More about Natascha Wesch
Born on the outskirts of Montreal (QC), Natascha competed in many sports while growing up, such as tennis, gymnastics, ringette, hockey, soccer, and many others. Just before starting university, she fell in love with the sport of rugby. Within one year of being introduced to the sport, Natascha represented her province at the senior national championships, and within two years she was selected to wear the Maple Leaf and represent Canada on the international stage. Natascha attended Concordia University where she played both varsity hockey and varsity rugby. She studied Exercise Science and specialized in Athletic Therapy. In her graduating year, she was named the Concordia University Stingers Female Athlete of the Year.
In 1994, Natascha moved to London, Ontario to pursue a master's degree in Exercise Physiology/Biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario. There, she started the Mustangs varsity women's rugby program and developed it into one of the leading forces in Canadian women's rugby. The program became a breeding ground for provincial, national, and international female rugby athletes. After 22 years at the helm, and multiple provincial and national championships along the way, Natascha retired from her university varsity coaching role with the Western Mustangs in 2016 to dedicate her time to her private practice, family life, and teaching.
Throughout her graduate work, Natascha continued to play rugby for Canada and compete in multiple international tournaments, including two World Cups. Natascha began coaching at the provincial level in 1998 and at the national level in 2000, and became heavily involved in rugby in Ontario and Canada. She led the Ontario junior provincial program to several national championships and helped put the Canadian junior national program on the world map. Natascha also lead the Canadian National Senior Women's 7s team to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in Dubai in 2009. Throughout her coaching career, Natascha was also involved on the administrative side of sport as a board director with Rugby Ontario and Rugby Canada.
Following the completion of her first master's degree (MSc 1998), Natascha became a full-time faculty member in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario. After almost a decade of teaching, she returned to full-time studies at Western to obtain a Doctorate in Sport Psychology (PhD 2009) and then pursued post-doctoral studies at McMaster University where she focused on Health and Rehabilitation Psychology with individuals with spinal cord injuries (Post-Doc 2010). In 2009, Natascha launched her private consulting practice supporting athlete mental performance. In order to help her clients bridge the gap between mental health and performance, Natascha returned to full time studies once again to earn a second Masters degree at Western University, this time in Counselling Psychology (MA 2015). Her extensive education and unique life experiences permit Natascha to provide a holistic approach in her work to include performance psychology as well as mental health and well-being counselling to athletes and elite performers in various domains. Natascha continues to teach at the University of Western Ontario, yet spends the majority of her time in her consulting and counselling practice helping athletes and elite performers master their mental game.