You compete in one of the most demanding athletic environments in the country. Whether you're pursuing a college scholarship, competing for a starting position, or performing at the professional level, pressure is part of the game. The question isn't whether you'll experience pressure—it's how you'll respond to it.
As a mental performance coach, I help athletes understand what pressure changes and train the mental skills that allow them to stay focused, composed, and confident when it matters most. Rather than simply trying to "think positively" or "be mentally tough," we work to understand how your attention, confidence, and decision-making are influenced under pressure, then build practical strategies to help you perform more consistently.
Whether you're a high school athlete, collegiate competitor, or professional, coaching is tailored to your sport, your goals, and the challenges you're facing. Virtual sessions are available throughout Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
Why Athletes in Los Angeles Use Mental Performance Coaching
Mental performance coaching isn't about becoming someone different on game day. It's about developing the mental skills that help you consistently perform closer to your potential, regardless of the situation.
Through personalized coaching, athletes learn to:
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Stay engaged with what matters instead of getting pulled into distractions.
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Recover more quickly after mistakes and setbacks.
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Develop greater self-trust instead of relying on confidence to feel ready.
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Build consistent routines that support preparation and competition.
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Make clearer decisions under demanding conditions.
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Approach competition with greater composure, resilience, and intention.
These are skills that extend beyond a single season. They become part of how you prepare, compete, recover, and continue to grow throughout your athletic career.
Mental Performance Coaching Programs for LA Athletes
Every athlete is different. Whether you're just beginning your mental performance journey or looking for comprehensive long-term support, there's a coaching option designed to meet you where you are.
Foundation
A starting point to build the foundation of how you perform.
We train core skills — including awareness, attention, regulation, perspective, and imagery — so you can reset after mistakes, not get pulled into overthinking, and stay in your game.
This is where you begin to understand your patterns and start applying the work in practice and competition.
Duration: 8 weeks
Performance Integration
The same evidence-based mental performance coaching—with more time to apply, integrate, and stabilize the changes you're making.
As you continue training and competing, we build consistency — so what you’re working on shows up more often, not just when things are going well.
You have more support, more reps, and more time to work through what comes up.
Duration: 4 months
Mastery
A longer-term container for making the work stick.
With more time and deeper support, your ability to reset, stay present, and respond in the moment becomes more reliable across different situations.
Designed for athletes who view mental performance as an ongoing competitive advantage — not a short-term intervention.
Duration: 6 months
Choosing the Right Coaching Experience
Every athlete's goals, challenges, and competitive demands are different. During your complimentary consultation, we'll determine whether we're a good fit to work together. If we decide to move forward, we'll use your first full coaching session to better understand your needs and recommend the coaching program that will provide the right level of support.
Is Mental Performance Coaching Right for You?
Mental performance coaching can benefit athletes at every level, from youth and collegiate sport to professional competition. Whether you're looking to overcome a specific challenge or continue developing as an athlete, coaching provides practical skills that support more consistent performance.
You may benefit from coaching if you:
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Perform differently in competition than you do in practice.
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Find yourself overthinking during games or competitions.
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Have difficulty letting go of mistakes or setbacks.
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Feel your confidence changes from day to day or performance to performance.
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Want to perform more consistently under pressure.
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Struggle to stay focused on what matters most during competition.
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Are preparing for an important season, championship, or recruiting process.
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Know you're capable of more than you're consistently showing.
Every athlete's experience is different. Coaching is personalized to your goals, your sport, and the challenges you're facing so you can develop the skills needed to perform at your best more consistently.
What to Expect: How Mental Performance Coaching Works
1. Understand
Every athlete has a unique pattern under pressure. We begin by understanding your goals, competitive environment, strengths, and the internal challenges that may be affecting your performance. Rather than guessing, we build a clear picture of what is happening and why.
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2. Develop
Together, we'll develop the mental skills and practical strategies that best support your performance. Coaching is individualized and may include visualization, attention training, performance routines, self-reflection, building self-trust, emotional regulation, and other evidence-based mental performance strategies, depending on your goals, sport, and current challenges.
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3. Apply
Real change happens through application. You'll begin using these skills in practice and competition while we refine them based on your experiences. Coaching evolves as you do, helping you transfer what you learn into consistent performance.
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4. Perform & Grow
Mental performance isn't about reaching a finish line—it's about continuing to grow throughout your athletic career. As your understanding and skills develop, you'll become better equipped to navigate pressure, setbacks, transitions, and new competitive challenges with greater confidence and consistency.
Meet Kate Allgood – Your Coach
and Guide
I've always loved competing.
As a former NCAA Division I captain, professional hockey player, and athlete who competed at the highest levels of the game, I was drawn to the challenge of training, competing, and continually improving. Sport taught me discipline, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence—but it also sparked a deeper curiosity.
Throughout my career and later as a coach, I became fascinated by why the experience of competition could feel so different from one athlete to another, or even from one performance to the next. Why could the same athlete look calm and confident one day, then overthink, tighten up, or struggle to access their abilities the next?
That curiosity led me to earn master's degrees in Applied Sport Psychology and General Psychology, serve as the mental performance consultant for the AHL's San Diego Gulls, and work with youth, collegiate, professional, and Olympic athletes across a wide range of sports.
Today, I help athletes better understand themselves, strengthen the mental skills that support performance, and develop the ability to compete with greater consistency, freedom, and self-trust. My coaching combines evidence-based mental performance coaching with practical tools that athletes can apply every day—in training, competition, and beyond.
Learn more about my journey and expertise.
I competed for Team USA for 10+ years. I was in a losing slump when I decided to reach out to Kate. She absolutely changed my life and my competition results. I did both the private coaching as well as guided imagery for sport. I highly recommend both. I always thought that I had to be at a ten to perform well, but Kate convinced me otherwise. With her help, I had the best performance and results of my athletic career. Now as a coach myself, I recommend mental training and Kate to all of my athletes.
Leilani Akiyama, Retired Judo Athlete
(2020 Pan American Silver Medalist Judo Championship)
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Want to learn more about mental performance coaching in Los Angeles?