How the Mental Game can Change the Physical Game

by Mikayla Nagl, Sports Reporter, Fan Day Nation

Jess Hanson, Cherry Creek Girls Lacrosse Coach, founded a company called COGNELITE that helps athletes train. But instead of training their body, Hanson focuses on the mind, knowing that mental health is just as important as physical health. After talking with Jess about her company, it was truly inspiring to follow her journey. 

How did you start COGNELITE?

I have kind of had a journey with it. Throughout the past four or five years, I have hopped around private practices with other people, and in the last year I decided to branch out and do my own thing. So my practice itself hasn’t really changed over the years. I have still been seeing clients in the same capacity and working with them.

Why did you decide to branch out into your own practice? 

I wanted to make it my own and really focus on the mental side of things. With other private practices that I have been involved in, we’ve done other areas of sports like physical therapy and personal training. So for me, I was able to take what I knew already and make it strictly around the mental side of athletics. It has been really cool and it makes it more straightforward with athletes, so that they know what they’re focusing on and what the purpose of it is. 

What is your goal for your company?

My plan is to eventually bring on more consultants and have a bigger team. I am in the midst of the right now which has been exciting and fun. I am really excited to reach more athletes as well. I am able to focus on both the mental performance side of things so they can use their mind to play better and the also on the mental aspect side of things as well and be able to advocate for good mental health in athletes. 

Why did you decide to focus on mental health? 

The biggest thing for me was I needed it back in college. I struggled a lot with my mental health, but I also really let my mind affect how I played. I was your typical headcase of an athlete. If I missed a shot, I was slamming my stick on the ground and stomping back to the other side of the field. Or I’d play that game and I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a week straight. Towards the end of my career, I kind of realized that this was a field that existed and I was already studying psychology and exercise science, so it lined up really well. I would have killed to have something like this in college. I felt like I would have been a whole different athlete. So just going through my own experience, I realized that this is something athletes desperately need. 

Jess Hanson, Cherry Creek Girls Lacrosse Coach, leading her team during practice.

Why is mental health so important for a physical sport? 

Your mind controls everything. One big thing is you’re not going to play well at all if your mind isn’t where it should be. Then the flip side of it is when your head’s not where it should be and things go wrong. Like when athletes make a mistake and they let it get the best of them versus learning how to be resilient and keep playing through it and make them better. Being able to have a good mental strategy and be confident in their abilities to bounce back from mistakes or setbacks is crucial to an athlete pushing through hard situations.

What percentage would you give to each side of things, mental and physical, when playing a game? 

I believe it’s 100% of both. If you don’t have one, you are not going to have the other. The mental aspect impacts the physical aspect so insanely much. If your mental capacity is only at 50% then your physical aspect is as well. You have to have 100% of both, they play a huge role in each other. 

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? 

This is one that my dad always said, being able to experience someone else’s passions. I feel like there are so many things out there that people are passionate about that I couldn’t care less about, so just being able to understand their passion would be really cool. 

How did you prepare for a game as an athlete?

I was the most superstitious player ever. I had to have my routine, everything had to happen to a tee leading up to game time. I ordered a specific drink from Dutch Bros, had to listen to the same playlist, sit at the same table in the training room, and everything just had to be spot on. I was in my head all the time, analyzing and thinking about everything. 

How do you prepare for a game as a coach? 

I feel like I need to kind of let some stuff go as a coach leading into game time and try to stop the superstitious act. I sometimes overthink and over prepare. Obviously I need to prepare how I am going to coach the team. I don’t have any control with what is happening on the field directly, so I try to distract myself and not worry about it, and just do what I can on the sideline to help the girls. 

I was so lucky to grow up with amazing coaches my whole lacrosse career so I only hope that I can bring that to my team as well.

As Jess continues her career as a Mental Performance Consultant and a coach, she is learning everyday how to improve herself on and off the field.