Helping you to perform
at your best
Does your mind ever take over with thoughts such as:
- I’m going to make a mistake…
- Will I be fast enough today?
- I’m so nervous…
- What if others are better than me?
- This is such an important event. I have to do well, or else my career is over.
Despite all the hours of training and practise you have done, your mind can take over and offer you these unhelpful thoughts and distractions. No matter how well your physical preparation has gone, if you are not ready to manage these unhelpful thoughts, you will not be able to deliver the optimal performance you want to.
From the age of eleven I was a really keen horse rider and as soon as I left school, I took myself off to Newmarket and pursued a career in horse racing, progressing from a stable girl to apprentice jockey and riding in races.
During this time, I was fascinated noticing how often the most talented riders, when put into a race situation, actually crumbled under the pressure. Whilst some of the most successful jockeys were a bit lazy training the horse, but, in a competitive race situation they came into their own and performed at their best. This led me to want to understand the connection between what happens in our mind and how we perform.
Within my experience as a performance psychologist, I spent seven years working alongside Professor Steve Peters sharing The Chimp Model ideologies. Whilst at Chimp Management, I was supervised by Steve and gained understanding of how the mind works from a neuroscientific perspective. This combined with my sport psychology backgrounds forms the foundation to my work.
How I work (with you)
Your brain is unique to you and this means that you are the key stake holder to making the changes you want to make. I can make offer insight and help you to develop skills, tools and techniques, which you can individualise and apply to your performance.
In our first session in person, or via video consultation, we will begin by exploring the areas you want to improve on and what it is that you would like to get from working with me. We will discuss your goals, ambitions and areas that you are finding challenging.
The aim of this first session is for you to get to know me and see if you believe I am the right person to work with you and for me to get to know you and understand how I might be able to help you.
You will leave this first session with understanding of how I work, how we could work together and what an intervention plan could look like.
My training and experience
My studies began with a BSc in Psychology and Sport Science at the University of Surrey, before going on to achieve an MSc and a PhD in Applied Sport Psychology from Bangor University under the supervision of Professor Lew Hardy. My PhD thesis won the British Psychological Society (sport & exercise psychology division) award for most outstanding thesis of the year.
I developed an MSc Programme in Exercise Rehabilitation at Bangor University, and have been a guest lecturer at Bangor University, the University of Surrey and Nottingham Trent University.
With over 20 years of expertise in performance psychology, I have been fortunate to work with many prestigious organisations including the likes of the British Olympic Association, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, UK Athletics, the British Equestrian Federation, the GB Canoe Team, National Television Companies, National Ballet Companies and Music Conservatoires.
I love helping performers in the arts and am delighted to have worked with a range of performers which include classical musicians, opera singers, ballerinas, stand-up comedians and actors.
