutely can,
(48:33):
and just literally like just like flicked a switch in
my head, like, oh, I absolutely can. Like it doesn't
have to be like the same people now, mind you.
I'm still fighting for one of those awards and it's
a little hard when you only play three rotations on
the court, but I man, like it's literally like kept
(48:53):
the fire under me going, oh.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Okay, and then this is the Powerful podcast, So I
to know what does powerful mean to you?
Speaker 5 (49:04):
Man? Powerful to me means living authentically and free of
any perception that people want you to live in. It
just means to be you, to exist, to do what
you need to do, to be happy, to have those
healthy boundaries, to get the help that you need. Just
(49:27):
it's powerful to be you. So be you exist in
who you are.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
When do you feel the most powerful?
Speaker 5 (49:36):
Man? I feel the most powerful when I am helping
clients at my internship because I feel like I've been
learning so much and I'm able to help them in
their journey. So when they come back and like they
tell me success or they're like trust me with something
(49:59):
that's super into me and lets me know that I'm
doing my job and I'm trusted to be along with
them on their journey. So I just feel like super
powerful of them, like strong, and I'm like, we can
get through anything together.
Speaker 1 (50:12):
Look, I absolutely believe it.
Speaker 3 (50:14):
I'm just I'm so grateful that you took the time
to do this podcast. I know you're so busy getting
ready to compete in Paris, and I just I cannot
wait to root you on in Paris and beyond.
Speaker 1 (50:24):
So thank you Nikki for being on foutful. Thank you
all right, we'll see you all next week. Thanks for
joining us.
Speaker 3 (50:29):
This is a reminder to check us out every Tuesday
all summer long, everywhere you get your podcasts. And if
you really enjoy this and don't want to miss an episode,
be sure to hit that subscribe button.
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