I discovered running in 2013 when my therapist suggested exercise could help me manage my stress. I was in Mexico, where I lived for 18 years, and had two young children. I soon became hooked and have run countless half marathons and seven marathons, including Chicago four times and Boston once. I have since relocated to Chicago where I live with my two sons.

As a distance runner, my mental game is a huge part of whether I do well or not in my competitions. During the many hours of monotonous running, my mind can go all over the place if it’s not well-trained. That being said, my first running coach did not know how to help me with that side of the sport. When I would do poorly in a race, he would just say, “It’s all in your head. It’s just mental.” But he didn’t know how to train my brain to help instead of hurt my performance. This is one reason why I got into mental skills consulting. Another reason is that I have seen in my personal life how the mental skills I learn from participating in sports carry over to the rest of my life. My self-confidence, patience, resilience, and perseverance are all skills I learned through sport. Running has also taught me how to get out of my comfort zone so I can grow more. Now I want to be able to help other athletes develop those same skills.

Using a client-centered, positive, solutions-focused approach and using tools such as self-talk, visualization, and mindfulness, I can help you get to the next level. Whatever that may be for you. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and have a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Master’s in Sport and Human Performance. By using my counseling skills and my performance psychology training, I can support you in whatever hurdle is blocking you from achieving your goals (¡también te puedo ayudar en español!).