COGNELITE

What happens when you’re cleared to play, but you still don’t feel like the athlete you were before your injury?

In this episode, Jess sits down with Cognelite’s Director of Operations and Client Development, Delaney Knipp, to talk about her experience recovering from multiple knee injuries during her Division I lacrosse career. Delaney shares the setbacks, the return to play, and what it took to rebuild confidence in herself and her body.

They discuss:

• Feeling disconnected from your team while you’re injured, and finding ways to contribute
• Coping when recovery takes longer than expected
• The pressure to perform immediately after returning to play
• Rebuilding trust in your body and adjusting your expectations
• Celebrating small wins throughout rehab and beyond

For athletes navigating an injury, and for the parents, coaches, and teammates supporting them, this is an honest conversation about why recovery can continue long after clearance.

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The start of a new school year brings excitement, new goals, and a lot for student athletes to balance. Between classes, homework, practices, competition, relationships, and recovery, it can quickly feel like athletes are simply trying to survive each week.

In this episode, Cognelite founder Jess Hanson and mental performance consultant Kiley Smith discuss how athletes can build realistic habits and routines that support both performance and overall wellbeing. They explore how to turn big goals into small, repeatable actions, prioritize intentional practice over simply doing more, protect sleep and recovery, create healthier boundaries with screens, and return to routines without judgment when life gets in the way.

Jess and Kiley also share practical ideas for morning, pre-practice, homework, and evening routines, along with ways parents can provide structure, encourage independence, praise the process, and recognize when their athlete may be carrying too much.

Whether you’re an athlete navigating a packed schedule or a parent wondering how to help, this episode offers practical strategies for making the school year feel more manageable, intentional, and sustainable.

Interested in helping your athlete build stronger mental skills, healthier routines, and greater confidence? Learn more about one-on-one mental performance training or support for your team or organization at cognelite.net.

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When most people think about concussion recovery, they think about headaches and rest. But what if some of the biggest factors in recovery are the ones that often go unnoticed?

In this episode, Cognelite's Kiley Smith is joined by primary care sports medicine physician Dr. Danny Mistry and occupational therapist Mandie Schake to explore the critical role that vision, balance (the vestibular system), and mental health play after a concussion.

Together, they discuss:

• Why vision and balance problems are commonly overlooked after a concussion
• How vestibular and ocular dysfunction can affect athletic performance, school, and everyday life
• Common symptoms athletes, parents, and coaches should watch for
• The connection between concussion recovery and anxiety, confidence, identity, and mental health
• Why early, active, interdisciplinary rehabilitation leads to better outcomes
• How healthcare providers determine when an athlete is truly ready to return to play

Whether you're an athlete, parent, coach, or healthcare provider, this conversation offers practical insights into why concussion recovery is about much more than simply waiting for symptoms to disappear—and why addressing the whole person leads to the best recovery.

If you or someone you know is recovering from a concussion, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

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In this episode, we sit down with University of Northern Colorado Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Smiley for a wide-ranging conversation on the mental side of high performance. Coach Smiley shares lessons from more than two decades in collegiate coaching, discussing confidence, pressure, leadership, athlete identity, and what it takes to thrive at the Division I level. Drawing from his experiences as a coach, former athlete, and parent of recruitable athletes, Coach Smiley offers valuable insight for athletes, parents, and coaches looking to support both performance and wellbeing. From staying present under pressure to navigating the recruiting process, this episode highlights why developing the whole athlete matters.

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In this episode, we sit down with Jacksonville University Men’s Lacrosse Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator Colin Munro to talk about the mental side of the college recruiting process.

We dive into what college coaches are actually looking for during recruiting summer, how athletes can handle pressure and nerves, why confidence matters so much, and how to respond to mistakes in front of coaches. Colin also shares insight from both his experience as a Division 1 athlete and now as a college coach evaluating players throughout the recruiting process.

This episode is packed with practical advice for athletes and parents heading into recruiting summer, especially for 2028 athletes preparing for the Sept 1 recruiting window.

