WHOOP Podcast

Welcome back to the Science of Human Performance Series. This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki unpack what really happens physiologically when you’re under stress. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki explore the physical, mental, and emotional ways stress can manifest, and how not all stress is actually bad. This episode helps you to understand the way stress can be perceived, and the habits that can help you manage it better. From building in small moments of rest to breath wo...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr, Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki unpack the latest WHOOP study about alcohol’s impact on the body. The two unpack why the effects of alcohol extend beyond what you feel on a hangover. Drawing from research spanning millions of nights of data, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki how exactly alcohol impacts WHOOP metrics like HRV, heart rate, sleep, recovery, and overall performance. Alcohol not only impacts you based on how much you drink, but is vari...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms and Data, Emily Capodilupo sits down with Philosopher and AI Researcher Aleksandra Przegalińska to explore what happens when humans and AI collaborate. Drawing on her research on human-AI interaction, Przegalińska examines how AI can reshape productivity, creativity, education, and the future of work. This episode addresses real concerns over AI establishing diminished creative ownership, growing sameness of content, and skill atrophy in the way we work and communicate. Przegalińska illustrates the human-AI connection as something that has the potential to grow everyday capab...

In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Boston Red Sox stars Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu to talk about October Baseball. Contreras and Abreu fill our audience in on the trust, resilience, and team-first mentality behind the Red Sox’s remarkable season. Contreras reflects on the leadership lessons he’s carried from winning a championship in 2016 and the importance of creating a clubhouse where every player feels valued. Abreu shares how the team stayed connected through an early-season struggle, ultimately finding its rhythm into a hi...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed welcomes Investor, Entrepreneur, Wealth Expert and NY Times Best Selling Author Sahil Bloom. Sahil explores the skills it takes to build a truly wealthy life, not just financially, but in relationships, health, purpose, and the freedom to enjoy it. Sahil shares what lessons from his own life taught him about the importance of doing hard things sooner and choosing paths where you’re willing to endure the “losing version” long enough to earn the winning one. Together, Will and Sahil discuss how physical health is the f...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast Science of Human Performance Series, WHOOP SVP of Research Algorithms and Data, Emily Capodilupo, sits down with WHOOP AVP Medical Director, Dr. Dan Henderson to discuss the key longevity habits to help you boost your healthspan and improve your WHOOP age. Emily and Dr. Henderson break down the difference between lifespan and healthspan, illustrating why decline with age isn’t necessarily inevitable. The two break down how everyday choices around sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress, and social connection can compound over time to shape how we age. This episode clarifies the habi...

This week on the WHOOP Podcast, World No. 1 Golfer, Nelly Korda, returns to the WHOOP Podcast to reflect on her incredible career at the top of professional golf and the lessons she’s learned through both the wins and the setbacks. From betting on herself as a 17-year-old to becoming World No. 1 and a multiple major champion, Nelly shares how the highs and lows have shaped the athlete and person she is today.

Nelly joins WHOOP Founder & CEO Will Ahmed to discuss the routines, recovery strategies, and mindset that help her perform under pressure. Nelly opens up...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo take a deep dive into the science of women’s health. The two define the importance of understanding how a woman’s physiology changes across the lifespan. Dr. Holmes and Emily define the various phases of the menstrual cycle and how each influences sleep, recovery, thermoregulation, fueling, and exercise performance. This episode challenges the idea that women need to completely restructure their training around their cycle. Instead, Dr. Holmes...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed sits down with WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes to discuss her new book, Aligned, and what it takes to build a more resilient nervous system. Drawing on her journey from elite athlete to championship-winning coach, researcher, and human performance expert, Dr. Holmes shares what she’s learned about the connection between recovery, resilience, and sustained performance. Will and Dr. Holmes explore why the time spent away from your craft can be just as important as the work itse...

Metabolic health is far more nuanced than conventional nutrition advice suggests. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Metabolic Health Expert Dr. Nick Norwitz MD PhD to discuss why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools for improving long-term health. Dr. Nick Norwitz shares how a ketogenic diet unexpectedly put his inflammatory bowel disease into remission after numerous conventional treatments had failed. This experimentation sparked a career dedicated to challenging assumptions with rigorous science and thoughtful self-experimentation. Together, Dr. Nick Norwitz an...

Heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the most powerful metrics for understanding your recovery and resilience. In this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki explain what HRV actually measures and what it indicates about the health of your autonomic nervous system. They unpack the biggest factors that influence HRV, including sleep consistency, hydration, training load, psychological stress, alcohol, and illness. You'll learn how to use HRV as a practical guide to balance stress and recovery, identify which ha...

Women's health has long been underserved by research, leaving many women without the information they need to understand their own bodies. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, Co-Founder & CEO of Natural Cycles° and Nobel Prize-winning particle physicist. The conversation explores how data is transforming women's reproductive health.

After helping discover the Higgs boson, Dr. Berglund Scherwitzl turned her expertise in physics and data science toward her own health journey by creating the world's first and onl...

After reaching nearly 300 pounds, WHOOP Member Daniel Day committed to changing his life, turning WHOOP to give him the guidance he needed. On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki sits down with Daniel to discuss his unique journey to optimize his health using WHOOP. After ultimately losing more than 125 pounds through sustainable lifestyle changes, endurance training, and a relentless focus on long-term health, Daniel decided to challenge himself to complete a Half Ironman. Daniel shares how WHOOP became an essential part of that transformation, providing the accountability, and daily insights th...

On this episode, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist, Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with exercise scientist Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple for a refreshing, evidence-based conversation that cuts through some common myths in fitness. Together, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Colenso-Semple unpack how social media has fueled misinformation around hormones, menopause, menstrual cycles, strength training, and recovery.

