S2E366 Cognitive Fitness 101: How to Stay Mentally Sharp with Dr. Tommy Wood

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Jan 20, 2026

Join Dr. Tommy Wood, a neuroscientist and performance coach, as he unlocks the secrets to optimal brain health. This insightful discussion covers his 3S Model—Stimulus, Supply, and Support—clarifying how brain use directly influences function. Learn how cardiovascular health impacts cognition, and why embracing mistakes fosters growth. Dr. Wood also shares practical stress management techniques and the importance of sleep for recovery, proving that even adults can learn new tricks. Tune in for transformative insights on staying mentally sharp!

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ADVICE

Maintain Key Nutrients

Ensure sufficient vitamin D, B vitamins, iron, and omega-3 levels for cognitive health.
Eat a varied, nutrient-rich diet and test blood markers like homocysteine when appropriate.

ADVICE

Make Sleep Your Recovery Priority

Prioritize sleep as the core support for brain adaptation and recovery.
Avoid excessive alcohol, smoking, and air pollution that impair recovery processes.

INSIGHT

Build Cognitive Headroom

'Headroom' is cognitive capacity built by stimulus, supply, and support.
More headroom reduces deficits during stress, illness, or sleep loss.

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In this episode, Dr. Tommy Woods, a neuroscientist and performance coach, shares the best practices you should follow if you want to achieve optimal brain health. He also details how how these practices are tied into your overall health.

Dr. Wood introduces his 3S Model, “Stimulus, Supply, and Support,” a simple and practical way to think about how the brain adapts, performs, and stays resilient over time. You’ll learn why how you use your brain is the primary driver of brain function, how cardiovascular and metabolic health influence cognition, and why sleep is where the real adaptation happens.

You’ll also hear powerful coaching insights on handling stress (including why you can’t think yourself out of stress), practical tools to downshift when you’re under pressure, and the science-backed truth that the adult brain can learn “new tricks”. And you’ll also learn why mistakes (and the grace to forgive yourself and others when they occur) are so necessary for continued growth.

YOU WILL LEARN:

How the “Stimulus–Supply–Support” framework make “brain optimization” doable without the overwhelm.
You can’t “outthink” yourself out of being stressed, but you can learn effective ways to manage it.
Why mistakes should be reframed as necessary and critical components to growth.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Stimulated Mind, by Dr. Tommy Wood
Behave, by Robert Sapolsky
The Neuroscience of You, by Chantelle Pratt

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE:

“The 3S are stimulus, support and supply. In terms of brain function, stimulus is the most important.” — Dr. Tommy Wood

“The most important thing somebody should do for their brain health is the thing that they will actually do and do it consistently.” — Dr. Tommy Wood

“You don’t get stronger in the gym — you get stronger when you recover. And the brain is exactly the same.” — Dr. Tommy Wood

“One of the best ways to buffer stress and build our stress capacity is exercise.” — Dr. Tommy Wood

“You don’t know all the amazing things that can happen if you just go out into the world and you’re nice to other people.” — Dr. Tommy Wood

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