Dr. Rusty Holmes is a certified mental fitness coach, professional horn player, and educator who helps adults, college students, and musicians develop greater resilience and genuine fulfillment in their work and lives.

Holmes specializes in coaching around:

• Performance anxiety

• Impostor syndrome

• Apathy and lack of motivation

• Resilience

• Mental toughness

• Goal setting and visioning

• Personal and professional growth

• Psychological challenges of pursuing a career in music

• Stress management

• Spirituality

He has a particular interest in working with classical musicians and typically works with adults and college students. He also has experience and training working with teenagers, making him well-equipped to support younger clients as they navigate the challenges of education, personal growth, and developing a sense of direction.

His coaching is informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS), an approach that views the mind as made up of different parts, each with its own perspectives, emotions, and protective intentions. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult thoughts or feelings, Holmes helps clients develop a more compassionate relationship with the different parts of themselves, creating greater internal trust and self-leadership.

Coaching sessions are planned around the individual needs of each client. Holmes draws from a variety of mental fitness practices, including IFS, mindfulness meditation, journaling, breathwork, visualization, and reflective exercises. Holmes helps client explore what is getting in the way, identify meaningful goals, and develop a path forward that feels sustainable, authentic, and grounded in ease and genuine fulfillment.

Holmes runs programs supporting college music students and maintains a full private coaching schedule while living and traveling full-time in his RV. His work also takes him to universities across the country, where he performs, teaches, facilitates mental fitness workshops, and leads residencies for music students and faculty.

In addition to his coaching work, Holmes maintains an active career as a professional horn player. He currently holds the position of 4th horn with the Corpus Christi Symphony and performs regularly with orchestras throughout Texas and the surrounding region. As a low horn specialist, he has presented performances and lectures at regional and international horn workshops, including the International Horn Symposium.

Holmes holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a coaching certification from the Certified Life Coach Institute and has additional training in meditation and trauma-informed resilience practices for college students.