Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Williams.
Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Of course! I had a very roundabout way of getting to where I am now actually. I grew up heavily involved in the ballet world and dance was my entire life! I had always found movement to be fascinating, so when I was nearing the end of high school I decided that I wanted to help dancers (and other athletes) with their performance.
My plan was to become an orthopedic/sports medicine physician assistant, so I went to college and received a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science before heading off to PA school. I moved to Florida for PA school, but unfortunately began dealing with some health issues of my own during my second semester. This caused me to move back home to Texas to try and get things under control.
While working to get my health under control, I decided to start a new Master’s program in Sport and Exercise Psychology and began working in a physical therapy clinic with lots of athletes. I received my Master’s degree in 2016 & began providing mental performance coaching to a few athletes while still working in the PT clinic.
After doing this for a few years, I had really begun to “find my footing”. I knew what I liked doing with athletes, what was the most effective, and what they responded best to. I decided to launch my business in 2019 and Champion Mindset Consulting was born!
In the beginning, I was working with athletes of all sports (gymnastics, dance, karate, basketball, tennis, football, figure skating, baseball, you name it…), but the large majority of my athletes were either gymnasts or dancers and most were local to the DFW area. Of course this made sense, as there is a lot of overlap between dancers and gymnasts. Being a dancer myself had made it easy to connect with the gymnasts as well.
My business continued to grow, and I began working with clients who were out of state and even out of the country. I knew if I wanted to continue helping more athletes, I needed to come up with other training options, as I only had so many hours in a day, and at this point in time, I was meeting 1:1 with an athlete for an hour at a time. I ended up creating my online and hybrid training options for dancers and gymnasts, to give them more flexible training options.
Now, if you know anything about high level athletes (especially dancers & gymnasts), you know they have some of the craziest schedules. These kids are often homeschooling or doing online school, and training upwards of 5 hours a day (sometimes even doing two a days). Their schedules can also often change at the last minute, which makes it difficult for them to schedule appointments. Then add in the “extras” that they need, such as physical therapy, massage, and other recovery to keep their bodies healthy. Scheduling can be tough to say the least!
I decided that I wanted to come up with a way that I could provide the same 1:1 coaching, and level of individualized care, but in a way that was convenient for them and their schedules. Consistency is key when it comes to mental performance coaching, and you really have to be able to meet people where they’re at.
It took me a while to figure out how I could do this, but eventually I came up with the idea for the CMC app which launched earlier this year! I also decided to shift my focus fully to dancers & gymnasts, since the business was naturally going that direction already. My new app is a communication platform (only available for the dancers and gymnasts that I work with), that allows me to provide individualized training in a way that’s super easy and convenient for them. They are able to do their work whenever they have time, even if that’s just while they’re in the car going to practice.
They essentially have their mental coach in their pocket, and I am able to stay in constant day-to-day contact with them. More consistency, and quicker feedback, ends up leading to better results. Plus, it’s less “overwhelming” because they don’t have to worry about fitting one more appointment into their already busy schedule. It’s also nice because it requires the athlete to take more ownership of their training, and this is crucial as they are the ones who have to put the work in (I can teach the skills, but only they can apply and use them).
The app launched in January of this year (2026) and marked the start of a new way of providing mental performance coaching! When I first started my business, I never could have imagined where it would be today. It’s taken a lot of work but I’m very proud of what Champion Mindset Consulting has turned into!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course not. The first big obstacle was having to pull out of PA school and figure out what was next for me. When I put my mind to something, that is what I’m going to do. So when I went to PA school, there was no “plan B”. At the time, it felt like my whole world was crumbling down because everything I had planned for and worked towards was no more. I always say “everything happens for a reason” though, even if it doesn’t immediately make sense. Looking back, you’ll see why things happened the way they did. In my case, it led me to all of this which I truly never could have dreamed of!
I’d say the next struggle was launching my business right before the pandemic. To be a brand new business when the world was shutting down, probably wasn’t the easiest thing in the world….but again, everything always happens exactly as it’s supposed to. Although growth might have been slower than it could have been during that first year, I think it allowed me to create a strong foundation for the business to grow from.
Lastly (and I know this isn’t a “problem”, but it was difficult), I would say keeping up with demand! I have no business background and didn’t know how to market things, but growth happened organically which I am so grateful for. I would attend a local gymnastics meet each year and set up shop, so that people could grab information and learn more about mental performance coaching. Eventually, I was also able to begin sponsoring one of the biggest ballet competitions in the world! Of course, as word gets out…demand grows.
I think the trickiest thing has been coming up with, and creating the “new things” (initially the online and hybrid training programs and then the app), while simultaneously juggling a full schedule of athletes. That was really hard (and exhausting to be honest) but I think that’s kind of the norm for entrepreneurship. You’ve always got to be thinking and innovating, but you also really get to see what you’re truly capable of!
We’ve been impressed with Champion Mindset Consulting LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I provide mental performance coaching to dancers and gymnasts who have big goals and are very serious about what they do. The work I do with these dancers and gymnasts goes far beyond just talking about broad topics like confidence, or giving them a pep talk. I teach tangible skills that they can use during practice, in class, throughout rehearsals, before performing/competing, etc. and work with them to build strategies that bring results.
I think about what I would have wanted back when I was dancing, and simply provide that to my kids. If they’re struggling with a gymnastics skill, or a particular section in their ballet variation, we will break down the biomechanics (this is where the nerdy exercise science part of my brain gets to play!) and then figure out how we can apply various mental skills to make it easier for them to execute. We’ll also put full mental routines together for them to do before saluting a routine or going on stage, that helps them feel calm, confident, and present.
I really think the biggest difference is the level of individualized care and attention. There are many mental skills programs out there, but being able to work directly with a human who will break down the specifics of what YOU are working on and help you through it, is really invaluable. That’s what makes a lasting difference and that’s what I’m most proud of!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think knowing other entrepreneurs, even if they’re in a different line of work, is super beneficial. It’s hard for people who are not entrepreneurs to truly understand the full extent of what we do, and that’s okay! But having people who “get it” and can relate is so needed. It’s tough, but it’s so incredibly rewarding at the same time.
We need people to bounce ideas off of, vent to, and get advice from! You know the saying “don’t take advice from someone who’s not where you want to be”? I think that’s a great reminder of why we need people who are “above” or a few steps ahead of us to help guide. Always question things and think for yourself of course, because they’re human too…but listen and soak in what they say. It just might push you forward!
Pricing:
- Initial Mental Performance Evaluation – Complimentary
- First 4 Months of Individualized Coaching (required minimum) – $250/month
- Ongoing Individualized Coaching – $150/month
- Independent Online Training Program – $795
Contact Info:
- Website: https://championmindsetconsulting.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/championmindsetconsultingllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChampionMindsetConsultingLLC/
Image Credits
Amber Tice Photo
