20–45%

Psychological factors account for up to 20–45% of the performance gap between elite athletes of equal physical ability. Mindset isn't the nice-to-have part of performance, it's the deciding part.
(Morgan, 1980)

53%

According to elite athletes, how you feel isn't separate from how you perform. Your emotions explain about 53% of your performance variance in high pressure situations.
(Moen et al., 2016).

Optimise motor skill acquisition

Cut reaction time. Fast accurate decisions. Accelerate skill acquisition. This requires a unique intervention: information processing, practice structure, feedback delivery and observational learning.
(e.g. Lawrence et al. 2014; Proctor & Schneider, 2018; Williams & Jackson, 2019)

Bespoke beats generic

Elite athletes who received individually tailored pressure training significantly outperformed those on one-size-fits-all training – especially in high-pressure situations.
(Woodman et al., 2025)

Outperforms physical practice

Across 86 studies and 3,593 athletes, imagery combined with physical practice outperforms physical practice alone. 10 minutes, 3x a week, produces the biggest gains.
(Liu et al., 2025; Simonsmeier et al., 2020)

Mental fatigue impairs performance

Biomechanical and physiological factors aren’t the only things that stop you. Research repeatedly demonstrates that mental fatigue negatively impacts performance and increases perceived effort, the performance stopper.

Training that targets these perceptual, motivational and cognitive factors is what traditional programming misses.(Staiano et al., 2018; 2023)

You've put in the training. But something's still holding you back:

• Muscle fatigue and pain make you back off when it counts

• Nerves take over at the exact moment you can't afford to

• You plateau despite doing everything right

• Self-doubt creeps in before the start line

• You pick yourself apart even after a good performance

• You struggle with the team dynamics

For decades, it was assumed athletes hit their limit when their body simply couldn't produce more power.

But the mounting evidence says otherwise…

Biomechanical and physiological factors (e.g. muscle fatigue) aren't the sole limiting factors in performance.

Yet still, traditional training (e.g. aerobic capacity, lactate threshold) has you spending far more time building muscle, speed and endurance, and almost none on the cognitive instructions and decision-making, that actually determine who wins.

Mental fatigue impairs performance and increases perception of effort (how hard something feels) – which is the cardinal exercise stopper.

Research indicates perception of effort is generated centrally in the brain, not by signals from your muscles, heart or lungs.

Which is why two athletes with identical fitness can have wildly different days.

And at the top, the margins are brutal.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the average gap between first and fourth in rowing was 1.03% for women and 1.34% for men (Birrer & Morgan, 2010).

That margin is closed by training how you interpret effort; how you stay calm, focused and resilient under fatigue; and how you react and respond under pressure.

That's the work I do.

I can help you see what you cannot yet see about yourself. And I know what actually changes it.

We use training methods that target these perceptual, motivational and cognitive factors.

With Allan Hovda, the USA Paraclimbing team, and elite athletes chasing exactly these margins.

Allan Hovda broke personal, course and Norwegian records in the season we worked together. Here's how he describes the work.

I know firsthand how powerful your mind can be.

I was Bedridden. Housebound. For years.

A top London doctor eventually diagnosed me with severe chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and told me:

“Your life is going to get worse. There is no cure.” 

I refused to accept that.

So I attacked the problem head-on and tried every treatment, every specialist. Followed the advice from influencers and coaches.

Nothing changed. 

Until I found a brain training approach based on neuroscience and psychology.

The idea was simple: your brain is like a muscle. 

The neuropathways you use the most get stronger, faster and become your default. And just like muscles, the ones you don’t use, get weaker and harder to use.

I finally understood that my brain was stuck running the same negative loop on repeat: "I'm so tired".

That thought triggered exhaustion and pain, which triggered more "I'm so tired" thoughts. Round and round I went. Trapped.

I learned how to interrupt that pattern and rebuild my neuropathways.

The results were fast. From barely functioning to CrossFit, hiking Everest Basecamp, to standing on an Ironman podium. I thought I was cured.

But the old patterns crept back. I realised I’d put duct tape on a leaking pipe. Not a permanent fix.

So I went deeper. 

I studied how beliefs, identity, nervous system state, self-talk, and trauma shape performance, happiness and health.

My MSc Sport Performance Psychology showed me how to refine, optimise and personalise performance. 

I learned how to create change that actually holds, even when life gets messy, pressured, or uncertain.

I ripped the duct tape off and fixed that leaking pipe permanently.

I know you're not chronically fatigued...

You’re an elite, highly ambitious athlete with a finely tuned body.

But you're likely running your own versions of the negative loop I was stuck in.
An automatic default that's kept you successful, but limited. Performing, but never quite achieving your potential.

Here’s how my coaching has worked for my athletes:

→ Pro triathlete Allan Hovda broke the Norwegian Ironman course record by over 5 minutes, and placed 2nd at the XTRI World Championships

→ US Paraclimber Brittany Davis climbed from 10th to 6th in the world in under 10 months

→ US Paraclimber Whitney Pesek placed 2nd at the Paraclimbing World Championships

→ British & World Powerlifting Champion Aneela Rose walked away with a world title after a pre-competition mindset session the night before

Here’s how Brittany describes working together:

I can help you build the mental systems for your next performance leap in my 90-day 1:1 coaching programme:

• Together, we’ll look at exactly where you want to be in 12 months from now.

• We'll identify the mental patterns holding you back — the ones costing you seconds, places, and podiums.

• Using sport psychology, we'll build a custom, personality-aligned mental training plan to close the gap between where you are now and your best possible performance.

This isn't about training harder. Pushing through more reps. Grinding longer.

