#31 Learn To Silence Your Ego with Gabi KOEVA

#31 Learn To Silence Your Ego with Gabi KOEVA

Athlete Case Study: Bulgarian Women’s National Volleyball Team, Middle Blocker for Beşiktaş Women's Volleyball (Istanbul Turkey).  Elite Sports Students Mentor  

_____________________ ____________________________

February 24, 2015

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BACKGROUND

On today’s episode we will talk about how Gabi got to where she is today. We will discuss how she decided to play volleyball instead of basketball, as both of her parents are former basketball players, but at her age, volleyball was the only option. She explains some of her struggles and decisions she has had to make over the years, as well as some of the mentors she’s had to help her. She also shares how she handled being a bench player while playing for the Bulgarian Women’s National Team and the importance of silencing your ego and continuing to work hard no matter what situation you may face.

BIO

• Born, Gabriela KOEVA, from Pleven, Bulgaria on July 25, 1989.

• 6’2” (188cm) Middle Blocker, Volleyball player

• Grew up in the basketball gym, as parents are former players of the sport.

• Attendended National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" in Bulgaria

• Has played professionally in Bulgaria, Switzerland, Italy and Turkey.

• Was invited to join the Bulgarian Senior National Team at 17 years old. Has been a member est. 2007, received the Bronze medal in 2011 for the European Volleyball League, and the SILVER in 2012.

• Business Administration Major

• One of Elite Sport Students founding Mentors

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PERSONAL QUOTE:
“Remember that talent is only 1% of an athlete’s life, and the other 99% is hard work, hard work, and more hard work.” -Gabi’s Father

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN HER LIFE:

Dragan Nesic, the first coach to send Gabi an invitation for the Senior National Team, whom she learned the most from volleyball wise; Svetlana Ilic, Gabi learned a lot from her while playing in Switzerland, was one of the only coaches she had to emphasize importance of mental preparation.

Key Discussion Points:

• When was a time you struggled in your sport or life in general?

• How did you mentally handle being one of the bench players?

• When was a time during a match that you made a mistake, and what did you do to move on from it?

• When was your lightbulb moment?

• When was one of your proudest moments?

• What lead you to your studies that you’ve recently completed?

• What is your current plan to be successful in your life and sport?

Key Lessons:

• Accept failure!

“We all fail on a daily basis. I think its important that we learn from our failures.” GK @ 10:22

• We need to learn to silence our egos and look objectively at the situation we are in

“After all, its the National Team and all the best players from your country are playing there..you have to give them respect..good players, they are not just random people on the court.” GK @ 13:16

• Focus on your skills, getting better, and proving yourself at every practice

• Competition within the team is what helps evolve players

• Egos can be good and bad in some ways

• Find a way to compete and add value to your teammates, make them better

• Do your best to move on quickly from the mistakes you make while competing

“I talked to myself.. ‘the set is gone, it was just one point, you made a mistake, it was not your fault, focus on the next set, start over, do your thing, try to keep in mind the goals you have, focus on the small things, FORGET about it.” GK @ 17:28

• The whole team loses/wins a game, not just one individual

• If you dwell on the last mistake, you are most likely to keep making more

• Sometimes you have to change your scenery or location to be closer to your success

• The most successful people are those who challenge themselves, looking outside the box

• Have your OWN vision for what you want in the future and create small goals to achieve that vision

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ATHLETE'S TIP JAR

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Always see the positive in every situation; things are how they are, its in our power to understand them how we want.

What is the first thing you do when arriving to a new team or arena?
Team: I look forward to the first couple of practices so I can see how the coach is working with the team, so I can understand their perspective.
Arena: I check out the lights, they can be disturbing sometimes

What personal habit do you believe has contributed most to your success?
When I start something, I really want to finish it.

Sleep & Morning ritual:
I sleep between 8-10 hours; I have breakfast, coffee/tea, I am up a few hours before practice, on the court half an hour before doing warm up/ mobility exercises.

What is one way you’d like to improve yourself?
Always try to learn something new, reading books

How do you cross-train to stay fit when you aren’t playing your sport?
I go swimming a few times a week

What is one book you would give away as a gift and why?
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday; I would give this book to anyone who is struggling with something in life, sports, business, etc.

If you had a do-over, knowing everything you know now with all of the new resources (Beyond Athletic Podcasts, ESS Mentors, etc.) ,what would you have done differently and why?
I think things would have happened quicker for me, after listening to other’s experiences on a podcast, I would have learned a lot quicker.

INFO

Charity/Organizations They Add Value to:
Elite Sports Students; Mentor
Possibly a summer camp, 2015,  in Braham, Minnesota, run by Noah Dahlman

Past/Current Teams:
Past: VC CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria; Voléro Zürich,Switzerland; Minerva Volley Pavia, Italy
Current: Beşiktaş Women's Volleyball; Bulgaria Women's National Volleyball Team

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Contact GABI

Gabi's Blog | Facebook | Twitter | ASK GABI Q's Here

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Definition of Being An Athlete?

