WHOOP Podcast

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr, Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki unpack the latest WHOOP study about alcohol’s impact on the body. The two unpack why the effects of alcohol extend beyond what you feel on a hangover. Drawing from research spanning millions of nights of data, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki how exactly alcohol impacts WHOOP metrics like HRV, heart rate, sleep, recovery, and overall performance. Alcohol not only impacts you based on how much you drink, but is variable based on age, sex, exercise levels, and sleep performance. Alcohol carries numerous physiological costs even when you don’t notice the symptoms, this episode will give you greater visibility to make informed decisions of how much and often you choose to drink.

Check out the WHOOP Research Publications Below:

Real-world effects of alcohol on heart rate, sleep, and physical activity by age and sex

Alcohol Use Trajectories During the First 72 Weeks of WHOOP Wearable Platform Membership: Observational Cohort Study

(00:51) WHOOP Research: What Millions of Nights Reveal About Alcohol
(01:58) Alcohol’s Impact on Your Brain
(03:39) What Happens Physiologically When People Drink
(07:56) The Hidden Costs of Alcohol
(10:14) What Happens During Sleep 
(16:41) Impact of Age on Recovery
(21:19) You Can’t “Work Off” A Night of Drinking
(24:51) Impact of Drinking on Women’s Health
(29:57) Alcohol Tolerance and WHOOP Metrics
(30:27) Can You “Sleep Off” A Hangover
(36:01) 3 Tips To Reduce The Effects of Alcohol
(37:41) The WHOOP Effect: WHOOP Users’ Relationship to Alcohol
(52:26) Focus on Moderation 

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On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms and Data, Emily Capodilupo sits down with Philosopher and AI Researcher Aleksandra Przegalińska to explore what happens when humans and AI collaborate. Drawing on her research on human-AI interaction, Przegalińska examines how AI can reshape productivity, creativity, education, and the future of work. This episode addresses real concerns over AI establishing diminished creative ownership, growing sameness of content, and skill atrophy in the way we work and communicate. Przegalińska illustrates the human-AI connection as something that has the potential to grow everyday capabilities, but warns that it doesn't necessarily mean less work or stress. The conversation makes a case for the use of AI by keeping humans at the center through thoughtful delegation of tasks, allowing organizations to embrace AI while keeping that important human touch. 

(00:39) Aleksandra Przegalińska and the Philosophy of AI

(01:54) Defining the Human AI Interaction

(05:42) Research on The Human Experience of AI

(07:37) Trust, Rebellion, and Adopting AI

(12:11) The Productivity Paradox of AI

(16:08) How To Keep Human Joy In Your Workflows 

(17:16) The Founder Study: Ideation vs Execution with AI

(19:39) Researching AI Development and Pace of Adoption

(22:44) The Skills That Need To Stay Human

(25:23) AI Rebellion: Why Teens Are Pushing Back Against AI

(30:03) Writing with AI: Concerns About Authenticity

(32:41) AI Use Case for Non-Native English Speakers

(38:52) Importance of Human Judgement and Review of AI 

(41:05) Advice For Leaders: Is AI Beneficial For Growth? 

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In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Boston Red Sox stars Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu to talk about October Baseball. Contreras and Abreu fill our audience in on the trust, resilience, and team-first mentality behind the Red Sox’s remarkable season. Contreras reflects on the leadership lessons he’s carried from winning a championship in 2016 and the importance of creating a clubhouse where every player feels valued. Abreu shares how the team stayed connected through an early-season struggle, ultimately finding its rhythm into a historical 15 game win streak. This episode gives an exclusive look at the intensity of playing in Boston, the mindset required to perform in October, and why preparation, sleep, recovery, and consistency are critical to sustaining success across a long season. From navigating pressure and adversity to building a winning culture, Contreras and Abreu offer their expertise on what it takes to perform and recover at the highest level.

(00:46) Meet The Red Sox: Willson Contreras & Wilyer Abreu
(02:05) A Winning Culture Starts With Teamwork
(04:20) A Slow Start To The Red Sox Season
(09:26) The Pressure of Playing in Boston
(10:54) The Sweep: Season Turnaround in June
(14:19) Winning Starts In The Clubhouse
(17:16) Longevity Throughout The Season
(20:23) Abreu on His Trade and Red Sox Debut
(24:41) Contreras on Leadership and Work Ethic
(25:50) What To Look Forward To In October
(31:22) Sleep and Recovery’s Impact on Team Culture

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On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed welcomes Investor, Entrepreneur, Wealth Expert and NY Times Best Selling Author Sahil Bloom. Sahil explores the skills it takes to build a truly wealthy life, not just financially, but in relationships, health, purpose, and the freedom to enjoy it. Sahil shares what lessons from his own life taught him about the importance of doing hard things sooner and choosing paths where you’re willing to endure the “losing version” long enough to earn the winning one. Together, Will and Sahil discuss how physical health is the foundation that enables each remaining pillar of wealth, highlighting movement, whole foods, and sleep habits that outweigh extreme optimization. This conversation serves as a reminder to take agency over the five pillars of wealth – health, relationships, purpose, time, and money – by embodying the values you want to pass on to others to make steady progress toward a meaningful life.

