Episode #180: April Elsbernd

🏐 Returning Home: April Elsbernd on Leading Coe College VB

In Part I of this conversation, Matt Rogers sits down with Coe College Head Volleyball Coach April Elsbernd to discuss her journey from growing up in small-town Iowa to becoming one of the most respected coaches in NCAA Division III volleyball. The two fellow Coe College alumni explore the unique impact of a liberal arts education, the importance of diversity and perspective, international travel experiences with student-athletes, and why coaching is ultimately about helping young people become the best versions of themselves.

Coach Elsbernd also shares her path from the University of Dubuque to Augsburg University and ultimately back home to Coe College, where she now leads the Kohawk volleyball program.

🏐 In this episode:
 ✅ Returning home to Coe College
 ✅ Why coaching is a calling
 ✅ Building culture through relationships
 ✅ The impact of international travel on student-athletes
 ✅ Leadership lessons learned over 15+ years as a head coach
 ✅ Helping athletes grow beyond the game

🎧 Listen to the Significant Coaching Podcast:
 https://coachmattrogers.com/podcast

📚 Subscribe for full access to weekly blogs, newsletters, recruiting resources, coaching tools, and leadership content:
 https://coachmattrogers.com

Transcript

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On the latest edition of the Significant Coaching Podcast, a presentation of the Coach Matt Rogers YouTube channel, available audio only everywhere you get your favorite podcasts. I'm your host Matt Rogers. This week's guest is Coe College head volleyball coach April Elsbernd. And I'll tell you right now, this conversation felt more like sitting down with a family member than doing a podcast. As fellow Coe College graduates, we connected immediately, and honestly, within about five minutes, I already felt this big brother sense of protectiveness over her because of how genuine, thoughtful, and caring she is as a leader and as a person. For Coach Elsbernd, coaching is clearly not just a career, it's a calling. You can hear it in the way she talks about culture, relationships, diversity, education, and helping young people grow into confident adults. We talked about her journey from the University of Dubuque to Augsburg University in Minnesota, and now back home to Coe College, along with the identity, growth, and reflection that come with leading programs over time. Before we dive into our conversation, don't forget about the weekly Significant Coaching and Recruiting newsletter. Subscribers get full access every week to both podcast episodes, the weekly blog, recruiting, coaching, and parent tips of the week, plus leadership tools, recruiting resources, and organizational strategies designed to help those on both sides of the college recruiting process. You can subscribe and access everything at coachmattrogers.com. Now, here's part one with Coe College head volleyball coach April Elsbernd. Jill Swern, so great to see you. Thanks for being on the show. Yeah. Thanks so much for having me. Great to see you. We had a great conversation before we clicked record and you and I have talked on the phone a couple times and through social media. I love your attitude. I love your tone. I'm so happy you're a Coe alum like me. Yeah. We just missed each other by a couple of years. You look like you're 22, and I look like I'm 60, but somehow- It's not so bad There, there was some, almost, we almost passed each other at Coe. And I'm always thrilled when Coe gets somebody to come home or somebody like you. Tell me if I'm wrong, but a personality about Coe grads that you know who they are as soon as you meet them, or is that just me? No I do really think you're right. Me- at least me and my friends would say that for sure. Yeah. And when you've been here it, it impacts you and I don't know. I wish I could pinpoint what it is, but it really does. There's just a little something that it changes in all of us to make us- It does All have a connection, I think. I think it draws the, a certain type of kid too. Yeah. Where did you grow up? I grew up in northeast Iowa, really small town. Actually in, on a farm between the small town Calmar and the smaller town Festina, and which is about 20 minutes south of Decorah. And- What's the town's name? Calmar. Calmar. And then- How do you spell that? Yep. C-A-L-M-A-R. Okay. And then Festina. Calmar, Iowa. Yep. I think our a- yeah, our address was Calmar, but we were in the country, okay. Yeah. Yeah. And I grew up in Lena, which is population 2,000 people. It, you know- back then we didn't have a Map Dot, we were so small. I think it's grown a little bit since I was there. Yeah. But there was something about Coe when I went to visit, and my siblings graduated from Coe, and they're much older than me, so they graduated in I think '80... I wanna say '82 and '83. Okay. So I was there as a baby as a toddler. Yeah. And I was always Timmy's little brother and Bethy's little brother. It would have took a herd of horses to drag me to Coe. And then the coach at that time was Bob Landess, and he called me in February of my senior year to come visit, and I was like, "Fine. Nobody else is really recruiting me. I'll go I'll go there. I'll go check it out." Yeah. And I just fell in love with it. I don't know why being on that campus does that to you, but- Yeah I just, I knew I was supposed to be there. It was like that for me, too. I think growing up in, in a really small town- Yeah And s- at that time Cedar Rapids was, like, big city