"Very important in our society; sports are famous, entertainment; people feel a direct impact from sports. If you have a role model, you are interested in all aspects of their professional and personal life. We as athletes should be giving a good example to the young kids. We are influential and
should take it seriously" -Gabi Koeva

RESOURCES

Books Mentioned:
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Relentless: The Ultimate Mind & Body Challenge by Tim Grover

Also Mentioned:

Vlado Jaksic; Basketball Peace Ambassadors; Video

Braham, Minnesota
Noah Dahlman
VC CSKA Sofia,
Voléro Zürich
Minerva Volley Pavia
Beşiktaş Women's Volleyball
Bulgaria Women's National Volleyball Team
Elite Sports Students; Mentor
Beyond Athletic Podcasts
European Volleyball League
Pleven, Bulgaria
National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski"
Bulgaria,
Switzerland,
Italy
Turkey
 

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-Ryan (Owner @ EliteVolley.com)
____________________________
Elite Volley Agency
SRB Mobile: +381628905135 | USA Mobile: +13233623829
Sports Podcast: www.BeyondAthletic.com/listen
Agency: www.EliteVolley.com 
 

5 Questions You Should Ask A Professional Athlete! by Gabi KOEVA

 5 Questions You Should Ask A Professional Athlete!

“If I had the chance when I was younger to ask a professional athlete something I would probably ask... ”

— Gabi KOEVA (Bulgarian National Volleyball Team)

1. I'm wondering, should I start playing professional sports or should I focus on my education?

What I would say now looking back to the path I chose is that these two things can be both done, you don't need to make a choice! There are plenty of possibilities. When I was playing in Zurich I had a coach - Tom Hogan, former USA national team assistant coach and currently @ Denver State University (ex-coach @ Colorado State University) volleyball team - who wanted me to join his team in Colorado, meanwhile educating myself there. I didn't go anyways, since I had already started my education in Bulgaria and I managed to keep up with studying and playing abroad, but in my opinion college sports provide the perfect balance between those two things. You will be able to play college volleyball (or any other sport) and get an education. Once you get your degree you can focus on playing professionally. 

My journey didn't include going to the USA, but I made it work somehow, thanks to technology and the opportunity to get online classes in some private universities in Europe. It wasn't easy, I'm not going to say it was. I had to make a lot of sacrifices, spend a lot of time on reading and writing paper works and projects, but after all I'm proud that I was able to do my major and my master in Business Administration and along with that to play professional volleyball in Europe.

Sign Up to get more info about USA/CANADA Education

2. How important is nutrition for an athlete? 

 Nutrition plays a key role in professional sports. It does in life in general, we all know eating healthy is good for us. But when playing as a pro, we really need to take care of what we give to our bodies, since we need to recover well and be in an optimal condition for next practice or game. 

The truth is nutrients affect us in long term, meaning it's not enough to eat good a couple of days pre-game. Our bodies work on long term frames - 48hrs/72hrs/weekly and in that context an athlete's diet should be consistent and must include proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats. I eat 5 times per day for example and I am trying to make heather choices with my food, I prefer cooking at home and when I eat out every once in a while I still try to stay on track with the right nutrients. 

If you have been eating unhealthy so far but still able to perform good imagine how much better can you feel and how much could you improve you performance by eating better!!! Don't sabotage yourself by not doing the best you can, because professional sports only last so long and you will be looking back thinking "What could I have done better?".

P.S. We all have a "cheat day" every once in a while of course. Treating yourself with your favorite not so healthy foods can be an awesome stress relief, but let's try to not exaggerate with it!

Click to hear more about this HERE

3. What should I focus on to get better?

Every one of us has his strong and weak points. I'm pretty sure we are all aware of our owns. If you're not really sure you can always talk to your coach or an older, more experienced teammate to help you with that. Next thing to do is work on your weak spots every chance you get - while lifting, during ball practice, even at home or in your free time by visualizing what you need to to and how you are doing it! It might sound funny at first, but mental practices play a very important in high level sports, since at that point everyone knows how to play, but the once with stronger mindset in the crucial moments are able to win! 

Another thing I would advice "younger me" to do is to find a role model, someone to really look up to as an athlete, man or woman, doesn't matter. Try to study their moves and how they play and act on the court. It could be even more than one person, just find those athletes that inspire you to strive for greatness! 

Click to hear more about this HERE

4. How important is weight lifting in sports?

From what I have learned weight lifting can be as important as ball practices, especially when we no longer need to learn how to pass the ball, we are professional athletes, aren't we. But lifting can help you improve dramatically your performance by boosting your physical abilities to another level!

