From curiosity to calling- Adriano's journey to becoming a Sport & Exercise Psychologist
Hi everyone
Welcome to the next edition of the Pathways to Psychology blog. Today we hear from Adriano Muhlbauer, Sport & Exercise Psychologist in training. Adriano shares what has inspired him to pursue this pathway and what helped him stay congruent throughout. We hope you will find reading Adriano's blog entry thought provoking and uplifting.
From Curiosity to Calling – My Journey into Sport Psychology
I never set out knowing I’d become a Sport Psychologist. I didn’t have a childhood dream of working in mental performance or guiding athletes through their darkest or proudest moments. But looking back, every step I took, every question I asked, every person who inspired me, and every barrier I hit, pushed me closer to this path. It wasn’t planned, but it feels exactly right.
The Moment It Clicked
My journey didn’t start with psychology textbooks or sports science degrees, it started with people. I’ve always been drawn to understanding what drives someone, what holds them back, and how they make sense of their experiences. I started playing volleyball when I was 12 years old probably, I do not even remember. I have experienced first hand the pressure and joy of competition. I think I was lucky / unlucky enough to have a pretty rough childhood but it did not impact me negatively. The pressure of sport was a breeze for me. I played professionally and also with a bunch of friends in other non-professional tournaments who were there just for the fun of it. Do not get me wrong, we trained all like professionals, probably because that is what we all knew and fun for us was winning. With the knowledge of that, I can tell you now that there isn’t a worse way to see joy and progress if that comes only through the lens of victory and medals. Further along the path I become a volleyball-and beach volleyball coach. I coached athletes from 6- to 35-year-old. This is where my experience as a player counted very little. Yes, I could understand the struggle of performing a skill, but I could not understand why some players did not turn up to training or why during a game someone was crying. Unknowingly I was asking the right question, nurturing every athlete that I had but without really helping them in best possible way.
Unfortunately, I never made it to coaching at high level even with my different teams winning everything. I probably was in the wrong place and did not have enough confidence in myself to push me out of my comfort zone at the age of 22. I then decided to learn English. I know right? Absolutely crazy. I went away as an AUPAIR (babysitter abroad) and I started to learn English. I then discovered that I could go to University in the UK through student finance. What a discovery! First year, I enrolled on a sport science degree because I always loved sport but was not really sure in what way I could work in it at high level. Well, the module of Sport Psychology, that curiosity turned into a mission when I learnt firsthand how athletes, despite all their physical talent, often struggled with what was happening in their minds. I realised then that performance wasn’t just about muscle and movement, but it was about mainly about what was happening in their mind. That realisation was powerful. It was the first time I saw a career and a passion in me, not just a fixer of problems, but a guide in someone’s journey. Someone who helps others unlock their potential, own their path, and eventually, no longer need external support.
Who Inspired Me
Mark Nesti’s work had a major impact on me. His existential approach to Sport Psychology challenged everything I thought I knew. He talked about embracing both success and failure as part of a deeper human experience, not something to be avoided or fixed. That clicked with how I see life and sport. We don’t grow from safety. We grow when we’re allowed to navigate, to fall, and to get back up with new meaning.
I’ve also been inspired by every athlete and coach I’ve worked with by their honesty, their passion, their vulnerability. They remind me that Sport Psychology is a privilege. We’re invited into moments most people don’t see. Our job is to help people stand tall in those moments. These all came well in the present when I started my journey as a Sport and Exercise Psychologist in training (SEPIT). The truly inspirational person for me was Denise Hill. My first Sport Psychologist lecturer. She just resonates with me. Her passion for the subject, her brutal honesty and the way she always accept my chat and push my knowledge further, was a breakthrough.
The Barriers Along the Way
This hasn’t been a straight road. One of the biggest barriers was self-doubt, wondering if I had what it takes, if I was “doing psychology right,” or if I belonged in a field that still feels misunderstood by many. There’s also the challenge of being in training while trying to develop your own voice. It’s tempting to mimic others, to follow the well-trodden path. But deep down, I knew I wanted to do things differently, to create a space where athletes didn’t feel like clients, but collaborators.
Then there were practical barriers: lack of access to certain networks, not always having role models who shared my way of thinking or navigating systems that didn’t always support creativity or innovation. I overcame these by staying grounded in my values, by remembering that the real power of Sport Psychology isn’t in the method, but in the relationship.
The easiest barrier that you might not get from this blog is coming from a different country, living in UK without parental support, working full time while also doing a full-time degree. Deciding on your own your own path. Following completion of a degree, then a Masters and now the SEPIT pathway. Becoming a Sport and Exercise Psychologist isn’t easy or cheap, I can tell you that. The unknowing of the future. There are very few full-time jobs as a Sport Psychologist and the competition is huge. Imagine spending a large amount of effort, time, money in a profession when you do not even know if it can help you live while there is the path for Clinical Psychology which is already set up and all paid by the government if you want to pursue it.
Advice to Future Trainees
If you’re just starting your journey in Sport Psychology, here’s what I’d say: Stay curious. Don’t rush to find answers. Sit with questions. Explore different approaches. Let your identity unfold over time. I am still learning mine.
Find your philosophy. It’s easy to get lost in tools and techniques. But your philosophy is your compass. Know what you stand for and why. Knowing who you are, what you believe in and how you see and understand things will set you apart from the rest. I practice Existential Psychology and there aren’t many out there. This was not on purpose, it just happened to be by looking into myself and learning and questioning. This is what drives my clients to me.
Trust yourself. Your path won’t look like anyone else’s and that’s a good thing. Sport Psychology needs more diversity of thought, not less.
Embrace the unknown. You’re going to face uncertainty, both in your training and your practice. Let that be part of the process, not a problem to solve.
Always come back to the athlete. This work isn’t about us. It’s about holding space for others to grow, succeed, fail, and become who they are.
Final Thoughts
I’m still on the journey. I don’t have it all figured out. But what I know is this: Sport Psychology isn’t just a profession but it’s a way of seeing people. It’s about believing in their potential even when they don’t. It’s about helping them own their story. And it’s about walking beside them, until they no longer need us to.
So, to all future trainees: keep walking. Keep questioning. Keep showing up. You’re more ready than you think, do not lose yourself in the path and STAY AUTHENTIC.
Thank you so much Adriano for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Before long you will be a qualified colleague deftly helping athletes to perform to their best.
Perhaps reading Adriano's story is reminding you of your own? Maybe you could inspire the next generation of Psychology professionals. We invite all Practitioner Psychologist trainees and qualified colleagues, PWPs (psychological wellbeing workers), Counsellors, Psychotherapists and mental health professionals to add their own entry to the blog. Get in touch if you wish to add to the blog.
Kind regards,
The Pathways team.
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