About

Brie Katz and Katie Jones co-founded Level Up Athlete to empower coaches, athletes and teams on their path to optimum performance. 

Brie and Katie first met at Columbia University while pursuing graduate degrees and working in the Athletics department; Brie as a coach for Columbia’s NCAA Division I women’s volleyball team, and Katie as the Director of Sports Camps.

Through a strong friendship, an immense respect for the power of self-understanding, and a passion for teamwork, Brie and Katie spent years learning from world-class coaches and teachers, implementing innovative coaching and teaching systems, and becoming practitioners in the world’s most widely used self-understanding tools.

Brie Katz, Co-Founder

After playing NCAA Division I college volleyball and starting her professional career as a financial analyst in New York City, Brie followed her passion for empowering young leaders through athletics and began coaching volleyball at Columbia University.  

During her 13 year tenure as an NCAA Division I coach, Brie recruited, mentored, and taught student-athletes from every corner of the world.  She served as an associate professor of physical education at Columbia, founded Lions Volleyball Camp - a summer program for volleyball student-athletes in junior high and high school, and earned her masters degree in Health Education from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Brie has lectured in several graduate school courses and NCAA events on topics such as recruiting, team chemistry, and leadership. In her work as a performance and leadership strategist, Brie teaches students, athletes, coaches, and teams how to reach their potential by revealing and leveraging connections between their own movement, thought, and motivation.  Currently, Brie works with high-school, college, and professional athletes across the United States. Brie is certified to administer the MBTI, as well as the Strong’s Interest Inventory.

Katie Jones, Co-Founder

Katie has over 20 years of experience in education and is an accomplished high school and NCAA Division I athlete. She has served as a high school teacher and coach, worked in higher education, coached teachers, and supported students as they transitioned from high school to college.

After earning two graduate degrees from Columbia in Physical Education and Sports Management, Katie worked for non-profit organizations based in Georgia and Texas to recruit, certify, and coach teachers; manage high-performing teams; and build college connections for high school students. She has since founded her own consulting practice and continues to serve a number of local and national education non-profits.

Katie is an MBTI Master Practitioner and is certified to coach using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DISC, and Restorative Practices, and has used these tools to improve self-understanding and interpersonal dynamics for teams in athletic, educational, and organizational settings.