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Speaker 1: Hi, I'm timnio Oshinsky and this is a bonus episode

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Speaker 1: of Serving Pancakes with League One Volleyball. With October fourteenth

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Speaker 1: being Indigenous People's Day, we wanted to highlight an amazing

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Speaker 1: volleyball player who has not only made an impact on

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Speaker 1: the court, but off the court as well, educating and

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Speaker 1: bringing awareness about violence towards Indigenous women, girls, and two

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Speaker 1: spirit people. Lauren shadd is a member of the Cheyenne

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Speaker 1: River Lakota tribe and is a former middle hitter from

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Speaker 1: the University of San Diego who played professionally in France

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Speaker 1: for five years. Lauren, Welcome to Serving Pancakes. Thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for being here.

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Speaker 2: Hi, thank you so much for having me. Tiffany, I'm

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Speaker 2: really excited and yeah, it's going to be a really

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Speaker 2: good opportunity for us to chat.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm very excited to have you on because you

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Speaker 1: have a fascinating story, a fascinating career in volleyball, fascinating life,

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Speaker 1: and there's so much I want to touch on. So

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Speaker 1: let's start currently, which you know, as I mentioned in

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Speaker 1: the intro, October fourteenth is Indigenous People's Day, So is

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Speaker 1: this a special time for you for your family.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it is. I think you know, as you mentioned,

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Speaker 2: it is Indigenous People's Day, but we kind of always

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Speaker 2: say it's always a good day to be Indigenous. We're

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Speaker 2: very proud of where we come from, and whenever you

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Speaker 2: have that day to just bring celebration to your culture

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Speaker 2: and where you come from, I think, you know, it's

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Speaker 2: a day that you have a lot of proudness of

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Speaker 2: where who you are and the community that supported you.

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Speaker 2: And going in Indigenous people days, you know, you just

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Speaker 2: feel that extra happiness in the day. You're just excited

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Speaker 2: and you're like, today's going to be a good day.

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Speaker 2: You know.

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Speaker 1: How do you guys celebrate?

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Speaker 2: There's different ways because all tribes are different. But I'm

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Speaker 2: from the Shine River La Culta tribe, so some days,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's not like a huge, big celebration, you know,

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Speaker 2: like it would be like a winter equinox or like

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Speaker 2: a summer solstice or something. But basically, I mean, I know,

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Speaker 2: for me personally, I always try to wear like indigenous

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Speaker 2: clothing or like I'm making sure to support Indigenous brands,

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Speaker 2: or especially when I'm looking into like the social media

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Speaker 2: aspect of it, you're making sure that you're uplifting other

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Speaker 2: artists or artisans or people small businesses that are Indigenous,

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Speaker 2: and it's really just a day to celebrate everything that

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Speaker 2: we are and everything that we are working towards. And

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Speaker 2: so that's kind of the big way we celebrate. My

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Speaker 2: partner is always telling me, he's like, hey, you know,

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Speaker 2: it's Sympigenous People's Day, like celebrate happy and it's really nice.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, it's pretty there's not a big celebration, but

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Speaker 2: it's just a day to bring awareness and education to

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Speaker 2: everyone that might not know as much about it.

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Speaker 1: Now, you said that you're part of the Cheyenne Lakota tribe.

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Speaker 1: I also read it's a Cheyenne River Sioux tribe is

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Speaker 1: also another name for it. So can you get a

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Speaker 1: little background on your tribe? Are there any traditions that

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Speaker 1: you specifically celebrate.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so I am from the Shine River Sioux tribe.

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Speaker 2: The Sioux is kind of like the Great Sioux Nation

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Speaker 2: is a lot of people know it, but I often

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Speaker 2: reference Shine River La Kota tribe just because geographically and

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Speaker 2: historically it's a little let's say, I guess more accurate

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Speaker 2: to like where we come from. So I am from

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Speaker 2: Rapid City, South Dakota, from the Paha Sappa, which is

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Speaker 2: the Black Hills of of South Dakota. And I am

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Speaker 2: In and I have I'm from the traditional lands of

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Speaker 2: the Ocheti Shakuwein, which is the Seven Council Fires. And

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Speaker 2: there are different tribes spread out through kind of that

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Speaker 2: northern area of the plains in the US. And there's

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Speaker 2: three traditional tribes. There's the Dakota, Lakota, and Dakota. They're

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Speaker 2: all very close to each other, but the Lakota is

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Speaker 2: my tribe. And yeah, there's just different ceremonies that we have.

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Speaker 2: You know, in the summers, we're always going to pow wows.

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Speaker 2: We're making sure that we're really taking part in celebrating

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Speaker 2: our culture and seeing the traditional dances with fancy dance.

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Speaker 2: I never grew up dancing. I was kind of separated

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Speaker 2: and apart from that, but I have a lot of

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Speaker 2: friends that dance, and we're always it's just really a

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Speaker 2: big community gathering for us to come together and to

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Speaker 2: celebrate one another as well as you know, as I mentioned,

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Speaker 2: we kind of do like the summer or the summer solstice,

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Speaker 2: the winter solstice as well. It's just kind of like

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Speaker 2: a time of transition for us and it's just kind

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Speaker 2: of us paying homage to the world that we live

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Speaker 2: in and the land that we celebrate and everything that

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Speaker 2: we are. And then you know, you have your other

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Speaker 2: ceremonies that are few and further between for me because

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Speaker 2: obviously I'm over in France. But you can go into

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Speaker 2: traditional lodge sweats where you go as like a cleansing

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Speaker 2: as well as going to you know where you're just

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Speaker 2: doing some smudging and prayers, which is mostly what I

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Speaker 2: do here, where I just have traditional medicines such as

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Speaker 2: sage or a bear root and you're just burning it

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Speaker 2: and you know, you're cleansing your area. It's kind of

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Speaker 2: like a similar equivalent of like saying prayer, but it's

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Speaker 2: your version of just giving thanks and kind of reconnecting

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Speaker 2: with your ancestors.

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Speaker 1: I love that.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: You said that he grew up not dancing, So what

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Speaker 1: was it like growing up for you? Were you connected

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Speaker 1: to your tribe or were you kind of doing other things?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so we were really connected to my tribe. Both

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Speaker 2: my parents are from indigenous heritage as well. The reservation

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Speaker 2: that my father grew up on was three hours east

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Speaker 2: of where I grew up, but I grew up I

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Speaker 2: guess they would call me an urban native, is what

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Speaker 2: they say, is because I grew up in the city

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Speaker 2: off of reservation, just because you know, the jobs were

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Speaker 2: a lot more available in Rapid City. So as much

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Speaker 2: as I wasn't as close to my culture, like directly geographically,

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Speaker 2: there was still a massive Native community in my town.

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Speaker 2: And my parents did a really good job at instilling

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Speaker 2: the ethics and morals of what it meant to be

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Speaker 2: an Indigenous person, specifically an Indigenous woman in our culture.

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Speaker 2: And you know, they always brought us to powow Was.

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Speaker 2: They always made sure that we are around other Lakota

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Speaker 2: elders that were able to share knowledge with us. Because

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Speaker 2: my grandparents passed before I was born, I think, so

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Speaker 2: I didn't really have that type of knowledge coming down

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Speaker 2: to me. But my parents did a very good job

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Speaker 2: at making sure that we knew where we came from

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Speaker 2: and were able to celebrate that.

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Speaker 1: So when and how did volleyball get into your life?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? So I I kind of participated in all sports.

