Nataliia Klimenova: Coaching with Care, Fueled by Experience
For Nataliia Klimenova, one of the 2025 CEV Coaches Convention Speakers, Volleyball has never been just a game - it has been a path to achieving a dream, to healing, and a purpose. Her journey from an athlete to transformative coach is marked by resilience, lessons that she wants to share with her coachees, and a fierce commitment to doing things differently.
From Margins to Meaning
Growing up in a volleyball culture that valued height over potential and individuality, Nataliia was constantly told that volleyball wasn’t going to be her sport. She recalls,
“They told me Volleyball was a dead end. But it became my way out.”
Her path was anything but easy: low-paying jobs, years abroad, loneliness, and the difficulties one might face trying their luck on the other side of the planet. Even more difficult were the environments she endured - marked by emotional withholding of affection and silence. Yet through it all, she held on to the sport and slowly reshaped her pain into purpose.
A New Model of Coaching
Today, Nataliia coaches with a clear mission: to protect, to empower, and to deeply see the young athletes she works with.
“I won’t let my kids go through what I did.”
Her coaching philosophy is grounded in trust, emotional safety, and shared responsibility. Discipline is not about power but partnership:
Nataliia Klimenova“If I punish, I do the same thing with the kids, so they know I'm in the same boat with them.”
2025 CEV Coaches Convention Speaker
Growth Isn’t Always Graceful
Klimenova understands that development takes time - and that progress rarely looks perfect. She reminds both players and fellow coaches:
“You have to understand, in order to get better, it's going to look ugly before it looks beautiful.”
Rather than chase flawless execution, she encourages athletes to take risks, make mistakes, and find their rhythm through struggle.
More Than Winning
At the core of her method is a deep belief in sport as a teacher of life, not just competition.
Nataliia Klimenova“Volleyball teaches you how to live with people, not just how to win.”
2025 CEV Coaches Convention Speaker
A Legacy of Empathy
Nataliia Klimenova’s coaching is both a rejection of harmful traditions and an invitation to something better: a space where young people are valued, protected, and challenged to grow with dignity.
Learning from the very best - like the legendary Karch Kiraly, whose achievements speak louder than words - Nataliia is deeply inspired by how one of the most successful volleyball players and coaches of all time leads his training sessions. Determined to make the most of these experiences, Klimenova is committed to passing on the lessons she learns to her young athletes, adapting them to suit their individual needs.
Volleyball vs. Other Sports
Reflecting on the complexity and beauty of coaching Volleyball, Nataliia emphasises that success depends on precision, teamwork, and communication - unlike individual sports where outcomes are more directly tied to personal performance. Volleyball fosters deep connections among teammates and offers valuable lessons in collaboration and adaptability.
Nataliia Klimenova“When you bond with teammates, you share incredible moments - victories, frustrations, learning. There’s a softness in the decision-making process and in the support that players offer each other. That’s something I really value.”
2025 CEV Coaches Convention Speaker
Why Come to the 2025 CEV Coaches Convention?
When asked why she would attend the CEV Coaches Convention this year if she were a participant rather than a speaker, Klimenova emphasises the importance of staying open-minded as a coach.
“Growth often comes not from groundbreaking insights, but from everyday conversations and shared experiences,” she says.
“I used to be a very “black-and-white” kind of coach - this is the way it should be done, because that’s how it’s always been done. But now, after many conversations with other coaches and players, I’ve started shifting my approach. I now say: “Maybe this is the way, but there’s room for another possibility.”
About Nataliia Klimenova
Nataliia Klimenova is a Ukrainian professional Volleyball player and coach with over 20 years of experience in the sport. She has competed at the highest levels across Europe and Canada, earning multiple National Championships, MVP awards, and the prestigious title of Master of Sports as a member of the Ukrainian National Team.
She played both Indoor and Beach Volleyball internationally and most recently served as the starting libero for Mount Royal University in Canada, helping lead the team to a national silver medal in 2022.