living I had an aunt and uncle that were here, so it was, you know- Yeah if I, anything bad happened, I could go visit them. And but it was, like, and what I even tell, I think, recruits still feel this, is we're in the middle of the city, but it, once you step on campus, it does not feel like that, yeah. It's just this one a beautiful, big circle of how many blocks, and we've got all the great things about being in a city. But the campus itself is just so small and welcoming and everyone that is here everyone on campus are f- people that work here or go to school here. So- Yeah I think that's part of it. I agree. And I think there's something about for small town kids, like you mentioned- it's like that next step up. We're not moving to Chicago or Minneapolis- or Detroit, but it's okay. There there's a mall in town. There's movie theaters in town. There's a pool. There's there, there's- Yes fast food and restaurants. There's things open past 7:00 PM. Past 7:00. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So I think for me it was just the right, it was the right pace, the right size. But I also, when I got there, it was- it's still a homogeneous campus, but there was so much Even though it was probably 90% white or 80% white at the time, there was an international flair. There was enough- Yeah minorities there. I think there was kids from 17 countries at that point. And for me it was just like, "Oh, this is so cool." I- it's like I... where has this been the last 18 years of my first 18 years of my life? People different than me, and ideas different from me, and food different- So true from me Yes. Yes. Did you get that? Oh, 100%. I I was always someone who was attracted to the other, quote, unquote. Yeah. I made friends with kids from Decorah, and that was You don't do that?" you only are friends with kids from your high school, right? That's right. And then coming to Cedar Rapids and knowing that and not necessarily fully knowing, like, how liberal arts colleges work and how liberal and progressive Coe was at the time. But was so drawn to that, and so it, it just formed me in so many ways, being growing up in, in a farming community- Where the only people of color there were kids who were adopted by white families. And so I was just I wanted to meet everybody and get to know everybody's culture. And it was it was very... it really made me who I am. It really informed my core values. And just my, I guess my sense of justice and my sense of compassion and wa- wanting to make a difference, Yeah in the world. And I was lucky enough we had a really great... my s- my freshman class, I still remember my cohort, our CAP groups. And the class that I took belief and unbelief. Like. what? Noth- what is this unbelief, yeah. You don't even face that in a small community in Iowa. That's not a thing. I got to be good friends with Freddie and Patrick Jackson. They were in my class, and they were in my major. Superstars Whenever I get to see any content on Freddie, I'm like, "I know him." Yeah. And for those that don't know, these are guys that played in the NFL and were, you know- Yeah great football players. Yeah. Had really great... Freddie had, what, a seven-year career in the NFL, and- Yep, yeah. Yeah. So that's cool. And just great humans just such great guys and- Yeah yeah. It was a really great step into I guess my formation as a, as an adult. Yeah I think back the same way. It's been 100 years now, but it's I felt like it was such a great transition for me to be an adult. I didn't handle the transition very well. But boy did I grow up a lot. Yeah. I was one of those kids in like- February of my senior year, I was like, "Why wasn't I doing this stuff three and a half years ago? Why wasn't I treating this opportunity like it was?" it took me almost three and a half years to figure out, this is cool. Yeah. There's things that I can do here. Yeah. And, yeah, and I love that. I was lucky. I got tapped to be an intramural coordinator as a sophomore. Oh, cool. And all the other one- all the other coordinators were seniors, and so basically second semester my sophomore year, they were like, "Here you go. You have everything. We are seniors. We're done." Yeah. And through that, I got to meet so... I got to know so many more people on campus than I would've just through the intramurals program and and got got connected with people in student life and really really lucky. I don't even remember how it happened. I must have become friends with somebody and- yeah, but Was Dave Clark still there when you were there, Dean of Students, Director of Residence Life? He might have already been gone. No, I don't think so. Yeah. Now, I wish somebody would've given me the intramural coordinator job, 'cause this'll make you laugh, and this is any of the Coe alums are gonna laugh at this. So my sophomore year you could start applying for RA jobs. So I applied. And they give you the they give you all the buildings where you can be the RA, and you were supposed to rank them. Oh, God. So I put Armstrong, Douglas, and Murray, and Green, and I, and then I put the women's dorms. And then the last one I put was Green. Or, yeah, I think Green fourth floor was the last thing I put. Yes, of course. Of course. 'Cause I wanted nothing to do with the fraternities, and I didn't want that responsibility. So Dave Clark was the, he was the Director of Residence Life at that time. This was like a week after I apply. He calls me and says, "Come over to my office." And I did, and he goes I don't have anybody that can handle a certain floor. Do you still wanna be an RA? 