It’s about stopping the cycle of always feeling you didn’t give it everything. And missing opportunities you deserve.

It's about training the part of you that decides whether all that physical training actually shows up on race day.

• So you can perform at your highest level when it counts

• Stay calm, focused and confident under pressure

• React more quickly and accurately under fatigue

• And walk away knowing you left everything out on the table

You'll become the athlete who's mentally as sharp as they are physically prepared.

The one who competes at their best, every time – and is proud of their performance.

Which is why my clients call me their “guiding north star”. 

Esther Wheeler took the Yukon River Quest women's record by five hours. Here's how she describes the work.

The 90-Day Athlete Experience:

💎 Mental Performance Assessment

Before we design anything, we find out what's actually holding you back. Depending on your challenges and goals, the mental performance assessments can cover personality traits, anxiety, mental toughness and pressure responses.

It's the same individualised approach tested in peer-reviewed research with elite English cricketers and used by Manchester City's academy, where matching the training to the person outperformed generic, one-size-fits-all programmes.

💎 Bespoke Performance Plan

Built from the assessment, not a template.

We design the training practices and interventions around your specific mix of goals, personality traits, performance breakdowns and pressure responses.

Depending on your needs, this runs on one, two or all three tracks, remote or in-person:

1. One-to-one coaching

2. Ongoing advisory with your coaches

3. Training camp design and support to accelerate expertise, plus support through competition

Injury is one of the hardest things an athlete faces. We'll support your recovery and keep your head in a good place while you do it. Helping you return stronger.

The coaching accounts for the complexity and pressure of elite sport culture.

💎 Bi-Weekly 90-Minute Private Sessions

Each session, we take whatever is blocking your performance and wellbeing, solve what we can in the room, and map the next two weeks onto the wider plan. You leave lighter and stronger than you arrived.

💎 Bespoke Mental Imagery

Personalised visualisations to help you feel calmer under pressure, sleep more deeply, sharpen focus, and rehearse your best performance before you reach the start line.

💎 Direct Access Between Sessions 

Direct access to me Monday to Friday for fast decisions and problem-solving. No waiting around for answers.

💎 Weekly Accountability 

Curated check-ins, custom reminders and accountability systems matched to your goals. Progress compounds instead of stalling between sessions.

💎 Mission Log After Each Session 

Summary of the session with clear actions and deadlines.

💎 Competition Day Support

We use your tried and tested strategies to manage pressure, sharpen focus and perform when it counts most.

Where it helps, I'm there on the ground. I've travelled to key races with Allan Hovda, and with the USA Paraclimbing Team to their World Championships.

💎 Cognitive Testing and Brain Endurance Training

Physical and cognitive fatigue interact, with the brain driving how much force you produce and how well you execute under pressure.

When useful, I use the cognitive training system Soma NPT to push athletes to process information fast and respond accurately, targeting reaction speed, attention, focus, accuracy, decision-making and mental toughness.

I run the cognitive test, build the plan, read the data, and adjust. Athletes train on their own device.

Assessments, conversations, check-ins etc. are all run through a private online portal, so nothing gets lost in email threads. In the portal, everything stays private and is encrypted.

Personally funded: From 39,000 NOK (incl. MVA)

Where you're investing in yourself. Payment plans available.

Sponsored or federation-funded: From 59,000 NOK + MVA

Where a club, federation or sponsor is paying. MVA is reclaimable, and the programme includes progress reporting for whoever is funding you.

If funding is the barrier, tell me.

I keep limited places available each year at a reduced rate for athletes whose funding has been cut or who are competing without support. No form, no application, just say so when you get in touch.

Real Results, Real Athletes

💎 Allan Hovda: pro triathlete, record breaker.

Role: Pro Norwegian triathlete, three-time winner of the Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.

Our 1-1 Work: Mindset techniques refined over multiple seasons. Incl. self-talk, race-day pressure, decision-making under fatigue.

Outcome: Norwegian Ironman course record broken by over 5 minutes. New course record at the Lofoten Triathlon Extreme Distance. 2nd at the XTRI World Championships.

💎 USA Paraclimbing Team: multiple World Championship results.

Role: Elite paraclimbers preparing for World Championships.

Our 1-1 Work: Powerful self-talk, focus and concentration, pre-competition calm, self-confidence, deconstructing pressure.

Outcome: Brittany Davis climbed from 10th to 6th in the world. Steve Hinson finished top 10 at Worlds. Whitney Pesek placed 2nd at Worlds.

💎 Aneela Rose, World Champion powerlifter

Role: business owner and UK world champion powerlifter.

Our 1-1 Work: Pre-competition nerve control, visualisation, in-the-moment mindset reset.

Outcome: Walked away from her World Championships with a world title.

💎 Esther Wheeler: Ultra-endurance canoe racer, record breaker

Role: Knowledge and Skills Leader, ultra-endurance canoe racer.

Our 1-1 Work: Uncovering the mental patterns holding her back, building an unstoppable race mindset, deep self-awareness work tailored to the demands of the 715km Yukon River Quest

Outcome: Broke the women's Yukon River Quest record by 5 hours, finishing in 51.5 hours, in one of the most testing conditions the race has ever seen

💎 Other Elite Athlete Results.

Work we do: Race-day pressure protocols. Self-talk that pushes your limits rather than capping them. Visualisations created to enhance your performance. Tested strategies to beat your previous best, and your competition.

Outcomes we’ve achieved:

• Seconds shaved off in a single week.

• “Unreachable” records smashed.

• A 10-year pro finally first out of the water, mental clarity meeting muscle.

• Competing at World Championships with calm, focus, and unshakable confidence.

• Personal bests and country records broken, again and again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Clients Say