KERRI WALSH

I think the No. 1 thing that helps me get through every single day is the support of my friends and my family.

The advice I will give my children, if and when they have Olympic aspirations, will be to go for it.

Growing up, Michael Jordan was my Olympic hero.

The balancing act of motherhood and a career, and being a wife, is something that I don't think I'll ever perfect, but I love the challenge of it.

It's the best thing in the world, the most challenging thing in the world, being a parent, and one of the first lessons I learned was to ask for help.

In my heart, I'm so far from done.

My mom is a constant in my life in so many ways.

My job is to be fit and I'm really blessed that I get to go and work out and live a really healthy lifestyle.

I used to sleep, eat, breathe volleyball. Now I have that with my kids.

I want to win a gold medal in London.

No one behind you gets the appreciation they deserve.

We're a pretty open-book family; we kind of lead with our hearts. There's nothing to hide.

The original way to play beach volleyball was in a bikini and board shorts, and I don't know what else they want us to wear.

Generally, I'll have three training sessions a day.

When it comes to beach volleyball, we're playing in 100-degree-plus weather.

There's no shame in a bronze medal. I used to think that, and I'm so ashamed of thinking that because there's so much joy and hard work and love in this.

My mother is my biggest role model, and she showed me how to do it right. She was very present in our lives and has a great career of her own. Same with my father. So I knew it was possible going in to stay closely connected to my children while also chasing big dreams. And it's given me great perspective.

There's only one way to prepare for playing beach volleyball, and that's by getting in the sand.

Prior to having babies, I thought - I thought I was so busy, and now I realize just how ignorant I was.

There's worse things in life than to put sunscreen on. It means I'm going to work, which is on the beach, which is pretty wonderful.

In this journey, the fear creeps in from time to time. The hint of that is there because there's an unknown factor to everything. That's true in everyone's life. I don't choose to live there; I let it spark me.

I want our kids to know that we have to feel our bodies. And nutrition is a huge part of that.

I switched from indoor to beach I had been playing indoor for 12 years. And, to be honest, to make a living indoors you have to go overseas. I am such a family girl and just wanted to be home, so that didn't appeal to me.

Breathe, believe, and battle.' My former coach, Troy Tanner, told us that before each match. Breathe-be in the moment. Believe-have faith that you can rise above it. Battle-you gotta be prepared to go for as long as it takes.

I want to be the best role model I can be for my family. I want my husband and I to be the ones our kids look to for guidance, to be the great role models that I had with my parents growing up, so for as hard as we work, I want our kids to see us having fun. I want our kids to know that we have to feel our bodies. And nutrition is a huge part of that.