Meet The Team

Allie is a Licensed Therapist, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Yoga Teacher, and retired division 1 athlete. She specializes in working with high  school  and collegiate athletes of every level, as well as non-athlete high performers such as entrepreneurs, young professionals, and graduate students.  She works 1 on 1 with clients to give them the time, space, tools, and accountability, to achieve their dreams.

 

Allie has worked with many top entrepreneurs, athletes, and NCAA Collegiate sports teams, including conference champion volleyball, NCAA champion field hockey, conference champion lacrosse, and more.

Allie completed her undergraduate degree at Boston University, where she played four years of Division 1 Field Hockey.  After completing her yoga teaching certification, and starting and running her first business, Allie returned to Boston University to complete her graduate degree in Sport Psychology and Mental Health Counseling. She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and has over a decade of experience working various roles in competitive athletics. She has worked at all levels of care in mental health treatment centers and have specialized in treating athletes and individuals with anxiety, eating disorders, and confidence/body image issues.

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Allie founded The Mental Edge with the belief that everyone deserves to have the tools to care for their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing; and that everyone deserves to have the mental skills to create their dream life. 

Lauren Planas, MS, RD, LDN is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for sports and performance nutrition and supporting clients through recovery from disordered eating. She completed her dietetic internship alongside her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics through the University of Connecticut’s Coordinated Program. She then went on to earn a Master of Science in Nutrition at Boston University.

 

Assisting athletes and non-athlete high performers understand the role of nutrition in performance, and how to use applicable skills and education to support such is Lauren's area of specialty. She has experience providing nutrition counseling and education to high school aged soccer, lacrosse, and baseball players. Additionally she has experience working with collegiate athletes at the Division I level at The University of Connecticut, Boston University, and Boston College. Lauren also has extensive experience working with adults, adolescents and families recovering from disordered eating and eating disorders in the partial hospitalization and outpatient level of care.

 

As a dietitian, Lauren is curious, compassionate, and enthusiastic. She approaches clients in an open, non-judgmental and direct manner, ready to provide them with the education and tools to work towards their individualized goals. She finds value in supporting others finding the most sustainable ways to achieve their goals while creating healthy lifelong habits.

Colleen is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant accredited through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and is the current Assistant Director for Mental Health Initiatives at Virginia Tech. (Colleen's role at Virginia Tech is not associated with her role at The Mental Edge.) Colleen has been involved in athletics in some form for the majority of her life.  At a young age, Colleen explored tennis, gymnastics, track, basketball, swimming, and diving.  At age nine, Colleen realized her passion for swimming and committed to that for the next twelve years and became a four-year member of the Division I University of Vermont swim and dive team. 

 

While at UVM Colleen earned a B.S. in Psychological Sciences with minors in Special Education and Behavior Change Health Studies. During this time Colleen worked with Catamount Sport Psychology and Counseling and contributed to the Rally Around Mental Health initiative.  Her passion for empowering other athletes led her to Boston University, where she earned a Master of Education in Counseling with a specialization in Sport Psychology.

 

Colleen has worked with high level athletes and performers including NCAA conference champion track and field and cross-country teams, nationally ranked youth swimmers, and graduate level musicians.  Colleen works to get to know the unique needs of each individual she is working with, and collaboratively build skills and strategies to address those needs.  Colleen currently resides in Virginia where she works at a university where she provides mental health education and prevention work for students, staff, and faculty.