Introduction to
Athlete Assessments
In this section, you'll get to know who we are, what we do, and why our work matters. This section provides an overview of Athlete Assessments, our mission, and how we support clients through assessments and consulting.
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ABOUT US
Who are we? Our mission, vision, and history.
An enormous effort is required to achieve successful results and numerous elements contribute. A critical component is our area of focus – the people side. We specialize in helping our clients create and sustain winning results by providing a range of performance tools including DISC behavioral profiling, performance reviews, and relevant and useful resources. Each has a unique focus on sport and achieving winning outcomes.
We’re incredibly proud of our existing track record helping clients get the ‘people side’ of sport right.
Ultimately, our success is measured by our clients’ results. In early 2025, Athlete Assessments celebrated 18 years in business. Much has happened in sport over the last two decades, but what hasn’t changed is the need to constantly focus on the elements that deliver top performances.
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission & Vision
Athlete Assessments was created to provide a suite of behavioral profiling tools for athletes, coaches, and sports administrators to improve performance and reach their true potential.
We want to help athletes enjoy their sport while achieving the best results possible. We know from personal experience that so much enjoyment in sport comes from making small improvements to performance. More often than not, this means winning more.
For coaches, Athlete Assessments recognizes the incredible contribution every coach can make to the lives of the athletes they train. Not only are coaches the mentors and role models who shape young athletes’ commitment and enthusiasm for a sport, they also impact athletes’ lives outside of sport as well.
We also recognize and value the people behind the scenes in sport. We provide the same level of dedication and services to sport management and administrators as we provide to those competing in the sporting arena.
Our overall goal from our service offering is to provide coaches, athletes, and administrators with excellent tools and resources to support their development and performance potential. We provide full support to our clients as our success is measured through theirs.
In addition to DISC behavioral profiling and performance reviews, we also provide extensive articles, video resources, webinars, workbooks, and free newsletters. We absolutely pride ourselves on providing relevant and useful information, to everyone who comes into contact with us.
Few things are more inspiring than seeing others improving themselves. Please join us on this exciting journey in sport, because equipment doesn’t win championships, people do.
Our Values
In 2025, we redefined our core values (or ‘Match Winning Qualities’ as we like to call them) to ensure they are shared by and resonate with all members of the Athlete Assessments team. These values continue with our team through 2025.
ALIGNED
Being aligned means that we are working together towards a common goal, moving independently in the same direction, yet connected. We have shared goals with clarity and purpose, ensuring that individual’s strengths and efforts contribute to our common vision. Alignment does not require uniformity but a mutual understanding of direction and collaboration. It is a continuous process of awareness, adapting, and ensuring that our actions support our purpose, goals, and the needs of our clients.
INVESTED
To be invested is to commit wholeheartedly to our work, team, and clients, and to live high-performance every day. We demonstrate this through our care, effort, and persistence in delivering our exceptional standard of work, going beyond to create genuine value, continuously striving for growth, and long-term success. Investment also carries the expectation of a return, whether through professional development, outcomes, or strengthened relationships.
IMPACTFUL
Impactful is the meaningful and lasting effect of our work, driven by deliberate actions, ambitious standards, and the choice to make a difference. It is about creating positive change, exceeding expectations, and ensuring our contributions lead to real progress. True impact is measured not just by effort but by the results and growth we achieve and making a difference in the lives of our clients, team, and community.
Our History
Athlete Assessments was founded by Bo Hanson, four-time Australian Olympian and three-time Olympic bronze medal winner in rowing.
Towards the end of his Olympic career, Bo searched for strategies and theory to understand his behavior and how it related to his training, racing, and performance results. This need for self-improvement led to Bo extensively studying DISC Behavioral Theory, the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, emotional intelligence, and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Bo identified his strengths and learned how to use them to improve upon his limitations. DISC Theory also allowed Bo to understand his fellow crew members and build more productive and fulfilling relationships.
Thanks to his understanding of DISC and behavioral profiling, Bo found the latter stages of his rowing career were the most successful and enjoyable.
Prior to retiring from his competitive career in 2004, Bo became an expert in DISC Behavioral Theory and application. At that time, the DISC Model was most relevant to those in the business world. While it was useful to Bo as an athlete, he observed that it wasn’t designed to meet the specific needs of sport.
