About Dr. Haley Perlus

Dr. Haley Perlus is a sport psychology coach who helps Olympic and pro-bound athletes master one thing most performers fear: pressure. Known for her ability to take athletes from overwhelmed to unshakeable, she teaches competitors how to stay composed, confident, and high-performing when the stakes are at their highest.

With a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology, decades of experience as an athlete and coach, and a reputation for turning emotional chaos into competitive advantage, Dr. Perlus is the go-to expert for athletes navigating the demanding transition from high-level amateur to professional sport.

Her signature message is simple:

Pressure isn’t the enemy. it’s the invitation.

It reveals commitment. It sharpens focus. It tests identity. And when trained properly, it becomes an athlete’s greatest performance advantage.

Dr. Perlus works with national teams, NCAA athletes, Olympic hopefuls, and performance-driven organizations including Athletes.Org. 

She is the author of Personal Podium, the co-host of the soon-to-be launched You Don’t Know Jack podcast with tennis hall of famer, Dr. Jack Groppel, and the Founder of Competitive Excellence.

Whether breaking down emotional control, teaching athletes how to “get their mind where they want their body to go,” or coaching them through mental fork-in-the-road moments, Dr. Perlus gives athletes the tools to perform with clarity, courage, and competitive fire anywhere pressure lives.

Signature Podcast Topics

1. Pressure Is the Path: Training the Skill Most Athletes Avoid

Why pressure is misunderstood, how to train it, and the surprising reason great athletes want more pressure, not less.

2. Emotional Control in Competition: The Real Reason Athletes Lose It

A science-backed breakdown of emotional spirals, identity threats, fear of judgment, and how to anchor composure in chaos.

3. Confidence Under Pressure: What Athletes Must Risk to Unlock Their Potential

The psychology of “risking belief,” why confidence collapses under pressure, and the daily training system that builds confidence that holds.

4. The Mental Fork in the Road: How High-Performers Think When It Matters

The choice point every athlete hits: fear vs. challenge, and the mental habits that determine which road they take.

5. Staying Confident Under Pressure: Training the Skill That Separates Good from Great

Why confidence is the competitive edge, and how to train it like strength, speed, or power.

6. The Transition Years (17–25): Why This Stage Creates the Most Pressure in Sport

Identity, expectation, visibility, comparison, and the psychological climb toward professional sport.

7. Resilience in Real Time: How to Recover Fast After a Devastating Loss

What to do in the first hour, first day, and first week after a performance setback.

8. Training Your Mind Like You Train Your Body

Warm-ups, reps, cycles, recovery, and the daily mental conditioning every athlete should be doing.

Why Dr. Haley Perlus?

1. She’s the pressure expert in elite sport

Haley translates complex science into simple tools that athletes can use immediately.

2. Her coaching isn’t fluffy. It’s grounded, direct, and athlete-tested

Haley's frameworks are used in locker rooms, training centers, and high-performance programs.

3. She speaks the language of athletes, coaches, and performance teams

With her athletic and coaching background, she relates to athletes and blends psychology, physiology, identity, emotional regulation, and execution.

4. She understands the athlete journey deeply

From talent development → transition years → elite → setbacks → performance peaks.

5. She's authentic, relatable, energetic, and actionable

The #1 feedback is Haley's authenticity. Hosts love her. Audiences apply what she teaches the same day.

Sample Questions for Hosts

• You say “pressure isn't the enemy. Pressure is the invitation." What do athletes get wrong about pressure?

• When an athlete loses emotional control mid-competition, what’s actually happening in the brain?

• You talk a lot about focus. How do athletes train focus the way they train physical skills?

• What’s the most common confidence mistake athletes make when the stakes are high?

• You often mention “risking belief.” What does that mean psychologically?

• Can you break down an example of a mental fork-in-the-road moment? How do athletes make the right choice?

• What are the identity traps that Olympic and pro-bound athletes athletes fall into?

• What’s one tool an athlete can start using today to stay composed under pressure?

• How can coaches create environments that build pressure-ready athletes rather than pressure-avoidant ones?

Interested in Dr. Haley Perlus speaking on your podcast, offering comment for your article, or presenting at your event?