Vera Jo Bustos: Mental Performance Coach. Keynote Speaker. Confidence Builder.

​

Vera Jo Bustos—commonly known as "Coach VJ"— is a top mental performance coach who trains athletes, executives, and high performers.

 

As a former professional basketball player and Hall of Fame athlete, she knows firsthand that talent and hard work are only part of the equation. The real game-changer? The mental game.

Today, she equips teams and individuals with the mindset skills they need to build confidence, perform under pressure, and lead with presence—on and off the court/field.

​

🎯 Founder of Mentality Solutions

​

In 2019, Vera Jo founded Mentality Solutions, a sport and performance psychology company that teaches mental skills in a way that’s clear, practical, and transformational. Her mission is simple:

​

“We help performers get out of their own way. We train the mental game like a skill, not a slogan. That’s how you create consistency, confidence, and grit when it matters most.”

​

Coach VJ has worked with thousands of performers, from high school athletes and coaches to professional athletes, veterans, surgeons, business professionals, executives, and student leaders.

​

🧠 A Coaching Style That Connects

​

Coach VJ's approach blends science, storytelling, and simple tools that athletes actually use. She makes mindset visible, using signature tools like:

​

• The Confidence Bank – a visual metaphor for building and spending confidence like a savings account

• Direct Speak – shifting athletes from fear-based self-talk to focused, performance-ready cues

• Power Over Poison – training athletes to recognize and overcome toxic thought patterns

• Performance Reframes – transforming pressure, nerves, and fear into competitive advantages​

​

Her coaching is known for being real, relatable, and radically effective.

​

🏀 Athlete. Coach. Competitor.

​

Before launching Mentality Solutions, Vera Jo served as an assistant basketball coach at Western Colorado University and the University of New Mexico, where she began training athletes in mental performance back in 2012. She brings decades of experience from both sides of the whistle—first as a coach, and before that, as a player.

​

Her journey began as a small-town athlete in Northern New Mexico. Passed up by Division I programs, she went on to make history at Adams State University, becoming:

​

• 3x College All-American

• School’s all-time leading scorer (1,859 points)

• First player inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame by age 30

​​

After college, she competed in the Euro-League in Greece, facing off against Olympians and international stars. Her professional experience fueled her passion to write her first book:

A Mindful Journey: An Adventure of Discovery & Transformation (2020), which explores the mental challenges and breakthroughs of her time overseas.

​

🎤 A Speaker Who Inspires Action

​

Vera Jo now travels the country as a keynote speaker, mental performance coach, and consultant. Whether on a court, in a boardroom, or from the stage, she delivers powerful messages that stick—with teams, organizations, and entire communities. Her sessions are rooted in performance psychology but come to life through energy and storytelling.

​

She’s been described as “the spark our program needed" and “the coach behind the curtain who made the difference.”

​

🔚 Final Message

​

“I was never the tallest, strongest, or most athletic. What separated me was the mental game. If I can do it, so can they. I love helping people see that greatness and success are things you can build and train. It all starts with your mindset and what you believe to be true about yourself.”

​

🗯 Ready to Work With Vera Jo?

​

If your athletes are good—but you know they’re capable of great—it’s time to bring in Coach VJ. She’s the speaker who makes mindset stick and the coach they’ll be talking about long after the session ends.

​

Great coaches build skills. Coach VJ builds belief. If you're ready to turn pressure into performance and mindset into your team’s secret weapon—now’s the time.

​

Mental strength and confidence are skills, and Coach VJ is the coach behind the curtain who helps athletes develop, own, and unleash them when it matters most.

​

[📩 Contact | 🔥 Speaking Inquiry | 🧠 Work With Mentality Solutions]