#22 - Dr. Greg Wells on The Power of Focus
Today’s guest is Dr. Greg Wells And this Episode is An Excerpt from His Titan Talk
We live in an era of constant, unrelenting distraction that keeps the nervous system in low-grade fight-or-flight, blocks learning and creativity, and quietly erodes health and performance. This episode shows people how to shift from distraction → deliberate focus using physiology, environment, and language.
In today’s presentation Dr. 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.
You will learn how constant notifications keep the brain in a sympathetic state and why that suppresses learning, memory, and innovation; how even looking at images of nature drops blood pressure and how weekly “green time” boosts immunity through phytoncides; the difference between threat focus (“everything’s urgent”) and task focus (“the single next step”); why removing tech friction (phone basket, no-phone hikes, scheduled deep work) restores attention; and how challenge + focus + recovery triggers physiological supercompensation—more red blood cells, more capacity, more performance.
You will discover that focus is not a personality trait—it’s a physiological state you can build by changing your inputs (breath, nature, tech). Control the inputs and your brain will give you the deep work.
Most high performers are trying to do world-class work with a brain that’s half-distracted and half-stressed. Greg’s approach shows you how to clear your mind so your best ideas, best writing, best decisions, and best relationships can actually happen.
Key take aways:
Distraction is the new smoking—design against it.
Nature resets the nervous system—get outside weekly.
In crisis, focus on the one next step.
Tech is a tool; set the minimum effective dose.
Challenge + focus + recovery = supercompensation.
“When distraction is constant, the nervous system can’t learn. Break the loop, create focus, and your physiology will super-adapt.”
Today’s Presenter - Dr. Greg Wells
Dr. Greg Wells is a scientist, human physiologist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author who helps people and organizations achieve healthy high performance. He’s worked with Olympic and World-Champion athletes, business leaders, and academic performers, and has spent 25+ years translating cutting-edge physiology into practical strategies for sleep, focus, movement, and recovery.
Greg doesn’t just talk about physiology — he stress-tests it in real adventures (cycling across Africa, Arctic marathons, mountain climbs) and then reverse-engineers what worked into simple systems. His Healthy High Performance model links Body → Mind → Life so flow isn’t a one-off moment, it’s a state you can access again and again to create better work, better health, and better leadership.
Follow Dr. Wells on Instagram & Linked In.
Check out his website.
Explore his books.
This podcast contains advice and information relating to health and wellness. It should be used to supplement rather than replace the advice of your doctor or another trained health professional. If you know or suspect that you have a health problem, seek your physician’s advice before embarking on any medical program or treatment. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this podcast / interview / article as of the date of publication. The author and publisher disclaim liability for any medical or other outcomes that may occur as a result of applying the methods suggested in this material.
