Sport has always been more than competition for me. Since 2018, when I joined the British Rowing Talent ID programme, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of being a high-performance athlete. Training and competing at this level taught me discipline, resilience, and what it really means to push your limits. I fully immersed myself into my sport and discovered a drive and passion. 

But it also showed me the other side of high performance: the pressure, the doubts, the moments where the joy of sport risks being lost. I experienced a period of mental burnout in my sport; my enjoyment was no longer present, my performance was not only plateauing but decreasing. 

I couldn’t find the support I needed to get out of the mental burnout cycle I felt stuck in. So I made the decision to step away from my sport and decided to explore sports and exercise psychology, and also decided to only practice sport for enjoyment, not performance. 

That experience is what led me to train as a sports and exercise psychologist. I wanted to better understand not just how athletes perform, but how they can thrive in the process. Because I know from personal experience that performance and wellbeing shouldn’t be opposites. When athletes feel supported, connected to their values, and confident in their mindset, they unlock a level of performance that is both sustainable and fulfilling.

At the same time as I started my training to become a sports and exercise psychologist, I rediscovered a way to participate in my sport within a competitive capacity again. I discovered coastal rowing, which is the wilder cousin of the rowing the majority of us know. I made a conscious decision to integrate what I was learning in my sports and exercise psychology studies; that performance, well-being and enjoyment were all needed to succeed and thrive in sports.

Founding London Sports Psychologist was my way of bringing this belief into practice. My mission is to support athletes in developing the mental tools they need to perform with clarity and confidence, while also helping them enjoy the journey. I’m equally passionate about working with coaches, support staff, and teams, because the environment around an athlete is just as important as their individual mindset. A strong culture doesn’t just protect wellbeing, it builds the conditions for excellence.

If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that no athlete should have to choose between chasing performance and protecting their wellbeing. Both are possible, and when they come together, sport becomes something far more powerful than results alone.

That’s the vision behind London Sports Psychologist, and also my side project Hera Elite Performance, where I focus on supporting female athletes and those who work with them.

Because when athletes and their support systems thrive, performance follows naturally.

This is the conversation I want to keep building: how we can create sporting environments that value both performance and people. If my story resonates with you, whether you’re an athlete, coach, or part of a support team, I’d love for you to follow along, share your experiences, and be part of shaping a healthier, more sustainable future for sport.