'Cause I really'd like you to do this." Oh. I was like, "Dave, I gave you my list." And he goes, "I know you did. I know this was like ninth. I know I'm not putting you in the women's dorms." But he goes, "Would you take Green fourth floor?" And I was like, "Ugh." Thank God. So I was the Teak RA my sophomore year. The Teak. Yeah, Teak's at, I think it was Phi Tau's- Yeah on the other side, on the other corner. Yeah, Teak's and Phi Tau's. That was my floor. Yeah. So I think I averaged two and a half hours of sleep a night that year. Oh, my gosh. It was... So you wanna talk about growing up yeah. I won't even get into the gory details of that. We'll, you and I'll have a drink at some point at a- Yeah At a bar somewhere. But that's what was... It was painful, but it was what's, what was great about Coe. And the next year, I ran for student body president. I was student body president and- Yeah did a referendum and We raised money to, for a coffee, new coffee shop that's there still and a- Oh my gosh, yeah radio station that's there still, so- there's so many things about being a small school college student athlete- Yes that I don't, I wouldn't have gotten that experience anywhere else. You know what I mean? What was the turning point for you, and this might have been when you were five, it might have been when you were 18. Yeah. When did you know that leadership, especially athletic coaching, was your future? So actually I did not... Coaching did not even cross my mind until I graduated from college, and I was working at my first job in the leadership and service office at Cornell College. I was a sociology communications major. I was I'm I like to say, and I say this to all my recruits as well I was not a good student in high school. I just wanted to play sports and hang out. And then I went to college, and Coe really made me a learner. I am a nerd. I am an academic nerd because of Coe. And so I loved sociology. I loved my professors. And coaching, for whatever reason, growing up an athlete, I played all the sports, all the things. It just never crossed my mind until... I owe my coaching career to Coach Jeff Meeker, who is such an incredible human and coach and his coaching tree is crazy. Yeah and he just said, knew that I was on campus, had coached against me. It was his second year, 'cause he started at Cornell my senior year, and just said, "Hey, I don't know if you're interested, if you wanna be in the gym at all. We can always use some extra arms." and I had fallen in love. I always loved the sport, but after I played that summer, I got into playing out at volley. So I was playing beach like every night. I was watching more volleyball than I'd ever watched, and so I become a volleyball junkie. And I was like, "Yeah, I'm... Anything to stay around the game, absolutely." yeah. And so I worked at Cornell, and was Jeff's volun- was a volunteer assistant for Coach Meeker for three years. And was like, "Wow, I like, really like working in higher education." I really... The funny thing was is I came to Coe as a elementary ed major, which I never took one single elementary ed class. I think I was just like- I was pre-med, yeah. Y- yeah, the easy thing to say, right? So it is interesting. I ended up in education, but not in the way- when you're a college student you don't look at people who work on a college campus and be like, "Oh, that's a job," you just don't really, unfortunately, you don't really see them. And so I was like, "Hey, I really wanna stay in edu- or higher ed." I, no offense to res life, but res life was just... I had moved into res life, but I knew that was not a long-term job for me. So hard. But I knew I really I wanted to combine my love of athletics and sport, and and higher ed. So I actually went and got my master's degree at UW-La Crosse in sport administration. 'Cause I didn't... Other than the volunteer coaching with Coach Meeker- Yeah I had no coaching in my background. I hadn't coached club. I had... 'Cause I just wanted to play. Yeah. People would ask me to coach club, and I'm like, "No I wanna play on my weekends," and so yeah. So I kinda took took that time. And I think through that going back to college couple years out of undergrad, I think really was really good for me. I did feel like a leader in my class. A lot of the students that I graduated that program with were fresh out of college. They just went from their undergrad of whatever their sports marketing or administration or whatever into the master's. And, It I made some really great friends up there. Was a volunteer assistant for Western, Oh gosh, I can't think of what their ju- It's like a tech college. Western Tech. Oh yeah. I know what you're talking about. I'll think of the name here in a second yeah, something like w- something like that, Western Tech or s- tiny program. There were like 10 kids on the roster like a ju- NJCAA Division III. Yeah. Like no scholarships or anything, but- Y- Western Wisconsin Tech- Wisconsin Technical College? It must... Yeah, it must be that. No, that's in Tomah. Or Western Tech? Western Tech. I think it was just- Yeah Western Tech. Yeah. Okay. That's cool. So I did that and learned a lot. Learned some things not to do. I think I learned a lot from that job player relations and some things like cause I was pretty young, and the coach that I was coaching with was pretty young. And so just learned a little bit of things. Sometimes you learn you learn through other people's like- Yeah maybe their choices and mistakes. Not that it was anything bad, but just okay you check mark. I could maybe do that differently. And then- Preparation what's that? Preparation. Yes. That's a big thing that I learned. Preparation. I worked with a lot of coaches that just, they'd show up and they'd go, yeah. Yep. It wasn't called a practice plan, and I was like, "I don't wanna..." I wanna be prepared for these kids." yes. