About Me
YOU COULD SAY SHE’S “QUALIFIED”
Meet your State of Mind Sports Mindset expert
Hey! I’m Nikala Smith, former West Coast Fever and Perth Orioles player and former Southside Demons WANL player
Self-proclaimed coffee snob, cinnamon scroll connoisseur, family gal (+ puppy mum!) and nature lover.
Becoming an elite athlete at 16 when I joined the Perth Orioles felt like a huge achievement and something I’d been working towards for years. At 18 I became an AIS scholarship holder and thought this was my big break, but little did I know that there were years of severe performance anxiety to follow, which impacted my ability to perform consistently. Managing this as best I could, I continued playing with West Coast Fever for some time, always unpredictable. After a season with the Yorkshire Jets in the UK, this led to me dropping the ball and retiring in 2015.
Thinking Rewired was created in 2017 and that’s when I began openly speaking about my mental health struggles. My mind was blown when other high performing athletes reached out and told me they’d experienced the same feelings. It was then when I realised I was NEVER the only one who felt the way I felt.
As a result of working on improving my mindset and taking control of my emotions, I made my COMEBACK! Playing the game I love in the WANL with the Southside Demons in 2021. An opportunity I didn’t think I’d ever get again and taking full advantage of it.
While taught to train our body physically, there was little focus on the importance of training our brain. It’s time to bring normality to having these kinds of conversations and giving players the opportunity to grow in all areas of their lives.
So here I am… ready to take on the role of coaching your team through their mental hurdles and helping young athletes become the best versions of themselves, on and off the court.
LET THE MINDSET GAMES BEGIN!
