Starting Point with Casey Jennings

Welcome to Starting Point with Casey Jennings. In episode 14 of the show, Casey sits down with behavior counselor and dog trainer, Brian Lee, to talk about his "Way of the Dog" approach to training dogs and their owners. Although you won't hear much about beach volleyball in this episode, it's a fascinating listen for anyone—whether you're a dog lover or not a dog person at all. So sit back and enjoy this interview with Brain Lee, owner and founder of Way of the Dog. Ciao!

Welcome to episode 13 of Starting Point with Casey Jennings. In this installment, Casey sits down with McKenna Thibodeau and Madison Willis (aka the Witt Twins) to talk about the dreams and realities of pursuing a career in professional beach volleyball. You'll hear about their upbringing, how sports factored into their young lives, their relatively late entrance into the sport, how they unexpectedly found themselves chasing the pro beach dream, and how they've decided to hang up their swimsuits in pursuit of other passions. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode of Starting Point with Casey Jennings. Ciao!

Welcome to episode 12 of Starting Point with Casey Jennings. In this episode, Casey speaks with Kamila Tan, a beach volleyball player and current graduate student at UCLA whose sincerity and authenticity shine bright. In this interview, Kamila shares her story and speaks openly about recovering from an eating disorder in hopes that her journey will inspire and help other people facing the same issues. Sit back and enjoy this insightful, honest, and thoughtful conversation with Kamila Tan. Ciao!

Tim Hovland, also known as Big Game Hunter, is widely considered one of the legends of beach volleyball. He has 64 open wins over the course of his storied career and is without a doubt one of the biggest personalities the sport has ever seen. Enjoy episode 11 of Starting Point and be on the lookout for a special announcement about how you can reach us with your feedback, questions, and suggestions. Ciao!

Welcome back to Starting Point with Casey Jennings and to the tenth episode of our show. After a short break, we are excited to bring you this interview with retired beach volleyball professional and top-producing real estate agent, Lee LeGrande. In this candid conversation, you'll hear about Lee's upbringing in Hawaii and Mississippi, his journey through the professional beach volleyball ranks, and what life has looked like since retiring from the sport. Enjoy this exchange between two good friends and we will see you soon for episode 11!

Welcome back to Starting Point with Casey Jennings. We hope you've enjoyed the show so far. With school back in session and the summer drawing to a close, we are going to take a short break to regroup, plan our next series of 8 episodes, and work on delivering an even more compelling and polished product for our listeners. So far you've heard from Olympic gold medalists including Natalie Cook and Eric Fonoi, learned what it's like to be a transgender child in today's world, peered into the mind of Jake Gibb, and been touched by Chris Crabb's stories of fatherhood and resiliency. We look forward to continuing this Starting Point journey with you and will see you in October.

Welcome to the ninth episode of Starting Point. In this episode, Casey sits down with his wife and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Kerri Walsh Jennings, to discuss everything from a recent lice outbreak to the upcoming Olympic qualifier in Moscow. Along the way, you'll hear about life in the Jennings household, a recap of the summer so far, interesting books that Kerri has been reading, and what it means to hold yourself and your partner accountable on the beach. You'll get an inside look into Casey and Kerri's unique relationship and you'll even be treated to a sneak preview of Kerri's upcoming podcast complete with sample interview questions. Enjoy this lighthearted episode of Starting Point and thanks for listening!

In episode 8 of Starting Point, Casey has the good fortune of sitting down with recently crowned AVP Hermosa Champion and long-hailed king of the suave hawk, Casey Patterson. In this episode you'll hear all about C-Patt's upbringing, including lessons he learned from his father and how he passed the time while serving his Mormon mission. You'll hear about his discovery of beach volleyball and how his passion for the game was ignited while playing professionally in Puerto Rico. Casey also shares how he has been able to successfully navigate the world of sponsorships without ever having an agent. It's an episode you won't want to miss. Enjoy!

Welcome to episode seven of Starting Point. In this episode, Casey sits down with the other Olympic gold medalist from Sydney, the one they call "The Body", Eric Fonoimoana. In this episode you will hear candid stories about Eric's upbringing in Manhattan Beach, the loss of both parents at a young age, becoming a parent himself, bringing home Olympic gold in Sydney, and a few of the pranks he used to pull to keep things light on tour. You'll also get a glimpse into the work ethic and mental fortitude of an Olympic champion and the lessons learned in childhood that propelled Eric to a successful beach volleyball career. Please enjoy this conversation with Fonoi and thank you for listening to Starting Point with Casey Jennings.