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and then I was lucky enough, there was a great dean of students. He was probably VP by that point, but, At Cordell who I ran into and I was, I did one year of classes, was one year in lacrosse, and then I had a s- semester left where I was supposed to do practical training or internshi- you know- Yeah something like that. And his name the dean is John Harp, and h- we ran into each other at a summer thing, and was telling him a little bit about it. And he said, I might be able to come up with something for you." And so was able to go back to Cornell for a year and do my yeah, my practicum, internship and just got a coach. So I was just coaching with Coach Meeker and the softball coach Shanda Ness. And cause I wasn't, I still wasn't sure is coaching exactly what I wanna do? Do I wanna do administration? And that year really solidified for me that coaching was what I wanted to do. So- Yeah yeah. It found you. Really. It really did. Yeah. I was I was never the kid who knew what Oh, I wanna do this, I wanna do that." that was just never me. So I feel really lucky that I had some really great mentors looking out for me, and feel really lucky, That's cool to all them. That's really cool. Yeah. And that's a, and that's a great way to have a career, is when you have some life- to kinda figure that out. I think it's weird- For sure when we ask kids to to pick a major, pick a school at- 16, 17 years old, and that's gonna lead you to your future. So I like it when kids go to college, and they're undecided, and they've got time to think, and take some- classes. I took Eastern religion, like you said. I, I- Yeah in college, and it was like, it just, it blew my mind. Why didn't anybody ever teach me this? That there was a different way to look at faith, and a different way to look at why we're here and- and who we can become. And so that's really cool. Now, t- r- rough transition here. You, because of your time at Dubuque, you've gone on some amazing international trips. So again- yeah that diversity mindset, that complete education. You've taken kids to Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica. I think you asked, w- Brazil. Did I hear Brazil was in- Yeah, my January of my one year at Augsburg, we planned and went on a trip to Brazil. Yeah, it- So cool. Yeah. So tell me n- now that you're at 30,000 feet, you've done this a number of times- and you can look back- Why should colleges be pushing kids to do some time overs- overseas? Yeah. What value do you think you and your team got from that, those experiences? Yeah, so when you travel and you're exposed to different cultures, languages food, w- ev- every aspect of travel can impact you. And I think it changes you to go on an international trip. Sometimes people come back and they're like, I am happy here, and I don't..." but most of the time, I know a lot of the athletes that I have traveled with or other students that I've traveled with when I was at Dubuque just traveling as a professor they come back and their whole worldview is now, I don't wanna say blown open, but I think the- Even just walking down the street in Lisbon, Portugal, and getting a feel for what Europe the Europe's vibe is, right? To use a word that's very Gen Z, Gen Alpha. But just getting to experience that I think allows us to be able to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. A- and really I think helps us develop more empathy and more compassion. And be able to, especially for for young people or anyone who, who has grown up in a very homogenous environment, right? White people especially, who we've only been in spaces where there are mostly white people, right? Like- Yeah being able to be put in a situation where you're a little uncomfortable because you don't know what it's new. And getting to do that at the same time, I just, I love that cross-cultural experience with your, some of your best friends and teammates. And what that does for your team chemistry your team your team mindset, the community within the team. It really I really think it impacts it, it's truly immeasurable impacts that happen. And I've had students who have decided after those trips to go for longer now. "I wanna go and study for a semester." Because they just they think they might wanna do it, but the, of course it's scary. It's nerve-wracking to be somewhere completely different, away from home. Maybe they speak maybe they speak English, maybe they don't. It's yeah it's really, it's probably my favorite I love to watch my athletes, my student athletes grow as humans, and that's probably one of my favorite aspects, getting to be a little part of that and just seeing who they are before the trip and how how they are after the trip. Have just seen so many young people just break out of their little comfort zone shells and go on and do these things that I think would have been unimaginable had they- Yeah Not gone on these international trips. So it's a hu- it- it's really foundational for me. I I'm hoping to do that here at Co. We're hoping to go in May of 2028. Yeah and- there's a recruiting tool- Yeah right there, isn't it? For sure. For sure. Where are you thinking about, where are you thinking about