Rapid Mental Performance Coaching For Motorsport
Podiums are won with the mind.
Virtual Worldwide. Ages 8+
FORMULA
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KARTING
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SPORTS CAR
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RALLY
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DRAG
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DRIFT
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TIME ATTACK
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SIM
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PARENTS
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FORMULA - KARTING - SPORTS CAR - RALLY - DRAG - DRIFT - TIME ATTACK - SIM - PARENTS -
Mental Performance Coaching from a racing driver. With a licensed psychotherapist background.
Sheri Elle Johnson, RSW, CHt, CRRTS, LCSW
Confidence after a crash
Unexpected incidents
Near-miss events that got mentally “stuck”
Pressure and overwhelm
Fear & Worry
Replaying mistakes for days afterward
Hesitation in wheel-to-wheel moments
Overthinking / “analysis paralysis”
Choking under pressure/performance collapse in competition
Fear of re-injury after return to motorsport
Deselection anxiety
Public failure or media scrutiny
Pre-grid nerves and body tension
Body image & weight-class pressure
Perfectionism issues
Fear of failure
Guilt and shame
Sleep issues before race day
Slumps or confidence loss
Team dynamics (group support available)
What Issues Can Be Resolved?
“The first intensive allowed for significant improvement in my subconscious thoughts and subsequent behaviours, without feeling like I was “working” at it” E.R.
Rapid mental performance coaching for motorsport is designed to sharpen focus, settle the nerves that show up under pressure, and shift the limiting beliefs and hesitation patterns that are costing you time on track.
If you need to see a shift before your next race, tell us your timeline when booking and we will do our best to accommodate.
Coaching is available to drivers ages 8 and up, from young karting drivers to professional open and closed wheel drivers. For drivers under 18, a parent or guardian signs the agreement and provides consent.
Services are virtual and offered through three package types that can include intensives. Travel is an option in limited circumstances. Work with children under 8 is considered case by case and is in-person only.
Driver Performance Coaching
Rapid Intensives
Short on time and want to move one block out of the way, like yesterday? An intensive may be the right fit. An intensive is a longer coaching session that addresses one or two specific performance challenges so you see change sooner.
A brain-based intensive works at the level of your brain where the pattern is wired rather than at the surface level of talking about it. Instead of waiting a week or more between sessions, you build momentum inside a single block of time.
Start with a free consult call to discuss your options. Each package includes at least one intensive.
The mind is where your race starts and where your race finishes.
Looking for group performance education for your team or program?
We offer in-person and virtual presentations, seminars, and group hypnosis experiences that build focus and cohesion within a team. Conflict resolution and group support is also available. Participation for all participants is voluntary.
Reach out to discuss your program and let’s collaborate.
Speaking, Education & Group Performance Coaching
Your mind is your edge. Train it like you train your body.
How it Works
Apply using the form below, or Book Now by scheduling a free consultation using FreeMind Therapy’s booking page (scroll to the bottom)
Free 20min consult phone call pinpoints one thing costing you the most on track.
We decide which route is best for you
The 3 session Podium Parent & Driver (includes 1 parent strategy session)
The 4 session Apex Driver Performance (Tier 1 - includes 1 intensive)
The 8 session Apex Driver Performance (Tier 2 - includes 2 intensives)
You race. We measure the difference.
Currently accepting a limited number of drivers for complimentary rapid mental performance coaching through 2026.
Availability is limited. Apply by mentioning it in the form below.
“The sharpest… I have ever worked with. You can see how passionate she is about healing people and she is kind and caring from the moment you start communicating. It was so worth it…The RRT process I worked with her was so powerful I felt a sense of calm through my whole being”
R.T., Olympic Surfer
Approach
Most racing drivers in motorsport, and athletes, don’t need more talk. You’ve already done the work. You’ve analyzed, strategized, and pushed through immense pressure with discipline most people will never understand. And yet something is still in the way. A pattern that won’t break, a block that shows up under pressure. A ceiling you can feel but can’t seem to move past.
You don’t need years of heady, analytical talk, or a coach telling you to “change your mindset.” You need someone qualified who knows how to optimize the minds of high-performance athletes.
