Dr. Brooke Rundle

Inspired by the quote: “be who you needed when you were younger“, I founded Headstrong Mindset to provide elite athletes holistic and affirming mental performance consulting that combines evidence-based research with applied sport psychology strategies and real life experience as a former collegiate and professional athlete.

My Approach

My approach to mental performance consulting focuses on developing the whole athlete by connecting the relationship between thoughts, feelings, behavior, and performance. I use a holistic, affirming and multicultural framework for team building that explores how social identities impact interpersonal communication, relationship dynamics, leadership roles, conflict resolution, and performance among teams. My specialities include building team-cohesion, reducing performance anxiety, overcoming maladaptive perfectionism and negative self-talk, improving athletes’ reaction to error, and interpersonal conflict resolution, in addition to the development of team culture, leadership skills, and the integration of mindfulness based techniques. I also authored and self-published the book Headstrong, a mindset training book focused on volleyball.

Certification, Licensure & Training

• MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from University of Western States (2022)
• Licensed Professional Counseling Candidate #LPCC.0020177
• ASIST certified Suicide Prevention Training by Living Works
• EdD, Sport Performance Psychology from University of Western States (2024)
• AASP certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) #1646 (2024)

Professional Memberships & Ethical Guidelines

I hold an active membership with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Best practices and ethical codes from the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) guide my ethical decision making and assessments.

Experience in Sports

I played collegiate volleyball for UC Santa Barbara were I was named NCAA division 1 All-American and led the Gauchos to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament twice. After college, I went on to play volleyball professionally in Slovenia and the Netherlands. Between playing, coaching and consulting, I have over 20 years of volleyball experience working with youth, collegiate, professional, and national federation volleyball teams throughout the US, Europe and Central America. I currently work as an independent mental performance consultant with USA Volleyball’s National Team Development Program (NTDP), and several NCAA collegiate athletes and teams in volleyball, soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, track & field, cross country, and lacrosse.

Giving Back

I have always been a social worker at heart. Prior to pursuing a career in counseling, I lived in Nicaragua for 9+ years learning Spanish, surfing and leading community service trips for collegiate volleyball teams. While living in Central America I raised over $125k for NGOs in Nicaragua and founded a non-profit organization called The Casa Llanta Fund. The Casa Llanta Fund is dedicated to combating social and economic injustice in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. The mission is to empower marginalized communities by expanding access to sports, education, employment. 

Speaking & Advocacy

I have spoken on the topics of athlete mental health, mental performance, and LGBTQ+ inclusion at several notable conferences including the Pac-12 Health Equity Summit, the Human Rights Campaign’s Time to Thrive Conference, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Convention, and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Conference. In 2020 I came out publicly as Athlete Ally’s first volleyball ambassador. I currently volunteer at the Sports Equality Foundation (SEF) educating university athletic teams and faculty members on matters of LGBTQ+ inclusion that are unique to college athletes.

Personal

I am originally from California but reside in Denver, Colorado with my wife Hannah and dog Stevie Budd. I enjoy playing guitar, skiing in the Rocky Mountains, and surfing when I can travel to a beach. Quality time with friends over good food, gardening, listening to live music and reading fantasy books are how I like to spend my free time.