Sophie Adickes

Sophie Adickes

Performance Anxiety coach who works with singers, actors and performers on stage fright / performance anxiety.

Sophie works with singers, professional performers, and high-achieving entrepreneurs, helping them conquer performance anxiety, manage industry stressors, and build unshakeable self-confidence.

Being a former performer herself, Sophie understands first-hand the difficulties of functioning within a high-stress/high-performance environment. Whether it’s the constant criticism and feedback, the audition grind, the rejection, or the pressure to people-please, being an artist is as challenging as it can be rewarding. In her coaching practice, she combines self-knowledge with tools training to help clients simultaneously manage stress and build self-confidence.

Sophie provides her clients with a holistic, solution-focused method backed by psychological research. Research demonstrates that confidence, resilience, and self-belief are skills that can be trained and learned, not just personality traits.  Her goal as a coach is to equip her clients with the mindset and tools required to sustain a career in the arts, ensuring that no one gives up on their dreams due to a skill gap.

Managing performance anxiety goes beyond simply problem-solving or eliminating symptoms.  Taking a strengths-based approach, Sophie uses each client's unique set of strengths and personal values as a strong foundation for growth and confidence.  As most anxiety comes from a preoccupation with the past or future, Sophie helps clients redirect to the present moment and align their current actions with their future goals. Her coaching style draws from the evidence-based techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy, performance psychology, mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, and positive psychology.  

She is a certified (Institute of Coaching Studies) and International Coaching Federation-accredited coach with 300+ hours of coaching experience. She holds a Master's degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University, a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from New York University, and a Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory.

WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

  • Close-up of a smooth, white surface with soft, blurred curves.

    "Before working with Sophie, I felt unconfident and anxious. Sophie is an excellent listener and I knew I could always count on her to celebrate my wins with me. She has also excelled at helping me discover the heart of difficult issues so that they could be effectively addressed. I also loved that the mental and physical techniques she taught me about performing also ended up applying to other areas of my life."

    -D, singer and actor

  • Close-up of soft white fabric with gentle folds and shadows

    "Prior to working with Sophie, I was having great difficulty with my mindset and physical symptoms around performing. I often struggled with shaking, heart racing, and being so affected by circumstances around me that it was hard to focus on my unique artistry in both audition and performance spaces. Her coaching process helped me to feel like I was authentically showing up in artistic spaces rather than trying to be something I am not."

    - Christy, Singer

  • Abstract white background with smooth, curved, and blurred lines.

    "One of the best parts of Sophie's coaching was her focus on identifying and capitalizing on my strengths. Rather than discussing areas that were a struggle for me, we leaned into my strengths and how they can help me in performance settings. This helped me to feel like I was authentically showing up in artistic spaces, rather than trying to be something I am not. She also helped me with identifying routines and practices that put me in a helpful mindset in high stress situations."

    - Singer and Actress

  • Close-up of a white fabric surface with soft shadows and folds.

    "My biggest goal in working with Sophie was my self-confidence, and we absolutely achieved this. Her work gave me direct, tangible ways to improve my self confidence and help me see that it is something that is built over time, not something people innately have or don't have."

    - SarahAnn. opera singer

  • Managing performance anxiety as a singer.

    "Before working with sophie, I struggled with uncertainty and didn't know what direction to take my career in. Sophie's relaxed, logical approach helped me find my self-confidence again by realizing there was another way forward."

    - Michael, Violist

  • Dealing with criticism and rejection as an artist and performer.

    "Working with Sophie gave me the confidence to let go of control while also gaining tools to stay grounded and feel safe in my own body."

    - Jodi, Entrepreneur

  • A band performing onstage confidently due to mindset tools.

    "Sophie taught me skills to work alongside my fears, showed me that it’s ok to do things scared and believed in me and my abilities before I could get there myself! As a certified β€œanxious girlie”, doing things scared was not particularly new but the approach was. Actually going into that with the knowledge that I would be ok and actually be better for that experience…that was new and it made doing it scared…exciting and not as scary!"

    - Valerie, singer

  • Mental performance skills and sports psychology for actors, singers, and artists.

    "My biggest takeaway from working with Sophie is knowing that I have unique gifts to share. My art isn’t going to look like everyone else’s and it shouldn’t. She helped me to see that comparison goes away when I’m focused on what creatively excites me."

    - Carly, singer and actor

FOLLOW ALONG FOR MORE TIPS @sophiepeformancecoach