EMDR Intensives for Athletes, Coaches and Leaders

08/07/2026

08/05/2026

The Hidden Science of Confidence: How Your Brain Remembers Success and Failure

Many athletes describe confidence as something they “lost.”

But what if confidence isn’t something that disappears?

What if it’s a collection of memories your brain has organized over years of experiences?

As I wrote this latest blog in my Athlete Memory Series, I found myself reflecting on one specific memory from my own time as a Division I athlete—a practice field, a moment of self-doubt, and how vividly that experience remained with me years later.

Today, neuroscience helps explain why those moments can feel so powerful. Our brains naturally organize experiences into interconnected memory networks that influence how we think, feel, and perform under pressure.

The encouraging news is that those networks aren’t fixed. They can continue to change through new experiences, intentional practice, and therapy.

In this article, I explore the science behind confidence and why understanding memory may help us think differently about performance, setbacks, and resilience.

I’d love to hear what resonates with you.

🔗 Read the full blog here:
https://emdrintensivesforathletes.com/athlete-confidence-memory-networks/

As always, thank you for reading and for being part of this conversation about supporting athletes through neuroscience, performance, and trauma-informed care.

07/30/2026

I’m always grateful for opportunities to keep learning and growing in this field.

I recently spent time reading a white paper focused on PTSD in elite athletes and the importance of continuing to build trauma-informed approaches within sport.

As we learn more about the connection between experiences, the nervous system, mental health, and performance, I’m encouraged by the continued efforts to better understand and support athletes.

This is why I love this work—continuing to learn, write, teach, and collaborate at the intersection of neuroscience, performance, and trauma-informed care.

Grateful to all of the researchers, clinicians, organizations, coaches, and athletes contributing to this important conversation.

07/28/2026

Why does one mistake sometimes lead to a downward spiral, while other times an athlete is able to reset almost instantly?

One explanation lies in how our brains organize memories.

Experiences are stored in interconnected memory networks. Under pressure, a single event can activate a much larger network of past experiences, emotions, and beliefs—shaping how we think, feel, and perform in that moment.

In my newest blog, I take a practical look at memory networks and why they matter for athletes, coaches, parents, and clinicians. I also discuss how strengthening positive memory networks can support resilience, confidence, and performance.

I hope you’ll take a look, and if it sparks any thoughts or questions, I’d love to hear them.

🔗 Read the full blog here: https://emdrintensivesforathletes.com/athlete-memory-networks/

07/24/2026

I’m grateful to be partnering with EMDR Professional Training this December to offer a live training on EMDR Intensives for Athletes and Performers: From Protocols to Performance.

Over the years, I’ve become increasingly passionate about helping athletes not only recover from difficult experiences but also optimize performance by understanding the role of the nervous system, memory, and trauma-informed care.

One of the reasons I’m so passionate about EMDR intensives is that they can help reduce many of the barriers athletes face when seeking therapy. Busy training schedules, frequent travel, competition seasons, and performance demands often make traditional weekly appointments difficult. An intensive format provides an opportunity for deeper, focused work while respecting the realities of an athlete’s life.

I’m also passionate about collaboration. By equipping more clinicians with specialized knowledge and practical tools, we can expand access to high-quality care for athletes and performers across all levels of sport.

If you’re a clinician interested in working with athletes, I’d love for you to join us. And if this isn’t your specialty, I’d be grateful if you would share this opportunity with someone who may benefit.

Thank you to EMDR Professional Training for the opportunity to teach and collaborate. I’m looking forward to learning together this December.

07/22/2026

Over the past couple of months, many of my posts have focused on remembering—sharing old photos, stories from my athletic journey, and moments that have shaped who I am today.

As I’ve reflected on those memories, I’ve also been thinking about memory from another perspective: the neuroscience of memory.

As athletes, coaches, and high performers, memory isn’t just about recalling the past. It’s about how our brain and nervous system learn from every experience.

Some memories we can easily describe.

Others quietly shape our confidence, automatic movements, emotional reactions, and performance without us even realizing it.

That’s why I wrote my newest blog on implicit and explicit memory.

Understanding how these two systems work has changed the way I think about performance, resilience, and healing—and I hope it offers a fresh perspective for athletes, parents, coaches, and clinicians as well.

