Hi, I'm McKaley.
Former college athlete
Licensed Professional Counselor
Burnout coach for former athletes
…someone who learned the hard way that the mindset that gets you to the top isn't always the one that lets you enjoy it.
WHERE IT STARTED
Sports gave me an environment where I could flourish. I learned how to be part of a team, how to manage my time, how to push my body and see what I was capable of. I got to prove I was resilient. I got to play and learn life lessons all at once.
But I also learned things I didn't have words for at the time.
I learned that hard work gets you acceptance and respect. That there's no true off-season — greatness is cultivated while others are resting, so you use your time off to get ahead. That I wasn't just myself, but a reflection of a team, a program, a school, a coach. My wins and losses weren't just mine. They belonged to everyone.
I learned to outwork the people around me. That performing well wasn't just something I wanted, it was something I needed. That my worth was directly tied to my output.
By the time I got to college volleyball, those weren't beliefs I'd chosen. They were the foundation of my view on work and for a long time, they worked.
Until they didn't.
HOW IT CAUGHT UP WITH ME
Near graduation, I started my first real job as a case worker in outpatient mental health, right in the middle of COVID. I quickly became the person who hit every quota, said yes to every ask, and was first on the list when something needed to get done.
My job loved me, and I was quietly falling apart.
It was my first time without sport, and without realizing it, I took everything sport had taught me, the push, the prove it, the don't stop, and transferred it directly to work. I didn't know there was another way. Before my career even started, I was already on the road to burnout.
I was hollow. Exhausted. I'd lost touch with myself so gradually I didn't even notice it happening. I couldn't feel joy anymore, just the pressure to keep going and the guilt when I couldn't.
I wasn't just tired. I was becoming someone I didn't recognize.
WHAT CHANGED
The first step was recognizing that I wasn't failing. I was exhausted and burned out, and that, it turns out, is fixable.
Before, the problem felt innate, like something was broken in me and I just couldn't handle what I was supposed to handle. I had to call the problem what it actually was: burnout. Not a personal failing. Burnout is a nervous system stuck in survival mode, demanding we operate in a different way. It's our body forcing rest because we couldn't, or chose not to, give it rest when it asked.
I started setting boundaries. I made work fit around my life instead of building my life around work. I quit that outpatient job and opened my own private practice right out of grad school, a move that felt risky and turned out to be exactly what I needed. I filled my caseload in a couple of months and now have an active waitlist, not because I'm working more, but because I finally learned how to protect my capacity.
I started paying attention to what my body was trying to tell me instead of ignoring it. If I was hungry, I ate a real lunch, not just a protein bar from my desk drawer. I practiced nervous system regulation. I built a routine that helped me leave work at work.
I started being present in my marriage and my relationships, not just checking the "connection" box to keep everything afloat. I started playing again, trying new things, actually living instead of just performing.
And slowly, work became something I loved again.
I went from high-performing-but-disappearing to sustainably successful.
And I realized: every former athlete I know is carrying some version of what I was carrying. That's why I do this work.
I'm not here to tell you to work less.
I'm here to help you work in a way that doesn't cost you everything.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME
I'm an INFJ, Enneagram 2, lover of music, reading, and working out. I just finished up my first (and likely last) marathon.
I'm on my way to becoming a real pottery girly (still in wannabe territory, but committed).
I have two dogs I treat like children and a husband, Taylor, who has been my greatest supporter through all of it.
I had to learn the hard way that you can't pour from an empty cup. Now I help other former athletes fill theirs.
A few words from colleagues who know my work:
"McKaley's firsthand experience as a college athlete makes her a perfect person to help others manage the transition from sports to normal life. She is extremely well-equipped to help individuals learn how to rest and avoid burnout."
— Rachel P
"McKaley brings skill, warmth, and deep presence to her coaching work. She has a natural ability to connect with people and help clients move forward with intention and greater self-understanding."
— Rachael M.
THINK 1:1 COACHING MAY BE FOR YOU?
So many former athletes don't realize that their struggle with work and burnout is tied directly back to their sports upbringing.
There's a different way, and you can get there in 8 weeks!