Book Lessons with Coach Victoria

I'm a licensed social worker and performance psychology coach with a background that many don't have — I've been the athlete, the first responder, and the clinician. I grew up competing on horseback, and over the years I've added road and trail running, functional fitness, Hyrox, CrossFit, snowboarding, mountain biking, and yoga to the mix. I also spent years as a paramedic, which means I've performed under real pressure, worked in crisis, and supported people in their hardest moments. That combination shapes how I work. I'm trauma-informed and crisis trained, and I bring clinical depth, sport-specific understanding, and genuine lived experience to every athlete and first responder I work with. When I am not working out or doing this work, I like hanging out with my four dogs!

The mental side of sport is where most athletes have the most untrained potential — and it's almost never just about positive thinking. I help athletes and first responders build real mental skills: managing pressure, sharpening focus, regulating confidence, navigating injury and return to play, and developing the self-awareness to perform when it counts. Because I'm also a licensed clinician who is trauma-informed and crisis trained, I can go deeper than a typical performance coach when life, identity, or emotion is showing up in your game. You don't have to figure out where the mental performance work ends and the personal stuff begins — that's my job.

Sessions are collaborative and grounded in what's actually happening for you — not a scripted curriculum. We usually start with a check-in on what's showing up in practice or competition, then work on specific mental skills or patterns you want to shift. That might look like building a pre-performance routine, working through a confidence slump, stress inoculation for high-stakes moments, or unpacking what's been getting in your head. I assign practical work between sessions so you're training your mental game in real time, not just talking about it. Some athletes want to go deep, others want tactical and efficient — I adjust to you.

I'm a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and Certified Mental Performance Consultant Candidate (CMPC-C) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. My clinical work spans trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, life transitions, and couples work, with a specialty in athletes and first responders navigating performance, identity, and mental health. I've worked with athletes across soccer, softball, running, climbing, and more, as well as first responder populations drawing on my own background as a paramedic. My training as a certified yoga instructor and former paramedic adds layers most coaches can't offer — the ability to work with the nervous system, high-stress and crisis environments, and the full picture of what it means to be a human who performs under pressure.

The best coach I ever had could do three things at once: encourage me, laugh with me, and hold me accountable without apology. That combination is rarer than it sounds. It made me feel genuinely supported and genuinely challenged — and that's the standard I bring into my own work. I don't believe in cheerleading without honesty or accountability without warmth. Athletes deserve both, and the best ones tend to rise when they get it.

Mental performance work isn't therapy, and it's not a sign something is wrong — it's training. The athletes who invest in this work aren't struggling more than others; they're just more serious about the full picture of performance. For first responders: I get the culture, I've lived it, and I work in a way that respects it. For parents: I work with your athlete as a whole person, not just a competitor. I'm trauma-informed and crisis trained, I take confidentiality seriously, I communicate clearly, and I'll always flag if something needs more support than mental performance coaching can offer. For athletes: you'll be challenged here, but you won't be pushed in a direction that isn't yours. This is your game. I just help you play it better.