Athlete, Mother, Legend: Kerri Walsh Jennings’ Path

In an emotional and revealing journey through the sands of time, legendary beach volleyball icon Kerri Walsh Jennings opens up about her storied career, from her tear-filled beginnings to clinching three consecutive Olympic gold medals. This intimate look into Walsh Jennings’ life not only highlights her unparalleled achievements on the beach volleyball court but also delves into her personal battles, her undying spirit, and the relentless drive that propelled her to become the greatest female beach volleyball player in history. Witness as she explains why every dig, every serve, and every heart-stopping match was about more than just volleyball—it was about surpassing her own limits and redefining greatness. Join us as we explore the defining moments that shaped her legendary career, the challenges she overcame, and the legacy she continues to build.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Intro
1:32 – Early Life of Kerri Walsh Jennings
5:20 – Drive and Determination of Kerri Walsh
6:58 – Kerri and Misty May’s Partnership Beginnings
9:50 – 1999 NCAA Championship Loss
11:30 – Kerri Walsh Jennings Doping Controversy
16:40 – Walsh Jennings Teams Up with Misty May
18:50 – Birth of a Legendary Volleyball Partnership
21:17 – Athens 2004 Olympic Gold
24:10 – Kerri Walsh Jennings Personal Life
27:50 – Beijing 2008 Olympics Journey
30:11 – Motherhood’s Impact on Kerri Walsh Jennings
34:28 – New Beginnings for Walsh Jennings
34:40 – Misty May-Treanor’s Return from Retirement
36:40 – End of Partnership with Nicole Branagh
38:00 – Counseling Sessions with Mike Gervais
40:10 – London 2012 Olympic Gold Victory
41:30 – Preparing for Rio Olympics
43:45 – Olympics While Pregnant
44:26 – Rio Olympics Qualification
45:31 – Continuous Improvement Mindset
46:46 – Future Plans of Kerri Walsh Jennings
47:06 – Light-hearted Q&A Session

#volleyball #olympics #beachvolleyball

♪♪ When my guest tonight decided to play beach volleyball, it was so hard that she cried nearly every day for the first six months. Kerri Walsh Jennings transformed that pain to become the greatest female beach volleyball player in history, earning five straight AVP Team of the Year awards,

Two AVP Most Valuable Player awards, and three consecutive Olympic gold medals. But before she set the record for most female wins in beach volleyball, did you know she played pitcher on an all-boys Little League team, once beat everyone in a school fitness test when she hung from a bar for over 10 minutes?

And saw “Jaws” at a junior lifeguard camp and still won’t go in the water? Tonight, we’ll learn what makes this undeniable icon who she is, a woman who once said, “I don’t want to be better than you or her or him. I want to be better than I am right now.”

Please welcome Kerri Walsh Jennings. [ Applause ] -Hi, sir. -I’m giving you a hug. -I’ll take it. -I’m going right in. Let’s do this, huh? I’m excited. Yes, let’s do it. Let’s have fun. -Hi, everyone. Kerri, thank you for being here. Oh, my pleasure. “Six Feet of Sunshine” — that’s her nickname.

I think it fits. -Do you? -Yeah, I do. I have my cloudy days. I don’t want to paint this all as a rosy picture, but you had a really good childhood. I grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains. I grew up in this idyllic place, in the Bay Area.

You know — Look how cute. Aww. [ Laughter ] Just inspiration everywhere. And I wouldn’t change a thing of my childhood. It was kind of, you know, Tom Sawyer. It was epic. It was really playful. You were such a driven kid, and we’ll get to that,

But as you look at this family picture — I mean, you were the daughter of two really good athletes in their own right. -Yes, absolutely. Your dad was a Minor League pitcher drafted by the Oakland A’s… -Mm-hmm. …at the time, was the tallest pitcher drafted or in baseball.

He’s big like you. -I know. I was never tall enough, ’cause I wanted to be tall like my daddy. My dad’s 6’8″. To this day, he’s my favorite athlete of all time. And I say that because he played — And now on even his golf swing now,

There’s so much grace and power and finesse. And everything that you need to be great — My dad had all that, and he still does. And it was pretty special to have him for inspiration. Yeah, and, meanwhile, your mom was a tremendous volleyball player in her own right.

As fierce as it gets, my mother. I mean, I’ve never — We used to pepper in the backyard, and she was, like, my first coach in volleyball. My mom — In our family, she’s the peanut. You know, she’s 5’7″. Relatively speaking, she’s tiny. But the fiercest person I’ve ever met in my life.

I mean, she can withstand anything. She’s all about attitude and, you know, never quit, never give up. Our family kind of quote, where she was raised with, is the quote — or the poem “Don’t Quit.” You know, and it’s just in her blood. It’s who she is.

And I aspire to, you know, take my mom with me wherever I go. What’d you want to be as a kid? I wanted to be an athlete. I wanted — My first inspiration, my first thing I wanted to be was the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues. Look at that!

And nobody was gonna tell you that, because you’re a girl, you’re not gonna be playing in the Big Leagues. No. Yeah. You know what’s interesting? That I’m so proud to be a woman and a female athlete, but I just fancy myself a ballplayer and an athlete. And growing up —

My brother’s 11 months older than me — Marte. He’s here. And I was just one of the guys. And I was on all the teams. And I was just allowed to be an athlete. You know, it was never pointed out — Or I didn’t pay attention to it —

That, “You’re a girl on this team. What are you doing?” I never felt that. And so, I was embraced and I was like, “Hell yeah. If I’m gonna play, I want to be in the Major Leagues.” My dad made it so far. It’s been done, you know, not as a woman,

But I didn’t think of it in those terms. You’re driven as a kid, and nobody’s telling you no to the point where you’re filling out journals with quotes. Yeah, since I was maybe 10 years old, I’ve been filling out these quote books. I have probably maybe around 10, you know,

Since the time I was 10 to now I’m 37. That’s a long time, and I’m still filling out quote books. Any quote or poem that inspires me, that catches my fancy, that I want to invite into my life, I write it down. What was the inspiration behind this journaling?