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Speaker 2: I you know, I was in gymnastics, which once I

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Speaker 2: hit a certain height, they were like, this is just

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Speaker 2: not going to work anymore, which I think was probably

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Speaker 2: about first or second grade, I participated in soccer and basketball,

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Speaker 2: and it volleyball actually wasn't really on my radar. Basketball

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Speaker 2: is more of the sport that's big in like tribal communities,

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Speaker 2: and that was really my interest since third grade and on.

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Speaker 2: But I think I hit eighth grade and my basketball

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Speaker 2: coach was like, hey, you're actually pretty good on your

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Speaker 2: like layup. You might be pretty good at volleyball because

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Speaker 2: in our school the volleyball coach and the basketball coach

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Speaker 2: were the same, So he's like, you should just let's

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Speaker 2: just try you out for the volleyball team. And of

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Speaker 2: course I was like, the more sports I can play,

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Speaker 2: the more I'm involved. You know, I love track and field,

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Speaker 2: so I decided to give it a shot, and it

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Speaker 2: just so happened that it ended up being the one

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Speaker 2: sport that kind of stuck with everything, and that it

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Speaker 2: was just naturally better at and that it kind of

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Speaker 2: just made like the decision for me moving on to

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Speaker 2: college and high school a lot easier. But yeah, it

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Speaker 2: actually wasn't my main sport in the beginning. I was like,

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Speaker 2: I we'll do it for fun. And now you know,

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Speaker 2: almost how many years later, eighteen and I'm in France,

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Speaker 2: and I've had this whole lifetime of volleyball behind me.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, it's been a really really interesting journey, especially

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Speaker 2: with how it started.

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Speaker 1: That's amazing. There are so many volleyball players I feel

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Speaker 1: like who started out in gymnasticly Jordan Larson.

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Speaker 2: Wanted to be a genius.

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Speaker 1: Annie Drew's was like a competitive dancer and a cheerleader.

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Speaker 1: I started in gymnastics. I just heard. I read that

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Speaker 1: Merit Beeson on Nebraska wanted to play like she was

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Speaker 1: a gymnast, and then so she's I was like, oh

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Speaker 1: my gosh, we were all gymnasts. That's just gymnasts.

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Speaker 2: And they're like, no, no, no, yeah exactly.

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Speaker 1: Now you went to San Diego. So was that a

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Speaker 1: big decision for you to leave South Dakota to go

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Speaker 1: all the way to San Diego or was this something

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Speaker 1: that a lot of kids in your high school were doing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so it wasn't of the norm, I will say,

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Speaker 2: because I'd say there were very select few of us

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Speaker 2: that actually went further out of state. You know, you'd

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Speaker 2: go to like the neighboring states or maybe like Denver, Montana,

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Speaker 2: like Wyoming. A lot of people stayed in state but

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Speaker 2: I had always known my two criteria was that I

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Speaker 2: wanted to go West Coast and that I wanted to

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Speaker 2: go Top twenty five Division one. And it was a

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Speaker 2: bit easier for me to decide West Coast and to

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Speaker 2: move because my sisters had been attending college for the

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Speaker 2: past two years when I got to San Diego in

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Speaker 2: northern in California, in Stanford and at the San Francisco

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Speaker 2: Conservatory of Music, So it was really easy for me

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Speaker 2: to make that decision to kind of migrate over to

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Speaker 2: be closer to my sisters, and my parents were already

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Speaker 2: taking trips up and down California anyway, and it kind

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Speaker 2: of just the opportunity arose. So I was like, I

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Speaker 2: would be crazy not to move to, you know, San

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Speaker 2: Diego and soak up the sun a little bit and

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Speaker 2: especially change I think the dynamic of volleyball, because it

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Speaker 2: was a completely different world when I got to California

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Speaker 2: compared to South Dakota. It was like a completely different

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Speaker 2: level really truly. So it was it was easy in

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Speaker 2: the moment, obviously, just with the you know, you're eighteen,

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Speaker 2: you're moving really far from home. It it has its

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Speaker 2: normal things you have to work out anyway, But yeah, no,

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Speaker 2: I loved it so much.

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Speaker 1: So and at what point did you realize you wanted

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Speaker 1: to go pro?

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Speaker 2: You know? I actually, once again I kind of all

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Speaker 2: these opportunit who's kind of fell into like my lap

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Speaker 2: a bit. But I think it was because it was

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Speaker 2: in twenty seventeen when I graduated and my coach asked

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Speaker 2: me Brett Hilliard. He is now the coach of San

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Speaker 2: Diego State University, but he was my assistant at USD.

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Speaker 2: Brilliant guy. He went to the Olympics one bronze. He's amazing.

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Speaker 2: He was in practice one day and just like randomly

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Speaker 2: looked at me and was like, so, do you think

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Speaker 2: you want to play pro? And I was like what,

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Speaker 2: Like what are you talking about? Because at this time,

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Speaker 2: like I had no idea. You know, there wasn't a

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Speaker 2: pro league in the US other than the national team

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Speaker 2: and all those girls played overseas. But I wasn't aware

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Speaker 2: of this. I had no idea that you could actually

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Speaker 2: make money and play pro and like, you know, be competitive.

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Speaker 2: It was just not something that was on my radar.

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Speaker 2: And I was like, what are you talking about, Like,

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Speaker 2: what do you mean play pro? He's like, do you

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Speaker 2: want to keep playing, and I was like, yeah, I

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Speaker 2: love volleyball. Why wouldn't I? And he was like, Lauren,

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Speaker 2: there are so many leagues, so many levels there, like

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Speaker 2: the whole world is before you to keep playing if

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Speaker 2: you want it. And so I think that kind of

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Speaker 2: got the gears moving a little bit. And then once

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Speaker 2: I hit December of my senior year, right when I

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Speaker 2: finished that tournament, my agent reached out. My non agent

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Speaker 2: at the time reached out to me and he was like, Hi,

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Speaker 2: my name's Ryan j Owens, like, is this something you're

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Speaker 2: interested in? And I was like, Wow, I'm really hearing

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Speaker 2: this a lot. And I think in that moment, I

225
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Speaker 2: was like, why wouldn't I at least try to keep playing?

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Speaker 2: You know, it's a sport that I love. If you

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Speaker 2: get the chance to move over to a different country, like,

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Speaker 2: why wouldn't you at least try to do that experience?

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Speaker 2: And yeah, I think within the first I think I

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Speaker 2: was picked up in April, like about four months after

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Speaker 2: in my spring season, I was like, all right, we're

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Speaker 2: moving to France. So it all kind of fell into place.

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Speaker 2: So I'd say around my junior senior is when I

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Speaker 2: really was like this could actually be a real option

235
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Speaker 2: for me.

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Speaker 1: Was it a tough decision? I mean, I know, going

237
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Speaker 1: from South Dakota to California is a big decision. But

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Speaker 1: you said your sisters were already there. Now all of

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Speaker 1: a sudden, you're moving to a completely different continent country.

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Speaker 1: Was that hard for you and your family?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean in the like, when I looked at

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Speaker 2: it in hein or like, you know, just directly, I

243
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Speaker 2: was like, oh, yeah, great, friends, like, let's just be

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Speaker 2: a world traveler. But then when you get there, You're like, wow,

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Speaker 2: I do not speak the language. I know nobody here there.

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Speaker 2: Luckily for me, there was I think three other Americans

247
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Speaker 2: on my team, so like there was some common ground

248
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Speaker 2: there and there was like a built in support system.

249
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Speaker 2: But it was truly, I think one of the hardest

250
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Speaker 2: years of my life. I had this idea of what

251
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Speaker 2: it meant to play pro and when I got there,

252
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Speaker 2: I was just so mentally like out of my league.

