#43 - Work Better, Rest Better: Dr. Lisa Bélanger on Tiny Habits for Big Performance

Dec 27

Today’s guest is Dr. Lisa Bélanger

Closing the gap between intention and action—making evidence-based mental health and performance habits simple enough to do daily at work and at home.

In today’s conversation Lisa Bélanger explores how to design days that reliably produce focus, energy, and calm—especially in uncertainty. She and Dr. Wells unpack why behavior change fails when it relies on motivation alone, and how to use “make it easy and attractive” design to make the right choice the default. They dig into exercise as first-line therapy for cancer-related fatigue, what nature does to the brain during recovery, and how “doormat” rituals separate work from home when boundaries blur. Expect practical micro-habits grounded in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral medicine.

You will learn a simple behavior-design formula: engineer your physical and social environments so the desired action is the easiest one available. You will learn why exercise acts like a drug for fatigue (even during treatment) and how clinicians drove 97% adherence with a “just show up” contract. You will learn a three-bucket break model—connect to self, others, or nature—and why even three minutes off-screen changes mood and performance. You will also learn practical mindfulness (notice wandering, bring it back) and “doormat” rituals that bookend the workday so you can be fully present at work and fully present at home.

You will discover that motivation usually follows smart design—tiny, friction-free steps compound faster than willpower. You will discover that nature reliably downshifts the brain’s decision-making load, accelerating recovery and clarity.

Feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty, screens, and endless to-dos. Lisa gives you a playbook to regain agency—design the next three minutes, not the next three months.

Key take aways:

Make the desired habit easy and attractive.
“Just show up” beats perfect plans.
Take three-minute, screen-free breaks daily.
Use start/finish rituals to separate work and home.
Practice mindfulness: notice, then bring attention back.

“Can you make the habit you desire the easiest, most attractive thing to do?”

— Dr. Lisa Bélanger

Today’s Expert Guest - Dr. Lisa Bélanger

Dr. Lisa Bélanger, PhD (Behavioural Medicine), EMBA, CSEP-CEP, is the CEO and founder of ConsciousWorks, a consultancy that applies behavioral science to leadership, mental health, and performance. She’s also the founder of Knight’s Cabin, a national charity delivering wellness programming to cancer survivors, and the author of Inspire Me Well and A Cup of Mindfulness.

Lisa blends clinician-level rigor with executive practicality: keynotes, workshops, and coaching that turn cutting-edge research on cognitive agility and proactive mental health into friction-free habits teams can actually do. Her emphasis on work design—how environments, schedules, and social norms shape behavior—makes change stick without relying on motivation.

Adopt a start/finish doormat ritual and three daily 3-minute breaks: step outside, breathe, or check in with someone before you switch roles. This tiny structure restores attention, lowers stress chemistry, and makes high-quality work repeatable.

Follow Dr. Lisa Bélanger on Instagram & Linked In.

Check out her website.

Inspire Me Well:

Finding motivation to take control of your health

Inspire Me Well takes an in-depth look at what motivates behaviour change through stories of people who were inspired to make daily choices to promote their health and well-being. From the mom who started running to support her five-year-old son’s fight against cancer to the seventy-three-year-old man who decided he no longer wanted to be obese, the contributors will inspire you to do the most with your time on earth.

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.

Greg Wells PhD

For Dr. Greg Wells, health and performance, particularly under extreme conditions, are personal and professional obsessions. As a scientist and physiologist, he has dedicated his career to making the science of human limits understandable and actionable. Dr. Wells has spoken to audiences all over the world at events such as TEDx and The Titan Summit, where he has shared the stage with Robin Sharma, Richard Branson, Steve Wozniak and Deepak Chopra.

For over 25 years, Dr. Wells has worked with some of the highest-performing individuals on the planet, including Olympic and World champions, and with organizations ranging from General Electric to BMO, Deloitte, KPMG, BMW, Audi, Sysco Foods, YPO and Air Canada. He is also committed to inspiring children and young adults through his close working relationship with school boards and independent schools.

A veteran endurance athlete, Dr. Wells has participated in the grueling Nanisivik Marathon 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Ironman Canada and the Tour D’Afrique, an 11,000 km cycling race that is the longest in the world. He is also a travel and expedition adventurer who has journeyed through every imaginable terrain and conditions in over 50 countries around the world.

Dr. Wells is author of three best-selling books – Superbodies, The Ripple Effect, and The Focus Effect – and hosted the award-winning Superbodies series, which aired on Olympic broadcasts worldwide in 2010 and 2012.

Dr. Wells has a PhD in Physiology, served as an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto and is an exercise medicine researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

He is the CEO and founder of The Wells Group, a global consulting firm committed to achieving the moonshot of helping teams, schools and businesses become places where people get healthy, perform optimally and ultimately - reach their potential.

http://www.drgregwells.com