about me

Audrey Baldwin

Professional Athlete, Sport and Exercise Psychology Mentor

My name is Audrey Baldwin. I am a professional soccer goalkeeper of 8 years, lived and played in 10 different countries, coached boys and girls of all ages, a personal fitness trainer, and have a masters degree is Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Western States. I started playing sports when I was very young, and through all of my experiences, I learned there was one thing missing...mental support. While I had some coaches here and there, and a supportive family and friends that helped me through, I was never taught how to cope with the ups and downs of the game. I had to figure it out myself, which is why many athletes will leave sport...because they can't figure it out. I want to be that person that helps, guides, and teaches the mental game and how it impacts not only on the field performance, but our entire lives. We are more than just the physical. We are the mental, the emotional, the tactical, and the tough.

Education:

MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology , University of Western States

BS Kinesiology, Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi
ABA Business Administration, Harford Community College

my philosophy

No one person is the same, but one person can evolve into another. This small coaching philosophy is a summary of my approach to counseling and coaching. While there are techniques and skill set that are generally used to create a desired outcome, we must always remember as practitioners/coaches to be open minded to the emotional, mental, and physical differences of our clients. Not only from each other, but also different from ourselves. This means being able to put away our preconceived notions, our biases, our deeper judgements, when working with a client. I write ‘working with’ a client versus ‘treating’ them because just as my statement described, our clients can change, and the only way for that to happen is to have a trusting, binding relationship where they WANT and feel comfortable enough to do so.

How Can You Develop Mind Set?

“Mentally tough athletes believe that control of situations is within themselves, actively pursue success, view challenges as opportunity, and have a strong belief that they will succeed” (Weinberg, 2007).

Exposing athletes to high pressure, high stress situations, allows them to experience and deal with decision making and will build resiliency and mental toughness over time. Coaches and other supports systems hold athletes accountable by providing feedback, building confidence through hard preparation and conditioning, enhancing focus control, and encouraging positive self-reflection. This creates instructional support, emotional support, physical support, and allows the athlete to have a say and take personal responsibility in their development.

Athletes sacrifice and change because they want to and because people are willing to endure more for the things that bring them joy, motivation, peace, and happiness.

How can we develop a trusting and open relationship?

I plan on using my experiences and my education to connect to athletes. Through my blog I share my stories, but when working with athletes, it is important to...

Understand the athlete: Their motivation, their personality, their abilities, goals, and WHY they play, WHY they want to be here.
Be open to hearing their environment, background, and perspective.
Follow ethical guidelines: Competence, Integrity, Professional and Scientific responsibility, concern for the welfare of others, respect for the dignity of others, and Social Responsibility.
Empowering the athlete to take responsibility and accountability in changing their direction by giving them the tools they need and encouraging them to put them in to action.

Generalized Approaches for Evolving:

Creating a positive environment for clients, coaches, teams, clubs, etc, with positive psychology which allows all parties to be involved in learning their own strengths, pitfalls, and be better in tune with the group. Evolving the athlete comes from identifying athletic identity based on Sport ethic and motivational orientation, which are linked because when the athlete’s motivation is internal, they are willing to do more than just ‘show up’. They are present and learning, living in the moment to experience every feeling to better themselves as athletes and people. Together we can use their motivation to direct their pitfalls in to a more positive directions based on their goals.

Generalized approach for Differences:

Having an open dialogue about cultural differences is one of the most important conversations a counselor can have with a client. No one person is the same. Through these conversations, the relationship can grow, become trusting and bonding, or the opposite may occur where both parties realize this is not a good fit. Either way, these conversations lead to the greater good. My personal approach is to learn. Learn about cultural norms, racial and ethnic differences, gender differences, disabilities, sexualities, to stay conscious of potential obstacles my clients may face, and that I may face. I hope that by learning and having open discussions about the many differences between people, I can become more empathetic, understanding, and helpful.

Audrey Baldwin Quam Ludum