Katy Tran Turner

1/29/19

Katy Tran Turner graduated from NL in 2001. She has earned three post-secondary degrees: a B.A. in Biology and Exercise and Sport Science from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. in Exercise Physiology from Kent State University, and a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology from Florida State University. She was a varsity Field Hockey player for five years at UNC, three years as starting goalie and earning the honors of 1^st team All-America, and ACC Championship, and four NCAA tournament appearances. At Kent State, Turner coached field hockey, during which time the team made both a MAC Championship and NCAA tournament appearance. She also spent two years at Campbell University providing services to student-athletes (academic advising, life skills programming, and leadership development) in 24 sports. Turner then spent three years at Fort Bragg, NC, providing mental performance training for Soldiers to enhance performance in high-pressure, high-stakes situations. During this time, Turner completed Levels 1 through 4 of the Master Resilience Training (MRT) program facilitated by University of Pennsylvania to become a lead instructor for the MRT course, designed to build resilience and enhance performance of Soldiers and family members as part of Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program under the Ready and Resilient initiative across the U.S. Army. Turner is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, is listed on the United States Olympic Committee Registry for Sport Psychology and Mental Performance Training, and is a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and the American Psychological Association Division 47 (Society for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology). Recently, she was privileged to interview NHL Hall-of-Famer Eric Lindros during the AASP Conference as the Keynote Address.

Turner is currently enjoying her fourth season with the Buffalo Sabres, working directly with players, coaches and staff to develop leadership and mental skills to optimize performance. Her work includes helping prospects, AHL players at the affiliate team the Rochester Americans, and NHL players. She also participates in talent identification and development as part of the NHL Combine and player development initiatives. Turner has also enjoyed her first season employed by the Buffalo Bills, where she works with NFL players, coaches and staff in a position similar to the one she holds with the Sabres.

Turner resides in Orchard Park, NY, near Buffalo. She is married to Jarrad Turner, who was a four-year letter winner as a Penn State wrestler. They have a two-year-old son, Henry, and two dogs, Luna and Buster (who both wandered into their house from the street when they were living in North Carolina). Turner enjoys international travel, and some of her favorite destinations have been Viet Nam, China, New Zealand, Brazil, and Italy. Her hobbies include cooking and baking, Spinning and yoga (to make up for the cooking and baking!), learning about factors that drive human performance, and going to concerts. Regarding her time at NL, Turner reflects, “I appreciated having the opportunity to be involved in so many different activities and interests during my time at NL. I never felt like I had to choose just one area of interest and being involved helped me to meet lots of different people, learn to manage my time, and stay organized - all skills that have helped me get to where I am today! The following is her advice for current NL students: Work harder than you think is possible (and necessary!), listen to and learn from advice from others, focus on your process and your progress - not comparing yourself to what others are doing, and treat others kindly and with good manners. I've had the privilege to work with professional athletes who are the best in the world at what they do and something I have learned from the ones who have played the longest (we're talking 12-15 years, which is an eternity in pro sports!) is they are incredibly good people - generous, kind, appreciative, consistent, disciplined, and polite to everyone they meet. The moment players think they don't have to work hard or listen to advice from others or they're better than others or they stop saying "please" and "thank you" and picking up after themselves, they tend to start struggling in their sport and in their lives.