253
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Speaker 2: I was really lost. I felt like they're really despite

254
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Speaker 2: having you know, my friends and my teammates there, it

255
00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,079
Speaker 2: was still really isolating and they were going through the

256
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Speaker 2: same thing. So you guys are kind of going back

257
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Speaker 2: and forth about how sad you're feeling and how much

258
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Speaker 2: you're grieving being away from home, and I actually was like,

259
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Speaker 2: you know, this pro life is not for me. I

260
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Speaker 2: think I'm going to be done. I think I'm going

261
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Speaker 2: to call it quits. This is just not something I'm

262
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Speaker 2: interested in. And I had full intention of quitting after

263
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Speaker 2: my first year and coming home and just saying, you know,

264
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Speaker 2: I tried it and it didn't work out, and I'm

265
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Speaker 2: I'm okay with that because I know at least I

266
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Speaker 2: gave it a shot, and then obviously that didn't happen.

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Speaker 2: I can't blame but yeah, that first year it was.

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Speaker 2: I think it was just that complete loss and isolation

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Speaker 2: of just feeling completely alone despite you being in this

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Speaker 2: wonderful place, and it was it was a really really

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Speaker 2: tough period for me. Truthfully.

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Speaker 1: How did you overcome that?

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Speaker 2: I think it was you know, I am very close

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Speaker 2: with my family, so I was onto the phone to

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Speaker 2: them every single day. My agent, he was a really

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Speaker 2: really big invaluable resource that I had because he was

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Speaker 2: the type of agent that wasn't just like all right,

278
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Speaker 2: here's a contract, it's finished. He was for first year rookies.

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Speaker 2: He demanded or asked that we send in like updates

280
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Speaker 2: every Sunday and just about how we're feeling, how we're doing,

281
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Speaker 2: or every two weeks, and then he would give us

282
00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,160
Speaker 2: that time to be like this is completely normal because

283
00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,040
Speaker 2: he was a pro athlete as well. So you had

284
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Speaker 2: my agent, you had my friends there, you had my family.

285
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Speaker 2: And then when I got home at the end of

286
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Speaker 2: the season, I was finally like, Okay, yes, I don't

287
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Speaker 2: want to subject myself to that type of turmoil again.

288
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Speaker 2: It's just not something I'm interested in. But that's when

289
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Speaker 2: I had the Indigenous branch of Nike. Nike and seven

290
00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,320
Speaker 2: reached out to me and they were like, listen, we

291
00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,240
Speaker 2: would love to sign you for two years, but you

292
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Speaker 2: have to be an athlete, and who am I to

293
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Speaker 2: say noes? So like an opportunity like that, So I

294
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,400
Speaker 2: was like, you know, maybe I I've had hard times

295
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,440
Speaker 2: in San Diego as well. You know, I was able

296
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Speaker 2: to kind of reference back that isolation and that feeling

297
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Speaker 2: and how to get through that. So I was like,

298
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Speaker 2: let's just maybe let's change teams, Let's try a different coach,

299
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Speaker 2: Let's try a different team. Let's just you know, get

300
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Speaker 2: myself in a different space to see if it gets

301
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Speaker 2: a little bit better. And it did, and it just

302
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Speaker 2: kind of stuck, and I went on for another four

303
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Speaker 2: years and here we are now.

304
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Speaker 1: There have been many famous Indigenous you know, athletes. Jim

305
00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:57,960
Speaker 1: Thorpe is probably the biggest name that people know. So

306
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Speaker 1: how did the Indigenous community support you in your volleyball career?

307
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Speaker 2: Yeah? I really could not ask for anything better than

308
00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,720
Speaker 2: for how they treated me so kindly. I think the

309
00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,160
Speaker 2: best thing about the Indigenous community is it's not just

310
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Speaker 2: your tribe and that's the end all be all. It's

311
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,800
Speaker 2: that you know, people from New Zealand and Australia and

312
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Speaker 2: from Pacific Islanders in Samoa, like everyone understands kind of

313
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,280
Speaker 2: the same, like the same sense of community that we have,

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Speaker 2: that sense of kinship. And so whenever I was going

315
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Speaker 2: through San Diego, it was like this overwhelming feeling of

316
00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,840
Speaker 2: like we're really proud of you. Go make something of yourself.

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Speaker 2: You know, they were just there. You're bringing representation to

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Speaker 2: your community on a larger scale. So to be able

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Speaker 2: to do that just it made it easier. That was

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Speaker 2: another reason I was able to get through it, because

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Speaker 2: I had motivation beyond my own goals. I was representing

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00:16:55,800 --> 00:17:00,440
Speaker 2: something so much larger than myself. And so when I

323
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:04,240
Speaker 2: was in that first year getting messages from community members

324
00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:06,359
Speaker 2: that were like, Hey, I know you don't know me,

325
00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,520
Speaker 2: but I am so proud of you, and we are

326
00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,800
Speaker 2: just so excited to see you representing yourself, your indigenous

327
00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:16,560
Speaker 2: identity on the university scale or on a professional scale.

328
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Speaker 2: It made it so much easier for me to just

329
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,360
Speaker 2: take that time to process what I wanted to do

330
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Speaker 2: and realize that I had people behind me and that

331
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Speaker 2: I wasn't alone in this battle of my mind or

332
00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,719
Speaker 2: whatever it was at that time. So they were and

333
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,000
Speaker 2: to this day, even to this day, I just have

334
00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:38,000
Speaker 2: an endless support system where I can reach out to

335
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,760
Speaker 2: people that I've met once and it's like you're coming home.

336
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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's amazing. That's so great to have.

337
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:44,360
Speaker 2: Yeah.

338
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,159
Speaker 1: Now, I read that based on a study in twenty

339
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,960
Speaker 1: twenty one. So the status from twenty twenty one that

340
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,639
Speaker 1: only out of all the volleyball players, only zero point

341
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:58,560
Speaker 1: three percent of them are Native Americans or Alaska Natives.

342
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,199
Speaker 1: To the best of your knowledge, can you explain why

343
00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:03,280
Speaker 1: that number is so low?

344
00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:08,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, I think there's a lot of different contributing

345
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,280
Speaker 2: factors when you look at why there isn't as many

346
00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:16,639
Speaker 2: athletes or representation in these spaces. I think one of

347
00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:20,160
Speaker 2: them is just the obvious reason that volleyball isn't as

348
00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,760
Speaker 2: popular in Indigenous communities as let's say, lacrosse or basketball,

349
00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:26,679
Speaker 2: and it's now just started kind of making its popularity

350
00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:29,919
Speaker 2: a little bit larger on these communities. But when it

351
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,560
Speaker 2: comes down to it, I really think and I don't

352
00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,879
Speaker 2: know if accessibility is the right word, but it is

353
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,080
Speaker 2: a word that can be used because I would say

354
00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:43,119
Speaker 2: the accessibility for the sport in itself, the accessibility to

355
00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:46,480
Speaker 2: reach camps and different programs that can help them be

356
00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,640
Speaker 2: recruited or be scouted, is very difficult to come by,

357
00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:54,879
Speaker 2: especially when you get into these really isolated communities. I

358
00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,080
Speaker 2: do camps in the summers when I go on different

359
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,040
Speaker 2: tribal land and different nations. I've done a couple in

360
00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:05,520
Speaker 2: Canada where I'm on these reservations hosting this camp and

361
00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,439
Speaker 2: they're telling me like, oh, this is the first volleyball

362
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,240
Speaker 2: camp we've ever had, and I'm like, what, why is that?

