LETTER FROM JULIA

Hi — I’m so glad you’re here.

 

I’m Julia Donlin, formerly Julia Scoles. I’m a professional beach volleyball player representing Team USA, competing all over the country and around the world. My life’s journey to get to this point has been far from conventional but without question marked by God’s faithful and pursuing love.

 

I didn’t grow up near a beach — let alone play beach volleyball as one of the many sports I competed in as a kid. What led me here was actually a season of suffering. While competing in indoor volleyball at UNC Chapel Hill, I experienced a series of debilitating concussions. I wanted to find a way to continue playing the sport I loved without compromising my long-term brain health. Long story short, sand is a whole lot more forgiving when your head hits the ground than hardwood, so I made my way to the beach and haven’t looked back since.

 

Sports, in general, have always been more than competition for me, but what that’s meant has evolved over the years. For a long time, I believed sports weren’t just something I did; they were who I was. My value was entirely wrapped up in my performance and identity as an athlete. When serious injuries took that away, it was there the Lord met me and showed me that sports were never meant to hold the weight of all that He’s created me to be. In a season of total loss and devastation, I discovered my value and identity in Jesus and the unshakable joy of having a personal relationship with Him. 

 

He graciously brought sport back into my life, but this time with a renewed perspective and relationship to it. He showed me how to view sport as a tool, a gift, a connector, a classroom, a ministry, and a way to live out my God-given talents and personality.

 

I love the sport of beach volleyball and feel so blessed and privileged that it’s become my career. It’s far from easy, but man, the challenge is so rewarding. I truly feel like I’m living out my dream and that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in this season of life. My chief goal is to use this career and platform for purposeful impact in the lives of those around me. I’m passionate about mentorship and inspiring future generations, health and wellness and all that goes into caring for our bodies, building community through faith and players’ Bible studies, and simply showing up as a friend.

 

When I’m not on the sand chasing down or hitting a volleyball, you’ll usually find me at a coffee shop or on a walk with a friend, reading on the couch (as long as my ADHD self can tolerate), getting after it in the weight room or (when managing load) in a yoga class, at small group with my dear New City Church community, trying a restaurant a foodie friend recommended, leading youth group alongside my incredible husband, or experimenting in the kitchen (the kitchen is my playground and favorite creative outlet, I liken it to being an artist… but what you create is edible, ha). And if I’m not in any of those places, I’m probably a plane heading to the next spot I’ll be chasing down a volleyball.

​​

So, yes, I’ve learned that I am far more than an athlete. I’m a child of God, a wife, an advocate, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a lifetime student, a self-declared chef, and so much more. I’m constantly becoming and unbecoming— and that’s one of the most beautiful parts of the way God designed life. We’re here for such a short time, so let’s make the most of what we’ve been given.

 

Thank you for stopping by, friend. My hope is to be of some encouragement to you — and that you know you have infinitely more value than wherever you spend most of your time too.