Member since
1980
Lives in
Charlotte, North Carolina
What he does
Brown began his career as a clinical psychologist in 1980, but in 2004 he decided to switch to full-time consulting aimed at helping athletes, artists and others perform at their highest abilities, while maintaining balance in their lives. "I have the best job in the world," he says with enthusiasm. "I get to help people do great things."
A lifelong passion
He became interested in psychology after attending a career fair in seventh grade. "It's been a true calling. It really is a privilege when people invite you into their lives."
Getting out of the silos
Brown has worked with scores of world-class athletes, including the U.S. Olympic canoe and kayak whitewater slalom team. Recently, he has geared his work toward helping people in the performing arts and businesses. "For most people, a key to success is deciding what you really want," he says. "And once you decide that, you need to clarify what is absolutely essential for success, and then learn to keep your attention on the essential and ignore the distractions." One reason for his success with clients, he believes, is his ability to apply insights from other disciplines, such as family systems or sports medicine. "Too often psychology is stuck in silos and doesn't benefit from knowledge in other areas." For example, Brown says, in many cases when athletes are referred to psychologists, their symptoms are caused by physiological, rather than psychological, issues. "Psychological problems among these clients are often caused by a failure to adequately recover between workouts," he says. Without recovery time, changes in the body lead to psychological symptoms, he explains, such as burnout or lethargy.
Future plans
Brown will turn 66 this year and plans to scale back his practice by offering Web-based tutorials and consulting via Skype from the North Carolina mountains. "I'd rather retire two years early than one year late." One reason to cut back is to spend more time traveling and hiking with his wife of 31 years, Janet Blanchard, a human resources executive, whom he calls "the most outrageously wonderful adventure companion."
His life philosophy
Brown prides himself on living an intentional life. He likes to quote 19th-century Swiss philosopher Henri Frederic Amiel, who said, "Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind." And Brown adds, "Enjoy the ride."
— Sara Martin
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