363
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,600
Speaker 2: Like why is that the case? And they're just saying, well,

364
00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,080
Speaker 2: you know, it costs a lot of money. To First

365
00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:18,400
Speaker 2: of all, financially, it's kind of a burden to have

366
00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,760
Speaker 2: to get the travel, the lodging, the you know, the

367
00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:24,280
Speaker 2: money to be able to feed yourselves on these trips,

368
00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,520
Speaker 2: and that's you know, I know, we struggled to financially

369
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,040
Speaker 2: get me myself through club volleyball for a while because

370
00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,400
Speaker 2: it is expensive to be able to have yourself seen

371
00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,560
Speaker 2: in big tournaments. You know, you have the jerseys, everything,

372
00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,159
Speaker 2: so financially it is hard to like get past that

373
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,359
Speaker 2: and for yourself to be able to be seen. And

374
00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:45,920
Speaker 2: then on top of that, which I think is something

375
00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,919
Speaker 2: we could do better as a community of volleyball in general,

376
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:55,439
Speaker 2: is get more college coaches and recruiters to these smaller

377
00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,080
Speaker 2: communities because it's not a lack of athletes that is

378
00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,320
Speaker 2: our problem, and like talented athletes that are that is

379
00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:04,040
Speaker 2: our problem. Because I see a lot of them when

380
00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:06,479
Speaker 2: I'm coaching. I'm like, Wow, you could be playing D two,

381
00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,400
Speaker 2: D one, you could definitely be playing in college. And

382
00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:11,720
Speaker 2: the only reason that they're not is because they're not

383
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:16,640
Speaker 2: being seen. And that comes with the accessibility, the convenience

384
00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,159
Speaker 2: of going to a tournament for college coaches where you're

385
00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,560
Speaker 2: seeing you know, thousands of athletes in one place, but

386
00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,560
Speaker 2: then there are people that you're obviously missing out because

387
00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,600
Speaker 2: they're not able to be there. So I think that's

388
00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:30,359
Speaker 2: something we can do better as a community, is just

389
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,200
Speaker 2: being able to seek out those places that are a

390
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:38,640
Speaker 2: little bit off the map and give the Indigenous community

391
00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:40,879
Speaker 2: a chance to really shine and represent themselves. Because, as

392
00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:42,879
Speaker 2: I said, it's not a lack of athletes, it's really not.

393
00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,359
Speaker 2: It's really just multiple factors that are kind of causing

394
00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:49,320
Speaker 2: us to go under the radar a little bit.

395
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:53,600
Speaker 1: Now, volleyball is the fastest growing sport for girls in

396
00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:57,359
Speaker 1: high school. So since you started doing these camps to today,

397
00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,440
Speaker 1: have you noticed an increase in popularity the sport in

398
00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,520
Speaker 1: the Indigenous community, especially as someone who can represent them

399
00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:04,920
Speaker 1: and show what's out there.

400
00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I definitely have. I think my first year,

401
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,640
Speaker 2: you know, you never knew because I'm always like listen,

402
00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,680
Speaker 2: when I run the camps, I always tell the coordinators

403
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,800
Speaker 2: or the like tribal council that's holding me, I'm like, listen,

404
00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:20,239
Speaker 2: we don't know how many people are going to show up.

405
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,560
Speaker 2: It could be two girls, it could be twenty five,

406
00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:24,439
Speaker 2: it could be forty. And I was like it just

407
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,480
Speaker 2: depends like on that time how we advertise it. But

408
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,920
Speaker 2: I think in the first couple of years we had

409
00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,520
Speaker 2: like a pretty average turnout of you know, like let's

410
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:36,800
Speaker 2: say like eight to twenty ish people I usually do

411
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,000
Speaker 2: grades from I think it's like sixth grade up until

412
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:44,480
Speaker 2: senior year, and the younger group we've really had very

413
00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:47,880
Speaker 2: small numbers. You'd maybe get like two to maybe eight

414
00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:49,800
Speaker 2: athletes in that smaller group, and then you'd see the

415
00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:54,159
Speaker 2: high school girls who are already playing. But now the

416
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:55,960
Speaker 2: camps that I've been running, you know, you're getting into

417
00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,639
Speaker 2: like the thirties and the forties, and now I have

418
00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:01,400
Speaker 2: to start bringing an assistant code with me because if

419
00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,160
Speaker 2: I get there and I won't be only one coach,

420
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,960
Speaker 2: then I'm not giving them the type of attention that

421
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,400
Speaker 2: they need to really learn and benefit from the camp.

422
00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:12,200
Speaker 2: So I've definitely seen an increase in tribal communities, and

423
00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,480
Speaker 2: I'm seeing that it's not so basketball like faced anymore.

424
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,560
Speaker 2: I have so many more people reaching out to me,

425
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,600
Speaker 2: and people that I know that want to go play

426
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,000
Speaker 2: in college. They're telling me like, oh, my sister really

427
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,320
Speaker 2: hopes that you're coming back because now she wants to

428
00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,920
Speaker 2: play volleyball, and like my cousins want to play volleyball.

429
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,879
Speaker 2: So it has definitely gotten a lot bigger, which is

430
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:35,040
Speaker 2: really exciting to see because, as I said, like these athletes,

431
00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,800
Speaker 2: they're up and coming and they're really good, and I'm

432
00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,679
Speaker 2: excited to see kind of how they progress over the

433
00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:41,840
Speaker 2: years just working with them.

434
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,919
Speaker 1: So what lessons have you learned growing up that helped

435
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,159
Speaker 1: you as a volleyball player and that you kind of

436
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,359
Speaker 1: pass on to these younger athletes as well.

437
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:55,440
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I think it's easy in the sense of

438
00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,760
Speaker 2: that my family, as I mentioned, was really good about

439
00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,280
Speaker 2: teaching us our culture, and that's kind of always what

440
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,520
Speaker 2: it's rooted in, right, Like that's kind of the foundation

441
00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:06,119
Speaker 2: of everything that I lead with with my intentions and

442
00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,600
Speaker 2: the things that I do. I'm like, how does this

443
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:11,200
Speaker 2: benefit me as a character? Like what is this? How

444
00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,360
Speaker 2: is this making me better? And a lot the one

445
00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:16,960
Speaker 2: that I always come back to is we have these

446
00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:19,720
Speaker 2: Lakota teachings. That's like being a good relative, you know,

447
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:21,880
Speaker 2: just kind of like morals that help you get through

448
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,240
Speaker 2: life of being a good person. But the biggest one

449
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,040
Speaker 2: that I was taught and that my mother really really

450
00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,960
Speaker 2: instilled in me that I always bring to the camps

451
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,880
Speaker 2: is to remain humble. So it's always about never becoming

452
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,480
Speaker 2: bigger than I think what you think you are or

453
00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:42,359
Speaker 2: what you want to be, and always remembering that to

454
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,639
Speaker 2: stay grounded and where you're at right that like the

455
00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,119
Speaker 2: balance is kind of in that heart of the humility

456
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,440
Speaker 2: and the confidence and self is what I always say

457
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:54,840
Speaker 2: to the girls, because you know, even regardless of how

458
00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,199
Speaker 2: much success you have, you have to remember where you

459
00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:00,600
Speaker 2: came from, who was there when they were supporting you

460
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,800
Speaker 2: at your lowest, who was there when you weren't this successful,

461
00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,359
Speaker 2: and so kind of remaining humble and checking myself in

462
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:11,399
Speaker 2: those moments is something that really really helped me throughout

463
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,119
Speaker 2: my career and to this day. Is something that I

464
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,240
Speaker 2: teach my athletes. And I was going to say girls

465
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,320
Speaker 2: and two spirit, but actually I've been getting some young

466
00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,439
Speaker 2: boys coming into my camps now too, so that's also

467
00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:25,639
Speaker 2: kind of a plus as I'm starting to get my

468
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:30,840
Speaker 2: first male athletes coming into the camps, which is really cool.

