If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Mental Health Hotline at 9-8-8. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1.
I wasn’t always an athlete, but I’ve always been a high achiever.
Growing up, I was quite studious. I always had my face in a book, my homework done before I got home, and a whole lot of projects on deck. If I didn’t get all A’s every semester, we had a problem. I lifted weights once in high school, and that was that.
Fast forward a few years and I started dabbling in the gym. One day, I was introduced to deadlifting. My challenge: 185 pounds loaded on the bar. No sweat, right?
Wrong.
That bar didn’t budge. Not even a little bit. The high achiever in me was instantly infuriated. That was the moment my trajectory changed.
I started learning how to fuel myself properly, how to progress my training, and how to rest. Yes, I had to learn how to rest. I went on to compete in a number of powerlifting meets and have trained in just about anything with weights involved. I even hold a Texas state record for the USPA.
But here’s what I haven’t shared yet: while I appeared successful on the outside, I had been privately struggling with significant challenges around food and body image for years. It nearly derailed everything I was working toward – personally, professionally, and in my sport. Finding appropriate support felt impossible; most resources weren’t appropriate for the kind of support I needed, and specialized care was inaccessible to me. I had to piece together my own recovery while maintaining my training, learning everything I could and doing the processing work necessary to help, instead of harm, myself. When I eventually found the right professional support, it made all the difference.
This experience revealed a critical gap in mental health care for this neck of the athletic world. Even now, existing resources rarely address the specific challenges faced by athletes in weight-class and aesthetic sports. That’s exactly why I founded Sapo Wellness – because struggling alone is not the move.
You deserve to dominate in collecting accolades and celebrate yourself fully. You can earn that pro card while maintaining a healthy relationship with food and your body. I’m here to help you prevent these challenges from developing in the first place. If they’re already present, I’ll support you in overcoming your struggles while providing practical, research-backed care that truly understands what you – the athlete, the high performer – are going through.
My philosophy is simple: You’re the expert on you.
I don’t just hit the ground running – I meet you where you’re at to help you identify problem areas and address them so you can fortify your strengths.
As an eclectic therapist, I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all counseling. Just like you wouldn’t use the same training program for a powerlifter as you would a marathon runner, different people need different therapeutic approaches. I pull from various evidence-based models to create an organic, customized approach that works specifically for you and your goals – check them out here.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) identifies and rewrites the mental programming that sabotages your performance – like the voice that says “you’re weak!” after a missed lift, or turns a flexible diet day into a binge. It’s systematic mental training that builds the same consistency in your thoughts that you demand from your training and serves as the basis to treat a number of mental health concerns.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes acceptance to deal with negative thoughts, feelings, or circumstances. It encourages commitment to healthy, constructive activities and teaches you to perform at your peak even when anxiety, perfectionism, or self-doubt show up. Instead of fighting these feelings (which only makes them stronger), you learn to carry them while still pursuing your goals. ACT is all about building psychological flexibility the same way you build physical strength.
We don’t just do brain things here, we do body stuff, too. Somatic work addresses the physical tension and nervous system patterns that accumulate from stress and trauma. Your body holds emotional stress in ways that can limit your quality of life; it doesn’t just affect recovery or your ability to hold tension under load. This approach helps you release what your body is storing so you can access your full strength and recovery potential.
Trauma-Informed Care
Understanding how trauma impacts the nervous system and behavior is crucial for effective therapy. I create a comfortable spot for you to land where we can address past experiences without re-traumatization, always at your pace. Trauma work may involve some Inner Child, Internal Family Systems, and/or Parts work.
Shadow Work
Posited by Carl Jung, shadow work involves exploring the parts of ourselves we’ve rejected, denied, or hidden. It’s about integrating all aspects of who you are (which includes the messy, imperfect parts) to become more whole and authentic. This work can be tough because it calls for us to look at those repressed parts directly, but as with anything else, we go at your pace.
Other Tools
Exercise is one of the most underutilized tools for supporting mental health. It acts as a natural antidepressant, triggering the release of endorphins and other mood-boosting chemicals while reducing stress hormones like cortisol. Regular physical activity improves sleep quality, enhances cognitive function, and builds confidence through the mastery of new skills and achievement of fitness goals.
Exercise literally rewires neural pathways, helping to break cycles of anxiety and depression while creating new patterns of resilience and well-being that extend far beyond the gym. If you want to learn more, are new to sport, or would like to start exercising, we will find ways to bring exercise into your busy schedule that you’ll enjoy.
Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging field in mental health care. It posits that what we eat directly impacts brain function and emotional well-being. Research shows that nutrient-dense foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, while processed foods and sugar spikes can worsen mood disorders.
Your brain is like a high-performance engine – it runs best on premium fuel. The emerging science proves that strategic nutrition choices can enhance physical brain health, reduce inflammation, and support the gut-brain axis that influences everything from stress response to mental clarity.
Though not a psychiatrist, I pull from these tenets to incorporate into our work together.