Mindset Coach

About Christina Heilman, PhD, ATC, CSCS

Combining my 10+ years of experience and education with my passion for bettering oneself has allowed me to easily relate to and successfully coash a variety of ages and athletic abilities; such as youth sport participants, couch-to-5K runners, and elite athletes.

Hi there! I’m Christina, a MENTAL COACH and PERSONAL TRAINER HYBRID.

I’m a small town girl with big, bright dreams.

I’m addicted to chocolate, Mother Nature, lifelong learning, skiing powder, and running on mountain trails.

I enjoy when my inner child takes command…experimenting, innovating, smiling, and playing.

I’m fascinated by the physical and mental ability it takes to be a great athlete, musician, or performer. And equally captivated by those who make long-lasting changes to their health and well-being.

As a ski, sport, and outdoor enthusiast, I live to and love to push my limits that expand my personal growth and enhance my performance. This has helped me stay dedicated and determined to achieve my goals, such as competing in marathons, triathlons, and boxing as well as intellectual achievements of earing a PhD and being awarded the Dissertation Award from my field, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. These goals align with my values of putting forth great effort to test my strengths and learn from my mistakes. For me, life, sport, business, and wellness is about:

Finding joy in mastering a skill, like remembering to embrace the light bulb moments.
Taking the skills I’ve learned to improve my life and make a bigger impact in the world.
Reaping the benefits of success, while also being humbled by failure and accepting the outcome.
Being 1/10^th of 1% better today than I was yesterday.

I LOVE my work because I have the fortunate opportunity to help people be their best. Dearest to my heart is finding ways to strengthen one’s mind and body to achieve a higher level of performance, health, and well-being. It’s incredibly rewarding for me to help people get over their stumps and take steps that give them a sense of meaning, joy, and confidence to successfully achieve their passion. That’s the energy behind my practice –supporting, guiding, and inspiring clients to reach their unique potential on a consistent basis.

Placing your best foot forward and stretching your limits
to explore your EXCELLENCE is fun and exhilarating.
But, it isn’t necessarily easy

When plunging into a new challenge there is one thing I realized. My PSYCHE is my greatest enemy. The act of taking risks, leaping into the unknown, or changing habits is SCARY! I sometimes got in my own way by trying to be perfect or thinking unproductive thoughts such as “What if I fail?” or “What if I’m not good enough?!” Overcoming these hurdles took a willingness to look inward for my answers, to listen to other people’s stories, to go back to school for a doctorate degree in sport and exercise psychology, and to explore the scientific research. What did I find? I discovered a genuine solution that works best for me. And more importantly, I use this wisdom to find simple, effective steps that work best for you.

My coaching is about
helping people find successful methods and mindset
that open new doorways to reach their dreams
and experience a powerful sense of achievement and vitality.

Thanks for stopping by! To learn more, browse my portfolio or Contact Me. I’d love to hear your story.

2011	PhD	University of Utah (UofU)	Sport & Exercise; Psychology; Cognate: Experiential; Education;
2002	MS	South Dakota State University (SDSU)	Exercise Science Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
2000	BS	South Dakota State University (SDSU)	Athletic Training Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC)

2012	Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Dissertation Award
2011	Outstanding Graduate Student in Sport Psychology (UofU)
2009	College of Health Research and Creative Grant (UofU)
2010	Outstanding Service to the Department (UofU)
2000	Outstanding Athletic Training Student (SDSU)

Presentations

Heilman, C., (2011-2014). Sport Psychology: Youth Ski/Snowboard

Three seasons of empowering youth athletes (10-18 y.o.) to implement a variety of mental skills to play at their peak. Jackson Hole Ski Education Foundation, Jackson, WY, 60-minute sessions

Heilman, C., (2013). Live Well: Uplift Your Mind and Body

Live Well is a six-week physical and mental exercise program to optimize wellness. Group classes held 7 times with a 4.9/5 (very satisfied) reported in class evaluation, Driggs, ID 75-minutes/6 sessions

Heilman, C., (2013). Performance Psychology: Ski/Snowboard Instructor & Supervisors.

Workshops geared toward personal and professional enhancement for ski/snowboard instructors and supervisors. Topics: arousal management, focus, motivation, and teambuilding. Jackson Hole Mountain School, Jackson, WY; 90-minute and half-day sessions.

Heilman, C., (2013). Sport Psychology: Motivation, Anxiety, & Imagery

A community-based course that helps athletes of all abilities gain a competitive edge by learning how to increase motivation, manage arousal, and effectively use imagery. Class held 4 times with a 4.9 (very satisfied) reported in class evaluations. Driggs, ID & Jackson, WY; 75-minutes/3 sessions.

