The Dr. Greg Wells Podcast

By Dr. Greg WellsScience Medicine Health & Fitness Education Self-Improvement Life Sciences

The Dr. Greg Wells Podcast episodes

June 21, 2022 #16 - Do Your Greatest Work: Philip McKernan on Living Your Greatest Life
High external success, low internal alignment. Philip helps driven people name their real fears, tell the truth they’ve been avoiding, and make courageous choices so success actually feels satisfying.
In today’s conversation Philip McKernan explores why many top performers feel empty at the summit and how to bridge the gap between achievement and fulfilment. He shares raw stories—from washing abandoned seniors in India to leading “brave adventures” in the Himalayas—showing how service and discomfort surface our deepest truths. We dig into fear (“sit down and have dinner with it”), the difference between success and satisfaction, and the cost of avoiding the conversation that matters most. Philip also unpacks One Last Talk—a framework for speaking your truth to free yourself and help others.
You will learn how to identify “old fear” versus convenient, intellectual excuses; a simple way to spot misalignment between your goals and your deeper needs; why courageous service experiences can catalyze clarity; how to reframe public-speaking fear as fear of not being loved; and how to craft your own One Last Talk to unlock action and connection.
You will discover that most fear is old, recycled, and loses its grip when you name it—and that speaking a hard personal truth (to one person or many) is often the shortest path from achievement to genuine fullfilment.
Philip’s approach replaces avoidance with one clarifying conversation and one honest act—so your work, relationships, and energy align again.
48 min
June 21, 2022 #164. Dr. Gillian Mandich on Changing our Thinking around Happiness.
Welcome back!
This week I’m super excited to share my conversation with Dr. Gillian Mandich.
Gillian has a PhD from Western University in Health Science, specializing in Health Promotion. Her primary areas of research are happiness and health, and her work combines the latest research, practical wisdom, and engagement to help people live happier, healthier lives.
Gillian is the founder of The International Happiness Institute of Health Science Research, is part of the Meant2Prevent research team at SickKids, and is the co-lead investigator of The Canadian Happiness At Work Study.
She appears regularly in the media on shows such as The Social, Marilyn Denis, Breakfast Television, The Morning Show, and CBC, and was named the CanFitPro 2020 Canadian Presenter of the Year. She has given two TEDx talks: “The Surprising Truth About Happiness” and “The Two Things You Need To Know To Be Happier Today”.
In this conversation we dive into the latest research around happiness, the connection between health and happiness, and the importance of gratitude.
You can learn more about Gillian at her website gillianmandich.com.
Enjoy!
13 min
June 14, 2022 #163. Dr. Greg Wells on Habits, Routines and Rituals.
This week I’m excited to share my live broadcast on Sharpen Your Edge.
I’m obsessed with trying to figure out how we can improve our health, wellbeing and perform at our absolute best. What I’ve been focusing on lately is the idea of relentless consistency.
In this episode I dig into what it takes to install new habits and how you can implement routines and rituals to reach your full potential.
Tune in to my live broadcast at linkedin.com/in/drgregwells every Thursday at noon Eastern.
Enjoy!
17 min
June 14, 2022 #15 - Nobody Wins Alone: Robyn Benincasa on Human Synergy & Comebacks
Turning high-performing individuals into cohesive, change-proof teams—so people can navigate setbacks, sustain performance, and win together. Robyn Benincasa tackles the gap between “talent” and “team culture,” giving you a playbook for collaboration under pressure.
In today’s conversation Robyn Benincasa and Dr. Greg explore how ordinary, repeatable habits and world-class teamwork create extraordinary results in sport, work, and life. We dig into simple training architecture (Fit–Fast–Force–Flex), clean nutrition principles, and why recovery builds fitness. Robyn shares vivid expedition stories (Ecuador, Tibet, Missouri River 340), the psychology of low points, and how “bricks on the confidence wall” are earned. She also unpacks Project Athena—using team-based adventures to help survivors transform setbacks into comebacks.
You will learn how to structure a realistic four-session training week (cardio, intervals, strength, mobility); the difference between training vs. race nutrition; practical anti-inflammatory food choices; when cold exposure helps (and when it hinders) adaptation; and the mindset tools Robyn uses to flip adversity into forward motion (teammate accountability, future-self decisions, and building that confidence wall one brick at a time).
You will discover that sustained high performance isn’t built on hacks—it’s built on simple systems repeated consistently, supported by teammates, and protected by recovery. That’s how you earn “confidence bricks” you can stand on when things get hard.
Conflicting health advice and constant change lead to overtraining, under-recovery, and scattered teams. Robyn’s approach replaces confusion with a clear rhythm (train, fuel, recover) and a culture of shared ownership so you perform longer—and stronger.
1 hr 21 min
June 07, 2022 #14 - Flip the Formula: Neil Pasricha on Happiness → Great Work → Success
We’re richer and busier than ever—and yet lonelier, more anxious, and less fulfilled. Neil’s work tackles the gap between abundance and wellbeing by turning happiness, resilience, and trust into simple, doable daily practices people actually follow.
In today’s conversation Neil Pasricha explores why the classic formula—great work → big success → happiness—is backwards, and how beginning with happiness drives higher performance and deeper fulfilment. He offers three 20-minute “how-to” prescriptions (nature walks, journaling, and reading literary fiction) and explains the neuroscience and psychology behind each. Neil also shares the origin story of his 3 Books podcast and the “confidence through quitting” strategy for reading more and better. Along the way, he reframes resilience with his “Three A’s of Awesome”: attitude, awareness, and authenticity.
You will learn why flipping the success model (start with happiness) boosts productivity, creativity, and sales; how to use a 20-minute nature walk to lower stress; why journaling the day’s highlight rewires attention toward positives; how reading 20 pages of fiction builds empathy via mirror neurons; and a practical system for reading more by quitting early and often.
You will discover that happiness is not a reward for success—it’s the input that powers it. Prime your brain first; the great work and big results follow.
