About Kyle Cabotaje

My Athletic Career

Born and raised in Anaheim, California, I have been an athlete for most of my life. After experimenting with many different sports, I fell in love with swimming and was a competitive swimmer from the age of six all the way until my second year of college.

While I would consider my swimming career to be successful, it was not without its challenges. Like many other athletes, I had to deal with plateaus and injuries that created frustrations and setbacks in my performance. The most significant setback started when I was 13 years old and one of my lungs collapsed during practice. I was forced to stop swimming for four months, which had a significant impact on my physical and mental health. I had to cope with being unable to do what I loved and eventually having to play catch up to

become the swimmer I once was. Even though I was greatly supported by my family, coaches, and teammates, I did not have the mental strength required to handle the situation. This became even more challenging as my lung collapsed three more times over the next three years, and I was required to have two lung surgeries.

By the time of my junior year, I had to adopt a new reason for swimming. I knew I would no longer be able to achieve the dreams I once had for swimming, so I had to learn to swim not for the outcomes, but for my love of the sport. From that point on, I was able to swim for my final two years of high school and for two years at Cypress College, where I was a team captain for both years. Even though my final year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to feel proud that I did not let my lung get the best of me and that I could end on my own terms.

Journey into SPP

After my struggles with my lung, I began to notice that I was not the only athlete who struggled. Many teammates around me also experienced challenges, such as injuries, lack of confidence, and anxiety management, all of which were things I struggled with. Around this time, I also became a youth swim coach, where I noticed my young athletes facing the same issues. Seeing all this encouraged me to become a support system for these people so that they would not have to go through the same struggles that I faced.

Fast forward to my first semester of college, I heard about Sport and Performance Psychology for the first time in one of my classes and had two thoughts:

1) “Man I wish I had known there were people out there who could have helped me to develop the mental skills to deal with the challenges I faced.”

2) “Imagine how many other athletes out there need mental performance coaching, but like me, do not know that it exists.”

These questions were what inspired me to pursue a career in Sport and Performance Psychology. The idea that people who could benefit from mental performance coaching, yet were not aware of it, did not sit well with me. It became my goal to join this field so that I could help raise awareness to the importance of mental skills, so that more and more individuals can utilize them. In the time I have spent as a mental performance coach, I have had the privilege of working with many different individuals and see them use mental skills to thrive in their profession. I can truly say that mental performance coaching is my passion because it allows me to continually help people find their love for their work and to perform at their highest level. I am looking forward to helping you make an IMPACT on your performance!