Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Osborn.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been active and played competitive sports all of my life, playing soccer, basketball, football, tennis. If you could compete at it, I did! My family has a history of knee problems and when I was 13 I dislocated my knee for the first time. I dislocated it again a dozen times by the time I was 16 and that was when I had my first knee surgery, missing most of my junior year of HS sports. By the time I was 22, I had 3 other knee surgeries for a total of 4. While I was out and rehabbing those was when I started realizing that I could make an impact on the game, even when I wasn’t physically playing. Particularly I noticed how I talked to my teammates and what I talked to them about, had a real impact on how they played.
When I got home from my mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I attended the University of Utah and that was when I got my first exposure to the field of Sport Psychology in an undergraduate class. It resonated SO well with me. I applied to graduate school and was accepted at the University of Utah. Even as I started my graduate program, I was unsure of how I would do in the field and if I would be able to make any money doing it.
Most people don’t know this, but I actually did my first semester of grad school expecting it to be my last. It was an experiment for me. In one of my classes, during one of the sections, I didn’t study at all. What I did was did all of the homework and case studies based on my gut and own experiences. I wanted to see how well my natural instincts measured up to the science. In that class I did extremely well, so I realized I had an inclination for this line of work and decided to stick it out.
After graduate school I had some really cool experiences seeing this high performance strategies at work with large corporations, professional sports organizations, and at Division 1 universities. I am so grateful for the mentors and people who helped shape that experience and gave me room to grow as a professional. I wouldn’t be here without them.
In 2024, I started Utah Sport Psych and have been getting all sorts of new opportunities! I have a slogan, “Wake Up, Say a Prayer, and Hustle.” It is a lot of hard work, but incredibly rewarding as well. I love what I do and love what experiences it has offered me and my young family.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It is an ironic position to be in, as a young professional, helping an athlete with their performance anxiety, as you are currently EXPERIENCING performance anxiety.
Starting out, that was a regular experience. I had so much imposter syndrome that I would be able to help anybody. Ever.
Another struggle is when you lose a contract or someone is slow in paying their invoice. It was real nice when you were working for someone else and they had the stress of paying your paycheck. Now it being on me is terrifying!
I’ve found as long as you treat everyone with kindness, things tend to work out for you.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I help people set and reach their personal, athletic, and professional goals. It’s all about improving performance. We do that through a series of Mental Skills that need to be practiced, developed, and turned into habit.
I don’t specialize in any particular sport. I think one of the things that does set me apart is that I am able to relate and help someone no matter their sport or activity. I have experience working with less common sports like figure skating, pickleball, bowling, MMA, rodeo. And I think that’s something people can expect is that no matter your skill or experience, you’re going to get individualized attention and strategies. I don’t need to be an expert in your sport/activity. I’ll stay an expert in my field and you stay an expert in yours. As we work together, we create something really cool!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the community feel. I love the connection everyone feels to one another. We’re not busting our hump to get ahead or make life harder for others.
And I don’t think I have a least!
Pricing:
- Individual Sessions starting as low as $156/session.
- Other offerings as low as $20
- Downloads available for free on the website
Contact Info:
- Website: https://utahsportpsych.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utahsportpsych
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahsportpsych
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jozzypsych/
