Episode 160: Performance Science for Leaders with Dr. Carla Fowler, MD PhD

In this episode of the Healthcare Leadership Excellence Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Carla Fowler, MD PhD, a performance coach with a medical and research background, to break leadership into four practical buckets: strategy, execution, mindset, and biology. We talk about ten-minute strategy, why dialogue beats top-down directives, how capability, visibility, and influence drive execution, and why biology sets the floor for performance. We also get into how great leaders think: when to trust pattern recognition and when to slow down for deeper work. If you are new to leadership or you are rebuilding your approach, this conversation gives you tools you can use today.

Key Takeaways

• Ten-minute strategy: define success, surface the 3–4 highest-leverage priorities, and name what you will not do.
• Execution lives in the how: align to team capabilities, give visibility, and share influence on approach.
• Biology sets the platform: sleep, breathing resets, daylight, movement, connection; pair stress with purpose.
• Mindset reframes stress: beliefs about stress shift whether it becomes inflammatory or fuels learning and connection.
• Thinking like a leader: create space to write; use prompts to move from reacting to understanding.
• Clarity motivates: write the goal and priorities, share V1 with the team, refine in one-on-ones.

Learn more about Dr. Carla Fowler:

• https://www.thaxa.com/p/healthcare-leadership-excellence
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-fowler/
• https://twitter.com/DrCarlaFowler
• https://www.instagram.com/drcarlafowler/
• https://www.youtube.com/@drcarlafowler

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