That’s a pretty unique idea for a kid who’s 10 years old or 11 years old. It was my first volleyball camp. I went to UOP. I was 10 years old. And my roommate was this girl, Beth Rosen, who I loved and thought she was the coolest girl ever —

Santa Cruz girl who — The Santa Cruz girls were always just cooler, you know, like, “Peace, love, amazing.” And she was an athlete — really good. And she had it. And every night, I would cry. I would be so homesick. And she would just bust out this journal and show me,

And she shared it with me. And I’m like, “Oh, that’s what the cool girls do, and that’s what the big girls do.” And it just kind of — I just got — You know, I got inspired by it. Do you ever go back and look at those early journals… Yeah.

Absolutely. -…and see what, at 10 or 11, caught your attention? Because I would imagine that would be fascinating. Yeah. A lot of it is drive and determination and, “You can do it.” It’s, you know, “Be better than you were yesterday,” that kind of stuff.

Nobody ever had to say, “Kerri, time to get up. Kerri, it’s practice time. Kerri.” You know, you were in the car ready to go, from what I sense. -Absolutely. I mean, from 10 years old, my first day of practice at St. Mary’s in Los Gatos was when I fell in love with volleyball.

When you were younger, you weren’t the tallest kid. And, according to your brother — and it makes sense — in order to be the best as not the tallest kid, you had to develop skills, just different things to set you apart that, later in life, when you hit your growth spurt,

Now brings about this incredible athlete that can do things that other people that are as tall as you can’t do. What was drilled in me from the beginning was fundamentals. Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. If you get the A-B-C’s down, you can do the X-Y-Z’s.

And, so, when I was growing up, I was never tall enough. I’m like, “God, I want to be like my dad. I want to be tall. Why am I not growing?” But I was never short. But I appreciated the fact that I had my growth spurt late,

Because it made me focus on the fundamentals. When you’re tall early, you can get away with stuff, and people let you get away with stuff. When you’re average-sized or a little taller than average, you know, you kind of have that fight and that grit. You have to have it.

And, so, I’m one of the tallest girls on tour now, but I honestly aspire to play like I’m 5’5″, because those girls are gnarly. That being said, I still want to use all 6’2″ and a bit of me to kick everyone’s butt. Two really significant things stand out to me

From your days in high school. One, you meet Misty May… -Yeah. -…who eventually becomes part of your record-setting team on the sand. But as a kid, you meet her and actually ask her for her autograph? I did. Misty was just so beyond everything to me.

She literally was who I wanted to play like and be like and I wanted to, through osmosis, just turn into Misty, ’cause she was so legit to me. And, so, we were at a tournament, the Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara. Actually, I think we’re in UOP.

And I asked her for her autograph. I think I was 13 or 14. And I was like, “Can you autograph my lucky towel?” It was number 9, my favorite number. And she busted out a Sharpie and signed it — no big deal. She tells me I was crying,

Which is just a load of you know what. Come on. Exactly. [ Laughter ] “You were quivering when you met me, the great Misty May.” -[Laughs] I know. What a punk. But it was a big deal. The other that happened is that, in 1995, you’re the National Volleyball Player of the Year.

We’re gonna run a little video montage from high school. See if you guys can pick out which one Kerri is. Oh, goodness. [ Indistinct shouting, cheering ] [ Cheers and applause ] String bean. Man: Yeah! -That’s my dad. Laughs] -Oh, that’s great. [ Applause ] That’s hilarious. That’s really funny.

All you see on that is — You say “string bean” as we’re sitting here. Yeah. Well, my hair — They used to call me, like, “Lion Queen” or something ’cause my mane was just terrible. And I know that you knew early, even at camps, that you were headed to Stanford.

I wanted to go to Stanford with all my heart. -Okay. -Can you blame me? -No. Not at all. Not at all. -No, no, no. I mean, I grew up 20 minutes away from it. Okay. You know, most beautiful university in the world as far as I’m concerned, so, yeah, I wanted to go.

And when I started playing volleyball, my first camp after UOP, I started going to Stanford. When you committed to Stanford, how old were you? I applied early. I found out I got in. Which I am not an academic. Like, I got in because I’m an athlete.

And I could hang with the students there, but, you know, that’s not my strong suit. And my priority there was to be good at volleyball and to win national championships. Announcer: Last year, motivated this squad. 26 hitting errors by Hawaii. First championship point. Ah Mow sets quick. This could be it.

They’ll go to Kristin Folkl for the championship. No. It’s coming back over. Walsh for the championship. And that is it. [ Applause ] You went back-to-back national champion your first two years. -Yep. And then, you walk away getting to the finals but losing your senior year. -Getting crushed. Yeah. -Getting crushed.

What did that specific day teach you in your life? [ Sighs ] Man. I just — [ Sighs ] I’m a creature of habit. I have my routine. You know, that’s where I find a lot of comfort. Prior to that match, like, I got all emotional.

And I remember being in the huddle right before we were about to go, and I’m like, “Thank you, guys.” You know, like, I said, “Thank you,” and, “I love you.” And beautiful — I meant it all. But it’s like, “What? We’re going to war.” Like, why would I ever soften, like,

The lion in us, you know? And I kind of turned us into kittens, and I turned myself into a kitten. And I learned a huge lesson. Like, step up. Like, rise. You know, have that heart, let it fuel you, but be fierce with it, ’cause I just —

I did that the wrong way. So you played soft. It wasn’t laser-focused. It was — I don’t even know what to call it. It was wrong. It felt wrong — no rhythm. It was — I don’t know. I set the wrong tone. And the tone is really important.

