If your daughter is training hard but still feeling exhausted, injured, or mentally drained, it’s probably not an effort problem.

👉 It’s a recovery problem.

In this episode of the Raising Elite Competitors Podcast, Coach Bre is joined by Kelsey Lensman (@xpandyourlimit), founder of Xpand Your Limits and a mobility and recovery expert and Dream Team coach, to break down what recovery really means for girl athletes and why it’s essential for confidence, performance, and long-term health.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why most athlete burnout comes from under-recovery, not overtraining
• The nervous system “gas pedal vs. brake” every sports mom should understand
• Warning signs your daughter isn’t recovering well
• How micro-recovery moments (5–10 minutes!) make a real difference
• Why talking and emotional processing count as recovery
• Simple fueling strategies to support muscle, energy, and resilience
• Why trendy biohacks matter less than mastering the basics
• How sleep impacts injury risk, performance, and confidence
• The connection between recovery habits and self-trust

Episode Highlights: 

[00:00:47] Meet Kelsey Lensman, founder of Xpand Your Limits and an expert mobility and recovery coach inside Dream Team, and learn why recovery is often the missing link for girl athletes struggling with confidence, fatigue, or injury.

[00:02:39] Kelsey shares her mission to help women and girls push past limits, including the overlooked skill of slowing down in today’s go-go-go sports culture.

[00:04:11] Discover why lifting weights builds more than muscle and how physical strength directly supports confidence in female athletes.

[00:09:14] Understand the nervous system through a simple gas pedal and brake analogy and why athletes need both to perform at their best.

[00:11:40] Key warning signs your daughter is not recovering well, including injury risk, emotional burnout, poor sleep, and declining performance.

[00:16:20] What parents can do when they cannot change the schedule and how micro-recovery moments of just five to ten minutes can make a meaningful difference.

[00:26:25] The link between sleep and injury risk and why getting less than seven hours dramatically increases injury risk for teen athletes.

[00:30:55] Kelsey’s message to girl athletes about being more capable than they think and how confidence is built by keeping small promises to themselves.

[00:33:23] Where to learn more about Kelsey’s work, Expand Your Limits, and the importance of strong female mentors for athletes.

Next Steps:

• Come hang out with Kelsey Lensman on social @xpandyourlimit and learn more about working with her! For Guest Interview Email: [email protected] 
• Our next Season of Dream Team starts in January! To learn more & apply, head here.
• Join our FREE Training for Sports Moms - How to Strengthen Your Athlete Daughter's Mental Game so She Believes in Herself as Much as You Do
• Visit our podcast website for more great episodes

Thank you in advance for joining us on our mission and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.