How Burnout Changes Your Brain (And What to Do About It) with Neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood

⚠️ Feeling Drained Lately? Take this free burnout test and see how close you are to the edge: https://4db9-coach.systeme.io/6ad5c8b6

In this game-changing episode, I sit down with Dr. Tommy Wood — neuroscientist and author of the upcoming book "The Stimulated Mind" — to expose the shocking truth about how our productivity-obsessed culture is literally shrinking our brains and what we can do to reverse the damage.

From revealing why Cambridge taught us everything wrong about brain performance to explaining how chronic stress physically alters your hippocampus and amygdala, Tommy drops serious neuroscience knowledge that will make you rethink everything about how you work, rest, and optimize your cognitive function.

Whether you're a burned-out executive, a perfectionist struggling with brain fog, or someone ready to understand why daydreaming is actually productive, this conversation will revolutionize how you think about peak mental performance.

What we cover: 

✔️ The 3S framework: stimulus, supply, and support for optimal brain health 

✔️ Why your brain is like a muscle (and how amateur cognitive athletes burn out) 

✔️ The shocking neuroscience of what burnout actually does to your brain structure

✔️ How chronic stress shrinks your hippocampus and hyperactivates your amygdala 

✔️ Why the education system trains us to fear failure (the key to neuroplasticity) 

✔️ The three cognitive gears: high, middle, and low (and why we're stuck in middle) 

✔️ Default mode network secrets: why daydreaming makes you more productive 

✔️ Cross stress adaptation: how exercise rewires your stress response 

✔️ Why multitasking is a neuroscientific impossibility (and incredibly stressful) 

✔️ The control factor: why feeling powerless accelerates cognitive decline 

✔️ 5-minute recovery breaks that significantly reduce fatigue and boost vigor

Tommy doesn't just share theory — he reveals cutting-edge neuroscience research that shows exactly how to structure your days for peak cognitive performance while protecting your brain for decades to come.

Timestamps: 

00:00 – Cambridge confessions: Red Bull, Barocca, and learning to do everything wrong 

06:42 – Brain plasticity hope: why "I fucked up my brain" isn't permanent 

11:06 – The 3S model: stimulus, supply, and support for optimal brain function 

17:38 – Burnout brain: what chronic stress physically does to neural structure 

25:09 – Hippocampus vs. amygdala: the neuroscience of stress and memory 

31:43 – Why sedentary high-achievers accidentally shrink their memory centers 

38:45 – Amateur cognitive athletes: the burnout epidemic explained 

46:44 – Three cognitive gears and why we're trapped in middle gear 

50:10 – Default mode network: the neuroscience of productive daydreaming 

58:58 – Brain waves, flow states, and clutch performance 01:06:04 – Control as the ultimate burnout factor (and how to reclaim it)

Resources:

• Pre-order Dr Tommy's book: "The Stimulated Mind" (March 2026): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stimulated-Mind-Breakthrough-Future-Proof-Dementia/dp/1785045148

• Follow Dr Tommy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtommywood/

• Listen to his podcast, "Better Brain Fitness" with Dr. Josh Turknett: https://www.drtommywood.com/podcast

• Check out Dr Tommy’s website: https://www.drtommywood.com/

📲 Connect with Me: 

🌍 Website: https://charlenegisele.com 

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/charlenegisele 

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charl%C3%A8ne-gis%C3%A8le-bourliout/