#28 - The Coping Crisis: Dr. Bill Howatt on Building Mental Health
Mental Health, Think Clearly Greg Wells PhD Mental Health, Think Clearly Greg Wells PhD

#28 - The Coping Crisis: Dr. Bill Howatt on Building Mental Health

In today’s conversation Bill Howatt explores how his own lived experience with dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, and shame became the engine for a 30-year career in mental health — and why he now focuses on helping employers create psychologically safe, health-promoting workplaces. He and Dr. Wells map the crucial distinction between mental health and mental illness, walk through the “awareness → accountability → action” pathway, and show why coping skills must be trained like oral hygiene. They also unpack the role of managers, stress, and fast-brain autopilot in the current “coping crisis.” The through-line: mental health is trainable, but only if we make it intentional.

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#26 - All about Spark - Your Brain on Exercise with Dr. John Ratay
Exercise, Think Clearly, Mental Health, Brain Greg Wells PhD Exercise, Think Clearly, Mental Health, Brain Greg Wells PhD

#26 - All about Spark - Your Brain on Exercise with Dr. John Ratay

In today’s conversation John Ratey explores the revolutionary science behind Spark — how movement changes brain chemistry in real time and why it should sit beside therapy and medication for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and even addiction. He tells the Naperville District story, where daily fitness flipped academic outcomes, then connects it to what we now know about BDNF, endocannabinoids, and neurogenesis. John and Dr. Wells go deep on stress reactivity, GABA, and why fitter people are harder to panic. They finish with a vision for a future where we move more, together, outside — because connection and nature amplify everything exercise does.

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#25 - Overcome Any Challenge And Come Out Stronger with Chris Norton
Mental Health, Peak Performance, Challenge Greg Wells PhD Mental Health, Peak Performance, Challenge Greg Wells PhD

#25 - Overcome Any Challenge And Come Out Stronger with Chris Norton

  1. In today’s conversation Chris Norton explores what it really takes to come back from a catastrophic spinal cord injury — from nodding his head in a hospital bed to walking across his college graduation stage and, years later, seven yards down the aisle with his wife. He and Dr. Wells unpack the moment he refused the doctor’s prognosis, the midnight conversation with his dad about “doing all the little things,” and the later, quieter season when his wife Emily struggled with depression even while their video was going viral. Chris shows how purpose, faith, and accountability can turn suffering into service through speaking, his foundation, and foster/adoptive parenting. It’s a masterclass in radical hope.

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#23 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Flow
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#23 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Flow

In today’s presentation clip Dr. Greg Wells explores how the nervous system can be guided into a state of flow — not by wishing for it, but by setting the conditions. He walks through his 3-step progression: adopt a meaningful challenge, focus relentlessly on the one thing that matters, and then release tension so the body and brain can do what they’re designed to do. Greg tells the Dawn Wall story — seven years of prep, public failure, and finally flow — to show exactly what happens when an athlete stops forcing and starts flowing. He finishes with a “Titan toolkit” you can use tomorrow morning.

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#22 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Focus
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#22 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Focus

In today’s presentation clip Dr. Greg Wells explores how to protect your attention in a world that’s engineered to steal it. He tells the story of climbing Chimborazo in Ecuador—with no cell service—and how immersion in nature, altitude, and risk forced him to focus on the only thing that mattered: getting safely off the mountain. Greg connects that moment to the science of distraction, the “compulsion loop” of our devices, and the sympathetic overactivation that kills problem-solving and creativity. Then he lays out practical focus practices—nature exposure, tech boundaries, single-tasking—that leaders, athletes, and parents can use today.

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#21 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Challenge
Mental Health, Peak Performance Greg Wells PhD Mental Health, Peak Performance Greg Wells PhD

#21 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Challenge

In today’s presentation clip Dr. Greg Wells explores how to use the science of stress and recovery to take on big, scary goals without burning out. He explains the difference between the sympathetic “gas pedal” and parasympathetic “brake,” and why high performers must be able to switch between them on demand. Greg tells the story of Felix Baumgartner’s panic attacks before the Red Bull Stratos jump to show how breathwork + self-talk + gradual exposure rewires the brain for challenge. Then he maps out a simple three-step sequence anyone can use to grow faster, think better, and perform at a world-class level.

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#18 - Unsinkable: Silken Laumann on Mindset, Mental Health, and the Power of Real Resilience
Peak Performance, Mindset, Mental Health Greg Wells PhD Peak Performance, Mindset, Mental Health Greg Wells PhD

#18 - Unsinkable: Silken Laumann on Mindset, Mental Health, and the Power of Real Resilience

In today’s conversation Silken Laumann explores how mindset, community, and compassionate honesty turn impossible moments into turning points. She revisits her 1992 comeback in Barcelona and the mental health journey that followed, including anxiety, depression, and the decision to ask for help. Silken shares daily practices—breathwork, meditation, and Morning Pages—that stabilize a “big life” of family, speaking, writing, and service.

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