Nicole Davies is an elite athlete and coach, sport psychology consultant, and mental performance specialist uniquely positioned to help athletes and performers of all ages and abilities optimize their mental performance.
Nicole is the mental training coach for national and Team USA synchronized skating teams, collegiate, youth, and endurance athletes, as well as corporate clients. Currently, she is also the mental performance intern for the Arizona Diamondbacks. As an athlete, Nicole represented Team USA as a World Team member, and earned two international medals and four National Championships in synchronized skating. She played field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse, and is now a triathlete and marathoner. Nicole produced the award-winning documentary, Life in Synchro.
It is Nicole’s ultimate goal to help as many athletes and performers as possible reach their full potential—to be happy, healthy, well-rounded individuals, with mental skills for sport and performance that will transfer to success in life.
Nicole also happens to be one of our UWS students! Thank you for sharing about your time at University of Western States and your future plans.
Why did you choose UWS? I chose UWS for a few reasons: the flexibility, the cost, and the direct path to CMPC certification. I knew I wanted to keep working my day job, coaching my teams, and I didn’t want to move. A fully online program allowed me to do all that and keep costs down. I was also drawn to the program because I knew my coursework would fulfill the educational requirements and help me with mentorship hours towards CMPC.
Why did you choose your program/concentration? When I first started the program, I knew I was leaning towards mental performance only work (no clinical mental health work), but I wasn’t 100% sure. I started the SPP program knowing that I would still be exposed to counseling classes, and I could always add/change to CMHC later on. After completing a few quarters, I felt more confident in my decision to solely pursue mental performance work, so I stuck with the SPP program.
What/who has been your favorite class/instructor? My favorite class was Psychological Preparation and Mental Skills Training with my favorite instructor and mentor, Dr. Condie. I loved creating my own mental skills curriculum and receiving Dr. Condie’s feedback on mock coaching sessions.
What is your favorite way to relieve stress outside of the office and classroom? Running! I completed my first marathon in October 2023, and I have a goal of running a race (any distance) in all 50 states.
What do you hope to do after graduation? Post interning with the Diamondbacks and post-graduation, I plan on continuing my mental performance work with synchronized skating teams across the country and continuing to build my own practice in the New England area. Specifically, I’d love to pursue mental performance work with the Boston Professional Women’s Hockey Team and with Cape League Baseball. I am particularly interested in team cohesion and team dynamics, social justice through sport, and biofeedback, so I am open to any opportunities that come my way that are in alignment with my passions.