469
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,200
Speaker 1: I love that. Keep spreading the love of the game.

470
00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:36,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, right, exactly.

471
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,840
Speaker 1: Well, speaking of being humble, in twenty twenty three, you

472
00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,160
Speaker 1: were inducted in the Indigenous Hall of Fame. So can

473
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,760
Speaker 1: you walk us through the moment you got the call

474
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:48,919
Speaker 1: about that and the emotions you felt.

475
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, so, I mean I'm smiling about it. I'm like,

476
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,679
Speaker 2: be humble and then let me tell you about this. No,

477
00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,000
Speaker 2: but it was. It was a really surreal moment for me.

478
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,920
Speaker 2: Actually with the the athletes that I was inducted with,

479
00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:07,600
Speaker 2: like my mentor Jim Warren, he was a football player

480
00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,280
Speaker 2: who played in the NFL and he was inducted in

481
00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:15,439
Speaker 2: the same year as me. Jane Casnavoid the track and

482
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:18,119
Speaker 2: field star that is just a legend on TikTok and

483
00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,720
Speaker 2: she's super successful, and I remember, I think it was

484
00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,520
Speaker 2: actually an email and it was like, we'd love to

485
00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,880
Speaker 2: induct you into the Hall of Fame for Indigenous Athletes

486
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:31,240
Speaker 2: and I was like no, It's like, no, this isn't real.

487
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:34,520
Speaker 2: And I think the best part about it was that

488
00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:38,240
Speaker 2: it was really healing for me because the way I

489
00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:41,720
Speaker 2: ended my career when I decided to retire at that moment,

490
00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:43,800
Speaker 2: I think it was like a year and a half before,

491
00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:50,280
Speaker 2: was not the most grace graceful type of way to

492
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,720
Speaker 2: end a career. There was a lot of pain and

493
00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,919
Speaker 2: a lot of grief coming with me ending my career

494
00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:58,679
Speaker 2: and choosing to snap. So I think I had a

495
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,520
Speaker 2: lot of conflicted feet about volleyball. I kind of turned

496
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:03,960
Speaker 2: my back on it. I was like, this is not

497
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,480
Speaker 2: for me. Am I going to find love for the

498
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,440
Speaker 2: game again? And then when that email came in, it

499
00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:11,800
Speaker 2: was like, this is why you loved playing like it

500
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,000
Speaker 2: kind of brought me back to the reason why I

501
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,280
Speaker 2: started playing, why I loved it, why I continue to

502
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,560
Speaker 2: do it for so long despite a lot of the

503
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,399
Speaker 2: kind of hardships that I had, And it was just

504
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,520
Speaker 2: a moment for me that was like not the I

505
00:26:27,640 --> 00:26:29,600
Speaker 2: made it moment, but it was a moment that was

506
00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:31,720
Speaker 2: like your efforts didn't go to waste because you did

507
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,919
Speaker 2: work really hard and you did do so much to

508
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,440
Speaker 2: get to this point, and for that to be recognized,

509
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:41,479
Speaker 2: especially on an Indigenous Hall of Fame, is just like

510
00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,440
Speaker 2: the most fulfilling feeling that you can have.

511
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:47,199
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's something you should definitely be proud of and

512
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,280
Speaker 1: feel so accomplished, and you know that's amazing and it's

513
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,919
Speaker 1: it's funny. I was actually like looking at the website

514
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,160
Speaker 1: at all the athletes, which, by the way, you are

515
00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,679
Speaker 1: the main photo for when you want to click on

516
00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:03,240
Speaker 1: the athletes page, it's you all right, but you know,

517
00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,320
Speaker 1: yeah exactly, speaking of humble again.

518
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,240
Speaker 2: Right, bring it back.

519
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,480
Speaker 1: But when I was looking at the athletes on the page,

520
00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:15,720
Speaker 1: there are so many of them. So what does it

521
00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,639
Speaker 1: mean to you to see that there are so many

522
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:20,920
Speaker 1: accomplished Indigenous athletes out there?

523
00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:26,119
Speaker 2: It's just it's that same feeling of just being whole

524
00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:31,520
Speaker 2: and to see ourselves in these spaces is something that

525
00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:34,240
Speaker 2: growing up people always ask me, was like, oh, who

526
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:38,720
Speaker 2: is your Indigenous like, you know, like idle, who was

527
00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:40,800
Speaker 2: it that you were looking at? And it was hard

528
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:42,800
Speaker 2: Like obviously, like I said, I had Jim Thorpe, but

529
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:45,920
Speaker 2: growing up, especially in the area that I was in,

530
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,240
Speaker 2: I didn't have that many like role models that were

531
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,000
Speaker 2: athletes to look up to because it just wasn't you

532
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,840
Speaker 2: weren't seeing them in like the media. You weren't seeing

533
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,640
Speaker 2: them being represented in these spaces. So my sisters were

534
00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,639
Speaker 2: my role models. But then when I was inducted and

535
00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,639
Speaker 2: I saw the list because we're all on the email

536
00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,560
Speaker 2: later for uh, I think it was the banquet to

537
00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,880
Speaker 2: come together, I was like, wow, like, look at all

538
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:17,119
Speaker 2: of these people that are just succeeding and excelling in

539
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,639
Speaker 2: their sport exactly how it should be, because you know,

540
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:24,200
Speaker 2: you grow up knowing how capable your community is, but

541
00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:28,080
Speaker 2: that's not being reflected in certain spaces and being represented,

542
00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,040
Speaker 2: you know, on a larger scale, and to see that

543
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,919
Speaker 2: happen is just the most rewarding feeling.

544
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,080
Speaker 1: And now I was also looking at the athletes and

545
00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:41,240
Speaker 1: you are only one of three volleyball players on their

546
00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 1: women volleyball players specifically it's you, Jamie Menzies and Renelle Jones.

547
00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:51,400
Speaker 1: So knowing that there's only three Indigenous volleyball players women

548
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:53,719
Speaker 1: volleyball players, what kind of goes through your mind when

549
00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 1: you hear that?

550
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,840
Speaker 2: I think it's it's surprising to me because I remember

551
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:00,719
Speaker 2: when I thought about it, and as you said, there

552
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:03,800
Speaker 2: there's not as many of us. There's like a very

553
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,640
Speaker 2: small percentage that make up the world of volleyball, And

554
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,760
Speaker 2: you know, I think that mentality of, like, listen, there's

555
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,440
Speaker 2: always going to be those people that kind of have

556
00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,400
Speaker 2: to break those barriers down in the beginning to make

557
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,680
Speaker 2: space for other people to come in. You know, there's

558
00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:23,800
Speaker 2: definitely a lot of more Indigenous athletes coming up, especially

559
00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,960
Speaker 2: in the world of volleyball. So I think it's it's

560
00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:30,240
Speaker 2: hard to imagine because I'm like, there's only that many

561
00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,080
Speaker 2: of us, Like, why aren't there more, because I know

562
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,360
Speaker 2: there's so many great athletes, But you know, it's just

563
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,960
Speaker 2: you know it's coming. It's one of those things that

564
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:39,760
Speaker 2: you're like, it's going to take a little bit longer,

565
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:41,840
Speaker 2: but I know we're not going to be the last.

566
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:44,920
Speaker 2: And I just know that that number is going to

567
00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,440
Speaker 2: increase year by year, and it's going to be really

568
00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,760
Speaker 2: cool to see that transition from being such a small

569
00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,240
Speaker 2: number to something that's so much more.

570
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,040
Speaker 1: So You've been able to take your status as a

571
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,640
Speaker 1: volleyball player and transform it into other things. So you're

572
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:17,920
Speaker 1: a Healing the Globe ambassador for the Red Ribbon Skirt Society.