Welcome to episode six of Starting Point. In this episode, Casey sits down with Australian beach volleyball legend, Natalie Cook. Natalie grew up the oldest of two children in Townsville, Australia, and became the first Australian woman to compete in five different Olympic Games. At her first Olympics in Atlanta, Cook bounced back from a humiliating semi-final defeat to earn bronze against Barbara Fontana and Linda Hanley. Unsatisfied with her finish, Natalie started to dig into championship psychology and was fortunate to cross paths with an upstart motivational speaker named Kurek Ashley. Along with daily mental and emotional training, Kurek helped cultivate confidence in a young Natalie Cook. “The biggest thing I learned from him,” says Natalie, “was to carry myself like a winner. I wanted spectators to look at my posture on the court and think I was winning, regardless of the score.” In 1998, Cook set her sights on Olympic gold in Sydney and dedicated herself to upholding a gold medal standard in all aspects of life. This consisted of eating, sleeping, talking, walking, and training like an Olympic gold medalist. And it paid off. In 2000, Natalie Cook and partner Kerri Pottharst dominated the competition, winning gold in front of their compatriots in Sydney. In this conversation you will hear about all of this and more. You’ll also get a glimpse into Natalie’s childhood and hear a very candid retelling of some pivotal moments from her personal life. So sit back and enjoy this interview with one of the all-time greats, Natalie Cook.

Welcome to the fifth episode of Starting Point. In this insightful interview, Casey sits down with 15-year-old twins, Kaden and Jordan Janc, to play some music, talk about childhood, and explore what it means to be a transgender child and sibling growing up in today's world. A remarkable story full of honesty, courage, and acceptance, this interview offers a unique glimpse into one child's journey from girlhood to boyhood and the many difficult decisions that were made along the way. So sit back and enjoy another thought-provoking episode of Starting Point. Ciao!

In the fourth episode of Starting Point, Casey sits down with retired AVP beach volleyball pro and father of two, Al Janc. From growing up on the beaches of San Diego to thriving on the AVP Tour during the heyday of the sport, much of Al's formative years were spent in the sand. After a 13-year beach volleyball career, Al parlayed his active lifestyle into a career at Oakley, climbing the ranks at an eyewear company that has long dominated the beach volleyball market. But beyond his athletic abilities and business acumen, Al says he is most proud of being a father. Al's two children, Jordan and Kaden, are 15-year-old twins with a fascinating story. In the second half of the interview, you will hear all about them including Kaden's remarkable transformation from girlhood to boyhood. The story is uplifting, educational, and sheds light on a topic that is too often misunderstood in our society. So please, sit back and enjoy the fourth episode of Starting Point. Ciao!

In the first installment of our two-part interview with Jake Gibb, you will hear all about Jake's childhood including growing up the youngest of 11 children in Bountiful, Utah. The son of a hardworking pediatrician, Jake learned mental toughness from his Dad out on the golf course at a young age. Jake even learned how to meditate when he was 11 years old, a skill he still utilizes to this day. After spending his early years playing soccer and basketball, Jake happened upon the sport of volleyball at 17 after being cut from his high school basketball team. What was initially a backyard throwaway sport quickly turned into a passion and while Jake was studying to become a commercial loan officer at the University of Utah, he soon found himself winning every tournament on the local UOVA outdoor volleyball circuit. Soon after, Jake began competing in AVP qualifiers and when he started to excel, he quietly wondered if beach volleyball was something he could pursue full time. Just a couple of years later, after marrying Jane in 2000 and graduating from college, Jake decided to shelf the commercial loan officer gig and take a chance on his beach game by moving out to California. The rest is history as they say, and you'll get a detailed recap of Jake's career including all of the ups and downs in this episode of Starting Point. Enjoy!

In the second half of this two-part interview, Casey sits down with 3-time beach volleyball Olympian Jake Gibb to chat about appreciation and taking pride in one's own journey. After clearing up some miscommunications that occurred in Part 1 (coming soon!), Casey and Jake take some time to chat about beach volleyball, ownership, and how to best handle a struggling teammate. Then the conversation shifts to Jake's father and some valuable life lessons that Jake learned along the way and is still applying in his pursuit of excellence. Finally, Jake and Casey chat about religion and spirituality before wrapping up with a brief foray into youth and club sports. Please enjoy the second episode of Starting Point and be on the lookout for Jake Gibb (Part 1) coming soon!

Welcome to Starting Point with Casey Jennings. In this show, you will hear stories centered around childhood, upbringing, adolescence, parenthood, and the pivotal moments and influential people that shaped the life-trajectories of our guests. In our first episode, Casey sits down with Hawaiian volleyball legend and father of four, Chris Crabb, to talk about childhood, fatherhood, resiliency, and what it takes to endure the inevitable storms of life. We get a glimpse into Chris' early days and also get to hear about the diplomacy required when raising two competitive, Olympic-hopeful sons. Enjoy this conversation with Chris and thank you for listening to Starting Point with Casey Jennings.