Engaging the deeper subconscious
Traditional performance approaches work from the top down. They rely on the thinking mind to reason its way to change. Brain-based coaching starts where the problem actually lives - my methods work from the bottom up, engaging the deeper subconscious where habits, reactions, and performance blocks are initially wired. When working this way, change becomes faster, more automatic, and more lasting, because you’re starting at the root of it. The things that you’ve found hardest to shift, like a difficult race, performance nerves, overthinking a mistake, self-doubt under pressure - move faster and dissolve quicker.
While some of the methods like Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, Rapid Resolution Therapy, and Clinical Hypnotherapy, were derived from clinical therapeutic methods for treating mental health conditions, these same modalities are now adapted for the coaching space with athletes. My background is clinical, and that is why this work moves quickly. Different from therapy though, coaching is goal-directed and forward-looking, focused on performance under pressure rather than diagnosis or treatment. Coaching is built for people who are functioning well and want to be sharper.
You don’t have to spend months unpacking the issue
This is not meant to be a deep dive into understanding yourself. You already know what you want. Our goal is to identify the root cause of your unwanted thoughts, feelings, behaviours or habits within racing, then clear it up from both your conscious and subconscious levels of mind. And you don’t have to spend months unpacking the issue - you’ve got a race coming up!
You’re driven to win in motorsport. I’m just as driven to get you there.
Rapid Mental Performance Coaching Methods
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a brain-based method that uses eye position to locate where the nervous system is holding a specific reaction. It requires no preparation and very little talking, which makes it well suited to drivers who would rather not spend an hour explaining themselves. It is widely used in performance settings for fear responses, hesitation and confidence gaps tied to a specific moment or a specific piece of track.
Rapid Resolution
RRT® is an experiential method that changes how the mind processes information, so the shift happens automatically rather than through effort or willpower. It uses imagery, metaphor and precise language rather than analysis.
Rapid Resolution methods use neuroscience-informed, concepts for precise and purposeful communication techniques, along with mindfulness, hypnosis and subconscious visualization. RRT is designed to re-route neural pathways. Because both your conscious and subconscious mind are targeted, the results are often lasting.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis has been used for well over a century and is one of the most direct ways to create automatic change in unwanted thoughts, reactions and behaviors. Most of driving is run by the subconscious, which is exactly why conscious instruction so often fails to change what your hands and feet actually do under pressure. This work draws on RRT, NLP, conversational and Ericksonian methods, and includes self-hypnosis you can use in the paddock and on the grid.
Somatic Techniques
Your nervous system learned how to respond to pressure long before you ever put on a helmet, and it reacts faster than thought. Somatic work is about regulating that system directly through breath and body awareness, so you can bring your heart rate down on the formation lap and hold clarity when the pressure spikes. It is a skillset, not a session. You keep it and use it every time you get in the car.
Dealing with more than performance? If what you are carrying looks more like anxiety, trauma, or low mood, psychotherapy may be the better fit. If you are located in British Columbia, Ontario, or Florida, your insurance may reimburse it. Mention it on your consult call and we will ensure you get the support you need.
The Clinician Who Races
SHERI ELLE JOHNSON, RSW, CHt, CRRTS LCSW - Mental Performance Coach
My name is Sheri Elle Johnson, known as Elle in the paddock. I did not get into racing to become a professional driver. I got into it because nothing I had done before demanded that much of my mind at once.
Every session on track asks me to hold focus while my heart rate climbs, make decisions in fractions of a second, stay composed when something goes wrong at speed, and let go of the last lap before the next one starts. That is what pulled me in, and it is still what keeps me here. Every race weekend and track day stretches me personally, physically, and as a driver.
I race sports cars in British Columbia, Canada and I’m one race away from my competition license with the CACC. I know what it feels like from inside the car. The nerves on pre-grid, the qualifying session that does not reflect what you can actually do, the mistake that plays on a loop for the rest of the weekend, the pressure of being watched, and the pace that isn’t showing up.
I am also a psychotherapist with over a decade of clinical experience, trained in Rapid Resolution Therapy, clinical hypnotherapy, brainspotting, EMDR and somatic work. I am the Founder of FreeMind Therapy, a multi-national therapy group, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary, and I hold a Master of Social Work.
