Welcome!

Hi and welcome to Sport Smart! I’m so excited to finally share this with you.

I started Sport Smart because I believe the mental side of sports is just as important as the physical—and it’s time we treat it that way, especially for kids.

I have a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and I’ve spent years studying how athletes think, perform, and grow. But the real push to launch this came from something much closer to home: watching my two young boys and their teammates.

I’ve seen up close how young athletes struggle with the emotional and mental demands of sports—feeling nervous before a game, getting stuck after a mistake, or losing confidence when things don’t go their way. And I realized something: we expect them to just figure it out. But why should they have to? At times they don't even have the words to express what they are experiencing.

We teach kids how to dribble, pass, and shoot—why not also teach them how to stay focused, how to handle pressure, and how to bounce back when things get tough?

That’s what Sport Smart is here for.

My goal is to help young athletes develop mental skills that will serve them not only in their sport, but throughout life. Confidence. Resilience. Self-awareness. Focus. These are learnable, trainable skills—and the earlier we start, the better.

This blog will be a space where I’ll share insights from sport psychology, practical tools for parents and coaches, and real-world stories to help you support the athletes in your life—whether you’re on the sidelines, in the huddle, or just cheering from the stands.

Thanks for being here at the beginning. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

Let’s raise strong minds and strong players.

~Brooke Thompson

Founder, Sport Smart