Mental Performance Mastery

Train your mind like the champion you were meant to be

I work with leaders and professionals in corporate, legal, financial, and healthcare settings who face relentless pressure. Together, we build the mental edge needed to perform at the highest level—without sacrificing health, energy, or well-being.

Why Leaders Choose Mental
Performance Mastery

I bring a unique blend of clinical expertise, performance psychology, and leadership experience to help you excel.

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Science-Backed Mental Training

15 years licensed therapist plus certified coaching expertise.

High-Stakes Expertise

Healthcare leadership experience with real high-pressure demands.

Peak Performance Wellbeing

Sustainable habits that enhance both performance and fulfillment.

Intellectual Athlete Approach

Mental fitness training with systematic, strategic, measurable precision.

The Challenge

The Mental Load That's Holding You Back

56% of leaders hit burnout in 2024. Only 27% believe they're effective at leading hybrid teams.

Is This You?

The Real Fix

Free Mental Performance Assessment

Get a personalized mental performance report tailored for high-performing leaders. Identify your cognitive strengths, stress triggers, and decision-making patterns to maximize your leadership effectiveness and mental clarity.

About Emily

Hi, I'm Emily Heird

A licensed psychotherapist and certified Mental Performance Mastery coach for corporate athletes and high-achieving leaders. I help them build mental fitness, the system that fuels clarity, resilience, and sustainable performance.

After experiencing burnout in 2019, I turned to the science of performance psychology and discovered how mental training creates lasting results where hard work alone fails.

Today, I blend clinical expertise with high-performance protocols to help leaders develop the internal infrastructure for success.

Mental performance is what enables leaders to think clearly in chaos, lead with presence not just output, and sustain success instead of chasing it.

If you’re ready to lead with clarity, resilience, and impact, it starts from the inside out.

My Process

How We Build Your Mental Performance

A structured approach to building mental fitness while enhancing your leadership impact

1

Mental Performance Assessment

We identify your current mental fitness baseline, stress patterns, and leadership challenges tailored to real-world pressures.

2

Customized Training Protocol

Using Mental Performance Mastery pillars, we build your personalized program like strength training for your mind: systematic, progressive, measurable.

3

Integrating Leadership and Culture

We don’t just change you. We help you create high-performing environments where your team thrives. Sustainable culture change starts with mentally fit leadership.

4

Scale & Sustain

Transform insights into daily practices. Recognize early warning signs and respond before exhaustion impacts your team.

Watch the Process in Action

learn how we work together to build your emotional capacity and create sustainable success.

Trusted by Industry Leaders

Services

How I Can Support You

Customized solutions for leaders seeking mental performance mastery and sustainable success.

Individual Coaching

Personalized guidance using sports and performance psychology principles. Build unshakeable confidence, develop unbreakable mental toughness, and design sustainable leadership excellence that gives you the competitive edge.

Organizational Leadership Development

Equip your team or organization with evidence-based approaches to mental fitness, leadership psychology, and workplace wellbeing & resilience training for your teams to achieve championship-level performance.

Keynote Speaking

Engaging presentations on mental performance mastery, leadership excellence, and creating sustainable high-performance cultures.

Success Stories

What Clients Say

Real results from executives who've transformed their mental performance and leadership impact.

"I reached out to Emily because as a lawyer and mom of two young kids, I was feeling burned out and struggling to make time for self care. She helped me to transform virtually all aspects of my life - from my career to my relationships to how I care for myself. With Emily's help, I gained clarity on my goals and desires and developed practical tools to manage stress and create boundaries. I am now better able to prioritize what matters most to me and show up as the best version of myself both at home and at work."

Alexis Technik

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Attorney

"I had no clue Knoxville TN had an executive coach nor did I know of those immense benefits. I sought the typical therapist but instead found a partnership which paved the way to self-assuredness and joy. Emily's coaching style is warm, authentic, and challenging in the best way. She creates a safe space for vulnerability while pushing you to grow beyond your comfort zone. Through our work together, I've developed stronger leadership skills, improved my work-life balance, and gained the confidence to pursue opportunities I never thought possible."

Dr. Abigail de Guzman

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Physician, Corporate Leader

"When I started the coaching process, I was skeptical, but Emily came highly recommended by women I trust and I needed a change. Emily was not just a listening ear - she provided actionable strategies and held me accountable to my goals. Her approach is both compassionate and results-oriented. I've experienced significant improvements in my decision-making abilities, communication skills, and overall confidence as a leader. The investment in coaching has been transformational for both my personal and professional life."

