SUMMON YOUR
INNER STRENGTH
BE GREATER THAN...
BE GREATER THAN...
DR. EMMA KAVANAGH - SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGIST
BASES ACCREDITED SPORT & EXERCISE SCIENTIST (CSci) - PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT
Dr. Emma Kavanagh is a leading British Association of Sport Exercise Sciences (BASES) Accredited Sport and Exercise Psychologist. Emma specialises in the delivery of performance psychology and lifestyle support.
A Senior Lecturer in Sport Psychology at Bournemouth University, Emma has gained a wealth of experience with world-class athletes, coaches and practitioners in the build up to and during major sporting events. Attending both the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2017 and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 as a member of support staff, Emma is currently preparing a number of athletes on their path to Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024.
Emma has an excellent reputation as a performance psychologist, helping athletes, coaches and businesses alike achieve their personal and performance aspirations.
"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default"
WAYS TO WORK WITH EMMA
Emma has experience of working across a range of team and individual sports, she is passionate about the delivery of performance psychology and believes in the creation of optimal learning climates that allow individuals the opportunity to understand and capitalise upon their personal strengths, embrace pressure and develop resilience. This results in individuals challenging their own performance boundaries and increasing their upper limits.
An experienced consultant, Emma has worked with elite performers in a variety of team and individual sports environments, preparing individuals and teams for major sporting events including Olympic and Paralympic Competitions, Commonwealth Games, Grand Slam, World and European Championships. Emma also offers independent support to all Roses and Super League Netballers through the Netball Players Association.
Offering support through one-to-one and/ or team based sessions and the delivery of educational workshops, Emma always ensures her support is individually tailored to meet the needs of the client and is grounded in theoretical principles.
ONE-TO-ONE
TEAM SUPPORT
EDUCATION
WORKSHOPS
EMMA'S CLIENTS
MULTIPLE PARALYMPIC MEDALLIST
LUCY SHUKER
MY WORK WITH EMMA HAD A HUGELY POSITIVE IMPACT ON MY MENTAL PREPARATION AHEAD OF THE PARALYMPICS IN RIO AND UNDOUBTEDLY CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS THE BRONZE MEDAL I ACHIEVED THERE. I BELIEVE CONTINUED WORK WILL HAVE A LASTING EFFECT TO HELP ME TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL OF WINNING A PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDAL.
THE GREATEST DANGER FOR MOST OF US IS NOT THAT OUR AIM IS TOO HIGH AND WE MISS IT. BUT THAT IT IS TOO LOW AND WE HIT IT.
NETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
PLAYER WELFARE
EMMA HAS BEEN A HUGE SUPPORT IN THE FORMATION OF THE NETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCATION HELPING US TO DEVELEOP THE WELFARE OFFER FOR OUR MEMBERS. EMMA IS A KEY DELIVERER IN OUR PROVISION, HER PERSONAL STYLE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PERFORMANCE ATHETE EXPERIENCE MEANS THAT SHE IS IDEALLY PLACED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OUR MEMBERS.
LIZ BLOOR, NPA DIRECTOR
GB BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM
TEAM GREGORY • SHEAF
WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE DR.EMMA KAVANAGH JOIN
TEAM GREGORY • SHEAF IN 2014. WORKING WITH DR KAVANAGH HAS OPENED UP NEW DIMENSIONS TO OUR GAME AND TEAM DYNAMIC THAT WE NEVER KNEW WE HAD.
WOMEN'S SPORT LEADERSHIP
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
EMMA IS AN OUTSTANDING FACILITATOR & PRESENTER AND MAKES ALL OUR WSLA GRADUATES FEEL SO COMFORTABLE IN SUCH A SHORT SPACE OF TIME. THE WORK SHE DOES IS CENTRAL TO THE WSLA'S OVERALL SUCCESS - WHAT A COACH.
PAULINE HARRISON, COACH CONSULTANT
ENG BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM
TEAM PALMER • GRIMSON
BEFORE MEETING EMMA, I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL ABOUT SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY. SHE MADE ME UNDERSTAND MY GAME, MY THOUGHT PROCESSES AND MADE ME CONSCIOUS OF THOSE PARTS OF MY GAME THAT HAD BEEN SUBCONSCIOUS AND DETRIMENTAL. THIS WAS MOST BENEFICIAL IN THE LEAD UP TO AND DURING THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2018. I COULDN'T RECOMMEND HER ENOUGH!
