Hi, I’m Rachel Zerona (she/her), founder of Zerona Mental Performance. As a Mental Performance Consultant and former collegiate athlete, I help athletes and performers strengthen their mental approach to perform at their best.
About the Consultant
Education and Credentials
M.S. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Nutrition
Member, Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), since 2022
Member, AASP Leadership Academy
Experience
My name is Rachel Zerona (she/her), and I am the founder and sole consultant of Zerona Mental Performance.
Based in Michigan, I earned my bachelor's degree from Oakland University, where I also played on the Oakland University Softball team. After earning my bachelor's degree and "retiring" from softball, I worked on a psychiatric care floor at a hospital before returning to school. I went on to complete my master's degree at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.
As a former collegiate athlete, I developed a passion for helping other athletes strengthen their mental performance. I take a collaborative approach, tailoring each client’s plan to their goals while maintaining confidentiality. My experience as a mental performance consultant comes from working with a wide range of clients, including teams, athletes, coaches, support staff, and individuals across:
- NCAA Division I Softball
- NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball
- NCAA Division I Swim & Dive
- Exercise Is Medicine – On Campus
- High school student-athletes and coaches
Outside of my professional work, I enjoy staying active, whether walking, golfing, playing slow-pitch softball, or working out. I also love reading fiction and exploring new restaurants with friends. A fun fact about me: I’m on a mission to visit every MLB ballpark.
My Why
Growing up, my parents encouraged me to try different sports and activities, but the one that stuck was softball. I had so much fun with the sport, but it is also essential to acknowledge the not-so-fun parts. One of my biggest struggles was what went on between my ears. In a game where you fail more than you succeed, I was always my biggest critic. I often tried to work through those struggles on my own. Sometimes it worked, but looking back, I know I would have benefited from more support in developing my mental performance.
During my collegiate career, I struggled with my confidence and lost the fun I had with the sport. I found short-term solutions, but I quickly realized that I was not alone. Teammates and athletes from other sports shared similar challenges, and while our conversations helped, we lacked the tools and skills to make lasting improvements. The kind that I now offer.
In my master’s program, everything clicked. I began to connect what I was learning with my own experiences and with those of athletes I knew. The more I learned, the more passionate I became about helping others unlock their potential and improve their performance. Every conversation I had with athletes, coaches, and support staff deepened my desire to contribute to high-performance environments in a meaningful way. Mental performance struggles are common, but they do not have to hold us back. My mission is to guide athletes and performers through these challenges by teaching practical techniques to help them perform at their best.
