What if your recruiting journey was never supposed to look like anyone else's?

In this episode, Susan continues the post-June 15th conversation with one of her favorite analogies for recruiting: the road trip. She walks through what would happen if 100 families started in San Francisco with the same goal of getting to New York City, and why none of them would arrive in the same way, on the same day, or in the same vehicle.

She explains why recruiting is actually even more unpredictable than that, since athletes aren't even starting from the same place, driving the same car, or trying to reach the same destination. Susan digs into the comparison trap that's stealing confidence from so many families, why looking at your bestie's journey is still just a snapshot you can't fully see, and how the spectrum between very specific and very open-minded athletes creates very different timelines (and why neither is wrong).

She closes with a powerful reminder that every successful recruiting story has one thing in common: the athlete kept moving. If you've been quietly comparing yourself to teammates, classmates, or strangers on social media, this episode is the windshield-shift you need.

Chapters

00:00 – Borrowing belief when you can't quite believe it yourself
02:30 – Every recruiting journey is unique (and why that's hard to accept)
04:30 – The road trip analogy: 100 families, same destination
07:00 – Different vehicles, routes, and obstacles
08:00 – Why recruiting is more like West Coast to East Coast
09:30 – The comparison trap (even with your bestie)
11:30 – Specific vs. open-minded athletes
13:00 – The goal isn't to arrive first
14:00 – Stop looking out the side windows
15:00 – Choosing the right kind of recruiting support

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

Quick shoutout to our podcast sponsor University Athlete. The only volleyball-exclusive recruiting platform used by 95% of college coaches. It’s where athletes get seen, get evaluated, and get recruited. Plus it's free and only takes a couple of minutes to activate your profile.

Click the link below to claim your free profile.

CLAIM YOUR FREE PROFILE HERE

If you decide you want to upgrade to the All-Access pass be sure to use the code ‘NXTVB30’ to save 30% on your yearly membership.

Subscription boxes are all the rave (we get it, they are FUN!) and we’ve developed one for the recruiting process that comes with 1:1 support in our new Set for Success Membership!

Every Month as Member You Get to Choose from One of the Following for Support:

🖥️ 1:1 ADVISING CALL with either Sonja, Jessie or Susan from the NXTVB team.
🎥 HIGHLIGHT FILM professionally produced and done for you.
🗣️ OUR TARGETED TAKE with detailed feedback on one specific part of your process, so it's worth your time and effort!
😎 PLUS SEASONAL OFFER...

What if June 15th wasn't a verdict, but a flashlight?

In this follow-up to last week's episode, Susan goes deeper on what June 15th actually reveals and how athletes and families can make sense of what they saw (or didn't see) once the day passed. Through two memorable analogies, a tunnel and a big box with multiple doors, she paints a clear picture of what's actually happening behind the scenes of the recruiting process and why most athletes are still in the middle of their journey, not at the end.

Susan walks through why the days before June 15th feel like walking through a dark tunnel, sharing a personal story about taking her three young sons through an abandoned train tunnel in Truckee. She explains how June 15th is essentially the lights coming on in the middle of that tunnel, finally giving families clarity on how far they've come, what's ahead, and what direction to go next. She also calls out the social media trap that makes a small percentage of athletes feel like the majority, and offers a "Bill Nye, not Judge Judy" approach to assessing what the day actually revealed.

If June 15th didn't unfold the way your family hoped, or you're trying to figure out what to do with the information you now have, this episode will help you reset, reassess, and move forward with clarity.

Chapters

00:00 – The power of being a little delusional
03:00 – Validating the post-June 15th emotional roller coaster
05:30 – June 15th is just information
07:30 – Recruiting before June 15th: walking through the dark
10:00 – The Truckee tunnel story
13:30 – When the lights come on
17:00 – Doors, mirages, and the rare easy paths
19:00 – Why social media spotlights the few
22:00 – Bill Nye vs. Judge Judy: assess, don't panic
24:30 – Why recruiting doesn't end on June 15th

Click HERE for the link to NXTVB Support

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

Quick shoutout to our podcast sponsor University Athlete. The only volleyball-exclusive recruiting platform used by 95% of college coaches. It’s where athletes get seen, get evaluated, and get recruited. Plus it's free and only takes a couple of minutes to activate your profile.

Click the link below to claim your free profile.

CLAIM YOUR FREE PROFILE HERE

If you decide you want to upgrade to the All-Access pass be sure to use the code ‘NXTVB30’ to save 30% on your yearly membership.

Subscription boxes are all the rave (we get it, they are FUN!) and we’ve developed one for the recruiting process that comes with 1:1 support in our new Set for Success Membership!

Every Month as Member You Get to Choose from One of the Following for Support:

🖥️ 1:1 ADVISING CALL with either Sonja, Jessie or Susan from the NXTVB team.
🎥 HIGHLIGHT FILM professionally produced and done for you.
🗣️ OUR TARGETED TAKE with detailed feedback on one specific part of your process, so it's worth your time and effort!
😎 PLUS SEASONAL OFFER...

What if June 15th wasn't a verdict on your future, but just one date on a much longer calendar?

With June 15th approaching, Susan goes solo to reframe how athletes and families are thinking about the most hyped-up day in volleyball recruiting. She breaks down what June 15th actually is (and isn't), why most athletes won't have a dramatic recruiting breakthrough on that single day, and the silent stories athletes start telling themselves when the day doesn't unfold the way they imagined.

Drawing on a concept from her mentor Brooke Castillo, Susan walks through how to make decisions ahead of time about who you want to be, how you want to show up, and what you'll focus on whether things go well or not. She also offers a powerful reframe for any athlete who's been measuring her worth by outcomes instead of actions, and shares the drops-in-a-bucket framework that reminds you why your success in this process is inevitable as long as you don't give up.

If June 15th has been weighing on your family, this episode is the deep breath you didn't know you needed before opening day.

Chapters

00:00 – What June 15th actually is
02:00 – June 15th is a day, not a verdict
03:30 – The stories we let June 15th mean about us
04:30 – Making decisions ahead of time
06:00 – Disappointment isn't defeat
07:00 – You didn't fail, you just guessed wrong
08:00 – Evaluating yourself by actions, not outcomes
09:30 – The small wins worth celebrating
11:00 – Drops in a bucket: why success is inevitable
13:30 – What to remember if June 15th doesn't go your way

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram + TikTok: @hey.susank

Quick shoutout to our podcast sponsor University Athlete. The only volleyball-exclusive recruiting platform used by 95% of college coaches. It’s where athletes get seen, get evaluated, and get recruited. Plus it's free and only takes a couple of minutes to activate your profile.

Click the link below to claim your free profile.

CLAIM YOUR FREE PROFILE HERE

If you decide you want to upgrade to the All-Access pass be sure to use the code ‘NXTVB30’ to save 30% on your yearly membership.

Subscription boxes are all the rave (we get it, they are FUN!) and we’ve developed one for the recruiting process that comes with 1:1 support in our new Set for Success Membership!

Every Month as Member You Get to Choose from One of the Following for Support:

🖥️ 1:1 ADVISING CALL with either Sonja, Jessie or Susan from the NXTVB team.
🎥 HIGHLIGHT FILM professionally produced and done for you.
🗣️ OUR TARGETED TAKE with detailed feedback on one specific part of your process, so it's worth your time and effort!
😎 PLUS SEASONAL OFFER...