(00:49) Where Does Self-Improvement Get It Wrong?
(02:52) Sahil's Journey From Athlete, to Private Equity, to Self Improvement Expert
(04:59) Doing Hard Things Sooner
(05:53) Sahil's Career Reality Check
(09:18) Knowing When To Pivot
(12:09) The 5 Types of Wealth
(13:39) Importance of Relationships
(20:46) Health As A Foundation
(24:52) Why You Need A Physical Side Quest
(31:39) Balancing Social Wealth with Health Optimization
(34:57) Lessons From Fatherhood
(39:12) How To Live With Less Regret
(41:43) 90/10 Rule
(43:18) Finding True Happiness and Fulfillment

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On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast Science of Human Performance Series, WHOOP SVP of Research Algorithms and Data, Emily Capodilupo, sits down with WHOOP AVP Medical Director, Dr. Dan Henderson to discuss the key longevity habits to help you boost your healthspan and improve your WHOOP age. Emily and Dr. Henderson break down the difference between lifespan and healthspan, illustrating why decline with age isn’t necessarily inevitable. The two break down how everyday choices around sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress, and social connection can compound over time to shape how we age. This episode clarifies the habits with the greatest impact on long-term health, why many popular longevity supplements may offer less benefit than advertised, and how biomarkers and blood testing can uncover hidden opportunities to improve both health and performance. Emily and Dr. Dan explain how WHOOP Advanced Labs and WHOOP Age can help people better understand their individual health and take practical steps today to extend their healthspan to feel better for years to come.

(01:25) Healthspan vs. Lifespan

(03:03) Is Aging Decline Inevitable?  

(04:51) The Habits and Biomarkers For Healthy Aging

(08:55) The Lifestyle Choices That Reduce Biological Age

(11:10) Does Stress Make You Age? 

(13:03) Important Health Benefits of Social Connection

(14:17) What Supplements Should You Actually Be Taking? 

(19:30) What Lab Results Can Tell You About How You Age

(28:42) Cardiac Health: Preventing Heart Health Risks

(28:02) Weight Management and Insulin Resistance

(32:00) How Sleep Impacts Aging

(39:05) Root Cause Health Issues (And How To Avoid Them)

(41:09) How To Lower Your WHOOP Age 

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This week on the WHOOP Podcast, World No. 1 Golfer, Nelly Korda, returns to the WHOOP Podcast to reflect on her incredible career at the top of professional golf and the lessons she’s learned through both the wins and the setbacks. From betting on herself as a 17-year-old to becoming World No. 1 and a multiple major champion, Nelly shares how the highs and lows have shaped the athlete and person she is today.

Nelly joins WHOOP Founder & CEO Will Ahmed to discuss the routines, recovery strategies, and mindset that help her perform under pressure. Nelly opens up navigating the pressure of being the face of women’s golf, learning to tune out outside expectations, and making a conscious decision to show up more authentically as herself. On the green, that means trusting her instincts, accepting that she won’t always have her best game, moving on from mistakes, and finding the resilience to give the next shot everything she has.

From prioritizing habits around sleep and listening to her body to knowing when to lock in and when to step away, Nelly highlights the power in trusting your own process and staying on your own course. 

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On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo take a deep dive into the science of women’s health. The two define the importance of understanding how a woman’s physiology changes across the lifespan. Dr. Holmes and Emily define the various phases of the menstrual cycle and how each influences sleep, recovery, thermoregulation, fueling, and exercise performance. This episode challenges the idea that women need to completely restructure their training around their cycle. Instead, Dr. Holmes and Emily explain how understanding your individual patterns can help you make small, informed adjustments to strain, sleep, and recovery that better support your body.

The conversation examines the menstrual cycle as an important signal of overall health, establishing your own physiological baseline, and how changes in those patterns can provide useful information throughout different stages of life. Dr. Holmes and Emily discuss the extensive research WHOOP has conducted across women’s health, including pregnancy, fertility, and menopause, exploring how wearable data can help reveal changes that might otherwise be difficult to recognize. Ultimately, this episode highlights how better data, more research, and a more personalized understanding of female physiology can give women greater agency over their health and performance at every stage of life.

