As the NHL undergoes the long process of helping coaches and players figure out how to communicate without intimidation or prejudice, the league could do a lot worse than to listen and learn from Canada's reigning world champion beach volleyball duo of Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes.

The two-woman team and their coaches have managed to dominate the world's best in large part by working long and purposefully at learning how to respect one another, how to communicate properly in the heat of competition, how to allow junior voices to be heard without fear of senior reprisal, and most of all, how to generate a team environment in which the will to win eclipses the fear of making mistakes.

The Canadians share the secrets of their quiet confidence on Player's Own Voice podcast this week with host Anastasia Bucsis, who concludes season two of the Podcast series with this story of a team which has every prospect and possibility of reaching the top of the podium in Tokyo.

Like the CBC Sports' Player's Own Voice essay series, POV podcast lets athletes speak to Canadians about issues from a personal perspective. Melissa Humana-Paredes has written about her sport's rise and fall within the four-year Olympic cycle. To listen to the beach champs and all the previous guests this season, subscribe for free on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Tune In or wherever you get your other podcasts.