Permission to Evolve: Outgrowing Old Versions of Yourself
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Permission to Evolve: Outgrowing Old Versions of Yourself

Outgrowing old goals isn’t failure — it’s growth. This reflective post explores how health, strength, and priorities naturally evolve over time, and why adapting your training and self-care is a sign of resilience, not weakness. If your body or life is asking for something different, this is your permission to listen.

Read More
Harnessing the Power Of Your Breath: How Better Breathing Improves Rehab, Performance, Health, & Recovery
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Harnessing the Power Of Your Breath: How Better Breathing Improves Rehab, Performance, Health, & Recovery

Breathwork refers to intentional breathing techniques that help you improve diaphragm function, oxygen delivery, CO₂ tolerance, and nervous system regulation. Research shows that improving these factors can enhance physical performance, reduce injury risk, improve metabolic health, and speed recovery.

This blog will break down why breathwork matters, how it impacts your body, and simple breathwork exercises you can start using today—especially if you’re an adult athlete juggling training, work, and parenting.

Read More
What is a Physical Therapist & Why Empowered Athletics PT Does It Differently
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

What is a Physical Therapist & Why Empowered Athletics PT Does It Differently

If you ask ten people what a physical therapist does, you’ll probably get ten slightly different answers. So today, I want to set the record straight:

What exactly is a physical therapist?

Because understanding this helps you make informed choices about your care and helps you know exactly where to go when you want to recover from injury, improve performance, and stay in the game for life.

Read More
When Strength Feels Out of Reach: The Challenges of Returning to High Performance Postpartum
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

When Strength Feels Out of Reach: The Challenges of Returning to High Performance Postpartum

One of the biggest misconceptions about postpartum recovery is the idea that we should bounce back quickly, seamlessly, and on someone else’s timeline.

The truth is, every pregnancy and birth story is different. Every body carries differently, adapts differently, and heals differently.

Some moms feel ready to move within weeks; others are still rebuilding foundational stability months later. Neither path is wrong, both are normal.

Read More
Advocating For Yourself: A Skill Every Athlete (And Human) Needs to Practice
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Advocating For Yourself: A Skill Every Athlete (And Human) Needs to Practice

When it comes to playing sports—or simply existing in a body that moves, aches, and strives—one of the most important skills you can develop isn’t a physical one. It’s self-advocacy.

Self-advocacy is the ability to speak up for yourself: to ask questions, to push back when something doesn’t sit right, to choose what’s best for you, even when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, or not what others expect.

Read More
What To Do When Motivation Dips
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

What To Do When Motivation Dips

No matter how driven, disciplined, or passionate you are, motivation will ebb and flow.

Every athlete—whether you’re a high schooler chasing a PR or an adult trying to stay consistent through the chaos of life—hits stretches where the spark fades. The question isn’t if motivation will dip, but what you do when it does.

Read More
Confidence: The Missing Ingredient In Most Athlete Training Programs (And Why It Starts In Rehab)
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Confidence: The Missing Ingredient In Most Athlete Training Programs (And Why It Starts In Rehab)

You can spot it from a mile away—the athlete who moves with confidence.

They might not be the biggest or fastest, but they carry themselves differently. They trust their body. They don’t hesitate. They believe they can handle whatever’s coming next.

That kind of confidence doesn’t happen by accident. And it’s the one thing missing in most training programs.

Read More
Recovery: The Secret Weapon Most Adult Athletes Ignore
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Recovery: The Secret Weapon Most Adult Athletes Ignore

Recovery doesn’t mean slowing down. It means making sure your body and mind have enough left to crush your workouts and enjoy the rest of your life.

If you want longevity in sport and energy for your work, family, and everything in between, recovery isn’t optional — it’s your secret weapon.

Read More
Why Stronger Athletes Get Hurt Less
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Why Stronger Athletes Get Hurt Less

Nothing is tougher than watching your athlete sidelined by an injury that could have been prevented. Here’s the truth: practices and games aren’t enough. If your athlete wants to stay healthy, play at their best, and truly enjoy their sport, strength training has to be part of the equation.

Read More
5 Red Flags in ACL Rehab
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

5 Red Flags in ACL Rehab

It’s important to do ACL rehab right (the first time). I hear a lot of “I wish I had known better the first time around” from athletes I work with and their parents, so my goal is to spread the education of how to lower risks of sustaining ACL injuries and what quality ACL rehab for an athlete looks like.

Read More
Why the Quadriceps are Queen in ACL Rehab
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Why the Quadriceps are Queen in ACL Rehab

If I had to say what our top priority is during rehab after ACL reconstruction and where most rehab journeys fall short, it’s in addressing and strengthening the quadriceps.

Read More
So You Rolled Your Ankle…
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

So You Rolled Your Ankle…

Lateral ankle sprains occur when the ankle rolls outward while the foot turns inward, causing stretching/tearing of ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Read on to learn when/why you should get assessed and how to care for your ankle in the early phase of injury.

Read More
Abrupt Changes Lead to Injuries
Kait Ireland Kait Ireland

Abrupt Changes Lead to Injuries

Abrupt changes in training lead to injuries for athletes. How can you avoid these common but sometimes nagging/lingering injuries?

Read More