Of course no one ever said you can become Superman or Wonder Woman overnight :) but it is something you must be consistent with, along with your diet, since weight lifting, as nutrition, also works in longer terms. Your fitness program should consider preparation, in-season and out-season workouts of course, but even more you must realize that lifting doesn't just make you better in few months.

In order to see the real benefit form it, you must have patience. It takes years to build muscle and improve physical qualities! 

5. What about recovery?

Recovery is one of the most important things for your body, alongside with your diet and fitness. Recovering well means sleeping enough, taking care of your body, having massage on regular basis and etc. 

Sleep is probably the most crucial part. A lot of athletes don't get enough sleep and it always affects their performance, no exception! Though "enough sleep" for one can be 6 hours and for another 10, I feel best after a good 8 hour sleep, preferably going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. For me it's never the same 8 hours if I go to sleep at 2am or at 11pm for example. Night sleep is the key!

Other important things for me are getting a good full body massage at least a  couple of times per week. During the week I would also go swimming 2 or 3 times, making 20-30 laps since it's very good for you back and shoulders (joints that suffer the most form volleyball), I would go to sauna and steam bath as well when I have time. 

Thanks for reading...If anyone's interested in finding a mentor, like me :), then SIGN UP HERE!

Hugs, Gabi Koeva 
Follow me: Twitter | Instagram

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#17 Everything Is Possible with Jana MATIASOVSKA

#17 Everything Is Possible with Jana MATIASOVSKA

Athlete Case Study: A Slovakian NCAA All American, Pro & Azerbaijan National Team Volleyball Player 
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Dec 27, 2014

LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE HERE OR ITUNES/STITCHER (49m:48s)

BACKGROUND

I've known of Jana for some time now mostly because I run and agency and she was a top recruit out of college and also because we both played in South Korea. I heard from friends and contact great things and knew of her song performance for Louisville University's Cardinal women's volleyball team. She's a total success on the court and well as soon as I heard her character was spectacular off-the-court too I just had to have her on... 

She's taken some big risks in her life being one of only a history of a few student-atheltes to leave her country of Slovakia to attend college/university in the USA and then she choose to take a new nationality to play for the Azerbaijan team to be challenged and reach higher heights in her sport. True courage and dedication to becoming a great athlete and the intelligence to make what she says was the "best decision of her life" to play for a NCAA school in the USA so that no matter what happened with sports she would be able to have knowledge and a highly respected degree to secure work when she must stop pro sports.

BIO

Jana MATIASOVSKA

Born:        7. 7. 1987 
Height:        199 cm
Weight:        83 kg
Spike reach:    319 cm
Block reach:    300 cm
Position:    Receiving Spiker, Opposite Spiker

Born in Bratislava, Slovakia in 1987. Started playing volleyball at 13 for a local club, Slavia UK Bratislava. Upon high school graduation, went to study at University of Louisville through a volleyball scholarship. In 2009 turned pro, signed with Russian Uralocka Yekaterinburg. After 1.5 seasons in Russia, played two seasons in Azerbaijan, one in Korea, again one season in Azerbaijan, and currently in Poland.

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LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE HERE OR ITUNES/STITCHER (49m:48s)

MOST GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:

 

PERSONAL QUOTE:

Positive anything is better than negative nothing - Elbert Hubbard

MOST INFLUENTIAL MENTOR(S) IN HER LIFE: 

Every step of the way there has been someone. First my parents; then my great mentor at the University, Stan Jonas; and now my fiance, Yigit Kulan. They have provided me with support and motivation.

Key Discussion Points:

• What’s her story and how she got into sports?
• How has she failed?
• Why did she choose her pro teams?
• How did she choose to play for another country's national team?
• What is she most excited about?

Key Lessons:

• MORE COMING SOON!

LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE HERE OR ITUNES/STITCHER (49m:48s)

ATHLETE'S TIP JAR

What was holding her back from becoming better?
Fear of Failure and high expectations

How She gets rid of negative thoughts:
Just blocks them out! Don't keep thinking about them...

Sleep & Morning ritual: 

How does she adjust to a new city and/or team?
Likes to observe everyone and everything for the first few days to see how things and people operate/behave before making initial moves to integrate into team.

Recommended Book:
Freakonomics by  Levitt & Dubner 
Super Freakonomics by Levitt & Dubner

Name THE person you feel has been MOST influential in your life to reach higher and be better?
College Coach

A learning resource you love to use...
 

Give a tool/habit you love to use to stay healthy:
Sleep a lot and eat a healthy diet

A useful tool or tip for eating on the go -OR- for traveling in general?
Always pack a snack - banana, nut mix or at least a sports drink

Most Grateful For:
 

Key Person In Her Life:
 

INFO

Charity/Organizations They Add Value to:
I donate to World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Otherwise, I believe in random signs of kindness and help, so I try to add my part whenever I see an opportunity. Often the teams I played for participated in various charity events.

