Coach MaryJo (MJ) McCloskey
I am all about helping individuals, teams, coaches, and businesses create a positive culture to achieve next level performance. I truly love to win on the course, but most importantly, I want to help others discover their own winning greatness and joy.
After coaching collegiate golf for over 20 years, I have become increasingly aware of a crisis among student-athletes which only seems to be getting worse—it’s a crisis of self-esteem. I consistently meet highly skilled student-athletes who have simply lost their confidence. They question their capabilities, make excuses, and downplay their achievements only to find themselves in a downward spiral of poor performance and defeat.
This negative thinking may start with a small mistake, a negative comment from someone or comparing themselves with other competitors. As the negativity grows stronger, it feeds an imposter syndrome and a mindset of not being good enough. It’s a brutal and vicious cycle.
When I realized the growing need to help student-athletes find a healthier mindset and the mind-over-matter tools it takes to succeed, I committed myself to that work. It’s been a gamechanger for me and for the student-athletes I’ve had the honor to coach, improving confidence and performance levels.
Through years of experience—and much personal research—I’ve learned the proven methods to rise above negativity and find the mental strength to break through resistance and discover inner personal power. I have helped student-athletes with less talent and experience than their competitors understand what it takes to achieve more by focusing on their inner game of mental toughness, self-awareness, and an overall belief system that they CAN realize their dreams. Helping student-athletes implement mental toughness tools and realize their power and greatness is already within them—it just needs to be unleashed.
Prior to coaching, I worked in sales and marketing in the hotel industry. I helped open both the Riverplace Hotel and Heathman Hotel in Portland, as well as the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington–all while earning my MBA from the University of Portland. My undergraduate degree is in Business/Marketing from the University of Oregon.
I currently live in Portland, Oregon with my husband, Rick. When I am not coaching, I love golf, travel, hiking, and photography! I also love immersing myself in sports psychology books and podcasts to continue to learn, grow and reach new levels of understanding about how mindset impacts literally EVERYTHING!
Serving others is my number one priority.
Coaching Achievements
🏆 6-time West Region Coach of the Year
🏆 9-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year
🏆 2023 NCAA D-III National Championship Coach
🏆 7 NCAA D-III National team trophies in last 10 seasons
🏆 13 consecutive Northwest Conference Championship team trophies
🏆 Board Director for Women’s Golf Coaches Assn. (WGCA).
🏆 NCAA Regional Committee
🏆 Board Member for Tournament Golf Foundation (operates LPGA Portland Classic)
🏆 Board Member for The Campbell Course, First Tee of Portland