Much of what leaders put down to stress, or to a lapse in discipline, is chemistry at work. Andrew chose five of these moments, drew a real scenario from our coaching practice for each, and asked an expert to identify the neurotransmitter behind it, without warning.
Play along. One scenario is the board presentation that keeps replaying long after midnight. Another is the leader whose drive has quietly gone flat, and it gives even our expert pause.
Professor Tom Buckley is a University of Sydney academic and Andrew’s co-author on MatchFit.
See if you can name each chemical before he does, then learn the levers that lift it and the ones that bring it back down.
00:00 Five chemicals, five real leadership scenarios
02:04 What the human body is actually made of
04:52 The challenge: name the chemical
07:39 Chemical 1: when you can't get started
13:55 Chemical 2: wired before the board meeting, awake after it
20:34 Three minutes in the car before walking inside
24:00 How to come down after a big day
27:00 How to ramp up: sunlight, cold water and caffeine timing
31:07 Chemical 3: the team that won't say what it thinks
40:46 Chemical 4: snapping at the kids at 9am on Saturday
49:53 Hot milk, cooked tomato and what our grandparents knew
52:12 Chemical 5: when nothing feels fun anymore
55:52 Vitamin FLPJ and the joy diary
1:03:14 Coming down is two jobs
1:04:27 Why leaders can wind up but can't switch off
Find Dr Tom Buckley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-buckley-06a76b98?originalSubdomain=au
Download the neurotransmitters sheet:
https://performanceintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Chemistry-Table-PQ-White.png-
High performance is not about pushing harder. It is about building the capacity to perform when it matters and sustain it over time.
Hosted by
Andrew May, one of Australia’s leading experts in human performance, leadership and mental skills, the Performance Intelligence Podcast explores how leaders, athletes, coaches and researchers think clearly, manage pressure and consistently perform at their best.
Drawing on more than 20 years working with senior executives, elite sporting teams and the Australian Defence Force, Andrew combines candid conversations with evidence-based performance insights and practical strategies you can apply.
Episodes span leadership capacity, performance psychology, mental skills, energy management, strategic recovery, productivity and wellbeing.
Listen to think more clearly, lead more effectively and perform at your best for longer.
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