Dr. Sara Erdner, CMPC (she/her), is a Clinical Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Adams State University, where she teaches graduate-level courses in sport psychology and coaching. She also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Western States. Dr. Erdner earned her Ph.D. in Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), where she also completed her M.S. in Communication Studies with a focus on interpersonal communication. She holds a B.S. in Communication Studies from the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Dr. Erdner works closely with collegiate, professional, and Olympic-level athletes and coaches, helping them navigate the psychological demands of high-performance environments. Her practice centers on fostering mental resilience, self-awareness, and effective communication.

Dr. Erdner is also the author of Dear Coach, What I Wish I Could Have Told You: Letters from Your Athletes, a powerful collection of letters that gives voice to athletes' unspoken experiences and offers coaches insights for creating more supportive and effective team cultures.

Outside of academia and consulting, Dr. Erdner is a multidisciplinary artist who enjoys painting, writing comedic material for open mics, and collaborating on music with local musicians. She embraces a quiet life in Evergreen, Colorado, where she lives in a cozy 500-square-foot cabin with her partner, Kyle, and their three beloved pets: Lego, a five-year-old orange tabby; Kira, a seven-year-old husky/pit mix who behaves more like a cat than the actual cat; and Gouda, a one-year-old chow/shepherd mix who keeps the whole family on their toes