Jon Skidmore PSY.D.

Jon believes something amazing happens when grit, courage and skill meet the skills of the peak performance mindset. The brain so easily triggered into fight, flight or freeze, opens up to flow, the zone, and the thrill of peak performance. He is grateful for the privilege of assisting fellow performers to find freedom on their stage and in life, so they can sing their song, share their message and give their gift.

As a young singer, Jon--like most of us--was taught that a good performance was all about lots and lots of practice. He was taught nothing about how to manage performance anxiety. As a singer and young psychologist, he learned that a great performance is all about developing a mindset to equal the skill set and that’s when he became a peak performance coach.

He presented his first peak performance workshop in 1986 and has worked with students ranging from the local Junior High to Juilliard. In 1991 he joined the faculty of the Brigham Young University School of Music where he has since been teaching the class he developed, The Psychology of Music Performance. Currently, he is in private practice at Utah Valley Psychology, in Orem, Utah, specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

He has been married to his wonderful wife Kathy for 35 years and has four amazing children and 10 beautiful grandchildren. He enjoys wood carving, being in nature, singing and playing his Native American flute while the sun sets on the red rocks of the Southern Utah desert.

Education:

He received a vocal scholarship to Utah State University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in psychology.

He received his Master’s Degree in Counseling and Guidance from Brigham Young University.

He received his Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and his doctoral dissertation explored the experience of peak performance for musicians.