A spiral is everything happening at once. A protocol puts it in sequence.
Until needed
The decision has been made. Nothing requires your performance right now. Not relaxation, not caring less — just not yet.
When it counts
Something requires you now. What is happening, what does it require, what comes next. Execute.
When it's over
The moment ended or reality changed. Take the information, decide what changes, start clean.
“Right now, I'm flying. I'll be scared later.”
Fear can be in the cockpit. It doesn't have to fly the helicopter. The same is true at the start line.
The space between what you can do and what you do.
There is a particular kind of loss that hurts more than simply being beaten. You know you were capable of more. You have done it in training. Then competition arrives — and somehow, you don't do what you know you can do.
Maybe you tighten up. Maybe you make one mistake and spend the rest of the competition trying to undo it. Maybe nothing dramatic happens at all. You simply compete at eighty percent of yourself.
This is not about becoming more talented, or wanting it more, or becoming fearless. Competition introduces something training cannot completely reproduce: stakes. And before long, instead of competing, you are managing your experience of competing.
That is where Altitude begins. Not with confidence. With decisions.
Read it. Try it with me. Then make it yours.
The protocol
The whole system in one short book: OFF, ON, RESET, with field work for each part. Read it, try it before your next competition, and see if it's your language.
Free
Altitude session
90 minutes, in person in Vancouver or by video. We take one real competition coming up, find where you start competing too early, and close the loop. If you go on to the program, the session counts toward it.
$250 CAD
Book a sessionThe Altitude Program
Eight weeks of personal work on your own protocol: your decision rules, triggers, warm-up and reset — tested in real competitions. A call with me every week, and a voice message every day to keep you in focus. Then three months of monthly calls to make it stick.
$3,000 CAD
It starts with a 20-minute video call, so we can both decide whether eight weeks together is the right fit. A $30 USD deposit holds the time and is refunded after the call.
Book the intro callThe Sanctuary is open to women who compete — a monthly membership at $250 CAD. Join after the program to stay connected, or start there if the program isn't within reach right now.
Coaching women? Some things she won't bring to you.
Her cycle. The shifts in her emotional state before a start. How her body is changing and what that does to her confidence. Many female athletes find these easier to talk through with a woman who has competed at the top herself.
The protocol is open to everyone, coaches included. Read it, see whether it speaks your athlete's language — and if it does, send her to me. I work alongside your plan, not instead of it.
Ask for the protocol for your team →Olympian. Commercial helicopter pilot.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi I became the first snowboarder to represent Kazakhstan. In May 2026 I earned my Commercial Pilot Licence — Helicopter, issued by Transport Canada.
Elite sport and aviation taught me the same thing from two sides: prepare thoroughly, make the decision, and stop spending energy on it until the moment actually requires you. That is the whole of Altitude.
I work only with women. Competition and the body work differently for women and men, and I can only speak from inside a woman's body.
I'm also the author of After the Podium: How to Win After Sport.
More about me →What people ask before they write.
Is this sports psychology?
No. Altitude is performance work: how you think, decide and execute under pressure. It isn't therapy or medical treatment. If you're dealing with anxiety, depression, disordered eating or an injury, please see a licensed professional — I'm glad to work alongside them.
Who is it for?
Women athletes who compete, in any sport, whose performance under pressure doesn't match what they can do in training: tightening up, overthinking before the start, letting one mistake turn into five, choking at the moments that count.
Do you work with men?
No. Competition and the body work differently for women and men, and I can only speak from inside a woman's body. Male athletes and coaches are welcome to read the protocol.
How is this different from working with a sports psychologist?
I've studied sports psychology, but I'm not a licensed psychologist and I don't treat mental health concerns. What I bring is the view from inside — an Olympian and a helicopter pilot who has had to perform when it counts — and a simple, procedural system you can run yourself: OFF, ON, RESET. Many athletes use both.
What's included in the $3,000 program?
Eight weeks of personal work on your own protocol, a call with me every week and a voice message every day to keep you in focus. Then three monthly calls over the following three months to make it stick. Your $250 Altitude session counts toward the program. Before you commit, we start with a 20-minute video call to see whether we're the right fit.
Can we work online?
Yes. Sessions are in person in Vancouver or by video, and the daily voice messages reach you wherever you train and compete.
My competition is next week. Is it too late?
No. Book an Altitude session: we take that competition and build your OFF, ON and RESET for it.
Can my coach be involved?
Yes. I work alongside your coach's plan, not instead of it.
Got a competition coming up? Write to me.
Tell me your sport and your next start. I'll send you the protocol, and we'll see whether a session makes sense.
hello@valeriatsoy.comAltitude is performance work, not medical or psychological treatment.
Altitude Protocol by Valeria Tsoy · valeriatsoy.com/altitude · Vancouver, Canada · Policies