573
00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,239
Speaker 1: Can you explain what the Red Ribbon Skirt Society is

574
00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:23,760
Speaker 1: and what your role is as an ambassador.

575
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:31,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, the Red Ribbon Skirt Society is a Indigenous created,

576
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:35,360
Speaker 2: women led society in my hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota,

577
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:40,760
Speaker 2: and it basically is a space that supports and educates

578
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:45,320
Speaker 2: and brings awareness to the epidemic of missing, murdered Indigenous

579
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:51,640
Speaker 2: women girls and two spirit people, and there's just a

580
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,920
Speaker 2: plethora of things that they do. So you see the education,

581
00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:59,760
Speaker 2: you see the awareness, but they organize protests and marches

582
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,440
Speaker 2: and things to help people bring awareness to what this is.

583
00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,440
Speaker 2: And I'll explain it in a second. But on top

584
00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,160
Speaker 2: of that, they're also supporting families that have been affected

585
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:16,000
Speaker 2: by these tragic events that have happened within our communities.

586
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,239
Speaker 2: And whether that be helping pay for funeral costs or

587
00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:24,200
Speaker 2: helping to donate items for kids that are left motherless

588
00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,600
Speaker 2: or aunt lists or whatever it may be, they are

589
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,800
Speaker 2: there to be that system of support to help you

590
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,960
Speaker 2: get through that grief and that pain of this epidemic

591
00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:37,400
Speaker 2: and what it is is it's exactly what it says

592
00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:41,280
Speaker 2: is missing and murdered Indigenous women. Indigenous women, girls and

593
00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,760
Speaker 2: too spare are ten times the national average, more likely

594
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:49,240
Speaker 2: to be murdered than any other race. So we always

595
00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,960
Speaker 2: say like we as a culture have a target on

596
00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,880
Speaker 2: our back, like coming out into the world, we have

597
00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:58,600
Speaker 2: a target on our back because of these statistics and

598
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,840
Speaker 2: what we as Indigenous women are going through with domestic violence,

599
00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:05,560
Speaker 2: sexual violence. So that's what the Red Ribbon Skirts Society

600
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,120
Speaker 2: is really working towards is making a space for us

601
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,360
Speaker 2: to feel safe and a space for us to feel

602
00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:16,800
Speaker 2: supported despite those things that we've gone through. And as

603
00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:22,120
Speaker 2: a Healing the Globe Ambassador, my role was to support

604
00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,320
Speaker 2: the society in whichever way I could, So whether that

605
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,720
Speaker 2: was we planted a community garden when I was back home,

606
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:34,960
Speaker 2: or I donated like a textile art piece to one

607
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,560
Speaker 2: of their silent auctions during the Red Ribbon Gala, or

608
00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:42,840
Speaker 2: the biggest component that it was was bringing awareness of

609
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,840
Speaker 2: the m MIIW epidemic on an international scale, because at

610
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,880
Speaker 2: this time when I was brought on as an ambassador,

611
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:54,280
Speaker 2: I was in France, So that was me mostly bringing

612
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:58,280
Speaker 2: attention to this issue on a global scale, which could

613
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:01,160
Speaker 2: be really difficult sometimes when you're trying to translate such

614
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:05,160
Speaker 2: sensitive information and because you want it to be impactful,

615
00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,240
Speaker 2: you want it to be being truthful, but then you

616
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,360
Speaker 2: have to be sensitive to how you're translating it. So

617
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:13,880
Speaker 2: that's why I was brought on, was mostly on the

618
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:18,040
Speaker 2: international kind of global scale, to bring education to different

619
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,920
Speaker 2: communities that maybe didn't know what was happening within our

620
00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:23,160
Speaker 2: indigenous communities.

621
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,040
Speaker 1: When you were in France, were people aware of what

622
00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:26,640
Speaker 1: was going on.

623
00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:33,120
Speaker 2: No. So the way I actually got started in my

624
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:39,600
Speaker 2: activism was I saw Rosalie Fish, who is a long

625
00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:43,320
Speaker 2: distance runner. They wore the red hand print, so you

626
00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,840
Speaker 2: might see some imagery of the red hand prints for MMIW,

627
00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,760
Speaker 2: which is basically symbolizing red is the color that the

628
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,400
Speaker 2: spirits can see and putting it over our mouths symbolizes

629
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,440
Speaker 2: like the voice that was taken away from us to

630
00:33:55,480 --> 00:34:00,880
Speaker 2: speak for ourselves. And so I saw Rosalie running I

631
00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,120
Speaker 2: think it was an estate track meet, and they were

632
00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,600
Speaker 2: wearing the handprint on their face, so it was like

633
00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:11,160
Speaker 2: sports activism, and I remember just thinking like why, like

634
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,120
Speaker 2: what is stopping me from doing that? Because I was

635
00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:15,080
Speaker 2: really trying to find meaning at that time of like

636
00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:18,200
Speaker 2: why am I still doing this? How can I still

637
00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:21,919
Speaker 2: serve my community without just being so geographically far away?

638
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 2: And this is how it kind of got started of

639
00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,400
Speaker 2: I mean, in France, they didn't have any idea that

640
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:32,239
Speaker 2: this was happening to indigenous communities. They said they really

641
00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:35,279
Speaker 2: respect and love our communities. But when I brought these

642
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,719
Speaker 2: issues up, they were like, that can't be happening, like

643
00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:41,040
Speaker 2: not even not today, And I was like, but it is,

644
00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:45,680
Speaker 2: it really is so I think the first year, first

645
00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:48,759
Speaker 2: two years were pretty hard to convince people that this

646
00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:51,440
Speaker 2: was happening to us. So we were doing a lot

647
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:55,240
Speaker 2: of groundwork of just trying to educate, give the historical

648
00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:57,879
Speaker 2: context of why this is happening, and then on top

649
00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:02,359
Speaker 2: of that it is just purely bringing awareness to it.

650
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,120
Speaker 2: So I would wear athletic strap on my hand with

651
00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:08,480
Speaker 2: a name of a woman or a girl or two

652
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,480
Speaker 2: spirit person that went missing that week, or I would

653
00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,600
Speaker 2: highlight their story for each match and give kind of

654
00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:19,760
Speaker 2: their voice, like the chance to speak through social media

655
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,760
Speaker 2: and through the matches. And then it was received really

656
00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:25,920
Speaker 2: well after the first couple of years, and that's when

657
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,200
Speaker 2: the French community actually said like, this is something in

658
00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:33,040
Speaker 2: our community that we're being affected by, is domestic violence

659
00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,839
Speaker 2: in the home towards women? How can we help? And

660
00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:40,080
Speaker 2: then they ended up doing podcasts and helping me make

661
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,040
Speaker 2: a video on it and getting out in the newspapers.

662
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,840
Speaker 2: So it took some time to get there for people

663
00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:49,120
Speaker 2: to I think adjust and to understand the dynamics of

664
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,000
Speaker 2: what it meant. And then after that they realized like

665
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,160
Speaker 2: what can we do? What is how do we help

666
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:56,320
Speaker 2: to fight this cause?

667
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,239
Speaker 1: That's great that they rallied behind it real quick. You

668
00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:02,920
Speaker 1: mentioned two spirit person a few times. Can you just

669
00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:04,839
Speaker 1: explain what that is for people who might not know?

