Interview: Dr. Jamie Shapiro, Senior Advisor, Mental Performance & Sport Psychology

Dr. Jamie Shapiro is a Professor at the University of Denver, where she directs the graduate program in sport and performance psychology, and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant who has worked with athletes from twelve-and-under recreational players to Paralympic competitors. She is also Koomba's Senior Advisor for Mental Performance and Sport Psychology. We asked her about joining Koomba, what real qualifications look like in a noisy market, and what a healthy athlete's path actually looks like.

What drew you to advise Koomba?

Koomba: You've spent your career at the intersection of academic sport psychology and applied work with elite athletes. What drew you to formally advise Koomba, and what role do you see yourself playing on the team?

Jamie: I get contacted by many companies who are attempting to provide mental performance services or who are starting a mental performance technology platform or app, often led by people with little to no experience in the mental performance space. I usually hit "delete" and almost did with Koomba, but luckily they were persistent and came recommended by a colleague. The leaders of Koomba truly care about providing services by competent and well-trained providers, which is why I was excited to be a part of their team in an advisory role. My passion is educating students, professionals, and the public about providing mental performance and sport psychology services in an ethical manner, and Koomba is on board with that. I also appreciate that they are hiring alumni of the graduate program I direct at the University of Denver!

What worries you about youth sports today, and what gives you hope?

Koomba: Your research interests include the psychology of sport injury and life skills through sport. Both feel especially relevant in a youth sports culture that has become more specialized, more year-round, and more identity-defining. What are you most worried about, and what gives you hope?

Jamie: I can't totally knock early specialization as an early gymnastics specialist myself; however, I was lucky to be in environments that focused on learning life skills through sport and valuing academics and activities outside of sport. The research shows that early specialization can lead to burnout and injury, and researchers recommend that children sample many sports and activities before specializing around age 10-12 at the earliest. I am hopeful that the message is starting to get out about positive youth development through sport and a focus on fun over performance at a young age through various youth sport organizations that are implementing better education for coaches, parents, and athletes.

Who actually belongs in front of a young athlete?

Koomba: There's a lot of noise in the youth sports support space right now: apps, self-help content, AI chatbots, programs of varying credibility. As an educator who trains practitioners and as a CMPC yourself, what should parents and athletic directors be looking for when they're evaluating who actually belongs in front of a young athlete?

"Someone who is a former athlete and becomes a 'mental coach' is not enough."

Jamie: Someone who is a former athlete and becomes a "mental coach" is not enough! It is important to look for someone who has a graduate degree in sport psychology and the appropriate credentials for the services you are seeking. If you want mental performance services, look for a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). If the athlete needs clinical mental health services, look for someone with a license in mental health (for example a licensed professional counselor or licensed psychologist).

Where can Koomba move the field forward?

Koomba: As Senior Advisor, you'll inform Koomba's strategy on everything from coach vetting to how Koomba's coaching plugs into broader health and performance infrastructures. Where do you think Koomba is best positioned to move the field forward, and where do you plan to push us?

Jamie: Specifically in the youth sport space, there is a lack of integrative care of performance services (e.g., nutrition, mental performance, mental health, strength and conditioning). Some college athletic departments and elite sport organizations have this, and Koomba is striving to increase access to performance services to organizations that historically have not provided such services. To enhance effectiveness of these services, providers from different disciplines (e.g., nutrition and mental performance) can collaborate by providing holistic care for an athlete and communicating with each other for referral needs.

An important objective that I've been working on with Koomba is data collection to evaluate programming so that services can improve. An area where I'd like to push Koomba is to present and publish these data so that other practitioners in the field may benefit and key stakeholders (athletes, coaches, parents, investors) can understand the value of these performance services.

What does every athlete need but rarely get?

Koomba: You've worked with everyone from twelve-and-under recreational athletes to Paralympic competitors. What's the most consistent thing you see across age levels and competitive tiers, the thing every athlete actually needs from a mental performance coach but rarely gets?

Jamie: Any athlete, regardless of age and level, needs someone who supports them no matter the outcome of their performance. A mental performance consultant ideally provides services to help someone enhance their performance AND support them through challenges and disappointing performances without judgment. Additionally, athletes often forget their "why" for doing their sport through the daily grind and pressure-filled competitions. Mental performance consultants can help athletes examine their motivations for participating in their sport and help them connect to their "why" often so they get the most out of their training and persevere through challenges.

Why does the line between coaching and clinical care matter?

Koomba: Koomba's coaching network is built around accredited practitioners (CMPCs, RDs, and CSSDs), and the work is intentionally non-clinical by design. Why does that distinction matter, and what risks come with programs that blur it?

Jamie: While the gold standard in our field is to be dually trained in mental performance and clinical mental health, many students and trainees may not be able to afford such training and/or may not have the passion, time, or money to pursue mental health licensure. Simply put, there are not enough dually trained practitioners to provide the services needed to the millions of athletes in this country. Also, I've found that many dually trained practitioners end up being the "go-to" in their organizations for clinical mental health issues and then rarely have time to provide mental performance services. It is difficult for a practitioner to be "all things to all people," and that's why having a team of mental performance consultants with a strong referral network of licensed mental health professionals is critical.

What tells you a young athlete is on a healthy trajectory?

Koomba: If you had to name one or two things, measurable or felt, that would tell you a young athlete is on a healthy trajectory in their sport, what would they be?

Jamie: One: they are having FUN and learning life skills through sport. Life skills aren't necessarily automatically developed through sport participation. These skills are developed when intentionally taught by coaches and/or mental performance consultants.

Two: their identity is multifaceted and not completely wrapped up in their sport. In other words, they are a whole person and "athlete" is one of their identities among many others (e.g., son/daughter, friend, student, musician). When someone's identity is completely focused in one area, there is a risk of burnout and clinical issues like depression if that identity is taken away by illness, injury, or retirement.

Dr. Shapiro's advice for choosing support is covered in more depth in our buyer's guide to performance coaches and therapy vs. mental performance coaching. To see how Koomba puts it into practice, see what we do.