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In this solo episode, Kiley Smith breaks down one of the most powerful, and often overlooked, mental performance skills: self-talk. From the thoughts that run through your head before a game to the way you respond after mistakes, your inner voice has a direct impact on confidence, focus, and performance.

Kiley goes beyond the typical “just be positive” advice and dives into what self-talk actually looks like for athletes. She explains the different types of self-talk, how to recognize whether it’s helping or hurting your performance, and gives practical, actionable steps to start improving it immediately.

Whether you’re an athlete looking to perform with more confidence, or a parent or coach wanting to better support the athletes in your life, this episode gives you tools you can start using right away.

Because at the end of the day, the one voice you hear the most is your own.

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📲 @cognelite

Visualization is one of the most talked-about mental skills in sports, but most athletes aren’t actually taught how to use it.

In this episode, Jess breaks down what visualization really is, why it works (including how it activates the same neural pathways as physical movement), and how it can improve confidence, focus, reaction time, and emotional control.

More importantly, she walks through exactly how athletes can apply it in real situations, from learning new skills and remembering plays to building confidence, preparing for pressure, and staying sharp during injury or time off.

If you’ve ever been told to “just visualize it” but didn’t know what that actually meant, this episode gives you a clear, step-by-step way to start using it as part of your training.

This episode is designed for athletes to apply directly, and for parents and coaches to better understand how to support them in building this skill.

Connect with us:

cognelite.net | [email protected] | @cognelite

What actually happens in mental performance work?

In this episode, Jess Hanson and Kylie Smith take you inside the process, from how sessions are structured, action plans, how sessions evolve over time, and how we actually make an impact in athletes with 1:1 work.

Whether you're a parent, coach, or athlete curious about mental performance training, this conversation breaks down what to expect and how we build confidence, resilience, and consistency in sport.

Fear of failure shows up in more athletes than you think, and it doesn’t always look like “I’m scared.” Sometimes it looks like holding back, playing tight, low motivation, emotional blow-ups after mistakes, or constant comparison to teammates.

In this episode, Kiley (Cognelite Consultant) interviews Jess (Cognelite Founder + CMPC) on what fear of failure really is, why it’s often the root of confidence and performance issues, and how it quietly impacts effort, joy, and long-term development.

You’ll learn practical strategies athletes can use right away, including:

• Threat vs. challenge: how to reframe big goals so they feel motivating, not paralyzing

• How to define what “failure” actually means (and reality-check worst-case scenarios)

• The “what if” game and how to flip it from negative to productive

• Visualization and chasing goals toward something (instead of running away from fear)

• Simple in-the-moment tools for resetting after mistakes with self-talk + presence cues

Plus, Jess shares how parents and coaches can support athletes without adding pressure—through better conversations, balanced expectations, healthy language, and creating environments where mistakes are part of growth.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, scared to mess up, or like you’re “counting yourself out,” this episode is your reset, especially heading into a new season (or a new year) of goals that should be a little scary.

Connect with us:

cognelite.net

@cognelite

[email protected]

What does intentional practice actually look like and how do you make sure you’re getting better instead of just getting reps?

In this episode, COGNELITE mental performance consultant Kiley Smith sits down with John Ritzen, Head Women’s Golf Coach at Chardon State College and author of The Golf Workbook: A Practice Plan to Improve Your Game, to break down the difference between “hit and hope” practice and training with real purpose.

You’ll hear practical takeaways for athletes, coaches, and parents, including:

• Why quality reps beat quantity reps (and how to stay mentally engaged in practice)

• Block vs. variable practice and how changing targets builds real skill

• How to create a simple pre-shot routine that locks in focus (even during practice)

• Why managing expectations is a mental skill

• How to handle emotions mid-competition (yes, even “scream into a towel”)

• Coaching + parenting tips: how to support athletes without turning every moment into instruction

Whether you’re a golfer or not, this conversation is packed with transferable tools for performing under pressure and building a practice plan that actually translates to competition.