The Presenters With Erik Gingles

Why do so many successful leaders feel exhausted, anxious, and overstimulated? Evolutionary biologist and former McGill University lecturer Dr. Patrick Owen says it comes down to a mismatch between ancient human biology and the modern workplace.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Owen about his research, his talks for corporate audiences, and what organizations can take from them.

What you’ll hear:

• What the “mismatch hypothesis” is, and why high performers can feel worn out despite being successful on paper
• How fieldwork in Tibet and Papua New Guinea led Dr. Owen to see that environment shapes how people feel and perform, and why one-size-fits-all advice falls short
• Why he calls sleep the foundation of stress management, decision making, and energy
• His sleep rules: wake at the same time every day (weekends included), skip the snooze button, and turn off screens before bed
• How unresolved stress, constant news, and social media can get in the way of rest
• Practical ways leaders can start, including closing out stress loops, designing more predictable work rhythms, and a one-minute movement break every 30 minutes

Why book Dr. Owen: His talks give leaders and HR teams practical tools to redesign how work is structured so teams are healthier and more resilient. He suggests starting with the C-suite or with HR, which is dealing with high turnover, mental health sick days, and workplace friction.

About the guest: Dr. Patrick Owen is an evolutionary biologist, speaker, and former lecturer at McGill University. He has worked with more than a thousand consulting clients and is writing a book called The Mismatch Era.