What to Call Me: Natalie/Coach Natalie
Who Am I: Growing up, I always had a passion for sports, trying multiple sports at a young age. Trying these sports eventually led to my love and passion for volleyball. Since my dad and both my sisters play volleyball, it has become something my family spent a lot of time playing and enjoying any chance we got. I had a successful high school, club, and college volleyball career, playing at both the junior college and NCAA Division III level. I also have 6 years of experience coaching all ages in club volleyball under my belt. Now that my college career is over, I wanted to have some more involvement with adolescent and adult athletes in a different coaching position. I am in my second year at Adler University, where I am in a dual master’s degree in Sport and Human Performance, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The field of psychology is something I am very passionate about, so having the opportunity to combine it with sports is something I am extremely grateful for. I am so excited to work with athletes who were once where I was, and help them reach the next level by coaching the mental side of their performance.
Why I’m Here: Sports have been a part of my life since I can remember. Having the opportunity to be a teammate, coach, player, and even student-athlete, have presented me with challenges and successes that have shaped me into who I am today. I have gained essential skills, such as communication, self-reflection, patience, integrity, courtesy, perseverance, time management, and self-control that I have used in every aspect of life. Growing up in sports, I was very hard on myself and had major struggles with my mental performance. Ever since I found out about sports psychology, I knew I wanted to be the person I never had during those struggles. Learning about Mental Performance skills has opened my eyes to so many ways I could have improved as a person, and athlete if I had these tools and techniques available when I needed them. I hope to accomplish my mission with all the athletes at MOD.
Best Way to Reach Me: njones8@adler.edu for personal inquiries, modmentalperformance@gmail.com for program inquiries.