What I bring to drivers and their families is clinical-level precision aimed directly at the things that cost you time on track: anticipatory anxiety, fear of a specific corner, a crash that never got cleared, the gap between practice pace and race day, the weight of a family investment, and the identity load that comes with being measured by results.
You do not have years to wait for a block to resolve. Neither did I. That is why I work the way I do.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ELLE:
I love sunshine and humidity, especially given my origins in freezing cold Canada. I am also passionate about motorsport, hold a racing license with the CACC, and a track day is my idea of the perfect Sunday. I also enjoy travelling the world, and creative pursuits like film and pottery.
QUALIFICATIONS
Executive Coaching Certification, Essential Impact Canada
Certified Rapid Resolution Therapy Specialist, Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy
National Board Certified Fellow of Clinical Hypnotherapy (CHt, NBCCH)
Registered Social Worker (RSW, BC Canada)
Registered Social Worker (RSW, Ontario Canada)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW, Florida)
Master of Social Work degree, University of Calgary
Bachelor of Social Work degree, University of the Fraser Valley
Social Services Diploma, University of the Fraser Valley
Adjunct Professor, University of Calgary
MSW Program Design Consultant, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Founder, FreeMind Therapy Inc. (Canada) & FreeMind Therapy Inc. (USA)
Founder, FreeMind Performance Coaching, virtual motorsport coaching
These credentials describe my clinical training and licensure. Coaching services offered through FreeMind Performance are not therapy and are not delivered under the above clinical licenses.
As seen in . . .
Frequently Asked Questions
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Performance Coaching is for racing drivers worldwide, who are looking to optimize the way their mind is working and perform at their best.
Services are also offered to parents or families of drivers.
If you are looking for mental health counselling and psychotherapy, reach out to Elle.
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Click the Book Now button and schedule a consultation without waiting for a reply.
Or, fill out the contact form below to ask a question or request a special appointment time based on your needs (individualized booking times may be available for athletes with a timeline - inquire within).
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No direct billing is available, as Coaching is not typically covered by extended health insurance.
If your needs are mental health related, and you live in BC, Ontario, Florida, New York, North Carolina, or Massachusetts, we can assess fit in a consultation call (RSW, LCSW) and you may be able to submit your receipts for out-of-network insurance reimbursement.
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Yes, much of the work we do with younger drivers involves some time spent with parents as this can often have a direct impact on the sustainability of a driver’s coaching results.
Parents may also be interested in general coaching support for themselves and this is available as well.
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Most drivers benefit the most by starting with an intensive session (100min). This means you can build momentum and create a shift immediately, rather than over a period of weekly 50min sessions.
Package options include at least one intensive. Child drivers typically only need a 50-60min session.
PACKAGE 1: Apex Driver Performance (Tier 1) - One intensive, four 50min follow ups.
PACKAGE 2: Apex Driver Performance (Tier 2) - Two intensives, six 50min follow ups.
PACKAGE 3: Podium Parent & Driver - One 50-60min session, one parent strategy session, one 50-60min follow up.
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Yes, I work with racing drivers worldwide in a Coaching capacity. Sessions are virtual.
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Coaching is not a clinical service and does not involve diagnosis or treatment of clinical mental health presentations. It is focused instead on optimizing performance, building skills, managing pressure and navigating transitions. Coaching is suited to those who are functioning well but want to perform at their best. Coaches are permitted to see clients worldwide.
Therapy is a licensed, clinical service focused on diagnosing and treating mental health conditions such as trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Therapists are only permitted to see clients who are located in the state they are licensed in.
If you think you need therapy, contact FreeMind Therapy and schedule a consultation with “Sheri” or another provider there. Therapy services are available to anyone living in BC, Ontario, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.
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In special circumstances and as my schedule permits, I can travel to events. Please book a consultation call to inquire further.
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Most drivers can feel the shift in one to two sessions, or by their next event.
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I work with both adults, and children 8 years old and up. For most kids, a parent phone consultation is required. Anyone under 8 years old would benefit from in-person mental performance coaching.