Conquering Performance Anxiety in School and Life
Learn what performance anxiety is, why it happens, and how to manage it with practical mental performance tools like positive self-talk, focus cues, and controlled breathing so that you can stay calm, confident, and focused when it matters most.
Topics covered
What you'll develop
Define performance anxiety and learn to distinguish between cognitive symptoms (racing thoughts) and somatic symptoms (physical tension) to better understand your body’s stress response.
Analyze past high-pressure experiences to pinpoint personal triggers, allowing for a proactive rather than reactive approach to competitive stress.
Master a suite of mental performance skills—including positive self-talk, focus cues, and controlled breathing—to build a personalized reset routine that restores composure under pressure.
Course outline
About your expert
Sloan, CMPC, builds confident athletes who perform through change. Sloan Johnson is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant driven by a simple but powerful purpose: helping athletes understand how their brain and body work together at their best. With a master’s degree in applied exercise and sport psychology and training from the University of North Carolina system, Sloan brings both scientific depth and real-world application to every athlete she coaches. Her passion shows up most when athletes begin to trust themselves, competing with confidence, playing with joy, and stepping into leadership roles on their teams. Sloan is especially effective with athletes in key moments of their careers, whether that’s moving up a level, returning from injury, changing teams, or managing the unique demands of their body, including the menstrual cycle. She understands these are often the moments where mental performance matters most. One of Sloan’s defining career milestones was earning her CMPC certification through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, a credential that reflects years of rigorous training and applied experience. She has also taken the stage as a keynote speaker with Exos, presenting on psychological safety within teams, and has represented IMG Academy internationally, speaking to student-athletes across the globe. But the moments that matter most to Sloan are the ones that happen long after the sessions end. One athlete returned a year later to share they were pursuing a future in psychology because of the impact mental performance training had on their life. That kind of lasting influence is what fuels her work every day. A former competitive cheerleader of 10 years, Sloan won a world championship in ninth grade and competed internationally while studying abroad at King’s College London. That experience shaped her understanding of high-performance environments and continues to inform her coaching today. If you are an athlete looking to build confidence, perform with clarity, and better understand how your mind and body work together, Sloan Johnson is ready to help you unlock that connection.
