Dave Harvey (he/him)
My passion is helping people develop the skills to perform at their best.
I believe potential is not something we simply have—it is something we develop.
My career has taken me through finance, business leadership, coaching and organizational development, but one theme has remained consistent: helping people become better at what they do.
I spent more than 10 years working in finance, business operations and project management, earning my MBA from the University of Minnesota. While in graduate school, I walked by the boathouse each day and met collegiate coaches in several sports. Through those conversations, the desire to coach and develop young people began to build.
I then spent over 10 years coaching high school and college athletes and founded Tacoma Rowing. These experiences reinforced something I had seen repeatedly: talent and hard work are important, but how we respond to pressure, setbacks, mistakes and uncertainty can have an enormous impact on performance and development.
That realization led me to mental performance coaching.
Today, I primarily work with high school and college athletes, while also working with executives, managers, and other professionals who want to perform at a high level. My approach is individualized, research-backed, and practical. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all formulas or quick motivational fixes, we identify the challenges and opportunities that are unique to you and develop mental skills and sustainable habits that can be applied in real-world situations.
Whether the goal is greater confidence, improved focus, performing under pressure, building resilience, or developing more effective routines, my goal is to help you become more capable of managing your own performance—and continue growing over the long term.
I grew up in Massachusetts and played a variety of sports before focusing on rowing during high school and college. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, traveling and being outdoors. I still love to compete. I have raced at the Indoor Rowing World Championships, raced at stair climb events, several long distance road races and adventure races.
I am a passionate advocate for transformational coaching and the role that sport can play in helping young people develop confidence, character, resilience, and a lifelong commitment to growth.
What does Up 2 mean?
Up 2 has several meanings:
We can provide tools, training and support, but anyone’s progress is ultimately up to their own effort, commitment and focus.
Peer-reviewed observational studies on public health find that anywhere between 2% and 10% of people take the stairs when an escalator is present. When going up, make the deliberate choice to be in the 2%.
“Up 2” is a call frequently made in rowing races. As a coach, I too often see boats mimic a nearby crew, rather than row the race based on their own strengths and knowledge of how to best adapt their plan mid-race.
Having grown up in New England and lived in the Midwest for a number of years, University Place Washington is now home.