Today we’d like to introduce you to Kasey Jones.
Hi Kasey, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
An athlete for life, I started playing competitive sports at the age of five. I excelled in volleyball, swimming, and tennis, earning all-district and all-state titles for three of my high school years. As a multi-sport athlete, I chose to play NCAA Division III volleyball and tennis at Capital University. Unfortunately, my collegiate career ended early due to a toxic coaching environment that made it impossible for me to thrive.
After college, I stayed connected to the sports I love by playing club volleyball and tennis at Ohio University. When I moved to California after graduation, I continued playing beach volleyball and stayed active in the game.
Although I only coached for two years in my twenties, a new opportunity arose when I began teaching at Hocking College. After graduate school, my family and I moved back to Athens, Ohio. We wanted to grow our family and raise our kids in a supportive, small-town community. During my campus tour at Hocking, I happened to meet the athletic director. In a brief chat, he learned I was a former collegiate athlete and told me they were launching a volleyball program. He asked if I coached, I said yes, although at heart I had always been more of a player. He invited me to interview, and I accepted the position as head coach for the NJCAA program.
It was no small task. With a very small budget, I was responsible for building what felt like an NCAA Division I program from the ground up. I spent four years recruiting, training, and growing that team. When I was pregnant with my third child, I decided to step back to focus on family.
Shortly after, my oldest daughter began playing club volleyball and I decided to coach her team. I was shocked to see the same toxic behavior I had experienced years ago in college still happening today. That experience made me pause and reflect on my own journey as an athlete and coach.
Looking back, I realized I never had great mentors. I didn’t have coaches who truly advocated for me and my goals. Even when I was a coach at Hocking, I was verbally abused by athletic staff, many stuck in an old-school mentality that yelling and intimidation got results. There was favoritism, negativity, and a lack of real support.
In that moment of reflection, and through witnessing my own daughter’s growth, I knew I wanted her to have access to something better. Not because of my ego, but because I know the value of positive coaching and the power of community. I never had that, and I know firsthand how much further I could have gone if I did.
That’s why I started Athens Elite: to be the positive example I wish I’d had. I want to guide young athletes toward greatness and surround them with a community that truly roots for their success, not just on the court, but in life. Because that’s what really matters most.
I believe I’m successful in life today because of the lessons I learned on the volleyball court. Now, I’m committed to giving these young athletes what I didn’t have, a place to grow, thrive, and be championed every step of the way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not and I think that’s what makes our mission so important.
My journey as an athlete and coach has been filled with incredible moments, but also with challenges that shaped who I am today. As a young athlete, I faced toxic environments where coaches believed yelling and intimidation were the best ways to get results. I didn’t have mentors who truly advocated for me or supported my goals and, sadly, I carried that experience into my early coaching years too.
When I stepped into my first college coaching role, I poured everything I had into building a program from scratch, often with very limited resources and little support. I dealt with favoritism, outdated coaching mentalities, and at times, outright verbal abuse from people who were supposed to be my colleagues and supporters.
The hardest moments, though, were when I saw those same toxic patterns still happening when my own daughter started playing club volleyball. That forced me to really look at what I wanted for my family, for the athletes I coach, and for the broader volleyball community.
All those struggles fueled my purpose: to build Athens Elite as a positive, growth-focused, and supportive program, the kind of community I wish I’d had as an athlete.
The road has not been smooth, but every challenge has taught me valuable lessons that continue to aid in my own personal development as a leader in the community.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In addition to managing Athens Elite Volleyball Club, I’m also an artist and professor. My creative practice is broad and interdisciplinary — I build large-scale interactive installations, paint murals, and create studio work that spans painting, sculpture, and mixed media.
In the studio, my work takes two main directions: I make abstract paintings that explore color, balance, and form, and I also create deeply personal pieces that respond to my experiences as a woman and mother. I believe in the power of storytelling through art, and I’m passionate about using my practice to create spaces for reflection, connection, and dialogue.
As for what I’m most proud of — it’s the way I’ve been able to bring together all the different parts of my life: athlete, coach, artist, mother, and educator. These roles overlap and strengthen one another.
Whether I’m helping young athletes build confidence and community on the court, or creating immersive artworks that invite people to step inside a story, my mission is the same: to make spaces where people feel supported, inspired, and seen.
What sets me apart is that I truly lead with the belief that growth — whether in sports or in art — is about trust, connection, and an openness to learn. I’ve lived the hard lessons, and now I get to help others grow through them too. That’s what keeps me inspired every single day.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is showing up. It’s putting in the work, even when you don’t see the results you want right away. Success is trust in the process and the courage to fail and refine that process along the way. Success is not comparing yourself to others, but staying focused on your own vision and goals. Success is living in the present. It’s gratitude. It’s living for joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://athenselitevbc.com
- Instagram: athens_elite
- Facebook: Athens Elite Volleyball Club
- Other: tiktok: athens_elite