And I firmly believe that you can change the tone at any point. You know, if you’re having a bad day, right now, it can change. Switch your mind-set. But I didn’t have the tools at that time to figure that out. But I just — I mean, the losses fuel me.

I’m addicted to winning. Like, there’s no — I don’t want silver. I don’t want bronze. I don’t wear silver. I don’t — You know, this is platinum. [ Laughter ] But I won’t drive a silver car. Like, I want gold. I know what I want.

That is mind-blowing to me. You won’t wear silver? No, I won’t. I can’t sign with a silver Sharpie. You go to your first Olympics, and, I guess, in essence, for you, all hell kind of breaks loose in 2000. First of all, a month out, I blow out my ankle severely,

Like, really high-grade, severe sprain in my ankle. And I worked my butt off every single day. My trainer would wake me up so I can ice and do exercise in the middle of the night for weeks. Came back, was gonna start my first game.

I think it was like 30 minutes before getting called out to go in, you know, to take the court. And they pull me aside and say, “You can’t go and you can’t play. You can’t play. You basically tested positive for doping. We can’t take the risk of having you play.

Otherwise, we’re all going home. We know you didn’t do anything, but it is what it is.” I tested positive for testosterone. And I’m like, “Look at me. Are you kidding me? There’s no way in hell.” And my teammate — I wasn’t allowed on my team.

I wasn’t allowed to tell my teammates what was going on, so I had to say, “My ankle hurts. I can’t play.” And that was really hard. And my federation said, “We would rather you go home and not fight this than stay here, be a distraction, and fight it.”

And I was left on my own. Like, “Conflict of interest — Kerri, you have to figure this out.” You didn’t go home. -No. No. -No. You stayed there and fought. -Yeah. And it started with what? What’s the process to get you back out on the court?

Well, first of all, when they served the paper, whatever the paperwork had said — “If this is a natural occurrence in your body, you’re totally fine.” And, so, in my mind and my parents’ mind, it’s like, “She’s had a million drug tests. Go back and see if it’s naturally occurring,” right?

And, so, whatever. We were left out to dry. My mother found a lawyer, a pro bono lawyer, who happened to be related to a scientist who had a lab. Like, crazy stuff. And, so, basically, I did another test. It was totally clear. And it was something in my body.

Drug testing on women back in the day — It was all based on men. And, you know, they were just fumbling through it, and I feel like it’s crazy. But once you’re labeled as a doper, like, no one ever beats that — ever. And you’re labeled forever. -That’s where I was going.

-I didn’t even care. -You didn’t care. ‘Cause I knew it. I mean, like, anyone who knows me — I mean, whatever. Who cares? “I want to fight in this Olympics. I want to play, ’cause I worked my ass off to be here. And I deserve it. This is not fair.”

And, so — But I fully — In my whole life, I understand things aren’t fair in life, you know, but you got to fight. And, so, we fought, and we did good. And you got back on to the team. Yeah. But did not medal. Fourth. -Got fourth. Kind of a nightmare.

And what is that non-medaling — What does that ignite in you? Oh, man. It served a purpose for sure. First of all, it broke my heart. That whole experience broke my heart for indoor volleyball. That was the start of the change. “I need to do something. This is not –”

You know, they kind of stole my spirit a little bit, leaving me, you know, out to dry. But getting fourth — First of all, being in the Olympics — I’m hooked. I want to go back. Like, I just — That was so in me. Like, “I love my country.

I love the Olympics. I want to be the best.” You know, the Olympics, for our sport, is the Super Bowl. It’s the World Series. It’s everything. And so I wanted to go back, and I knew that right away. I just didn’t know how it was gonna happen.

And the answer, with regard to how, was you’re gonna do a major shift in the sport. Yeah. And it’s interesting because the beach-volleyball side of it only dates back to 1996. Yeah. So there were two Olympic Games, two Summer Games — ’96 and 2000 — where you were there to play indoor

That beach volleyball is going on. But you’re not a part of it. Are you even aware of it? Is it something that you follow? No, no, not at all. The only reason I was aware of beach volleyball was because in Sydney, which was my first Olympics, Bondi Beach was the place to be.

It was sold out. It was rockin’. The women’s Australian team won the gold medal at home. You know, Cinderella story, amazing. And Misty May was playing. And so I was very familiar with that part of it. But growing up, I would consciously avoid touching a volleyball on the sand.

I didn’t want to look like an idiot. You know, I grew up near Santa Cruz. I would not do it. We would play at Stanford on the sand courts once in a while. I was pathetic. So, it took a gut check and a lot of humility to kind of make that change.

Educate me as to why the beach game is so much different than the hard-court game, because I see this driven, athletic, physically gifted woman, and I think, “Well, okay, she goes to the beach, and she’s now on sand, but she’s still a great volleyball player.” Why — What’s so different about it

Besides not having as many people on each side? Yeah, well, that’s what I love most about our sport, personally, is the fact that it’s two-on-two. I love that accountability that you have. But for me — I mean, have you walked in the sand? Have you ran in the sand? -It’s awful. -Right?

-I’m not saying it’s not awful. -Exactly. So, my ego was in the way, and I’m like, “I already feel like Bambi enough in life.” So, to make the transition from indoor, where I felt pretty comfortable, to the sand, where I felt like Bambi on steroids, was really hard for my ego.

And I’m like, “I don’t want to look like a fool,” you know? And I did. I looked — I mean, you saw me playing volleyball. Like, that’s not that graceful, but I got the job done. And then, when I got out to the beach, I was like, “Gosh, I’m super-white and pasty.”

