FOUNDER

Lynn Puma is a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina and South Carolina. She works with teens, young adults, and adults. Lynn is particularly passionate about serving student & college athletes and high-stress professionals such as medical personnel, first responders, and other helping professionals. Many of Lynn’s clients come to address performance anxiety, fatigue, burnout, and performance issues.

Lynn believes physical, mental, and emotional health are all connected. When you’re mentally healthy, you can enjoy your life and the people in it, feel good about yourself, and deal with stress more constructively. In the session, Lynn focuses on creating positive habits as a great way to support your mental health. This helps you build skills to use when you do face difficult situations. She focuses on teaching brief mindfulness interventions, including deep breathing and grounding techniques, that can be used when challenging situations arise. She uses therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and mindfulness. She recently became an instructor in Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE).

Lynn received her BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Alfred University. There, she was a four-year starter for the Women’s Soccer team and captain for three of those years. Throughout her time at Alfred, she was recognized at the conference and state levels, winning the ECAC student-athlete award her senior year.

She received her Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. For the majority of her career, she worked at Levine Children's Hospital, where she provided mental health support and guidance to children and families living with chronic illnesses. She is also a part-time lecturer in the School of Social Work at UNC Charlotte where she has taught for 10 years.

Outside of private practice, she enjoys hiking, playing soccer, and being outdoors. She is an avid sports fan and loves attending sporting events with her family. Lynn is also a fierce advocate for women's sports. She is heavily involved with advocacy at a state level and currently sits on the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association of Social Worker's Legislative Committee.

APPLIED SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Jackson Newton is a mental performance consultant from Huntersville, NC. He specializes in youth and collegiate athletics. Jackson’s expertise consists of helping athletes cope with burnout, performance-related anxiety, coach/teammate relationship concerns, mental focus, and other sport-related concerns. His personal experience on the collegiate recruiting trail has prompted him to counsel athletes who manage the stressors and pressures that come with the recruiting process.

Jackson strongly believes in the mental edge. When competitors have trained to their body’s limit, the mental component will set them apart. Jackson specializes in interventions that instill mental skills useful for performance scenarios. Much like other skills, they need practice and a coach. Jackson approaches his skill-based interventions in a positive and educational way and loves to creatively implement new strategies. Jackson also strongly supports mindfulness interventions involving breathing and grounding techniques.

Jackson received his BA in Psychology and Sport Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. Jackson was a successful multiple sport athlete in high school, heavily recruited to several football programs across several divisions before deciding to focus on sport psychology.

He received his Master of Science in Sport Psychology from Florida State University. While in Tallahassee, he amassed a diverse client base, working mostly in NCAA-sponsored sports. Jackson has worked with a diverse client base and aims to empower athletes of all backgrounds and beliefs. While consulting with athletes in Tallahassee, Jackson also worked for a crisis line, supporting suicide prevention efforts in the panhandle.

Outside of mental performance consulting, Jackson enjoys lifting weights and playing pick-up basketball at local gyms. He also thoroughly enjoys travel and exploration. He maintains his passion for both the Seminoles and the Tar Heels, and takes any opportunity to catch a game in person.