Tom Painter
Mental Skills & Performance Coach
PURPOSE.
PRESENCE.
PERFORMANCE.
Ben, Head of R&D - Hart Bageri Copenhagen
“Tom brought a unique perspective to our bakery’s environment and helped me better understand how to handle pressure, responsibility, and team dynamics.
He showed me practical ways to stay calm during high stress periods, communicate more effectively, and approach leadership with greater awareness and confidence.
Tom helped me grow not just as a manager, but as a person working in a demanding environment, and I’m genuinely grateful for the insight and support he provided.”
John - All Ireland 2025 Champion
“Tom was immense in helping me with my performance related goals alongside training & preparation, as well as managing life so far from home. We developed great habits for overcoming adversity & performing under pressure.
He has the agility to work on personal & performance levels which I found extremely helpful throughout our time together.
Tom is an impressive Performance Coach and knows how to get the best from players who truly want to take their game to the next level.”
Tom is a mental skills and performance coach with a decade of experience helping diverse individuals and teams put forward their best version when it matters most. After years of coaching in multifaceted environments—spanning elite sport, corporate leadership, and international community development—he gained a First-Class MSc in Mental Skills and Mental Health in Sport from the University of Limerick in 2021, anchoring his versatile practice in rigorous research.
At the core of Tom's philosophy is an integrated approach that combines modern cognitive mental skills with the principles of Mindful-Acceptance. By teaching high-performers how to accept internal and external pressures without judgment while sharpening their proactive psychological tools, he helps clients build deep, sustainable resilience.
While Tom is deeply embedded in top-level rugby as an IRFU Level 3 coach, his expertise extends far beyond the pitch. He has built a versatile practice partnering with high-performers and organizations across a diverse range of demanding sectors, including:
Elite Sport: Professional and international rugby players, alongside international rowers.
Corporate Leadership: CEOs, private equity professionals, and high-frequency traders operating in volatile environments.
World-Class Hospitality: Leaders and creatives within world-leading hospitality businesses, such as Hart Bageri.
Youth Development & Vulnerable Communities: Designing and scaling national mentorship and employability programs that utilize sport to empower and support marginalized young people.
Non-Profit & Governance: International sport-for-development organizations, advising on strategic governance, program design, and global safeguarding compliance.
By helping clients realize that “what is inside them is bigger than what is in front of them,” Tom consistently proves that his approach is adaptable to any high-pressure arena—from the training ground to the boardroom.
ABOUT
Services
1-1 Performance Coaching
Tailored coaching for athletes, executives, and professionals looking to sharpen their mental edge through a structured, goal-driven program. Grounded in a mindful-acceptance approach, this process teaches you to accept high-stakes pressure without judgment while sharpening your proactive psychological tools. It begins with an in-situ observation phase, assessing your performance mechanics in real-time, high-pressure environments to build a targeted framework.
Elite Athletes: Managing identity anxiety, mastering attentional control, and navigating injury rehabilitation mindset.
Corporate Executives: Maintaining clarity, processing volatile market stress, and executing decisive leadership.
Performance Metrics: Co-creating objective-led milestones to ensure sustainable resilience and peak execution.
Team Workshops & Psychoeducation
Tailored, research-backed sessions designed to bridge the gap between psychological theory and real-world execution. Delivered within an environment of absolute psychological safety, these sessions range from high-impact 90-minute intensives to multi-day deep dives, blending evidence-based psychoeducation with hands-on application.
Sports Squads: Building shared attentional control, tactical communication, and collective clarity under simulated pressure.
Corporate Workplaces: Navigating systemic stress, aligning team values, and practicing somatic stress-regulation drills.
Schools & Cohorts: Developing self-regulated learning frameworks and sustainable mental well-being habits.
Organizational Consulting
Long-term strategic partnerships designed to drive systemic cultural and operational transformation across senior leadership teams, boards, and coaching staff. Utilizing evidence-based organizational psychology, this service embeds a sustainable, wellbeing-focused environment directly into the bedrock of your culture.