going? Ah. It's Brazil was not somewhere... When it got floated to me, I was more like, "Oh, maybe... What about Argentina or what about back to Spain or whatever?" Brazil was incredible. The people, the food. I think the ability for us as Americans to see that even though... I think sometimes our perception of South America is that it's not as industrialized or it's not as put together as US. And São Pa- seeing São Paulo, seeing Rio, and for them to realize that, oh, man this- Yeah country is an amazing country. And it's more Western than they realized- Yeah I think is also just a really good thing for them to grasp, yeah. So I don't know. Brazil. It'd be really great if we could go somewhere in Africa. I don't... We work, we usually work with Bring It, Bring It Sports, and he Tim Kelly runs that, and he's ran that for, gosh, I can't even remember. I don't wanna say a number 'cause it's been so long and I'll be way off. But he basically said we can go anywhere that has a federation- Yeah a volleyball federation. Good call we haven't really started thinking too much about it yet, but we'll kinda see. I'm sure there's some selfishness. You're like, "I wanna be, I wanna go somewhere maybe you haven't visited," right? Yes. I, yes. That's what's- Although, I do love Spain, and Spain and Portugal are such a great trip because- Such a great volley- volleyball countries too, right? Yes. Yeah. It- So we'll see. We'll see. I love, I just it's such a cool thing when you can do that. It was, th- that stuff was just getting started when I was coaching in late-'90s- Yeah and early naught- aughts. I took a team to Hawaii, which it's great on the surface, but just for kids to get there and go, "There are a lot of million-dollar houses here, but there's a lot of people living in- what would be a shack here in the state," in the- Yeah mainland. And then we went to Bahamas, and they got to see, a lot of my kids got to see poverty for the first time- Yes and really what poverty looks like and- But what I love about it, 'cause the news and politicians, whether it's intentional or unintentional, it, it's, it seems like they're all, we always are trying to be divided. Yeah. When you go visit a place that's different than yours- her place, it's amazing how you realize so quickly is they're just like us. They're, they got families and they're trying to survive, and they're trying to do right things and do good things. And yeah, there's some bad people here too there's a ton more good people. And- Yeah what's cool is they eat things that are a little different, and I like it, and I want more of it. And I like the music, and I so it's such a great thing to give your kids- And to be able to use volleyball as that vehicle to do it is pretty awesome. Yeah. For real, for sure. And I think just in general it informs people's humanity, like you said. We are all the same. Just because we are born somewhere different, doesn't change that we're all humans. And so it's it's really cool that, yeah, we're able to use volleyball to, to get there. And do the camp. A lot of times the favorite part when we go on these trips is when we get to maybe run a camp for an area of a city for free. Yeah. Kids can come and play or... And it's always so fun because the kids are usually teaching us m- more than we're teaching them. And so I really try and lean into that with our players and stuff and so I know that those are some of the favorite memories that my former players all have, that's great. Coach, I could talk about this stuff all time, all the time, but I, f- for hours, but I wanna move into coaching a little bit with you. And really talk about, this is that time of the year where you're finishing up your class, you finished up spring workouts, kids are going home now for a few months. You get to breathe a little bit. But for me, it was always that May, June, and July was kinda- I wanted to look in. I w- I went back and watched every fricking game we played probably two or three times. I'd have yellow pads of notes and I tried to get to the heart of what we did really well and- I know we gotta get better. What do- Yeah what do these next three months look like for you, and kinda how do you attack it so you- can have a little bit of a life these next three months and- Yes be a human being? Yes. What does that look like for you? I think a big part of it, we had a really great spring season. Good. I am I was lucky enough to inherit a program that had seven seniors. And four, five of them were here as freshmen and mostly, and played varsity. All of them played varsity, and some of them played varsity all four years. And so we it was a lot of fun to get to tap into that and get to know those players and meet them. You meet the kids where they're at some point. But with so we graduate almost all of our starting varsity players. We retain essentially three starting varsity players. And so this spring was really important for us to establish with with the players' input and kind of what do they want the future of this program to look like? What are some of their what are the core values that we want to make sure that we are talking about every day, that we are talking about with recruits, that we are messaging what our culture is and who we're looking to bring in to f- to fit to, that want to be a part of that kind of a culture. And so my returning players I give them so much credit. We had 12 12 for spring season. There were a lot of days we couldn't... One starter, one starter returning. And they came in, even though there weren't a lot of days we got to