THE WHOLE ATHLETE INITIATIVE

Cultivating high-performance by honoring the whole athlete.

Keynotes | Consulting | Coaching | Workshops | Virtual Team Rooms

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The WHOLE Athlete Initiative (The WAI) is a holistic approach to cultivating high-performance that honors the development of the WHOLE athlete, mind, body and soul, by providing pillars of support to elevate mental health and improve performance.

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It takes training the physical, technical and mental game to catapult an athlete to optimal performance, resiliency and most importantly, fulfillment of personal goals.

Here’s how we can help:

We provide customized programming to individuals, organizations and teams to support the development of the WHOLE athlete including, but not limited to, the WAI Virtual Team Rooms, Mindful Sports Performance Enhancement (MSPE) series, Mental Health Advocacy & Programming, culture building workshops, leadership trainings and Athlete Wellness Initiatives.

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Education & Awareness

  • Increase awareness of mental health issues, i.e. how to recognize the signs and symptoms of depressive illness.

  • Share personal account of mental illness and path to recovery.

  • Identify additional supports and resources available on campus / within organizations.

Tools & Engagement

  • Infuse Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement practices to optimize and improve performance.

  • Provide additional strategies for prevention, self-care and help-seeking; and strategies for teammates who may be struggling.

  • Promote and practice positive coping skills; encourage active participation in strengthening mental well-being.

  • Provide Mental Health First Aid training for adults who work with youth (ages 12-26).

  • I had the opportunity to hear Samantha Livingstone share her story at her “Reclaiming Our Bodies: Challenging Expectations of Athletic Bodies” talk at Williams College. As a student-athlete at the college, I was incredibly moved by how Samantha placed damaging relationships with body image and eating in a perfectionist framework in order to explore their development and implications. In a culture so enamored with perfection, competition, and the “ideal," it quickly became evident how a void in discussion could perpetuate these unhealthy relationships. The vulnerability and honesty with which Samantha approached mental health drew in her audience, making us feel so heard, challenged, and embraced. Individual conversations since have only affirmed how approachable, thoughtful, and open-minded Samantha is, as she worked with me to develop my own “Embrace your Body” week on campus. I cannot wait to continue learning from Samantha about mental health and education, especially in a sports environment, and I cannot thank her enough for pioneering these vitally important conversations!

    - Elizabeth Welch | Williams College 2 x Sport Student-Athlete

Let’s work together.

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly! We can't wait to hear from you!

Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic gold medalist, high-performance consultant, speaker and mental health activist. At home in the classroom, Samantha spent six years teaching high school science and coaching swimming. After a near-death experience with her then 12-month-old daughter, Samantha knew it was time to pay forward all she'd learned about high achievement, rising through hard things, and finding fulfillment in the striving.


In 2016, Samantha founded Livingstone High Performance and the Whole Athlete Initiative (the WAI) in response to the mental health crisis impacting adolescents across the globe. Livingstone High Performance provides pillars of support to organizations, teams, and individuals to elevate mental wellbeing and improve performance. Samantha holds a master's degree in science education and is a certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid, facilitator of Mindful Sports Performance Enhancement and STARR (Stress + Trauma Activate, Release + Rewire) certified.
In addition to private coaching, Samantha consults with business leaders and teams on wellness initiatives, mindful leadership, emotional agility and developing high-performance cultures.
Samantha was a member of the U.S. National Team, 1999 U.S. Pan Pacific Team and 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. As an 18-year-old, she stood atop the Olympic podium in Sydney, Australia after swimming the lead-off leg of the record-setting 4 x 200 Freestyle Relay. Post- Olympics, Samantha battled an eating disorder, depression and shoulder surgery. With the help of an amazing mentor, she rose from the rubble stronger, happier and healthier, ending her career as a 7 x NCAA All-American. To close out her career, Samantha led her teammates to the 2005 National Championship title as the co-captain of the Georgia Bulldogs.


She was named the 2005 NCAA Georgia Woman of the Year and is a recipient of the 2005 NCAA Top VIII Award given to student- athletes for their success on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community. She earned the Joel Eves award at the University of Georgia for earning the highest GPA of all student-athletes in her graduating class and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America 1st Team.


Samantha is the recipient of the 2023 Arch Award for her impact in business. In 2020, Samantha was named to the University of Georgia's Top 40 Under 40. She is currently a member of USA Swimming's Mental Health Task Force and serves as a global ambassador for Beyond Sport's Stay in the Game Network alongside NFL Hall of Famer, Brian Dawkins.
_Samantha resides in Berkshire County, Massachusetts with her husband and four daughters. You can learn more about Samantha and her offerings at _samanthalivingstone.com.

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Work We Do in the WAI

We empower athletes. 

  • To take ownership and accountability for their life.

  • To lead with intention.

  • To develop the metacognitive skills needed to identify + edit limiting beliefs that are holding them back. 

  • To navigate feedback - both giving and receiving.  

  • To cultivate the courage be who they are AND stay open to growth.

  • To see the greatness that is inside of themselves.

  • And, develop the skills so they can live their dreams and become.

WE’RE STRONGER TOGETHER.

We know that organizations, coaches and parents are facing ever-increasing demands with ever-decreasing resources. We know each school / team / home has its unique challenges, including the rise of anxiety, depression, self-harm and other mental health issues. 

We'll connect - and talk about the biggest challenges you’re facing.

Then, we'll work together to create a program that meets your needs and equips all athletes with the awareness and emotional resilience they need to achieve AND feel fulfilled.

Ready to bring The WAI to your school or organization?