Who am I ?
I’m Adriano Muhlbauer, a Sport & Exercise Psychologist in Training and founder of Perform With Courage.
I work with athletes, teams, coaches and organisations to explore the human side of performance. Not simply how to perform better, but how to understand pressure, identity, relationships, uncertainty and the choices we make when performance matters.
My approach is informed by existential psychology. Rather than assuming there is one correct way to perform, I create space to understand your experience, challenge what may be holding you back and explore what matters to you.
Mental skills can be part of the work, but they are not the starting point. The starting point is you.
My aim is not to make you dependent on a psychologist. It is to help you develop the understanding, courage and autonomy to move forward without me.
My Philosophy
At the heart of my work is a simple belief: you are not a problem to be fixed.
Drawing on existential psychology, I see performance as part of the wider human experience. Pressure, uncertainty, fear, responsibility, relationships and difficult choices are not always things to eliminate. They are experiences we can learn to understand and face.
My role is not to tell you who to be or give you a formula for success. It is to create a space where you can explore your experience, question assumptions, understand what matters to you and make choices you are willing to stand behind.
Performance begins with courage because courage allows us to act even when certainty is not available.
What is distinctive about working with me ?
Humans are the authors of their own experiences.
I won’t tell you who you should be or give you a formula to follow. My role is to work alongside you, helping you understand your experience, challenge assumptions and make choices that are meaningful to you.
My work is personal.
Support is shaped around you, your sport, your environment and what you are experiencing. There is no one-size-fits-all programme.
My work goes beyond mental skills.
We can work on performance skills when they are useful, but we can also explore identity, pressure, relationships, uncertainty, values and the wider human experience behind performance.
My aim is independence.
I do not want you to become dependent on a psychologist. I want you to develop the understanding, courage and autonomy to move forward without me.
Because performance starts with courage.