Sport

After logging years and thousands upon thousands of laps in the pool, working with the best coaches at every level, and seeing a nutritionist to help find my perfect diet and weight, my body was completely prepared to compete at the highest level. But I still was not hitting the times and performing at the heights I knew I was capable of reaching. That is where Dr. Walker came in. Through her guidance, we developed techniques to not only sharpen my focus and confidence, but also to synchronize my breath, pulse, and body language to achieve peak performance. Using Dr. Walker’s techniques throughout the end of my high school and college career, I was able to meet and surpass my expectations, qualifying for Olympic Trials in 2012 and winning multiple State and Ivy League titles along the way. Now, I apply the same techniques to my law-school work and high-pressure interviews. I will forever be grateful for Dr. Walker’s insights and cannot recommend her highly enough.

I just want to let you know that you have completely transformed my game. It’s the best that it has been in 10 years. I just want to thank you!!

I can’t tell you what it has meant to us that we found you and your ability to bring the best out in D. Had it not been for that day in 2011 we only imagine what D may have been doing today. I wanted you to know we appreciate all your doing to help D reach his dreams. Thank You!

I wanted to take a few minutes and just reflect on D’s journey. It doesn’t seem that long ago, when we first came to you with performance issues. As a parent of a young boy facing ADHD and wanting to compete competitively sure proved to be challenging. In such a demanding sport as motocross is, staying focused had its challenges for someone like our son. Since we first came to you in 2011, D was racing at the amateur level with dreams and aspirations of making to the professional ranks. The job you’ve done with D to instill confidence and belief in himself has been phenomenal. This could not be more apparent than the most recent work you’ve done to assist D in the transition from the amateur ranks to his rookie year as a professional motocrosser. The transition of the regiment a professional motocrosser endures, requires a laser focus and attention to detain beyond no other. The risk are high and the improvement in D has been recognized not only by his closet support group, but the industry as well.

I highly recommend Barbara Walker’s services to help any athlete improve performance. As a parent of a golfer pursuing a pro golf career, I saw her help my son build a solid foundation in terms of managing his emotions and body to give him the best chance to perform at his best. My wife and I loved how Barbara started by getting to know our family as well as our goals. She listened patiently before offering any advice or exercises to help our son improve his mental and physical approach to golf. This strategy allows her to prescribe the best course of action. My son still meets with her to celebrate progress and be challenged to go to the next level. Saving the best for last, Barbara is an active elite athlete. Thus, she speaks into others from her own experience vs. theory.

Having a child that is a highly competitive athlete offers us parent’s rewards and challenges. It also can weigh heavy on your child. My daughter played at the highest level possible in soccer growing up. The pressures your child can put on themselves, receive from teammates and in particular, from a coach can crush them. My daughter’s interest and performance started to slip at age 15. I spent plenty of time talking with her trying to understand the situation and when I recognized I could not do it alone, I took her to Dr. Walker. My daughter had numerous meetings with Barbara and when it was appropriate, we all met. Barbara was able to identify and work through the issues getting to the bottom of my daughter’s troubles and frustrations. Barbara also was able to find a solution with my daughter that was reasonable for us all and was there as my daughter took this path trying to see if she wanted to or could find that love again for the sport. My daughter just graduated from high school, found the love again for the sport and received a college scholarship to play. She is headed off soon to play and whether she plays four years or not, could not have made it without Dr. Walker.

I approached Barbara because my daughter, an athlete who had performed at national levels, began expressing that she was experiencing new levels of anxiety and fear at practice and during competitions. Barbara quickly assessed the situation, helped my daughter realize what was in her control, and taught my daughter practical techniques, like visualization and breathing, that she could use to help her cope with her new feelings. It was amazing how quickly my daughter was able to incorporate the techniques into her preparation and her competitions. Beyond improving my daughter's mental toughness and helping her reach her athletic goals, I am also excited that my daughter has been using the techniques to help her in the classroom with tests and other stressful situations. Barbara made the whole process very comfortable; my daughter looked forward to the sessions and always came away with a renewed sense of confidence.

I've always said that there are three people critical to my training and racing: my coach, my nutritionist and my sports psychologist. Dr. Barbra Walker has the latter for me for many years. She's helped me learn how to maintain focus, handle stress, and be confident of my abilities. I've found this has also carried over into my career and day to day activities. I highly recommend Dr. Walker!