My Story

I've been on both sides of the mental game.

Competitive athlete. Elite Sport Coach. Mental Performance Expert. Everything I bring to this work started with my own experience in the arena.

Shane Kelley — Mental Performance Coach

How It Started

A torn ACL changed everything.

I grew up competing at a high level in both soccer and volleyball. Sport wasn't just something I did — it was central to who I was. Then, during my final season of playing, I tore my ACL and meniscus. That injury forced me to stop and ask a question I hadn't considered before: could I use what I was learning in psychology to heal faster, more effectively, and with a clearer head?

That question led me to sport psychology — and it never let go. I went on to earn my B.S. in Psychological & Brain Sciences from UC Santa Barbara and my M.S. in Sport and Performance Psychology from Fresno State. What started as personal curiosity became a professional passion and, eventually, this practice.

Prior Work

From the sideline to the staff room.

01

Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

Crestmont University

Currently serving on the coaching staff for the women's soccer program — working directly with student-athletes on performance development, team culture, and the mental side of competition at the collegiate level.

02

Head Soccer Coach

High School Soccer

Coached high school soccer from 2024 to 2026, developing young athletes not just tactically but mentally — building resilience, focus under pressure, and the habits that carry performance beyond the pitch.

03

Author & Developer

The ROOTS Framework

Created and published the ROOTS framework — a structured methodology for properly building a mental performance program. ROOTS gives coaches, athletic departments, and practitioners a repeatable system for developing a strong culture at the organizational level.

04

Mental Performance Coach

Individual Athlete Consulting

One-on-one mental performance work with athletes across sports and levels — helping competitors identify what is limiting their performance and build the specific mental skills needed to close that gap.

The ROOTS Framework

A system for building mental performance programs.

ROOTS is a framework I developed for coaches, athletic departments, and practitioners who want a repeatable, structured approach to building a strong team culture, where mental performance is embedded into their programs — not just as an add-on, but as a foundation.

R

Releationships First

Build trust before you build performance.

O

Others Over Outcomes

Develop people, not just athletes.

O

Ownership

Empower athletes to have responsibility and leadership within the team.

T

Team Culture

Create a shared identity structured around belonging and shared experiences.

S

Standards

Focus on only what can be controlled.

Building A Winning Program — ROOTS Framework diagram

Past Work

Where the work has shown up.

Presentation

Gain Swim

Filmed a live presentation of the framework and Q&A with high school and collegiate coaches from around the world.

Publication

NFHS & Coaches Insider (To Be Released Soon)

Articles are being edited for publication now.

Project

Fresno State University - Graduate Project

The project began as a podcast interviewing the best high school coaches from around the United States, and has become so much more.

Education & Training

Grounded in the science.

01

M.S. Sport and Performance Psychology — Fresno State

Graduate-level study in applied sport psychology, mental skills training, performance enhancement, and psychological assessment. Focused on translating research into practical tools for athletes and coaches.

02

B.S. Psychological & Brain Sciences — UC Santa Barbara

Undergraduate foundation in sport science, psychology, and human performance — the academic base that sparked a deeper pursuit of the mental side of athletic development.

03

AASP Member — Association for Applied Sport Psychology

Active member of the leading professional organization for sport psychology practitioners, maintaining continuing education and staying current with emerging research and best practices in the field.

What Drives Me

Everyone has more in them.

I want to find a way to make anyone the best possible version of themselves — regardless of their sport, their level, or their background. We can all improve in our field. The work is figuring out what is preventing that growth and building the tools to move past it. That's what gets me up every morning, and it's what I bring to every athlete and coach I work with.

Ready to work together?

If my background resonates with what you're looking for, let's have a direct conversation about your situation and whether working together makes sense.

Book a Discovery Call

30-minute conversation. No commitment required.