Peak Performance Counseling, PLLC

05/04/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month—and in sport, the mental side is just as important as the physical.

As athletes, you train your body every day. But are you training your mind?

Performance anxiety, fear of failure, pressure to succeed, coming back from injury—these are real, and they deserve attention. Mental health isn’t a weakness. It’s part of the foundation of consistent, confident performance.

This month is a reminder:
• It’s okay to not feel okay
• Talking about it is a strength
• Support is part of success

Whether you're in-season, off-season, or recovering—your mental game matters.

Take time this month to check in with yourself or your athletes. Start the conversation. Build awareness. Prioritize the whole athlete.

04/14/2026

Had a great time working with the athletes of the Kalamazoo College Men’s Lacrosse team exploring how they can create the conditions for flow state—where the game slows down, reactions feel automatic, and confidence takes over.

We focused on how to quiet distractions, trust preparation, and stay present in high-pressure moments. When athletes learn to let go of overthinking and fully engage in the moment, performance becomes more instinctive, fluid, consistent, and fun.

Flow state isn’t something you can force to happen — it’s something you build and can influence.

Excited to see how this team continues to grow, compete, and tap into their best when it matters most.

03/27/2026

Enjoyed working with Kalamazoo College Men’s Lacrosse today on developing a stronger mindset for high-pressure moments!

At this level, pressure is part of the game. The difference isn’t who feels it—it’s who knows how to respond to it.

We worked on:
👉 staying locked into controllable factors of the game
👉 reframing thoughts in big moments
👉 responding quickly and effectively to mistakes

Because when the moment gets bigger, the mindset has to get simpler.

Pressure isn’t something to avoid—it’s something to understand and use. The goal isn’t to play perfect out there… it’s to stay present, trust your preparation, and respond.

03/19/2026

Reading Lauren Betts’s story is a powerful reminder that mental health doesn’t disappear at higher levels of sport—it often becomes more complex and intensifies.

Behind the performance, the expectations, and the success, there are real human experiences: self-doubt, pressure, transitions, and the need to feel like you belong.

For athletes:
Your mental health matters just as much as your performance. Struggling doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human.

For coaches:
The environment you create matters. Athletes don’t just need development—they need support, safety, and space to be themselves.

The strongest teams aren’t just built on talent.
They’re built on trust, connection, and mental well-being.

Let’s keep having these conversations.

No matter where I go from here, I know I’ve come a long way.

01/05/2026

Proud to work with the Gull Lake Varsity Women’s Basketball Team this evening on developing one of the most important mental skills in sport: responding adaptively to mistakes.

Mistakes are inevitable in competition. What separates confident, resilient athletes is how quickly they reset, refocus, and re-engage after them. We talked about body language, self-talk, present-moment focus, and building simple reset routines athletes can rely on under pressure.

Learning to move from the last play to the next play is a game-changer, both on the court and beyond it. Strong responses build strong competitors. 🏀

12/11/2025

Big News!

I’m thrilled to share that I have officially completed the training and educational requirements necessary for the Certified Sports Psychology Coach (CSPC) program and am now a Certified Sports Psychology Coach!

This certification represents my continued commitment to helping athletes, teams, and performers unlock their full mental potential—whether it’s building resilience, enhancing focus, mastering emotional regulation, strengthening confidence, or developing the mindset needed to perform their best under pressure.

I can’t wait to bring new strategies, insights, creative ideas, and tools to support athletes at all levels in achieving peak performance—both on and off the field.

11/27/2025

Today, I had the opportunity to work with the Gull Lake Varsity Women's Basketball Team on one of the most important mental skills in sport (and life): learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We talked about the moments that test athletes most — tough conditioning, new expectations, mistakes, pressure, and adversity — and how discomfort isn’t a sign to quit, but a signal that growth is happening. The best players don’t avoid hard things… they lean into them.

When athletes learn to stay present, push through resistance, and respond with purpose instead of panic, their confidence and resilience skyrocket.

Proud of this group for embracing the challenge and committing to becoming mentally tougher, more self-aware, and more intentional competitors. The real progress happens when things feel hard.

09/16/2025

🟢 September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month 🟣

As a sports psychologist, I want to remind athletes, coaches, and communities: you are not alone.

Behind every uniform and performance is a person who may be carrying silent struggles. Talking about mental health, checking in with others, and reaching out for help are powerful steps that save lives.

💬 It’s okay to not be okay.
🤝 Support is always within reach.
📞 If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the U.S. for the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline.

Let’s work together to break the stigma and build a culture of care—on and off the field. 💙

***dePrevention

09/03/2025

Reminder: It’s okay to have bad days.

Not every practice will click. Not every game will showcase your best. Not every day will you feel your best. And that doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it means you’re human.

As a sports psychologist, I remind athletes that performance is a journey. Progress includes ups and downs, and growth often comes from the harder days just as much as the great ones.

Give yourself permission to feel, learn, and reset. Tomorrow is a new opportunity. 🌟

We're excited to announce that Ettore “Big E” Ewen’s story “Sour” was selected by Nif Muhammad for The Year's Best Sports Writing 2025 — out October 7 from Triumph Books. Revisit his story: “I’d give anything to be able to look in the mirror now, see 9-year-old Ettore staring back, and just reach out and hug him. I’d give anything to be able to talk to that kid at a time when I know how desperately he needed it. But I can’t….. so I guess I’ll have to settle for talking to my old-ass 39-year-old self. That’s a guy who’s been through a lot. And when I see him in the mirror next March, I think I know what I’ll say.

I think I’ll tell him, ‘DON’T YOU DARE BE SOUR. CLAP FOR YOUR—’

No, I’m kidding. I’ll tell him what he already knows: It’s OK to be sour.

It’s OK to get frustrated, or sad, or down on yourself — or even wake up some mornings and not want to be yourself. It’s OK to have bad days.

But just keep having days. Just keep going. Just keep waking up and trying again.

Because every day won’t be like that, I promise.

And tomorrow is a new one.”

Read his story here: playerstribu.ne/BigE

📷: WWE

08/11/2025

The mental game matters just as much as the physical one.

I recently had the privilege of working with the dedicated coaching staff at Gull Lake High School to dive into common mental challenges athletes face — from performance anxiety and fear of failure to difficulty bouncing back after mistakes.

We explored mental skills that can strengthen both performance and well-being:
✅ Confidence-building
✅ Stress management
✅ Positive self-talk
✅ Focus under pressure
✅ Mindset shifts for resilience

When coaches understand the mental side of sport, they can better support their athletes both on and off the field. Proud to see Gull Lake coaches leading the way. 💙