In Today’s Episode: What Improves Brain Health? Join us as we talk with Dr. Tommy Wood, MD, PhD — neuroscientist, medical doctor, and performance scientist, who shares his insights on how brain health is shaped by environment, expectations, and long-term habits rather than hacks or optimization shortcuts. Key Takeaways from Today’s Episode: Brain health is built through consistent skill use, supportive environments, and resilience, not perfect routines. Expectations directly influence physiology, cognitive performance, and long-term disease risk. Flow states and elite performance emerge from deep expertise and process, not motivation or shortcuts. Questions We Answer in This Episode: What actually improves brain health across the lifespan? Can over-optimizing sleep, fitness, and biometrics make you more fragile? How do environment, mindset, and expectations shape cognitive performance and longevity? Apollo link: https://apolloneuro.com/mbblab Learn More About the Guest: Website: https://www.drtommywood.com/ Socials: https://www.instagram.com/drtommywood/?hl=en https://substack.com/@betterbrainfitness Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Dr. Tommy Wood 00:38 Flow States: When Dr. Tommy Feels Most Dialed In 03:36 Dr. Tommy's Background: From Medical School to Neuroscience 06:30 Elite Performance: Nature vs Nurture in Athletes 25:12 Concussions and Brain Injury: The Physical and Psychological Impact 28:52 Social Connection and Immune Function: The Body's Response to Isolation 32:52 Expectations and Performance: How Beliefs Shape Reality 34:04 Wearables and Data: The Double-Edged Sword of Health Tracking 43:27 Blood Tests and Biomarkers: What to Measure and Why 48:40 The Enoughness Problem: Optimization vs Psychological Resilience 1:12:12 The 3S Model for Brain Health: Stimulus, Supply, and Support 1:15:50 Small Changes, Big Impact: The Power of Starting With One Thing 14:26 Baby Brains and Early Development: The Critical Role of Environment 57:36 Dementia Prevention: Challenging Conventional Wisdom 1:22:19 Neuroplasticity Throughout Life: Breaking the Age 25 Myth 1:27:21 White Matter and Resistance Training: Unexpected Brain Benefits 1:30:52 Closing Thoughts and Resources Where to Learn More About TDL & Our Hosts: The Decision Lab Socials: https://stan.store/thedecisionlab Cody’s Socials: https://stan.store/mindbrainbodylab Chloe’s Socials: https://stan.store/chloegoesinward #TheDecisionLabPodcast #Wellness #MentalHealthMatters #HealthAndWellness #SelfCare #WellnessPodcast #HealthPodcast #WellnessTechnology #HolisticHealth