The True Athlete Project
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OUR TEAM

A diverse coalition
We are a diverse team of world-class athletes, coaches, clinical and sport psychologists, mindfulness teachers, social pioneers and policymakers. Together, we work toward our vision of a more compassionate world through sport.

​Our
 UK entity and the US entity serve to strengthen one another but have distinct strategies and are independent of one another.
TAP u.K. board members
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Danny Culinane
Snr sport development lecturer at Liverpool John Moores Univ. Coordinator of "IDEALS Namibia" programme.
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Hannes Hoeltge
Lecturer at Real Madrid University. Formerly at the Intl. Paralympic Committee. Youth basketball coach.
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Sarah Keyes
Exec. director of organisational development at the General Dental Council. 
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Alice Deakin
Exec. coach & facilitator. Former chartered accountant & director of Deloitte's CFO Program. 
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John Tucker
Chief of Staff at Transport for London. Former head of sport strategy, finance & intl. policy at DCMS.
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Mel Paramasivan
Communications manager at Wellcome Trust. Formerly with Thomson Reuters and UK Sport. 
STAFF, CONSULTANTS & VOLUNTEERS
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Sam Parfitt
Founder and CEO 
​Sport for social change pioneer. Former tennis player, coach and mindfulness teacher.
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Charlotte Henshaw
Mentor Liaison
Paracanoe Paralympic Champion. 7 x World Champion. Paralympic Swimming Medallist.
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Talan Skeels-Piggins
Mentor Liaison 
​World champion, paralympian, children's author, mentor and coach
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Yong Oh
Insight meditation and mindfulness teacher. Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock, California. 
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Laurence Halsted
Director of Mentoring
Two-time Olympian. Former performance director at Danish Fencing.
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Dr Davies Banda
Impact Support
Sport for Development practitioner. Dir. of Learning and Teaching at the Univ. Edinburgh.
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Anne MacDonald
Former HR director at Decathlon. Executive coach. Phd research focuses on mindfulness for the workplace.
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Kirstie Urwin
Programmes Manager
Professional sailor, psychologist, coach and mental health advocate.
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Mark Hawkins
Mentor Liaison
Former professional handball player in Denmark and Iceland. Olympian and coach
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Dr. Nicole Gabana
Dir. of sport psychology at the University of Massachusetts and leading gratitude researcher. 
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Matilda Mayne
Yin yoga teacher and trainee performance psychologist. Former MMA fighter, chef and bodyguard.
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Victoria Kingstone
Mentor Liaison
GB para-archer, wheelchair basketball classifier and sport psychology student.
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Todd Iarussi 
Brown University research associate. Executive coach at Rhinomind and former baseball player.
​TAP U.S. BOARD MEMBERS
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Tim Chakwin
Co-founder of Chattanooga Lacrosse. English teacher & dean of students at McCallie School, Chattanooga.
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Jennifer Hoff
President and founder of Skye Strategies. Co-founder of the Chattanooga
writer's guild.
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David Elliott
International business, immigration & health attorney specialising in advocacy for those in need in Tennessee.
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Dr. Mike Johnson
Clinical & performance psychologist for US special operations forces. Former WADA consultant.
ADVISORS TO THE PROJECT
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​Dr. Cath Bishop
Olympic rowing silver medalist, leadership coach and former diplomat. Author of The Long WIn.
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Sir Norman Lamb
Former MP & UK health minister. Founder of the Norman Lamb Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
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Eli Wolff
Global leader in Olympism. Co-director of Inclusive Sports Initiative and Power of Sport Lab. 
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Our team also includes athletes from 33 sports and 10 countries. To read more about the athletes on our global mentoring programme mentors and mentees, click here.

Join our Team as a TAP Advocate

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BECOME A TAP ADVOCATE

Staff / Volunteer Vacancies

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VACANCIES
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
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Contact Us
Legal
Privacy
FAQs
The True Athlete Project is formed of two independent legal entities: The True Athlete Project (US), which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation under US federal tax guidelines, and The True Athlete Project Ltd (UK), which is a UK charity, registration number: 1198569.

The UK entity and the US entity serve to strengthen one another but have distinct strategies and are independent of one another.

The True Athlete Project (US): Tax ID: 81-1063080
The True Athlete Project Ltd. Companies House No: 12416150 
​© Copyright 2023. The True Athlete Project. All rights reserved.
Vision
Team
Programmes
Donate
  • VISION
    • Our Vision
    • Our Story
    • Our Butterfly
    • Our Mindful Approach
  • Team
  • What We Offer
    • View All Programmes
    • Federation Packages
    • Mentoring
    • Workshops
    • Online Courses
    • Community / Schools Programmes
    • Becoming a True Athlete - The Book
    • Impact Portfolio
  • Donate
    • Whakapapa
    • Fundraising Auction
  • Shop
  • TAP Speaks
  • Contact Us