670
00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,759
Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, of course. So a two spirit person is

671
00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:13,440
Speaker 2: I would say it's probably like the equivalent of non binary,

672
00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:18,960
Speaker 2: but in historical context, it's where you don't associate with

673
00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:22,600
Speaker 2: just female or male. You are neither, but then you

674
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,799
Speaker 2: are both simultaneously. So it's as if you have those

675
00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 2: two spirits within you, you don't identify as either one, and

676
00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:32,840
Speaker 2: so we call them two spirits because historically it's something

677
00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,319
Speaker 2: that's very prevalent in our culture, where people have, you know,

678
00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,280
Speaker 2: they have the masculine and the feminine, and that equilibrium

679
00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:40,879
Speaker 2: inside yourself that has both.

680
00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:45,640
Speaker 1: I love that phrase to spirit Yeah right, yeah, it's

681
00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:51,239
Speaker 1: a beautiful phrase. So you retired then from volleyball in

682
00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:56,359
Speaker 1: June of twenty twenty twenty two. Sorry, Yes, How hard

683
00:36:56,440 --> 00:37:00,000
Speaker 1: was it to make that decision? And what led you

684
00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:01,000
Speaker 1: to the decision?

685
00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:08,279
Speaker 2: Yeah? So, yeah, it is very hard, and people that

686
00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:11,800
Speaker 2: I know, I'm very open and I'm very transparent with

687
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,080
Speaker 2: what I you know, tell people why I retired. And

688
00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:19,560
Speaker 2: unfortunately it was one of those circumstances where my last season.

689
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,520
Speaker 2: It was just mentally it became a little bit too

690
00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:27,080
Speaker 2: much for people who don't play professional volleyball. Depending on

691
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,600
Speaker 2: the team that you're in and the people that are

692
00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,200
Speaker 2: coaching you and your support support system that you have

693
00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:35,640
Speaker 2: around you, that can really make or break kind of

694
00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:42,640
Speaker 2: the psyche. And unfortunately, my situation was one where it

695
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:47,200
Speaker 2: was just not a cohesive, healthy, supportive relationship that I

696
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:49,759
Speaker 2: was having like a lot of other girls on the

697
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,839
Speaker 2: team with our like some of our coaching staff, and

698
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:56,160
Speaker 2: it became more about like controlling our bodies, and it

699
00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:58,040
Speaker 2: just kind of got to the point where I was like,

700
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:00,880
Speaker 2: I feel like a machine. I don't feel like a

701
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,680
Speaker 2: human anymore. I feel like I'm being used, you know,

702
00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:06,560
Speaker 2: where people are like, this is your job, this is

703
00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:08,400
Speaker 2: what you need to do, which I totally understand it

704
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,640
Speaker 2: was my job at the time. But I played because

705
00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:13,080
Speaker 2: I loved it. That's why I continued it. And when

706
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:16,719
Speaker 2: that started to slip and it got covered up by

707
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:22,719
Speaker 2: all of this like negative body image and this mental

708
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:26,440
Speaker 2: struggle just between you know, my I guess at the

709
00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,520
Speaker 2: time superior. I was like I am. I don't know

710
00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,640
Speaker 2: how old I was at the time, twenty six maybe,

711
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:33,880
Speaker 2: and I was like, I'm twenty six years old. I

712
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:35,760
Speaker 2: don't want to be dealing with these types of feelings

713
00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:38,160
Speaker 2: and I don't want to be confronting all of these

714
00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:40,680
Speaker 2: things that I shouldn't be confronted with as a woman

715
00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:43,080
Speaker 2: in sport. I'm doing my job, I'm playing well, but

716
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,440
Speaker 2: that's not being valued. And when I'm not being valued anymore,

717
00:38:46,560 --> 00:38:49,200
Speaker 2: then that's not something I'm going to be interested. And

718
00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:51,480
Speaker 2: so that's why I said earlier. I think I mentioned

719
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,600
Speaker 2: when I got inducted. It was kind of a painful

720
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,239
Speaker 2: process for me to decide to retire because it was

721
00:38:57,239 --> 00:39:00,799
Speaker 2: getting to a point where I was like, am I

722
00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,320
Speaker 2: wishing for injury? Like, oh my gosh, should be so

723
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:06,239
Speaker 2: much easier if like I got a week off, like

724
00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:08,080
Speaker 2: if I just got a break, because like you know,

725
00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,759
Speaker 2: I just like tripped or something. And when I got

726
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,920
Speaker 2: to that point, I was like, something is seriously wrong.

727
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:17,719
Speaker 2: I can't continue this way. This is just not sustainable

728
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:20,240
Speaker 2: for me, for my body, for my mental health anymore.

729
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:25,200
Speaker 2: And so I decided to stop playing and retire, which

730
00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:27,840
Speaker 2: was really hard to come to terms with because you

731
00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:30,319
Speaker 2: know a lot of people sometimes they have a choice,

732
00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,319
Speaker 2: sometimes they don't have a choice, but I kind of

733
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:34,920
Speaker 2: felt like I was stuck in the middle because I

734
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:37,920
Speaker 2: technically did choose, but it wasn't because something that I

735
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,080
Speaker 2: wanted to choose, but it's something that I felt at

736
00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:43,400
Speaker 2: the time. So that's kind of how I came to that.

737
00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:45,720
Speaker 2: And I swore I was never going to play again.

738
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:48,560
Speaker 2: I was like, I'm done with volleyball. I don't love

739
00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:51,480
Speaker 2: it anymore. I hate it. It's done, it's finished. And

740
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:53,960
Speaker 2: now I'm playing for a second league team in France,

741
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:55,720
Speaker 2: and I'm like, do I come back to playing pro?

742
00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:58,640
Speaker 2: Like I'm I'm playing with the idea a little bit.

743
00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:02,719
Speaker 2: And it's been a really nice transition of refinding that

744
00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:06,040
Speaker 2: purpose and love for volleyball, because it really wasn't like that.

745
00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:08,520
Speaker 2: It was really painful to even watch a match the

746
00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:12,959
Speaker 2: first year after I retired. But we're coming back and

747
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,480
Speaker 2: I'm finding the joy in it again, which is really nice.

748
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:17,680
Speaker 1: I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that.

749
00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,319
Speaker 1: That's nothing. I mean, no one should have to go

750
00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,360
Speaker 1: through that, but unfortunately, I feel like, especially women have

751
00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:25,720
Speaker 1: to go through that a lot about this whole body

752
00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:28,719
Speaker 1: stigma how you should look and on the court or

753
00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:30,440
Speaker 1: you know, and all this kind of stuff. One, it

754
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:32,600
Speaker 1: should be about the love of the game and you

755
00:40:32,719 --> 00:40:35,200
Speaker 1: wanting to play and you wanting to win and you

756
00:40:35,239 --> 00:40:36,120
Speaker 1: want your team to win.

757
00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:38,319
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's.

758
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,200
Speaker 1: Sad that that's the thing. But I'm so happy to

759
00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:43,560
Speaker 1: hear that, you know, yeah, break kind of it was

760
00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:45,960
Speaker 1: good for you mentally because you're back.

761
00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:49,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, exactly. I was like, even if I would

762
00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:52,400
Speaker 2: have gone to a different team, I think that break

763
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,279
Speaker 2: was necessary because obviously I had that first season where

764
00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:57,160
Speaker 2: I wasn't feeling it, and then I had that last season.

765
00:40:57,239 --> 00:41:00,400
Speaker 2: So and you see, like even you know, like some Moiles,

766
00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:03,239
Speaker 2: like so many people have taken like mental health breaks now,

767
00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:06,399
Speaker 2: which I think is so nice and refreshing to see

768
00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,680
Speaker 2: because for a long time you didn't see that, and

769
00:41:09,719 --> 00:41:12,840
Speaker 2: then unfortunately you'd see a lot of people struggling with

770
00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:17,080
Speaker 2: that by themselves. And I love that we're in that

771
00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:19,920
Speaker 2: place now where we can just respect ourselves enough to

772
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:21,640
Speaker 2: be like, you know what, No, we're not going to

773
00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:23,839
Speaker 2: do this for other people. This is this is us,

774
00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:25,960
Speaker 2: this is our life. So we're going to take that break.

