My Journey into Sports Psychology
After open-heart surgery in 2018, I realized how deeply I had tied my self-worth to ultrarunning. Losing the ability to compete shattered me — but it also opened a path to re-examining who I was without performance. That experience reshaped my entire relationship with sport and self.
I do this work because I know what it’s like to feel like everything depends on winning, on proving yourself, on being seen a certain way — and I know how painful, lonely, and unsustainable that is.
Sports psychology, for me, is about helping athletes untangle their self-worth from performance, without dulling their edge. It’s about creating space where they can train and compete from a place of wholeness and authenticity, not fear or shame. I care about performance — but not at the expense of a person’s humanity.
When I’m working with an athlete and we’re making real, integrated progress — when the sessions feel alive — I feel like I’m doing something good with my life. Something that matters.
Understanding My Background
Education
Education
I hold a Master’s degree in Sports & Performance Psychology,.
Experience in Ultra-Running
I ran my first marathon at age 15 in 2005. I’ve ran professionally for many different sponsors from 2014-present. I’ve been on the podium. finished and failed at over 100+ endurance events ranging from 5k’s to 200 milers.
Experience
My wife and I are the co-owners of Lightfoot Coaching. And I’ve been coaching athletes since 2015. And I’ve worked with athletes, in the psychological realm, since 2021.
My Approach to Mental Performance
Roots & Skills
I prioritize psychological safety with everyone I get to work with. Once that is established, depending on the athletes comfort and awareness, we’ll work together towards the root of their performance barrier. From there we’ll reverse engineer a myriad of effective skills based in proven methods like DBT & CBT.
“I choose you Nick-a-mon” (aka why choose me?)
I offer a unique blend of nearly twenty years of personal experience in sport and professional trail running combined with professional training in sports psychology. Providing tailored one on one support to athletes.