Episode 307: Stop Managing Time. Start Managing Energy with Clint Rahe
If you’re a high performer, leader, or founder… chances are your calendar is stacked, your brain is overloaded, and you’re trying to ‘push through’ like that’s the job.
Today’s guest, Clint Rahe, former Royal Air Force PTI turned executive coach and author of The Cognitive Athleteworks with C-suite leaders who should be in their peak years… but instead are burnt out, exhausted, and running on empty.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to sustain high performance without paying for it with your health, your focus, or your family.
We’re breaking down cognitive periodizationhow to create seasons in business how to use micro-recovery to reduce stress between meetings, how to protect deep work, and how to set boundaries that actually stick.
Key takeaways
-Knowledge workers as cognitive athletes (and why overload kills learning)
-Burnout at the top: why leaders hit their “peak years” exhausted
-Cognitive periodization: creating “seasons” in business where none exist
-Recovery that actually works (micro-breaks, active recovery, energy resets)
-The “letdown effect” (why people get sick right after pressure ends)
-Energy management vs. time management
-Saying no strategically (deep work vs shallow work)
-Practical leadership habits: 15-minute daily planning + end-of-day review
-Meeting hygiene: 25-min meetings, breaks, and better transitions
-Circadian rhythms + scheduling work that fits your energy
Links & resources mentioned
-Clint’s website: thecognitiveathlete.com.au
-Clint on LinkedIn (best place to connect)
-Clint’s weekly newsletter (Wednesdays)
Clint’s podcast (short episodes, Mondays)
-Book: The Cognitive Athlete (US availability mentioned as Feb 27 on Amazon)
-Microsoft Human Factors Lab research mentioned (EEG + breaks between meetings)
-Amazon meeting practice referenced (reading memo at start)
#GrowthReady #HighPerformance #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoach #BurnoutRecovery #ProductivityHacks
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