play six on six. They came in and they were ready to work, worked so hard every day, were super focused and just were just totally open to, to what we're trying to kinda find our identity with. And obviously- Yeah Coaches can be very different in coaching styles, and the way that we coach things can be different. So just for them to continue to be learning how I coach and the different ways that I teach things but just being so open to that. And they really embracing each other. Their their big thing is they wanna be really... They wanna compete really hard, but they wanna support each other even harder. Yeah. And so when we get blocked- That's cool Someone blocks us across the net, we're like, "Oh, man, great. High f- high-fiving. Great block." And really really trying to measure not to measure ourselves against each other, but to measure our success and our growth, Based on our past selves or, like, where we're going versus a competitive me versus her kind of mindset. That we're all just really trying to do it together. And so that, I felt like this spring really is gonna lead us into a good place in the fall. But for this off time I think any time you make a big life decision or you make a big life change it's time for growth and it's time for transformation. And it really... You get, When I was at University of Dubuque for 15 years, it was like everything was pretty much the same. I could rely on this and I knew this. And I had Cara, my assistant, who I'd known, who had played for me. We shared pretty much we were on the same wavelength. We didn't have- Shared a brain. Yeah. Yes. For sure hive mind. And if I did this, she knew to do that. And having new assistants and taking over a new program has been really it's been really good for me. It's really challenged me to be more to put the things that are in my head down on paper. And to really be able to explain the things that I'm looking for to my assistants and which I'm super lucky I have had great assistants here already. Sam Rossetti, who unfortunately I only had for a few months before she went to Luther and is the head coach there. Which I had said months before, a couple months before that she's ready to be a head coach if she want. Little did I know it'd be happening. But lucky enough that we had a part-time assistant Isla Press Johnson, who played actually for me, Jeff Meeker, at Cornell. She's just been an incredible assistant coach this semester. Good. And a young man who I've known since he was young, who is a student at Iowa Dylan Youngblood. So we all get along. We all have similar values and core values. But it's my goal over this next couple months, I need to get- More things down on paper that we can share with the incoming players and just to make sure we all are moving in the same direction a little bit and having those discussions. "Okay, how should... What do you... How did you get taught this? Does this make sense?" and really just figuring out those ways that we can just make sure we're all on the same page, which, you know- Yeah when you've been doing something for a while one way it takes a little bit more time to and discipline to sit down and Okay, what is... What are the h- what are the big things here that I need to make sure that I focus on?" I keep writing down the word identity. Because you, you had an identity for 15 years at Dubuque. I mean- Yeah y- you were rock solid program, com- competitive, took the team to the national tournament won conference championships. A- and now you kinda have to look in the mirror and go, "All right. Am I that same person I was? Can I be that same person here? Do I want to be that same person here?" have you gone through that cycle in the last 16 months? Oh, my gosh. Are you in my, are you in my brain? I've led three programs, so trust me, I've gone through it all. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I don't know... The program one I took over at University of Dubuque was very, We were at the bottom of the conference. It was starting from scratch. And the years, and the blood, and the sweat, and the tears all that I put in when I was younger didn't feel that hard. It was hard, but as now somewhat of a veteran coach, in quotes, it's like I'm really glad to... I'm glad that I have been able to land and proud of my alma mater, right? That I've been able to land in a program that already has some of those championship mindset values built in. Yeah. I talk with recruits about, it's a very different thing to walk into a practice of a team whose goal is to make the NCAA tournament every year, versus a team who's trying to make the conference tournament everywhere, every year. Yeah. It's not shade on any program. It's just- Those values and those things that get passed down when you take it step by step. And right, luckily was able to do that at Dubuque and take it step by step. And I don't know it would be... I don't know if I would have the same amount of energy to start from scratch from, but I you, you have more than you think. But I know what you're saying. Yes. But I think I'm better, I'm much better now at delegating. I'm much better now at mentoring. And honestly, I like the idea of shifting more into almost I don't wanna say executive 'cause that sounds really cold. It's true. You're a CEO- But- when you run a college program Where- Yeah where it's I'm doing more directing traffic and giving those experiences to my assistants that are gonna help them become really great head coaches. And so I think I'm a little less... I was definitely more I don't know there were things