Val Whiting

Val Whiting is a two-time NCAA Champion, former WNBA player, Certified Mental Performance Consultant®, and speaker who knows firsthand what it takes to perform under pressure, overcome adversity, and rebuild when life does not go according to plan. As a standout basketball player at Stanford University, Val competed in three Final Fours, won two national championships and four conference titles, earned two All-American selections, and was twice named Pac-10 Player of the Year. She went on to compete professionally in both the ABL and WNBA. But Val’s story is about much more than championships. Her journey has included career-threatening injury, personal setbacks, tremendous pressure, and moments that forced her to redefine what strength, confidence, and resilience really mean. Those experiences ultimately led her to study the psychology behind human performance and become a Certified Mental Performance Consultant®. Today, Val brings together elite-level athletic experience, mental performance expertise, storytelling, and practical strategies to help people perform with greater confidence when the pressure is on. Whether she is speaking to athletes, coaches, students, leaders, teams, or organizations, Val challenges audiences to rethink confidence, respond differently to mistakes and setbacks, manage pressure more effectively, and develop the mental skills necessary to keep moving forward when things get hard. Her message is practical, relatable, and rooted in experience. Val does not simply tell people to be mentally tough. She shows them how to build it. Val is also the founder of Mentally StrongHer™ and serves on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance.