Karen Lo, M.Ed., CMPC, ISSP-R, is the founder of Hong Kong-based Sport and Performance Psychology company, Inner Edge. She is a bestselling author, practitioner, and university lecturer, and recognized as a leading figure in Applied Sport and Performance Psychology in Hong Kong. Named the 2023 Global Impact Award winner from Boston University Wheelock College of Education for her significant contributions to sport psychology, she has been a strong advocate for the field in Hong Kong and Asia. Her work has been featured in GB News, South China Morning Post, Radio Television Hong Kong, TVB, NowTV, ViuTV, Sportsroad, and many more. She has presented internationally and published books, chapters and popular articles related to athletes and mental health, youth sport psychology, sport parenting, coaching psychology and sport motivation.
Karen’s passion for Sport and Performance Psychology stemmed from her 7 years as a Hong Kong National swimmer and Hong Kong Sports Institute scholarship athlete. She was awarded the Outstanding Swimmers Award by both the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association and the Hong Kong Sports Institute, and considered an Olympic hopeful in her teenage years. While the mental pressure cost her that opportunity, it inspired her to break the stigma around Sport Psychology, and help athletes of all levels harness the power of their minds to reach their full potential.
With over two decades of experience in competitive athletics, Karen employs a client-centered pluralistic approach to address sub-optimal behaviors. She understands the contextual demands affecting performance and has provided psychological support to numerous National Sport Associations and elite institutions, including the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and many more. Her work spans from youth to Olympic athletes and includes collaboration with parents and coaches to foster positive competitive experiences for their athletes and performers.
In addition to her applied work, Karen maintains strong ties to academia to bridge the gap between science to practice. Locally, she holds teaching roles at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Education University of Hong Kong, and currently serves on the Advisory Board for Lingnan University’s Master of Social Sciences Applied Psychology program and frequently conducts training for PE teachers through the Hong Kong Education Bureau’s Professional Development Program. She also serves on the Managing Council and as Vice-President of the Hong Kong Society of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Council Member for the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science in advancing sport psychology within the local community. Internationally, she chairs the International Relations Committee of AASP to promote the field to professionals outside North America.
Karen authored the first two Sport Psychology books for Hong Kong - Sport Psychology: Building Self-confidence and Maximizing Potential and Sport Psychology 2: Are You Just An Athlete? (Arcadia Press, in Chinese). Her first book has been shortlisted for the Hong Kong Education City Secondary School ‘10th Best Books’ book award in the Year 2020 and is currently on the Hong Kong Education Bureau’s secondary school recommended book list; her second book is on Eslite HK’s bestseller list. She is also a contributing author to three notable English reference books in Sport Psychology, Building Consulting Skills for Sport and Performance: An International Case Study Collection (Routledge), Mindfulness and Performance (Cambridge University Press) and Performance Excellence: Stories of Success from the Real World of Sport and Exercise Psychology (Rowman & Littlefield). She regularly blogs for local sport news platform Sportsroad, and has previously published articles for Sportsoho and Asia Trail.
Karen holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons.) in Psychology from the University of Hong Kong and a Master of Education in Sport Psychology from Boston University. She is the first Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC®, #499) of AASP in greater China, a Registered Practitioner of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP-R), and a registered Mental Health First Aid Instructor of Hong Kong (#244906). Her current interests include human performance optimization, student-athlete identity salience and conflict, motivation, mental resilience, and coaching psychology.
As a Hong Kong National Team swimmer for 7 years and multiple record holder, Karen was considered an Olympic hopeful during her teens. While the mental pressure cost her that opportunity, it inspired her to break the stigma around sport psychology, and help athletes of all levels harness the power of their minds to reach their optimal physical potential.
• Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Hong Kong Jockey Club Apprentice Jockey School
• Hong Kong Golf Association
• Hong Kong Baseball Association
• Hong Kong Rugby Union
• Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
• Eastern Long Lions, and many more.
• M.Ed., Sport Psychology, Boston University
• Certified Mental Performance Consultant®, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, USA
• Registered Practitioner, International Society of Sport Psychology
• Vice-President, Hong Kong Society of Sport and Exercise Psychology
• Lecturer of CUHK & EdUHK
• Author of Sport Psychology -- Building Confidence & Maximizing Potential & Sport Psychology 2 -- Are You Just An Athlete? (Chinese)
We believe that every athlete and performer has their unique edge – an advantage over others – that separate themselves from other competitors. At Inner Edge, we guide athletes and performers to understand their innermost thoughts and hurdles that impact their performance and life through a holistic approach, so that they master the ability to stay focused, motivated and resilient, and cope with complex and pressured environments with ease.
Inner Edge is Hong Kong’s and Asia’s leading Sport & Performance Psychology consultancy. Founded by Sport Psychologist Karen Lo, we help athletes and performers of all levels reach their highest potential through psychological training, so that they can thrive both on and off the field. We also train coaches, teachers and parents on their roles in children’s personal and athletic development. Our services include 1:1 consultations, on-field support, and talks & workshops.
