John Radzimanowski: Balancing roles as career coach and volleyball coach

By Maven McGregory

Senior Reporter

Before sunrise, John Radzimanowski is already at work. 

His early mornings are reserved for coaching Trevecca’s regional volleyball team. After breakfast with the players, Career coach and employer relations specialist Radzimanowski heads to the Winkler Center, Trevecca’s career development center. 

Radzimanowski invests in students through career mentoring and coaching volleyball. On the court, he builds ongoing relationships; in the career center, he guides them professionally.

“I was looking for an opportunity to be relational and invest in students and also wanted to find a way to reconnect with Trevecca,” said Radzimanowski.

 “On a practice day, I’m up at 4:30 in the morning to arrive here at 5:30 for practice. We have practice from 6 to 8, then I’ll do breakfast with the team before heading to the Winkler center by 8:30-ish,” said Radzimanowski 

At the Winkler Center, he shifts focus to the work that supports students’ futures. 

“I’ll have students come in. They’ll make appointments on Handshake to meet with me, and I’ll go over resumes. But a lot of what I’ve been doing has been recruiting employers to come to our job fair,” said Radzimanowski 

Radzimanowski’s commitment to Trevecca is rooted in his background in children’s ministry. 

 “Joining the career development and connections staff was sort of a natural extension for me of my ministry. I came up as a children’s minister. I currently do some youth ministry,” he said. 

Volleyball coaching has been a constant in Radzimanowski’s life since his senior year of high school. For 18 years, he has coached club, travel, and college teams, developing not only skills but relationships. 

“I grew up around Chicago, where boys volleyball has been around forever,” said Radzimanowski. “I found it my senior year of high school, and after that I joined the men’s club volleyball team, which is now an official NAIA sport but wasn’t back then. I played all four years and was captain my last two. Then one day a local club came by campus and asked if we wanted to make some money, and of course we were poor college kids, so we said yes. They needed coaches, and that’s how I started coaching when I was about 20 years old,” said Radzimanowski

About 10 years ago, he earned his master’s in organizational leadership at Trevecca and served as a graduate assistant for the volleyball team when they won their first conference championship. 

Even after all these years, coaching volleyball remains important to his life. 

“Volleyball coaching has been such a part of my life. I had to stop coaching club volleyball for family, to take this job. To be able to have that peace of being able to go to practice, walk to breakfast, walk to work—it’s therapeutic. It scratches the itch for not only relationship, but volleyball. I’ve been doing volleyball for so long; I just can’t quit,” said Radzimanowski. 

Radzimanowski is in his second season as regional volleyball coach, taking the lead under associate head coach Alyssa Gage. Now in its fifth year, the program has 20 players, with a large group of freshmen this season. 

“We have 20 girls this year, which is an enormous roster and we were successful last year. We have a huge class of freshmen. And the best part is, they’re good human beings. I love being around them. I love seeing them in the cafeteria and around campus. They’re a lot of fun, they’re good players, and they work hard. The culture is really positive. I’m excited for future years, especially with such a strong, young roster to see where they continue to grow,” he said. 

Anna Stevy, an elementary education major, and right-side middle on the team, has been coached by Radzimanowski since middle school. She joined the regional team after he encouraged her to join. 

“When he first saw me here in the cafeteria, he asked, “Would you like to play for the team? He was honest about the commitment, but joining the team has brought my love for the game back,” said Stevy 

She added that Radzimanowski’s guidance goes beyond the court. 

“I want to teach and coach volleyball. With teaching, you can coach depending on the school. So, we talked about what that would look like and what it would look like at club level. He also helps with the connections for that too,” said Stevy 

Sarah Hardy, a recent biology graduate, first met Radzimanowski through regional volleyball her senior year.  

“He [Radzimanowski] helped me understand the possibility of leaving Nashville and leaving Tennessee to pursue my career and further education. With graduating seniors on the team, he would be a career coach, help with resumes and get us ready for interviews. He really invested in us,” said Hardy 

For Radzimanowski, the connection between career coaching and volleyball comes down to relationships he builds. Career coaching allows him to guide students professionally, but coaching volleyball gives him an ongoing connection.  

 “The big difference between coaching and career coaching is that I’ll get somebody to come in, I’ll look at their resume, and maybe they’ll send me an email later. It’s still really helpful. It’s good. But I don’t get the depth of a relationship that I do with a team that I see three times a week,” said Radzimanowski 

Balancing both roles has had a few challenges, but he continues to learn each day.   

“Even though the regional schedule is more accommodating for the juggle, being the guy that I am, the competitive guy and the guy who wants to give 100%, I would always love to find a way to do more. But even at the age of 37, I’m still trying to figure out the perfect balance of home, work and fun. That’s probably the hardest part,” said Radzimanowski  

“I am learning when to say no and just how to communicate early. I mean, there’s a lot of capable individuals in every spot. I’m also learning how to better use my calendar,” said Radzimanowski 

Juggling two roles isn’t easy, but the relationships he’s built with colleagues, and other coaches keep him grounded and make the balance possible. 

“I’m surrounded by really cool people here. Career development is the main priority, but there are times where I think I could do all things. But that’s where the partnership is balanced with Coach Gage is helpful. She works with the varsity team, and I work with the regional team,” said Radzimanowski 

Ultimately, he sees both roles as ways to invest in young people. On the court and in the Winkler center, the goal stays the same, which is to help students grow, discover their potential, and minister to them.  

“I am happy to be able to do both roles because in other situations I won’t be able to. The main goal and message are to want the best for students and to continue supporting them,” said Radzimanowski