Systemic Mechanics: Analyzing and overhauling internal communication systems, governance, and compliance frameworks.
Leadership Dynamics: Empowering executive decision-making and optimizing senior management alignment.
Cultural Safety: Designing scalable programs that protect organizational health while maintaining elite performance standards.
“Tom’s mental skills knowledge and rugby understanding has helped me support my players’ mental skills development.
Having filled out the TOPS questionnaire, I became aware of the drastic shortcomings in my psychological preparation as a player.
With Tom’s support, I have shared these learnings with my players and am working with them to develop their own psychological routines pregame and training.
Tom has also been hugely helpful in developing my practice design. As a result of this work, I have been able to create more engaging and challenging sessions, as validated by player feedback.”
Dom Waldouck, Gloucester Rugby Coach
“Tom has been instrumental in helping me build the confidence to lead effectively.
His guidance has enabled me to refine critical skills and cultivate mental resilience, both of which have been vital during pivotal moments in our organisation's growth.
By applying these skills with confidence, I have transformed UmRio from a small, grassroots charity with limited funding into an internationally recognised, award-winning organisation that is now sharing its innovative development model worldwide.”
Rob Malengreau, CEO - UmRio
PHILOSOPHY
Authentic relationships are at the core of Tom’s philosophy. Trust, respect, and compassion create a safe environment where clients feel comfortable being open, vulnerable, and honest. This connection allows them to fully engage in the process and unlock their potential. It is something that clients consistently identify as a critical part of their success.
Authentic Relationships
Before taking the first step in any personal development journey, some mindset and attitude non-negotiables are required. Tom emphasizes Mindful Acceptance as a foundation for growth, going beyond a traditional approach to change or ‘stop’ negative thoughts. Wellbeing fundamentals take center stage, while guided self-reflection helps the search for each client’s ‘Why’.
‘Permission to Play’
Self-directed learning is central to Tom’s process. Too often practice is passive and progress is a matter of chance. In order to reach our goals, it requires clear analysis, deliberate execution, and thoughtful reflection. This structured approach empowers clients to take ownership of their development. Every action is intentional, driving measurable improvement and meaningful progress.
Prepare with Purpose
When it comes to performance, Tom equips clients with mental tools like Visualization, Self-Talk, and Attentional Control, as well as physiological tools such as breathwork, to relax and activate as the task requires. Grounded in research, these strategies help individuals walk towards pressure and deliver their best when it matters most.
Perform in the Present
Rawiri, Otago
“Working with Tom has helped me expand my mental toughness and awareness. He has helped me break down things in my game and learn to take more control of those things to elevate them into my trainings and game day preparation. Tom's knowledge has helped my mental preparation going into trainings and games, and this has now changed the way I approach my weekly preparation for game day.”
James, Ospreys
“Tom has been a game-changer for my rugby performance. Together, we have overcome pre-match nerves that used to throw me off, and developed mental resilience techniques that keep me focused even in the most intense moments of a game. I learned to visualize success, manage pressure, set training and game related goals and truly trust my instincts on the field, which not only boosted my confidence but also significantly improved my decision-making and overall play.”
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1-1 Coaching
Whatever your goals—athletic, professional, academic, or personal—working with Tom means coaching tailored to your unique needs. Whether you're striving for personal growth or elite performance, Tom provides the tools to build resilience, perform under pressure, and unlock your potential in the moments that matter most.
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Team Coaching
From grassroots teams to elite organisations, Tom delivers coaching tailored to your group’s needs. Whether in sport, business, or education, he works with teams of all levels to build trust, foster cohesion, and align goals. Transform your team into a cohesive and high-performing unit ready to achieve together.
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Workshops
For athletes, professionals, and educators, Tom’s workshops combine unpacking the science and research behind performance with practical strategies tailored to your needs. Covering topics like exam pressure or public speaking, sessions deliver actionable tools. Ranging from short sessions to full-day deep dives, they’re designed for real-world impact.
Get In Touch
