Seeing the Invisible: The X Factor of Coaching
Having worked with athletes that have competed in D-I, the Olympics, MLB, NFL, and NHL, I've discovered that much of their potential to achieve their dreams lies not just in their work ethic or physical giftedness, but also in their emotional health and psychological capacity.
Stephen James is a nationally certified counselor who works with active and retired professional athletes elite college athletes, and athletic teams to play with heart so they can develop and sustain the passion, mental endurance, and emotional resilience to achieve their dreams.
Stephen's personal, in-depth, integrative and sometimes playful approach enables athletes to realize significant changes that not only impact their performance on the field, but more importantly improve their entire lives.
Having worked with athletes from a variety of sports including D1, Olympics, MLB, NFL, and NHL, Stephen believes that the most significant success any athlete can achieve is to become a full-hearted person that lives fully, loves, deeply, and leads well off the field.
He’s is an active board member of the Nashville Coaching Coalition who’s mission is to connect, support, and equip athletic coaches in their work to build excellent programs that transform the lives of their players and empower them to perform to their greatest potential.
Stephen holds his master’s in Counseling from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology (formerly Mars Hill Graduate School at Western Seminary). He earned a bachelor’s in English from Belmont University (’91) where he was a captain of the men’s soccer team receiving team MVP and twice all conference honors.
Stephen has been married to Heather for over 20 years and together they have four children. He is the founder and CEO of Sage Hill Counseling, LLC, a healthcare startup in Nashville, Tennessee that is committed to helping change the world one story at a time by growing sustainable communities of professional mental health therapists who practice with passion, wisdom, and integrity.
