20 years researching champions and potential fulfillment in high performance sport, using the latest methods and techniques in mind training and how this applies to success in business and other aspects of life.
Toni Gaddie
Clinical and Sports psychologist
Toni is a Clinical/Sports Psychologist and Performance Coach, who has represented South Africa and has been internationally ranked (no. 447) on the professional tennis world ranking. She specialises in the qualities, skills, and tools that create “Whole Champions” in all aspects of life. Toni is the co-founder of the Champion Academy. She works with top national and international sports teams, sports people, performing artists, business leaders, and their organizations with the purpose of growing ‘Whole Champions’ in their fields of expertise, as well as in life. Toni has worked with the highest level of athletes that have competed in the Olympics, Junior Olympics, Paralympics, Dakar Rally, Africa Games, South African and International Show jumping competitions, amongst others.
Toni attended the World Economic Forum twice in Davos, Switzerland where she has workshopped and learned from the best in their fields such as Daniel Goleman (founder of Emotional Intelligence), John Kabat-Zinn (founder of Mindfulness in the Western World), Paulo Coelho (world-renowned author of the Alchemist and others), Marissa Mayer (ex-CEO of Google and Yahoo), Saul Perlmutter (Noble Prize Winner for Physics 2011).
For her Clinical Psychology Master’s Thesis, “The Making of Champions: A Constructed Reality” and beyond, Toni interviewed and studied many world champions with the view to understanding the workings of their successful minds. She is passionate about assisting her clients achieve their dreams and live wholesome lives.
Toni is married to Allon Raiz and they have 2 sons.
Rikki Gaddie Dworcan
NLP Practitioner and Mind Trainer
She is an internationally certified Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner and has a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial, Clinical Psychology and Communications.
Rikki is passionate about growing “whole champions” in all sports as well as the arts. She motivates high performance athletes to grow their greatness by training the secrets of champions, how champions master pressure and how they develop their own unique ‘Champion Toolkit’. She co-founded The Champion Academy with Toni Gaddie (Clinical & Sports Psychologist), which focuses on programmes for elite athletes as well as high performance sportspeople of various ages, artistic talents and scholars and academics. Rikki includes meditation, yoga and brain gym into her daily routine as well as training others to use these skills tools to enhance their performance and mental health. Rikki is currently working with leading South African sports stars as well as top South African artistic talents and teams.
Rikki was ranked the number “One” tennis player in South Africa as a junior. At age 15, she was selected as a junior Springbok and chosen for the South African Super Squads to travel on the International Professional Tennis Tour. She competed in ITF and WTA Tour events as well as Grand Slams Wimbledon, US Open, French Open as well as the Italian Open. She competed extensively for 8 years. Her travels competing included 18 states in the United States of America, Europe, Australia, Asia & the Far East. Her team players included the likes of Amanda Coetzer, Mariaan De Swart, Wayne Ferreira and David Adams amongst other high world ranking tennis professionals.
Rikki’s inspiration from her success’s and the learnings from her challenges have inspired her to change the lives of the incredible athletes, artist talents, academics and scholars she works with.