Jana holds an undergraduate degree in athletic training and a graduate degree in sport and exercise psychology. She is passionate about holistic healthcare, integrating medical consultation with mental training strategies. Jana has experience working with athletes and performers of all ages across various settings.<\/p>\n
Her first love was dance. As a child, Jana danced recreationally with CAPA Dance School and trained pre-professionally at The Washington Ballet. Unfortunately, during her pre-professional years, she faced hip injuries and underwent multiple surgeries. These challenges inspired her to support other dancers, athletes, and performing artists. Jana believes that many injuries\u2014or their worsening\u2014can be prevented with guidance from qualified healthcare professionals and early intervention.<\/p>\n
After several years as an athletic trainer, Jana witnessed both the positive and negative impacts of sports and physical activity on her athletes. This experience motivated her to pursue advanced studies in sport psychology, allowing her to provide comprehensive care. She understands that an athlete’s mental state, well-being, confidence, and enjoyment are crucial for achieving and sustaining peak performance.<\/p>\n
Currently, in addition to her full-time role, Jana runs her own business, OrthoMind Clinic, where she serves as an athletic trainer and sport psychology consultant. She is dedicated to enhancing her clients’ quality of life and performance. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her cat, trying new restaurants, attending professional ballets, and listening to audiobooks. Jana is excited to collaborate with Cerebral Sports and provide services to Steps on Broadway this season as a contracted sport psychology consultant. Feel free to reach out to Jana @orthomind.clinic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":34873,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"discipline":[16],"class_list":["post-34871","faculty","type-faculty","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","discipline-academy-guest-teachers"],"acf":{"first_name":"Jana","last_name":"Ponder","display_name":"Jana R Ponder, MS, LAT, ATC","thumbnail":34872,"reel":"","bullet_points":""},"yoast_head":"\n