775
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,800
Speaker 2: And then once you get in that healthy place, you're like,

776
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:32,040
Speaker 2: all right, I'm back, Like I'm back baby, we're you know,

777
00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:36,719
Speaker 2: we're going. And I've really enjoyed finding that love of

778
00:41:36,719 --> 00:41:40,600
Speaker 2: the sport again, especially at like a higher level, because

779
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:42,439
Speaker 2: I was like, I don't know if I can come back.

780
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:45,160
Speaker 2: It's been two and a half seasons. It's a long

781
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:49,000
Speaker 2: time to be off from player playing because I really

782
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,280
Speaker 2: did not touch a volleyball like i'd do my camps,

783
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,320
Speaker 2: but barely. I would touch a volleyball like I would

784
00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:57,600
Speaker 2: do it for work, and then I would not get

785
00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,719
Speaker 2: anywhere near it. And now it's kind of my life again,

786
00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:04,680
Speaker 2: and especially with love and all of these new like

787
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,840
Speaker 2: things coming up and representation of volleyball coming in the USA,

788
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,320
Speaker 2: I'm like, I just wouldn't want to just be sitting

789
00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:14,280
Speaker 2: aside being docile, like not being a part of something

790
00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:16,160
Speaker 2: so monumentous and huge, you know.

791
00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:19,680
Speaker 1: M hm for sure, I'm so glad that you're back.

792
00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:20,719
Speaker 2: Yeah.

793
00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:26,640
Speaker 1: But aside from volleyball, you also you do your own textiles, correct, yes, yea,

794
00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:30,080
Speaker 1: So tell me tell me about this business that you have.

795
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:35,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I actually started it my last season kind

796
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:37,160
Speaker 2: of when I was going through that mental I was like,

797
00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:40,160
Speaker 2: I just need to find something that's going to make

798
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:42,759
Speaker 2: me happy, and something that's gonna kind of allow me

799
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:45,720
Speaker 2: to go into my own place, whether it's writing, painting, whatever.

800
00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:49,360
Speaker 2: And I had seen tufting, which is like rug making

801
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:52,280
Speaker 2: on TikTok, and I remember I went to my boyfriend

802
00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:53,160
Speaker 2: at the time and I was like, I think I

803
00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:55,120
Speaker 2: want to buy like a rug making gun, and he

804
00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:57,000
Speaker 2: was like, what are you talking about? And I was like,

805
00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:58,640
Speaker 2: I think, I think I'm going to get one, and

806
00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:02,440
Speaker 2: I just had it sent to my house and it

807
00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:05,200
Speaker 2: just became this thing where I now make rugs and

808
00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:10,000
Speaker 2: textile work. I just received like an art award, which

809
00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:14,799
Speaker 2: is crazy for my first market. Yeah, thank you. But

810
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:17,239
Speaker 2: it was a way for me to reconnect to that

811
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:19,520
Speaker 2: community because that last year, I feel like I kind

812
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:21,759
Speaker 2: of was stripped of that with the indigenous community. I

813
00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:24,359
Speaker 2: got a bit lost, and that's why I think I

814
00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:26,200
Speaker 2: had such a hard time with it. But the rug

815
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:29,880
Speaker 2: making really gave me that sense of purpose again of

816
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:34,040
Speaker 2: feeling close with my family and my community because it's

817
00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:36,799
Speaker 2: called with chalkby Rugs and Textiles, which means star in

818
00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:42,640
Speaker 2: La Kota. And the whole thing was to recreate like

819
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:49,040
Speaker 2: indigenous designs for rugs and for textile work to be

820
00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:51,840
Speaker 2: in people's homes to remind them of our history and

821
00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:55,319
Speaker 2: to tell our stories and for a way of, you know,

822
00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:58,920
Speaker 2: our Indigenous community to be able to represent ourselves in

823
00:43:58,920 --> 00:43:59,560
Speaker 2: these spaces.

824
00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:04,040
Speaker 1: I love that. Is there a website that people can

825
00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:05,880
Speaker 1: visit to check out your stuff?

826
00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:08,920
Speaker 2: So I'm mostly on I do everything by social media

827
00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:12,640
Speaker 2: right now, so on Facebook and Instagram it's just with

828
00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:14,400
Speaker 2: chalkby rugs and textiles.

829
00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:18,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, awesome, definitely take a Yeah, of course, thank you.

830
00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:21,640
Speaker 1: Are there any websites or hashtags that you want to

831
00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:25,040
Speaker 1: promote so that we can educate ourselves who you know,

832
00:44:25,239 --> 00:44:27,320
Speaker 1: so that we know and understand more.

833
00:44:28,239 --> 00:44:33,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I think hashtags like Indigenous People's Day is

834
00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:37,080
Speaker 2: a big one. I think if you guys follow Indigenous

835
00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:40,120
Speaker 2: People's Day or same with MMIW, because this is something

836
00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:45,239
Speaker 2: that needs more attention brought to it. Hashtag MMIW, hashtag

837
00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:50,279
Speaker 2: no More Stolen Sisters. There's also hashtag National Day of Awareness,

838
00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:55,600
Speaker 2: which is the residential schools And yeah, I think hashtag

839
00:44:55,640 --> 00:44:57,920
Speaker 2: Indigenous People's Day will get you the broad spectrum of

840
00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,680
Speaker 2: all of those things. But that's kind of the big one.

841
00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:04,120
Speaker 2: I'm just thinking a few off my head for Instagram,

842
00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:07,560
Speaker 2: like seeding Sovereignty is a really good resource for information

843
00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:13,640
Speaker 2: Indigenous intentions. I believe it is. There's Seeing Red Media,

844
00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:15,520
Speaker 2: and those are a few just off the top of

845
00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:17,919
Speaker 2: my head that I can think of right now, but yeah,

846
00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:20,600
Speaker 2: they're really good resources to follow to kind of keep

847
00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:24,160
Speaker 2: up with the indigenous communities, to kind of just educate

848
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:24,759
Speaker 2: you a little bit.

849
00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:28,040
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Lauren. It's been an absolute pleasure

850
00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:31,520
Speaker 1: speaking with you about your life, your career, your background,

851
00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:34,040
Speaker 1: your community, everything. So thank you so much for taking

852
00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:34,920
Speaker 1: the time to speak with me.

853
00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, of course, and honestly, thank you so much for

854
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:42,400
Speaker 2: just highlighting my story and giving me the platform to

855
00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:46,160
Speaker 2: speak at this level with you guys and once again

856
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:50,720
Speaker 2: being part of something of giving Indigenous people the voice

857
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:53,840
Speaker 2: to be heard, and that's something really special, So thank you.

858
00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:59,360
Speaker 1: Serving Pancakes is an iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with

859
00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:02,680
Speaker 1: Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on

860
00:46:02,719 --> 00:46:07,200
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

861
00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:11,640
Speaker 1: Production by League one Volleyball, I'm your host, Tiffany Oshinsky.

862
00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:16,440
Speaker 1: Anya Alvarez is our senior producer. Our executive producers are

863
00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:21,239
Speaker 1: Carrie Stett, Tamaradiki and Lindsay Hoffman. Our marketing lead is

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00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:26,640
Speaker 1: Juwora Parker. Sound mixing by Daniel Gonzalez. Our theme music

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Speaker 1: is Pancakes by Eric W. Mast Junior Special thanks to

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Speaker 1: Lauren Chad. Stay tuned for another episode of Serving Pancakes.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.