About

My Qualifications

  • PhD Sport Psychology, University of Limerick, 2018

  • MSc Sport and Exercise Management, University College Dublin, 2013

  • BSc Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, 2010

  • XPT Performance Breathing Coach

  • Precision Nutrition Level One Coach

  • NCEF Strength and Conditioning Coach

My Sport Story

To say that sport has been the central feature of my life would be an understatement!

I began playing organised soccer at age four in Limerick, Ireland, adding basketball at age seven when my family moved to Canada. I skiied, snowboarded, skated and played ice hockey in Canada, alongside soccer (with the girls) and basketball (with the boys). My brother, David, was equally sporty so I followed his footsteps a lot of the time. I also assisted my Dad as he coached my Mom’s soccer team! Upon returning to Ireland at age 11, I focused on soccer and basketball with both club and school, winning numerous All-Irelands in both, before eventually settling on basketball at around 16…

Overall, things certainly worked out well! Throughout an international career that spanned Under-15 to Senior Level, I accumulated more than 100 caps. I also earned a Division I college scholarship to play basketball in the US, playing my freshman year at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA) before transferring to Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, CA) for the remaining three years. It was at Cal Poly that I first became exposed to sport psychology, where I used it to slowly develop my mental skills and grow from being a solid bench-player to the eventual Big West Conference (“league”) Player of the Year. After graduation, I also played professionally with Real Canoe in Madrid, Spain.

When I returned to Ireland, I re-joined my club team (University of Limerick) but added in a new sport - triathlon. I raced for four years, competing in the Half-Ironman World Championships in Las Vegas in 2013 and vying for podiums in most domestic races. I also cycled competitively, finishing eighth of the Irishwomen in Ras na mBan 2015 and cycling from Mizen to Malin over three days. I followed up my triathlon/cycling days with lots of running and gym work before becoming a mom in 2018. My two little girls now see me running, going to the gym, doing workouts at home and playing competitive soccer, which I returned to in 2022 for the first time since I was 16.

My Work Story

I have been working as a Performance Psychologist for over a decade. Having competed from beginner to elite level in both team and individual sports, I have vast experience of the highs and lows of most training and match/race scenarios. I use this psychological, technical and strategic information to complement the significant evidence-based tools and theoretical knowledge obtained from my four-year PhD in Sport Psychology.

I work collaboratively with clients to optimise their performance, be they a youth soccer player, professional ballet dancer or company executive looking to improve their golf handicap. I try to engage teams in their playing environment and place great value on one-to-one consultations, which can be conducted in person or over Zoom/MS Teams.

I am also an Assessor for Ibec’s KeepWell Mark, a workplace wellbeing accreditation (2018-present), and a Wellbeing Consultant for Hauora, a corporate wellbeing partner (2022-present).