And you have to wear these bikinis. And, you know, it just took some time. Yeah. So, who goes to who? Misty May goes to you? You knock on Misty May’s door? How does this marriage happen? [ Sighs ] Well, Margie and Tim, my parents, ran into Misty’s parents.

And they’re like, “You know, these girls should get together and see how it works. You know, just let’s have Kerri come down and try out, and we’ll see where it goes,” and that was the start of it. You’re basically trying out for Misty. Yes. It was gnarly.

And she’s the — She’s such a cruiser. And she’s like, “It wasn’t a tryout. Come on. We were just playing.” And I’m like, “To me, it was everything.” If I mess this up — Are you kidding me? Like, I don’t want to go overseas and play indoor.

I’m a homebody. I like being home. The beach sounds great. But I had never, ever, ever played a match ever on the beach. And, so, we played on Huntington Beach. Her parents set up a game against my, at the time, future husband.

And it was kind of love at first sight for a lot of things. A lot of things — with the game itself… A lot of things. Yeah. -…and with this man, Casey. -Yeah. But let’s talk about specifically — This marriage happens — not you and Casey right away, but you and Misty.

And it was part of the introduction. You cried for a long time… [ Groans ] …because it was grueling trying to learn this game or the training involved. -It was humbling. I wasn’t grueling. I know how to work. I love working. Like, blue-collar family — We like to work. I like to sweat.

I like to get gritty. Like, that’s easy. The hard part is the emotional stuff, the feeling like I’m a failure, that feeling that if we lose, it’s on my shoulders. And that was my fault, ’cause that’s how I put it on myself.

It’s a team sport. You know, I didn’t have to do all that. And that kind of minimized me, and I think it made the transition harder than it had to be, where if I was just like, “This is what it is. I’m gonna go have fun, work, and grow with this woman,

And we’re gonna kick ass.” But it was just something I had to go through. ‘Cause it was scary. You know, when you’re scared, you just kind of play out the worst-case scenarios, and a lot of just crazy stuff comes from fear. And I didn’t want to fail.

All of a sudden, we were together. We were on the road. And we were in Italy, ready for our first event, and I was her partner. I was my idol’s partner, and it was gnarly. It was so rad. Are you doing this with the idea that, “Yeah, we’re gonna be partnered up,

But let’s look at 2004 for beach volleyball and the Olympics”? That’s why we got together was to win a gold medal. Just strictly Olympics? Absolutely. I mean, yeah, ’cause that’s what there was. You know, the AVP tour, which is now our domestic tour, wasn’t around then.

You know, it was just kind of coming back. And so we’re like, “Our eyes are on the international prize. We want to be the best team in the world.” And, so, we were thrown in with the lions immediately. You know, you’re used to a team game. Mm-hmm.

-But there’s six on a side. -Yeah. Now you’re down to the minimal number of people you can have to consider yourself a team. -Yes. -It’s two. -It’s the best. -No, I know. Oh, it’s so rad. And you’re covering a lot of ground, a lot of sand, a lot of territory.

And it’s just the two of you. -Yeah. But you know early on, “Misty and I are gonna be great.” Yeah. You look at the greats of all time in any sports — There’s a rhythm to them. There’s a synchronicity to them. And Misty and I had that on day one.

That first day, when I practiced against my future husband, we had it and we flowed. And it wasn’t always pretty, but we had it. You know, we had a sense of each other. And we just built upon that over the years, and it became — It was a dance.

Like, when I’m playing my best volleyball, I’m dancing. And that’s why I fell in love with the sport, ’cause it felt like a dance, and I was just learning the steps, and I was learning how to use my body and this new awareness. I need to be legit.

I need to have the courage to lean on my partner and to ask her for help or to say, “I’m here for you, whatever it is. We need to have a marriage here.” And she needs to have the courage to do that with me.

And if we have that trust, then it’s game on. If you’re in a two-person team, it’s only natural to think that one of those two people takes the lead. Sure. Who’s the “A” player between you and Misty? I think you’re looking at it wrong. I think on the best teams

The roles switch constantly, you know? Sometimes, I need Misty to step up in her way, and I will take the back seat and go off her. And it’s vice versa. You need to figure out that dance, especially when you’re playing against the best in the world.

With Misty and I, I feel like, bottom line, if you have respect in your partnership and your team, whatever you’re doing, you know, people are gonna step up and lead. People are gonna fall back, but you have the same mission, and, you know, that’s where the success comes from. And it came fast.

I mean, the first year, you guys end up ranked fifth in the world. Yeah? Were we? Yes. I know we had a win our first season. But we lost in a lot of finals that we shouldn’t have lost in. I feel like you only remember the losses.

I do a lot, and that’s a problem I have. So, 2002, I believe, you win 5 out of 11 international tournaments. 2003, you win 8 of 9 events. In 2004, you guys are on a roll into the Olympic Games. Before Athens — Really nervous before the finals.

And I have my quote book out. Usually, I read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. And then, I look at my quote book, and I just open up a random page. And I was like, “Gosh, I’m nervous. I need to chill out, and so I’m like, I’m just gonna open up a quote,

And that’s what I’m gonna take with me to the court.” And there was a quote from my “Nana,” and it said, “Let’s put this puppy to bed.” And she would say that to me, like, at the end of a tournament, like, “Let’s put this puppy to bed.” I’m gonna cry.

And that’s what I opened up before the gold-medal match in Athens. And how rad is that, you know? It seems so silly and so trivial. But my nana was up in heaven, but she’s always very present. And so that, to me — I’m like, “We got it. No one’s gonna stop us.”

Announcer: Misty will serve it. [ Whistle blows ] Match point. It’s coming over. And Walsh puts it away! The Americans have won the gold medal! Whoa. [ Applause ] [ Laughs ] -Can you still feel that? -So rad. Yes. -You can? -I won it all over again. Yeah, that’s — Yeah.

