It was early in Dr Nirmal's career where she studied the many factors related to high performance including the importance of mental health support. Reflecting on her junior career, she still recalls vivid examples of where her mental game served her and where it did not. Similarly, she remembers university NCAA tournaments where her mental game could have used great support in order to be extraordinary.

Fast forward to her Masters and PhD degrees. Dr. Nirmal's lived experience as a compettive golfer inspired her to be one of the first researchers to conduct a program evaluation for the Respect in Sport program - a program developed by a former NHL player, Sheldon Kennedy, and the Canadian Red Cross designed to enhance coaches and parents' understanding of unique emotional and performance needs of athletes and the influence parents and coaches have on the performance of athletes. While completing her PhD degree, Dr Nirmal switched gears and focused on neurodevelopmental disorders and has become a recognized expert in the area of autism spectrum disorder and related conditions such as ADHD and specific learning disorders like dyslexia.

Now, she is bridging the 2 concepts: supporting athletes with their mental game and coaching them in keeping with their learning style.

Dr Nirmal has experience in coaching juniors, college-student athletes, and tour players. Alongside this privilege, she works as a Staff Psychologist at British Columbia's Children's Hospital and is the owner and director of The Neurodevelopment Group. Dr Nirmal is a proud alumnus of The University of British Columbia where she completed her MA and PhD degrees in School and Applied Child Psychology. She is also a proud alumnus of Nova Southeastern University where she completed her BSc degree in psychology while playing on the women's golf team.