JESS GRIMSON
GREATEST ROWING CHALLENGE
ATLANTIC CALLING
ENSURING THAT WE WERE TOTALLY PREPARED FOR THIS ULTRA ENDURANCE
CHALLENGE WAS ESSENTIAL. EMMA'S CONTINUED SUPPORT EVEN AT SEA WAS INTEGRAL TO OUR PREPARATION AND THE COMPLETION OF THE CHALLENGE.
PHYSICAL DOMINANCE CAN MAKE YOU GREAT. MENTAL DOMINANCE IS WHAT ULTIMATELY MAKES YOU UNSTOPPABLE.
FOCUS ON PROBLEMS. YOU'LL HAVE MORE PROBLEMS. FOCUS ON POSSIBILITIES, YOU'LL HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2018
TEAM ENGLAND
EMMA WAS A CRUCIAL MEMBER OF THE TEAM ENGLAND BEACH VOLLEYBALL SQUAD AT THE 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES. EMMA DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB IN THIS ROLE AND THE SUPPORT THAT EMMA PROVIDED WAS ABSOLUTELY INVALUABLE.
ENG BEACH VOLLEYBALL ATHLETE
ISSA BARTRANE
WORKING WITH DR EMMA KAVANAGH HAS HAD, IN MY EYES THE BIGGEST POSITIVE IMPACT ON MY GAME. IMPROVING THE MENTAL SIDE OF MY GAME HAS HELPED ME TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL; ALL STEPS TOWARDS THE GOAL OF A MAJOR GAMES MEDAL ONE DAY. KAV IS SIMPLY THE ONE THAT MAKES GOOD GREAT IN MY OPINION.
MOUNTAIN BIKER
DOM MEACHER
I CAME TO SEE EMMA WHEN I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY MOUNTAIN BIKING. SHE HELPED ME TO SEE HOW TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I WAS FEELING MORE POSITIVELY AND GAVE ME TOOLS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AT IMPROVING. THE YEAR THAT WE WORKED TOGETHER HAD A PROFOUND AND LASTING EFFECT ON MY WHOLE LIFE, NOT JUST MY RIDING. I RECENTLY CAME 2nd IN AN INTERNATIONAL MTB RACE AND EMMA HAD A LARGE PART TO PLAY IN THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT.
PIONEERED ATHLETE PERFORMANCE
ELITE DRIVERS
DR EMMA KAVANAGH IS THE PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGIST WE RECOMMEND FOR ALL OUR DRIVERS AND KARTERS. WE HAVE SEEN VERY POSITIVE RESULTS FROM HER WORK AND WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND HER AS A PRACTITIONER.
JON MALVERN, DRIVER MANAGER LANDO NORRIS, F1 MCLAREN DRIVER
EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS
SPORT BU
EMMA IS ALWAYS THOROUGHLY PREPARED ORGANISED AND PROVIDES IN-DEPTH WORKSHOPS SHE HAS AN OUTSTANDING RAPPORT WITH THE STUDENT ATHLETES AND FEEDBACK IS CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT.
ONE IMPORTANT KEY TO SUCCESS IF SELF CONFIDENCE. AN IMPORTANT KEY TO SELF CONFIDENCE IS PREPERATION.
LTA PERFORMANCE CENTRE
WEST HANTS CLUB
EMMA'S SESSIONS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY WELL RECEIVED AND INFORMATIVE. HER CHEERFUL AND APPROACHABLE NATURE HAS PUT ALL INVOLVED AT EASE AND ASSISTED IN OPENNESS AND VALUABLE COMMUNICATION.
EMMA'S RESEARCH
In addition to her applied work, Emma is an academic and researcher and prides herself on evidence-based practice that is grounded in scientific principles.
As a leading researcher in athlete wellbeing, Emma is interested in how individuals achieve success yet maintain enjoyment of their discipline even in highly pressurised environments. Her research interests are within the academic disciplines of sport psychology and sociology.
Emma has published in academic journals and presented her work at national and international conferences. She is part of a number of international research networks which have a clear vision to enhance the climate and environment in which high performance athletes function.
Emma's academic profile and published work can be found here
CONTACT EMMA