I am an experienced psychologist who enjoys working with individuals and groups to help them tap into their potential to find flow in their performance, be that in sport, at work, or with life as it is happening in each present moment. I have a passion for flow, which has been a large part of my life since I embarked on postgraduate studies of this amazing psychological concept in the 1980s.

After learning there was a field of study called sport psychology in the mid 80s, I left my native Australia to embark on postgraduate studies at leading North American programs, first at the University of Illinois (MSc) and then the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (PhD). I was fortunate during these training years in North America to be mentored by leading sport psychologists including Professors Dan Gould, Glyn Roberts, Diane Gill, and Tara Scanlan. As well, I met the founder of flow, Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and having found out about this state called flow in Csiksentmihalyi’s writings, I had my course set for my doctoral thesis focus.

The title of my thesis was “Elite Athletes in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Sport Experience”, and in its year of completion, 1993, was awarded Dissertation of the Year by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), and the Sport Psychology Academy of NASPE. I returned to Australia in 1993, to begin an academic career in Australian universities.  I have published extensively on flow in both academic journal articles and in applied publications. With my flow mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, I co-authored Flow in Sports: The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances. You can buy a copy of Flow in here: Flow in Sports.  In my researching flow, I developed self-report instruments that assess this optimal psychological state. You can find information on how to obtain these instruments, the Flow Scales, here.

Having always loved to work at a practical level – making a positive difference in people’s lives – I moved from an academic-focused career into full-time consulting in 2008. Since this time, I have worked as a practitioner in the field of psychology.  I am a practising psychologist, with a specialisation in sport and exercise psychology. I have also trained as a yoga and meditation teacher.

Psychological and meditative approaches that inform my practice include ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy), iRest Yoga Nidra, and Mind with Heart mindfulness training in education.

I bring both an in-depth understanding of the science behind flow states and a practical tool-kit of psychological strategies and skills to my consulting work. I enjoy working with individuals and groups across domains of performance and in daily life, helping success become a standard measured by full involvement in the task at hand.