Michael Allison is a seasoned Health & Performance Consultant with over two decades of experience working with athletes, coaches, teams, organizations, executives, and professional creatives across various industries, including sports, business, the performing arts, and healthcare. His expertise in applying Polyvagal Theory to optimize resilience and performance in high-pressure environments has made him an essential resource for enhancing individual performance, leadership, and team dynamics.
Michael has consulted with sports organizations, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to improve the performance and well-being of athletes and coaches. As an educational partner with the Polyvagal Institute, Michael develops and delivers advanced training and certification programs emphasising the practical application of Polyvagal Theory in performance optimisation.
He is co-author with Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. of a chapter in Porges’s newest book, Polyvagal Perspectives, titled Empathy to Compassion, a two-step physiological process, and authors a platform on Psychology Today, The Pressure Paradox, where he explores the biobehavioral paradoxes of trying to succeed in a highly competitive, combative and evaluative culture.
He authored a chapter on Turning Competition into Co-regulation in Norton’s Somatic Oriented Therapies, and has two forthcoming books scheduled for release in 2026, including Polyvagal Parenting, a New Harbinger publication, and Beyond Flow: Where Champions Play When Others Fight to Survive. Allison is the developer of The Play Zone, a unique methodology applying Polyvagal Theory to optimise resilience and performance, and has certified more than 375 coaches around the globe as Play Zone Professionals. His work is recognised for its scientific basis and practical impact, making him a highly sought-after consultant and speaker on team building, leadership, resilience, and performance under pressure.
ONLINE EVENT The nervous system speaks: Polyvagal Theory for business, sports and artistic coaching Optimization and enhancement of the connection and social engagement system for the agility of the autonomic ... Read more