Josh Edwards serves as the Executive Director, Lead Coach, and Strength & Conditioning Coach for Ascension Volleyball Haliburton County. His expertise is built on a foundation of exercise science education, more than ten thousand hours of personal training experience, and direct strength and conditioning work at the OVA and OUA levels. Josh has also coached volleyball at both the high school and OUA levels, bringing a depth of knowledge shaped by a personal dedication to holistic health and athletic development.
 

A three‑sport athlete in high school — volleyball, basketball, and track & field — Josh found post secondary recruitment for each. He attended the University of Windsor, competing for the Lancers in high jump while also playing for the men’s volleyball team. His university career included being named a two‑sport Academic All‑Canadian, earning two OUA All‑Star selections in volleyball, and leading all of U SPORTS in hitting percentage for an entire season.

 

Josh also earned carding status with Volleyball Canada, joining both the Full‑Time Training Centre and the National Excellence Program as part of the Canadian Men’s National Team pathway. Josh wore the maple leaf and competed in France on three occasions as a part of the Men’s National Development programs, and also has professional volleyball experience in The Netherlands (Draisma Dynamo - Apeldoorn). 

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Beyond formal training, Josh has spent years immersed in self‑education across organic gardening, permaculture, wild food and medicine foraging, meditation, somatic healing, positive psychology, and mindfulness‑based self‑care practices. His approach to coaching is informed not only by sport science, but by a deep commitment to personal wellness, land stewardship, and the interconnectedness of physical, emotional, and ecological health.

 

Today, Josh brings all of this experience — athletic, academic, personal, and philosophical — into the heart of Ascension Volleyball. His leadership is grounded in presence, compassion, and a belief that when athletes feel their best, they perform their best.