Working with a team of passionate experts including sports coaches, IT developers and other DISC accredited professionals, Bo developed the AthleteDISC Profile and founded Athlete Assessments in 2007. In doing this, Athlete Assessments gave athletes around the world the first sports-specific version of DISC Behavioral Profiling.
Because athletes and coaches have different needs, a similar tool specifically for sports coaches, the CoachDISC Profile, was released in early 2009. After many requests from clients, the Sports ManagerDISC Profile was launched in early 2011 as the latest professional development tool specifically for sport managers and administrators.
In late 2012, Athlete Assessments launched their performance review services for coaches, athlete leaders, and sports managers. This included the development of the Athlete Assessments Coach 360, Sports Manager 360 and Athlete Leader 360.
Over the last decade, Athlete Assessments has continued to innovate and extend on their portfolio of services and products available, and made them available in other languages such as Japanese and Hungarian.
Our client list reflects the quality work we do and the results we achieve with them. Athlete Assessments now works with some of the top sport psychologists and performance consultants around the world; professional, Olympic, national, and state teams in Australia and internationally; collegiate athletic departments and their teams in the USA; most of the top sport management, sport coaching, and sport science academic programs in the USA, Australia, and United Kingdom; many National Sporting Associations around the world; and numerous individuals who take their sport and their role within sport seriously.
Our Key Strategic Focus
We've defined three key themes to focus our energy and effort on this year. Watch the video below to find out what those are.
Our Credentials
What makes Athlete Assessments the best in the business?
7 Things to Know About Athlete Assessments
Leaders in Sport
Founded nearly two decades ago by a four-time Olympian with a clear vision, Athlete Assessments has become a global leader in people performance in sport. Today, our clients include professional hockey teams in Switzerland, coaching academies in Japan, U.S. Olympic teams, athlete-transition consultants for the NFL, and hundreds of college athletics programs and universities. Our reputation is built on delivering the highest quality assessments, helping teams and organizations achieve lasting success.
Tailored DISC Profiles Specifically for Sport
Athlete Assessments’ DISC Profiles are grounded in research and were the first to be specifically designed for sport. These assessments, the AthleteDISC, CoachDISC, and Sports ManagerDISC Profiles, provide valuable insights for individuals, but their impact extends even further through additional tools such as Observer Feedback, Team Dynamic Reporting, One-Page Summaries, Pair Collaboration, and Career Planning Reports. These features enhance the application of DISC, helping teams and individuals optimize performance and development.
Extensive Resources and Materials
Athlete Assessments provides an unparalleled range of video, workbook, online, and written resources to ensure clients have the support they need to maximize the benefits of DISC Profiling in sport. Effective teamwork, leadership development, and performance improvement are not achieved through a single event but require ongoing commitment. By offering high-quality resources designed for continuous development, we help individuals and teams build lasting success over time.
Validity and Reliability is the Highest Quality
Not all assessments are subject to the level of rigorous third party review that Athlete Assessments voluntarily undergoes. The Assessment Standard Institute certifies the reliability and validity of their assessments, to ensure continued compliance with professional industry standards. Few others can claim this. Importantly, assessments developed for business do not transition perfectly across to sport, nor can they provide a relevant sample population for reliable comparison. It matters that Athlete Assessments’ DISC Profiles are uniquely for sport.
Partners with Top Sport Management University Programs
Athlete Assessments’ DISC Profiles are also used in the classrooms of many leading sport management, kinesiology, sport leadership, coaching, and sport psychology university programs in the USA, UK, New Zealand, and Australia. This provides unparalleled access to the best research minds in sport, and Athlete Assessments actively engages in relevant research opportunities with these top academics.
Network of Expert Facilitators and Consultants
Through our years of experience and working with top sporting professionals, Athlete Assessments has and continues to train and accredit consultants in using our suite of DISC Profiles (including a non-sports version for business). We have now amassed a network of experts who can be engaged in the delivery of services using our DISC Profiles. Athlete Assessments has also previously collaborated with one of the top US universities, providing the first ‘DISC in Sport’ graduate course to develop more people with this expertise.
Trusted by the Best in the Business of Sport
While confidentiality prevents sharing the full list of professional, national, and college teams that trust Athlete Assessments as their preferred DISC Profile provider, many have openly shared their experiences. To explore real-world applications and success stories, visit our dedicated webpage for case studies and endorsements.
