Gordon Herbert holds a degree in sports psychology and was named Germany’s Coach of the Year 2023. As the former head coach of the German national basketball team, he led his squad to a bronze medal at the 2022 European Championship on home soil, followed by a historic gold medal at the 2023 World Championship in Manila – the first ever for the German Basketball Federation (DBB). As a player, he won gold with Team Canada at the 1983 World Student Games and finished fourth at the 1984 Olympic Games. The Canadian is a father of three and a passionate ice hockey fan.
Born in 1956 in Gothenburg, Lasse Gustavson is a former firefighter who survived a severe gas explosion and returned to life despite life-altering injuries. After intensive rehabilitation and a deep personal transformation, he became an internationally sought-after speaker, outdoor trainer, and coach. His lectures and seminars inspire people around the world to rethink resilience, self-leadership, and meaning-making in extreme situations.
Sports Psychology Expert, Systemic Coach, Olympian Martyna Trajdos is a former elite athlete, Olympian, and sports psychology expert with over 15 years of experience in high-performance sports. She studied Sports and Performance (B.Sc.) and completed her Master’s degree in Rehabilitation, Prevention, and Health Management at the German Sport University Cologne. Her focus lies in early prevention, sustainable mental strength, and holistic performance development in elite sports – always with a clear view of the challenges on and off the mat. She is a certified systemic coach, completed her training in sports psychology at Mental Excellence, and holds an IOC Certificate in Mental Health in Elite Sport. Additionally, she possesses the German DOSB A-License for competitive judo coaching. As a long-time member of the national judo team, she competed in two Olympic Games (including team bronze in 2020), became European champion, and won a world championship bronze medal. Today, she supports athletes and coaches as a sports psychology expert – including during the Olympic qualification and the 2024 Olympic Games, where she accompanied athletes to European, World, and Olympic medals.
Klaus Schwarz is a sports scientist, (sports) psychotherapist, coach, and business consultant with a broad academic background (including MSc., MBA, MA) and extensive experience in supporting elite athletes. His work emphasizes creative, experience-based methods beyond classical approaches – always guided by a humanistic attitude and trust in the intuitive competence of athletes. He lives in Tenerife and Graz and works with individuals and teams.
Expert in Personal Development and Sports Psychology, Olympic Center Vorarlberg Daniel Rähse is a sports psychology expert at the Olympic Center Vorarlberg, supporting athletes, coaches, and their surrounding environments in high-performance sports. His person-centered approach integrates classic sports psychology methods with existential questions such as responsibility, courage, and purpose. As a member of the "Success is a Mindset" project team, he promotes sustainable performance through personal development. Additionally, he teaches at Stella Vorarlberg Private University of Music on mental and psychological aspects in artistic and pedagogical contexts.
Sports psychologist for the German U20 national soccer team, the professional team of FC St. Pauli, and the Olympic Training Center of Lower Saxony. A graduate psychologist with additional training in systemic coaching and process- and embodiment-focused psychology.
Core competencies in sports psychology:
Profile: Dr. Dr. Christopher Willis is one of the most renowned sports psychologists and performance coaches in the German-speaking world. He was educated in the USA, Germany, and the UK. From 1998 to 2014, he developed and led the Tyrolean Sports Psychology Model and the Sports Psychology Competence Center of the State of Tyrol. A central concern in his work is the individual support of young athletes and their families, as well as decision-makers in elite sport – with the goal of sustainably improving quality of life, well-being, and performance. Since 1999, he has played a key role in designing and implementing education and training programs for sports psychologists and mental coaches in Austria. In collaboration with the Association for Sport Psychology (asp) and in coordination with the training advisory board members from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, he has coordinated the education of sports psychology experts in Germany since 2013. Dr. Dr. Willis is the managing director of Center of Mental Excellence GmbH, which specializes in performance coaching in high-performance environments – such as in sports, police special units, music, or medicine. As a sought-after speaker, he works with prominent institutions such as UEFA, the DFB, and various Olympic training centers. Association Work: Christopher Willis is a co-founder of the Sports Psychology Section of the Austrian Professional Association of Psychologists (BÖP, 1998) and the Austrian National Network for Sports Psychology (ÖBS, 2006). He also led the European Task Force for Sports Psychology within the EFPA umbrella association of psychologists. In 2024, he served as Congress President of the FEPSAC Congress in Innsbruck, which welcomed over 1,000 participants from around the world. Chris Willis is the father of three children.
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