Today we’d like to introduce you to Reanna Karp.
Hi Reanna, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I picked up a basketball when I was just 4 years old. By the time I was heading into high school, I had fallen deeply in love with the game and began training seriously—spending countless hours working on my 3-point shot. That dedication led me to play at the collegiate level and even with a semi-professional team, which I’m incredibly grateful for. But behind the highlight moments, I also remember how hard I was on myself. I often let my emotions get the best of me, not realizing how much power the mind held—or how to use it in a way that actually supported my performance.
Running parallel to my basketball journey was a growing interest in psychology. After earning my undergraduate degree in the field, I explored different paths but felt consistently drawn to both spiritual psychology and sport psychology. Eventually, it hit me—why not blend the two?
I went on to earn a Master’s in Sport and Performance Psychology while also diving into studies around spirituality, quantum physics, and the energetics of the body and universe. Today, I work with elite female hoopers to help them strengthen their inner game—building unshakable confidence, learning to trust themselves, and aligning mind and body for peak performance.
It’s an honor to do this work through the game I love—to help athletes remember their inherent worth, embody their power, and show up on the court with courage, determination, and presence.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the greatest challenges in my journey has been fully owning who I am—and allowing that to be enough. For a long time, I wrestled with whether it was “okay” to blend my passions for both spirituality and science. I questioned if I could bring the quantum mechanics of energy and consciousness into a field that often leans heavily on traditional Western models. I feared judgment, being misunderstood, and not fitting in with others in my profession.
But as I started working more deeply with clients, I noticed something profound: the words I was speaking to help them remember their worth, honor their authenticity, and step fully into who they are—those were the same truths I needed to hear myself. I began to realize that trying to fit into a mold was dimming what made me, and my work, powerful.
Not every player is supposed to show up like Kelsey Plum or Sabrina Ionescu. If everyone tried to play like them, we’d miss out on the brilliance of other styles, other voices, other gifts. That would be a disservice—not just to the individual, but to the team, to the sport, and to the world. That’s the Caitlin Clark Effect: someone daring to bring her full self, logo shots and all, despite criticism, and in doing so, changing the game.
I’ve learned that my greatest challenge—owning my unique path—is also my greatest gift. And now I help my clients do the same. Their uniqueness isn’t something to hide; it’s something to illuminate.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mental Performance Training with Reanna Karp . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Mental Performance Training with Reanna Karp is a unique fusion of elite mental performance training and deeper inner work that taps into the mind, body, and soul of the hooper. I specialize in helping high-level female basketball players—high school, college, and pro—build unshakable confidence, sharpen their focus, and perform at their peak by working from the inside out. This is more than just a mindset mastery, this is a life transformation both on and off the court.
What’s different about the work that I do with hoopers is the way I bridge cutting-edge sport and performance psychology with the energy, intuition, and inner alignment that come from deeper self-awareness and spiritual connection. I don’t just teach hoopers how to perform better—I help them be better to themselves within and live from a more grounded, empowered version of themselves. We work on mental reps, emotional resilience, subconscious reprogramming, visualization, breathwork, nervous system regulation, identity, and more.
I’m most proud that my brand is a safe space for athletes to be real. To ask the deeper questions. To not just be tough, but to be true. This experience we have together gives hoopers permission to bring all of who they are to the game—not just their physical skill, but their full human experience.
For anyone reading this, I want you to know that this work is for hoopers who want more than just results on the stat sheet. It’s for players who want to trust themselves, find their voice, tap into their power, and play from a place of truth. That’s the magic. And when it clicks? It’s not just felt on the court—it shows up in every area of life.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
From a business standpoint, my biggest piece of advice is to trust your vision—even when it doesn’t look like anyone else’s. When I was first starting out, I had this strong pull to blend spirituality with mental performance, but I second-guessed it constantly. I worried it was “too out there” or that I had to follow a more traditional path to be taken seriously. But the truth is: the thing that makes your business different is the thing that will make it successful.
I wish someone had told me sooner that alignment is more important than approval. You don’t have to chase every trend or try to replicate what others in your field are doing. The more you honor your own voice, values, and way of serving, the more magnetic your business becomes.
The early stages can feel like you’re planting seeds no one sees yet—but if you stay true to your mission, the harvest always comes.
From a hooper’s standpoint, the advice I’d give is honestly the same as what I’d say to someone starting a business: trust yourself. Trust your training, trust your instincts, and trust your emotions.
Even though sports culture often teaches us to “toughen up” and not feel, the truth is—your emotions are a secret weapon. Learning how to feel isn’t what takes you out of the game; it’s what teaches you how to move with the flow of energy—just like in life. Mastery isn’t about shutting down; it’s about learning how to ride the wave, stay present, and stay connected to yourself no matter what’s happening around you.
That same lesson applies in business. When I first started, I thought I had to follow a certain model to be successful—to look like others in the field or keep things “professional” in a way that left out the heart. But just like on the court, the real breakthrough came when I started playing my game—trusting what I felt, what I saw, and how I knew I could serve.
Whether you’re launching a program or launching a 3, alignment will always outperform approval. Your emotions aren’t a weakness—they’re feedback. When you listen to them and move with them, not against them, you unlock the full flow of your power.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reannakarp.com
- Instagram: reannakarp_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reanna.karp/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannakarp/