Our DISC Profiles
Learn about the three Athlete Assessments DISC Profiles and their capabilities.
Our Core DISC Profiles
AthleteDISC
The AthleteDISC Profile helps athletes gain self-awareness and understand how their behavior impacts performance. It provides valuable insights into their natural communication style, motivation, and response under pressure. Coaches and support staff can use this tool to tailor their approach, ensuring athletes receive the guidance they need to perform at their best—more consistently and with greater accountability both on and off the field.
CoachDISC
The CoachDISC Profile helps coaches gain a deeper understanding of their coaching style, and how it influences their athletes and team dynamics. By recognizing their strengths and communication tendencies, coaches can refine their approach, improve interactions with athletes and staff, and create a more effective coaching environment. This tool supports continuous development, giving coaches the competitive edge needed to elevate both their own performance and that of their athletes.
Sports ManagerDISC
The Sports ManagerDISC Profile helps sports administrators and professionals gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their colleagues, leading to improved communication, stronger working relationships, and better overall results. This tool can be used for recruitment, as a foundation for professional development plans, or as part of team-building initiatives, ensuring a more effective and cohesive work environment.
Extended Capabilities of Our DISC Profiles
Team Dynamics & Summary Graph
Understanding the big picture of team behaviors has enormous value. When a team or group complete their individual DISC Profiles, we have the additional capability to produce a Team Dynamics Report as well as a Summary Graph Report. These reports provide the ability to understand the DISC Profiles and group behaviors of the overall team.
Team One-Page Summary
As the name suggests, this useful resource for any group or team includes a single page summary of the individual DISC Profile Reports. These one-pagers are a condensed version of each full report, providing a few key notes on a selection of the report sections, along with the graphical charts. While we recommend referring to the full reports, this capability acts as a very handy summary for easy reference and use.
Observer Feedback
Included with every Athlete Assessments DISC Profile, the optional Observer Feedback capability provides individuals with the opportunity to convert their DISC Profile into a valuable 360-degree development tool. By inviting others to share their perceptions of them within their sporting environment, it celebrates what each person is doing well, whilst enabling them to seek insights on key areas for further development. Utilize this valuable extension of the assessments in leadership programs, performance reviews, and professional development initiatives.
Career Management Report
This additional report assists athletes looking to enter the workforce after sport, and can help with identifying their transferable skills. The DISC Career Management Report is an additional nine-page report (at no additional cost) that accompanies any of our DISC Profiles and is designed to contribute to future career planning and success.
Collaboration Report
The DISC Collaboration Report is an evaluation and facilitation of how two people work together. It can be used to enhance existing relationships, or in recruitment to easily distill down the key themes of a potential athlete’s DISC Profile and how they will work with their coach, manager, or key players within a team.
Academic Program
Athlete Assessments’ Academic Program provides students with essential skills to stand out in the competitive sports industry. While the degree itself helps students secure a job, gaining insights from their DISC Profile can significantly enhance their success in the workplace. Understanding themselves, their co-workers, and even their potential to contribute to winning outcomes can make all the difference in their career trajectory.
The program integrates DISC profiling with a comprehensive curriculum that covers a broad range of topics in sports management, coaching, and leadership, including:
Core Topics: Getting Started with DISC, DISC in Theory, Leadership in Sport, Coaching Philosophy, Presentation Skills
Practical Skills: The program also focuses on self-awareness, communication skills, career planning, and interview skills—key components for success in both the sports industry and broader leadership roles.
Additionally, there are focused courses on how to use DISC to improve leadership, communication, and team dynamics within sports environments, enhancing students’ interpersonal effectiveness and readiness for career success.
This program is not just about academic knowledge but also about developing the personal and professional skills necessary to excel in the sports industry.
Consultant Program
The Consultant Program is designed for professionals who want to integrate DISC Profiling into their consultancy or coaching practice. It helps consultants elevate their services by offering personalized training, exclusive resources, and ongoing support. It’s a great opportunity for consultants looking to stand out in their field and enhance their results with Athlete Assessments’ DISC Profiles.
Key Features of the Program:
Tailored Training & Support: Consultants receive training tailored to their needs and experience. They will also have one-on-one consultations with Bo Hanson (4x Olympian and expert in the field) to learn how to use DISC Profiles effectively with their clients.
