Creighton University Women’s Volleyball head coach, Kirsten Bernthal Booth, and the team’s sports psychiatrist, Dr. Larry Widman, have made mental training a priority for the team for many years.  In particular, they made extensive use of the process of visualization - a proven process of using mental imagery to actually improve physical performance.  When the Coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, Coach Booth, Dr. Widman and the rest of the coaching staff began looking for options that would enable their athletes to maintain consistent, daily mental strength training. They found nothing.

Determined to provide mental strength training to the team, the coaching staff began recording audio-based visualization exercises and sent them directly to the team.  The players responded positively, and the idea of NeuroFuel was born.

After seeing how effective the recordings were with her college players, Coach Booth thought this type of training could be incredibly impactful for younger club and high school players, as well. With two of Booth’s daughters in club volleyball, she realized they were getting skills training and strength training, but observed there was nothing being offered to help train and develop the kids’ mental skills. After years of watching and recruiting youth players, and understanding this training gap, the coaching staff collectively realized the massive need for mental training in youth players.

Seeing the need and opportunity, Coach Booth, her husband Erik, Dr. Widman, then Creighton assistant coach Craig Dyer and his wife Jen Armson-Dyer, and Creighton assistant coach Angie Behrens started meeting about how to take this from concept to reality, going on to build it into the NeuroFuel app - providing athletes the content, structure and schedule for mental strength training. Starting in volleyball, the NeuroFuel app quickly gained praise and endorsements from the leading names in the sport.  The Founders continue to remain active in the business today, while continuing to be leaders in their “day job.”