Danielle Stone

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Attorney

Free Assessment

Mental Performance Assessment

Discover your unique mental performance patterns and unlock your leadership potential.

Take this comprehensive assessment to receive a personalized report tailored specifically for high-performing leaders.

Identify your cognitive strengths, stress patterns, and decision-making style to optimize your performance.

Get actionable insights and strategies you can implement immediately to enhance your mental clarity and leadership effectiveness.

Start Your Mental Performance Assessment
Mental Performance Assessment - Personalized leadership assessment for high-performers

Assessment Preview

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Insights

Latest Insights

Practical guidance for navigating the challenges of high-performance leadership.

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Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about working with me.

I work with high-performing professionals often leaders, lawyers, executives, accountants, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and more who are successful on the outside but struggling to maintain clarity, energy, or confidence on the inside. Many of my clients are navigating burnout, self-doubt, overwork, or the pressure to “keep it all together.”

Performance coaching helps you operate at your highest level mentally, emotionally, and strategically. It’s not therapy. It’s forward-focused, solution-oriented work that helps you clear internal blocks, build capacity, and lead or live with more impact, ease, and purpose.

Great question. While I am a licensed therapist, coaching is different. It’s not clinical treatment focused on a medical mental illness diagnosis and symptom relief. It’s a partnership focused on goals, habits, and strategy. Coaching is best for people who are functioning but want to optimize their performance, leadership, and well-being. You may be experiencing anxiety, depression / numbness, or utilizing substances to cope, but the root of these mental health experiences is chronic stress – not a mental illness on its own.
If you're looking to heal significant trauma or have someone listen to you each week and just process what’s happening, therapy may be a better fit.
On the plus side, if you are an ambitious professional who has ADHD or is experiencing anxiety, depression as a result of burnout, or turning to substances, I bring my deep education and experience of mental health to our work.

No. Because coaching is not treating a medical mental health diagnosis, it is not covered by insurance. Clients have successfully had their coaching reimbursed by their firm or organization. Entrepreneurs and others are able to deduct this as a business expense.

Absolutely. I understand confidentiality is of the utmost importance to my clients. I was trained to follow HIPPA rules and compliance and those are the standards I maintain today. No one will know you’ve worked with a coach unless you choose to tell them.

Coaching is bespoke, so every client set their own goals. Here are some common areas I help clients with:

  • Burnout prevention and recovery
  • Imposter syndrome and confidence
  • Time and energy management
  • Leadership training to build your high-performing team
  • Public speaking and performance anxiety
  • Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and procrastination
  • Boundaries, communication, and difficult conversations
  • Sustainable success without sacrificing health or family
  • Improving relationships with children and partners
  • Elevating health and life: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, financial, and relational
  • Expanding capacity
  • Reclaiming presence, inner peace, and experiencing more joy

We start with a free consultation to see if we’re a fit. If we decide to work together, I’ll customize a coaching plan based on your goals. Clients who live in Knoxville have the option to meet at my office. I meet with clients globally via Zoom. We find our cadence of meetings that work (e.g., weekly, biweekly, etc.) and coaching includes follow-up tools, strategies, and support in between. Most clients work with me for 3–6 months, depending on what they want to accomplish. Some clients choose a year-long initial commitment, others renew after their initial round. 

Yes. I offer workshops, CLEs, and leadership trainings on topics like burnout prevention, emotional intelligence, mindset, team dynamics, and peak performance. These sessions are interactive, research-backed, and tailored to the needs of your group. Reach out and we’ll design something that fits.

Clients report everything from better sleep and focus, to increased confidence, clarity, and calm. Many finally feel like they’re running their life or business instead of the other way around. They lead with more presence, set boundaries without guilt, and stop burning out to succeed. You can read testimonials from previous clients to get an idea of their experience and results. 

It’s easy. Book a Free Consult and grab a time that works for you. We’ll talk about where you are, where you want to be, and whether coaching is the right fit. No pressure just a real conversation.

Ready to Become the Cognitive Athlete You Are?

You’ve invested in your skills, your network, your expertise. Now invest in your mind your most powerful competitive advantage. Start with a Mental Performance Assessment.

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