Coach Ray Libman believes that being able to show up in sport and in life authentically is key to reaching peak performance. Our mission at Phoenix Rising is to create a collaborative environment that fosters authenticity, accessibility, respect, mental skill development, personal growth, and a culture of excellence.

Coach Ray has been involved in organized sport in some form now for 35 years, first as an athlete, then as a coach, and now as a mental performance coach. He started figure skating and doing gymnastics competitively at the age of 5, however his competitive career took an unexpected turn after he came out to his family, his coaches, and US Figure Skating as transgender. Given the restrictions that were in place, he was no longer allowed to pursue qualifying competition, so he began coaching as a way to give back to the sport that gave him so much growing up. He decided to pursue his Master’s in Applied Sport and Performance Psychology to be able to support the next generation of athletes, especially LGBTQ+ athletes, reach their goals in sport and in life.