I have grown up playing competitive sports and have been involved in musical theatre related performance for the majority of my life. Throughout my experiences, I have an understanding on how mental health can greatly impact our sport and performance, and how sport and performance can impact our mental health.

My experiences have impacted the athlete and person I am today, but I could not have done it without the support systems I had. I have extreme gratitude for my supports during these experiences and I strive in being able to be that for someone else during their sport and performance journey. I believe that if we take care of our mental health, live healthy, and ask for support, we can reach our potential!

Within my education, personal experiences, and abilities I have developed while seeing psychologists, they have helped me develop the skills needed in setting goals, trusting in my potential, and instilling a confidence in reaching those goals! There are so many different aspects to sport and performance, which is beautiful, as each person will have their own unique experiences where they can grow and learn about their potential! By celebrating and using your skills, values and strengths, we will guide you towards seeing your full potential in a safe and accepting space!

One of my favourite quotes is “ If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it”, so let’s swim out to your ship together!

I have grown up playing competitive sports and have been involved in musical theatre related perf... Read More

Over the past 14 years, my passion for sport began to blend with a desire to see change in the way high-performing individuals are developed in athletics, business, and e-sports. “Right Effort” has been a concept deeply rooted in my philosophy as I have seen people work inefficiently and unefectively as they are instructed to blindly pursue goals that don’t allign with their identity or learn from others how to be motivated by unhealthy sources like fear of failure, financial achievement, or recognition as these inevitably run them into the ground.

Outside of teaching people tools and skills for how to master their mind or live with stress, my work is devoted to helping people thrive by aligning their personality, interests and values towards a meaningful life that maximizes the impact they can have on the people around them. This is only possible when we do the hard work of recalibrating the most essential part of human performance…our core beliefs.

Over the past 14 years, my passion for sport began to blend with a desire to see change in the wa... Read More

I have been involved in sports and performance for as long as I can remember. I started skiing before my second birthday and never looked back! I soon became a competitive alpine ski racer, and then went on to coach both alpine and para-alpine ski racing. I am also a life long creative- I am an avid musician, and I also enjoy acting, musical theatre, and painting!

I completed my undergraduate studies in psychology, while minoring in music, and working as a coach. It was during this time that I realized I could combine my passions for mental health, athletics, and the creative arts in a career as a sports and performance psychologist. I truly believe that with the right set of skills, people can take steps to improve not only their athletic or creative performance, but also their overall quality of life. My goal is to help people do exactly that, and help unlock confidence, self awareness, insight, and belief and ability to recognize your truest potential along the way.

My previous experience centres around working with children and youth, athletes, para-athletes, and creative performers of all ages.

I have been involved in sports and performance for as long as I can remember. I started skiing be... Read More

As a kid I remember always wanting to be involved within the world competitive sports and performance in some capacity. For me, this passion developed on the football field. I was fortunate to play football throughout my entire life, including at the university level. During this time, my teammates and I struggled with many different concerns that impacted our performance on and off the field, as well as the many relationships we had.

These different experiences have led me here, to work towards helping the next generation of athletes, business owners, and individuals reach their highest potential. I realized early on that, as athletes, we need to ensure we are not only taking care of our bodies but we are also making time for our mental health.

My role is to help people reach new heights and become more confident and comfortable participating in their areas of performance. My goal is to have individuals fall in love with their performance and enjoy the personal growth and development that is to come.

As a kid I remember always wanting to be involved within the world competitive sports and perform... Read More

I have been involved in competitive sport most of my life. As a coach and most significantly as an athlete, I have experience with how mental health can impact performance. The sport community is recognizing the importance of mental fitness in addition to physical abilities; however, there is still a need to better support athletes’ mental well-being.

My long-term goal has always been to work with athletes and their support systems. My experience having played university-level sport solidified my desire to support athletes and others who may be struggling to reach their full potential. I strive to live a healthy lifestyle and believe in the positive effects this can have on our mental and physical health as well as our confidence and self-esteem.

My broad education, experience as a coach and a teacher, and the skills I developed from seeing a sport psychologist during university helped me develop the necessary skills to understand the importance of setting goals and building confidence and resilience and I want to help you to do the same! I believe that sports psychology is holistic. We will work together to determine how you can reach optimal performance not only in sports, but in all aspects of your life. Bringing out your personal strengths and values will help guide your treatment and have you living in the most meaningful way you can.

I have been involved in competitive sport most of my life. As a coach and most significantly as a... Read More

Since I can remember, I always wanted to be involved in the sport and performance community in some way or another. I was always involved in sports growing up and it all began on the ice! I was a competitive figure skater at The Royal Glenora Club. I then decided to transition to various other sports at competitive levels like soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and handball. In school, I remember stumbling into drama and found a passion of being on stage and helping out behind the scenes on productions both large and small.

Once I found psychology in my undergrad, I knew this was the path for me. During that time, I reflected on my experiences as an athlete and performer and how psychology could have helped me bring my game and performances to the next level. I realized that the power of psychology is much needed in these types of communities. Like many of my clients, I remember experiencing low self-esteem, fear of making mistakes, and constantly comparing my performance to others. I found myself creating goals that aligned with what people wanted me to do instead of what I wanted to accomplish; which were often unattainable and just exhausting.

These common experiences are rooted in my philosophy as a sport and performance psychologist. I believe that we should all have the skills and tools to be successful and resilient while finding your voice. I believe that confidence and self-esteem is important in our lives and that our goals should be consistent with our own desires. I work from a holistic perspective and hope that even though the skills we work on may be sport-specific but that you can adapt those skills to work in other areas of your life. My goal as a sport and performance psychologist is to help change sport and performance culture to be a more healthy community while also reducing mental health stigma.

AREAS OF SPECIALITY: Performance psychology, female athletes, and disordered eating in athletes.

DIRECT BILLING: Blue Cross, Medavie, Veterans Affairs, and Greenshield.

COVERED THROUGH REIMBURSEMENT: Sunlife/Great West Life/Canada Life

Since I can remember, I always wanted to be involved in the sport and performance community in so... Read More

I am enthusiastic about working in sport and performance psychology because I have a deep passion for teaching individuals the mental skills that they need to reach their goals. Developing an understanding of one’s self, how to set attainable yet challenging goals and reaching for success is a skill that I teach clients. I am passionate about working with athletes and performers to help them handle the pressures of life and sport in a constructive way, sharing knowledge and ideas to work together to achieve success. My personal experience in sport as well as formal educational tools and experience utilizing mental skills aid the lives of those I work with.

I strive to create a safe space for clients to learn/practice mental skills, discover what works best for them, and explore what pushes them in a safe space that allows for mistakes to be learned from. I use motivational interviewing and change talk to work with my athletes to cooperatively explore solutions with a focus on strengths as assets and tools for personal success. My experience as an athlete, coach, kinesiologist and my master’s degree in Sport and Performance Psychology are all important contributors to my ability to connect and bring out the best in my clients.

Please note that Shawna is currently practicing as a Performance Consultant and is awaiting her credential approval from the College of Alberta Psychologists. She is not covered by insurance companies and is only able to work on foundational performance skills and strategies.

I am enthusiastic about working in sport and performance psychology because I have a deep passion... Read More

Hi everyone, my name is Dayna (she/her)

Athletics has been a part of my life since I was a young child. I played sports intensively until I tore the ACL in my knee in high school. This caused me to consider my identity outside of athletics and drove me to rehab and rejoin athletics as soon as I was able to. Playing college-level volleyball for four years while being placed in a position of leadership in my senior years was a privilege but also came with significant pressure. When I retired from volleyball, I quickly fell in love with martial arts as another physical outlet. I trained more intensively in BJJ for several years, eventually earning my blue belt. During this time, I coached kids in BJJ programs and school programs and helped beginner adults feel confident with grappling on the mats. Although I consider myself ‘retired’ in the sport, I still like to attend a class or open mat every once in a while for nostalgia’s sake!

Not only do I have an athletic identity, but I also have a nerd identity! My spouse collects retro gaming systems, which is how I learned that Mario Kart is by far my favourite retro game, even though I grew up with Spyro on the first PlayStation. I also am a master-level cosplayer and have been making competitive cosplays with my spouse for over 8 years. I am a lover of Anime (anything from old to new I will add to my watch list) but I will say Charizard is still my favourite Pokémon.