That feeling is in me forever. During the Olympic Games, you couldn’t have played any better, could you? Probably could have. Oh, come on. [ Laughs ] Of course we could have. Will you stop for one minute? Come on! You were basically perfect. That’s a silly thing to — [ Laughs ]

It doesn’t get any better than that. You didn’t lose anything in the Olympic Games. It was great, absolutely. Not just undefeated, but you don’t lose a single set. No, we dominated. Where does making your mom and dad proud rank on the list of things you have to accomplish

While you’re building this young career of playing volleyball? I mean, making my mother and father proud — take away the athletics — is number one. My parents are very big on attitude. Have the right attitude, be accountable, do your job, do it right, you know, don’t half-ass anything.

And whether it was in volleyball or school or whatever, if I half-assed something, I was gonna get called out. And disappointing my parents? You know, like a dagger to the heart. You added to your family shortly thereafter, right? -Yeah. Casey Thomas. -2005, you get married.

Yeah. I would have married him like after a week. [ Laughter ] Was he playing hard to get or what? No. I just — You know, it’s the parent thing. I didn’t want to disappoint, and I didn’t want to scare my family. No, I knew I loved Casey with all my heart.

I felt like he was blood after the first week, I swear. -Really? You knew? -Yeah, I knew. And marrying somebody who gets it is a big deal, you know, with regard to your training, with regard to your commitment. You know, this is somebody who knows the game.

I would imagine that has to almost be for somebody as driven as you. It’s huge. He knows it, but he also loves it as much as I do. And, so, when you have that understanding, he would understand when I would, you know, have double day practices after I lifted weights

And after I did a track workout or whatever it is. You know, he would understand the weeks on the road. A lot of it we did together, which is really cool. Really cool way to start your first couple years of being in love was to travel the world together.

It was pretty idyllic, kind of like my childhood. So, you have this marriage in 2005, and the wave kind of cont– You continued to ride this wave of success. Yeah. I mean, you put together these incredible strings of consecutive victories that are unheard of. Sure. Yeah. Yes. 2005, I get married.

I got pregnant early 2005, have a miscarriage. You know, I’m like, “My job is trivial. I’m gonna be a mom. Like, I’m married now. I want to do this. I want my life to be fuller.” And that didn’t happen. And with my miscarriage, Misty and I, we hit a really rough spot,

And people in her camp were saying, “You know, play with somebody else.” You know, Elaine Youngs, this other bronze medalist in Athens, is amazing, and Misty and her would be an amazing pairing. And people just were in her ear constantly. “Play with Elaine. And, so, you know, cracks were kind of showing,

And we were losing once in a while. And we won consistently, and when you win, it glosses over a lot of stuff. When you lose, that’s when, if you don’t stay close and connected, obviously, you know, the cracks become bigger. And, so, it was a really tough year,

And I just remember Misty — Halfway through the season, she kept saying, “Yeah, I know. People keep telling me to play with Elaine.” And she’s like, “And I just say, ‘Yeah, whatever.'” She told me like five times. And I remember we were in Austria at one point. I’m like, “Just play with her.

If that’s what you want to do, go play with her. I’m totally fine with that. Stop kidding about it, ’cause it’s not funny to me. Like, you’re my partner.” And I remember she looked at me like, “Oh, I wasn’t expecting that.” That’s how I read it. And she was like —

It was either later that day or the next day. She was like, “No, we’re together.” And that sealed the deal for the next four years. Do you think she was feeling you out to see if — No. -No? Not at all? -No, I think she believed it.

I think she believed what people were saying. And it’s easy to. Elaine’s amazing. And they would have been great, but we were greater. What made us the best team of all time is that we stuck through that time. Is some of that natural, though?

I know your husband, Casey, describes the two of you, you and Misty, like yin and yang. Yeah. Like, it takes different people to fit together… A kind of person. Yeah. …the right way. So, you’re full-on, and she was iffy, at least at that point. At that moment.

‘Cause she’s full-on. You can just never tell. [ Laughs ] Like, Misty’s an assassin. That’s why she’s so rad. You know, like, I’m up and bubbly and literally give me pom-poms. Out of full respect, I say that. Like, I love those type of athletes, as well.

But I love the fact that she is an assassin. But just, you know, the relationship part of it, the connection part of it is a dance, as well. And I think — I know we had to go through friction to become great. And that was kind of our turning point,

That moment, 2005, 2006 — “Are we together? Yeah, we’re together.” You guys are the team of the year again in 2007. Yeah. And right around the corner is, obviously, 2008. Tell us what your mind-set was, where you were heading into those Olympics. You know, we broke the all-time wins record — consecutive-wins record.

And, at some point, we were just like, “Shut up. We don’t want to hear about it.” You know, “You broke 100 wins” or “You’re at 99. You’re almost there,” and it’s like, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Athletes don’t want to talk about that stuff.

We want to go and play and, you know, compete and perform. And, so, Beijing — It was stressful. For me, it was head down. “I’m going to work.” There was no smelling of the roses. There was no enjoying this amazing lifestyle that comes with my job.

There was no — There was joy on the court. You’re not just playing in Beijing, but you’re taking on the number-one Chinese team. Announcer: Misty May will serve it. It is match point. Wang down the line. Misty’s got it. Kerri… She’s got it! Misty May and Kerri Walsh repeat as gold medal champions.

Misty May and Kerri Walsh undefeated for the last two Olympic Games. They didn’t lose a match. They didn’t drop a set. That is domination. I love her. [ Laughs ] [ Applause ] Does that make you miss her? It makes me miss her very much, yes. I mean, it was so —

It was such a special partnership. I mean, once-in-a-lifetime partnership. You have to appreciate the journey. So, on the back of my gold medal from Athens, it says, in ancient Greek writing, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” I called B.S. on that right away. I was like, “That’s, you know, bullshit.

