Justin Morris, Head Coach
BA- PSYCHOLOGY, DIPLOMA OF EDUCATION (MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY)
Mind Matters Athlete Coaching is a creation of the passions and dreams of former professional cyclist Justin ‘Mad Dog’ Morris. After receiving a diagnosis of type1 diabetes at age ten, Justin’s dreams and goals in life were threatened. Turning to cycling to help him cope with type1 diabetes quickly proved to not only be beneficial but also the start of a successful pro cycling career. As one of the first ever people with Type1 diabetes to compete in UCI professional races, Justin spent five years as a professional travelling the world racing his bike. Dealing with the challenges of sport and diabetes across five different continents has given Justin a wealth of stories and knowledge about dealing with challenges on and off the bike.
Having since transitioned from a pro cycling career to completing two university degrees in psychology and education from Macquarie University and being awarded with a University Blues Award for excellence in sport and academics. Mind Matters Athlete Coaching has long been a dream for ‘Mad Dog’ as a morphing of his academic and sporting experiences to offer a more holistic approach to athlete and person development. Justin also is an accredited advanced cycling coach recognised under AusCycling and the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme. He is also a certified mentor under the Australian Sports Commission’s Mentoring Collective program.
Imogen Smith, Associate Coach
BA, MA, PhD
Imogen wasn't very sporty growing up, spending a lot of time indoors reading books, but with a love of nature and a sense of adventure, it was only a matter of time before she discovered mountain biking and fell in love. Imogen first picked up a bike at 21 and never looked back, and today is one of Australia's most experienced mountain bike marathon and stage racers, with hundreds of events under her belt. Over 20 years Imogen has raced or ridden nearly every type of bike in every discipline, always returning to her first love - marathon mountain biking.
Imogen has represented Australia at XCO and XCM World Championships and worn leaders' jerseys at international stage races, but mostly, she just loves to ride bikes, and coaching others is a special way to share the joy of cycling.
Imogen's coaching focuses on building confidence in her athletes, providing them with the structure and motivation they need to reach their goals and thrive on and off the bike. With an academic background, Imogen also loves data and staying on top of the latest research into cycling and performance.
Imogen races for Aussie-based team MarathonMTB.com and writes regularly for the site, as well as for cycling media in print and online. Imogen is an AusCycling accredited Development Coach and Instructor and races mountain bikes every weekend, traveling overseas to compete whenever she gets the opportunity. You can follow Imogen on Instagram @imogenjsmith.
Ben Dilley,
Strength & Conditioning specialist
MS, CSCS, SCCC, USAW (Purdue University)
As a former professional cyclist with Team Novo Nordisk and teammate to Justin Morris, Ben Dilley found cycling not long after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at fourteen years old. The challenges of training and racing while facing the adversity presented by living with diabetes fuelled Ben’s passion for the sport. Upon achieving his goal of reaching the professional ranks, Ben had the chance to travel and race around the world, providing him with a wealth of experience and insight into what it means to compete at the highest level.
After retiring from pro cycling, Ben completed an Undergraduate degree in Integrative Physiology and a Master’s degree in Leadership and Innovation while pursuing a career in sports performance. Working with collegiate sports teams at multiple institutions, Ben has honed his abilities as a coach through working with elite-level cross country and track athletes along with team sport athletes in basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse to name a few.
Still passionate about the sport of cycling, Ben has applied his expertise by working with cyclists to develop the specific strength, mobility, and resiliency necessary to raise their threshold of performance on the bike. A firm believer in the Mind Matters Athlete Coaching holistic approach to athlete development, Ben is committed to understanding each athlete at an individual level to ensure their success both in sport and life.
Competing as an athlete is still a priority for Ben, and gravel racing has most recently taken his interest. Getting back to racing on the road and exploring mountain bike racing are definitely on the agenda, and never say never to the possibility of trying a triathlon.
Nicole Frain, Nutrition Coach
BSc(BiolSc), CertIV (Food Sc & Tech).
Nicole Frain is onboard, helping to provide our athletes with some guidance and advice in their nutrition as she completes her Bachelor of Bioscience, majoring in Sport Performance Nutrition.
Nicole comes from a background in Product Development having worked for one of Australia’s largest sport supplement companies for 8 years. In addition to this Nicole is also a top level professional athlete in cycling, racing predominantly in Europe. Nicole has raced Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France Femmes and was the 2022 Australian National road champion.
Nicole is passionate about continuing to give back to the cycling community through both her work in local races, and coming onboard with Mind Matters to help our athletes.
Fiona Morris,
Associate Coach
BACHELOR INDUSTRIAL DESIGN (UWS)
Fiona Morris is a relative late comer to the sport of cycling, having dabbled in many sports through her teenage and early adult years including horse riding, running and most notably motorbikes.
It was a stint in wintery Belgium watching cyclocross from the sidelines, that Fiona decided to jump into the deep end of cycling. Within a few short years Fiona went from watching top level cyclocross from the sidelines to racing at UCI and World Cup events across the world.
A passion for racing cyclocross combined with a passion for helping people get the most out of cycling, Fiona turned to coaching athletes. Fiona takes a holistic approach to coaching, considering both the physical and mental aspects of an athletes needs.
Fiona races cyclocross for team MAAP ENVE and has recently competed at Iowa and Waterloo Cyclocross World Cups and Rapha Supercross Japan. When Fiona isn’t racing cyclocross, she doesn’t mind jumping into road and mountain bike racing.