Head Coach Ashley Ainsworth
Ashley Ainsworth is a highly accomplished mental performance coach and athlete, holding a Master’s in Sport and Exercise Psychology, a Master’s in School Counseling, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a Minor in Coaching Science. Her unique background demonstrates a deep understanding of the psychological factors that affect athletic performance. With extensive experience as a mental performance coach, she has worked with athletes at all levels, equipping them with the tools to achieve success. As an athlete herself, Ashley brings first-hand experience of the challenges athletes face and the resilience required to overcome them. Her passion for helping others reach their full potential is evident in her work with athletes across various sports and levels. In addition to her coaching endeavors, Ashley serves as the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Immaculata University, further showcasing her commitment to athlete development. Previously, Ashley was a high school counselor and counseling department chair at West Chester Rustin High School. Some of Ashley’s accomplishments include:
3x State Champion – Delaware Youth Soccer
Long-term Participation in Club Soccer in Delaware and the Olympic Development Program
2x Girl’s Soccer State Champion at Padua Academy, National Ranking #11 and #5
3x Coach of the Year: West Chester Rustin Girl’s Soccer
3x Conference Champion: West Chester Rustin Girl’s Soccer, 4x Playoff Appearances
1x Coaching Staff of the Year: Immaculata University – Atlantic East Conference, Leading IUWS to their first cemifinal conference appearance since 2019
Certifications: CrossFit L1, Olympic Weightlifting L1, NASM-CPT, NASM-Nutrition, USSF “D” License
For more insights into Ashley's approach to mental performance coaching, you can listen to her discuss her methods and experiences in the following interview on the Educational AD Podcast.
EXCELLENT Based on 23 reviews Devon NickelJanuary 3, 2025 Ashley was so great with my daughter! Shes very positive and enthusiastic and gave practical tools to help her mindset. My daughter was skeptical about talking to someone, but she really enjoyed her time with Ashley. I would definitely recommend working with her! Emma LeppertDecember 31, 2024 I can only say good things about Ashley at Great Athletes Think Elite. Being a collegiate athlete you have to be on physically and mentally. Ashley helped me so much and provided me with techniques to help change my mindset and perspective which are applicable to sports and life beyond. I would absolutely recommend her services to anyone looking to level up their play! Amy BrownDecember 22, 2024 We can’t thank Ashley enough for the difference she’s made for our son. She helped him rebuild his confidence and provided him with practical tools to manage his nerves during games. One of the most impactful strategies she introduced was establishing a daily routine of gratitude and goal-setting, which has improved not only his performance but also his overall mindset. Thanks to her guidance, he’s back to playing the sport he loves with renewed passion and giving his highest effort every time he steps onto the field. We highly recommend Ashley to any athlete struggling with confidence or mental blocks—her expertise and approach truly work! Sally AndersenOctober 24, 2024 I had been struggling with confidence and identity after switching from powerlifting to CrossFit, and it was tough mentally to make the transition. After 8 years as a powerlifter, I didn’t know how to redefine myself as an athlete in this new space. Ashley was a game-changer! She helped me rebuild my confidence and guided me through the mindset shift I needed to thrive as a CrossFitter. Now, I feel stronger mentally and more secure in my athletic identity than ever before. Highly recommend her for anyone needing a mindset reset or performance boost! Trisha DuffieSeptember 9, 2024 I have had the privilege of knowing Ashley for 4 years. She is an amazing resource and coach in countless aspects of life and sports. She always creates a welcoming and positive atmosphere and is able to create conversations that open new ways of interpreting situations. My family always felt open and honest in discussions with Ashley and always ended meetings with a positive outlook. Ashley was able to implement goals and ways to take personal accountability for progress without making it feel like work! She was able to help redirect and refocus thoughts and goals to keep us on track. Ashley truly was a game changer and much needed part of our team in order keep us going in the right direction. Highly recommended a million times! Lisa McGinnitySeptember 4, 2024 I had the fortunate opportunity to observe Ashley conduct a workshop with a group of high school athletes. I was beyond impressed listening to her powerful insights and guidance for stepping up an athlete’s mental game. She has a way of breaking down and simplifying the steps and strategies needed to be successful to perform at a high level, making it feel more manageable, less overwhelming, and highly attainable. The way she commands a room and can engage people is remarkable. I cannot recommend Ashley enough if you have a student athlete who needs to overcome mental performance barriers, or in general, just wants to excel in their sport. She really is quite impressive! John ShalloMay 18, 2024 Amazing experience, really helped and very thoughtful with every meeting. Nicole WoodroofMay 4, 2024 We cannot say enough great things about Ashley and the work she has done with our son. When we started with her, his confidence regarding his sport was at an all-time low. He had been beaten down mentally by old-school coaches that don’t have any idea how to get what they really want out of kids. At almost sixteen, this had been going on for years. The focus she gave all of us, not just him, has made all the difference. She has helped my son refocus on what creates results to help him reach his goals, instead of being in his head about every tiny mistake he makes. As a high-level competitor herself, a high school counselor, and a coach, she has the trifecta of perfect skills for what it takes to work with kids and athletes. She understands kids in a way that even as parents we haven’t at times. In fact, we have asked her on several occasions to help us, and she partnered with us in a way that gave him the support he needed to meet his goals. Sometimes, although well-intentioned, we would say things that were reinforcing the thoughts that weren’t serving him well, but Ashley was patient with us too, and was able to help us help him. She has helped change our mindset as well as my son’s. She is an incredible, caring, wise mentor and we only wish we found her sooner! I highly recommend hiring Ashley Ainsworth!
“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking, too fast for the other team to react. They follow the habits they’ve learned.”
Charles Duhigg, ‘The Power of Habit’