Mental Skills Coach
Mental Skills Trainer who supports rehabilitation and sporting setbacks.
Instagram - nxt_lvl_mst
ABOUT NXT-LVL
My name is Joe Noakes, a Certified Mental Skills Coach who is committed to unlocking the full potential of anyone, from experienced athletes to regularly active individuals, who are struggling with rehabilitation or have experienced sporting setbacks.
Nxt-Lvl offers a programme of tailored coaching and mentoring sessions that focus on enhancing mental toughness, discipline and mindset, using recognised Mental Skills Training techniques: Resilience; Communication; Leadership; Goal Setting; Motivation; Visualisation/Imagery; Arousal Regulation; Self Talk; Confidence.
I know from personal experience how challenging it can be to recover from injuries and suffer sporting setbacks - scroll down to find out more.
Why Nxt-Lvl?
As a Royal Marine Commando, I learnt very quickly that toughness starts in the mind!
This applies whether leading a section attack or captaining the football team; focus, belief and composure can turn pressure into performance.
Playing semi-pro football for over a decade has also taught me the importance of mental strength and the role it plays in physical rehabilitation as well as rebuilding confidence following a setback.
Now I help people to turn frustration into fuel, doubt into drive and setbacks into powerful comebacks - mindset is our strongest muscle and together we can train it!
My setbacks & comebacks
2021-2025
Two ruptured ankle ligaments
After years of pushing my limits in football and the Royal Marines, I recently had surgery on my ankle to repair two ruptured ligaments and remove several floating bone fragments. The specialist told me the damage had been there for a long time —
I’d been training and competing on a serious injury without realizing just how severe it was.
Like many athletes, I kept pushing through the pain, focused on performance instead of recovery. This experience has reminded me how important it is to listen to your body, respect the rehab process, and strengthen the mind as much as the muscles.
2017-2018
2 Red Cards in two games
At Hartpury University, I hit a rough patch — two red cards in two games and challenges off the pitch that threw me off balance. I lost focus, let emotions take over, and paid the price.
That experience opened my eyes to the power of mental control and resilience. It’s what inspired my journey into mental skills training — helping athletes channel emotion, regain focus, and turn frustration into fuel for stronger performances.
2011-2012
Torn hip-flexors
At 13, I tore my hip flexor playing football — and just three months later, I tore it again in my first game back. It was a crushing setback at that age, and it tested my patience, confidence, and love for the game.
Looking back, that moment taught me the importance of mindset — how recovery isn’t just physical, it’s mental. Staying positive, focused, and disciplined through setbacks became the foundation for the mental skills I now coach athletes to master today.