Co-Branding Options: The program allows consultants to co-brand DISC Profile reports and their online account.
Extensive Resources: Consultants get access to quality manuals, videos, customizable marketing materials, and a resource library that helps them expand their business.
Financial Benefits: The program offers wholesale prices for assessments (30-45% off retail), depending on the volume purchased, meaning the consultants save money and boost their profit margins.
Ongoing Mentorship: We offer continuous support and mentoring to ensure consultants can get the most out of their DISC assessments and apply them effectively.
We’re selective about who can become a consultant because we want to ensure high professional standards. This ensures that only qualified individuals provide our services, upholding the integrity of DISC Profiling and delivering quality results.
Team Program
Athlete Assessments’ Team Program is designed for use with teams in any sport, of any size, focusing on applying the use of DISC to enhance individual and team awareness, understand their unique team dynamic, and ultimately improve performance. No matter the size of the team, we tailor a program to match each client’s exact needs, pairing the use of DISC Profiling with a series of consultations. The aim is to ensure that the information from the profiling is useful and put into practice.
Key features of the program:
- Any combination of the AthleteDISC, CoachDISC, and Sports ManagerDISC Profiles to suit the size of the program roster.
- A series of 1-hour Consultations with Bo Hanson
- The Coach Resources Pack and DISC Card Game (Physical and digital materials including the Coach DISC Playbook)
- Full administration support and dedicated Client Success Manager.
Elite Camps
The Elite Camps Program is a cost-effective option that helps athletes increase their self-awareness and understanding of their unique style of doing things. The program is designed to be done as part of a camp or training program, and is all about building self-awareness, communication, leadership, and strong team connections – the things that make a big difference in high-pressure moments.
Key Features of the Program:
- AthleteDISC Profile: is provided for each camp athlete (15 years and older). A minimum of 20 athletes is required for this program.
- 60-minute Group Debrief Session included: AthleteDISC results are debriefed as part of the camp program with a live video debrief by 4x Olympian and Athlete Assessments’ Lead Coaching Consultant, Bo Hanson.
- 60-minute Coach/Staff Preparation Session: Prior to the athlete debrief, a coach and staff only session with Bo Hanson is also included to go over the results before the Athlete workshop.
- One free CoachDISC for every 10 Camp Athletes is included.
- Extra Resources and full administration support: Additional Resources are included like the digitial DISC in Sport Workbook; and full Administration and support is provided by our team.
This program can also be utilized with groups or teams who have limited budget or time to dedicate to the process, but still want to use the DISC Profiles with their program.
Coach & Professional Development (Tailored Solutions)
Athlete Assessments’ Coach and Professional Development Programs are designed to support the people who lead, guide, and shape athletes – including coaches, team staff, administrators, and support professionals. These programs are tailored and often developed in collaboration with our clients to focus on helping individuals grow their self-awareness, leadership, and communication so they can have a greater impact in their roles.
Underpinned by the use of the CoachDISC and/or Sports ManagerDISC Profiles, these programs provide practical tools and insights that can be applied straight away — both on and off the field.
- Use of the CoachDISC and/or Sports ManagerDISC Profiles for each participant.
- Initial Coaching/Leadership Styles & Self-awareness Workshop to debrief DISC results: delivered via video conference (or in-person where appropriate/possible), time can range from 90-minutes to three-hours.
- Professional Development Workshops: A series of follow-up workshops to apply DISC to different areas of professional development. Topics are tailored to suit key needs and complement other areas of the client’s development programming framework. Workshops are recorded for client’s future use and library building.
- Built in resources: online coach resources such as the Coaching Philosophy Workbook, DISC in Sport Workbook, access videos, articles, magazines, and other digital resources including webinar recordings. Option to add extra resources, such as the DISC Card Game, or printed copies of workbooks to provide to your participants as part of the program.
Ongoing development opportunities: Extend the program with additional workshops, or with one-on-one and small-group consultation sessions to provide targeted development and ‘trouble shooting’ real-life coaching challenges with an expert.
Examples of Tailoring our Program Options
Different clients have different need, and while we have a range of core programs, we also believe in the approach of tailoring our service and support to align with this. The video below shares an example of how we can repurpose core program frameworks to suit the needs of different clients.