And on a lighter note—has anyone else been intrigued by Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, The Odyssey? It’s prompted me to think even more deeply about the role memory plays in shaping who we are.

I’d love to hear what stands out to you after you read the blog.

🔗

EMDR Specialist

07/21/2026

A memory came back to me this summer that felt like it had been waiting for the right moment to resurface.

As part of my “summer of remembering,” I’ve been reflecting on how our experiences shape us—how the places we go, the people we meet, and the challenges we overcome become part of who we are and how we show up in the world.

Recently, I was back in South Florida with my family, and everyone kept talking about how hot it was.

I just smiled.

To me, it felt familiar.

It brought me right back to my years at the University of Florida, where preseason practices in 90+ degree heat, double sessions, and the demands of being a collegiate athlete were all part of the experience.

While looking through old memories, I found this newspaper clipping from one of the first practices of the University of Florida women’s soccer team.

Yes…that’s me trying to cool off! 😊

Those years gave me so much more than athletic memories. They taught me about commitment, pressure, resilience, teamwork, identity, and the emotional side of performance—lessons that continue to guide my work today.

I’m excited to share that I am now licensed to provide telehealth therapy throughout the state of Florida.

This feels like a meaningful full-circle moment: returning to a place that shaped me, now able to support athletes, coaches, and high performers who are navigating their own journeys.

Thank you, Florida, for the memories, the lessons, and (of course) the heat. ☀️

And thank you to everyone who has followed along with my summer of remembering. It has been a privilege to share these pieces of my story and reflect on how memory connects us to who we are and who we are becoming.

Go Gators! 🐊💙

07/15/2026

Have you ever watched an athlete get “in the zone” and wondered how they make something so difficult look effortless?

Peak performance relies on the brain and body’s ability to access procedural memory — the skills, timing, and patterns built through thousands of hours of practice. But stress, pressure, and past experiences can sometimes interfere with that natural ability to perform.

My newest blog explores how understanding procedural memory and the nervous system can help athletes reconnect with confidence, flow, and the performance they’ve worked so hard to build.

https://emdrintensivesforathletes.com/procedural-memory-in-sports/

I’d love to hear from athletes, coaches, and performance professionals: What have you noticed helps an athlete move from thinking about performance to trusting what they already know?

EMDR Specialist

07/14/2026

Four years can change a lot. ⚽️

In 1994, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the FIFA World Cup Final with my college teammates as a Division I athlete.

Four years later, my best friend and I were backpacking across Europe, stretching every dollar we had. We ended up watching the 1998 World Cup semifinal outside a public Turkish bathroom with the bathroom attendant, who welcomed us to pull up a chair and watch the match with him.

No fancy restaurant. No big screen. Just soccer, good company, and one of my favorite World Cup memories.

It’s funny how the moments we remember most often aren’t the ones we planned.

As I look forward to this week’s semifinals, I’m also reflecting on how much the game has changed. The penalty kick hasn’t changed—but the world around today’s athletes certainly has.

If you missed my latest blog, it explores the growing pressures athletes face, from social media to sports betting and the constant spotlight. I’ll also be sharing a new blog this week about procedural memory and why athletes sometimes struggle to access skills they’ve performed automatically for years.

What’s the most memorable place you’ve ever watched a World Cup match—or any sporting event? I’d love to hear your story.

⚽

07/09/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions in sport is that better performance simply requires becoming mentally tougher.

As both a former Division I athlete and a therapist working with athletes, I’ve learned that many performance struggles aren’t caused by a lack of effort, motivation, or discipline.

Often, they’re rooted in how the brain and nervous system are functioning under pressure.

When the brain becomes more integrated, athletes don’t just feel calmer—they’re often able to access their skills more consistently, adapt more effectively, recover from mistakes more quickly, and perform closer to their potential.

In my newest blog, I explore what brain integration means, why it’s different from simply “thinking positive,” and how therapies like EMDR can help athletes address performance blocks at a deeper level.

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, parent, or clinician, I hope this offers a different way to think about performance.

I’d love to hear what resonates with you.

https://emdrintensivesforathletes.com/brain-integration-for-athletes/