When life feels noisy and overwhelming, we default to vague “shoulds” and stall. Neil replaces overwhelm with clear, 20-minute behaviors that steadily compound mood, focus, and resilience—without requiring more time than you have.
33 min
June 07, 2022 #162. Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of 1%
This week I’m excited to share my live broadcast on Sharpen Your Edge.
In these episodes I do my best to deconstruct excellence and explore what it takes to live your best life. I study the tactics and strategies of the world's highest performers and share research with you that can make a huge difference to our own ability to get healthy, improve our wellbeing, and reach our full potential.
This week I explore the idea of 1% wins. When you improve by 1% consistently over time you get exponential gains. I want to share this idea with you and prompt you to come up with your own 1% wins. These are simple ideas that take very little time and energy that you can install into your life to improve your health, wellbeing, and to perform better.
In this episode I talk about goals versus dreams and the power of small, consistent wins.
Tune in to my live broadcast at linkedin.com/in/drgregwells every Thursday at noon Eastern.
Enjoy!
13 min
May 31, 2022 #13 - From Heartbreak to High Performance: Paula Findlay’s Consistency Playbook
How do you rebuild world-class endurance performance—physically and psychologically—after injury, public disappointment, and inconsistent results?
In this conversation, Olympic and Ironman Triathlete Paula Findlay and Dr. Greg explore sustainable training (boring but brilliant consistency), proper fueling, and a healthier competitive mindset that removes unhelpful pressure while still racing at the front.
She breaks down the “no secrets” method that brought her back—relentless consistency, intelligent volume, and fueling to match the work. Paula also shares how moving to middle-distance triathlon and building That Triathlon Life with Eric Lagerstrom renewed her joy and results. Along the way, we dig into confidence, expectations, and what it really takes to stay healthy at the top of the sport.
You will learn why consistency beats “epic” workouts; how Paula structures 25–30 hour training weeks without breaking down; the recovery habits (simple, repeatable, unglamorous) that keep her healthy; how her nutrition philosophy flipped from restriction to fueling; and the mindset shift that comes from lowering external expectations while still racing like you belong at the front.
You will discover that elite endurance success is far less about secrets and far more about boring, repeatable systems—consistent aerobic work, adequate calories, and steady recovery—executed for months on end. That formula rebuilt Paula’s performance and confidence
Most driven athletes and leaders over-optimize complexity and under-value consistency. Paula’s approach shows you how to escape the burnout loop—train and fuel enough to adapt, not so much that you implode—so you can perform for years, not weeks.
46 min
May 31, 2022 #161. Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Why
This week I’m excited to share my live broadcast on Sharpen Your Edge.
On these episodes I do my best to deconstruct the tools, tactics, strategies, and techniques that you can use to elevate your health, wellbeing and ability to perform to your full potential.
This week I have a very simple but powerful idea popularized by Simon Sinek, that is all around the power of why. That single word that triggers questions that enable you to take your life to another level, personally and professionally. What is your why?
In this episode I talk about intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, self reflection and I give you an exercise to help you dig deep and figure out your why.
Tune in to my live broadcast at linkedin.com/in/drgregwells every Thursday at noon Eastern.
Enjoy!
11 min
May 24, 2022 #160. Dr. Michael Rucker on The Fun Habit
This week I had an incredible conversation with Dr. Michael Rucker on Sharpen Your Edge Live.
Michael is an author, organizational psychologist and behavioural scientist, fitness enthusiast, father and husband.
Inside his book, The Fun Habit, Michael talks about the tools he had built as a student of positive psychology that suddenly failed him during a difficult time in his life. Finding himself unhappy, a bit lonely, and burnt out, Michael began to critically evaluate modern approaches to happiness. He quickly realized how much misinformation is out there. Years of research coalesced as The Fun Habit. The Fun Habit is an action-based approach that helps you critically examine your pursuit of happiness and make adjustments using evidence-based practices to invite more fun and joy in your life.
We had an amazing conversation all about the benefits of having FUN!
You can learn more about Michael and his work at michaelrucker.com.
Enjoy!
17 min
May 24, 2022 #12 - Lifestyle as Medicine: Small Habits, Big Health.
Dr. Mark Rowe is reframing care around lifestyle medicine and habit-building so people can actually change and sustain wellbeing.
In today’s conversation Mark Rowe and Dr. Wells explore how lifestyle medicine can prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease by integrating movement, nutrition, sleep, and the mind–body–emotion connection. They discuss practical ways to improve gut health, lower inflammation, and use small daily actions to change long-term outcomes. Mark explains why people don’t have a knowledge problem so much as a habit-building problem—and how identity, journaling, and community help close the knowing–doing gap. The conversation lands on sleep and stress recovery as non-negotiables for high performance in work and life.
You will learn how lifestyle medicine works in practice (exercise, nutrition, sleep, relationships), why gut health and the microbiome influence mood, immunity, and weight regulation, and how small “butterfly” changes compound via epigenetics to shift health trajectories. You’ll also learn simple prebiotic/probiotic strategies, how inflammation links to diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and depression, and why journaling plus one-habit-at-a-time is the most reliable path to durable behavior change.
You will discover that most people don’t need more information—they need systems that make the right behaviors easier than the wrong ones. You’ll also discover how improving your gut environment can improve your brain environment, mood, and decision-making.
ackles the “knowing–doing” gap by turning medical guidance into daily rituals—one change at a time—so people actually sustain exercise, eat for their microbiome, and protect sleep under stress. That execution focus helps busy professionals lower inflammation and increase energy without relying solely on medication.
45 min