that I was very much, "It's this way," even though- Rig- rigid even though... Yes, more rigid. Yeah. Even though I'm someone who continues to learn and I don't think there's any one way to do things, I think I've been able to let go a little bit more- Yeah and just be like, "Hey, this isn't the way I would do it, but that's okay." and that is something that I've definitely seen myself change and grow a little bit more and see it differently than I, I would say I did in my younger years at Dubuque. Yeah. I I still wanna be holding some of the core values. I still wanna make sure that the players that come into this program really wanna be a part of the culture that we're building. I think I'm less focused, even less focused on the X's and the O's- and more focused on the culture aspect and building building better humans and how can I how can I be helping more people around me whether it's my players, my assistants, my... I've got some great hallway mates here, some younger head coaches. Yeah. And so maybe just see myself in maybe a little bit different light. Yeah. I- it's part of the growth cycle of being a- coach. Y- you want everything when you get the job. You wanna win, you wanna prove yourself, you wanna prove that you're worthy of the job. And then you hit some of those milestones where, okay, we won- 20 games. Oh, we won a conference championship. Oh, we went to the national tournament. And all of a sudden you're like, "Okay, maybe I know what I'm doing. Now what am I missing?" Yeah. What are some of those things? All right it's six months removed, so I'm, I don't feel as bad asking you this question, but Shirk Center. Yeah. November 20th, playing one of the top teams in the country. Don't win the first... You don't win the game in the national tournament, but you get there. Your first year- you get to the national tournament. And of course, you have to play in probably the second or third nicest arena in the country for Division III. Yeah. My first national championship, national tournament game was at the Shirk Center- as a coach, and you're playing a great team. Six months later- How much of that night has been with you in terms of we gotta recruit differently? Gotta prepare differently. Our defense has to be a little different. Our offense has to be a little different. What has changed when you get to see a team like Whitewater- In that environment? And I know you've, y- you're not a first-year coach. Y- you're a long-term coach. What does that game do to you for the next six to eight months- Oh as you're preparing for next season? 'Cause I know what it did for me. Yeah. I think it really solidified... What it did do for me was it really solidified that I do love my job, and I do wanna keep coaching, right? Like- Good I think for those y- years I was at Dubuque, I think I was those last couple years loving the team, loving coaching, but was like, "Is this what I wanna keep doing? Am I moving beyond that? Do I wanna be done coaching? Or am I just, have I just been at this place long enough that maybe I just need a change?" And so I was lucky enough to make a change and I realized it at Augsburg last year as well, but just that, no, I'm not ready to be done coaching. Good. And that I I am still a very competitive person, and I have that- Can I ask you, did it, did it- fire in my belly did it give you a little more hunger? Did it give you like- Yeah we can rebe- we can beat these guys. We can be at that level. Yeah. I, Yes and no. I think I do believe that. I think that we can recruit and train and develop players to be competing at the highest level. I think wanting to make sure that physically we match up, but I think- Yeah even more what are those extra pieces that are so important? Because I think compared to a Whitewater, compared to a Wash U, compared to some of these institutions where they're bringing in kids who could be playing D1- Right What are those extra areas? Where are the areas that we can do something maybe a little different that's gonna help us match up better against some of these teams? Because I don't know that we're ever g- it would be amazing to get as physical players 15 of the most physical players in the Midwest on the same team. But I think where I go to is i- is all about trust with your athletes. It's all about We hired a mindset coach this past fall, and the players- Nice loved her, and we plan to continue working with her. It's coaching a way that provides a lot of psychological safety to make mistakes, to take chances, to not beat themselves up, 'cause I think that's probably one of the biggest issues. Issues maybe is a strong word, but one of the biggest hurdles that I see most, a lot of my players struggling with is their is just their mindset and their self-esteem, and their ability or not to be able to move on from mistakes. Yeah. And so I think to match up against some of those teams that may have more of a physical advantage we just have to be more mentally tough. And I don't, And I think in ways where we really- Can trust and love each other fully so that we can make mistakes and not be upset. We can take some chances and play with joy. And match up. I always say against those best teams, they're... You're just not... You have to play almost perfect volleyball to beat those teams. They're not gonna give you a lot of extra chances. So how can we play from point one to point 25 as consistent as possible, both physically and mentally? And I think that's a lot harder to do sometimes- Yeah than the physical training that, that happens in the gym. And so I