What is that?” It’s totally about the destination. Why am I here? As I’ve gotten older and as I’ve worked on myself and, you know, read a million self-help books and all these things trying to find my best self, it is 100% about the journey.

And I know that Misty and I would not have won any of our gold medals had it not been for the journey and the trials and the ups and the downs and the friction and all these things. That’s what allows you to win gold medals is getting through the mud.

And, so, Beijing — It was just strictly about the destination for me. But you’re also pregnant. Uh, we won a gold medal, and then I got pregnant. -Okay, you were not pregnant. -Like bang-bang. Okay. [ Laughter ] Sorry. You know, not — You know what I’m saying. Yes. [ Laughter ]

Did you just apologize to your parents for that? [ Laughs ] You’re a 37-year-old woman. They know how babies are made. I know! [ Laughter ] I know. So, lay that out, please. ‘Cause I — Yeah, okay. You get pregnant after the games are over. I mean, do we —

Like, conception gold-medal night. [ Laughter ] Is that terrible? [ Applause ] Is that terrible? -But time-out. -That’s phenomenal! It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true. I remember — [Sighs] Damn. [ Laughter ] I don’t even know where to go from this. -However, my dream — -I do. Okay, well…

I’m the boss right now. -Okay, go ahead. I think. Okay. No, so, it was — I remember, like, prior to the Olympics, it’s like, “We’re gonna start trying for a baby like right away, right after.” And it was such a fun decision to make. As a female athlete, you’re like, “My God.

I have to, like, thread the needle here. You know, I need to time this right so I can be back on the court, support my family, do all these things,” and, timing-wise, it was a hole in one. [ Laughter ] This is, like — I was gonna say “bull’s-eye.” What’s worse? I know.

This is turning into an episode of “Three’s Company.” [ Chuckling ] I’m so sorry. That was my favorite growing up. However — But it’s really — I remember whenever we tried, and I started bawling. I’m like, “Am I ready for this? Am I ready to give up my career?”

You know, ’cause I didn’t believe that I was giving up my career, but I knew things were gonna change. And prior to getting pregnant, I had — I can’t even tell you how many people said, “Don’t get pregnant. You have this much of a window to capitalize on it as an Olympian.

Don’t lose that window.” And it was just — It was so gnarly. And once we made that — -Who’s telling you this? Is this sponsors? -No. I don’t know. Just people. -Just people. But people I respected, you know, people who I thought were looking out for me, and it was just their perspective.

They were afraid I was gonna lose something. That was a really hard time for Casey and I — a really, really hard time. I thought we were gonna get a divorce like the week that Joey was due. [ Sniffles ] We were like this. -What was going on?

[ Sighs ] Just living different lives. And, you know, for my part, when I said I was head down on the way to Beijing, working, I took for granted that Casey felt my love, knew where I stood, all these things. And then, he just started building resentment,

Doing his things, partying, all these things. You know, and we both just were pointing the finger instead of looking in the mirror. But we worked really hard to save our marriage, ’cause we love each other and respect each other so much. Casey went to rehab, 2009,

And worked his butt off when he was in there. I worked my butt off when he was in there. And then, we came together, and, you know, the biggest blessing ever was to have that, you know, rock bottom. Was it difficult for him to have a wife as well-known and successful

In the sport that he played himself? You know, I think, to a certain extent, it is. He wanted to be an Olympian. He wanted to win a gold medal. But he said, “My number-one goal is for you to win a gold medal. I will do whatever it takes.”

And it takes a man to say that. You know, and I love him so much, and he has just — He’s stepped up in every way. Not long thereafter, Misty says, “I’m done.” Yeah. You’re pregnant, and she says goodbye. Her goodbye didn’t have anything to do with your pregnancy.

No. She was going for the same thing. You know, she wanted to start a family, as well. -Right. -Absolutely. -She marries Matt Treanor. -Matt Treanor — stud. To tell you the truth, the plan was for both of us to get pregnant and come back, you know, and come back for London.

But that’s not what Misty ended up wanting. At some point, she called a T.O. She retired. And she’s like, “I need to focus on life. You know, I need to do this.” And she did “Dancing With the Stars.” Remember that show? -Oh, yeah. And she was a stud.

But you — You already have two golds. Yeah. But you’re not finished. I found a new partner. So I started 2011, which is the start of the qualification period, with another partner, Nicole Branagh, who is amazing, an Olympian, and such a stud. I start the season, I’m training with Nicole,

And then I get a call — I think a text from Misty saying, “We need to talk.” And I was like, “Oh, God. Like, did I piss her off? Did I say something in an interview? You know, she’s retired. Did I hurt her feelings or something?”

And she’s like, “I want to come back and play.” And this was a phone conversation. And I was like, “Okay. Shit.” [ Laughter ] I mean, it’s a no-brainer, first of all, to play with her. It’s a no-brainer in one sense, but I sense you’re a very loyal person… Oh, my God.

…and you’ve already started something over here. Yes. I already envisioned myself winning a gold medal with Nicole Branagh. And I told her. I committed to her. With everything I had in front of me, all the knowledge, Nicole was my partner. And I — You know, I mean, I didn’t say “scout’s honor,”

But “I’m in it with you all –” I was with her. And then, you know, Misty comes out of the woodwork, to a certain extent, and I was like, “Misty, before we do this, I need to have a sit-down conversation with you. I need to look at you face-to-face.

I have a lot of questions I have to ask of you, ’cause how am I gonna trust this?” Had you been talking at all in the time that you were, in essence, broken up? -I mean, not like — Yeah. -Like, a phone call here

Or a “happy birthday” or a — -Sure. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. But it was all really, you know, just friendly and banter. And volleyball is not something that we’d talk about, you know? So, it’s like, “How are you doing? How’s Matty? What’s going on?”

