You don’t start on the top team, you don’t love your coach, you’re not the “obvious” recruit. So what? Olivia Heidel just turned that story into a pro contract in Germany.
Welcome to Oak Performance Radio, where we talk about what it really takes to perform at a high level. The show looks at training, preparation, and decision-making through real athletes, coaches, and experiences, on and off the field.
Episode Highlights
In today’s episode, Adam Lane sits down with setter Olivia Heidel to walk through the real path from freshman team and twos squads to Division I, a conference championship, and finally signing to play professionally in Germany. They get into what it’s like to be labeled early, play for a mentally and emotionally abusive coach, walk away from a five–year full ride, use the transfer portal the right way, and rebuild your love for the game inside a healthy culture. Parents, athletes, and coaches get an honest look at what actually matters if you want to play at a high level and still like who you are when you’re done.
Episode Outline
- Introduction and Background of Olivia Heidel
- Olivia's Journey to Professional Volleyball
- Challenges and Successes at Michigan Tech
- Transition to IUP and UNCW
- Preparation for Professional Volleyball in Germany
- Advice for Young Athletes
Episode Chapters
00:00 Intro & who is Olivia
01:21 Deciding to play pro volleyball
02:40 Finding an agent and German club
05:32 Signing the contract & leaving in August
08:10 Moving overseas and family reactions
10:03 Club and high school years on “twos” teams
12:19 Illness, COVID year, and lost recruiting time
16:45 Full ride to Michigan Tech and toxic environment
20:18 Entering the transfer portal and choosing IUP
22:26 Winning conference and NCAA run at IUP
28:01 Following coaches to UNCW and rebuilding
35:00 D2 vs D1 speed, physicality, and coaching
37:36 Advice to athletes on labels, fit, and leaving
43:10 Adam’s reflections and closing
Conclusion
Olivia’s path is not the clean highlight reel people expect. She was not the obvious star, did not get the perfect first college fit, and did not ride one school from freshman year to senior night. She put her head down, worked, made brutal decisions when things were unhealthy, and trusted that there was something better on the other side of uncomfortable moves. For athletes and parents, her story is a clear reminder that depth charts, team labels, and early recruiting wins do not decide your ceiling. How you respond, how you train, and what environments you choose matter a lot more.
Action Taken
- Plan and record a follow-up Oak Performance Radio episode with Olivia Heidel after the Nikos episode to update her story from Germany.
- Olivia will listen to Nikos’s Oak Performance Radio appearance to compare experiences with German volleyball.
- Olivia will connect with Nikos to talk through his time in Germany and swap insights on life and play overseas.
CTA
- Subscribe to Oak Performance Radio, share this with an athlete or parent who is stuck on labels, team levels, or a bad fit.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oakperformancelab
Instagram: @oakperformance
Connect with Olivia:
@olivia.heidel
Thank you for listening to Oak Performance Radio. Keep training hard, pay attention to the environments you choose, and remember that your effort and decisions will always carry more weight than the label next to your name.
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