Kimberley Amirault is famous for helping other people realize their talent
by Wes LaFortune
In the curious and fickle world of public attention, the people on the front line get all the recognition. The athlete, not the coach, receives the trophy; the CEO, not the employee, is praised for a company’s record profits.
But Kimberley Amirault is one of those rare people who have transcended the intrinsic obscurity of their profession. The performance consultant (think sports psychologist, but for business people too) has coached elite athletes and high-powered executives across North America. The 36-year-old is the first woman to be appointed performance consultant to two of the largest professional sports teams in North America (the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers). Her client list includes, among many, many others, Brett Wilson (Alberta Venture’s 2008 Business Person of the Year) and Clara Hughes (Olympic gold medallist).
Some of the items currently on her resumé include the director of sports psychology for the Canadian Sport Centre in Calgary, the lead of sport psychology for the Canadian Olympic Committee and a performance consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Today, she’s in her office at the University of Calgary Kinesiology Complex. And she has some advice for readers.
It’s good advice, from a reliable source. Whether she’s sitting courtside watching a Little League team or across a desk from a corporate leader responsible for billions of dollars of assets, the fundamentals, Amirault says, are the same. In tough times, like these, she says we ought to resist the urge to “dig in and work even harder.”
“Look to where you get energy,” she says. “With this economy, the people that are the most resilient say, ‘This is a challenge, but what are the most important things in life?’” The resilient put the emphasis back where it belongs: on furthering better relationships with their family, forming a better network of support and giving back to the community.
Amirault learned these lessons herself at a young age. Her interest in sports – and her awareness of how to deal positively with adversity – came early. She grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She followed her older brother’s example and became a competitive downhill ski racer. “I learned my work ethic from my big brother, Shawn,” she says. “He’s now the vice-president of Helly Hansen Canada.”
The young Amirault was energized by sports, and gifted, too. In high school, she dreamt of glory on the slopes. Then she ripped all of the tendons in one hip during an off-season soccer game.
“Also, my parents got divorced,” recalls Amirault. “And I remember feeling like I had come from what was a picture-perfect family, and it was such a transition for me in teenage life. I realized just how valuable it was to have good people who helped me through that. And then I wanted to help others.”
She started volunteering at a local prison. There, she discovered that seeing other people achieve their goals could be as satisfying as achieving her own. “It’s incredible to watch people flourish,” she says.
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