So, when she reached out, it was like, “This is serious. Like, something happened.” And then, I come to find out what she was thinking. And I asked her, “You know, your heart was so out of it. How is it, all of a sudden, back, and why do you want to do this?

You know, tell me your why,” because I kind of lost trust when she said, “We’re done.” ‘Cause I asked her so many times, “Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m sure. I’m done. I’m done. I’m done.” And so, when she, you know, turned the corner and did a 180,

I had to make sure — Before I sat down with Nicole, I had to make sure that Misty was 100%. Where was Nicole with this decision? How hard was that for you to talk to her? It was literally, I mean, top of my list of hardest things in my life to do.

I remember I called her. I told her I had to meet with her. And we met at a Coffee Bean in Manhattan Beach. And she’s like, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” And she’s such a sweet woman. And I just remember looking down, and I grabbed her hand,

And I’m like, “I’m about to break your heart, like, period.” [ Sniffles ] And I told her, and she took a deep breath. And I was like, “Do you want to hear, you know, my reasoning and all these things behind it?” And she heard me out.

And, you know, there was no, you know, punches thrown or — She wasn’t angry. She was just really hurt. She walked away, and then she called me the next day and lit into me and was like, you know, “How could you do this? Why would you do — You gave me your word.

We were in. You know, I trusted you.” And everything I deserved 100%. [ Sniffles ] And it was really hard to hear, you know, and all I could say was, “Nicole, I committed to you with the information I had. And I never, ever in a million years expected this.”

But there was no way you were gonna know that Misty was available and not partner with her. No, that didn’t feel right at all. No. I mean, it’s Misty. No. No. Did you have to do anything with your relationship with Misty at any point? Did you have to go through a counseling-type situation?

Absolutely. Mike Gervais to the rescue. He saved my marriage. [ Laughs ] I met him in 2009, and he helped me work through a lot of stuff. And when I got back together with Misty, I was like, “One thing I need for us to do is to go see Doc Gervais.”

And we need to sit down.” And we had a handful of meetings when 2011 started. And it was the most enlightening, beautiful working through of crap that I’ve ever been part of, aside from saving my marriage. When you guys get back together, does it take a moment, a while?

We had a pretty good year in 2011. We made a lot of finals, didn’t win that many, which, for us, is subpar. But 2012, we had a pickle. We qualify 2011. 2012, we were terrible. I asked Misty — I was like, “Can we keep working with Gervais?”

She said, “No, I’m good. We’re good. You know, we got it.” And we lost and lost. We were getting fifths and ninths, which is like, “What?” Your Gervais Jr. was Jon Gruden, right? Yes. You run into Jon Gruden, the great NFL head coach… Oh, my gosh. …Super Bowl-winning head coach,

Now football analyst at ESPN. I said, “You know, my partner and I, we’re playing this way, we’re losing and we’re this close, but something’s in the way.” And he’s like, “You know, generally, when these things are going on, you’re afraid of something. You know, fear is in your way.

And figure out what that fear is, and you guys will be okay.” And we went to work. We worked really hard with Gervais. And what it came down to is that we were so afraid of losing and then so afraid of disappointing each other that we were, like, suffocating our dream, right?

And you have to find that right amount of tension. If you’re too relaxed, it’s gonna fly away. If you’re too tight, it’s gonna suffocate. So we really had to develop that trust and that, “Okay, like, even if worst case happens and we get a silver, we’re gonna be okay.”

Sorry. That’s a dirty word to me. But you know what I’m saying. -Yeah. So, we figured out that we were just in our own way. Casey, my husband, and Gervais and his amazing man, Ed Boardman, they made us a highlight video that we played every day leading up to London.

And they reminded us of what was inside of us, what we’ve done, and it brought out the, you know, inner lions for sure. So, you’ve been through all this — Yeah. counseling, Gervais, the break-up, “I’m back,” “I let another girl down” — -Yeah. And in your sport, in the Olympics,

The gold medal game, the match, is against another American team. That was so crazy. Didn’t expect that, didn’t envision that. It made it so much more intense and stressful, ’cause it’s like, “No, we’re the number-one American team. Get out of here. Seriously. Get out of here.” Right, yeah. [ Laughter ]

-“No, really, get out.” -But they deserved it. They beat Brazil. They came back and won. And I don’t even know why we didn’t put our– I didn’t put myself playing against them, ’cause they were a top team in the world. It’s just, in my mind, it was gonna be against Brazil.

Let’s see how you did. Announcer: Second gold-medal point. Ross… spins it out! It is over here in London! Misty and Kerri three-peat Olympic gold! Misty and Kerri, the two icons of the sport, they end their journey together as the greatest team of all time. [ Applause ] So cool.

Now, there’s a question about what that was like for you, but we focused on this, because April Ross is there. -Mm-hmm. Yeah. -She’s on the other side. And word is that, right after that was over, you went to her in this hug and said, “Now let’s you and I go win in Rio.”

-Yes. -Did that happen? How presumptuous is that? Absolutely. And I hugged her and I said, “Yeah, now let’s go win gold in Rio.” And, literally, I’ve said this so many times — Where the hell did that come from? I was not thinking about that at all.

I mean, it’s kind of rude. [ Laughs ] Like, come on. I’m in this situation. I just — We just did this amazing thing, Misty and I, and that’s where my head went, instinctively, and I expressed it. What do you think that says about you? I’m not done yet. [ Laughs ]

Or you can’t ever be satisfied. -No. Oh. -This is one second after hugs, and, “We just won a gold medal.” No, no. That’s so negative. No, it’s just — It’s so — It’s, like, the best kind of addicting. Like, it’s an addiction. Like, I love the hunt.

