Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe

Medical Doctor | Co-Host, The Doc Talk Podcast

Don’t overlook the basics in the pursuit of optimization.

We’re surrounded by advice about supplements, wearables, testing, and the latest health “hack,” but some of the most powerful ways to support our health and performance are remarkably unglamorous: move your body regularly, build and maintain muscle, eat enough protein and fibre, prioritize sleep, limit alcohol, and know your basic health numbers like blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

You don’t need to overhaul your life to improve your health. Start with one thing that feels realistic: a daily walk, more strength training, getting to bed a little earlier, or eating more fibre. Small changes, done consistently, can have a big impact on how we feel and function over time. Sustainable will almost always beat perfect.

Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe is a nationally recognized family physician, health communicator, and advocate who empowers audiences to navigate healthcare with confidence. With over 20 years of clinical experience and a decade as the resident health expert on CTV’s The Social, she translates complex topics — from menopause to equity in care and patient self-advocacy — into actionable insights.

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng

Critical Care Physician | Author, Unapologetic Leadership and Prevention Over Prescription

One of the simplest but most underappreciated tools for improving health and performance is protein. I generally recommend aiming for about 0.7–1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight per day, particularly if you’re active or trying to maintain muscle as you age.

Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders. Maintaining muscle supports strength, metabolic health, recovery, resilience, and our ability to remain independent later in life. Pair adequate protein with regular resistance training and you’ve addressed two of the most important levers for long-term physical performance.

Once those fundamentals are in place, creatine can be an excellent addition. It’s one of the most studied supplements available, with well-established benefits for strength and muscle and growing evidence around brain health and cognition.

Get the fundamentals right first: protein, strength, movement, and recovery. Then optimize around the edges.

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng is a critical care and palliative care physician on a mission to shift the conversation on healthcare from reactive to proactive. His work emphasizes the power of simple, sustainable habits to protect health and reduce burnout with his practical keynotes offering a rare blend of clinical wisdom, storytelling, and down-to-earth strategies that audiences can immediately apply.

Dr. Greg Wells

Physiologist | Peak Performance Expert | Bestselling Author

Too often, for busy professionals, workouts sit wherever and whenever they can fit in, meaning workouts and work are separated. This distinction is costing us health and performance.

When you exercise intensely enough that you can hear yourself breathing, your cerebral blood flow increases while catecholamines like norepinephrine and dopamine go up. This is thought to enhance arousal and attention in the prefrontal cortex. Your brain also releases BDNF, a protein tied to neural plasticity. So, for up to about two hours after exercise, meta-analyses show modest, reliable improvements in working memory and executive function. This effect is well replicated across dozens of studies, and a free performance enhancer.

So, move your exercise activity in front of the work that matters most. Think of it as a physical warm-up for your brain. Go for a faster walk or break a sweat in the gym, then take on the decisions, meetings and presentations that move your work forward.

The exercise you fit in when you can is a habit, and busy weeks break habits. Exercise you run before your most important work becomes a ritual, and rituals hold up when life gets busy.

Train your brain, then use it.

Dr. Greg Wells is a human physiologist, Senior Scientist at SickKids Hospital, and bestselling author of Powerhouse and The Ripple Effect. He has spent 25 years translating performance science into daily practice, working with more than 200 Olympic athletes and with leaders and teams at organizations around the world. This November, he is attempting The Great World Race: seven marathons on seven continents in seven days with his daughter, testing the physiology he teaches.

David R. Samson

Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology | Bestselling Author of Our Tribal Future

One of the most powerful ways to improve health and performance is to strengthen your circadian rhythm — your body’s internal clock.

As a sleep primatologist and evolutionary anthropologist, I’ve spent much of my career studying how humans and other primates evolved in environments that provided strong daily signals: bright mornings, active days, and dark nights. Today, many people spend their days indoors under dim light and their evenings under bright screens, which can confuse the biological systems that regulate energy, alertness, metabolism, and mood.

My advice is simple — get outside within the first hour of waking and expose yourself to natural daylight for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Consistent morning light helps anchor your circadian timing, making it easier to maintain stable energy, think clearly, and perform at your best throughout the day. Small and relatively easy to make changes in timing can have surprisingly large effects on human performance.

One of the greatest challenges society faces is that we, as a species, have evolved for how things were — not how they are. In his captivating presentations, evolutionary anthropologist Dr. David R. Samson skillfully demonstrates how to tap into human nature and bridge the gap between past and present to enhance team unity, optimize wellness and performance, and promote embodied leadership.