Heilman, C., Newton, M. & Houston, M. (2012). Youth Development in Ski Racers

A mixed methods approach for examining alpine ski racing as a context for positive youth development. Association for Applied Sport Psychology Conference, 15-minute Lecture-Symposium, October 2012

Stark, A., Heilman, C., Newton, M. & Crawford, C. (2013). Motivational Climate Impacts HS Athletes

High school sport: The influence of the social psychological climate on motivation, Association for Applied Sport Psychology Conference, 15-minute Lecture-Symposium, October 2011

Heilman, C. (2009-11). Sport Psychology: Youth Alpine Skiers

Two seasons of enhancing mental skills for ski athletes ages 12-18 y.o. Snowbird Ski Education Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT, 60-minute sessions.

Heilman, C. (2010). Coaching Education,

A teambuilding workshop for ski/snowboard coaches. Snowbird Ski Education Foundation, Salt Lake City, Utah, 30 minutes, November, 2010.

Heilman, C., Gonzalez, S., & Addy, S. (2009). Goal Setting in Sports:

A free workshop to the Salt Lake Community to educate and provide implementation strategies for goal setting in sport, University of Utah, 45 minutes, October, 2009

Heilman, C. (2009). Understanding Learning, Yoga Instructors

Motor behavior and learning style workshop for yoga instructor teaching training (YTT), University of Utah, 2 hours, October, 2009

Heilman, C. (2009). Mental Skills Training: Wrestling

Consulting wrestlers on regional tournament, Skyline High School, Salt Lake City, UT, Feburary, 2009

Newton, M., Heilman, C., & Jackson, K. (2008). Caring in PE

Caring About Character and Positive Youth Development (PYD) The Park City Board of Education. Workshop to returning PE specialists and counselors in the Park City school district, 8 hours, August, 2008

Newton, M., Destani, F., & Heilman, C. (2008). Sport Builds Character

Building Character Through Sport and the Larger Academic Setting. The Utah Office of Education (UOE) invited us to give a lecture on character education because the UOE is attempting to integrate a Life Skills curriculum into schools across the state, 5-hours, January, 2008

Heilman, C. (2002-05). Athlete Awareness Committee: Eating Disorders

An annual presentation and discussion on disordered eating for the 600 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh collegiate athletes, 60 minutes, October, 2002-2005

Heilman, C. (2004). Wisconsin Strength and Conditioning Symposium. Female Athlete Triad.

Presented signs, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of the Female Athlete Triad to coaches and teachers around the state of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 60 minutes, April, 2004

Publications

Vuckovich, M., Schoorman, R., Heilman, C., Kacob, P., & Benowitz, N. (2005).

Caffience herbal/ephedra combination increases resting energy expenditure, heart rate, and blood pressure. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, 32, 47-53.

Starkey, C. & Johnson, G. (2005). Athletic Training & Sports Medicine 4^thed. American

Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Jones and Bartlett Publishers: Sudbury, MA.
Textbook Editor:	Chapter 19: Face and Related Structure Pathologies
Textbook Reviewer	Chapter 2: Soft Tissue Injury Management Chapter 17: Additional Spine and Torso Therapeutic Exercise

Christina’s in the Hot Seat…or she’s being cheesy and interviewing herself.

Christina, I am curious what are you interested in?

You might think I have a swivel on my head after you see my interests. But, I love to learn and grow so I choose to participate in a variety of interests. I enjoy

skiing: alpine, telemark, backcountry, and classic cross country;
biking: road and sometimes mountain;
rockclimbing: sport, traditional, and bouldering;
triatholons: sprint - half ironman,
running: 5K - marathon
hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, swimming, yoga, outdoor music festivals, dancing, volunteering in the community, sitting in nature, gardening, cooking, reading, sleeping, eating, building a tiny home, listening to subtleties, green smoothies, visiting family, organic food and farming, inviting friends for dinner, mother natures thrills and wonders, and learning about other peoples stories. That pretty much sums it up.

What do the letters behind your name stand for?

PhD: Doctor of Philosophy in Sport and Exercise Psychology

Mental training to reach one’s potential and to perform his or her best on a consistent basis

ATC: Certified Athletic Trainer

Evaluate and rehabilitate athletic injuries

CSCS: Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

Personal training for athletes and exercisers

What type of music do you like?

Mainly acoustic, but I also enjoy anything that has a good rhythm that inspires me to dance.

What are your favorite books?

Textbooks? I don’t know if these are my favorite, but I spent the last 14 years of my life reading textbooks and research articles…which means I haven’t had much time for reading other books. My favorite genre of books are based on real life situations..biographies, memoirs, history, etc.

What do you watch on TV?

I recently have been reintroduced to the TV after 8 years of not having one. Therefore, I don’t consistently watch anything. But if you catch me watching the TV, I’ll be switching between sports and learning channels.

What’s your favorite movie?

Super Troopers…it cracks me up every time! I also really enjoy documentaries.

What did you do in your past life?

I’ve been a certified athletic trainer, a certified fitness instructor/personal trainer, ski patroller, backpacking guide, shoe salesman, clerk, ground maintenance worker, construction stop sign holder, dishwasher, bus-girl, food-vender, and play set designer.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I think I’m most famous for my extremely small feet. Womens size 5, kids size 3. Will a ski boot company please make me a ski boot that fits my feet….PLEASE!