I love the four years between Olympics, because it makes you a woman. It makes you an athlete. It makes you so gnarly. And I knew Misty was retiring, and I took her word for it this time. Okay. I mean, I asked her a million times after before I confirmed with April.

But I just knew. You know, it was in the media. She was done, done, done. And it just — I don’t know. It just came out. So, of the three that you’ve won, where does this one rank? Number one. -This one ranks one. -Yeah. It was Misty and my final event together.

A lot of life had been lived in our careers together. My whole crew was there, as always — my parents, my siblings, my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, my friends. This, by far, was number one. And, yet, right after that, seconds after that, you’re on to Rio.

Yes, but I did a gut check. Later that night, I was like, “Oh, my God. What did I say?” Like, “Shit. Do I have it in me?” It requires so much. Not because of — You weren’t saying that because of April — No, I love April. No, I do. No, I know that.

But you’re not saying that because it’s disrespectful to Misty. You know she’s finished. -I hope she — I hope Misty understands. I’ve never talked to her about that, and I hope she knows I’m meaning no disrespect. She knows how crazy I am.

I mean, I think Misty would say, “Yeah, that’s Kerri being Kerri” and hopefully still love me for it. I don’t know. Were you pregnant at that time? Yes. I forgot about that. Yes. Did you get criticism from people, once they found out you were pregnant, that you’re flopping around in the sand?

A little bit. A little bit. But it’s just — I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant if I thought I was putting my baby in jeopardy. I wouldn’t have tried to get pregnant. So, yeah, I knew the baby was protected. The baby, I mean, was like a pinprick.

You know, she was — I was like five or six weeks. -Okay. -So early, early, early. And I got a little flak, and a lot of the medical community came out and said, “She’s fine. She’s a fit woman. It’s not like she started exercising super-gnarly when she got pregnant.

This is what she does. Her body’s used to it,” so, no. The flak went in one ear, out the other. So, now you’re into this with April. Yes. We’re going through life during this whole time and after London. And as you and I sit here right now, you’re in a position

Where you have to qualify to go to Rio. Yes. You have to get in the top 15. Yes. Is there any doubt in your mind that that will happen? No. Is there any doubt in your mind that you are fit enough to perform? No. No.

Is there any doubt in your mind that April Ross is the right partner for you? There is no doubt that she is the right partner. I thought you worded that weird. I wanted to make sure of that. She is the right person. She’s insane. She’s a silver medalist,

Which makes her really hungry for gold. Her skill set is insanity. She’s a geek for our sport. And, you know, she’s got the heart of a champion, which is, to me, the biggest priority in all of it. She wants to kick your ass. -Mine specifically? -Absolutely. [ Laughter ]

If you had your bikini on — What did I do to April? -You’re just here. -I’m just here. I’m in her way. -You’re in the way, exactly. This quote — “I don’t want to be better than you or her or him. I want to be better than I am right now.”

Explain that. -Yeah. [ Sighs ] Well, it’s the truth. I figured out, at some point, that to compare myself to other people got me nowhere. It made me miserable. It made me feel weak. I distinctly remember I was in junior lifeguards in Santa Cruz. I excelled in the running activities,

’cause I didn’t want to go in the ocean. And, so, I remember we were on this — I don’t even know if it’s one miles or three miles. We had this beach run, and it was long as hell. And I remember, at the end, people are yelling, “Kerri, go!

Catch up to him! Catch up to him!” And I had nothing left in my tank. And I finished the race, and they’re like, “Yeah, you got third, but you’re the first girl. Great.” And I remember my dad or my brother saying, “Why didn’t you run harder at the end?

Like, you were so close.” You know, “Why didn’t you push harder?” And I just remember being like, “I gave everything I had.” I wasn’t worried about them. I was just doing me. And I’m okay with that. You know, damn it, I wish I would have won.

But I think that’s the impetus behind this quote, because it’s just like, for me — Success, to me, is that satisfaction internally that I did my best. And, finally, what’s next for you, personally? What a question. I mean, theoretically, you should be pregnant right now. I know! I know. That’s usually —

[ Laughter ] Well, soon. I know. And I think we’re not having another baby, which is really sad. But I think that’s the reality. So, I don’t know to tell you the truth. I’m gonna kick ass. We like to end this with fun questions. Okay.

Not that every question hasn’t been fun and electrifying. This has been a hoot. Thank you so much. I’ve not seen them. That’s why they staple it together. Do I get to ask you? No. All right. [ Laughter ] “Would you rather go way back in time

And meet your ancestors or way forward in time and meet your great-grandchildren?” Back. -Back? -Back. You want to see from whence you come. Sure. I have hope and faith in the future. I think I’d like to know where I come from even more. “Would you rather sing like an opera star

Or cook like a gourmet chef?” Cook like a gourmet chef. -Are you a good cook? -Absolutely not. I will be one day, ’cause I love food, and I need to feed my children and nourish them and nourish myself. What would a fourth Olympic gold medal mean to you?

A fourth — winning a fourth gold medal in Brazil on August 17, 2016, will mean that I’m doing something right. [ Laughs ] I don’t know. [ Applause ] I’ve done it before. I want to do it even better. I want to do it with this challenge

With April, who I love and respect. I want to do it with my army of family and friends behind me. And I just want to do it right. You know, body, mind, and spirit — I believe that the masters — People who master their crafts, people who just live life right,

They’re aligned in body, mind, and spirit. And the journey part of it is everything. This is a three-time gold medal winner and somebody who is, I think, someone for a lot of people to look up to. Well done. Thank you for being here. -Thank you. -Truly undeniable. Kerri Walsh Jennings.

[ Cheers and applause ] Thank you. [ Laughs ] Thank you, guys. ♪♪ [ AT&T theme tones play ]