Coming Home: Emily Thater on Playing Pro in the U.S. | The Courtney Thompson Show Episode 1

Two-time Olympic medalist Courtney Thompson launches her new interview series with a conversation that captures everything LOVB and Youth Inc. set out to build together.

Her first guest, LOVB Nebraska middle blocker Emily Thater, spent seven seasons playing pro in Germany and France — winning a French League title in 2024 — before returning home to play in the first American pro volleyball league of its kind. In this pilot episode, Emily reflects on the moment she heard the national anthem at a U.S. arena again and felt herself transported back to her college days at Mizzou, the mentors she still carries onto the court, and the joy she's found in playing for the next generation of girls watching from the stands.

Emily and Courtney also dig into the realities of life as a professional athlete, the advice Emily would give her younger self, and a message for every club volleyball player feeling the weight of today's expectations: quiet the noise, lean into your team, and remember why you started.