My past experience has been working with children with neurodiversity, and supporting the adults around them. I have worked with neurodiverse populations for more than 8 years, where I worked primarily on the power of building connections. My collective experience as an athlete and coach has helped me understand the importance of establishing achievable goals. In addition, my unique lived experience as a minoritized identity supports my ability to establish deeper and more meaningful connections with those around me, and I want to help you do the same!

Hi everyone, my name is Dayna (she/her) Athletics has been a part of my life since I was a young... Read More

Growing up, sport help me recognize the importance of perseverance, drive, and passion, three things that over time have translated into other areas of my life. Competition has allowed me to understand my strengths and weakness, learn my core values, and develop of level of purpose I may not have discovered without it. Throughout my athletic pursuits, maximizing performance has been a prevalent theme, something that has served me well in my personal and professional education, as well as in my first career as a teacher. Coaching and teaching young people left me with the feeling that something was missing—the element that connects the individual to their goals and ultimate potential. Using a client centered approach, my goal is to support individuality and the development of personalized goals and strategies to assist you in reaching your desired outcome.

Growing up, sport help me recognize the importance of perseverance, drive, and passion, three thi... Read More

Sport has been part of my life, in one way or another, since even before I started school. Growing up in a small Canadian Prairie town, almost any sport seemed fun and I eventually settled on running and figure skating. I ended up competing in figure skating for many years, several times at the National level, and performed over 4,000 shows doing pairs and solos in travelling ice shows, in about 40 countries. I am still involved in the sport as an official for competitions.

My educational route to becoming a counselling psychologist had a few stops along the way. After an undergraduate degree in Science and then working in ice shows, I studied chiropractic and was a Doctor of Chiropractic for 11 years, working predominantly with athletes. During that time, I completed a Master of Kinesiology in the area of sport mental training in 1997. Since then, I have had the chance to work with athletes in over 20 sports. Next, I moved to counselling psychology and completed a PhD in Applied Psychology at the University of Calgary in 2007.

I have worked with counselling psychology clients for over 20 years and in the area of sport mental training for over 25 years. I believe that clients bring strengths and resiliencies with them to counselling and that highlighting those or reconnecting clients to those abilities is usually a large part of what we do in our counselling work together. All of us are always in relation to others in our lives and I like to approach and work with clients as holistically as possible and consider all aspects of their lives. This includes co-developing specific and clear goals as well as the plans and actions to move toward and attain them. I have a passion for lifelong learning as well as helping sports and communities make all sports and activities, at all levels of abilities, inclusive and part of everyone’s life.

Sport has been part of my life, in one way or another, since even before I started school. Growin... Read More

Sports have been a central part of my life since childhood. After struggling to find meaningful sport engagement post-high school, I discovered joy and purpose through martial arts. As a coach for women’s fitness-based martial arts, and later coaching and managing a co-ed fitness kickboxing studio, I encountered numerous individuals facing mental health challenges hindering their progress. This is, in part, what led me to pursue sport and performance psychology after graduate school.

Another reason is that I have been a competitive athlete for a decade, and I’ve experienced the highs and lows of sports firsthand. My diverse athletic background - track, cross-country running, obstacle course racing, CrossFit, and currently Olympic weightlifting - fuels my passion for helping others overcome obstacles and thrive in all aspects of sport and life. One of my favourite psychological skills to personally use before a max-out attempt are visualizing a successful lift, mentally rehearsing what it looks and feels like, and imagining myself doing it. I’m a firm believer that by applying the lessons learned in sports to real-life situations, athletes can enhance their resilience to stressful situations, leadership abilities, interpersonal skills, and overall quality of life.

Above all, I’m dedicated to promoting mental health and wellbeing across every realm: psychological, social, physical, and spiritual. Through my Master’s research on mental health stigma in sports, I’ve learned that seeking help is a sign of courage and tenacity. It’s about time we re-frame “mental toughness” in sport as “mental fitness”, where we roll with life’s inevitable challenges with compassion, confidence, and resilience. Whether working with athletes, performers, individuals, or groups, I aim to empower others to unlock their potential and live authentically and meaningfully in sport and in life.

Let’s embark on this journey together and achieve greatness, both on and off the field, court, or gym.

Sports have been a central part of my life since childhood. After struggling to find meaningful s... Read More