In this landmark episode, we sit down with Dr. Esther Sternberg, a professor of medicine, scientist, and internationally recognized pioneer in the science of mind-body interaction, healing spaces, and the role of place in well-being.

Dr. Sternberg's groundbreaking work has influenced how we think about healthy buildings today. Her books—Healing Spaces, The Balance Within, and Well at Work—have become foundational texts for architects, designers, and health professionals seeking to create environments that don't just do no harm, but actively support human flourishing.

The Central Question:

There's a critical difference between designing spaces to do no harm and designing spaces to support well-being. We have the tools and knowledge to ensure clean air, excellent ventilation, and non-toxic materials—but what about resilience? What about the third leg of the stool: our own capacity to thrive, perform, and heal?

Key Topics Discussed:

• From Immune Response to Environment: Dr. Sternberg's remarkable journey from studying brain-immune connections in rats to discovering how the built environment shapes stress, performance, and health—starting with a single patient and a personal healing experience in Crete.

• Spirituality in the Workplace: Why this was the hardest chapter to write in Well at Work, and how concepts like flow, focus, rituals, and going offline are essential—not fringe—elements of peak performance and well-being.

• The Stress-Performance Rainbow: Understanding the relationship between stress and flow. Why the goal is not to eliminate stress, but to find your "middle of the rainbow"—where focus, energy, and performance peak without burnout.

• Agency and Control: Why giving people choices—over light, sound, temperature, and workspace—is one of the most powerful levers for reducing stress and enhancing resilience. The fighter pilot analogy that explains it all.

• The Seven Domains of Integrative Health: Sleep, stress and relaxation response, environment, movement, relationships, spirituality, and nutrition—and how each can be embedded into the design and operation of buildings.

• The GSA Studies: How wearable health devices and continuous environmental monitoring revealed the precise conditions—decibel levels, humidity ranges, light exposure—that optimize health, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality in office workers.

• Healing Spaces and Virtual Nature: From hospital rooms in Dublin to immersive nature experiences with Studio Elsewhere—how technology and thoughtful design can bring restorative environments to those who need them most.

• The Contrarian Path: Dr. Sternberg's story of fighting scientific dogma, being denied promotion for work that "had no relevance to human health," and ultimately proving that the brain and immune system are intimately connected—and that place matters profoundly.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-sternberg-m-d-8a957927/

https://esthersternberg.com/

HOST:

Simon Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-air-quality-matters/

GUEST:

Dr. Esther Sternberg

The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with

Zehnder Group -  Farmwood - Eurovent- Aico - Aereco - Ultra Protect - 

The One Take Podcast in Partnership with

SafeTraces and Inbiot

Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Meeting Esther Sternberg and the Science of Well-Being
• 00:02:04 Beyond Do No Harm: Designing Spaces for Well-Being
• 00:02:32 The Foundation: Clean Air and the 30-Year Cycle of Recognition
• 00:07:01 Spirituality in Buildings: Focus, Flow, and Belonging
• 00:12:36 The Science of Flow: Stress, Performance, and the Rainbow Model
• 00:21:08 Engineering for Performance: Choice, Movement, and Active Office Design
• 00:25:56 The Athlete Analogy: Building Resilience Through Strategic Stress
• 00:29:10 Virtual Nature and Reset Spaces: The 15-Minute Dose Effect
• 00:34:42 Chronic Stress and Burnout: Why Rest is Not Optional
• 00:34:01 Sustainability of Flow: Body Chemistry and Time Limits
• 00:56:49 Control and Agency: The Jet Fighter Pilot Lesson
• 00:58:44 Circadian Light: From Blue to Red and the Morning Advantage
• 01:02:15 The Given That Isn't: Why Buildings Still Cause Harm
• 00:38:32 Community and Belonging: The Antidote to Isolation
• 00:52:26 Acoustics and Culture: The Surprising Variability of Sound Preferences
• 01:10:09 The Economic Case: Return on Investment for Well-Being
• 01:18:42 Dr. Sternberg's Journey: From One Patient to the Built Environment
• 01:29:21 Fighting Dogma: The Politics of Science and Strategic Credibility
• 01:40:01 The Crete Revelation: Personal Healing and the Seven Domains
• 01:44:17 GSA Studies: Measuring the Built Environment's Impact on Health
• 01:53:22 The Future: From Mandates to Magnetic Spaces
• 01:55:50 Technology and Innovation: From Dublin to Studio Elsewhere
• 01:58:35 Closing: Building the Army of Advocates