Business/Work:
Pro Volleyball

Past/Current Teams: 
 Canakkale Belediye Spor (Turkey)

Recommended Guest:
 

Follow Athlete Here:
Facebook | Instagram 

Definition of Beyond Athletic?

"Coming Soon"

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ITUNES -OR- OUR SITE

WE WILL GET YOUR REVIEW TO THE ATHLETE! @BEYONDATHLETIC

12 | Why You Should Get Out Of Bed To Fail Everyday with Mia JERKOV

Athlete Case Study: Croatian Pro & National Team Volleyball Player 
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Dec 5, 2014

Listen Now (1h:01m:21s)

Back in 2011 we met in South Korea as players in their V-League. While in Croatia on a mini-vacay with two puppies three young girls & a husband/wife staying in a cute village near Split named the Kaštela's.

She invited me to check out the city a few times during my mnth stay and we got to know eachother a bit better. She got that stern look but she a softie for sure!

Brief Bio 
________

She grew up in Split, Croatia (one of the most beautiful areas of th southern Croatian coast....) as a daughter of a mother whose rules are never broken, a famous basketball player father and two brothers the focus was on being a complete person & well educated. Worked a bit at the family pizzeria as a kid. Learned to respect money and keep herself & her home tidy.

Was a really skinny and weak kid but fast... picked up tennis & swimming.... through constant boring & lonely without friends travel with her parents a change had to made...

A coach wouldn' t stop calling her even though she had reservations and relaly no idea of what volleyball was like...

She had to live 12hrs away from her family to pursue volleyball and that was the toughest decision of her life at 15yrs old.

• Played for Split, Kastela then OK Istarska Banka, Pula Croatia ending in 2nd or 3rd every year for 4 years...
• University in USA @ UC Berkeley for 3 years.
• Russia half season 1st place in championship & cup…& ¼ finals of CL
• A1 Italy a couple seasons.
• UC Berkeley for last year & degree. Couldn’t play… WHY?
• Italy w/ 2nd place in A2 trophy, Korea (picking up a cup title & 2nd place in championship) & Turkey for 2 seasons selected Best Scorer 2x of Turkish league… Now Japan! 
• National team since 1995 w/ Multiple European  & World Championship & World Cup experiences…

Listen Now (1h:01m:21s)

Guest's Quote: 
"Believe in your dreams" -Her Mother

RJO's Quote:
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” -Anatole France

Most Influential Person in Life:  

Mother.. not because she pushed her to reach higher... Mia pushed herself.  It's because she made her have courage to pursue her dreams, so she would always have strength to reach higher and do better. 

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• WHAT IS MIA JERKOV’S STORY?
• DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CROATIA & USA?
• WHO IS MIA JERKOV TODAY?
• WHAT WAS HOLDING YOU BACK FROM BECOMING A GREAT ATHLETE?
• WHAT WAS AN OBSTACLE IN HER LIFE? 
• WHAT PERSONAL HABITS YOU BELIEVE CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR SUCCESS?
• WHAT WAS YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT?
• WHAT YOUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE…. IN LIFE, BUSINESS AND SPORT?

Listen Now (1h:01m:21s)

THE BEYOND ATHLETIC TIPJAR

✓    How long to do sleep & What’s your morning ritual? 

• 7hrs minimum but tries for 8!
• Brush teeth, coffee, stretch, eat & arrive to training 40 minutes early.

✓    A book or learning resource you love to use to learn new things
Flipboard News App, books & the Bible.

✓    A tool (item/product or action) you love to use to stay healthy or improve yourself in someway:
Foam Roller & Stretching

✓    Something you must take when traveling?

1. travel roller 
2. laptop /phone
3. books

✓    What book would you give away to an athlete as a gift & why?
Zlatanov Ibrahimovic Biography

✓    A cause or thing/action you like to do to add value to other peoples lives that you either know or dont know at all:
Always be kind & polite regardless of people's behavior. "Can move mountains!"

✓    What advice would you give to your 15 year old self? Your 20 year old self?
15yr: "Have courage & go in direction of your heart!"
20yr: "Have confidence!"

✓    Your social media accounts @username on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc) 
Twitter:  @miaj55 | Instagram: @miaj5 | Facebook: Mia Jerkov

Definition of Beyond Athletic?

"Day by Day be a better person & athlete while maintaining moral values... Build something of quality and maintain it!"

“People who put excellence in the first place have the patience to end up with success. An additional burden for the victim of the success mentality is that he is threatened by the success of others and he resents real excellence. In contrast, the person that is fascinated by quality is excited when he sees it in others.”

— Joe Paterno (Penn St. Nittany Lions Football)