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(00:00) Trailer

(01:02) WHOOP Research: The Importance of Studying Women’s Health

(03:23) Recovery Through The Menstrual Cycle

(06:01) Using Science-Back Research to Develop WHOOP Features

(09:12) Menstrual Cycle Variability Insights

(12:16) Fuelling Tips for High Performing Women

(19:27) Viewing Your Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign

(21:49) Signs of RED-S and Misalignment

(24:17) Early Signs of PMOS and How To Screen For It

(28:28) What Your Body Is Trying To Tell You

(29:49) What Women Need To Know About Tracking Their Cycle

(20:10) How To Advocate For Care

(30:56) Importance of Knowing Your Normal 

(31:22) Early Warning Signs of Perimenopause

(32:54) WHOOP For Symptom Tracking

(40:26) Sleep Hormone Feedback Loop

(43:11) What Male Partners Need To Know

(46:44) Pregnancy Research Gaps: What We Know About Pre-Natal Training

(53:32) Maternal Care & Recovery

(56:12) Exciting New Leads in Women’s Health

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On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed sits down with WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes to discuss her new book, Aligned, and what it takes to build a more resilient nervous system. Drawing on her journey from elite athlete to championship-winning coach, researcher, and human performance expert, Dr. Holmes shares what she’s learned about the connection between recovery, resilience, and sustained performance. Will and Dr. Holmes explore why the time spent away from your craft can be just as important as the work itself, how sleep consistency and HRV can provide insight into the health of your nervous system, and why balancing stress with adequate recovery is critical for performing at your best. Dr. Holmes also breaks down her HEAL framework, explores how trauma and an outcome-driven mindset can shape our behaviors, and shares practical strategies for building greater agency, resilience, and alignment in everyday life.

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(00:00) Trailer 

(00:55) Introduction to Aligned by Dr. Kristen Holmes

(02:25) How A Healthy Nervous System Promotes Healthy Aging

(05:31) Impact of Childhood Trauma on High Performers

(08:22) 70% of Americans Experience Trauma

(10:15) Why Recovery Matters More Than You Think

(16:17) Kristen’s Collegiate Coaching Experience

(22:07) What Overworking and Overtraining Looks Like

(26:44) Importance of Sleep Consistency

(30:17) The HEAL Framework

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Metabolic health is far more nuanced than conventional nutrition advice suggests. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Metabolic Health Expert Dr. Nick Norwitz MD PhD to discuss why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools for improving long-term health. Dr. Nick Norwitz shares how a ketogenic diet unexpectedly put his inflammatory bowel disease into remission after numerous conventional treatments had failed. This experimentation sparked a career dedicated to challenging assumptions with rigorous science and thoughtful self-experimentation. Together, Dr. Nick Norwitz and Dr. Kristen Holmes unpack the difference between "evidence-based" and truly individualized care. This episode continues to explore why muscle, sleep, and visceral fat play central roles in brain, heart, and metabolic health. From discussions on protein, the microbiome, and emerging therapies to Nick's famous Oreo-versus-statin experiment, the conversation encourages listeners to move beyond one-size-fits-all health advice, and partner with their healthcare providers to embrace safe, data-informed experimentation for a better understanding of their biology.

Shownotes:

(00:00) Trailer Intro

(00:43) Who Is Dr. Nick Norwitz?

(03:07) Nick’s Personal Health Journey

(08:29) Nutrition as a Medical Intervention

(12:41) What Does “Evidence-Based” Care Really Mean?

(16:42) The Key to Optimizing Your Health

(19:17) Debunking Metabolic Health Myths

(20:46) The Benefits of Training and Exercise

(26:29) How Metabolism Affects Strength, Cardio, and Brain Health

(30:03) How Does Sleep Impact Inflammation?

(32:35) GLP-1s and Your Metabolism: What’s Really Happening?

(34:47) Nick’s Take on Self-Experimentation

(35:43) The Oreo vs. Statin Study

(45:19) How to Burn Fat

(49:43) Do We Really Need to Focus on Protein?

(51:25) What Is Visceral Fat—and How Do You Lose It?

(56:08) Why You Should Stay Curious About Your Health

Resources:

Fitness and aging (Nature Aging 2026); https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-026-01150-x  

Visceral fat and resistant starch: (Nature Metabolism 2024): https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-024-00988-y 

Visceral fat and resistant starch, **YouTube Breakdown: https://youtu.be/wnEApLnKDRI   

Visceral fat and brain volume: (Nature Comm 2026): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71141-4 

Leg power and longevity (twin study): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26551663/ 

600-calorie exercise burn study (Nature Metabolism 2025): https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01236-7 

Microbiome and beige fat study (Nature 2026): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10205-3 

Oreo versus statin study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38276308/

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Heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the most powerful metrics for understanding your recovery and resilience. In this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki explain what HRV actually measures and what it indicates about the health of your autonomic nervous system. They unpack the biggest factors that influence HRV, including sleep consistency, hydration, training load, psychological stress, alcohol, and illness. You'll learn how to use HRV as a practical guide to balance stress and recovery, identify which habits are helping or hurting your physiology, and make small, consistent lifestyle changes that support better performance, healthier aging, and greater resilience over time.

(00:00) Cold Open

(00:35) What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?

(01:48) Why HRV Matters For Recovery

(03:20) How WHOOP Measures HRV

(04:44) Why You Shouldn’t Compare Your HRV to Others

(05:43) Understanding the Autonomic Nervous System

(11:28) Why WHOOP Measures HRV During Sleep 

(12:36) How Your Behaviors Impact HRV

(21:30) Impact of Sleep Consistency on HRV

(23:19) The Relationship Between High Stress and HRV

(26:54) How to Improve Your HRV

(30:33) The Habits Negatively Impacting HRV

(36:26) Why You Shouldn’t Obsess Over HRV

(37:51) HRV-CV: Understanding Weekly HRV Trends

(41:49) How HRV Changes Over Time

Listen to Our Episode on Heart Rate Variability Coefficient of Variation (HRV-CV)
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