think that is for me, too, i- in my next evo- evolution of a coach, as a coach, is how can, Yeah, like, how can we be building up the confidence of these players, knowing that it's hard to play a sport and it can get to you. Mistakes can get to you. But just really trying to focus on that, the psychological aspect of it. It's hard. I've had this conversation with Becky Schmidt at Hope, and I've had it- with Heather Pavelic at Juniata, and they both shared the same thing. It's getting kids to l- let go of that bad serve or that bad kill or the point that didn't go our way, and how do we overcome that? Are you finding that having that mindset coach- helps you not only with getting your kids where you want them, but allows you to maybe step away and separate from having to be the one that's on them and- having someone else help them with controlling those emotions and being able to deal with somebody- For sure has to push them to another level. Maybe we can't do it like we did 25 years ago. Yeah. Okay? But there, we still, there still has to be a push. I don't know, may- maybe I'm wrong and maybe this is where I'm too old school, but- Yeah can we be the best if we're not, if there's not a push behind us, if there's not somebody challenging us- every day? I don't know. Yeah, I think, I don't think, I think there, there does have to be a push. I think that push can look different. I think it has to look different maybe than it used to. Yeah. But I think it still has to be there, right? And I think that's that's the hard part, the fun part fun part of being a coach is figuring out how each individual player responds best. Yeah. Being able to sit down with them and get to know them and have that conversation so that when we're in those moments of stress or it's it's do or die, that I can help them- be able to handle that moment, right? And I'm gonna I'm gonna probably not know what to say for a lo- the right thing for a while, but hopefully figure out what that is eventually. And I think having, definitely having someone else speak to the players about mindset. I think as coaches we talk too much anyways, and so the more the different people can come in and talk to them, and they have someone new to listen to and a new viewpoint. I could be saying probably... I probably would be saying very similar things but I think just from a different person's perspective, and someone who, yes, who doesn't have to a- who isn't also, Sometimes I think they wanna try and impress us, and there are certain things they don't wanna say because they think their position could be in jeopardy, which it never is, but, like- Yeah there's just that tension, and so I think just having someone else that they can bounce ideas off of, that they can hear from helps a ton. And then I think just building a culture where they know what to expect from me. Being really, trying to be as consistent as I can with my verbal and non-verbals. Knowing that there's gonna be a time and a place when I push, but that I'm pushing because it's coming from a place of wanting the best for you and a deep love for my players and all those things. And I think continuing to have that and that takes time. That takes years. It does. It really does. So- and you, and we also want the kids to understand that I'm pushing you, but I'm also teaching you how to push. Yeah. Push each other. And w- we wanna get to the point where me as the coach, I'm pushing less and you're doing the pushing. Yeah. And I'm doing more of this, and doing more of this, and- more pats on the back and more Good job" and pats on the back. And when you get a team there where they're p- There's that balance act. It's really hard, and it's hard to do it overnight. So that's why I'm so impressed with you getting that team. I know you had a great group of seniors that you started with- but getting that team to 20-plus wins, getting them to the national tournament in a really hard year- It- to get to the national tournament. A really hard year. I feel like that's every year now in, in- Division III volleyball. So that's what's really great. Coach- Yeah I've taken a ton of your time. I really appreciate you. Those of you listening, come back on Monday. We're gonna dive into recruiting, and Coach April's gonna give us some great advice on how she recruits and advice for parents and kids that are going through this journey. And that's a wrap on part one of this week's conversation with Coe College head volleyball coach April Elsbernd. Coach, thank you so much for your time, your energy, and your willingness to share your journey with all of us. Simply put, April is exactly the kind of person who should be in the profession of coaching. She understands that great coaching starts with great relationships, and that the responsibility of a coach extends far beyond wins, losses, and what happens on the court. Her passion for helping student athletes grow as people is evident in every conversation, every decision, and every opportunity she creates for them. Great things are ahead for Coach April, and as a fellow Coe College alum, I'm excited to watch all that she accomplishes leading our Kohawks. And to everyone listening or watching, thank you for continuing to support the podcast. Don't forget to favorite, like, subscribe, and share the show so you never miss an episode of the Significant Coaching Podcast, available audio only everywhere you get your favorite podcasts and on the Coach Matt Rogers YouTube channel. Until next time, stay focused on what you can control, stay humble, and keep chasing significance.