Dr. Colenso-Semple challenges popular narratives around cycle syncing, hormone optimization, and sex-specific training. The episode makes the case that while men and women are biologically different, the fundamental principles of building strength, improving fitness, and maintaining health are remarkably...

Welcome back to the WHOOP Podcast’s Science of Human Performance Series! On this week’s episode, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist, Dr. Kristen Holmes, sits down with WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data, Emily Capodilupo, to explore the science behind the WHOOP Recovery Score. Emily explains the progression of the recovery algorithm, from the company’s origin to the supporting research that supports it today. Dr. Holmes and Emily identify the key metrics, like heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and sleep performance, that impact your recovery the most. Each physiological signal tracked by WHO...

Welcome Back to the WHOOP Podcast's Science of Human Performance Series! This week, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo for a deep dive into the science behind the WHOOP Sleep Score and the habits that have the biggest impact on restorative sleep.

Emily explains why sleep consistency is one of the strongest predictors of performance, recovery, and long-term health, and walks through the four metrics that make up your WHOOP Sleep Score: sleep duration, consistency, efficiency, and sleep stress...

Welcome back to the WHOOP Podcast How To Series! This week, Global Head of Human Performance Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with double-board certified physician, nutritionist, and gut health expert Dr. Amy Shah to teach you how to fix your gut through nutrition and lifestyle behaviors. Gut health is essential for energy, recovery, and immunity, making it a critical component for overall health and longevity. Dr. Shah reveals the powerful connection between gut health, hormones, and brain function, along with the tools and framework you need to impact your overall performance. The conversation dives into science-backed strategies...

Welcome to the Science of Human Performance Series where we are breaking down the key metric for you to improve your fitness. This week, we’re unpacking Strain with WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki. Together, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki explore how both cardiovascular and musculoskeletal load are taken into account when measuring a member’s daily strain to help balance training, recovery, and build long-term fitness. The conversation explains the influence of WHOOP Strain on overall fitness goals, from improving fitness to supporting weight mana...

Fertility is often misunderstood. On this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo sits down with board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, fertility specialist, and OB-GYN Dr. Lucky Sekhon to separate fact from fiction when it comes to fertility and hormonal health.

Together, they explore the real science behind fertility, hormone health, menstrual cycles, sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition, and aging. Dr. Sekhon explains why fertility is deeply connected to overall health, debunks common myths about birth control and conception, and shares what everyone needs to understand about reproductive health.

Whether you're...

In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO, Will Ahmed sits down with world-record-holding freediver Alexey Molchanov to explore the extraordinary physical and mental demands of freedriving and the importance of breath work for nervous system regulation. Alexey shares how he developed the ability to dive more than 130 meters in a single breath and the mindset required to remain calm under extreme pressure. He breaks down the breathing techniques, meditation practices, and training methods that help him lower his heart rate, improve recovery, and perform at the highest level. The conversation also covers resilience after failure...

In this episode, Emily Capodilupo sits down with gerontologist, leadership coach, and author of The Middlescence Manifesto Barbara Waxman to explore the powerful idea of “middlescence” — a transformative stage of life between young and late adulthood. Together, they unpack why midlife isn’t a crisis, but an opportunity for reinvention, alignment, and growth. Listeners will learn how mindset, purpose, relationships, and joy directly impact an individual’s healthspan and longevity. Emily and Barbara share the best strategy to use wearable data as a tool for self-awareness rather than self-judgment. This conversation is full of practical insights on flourishing at every age...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes welcomes Happiness Expert and Yale Professor Dr. Laurie Santos to explore what makes humans happy. This science-backed conversation looks at the key mindset, habits and behaviors that drive a person’s happiness, beyond chasing achievements. Dr. Santos shares the information you need to create lasting joy and quiet negative emotions when they arise. Each practical tool shared in this episode will help to overcome stress, perfectionism and create the self-compassion needed to truly improve your everyday life. 

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This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed welcomes TV Personality, Entrepreneur, and Endurance Athlete Spencer Matthews for a candid conversation about transformation, resilience, and pushing human limits. Spencer reflects on his early life, struggles with alcohol and fame, and the turning point that led him to prioritize health, discipline, and purpose. Through endurance challenges like running 30 marathons in 30 days and completing 7 Ironman competitions in 7 continents over 21 days, Matthews shares how consistency, mindset, and self-belief can unlock extraordinary performance. The episode blends personal storytelling with insights on recovery, training, and mental toughness, highlighting how intentional...

In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo sits down with Renowned Cardiologist Dr. Mia Chorney and AI Entrepreneur Susan Sly to explore how AI is transforming women’s health– specifically for women going through perimenopause and menopause. Drawing from personal experiences and clinical expertise, this episode unpacks why millions of women are dismissed or misdiagnosed throughout their perimenopause and menopause journey. Dr. Mia Chorney and Susan Sly explain the science behind hormonal changes, and how data, wearables, and AI can provide better support and earlier intervention. The conversation highlights the powe...

On this month’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast Longevity series, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo sits down with Google Deepmind AI Researcher Vivek Natarajan to explore how large language models are transforming healthcare and biomedical research. Emily and Vivek discuss AI’s potential to both accelerate scientific discovery, such as developing new treatments and understanding diseases, and expand access to care globally by delivering medical guidance more equitably. The episode examines how AI can augment, rather than replace, doctors by improving diagnostics, increasing efficiency, and enabling more personalized care, while highlighting the importance of trus...

In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast How To Series, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance and Principal Scientist, Dr. Kristen Holmes, sits down with renowned longevity expert, Dr. Darshan Shah, to break down how to maximize longevity. The episode focuses on what truly drives healthspan, drawing from Dr. Shah’s own experience as a trauma surgeon. Dr. Shah explains why most chronic diseases are preventable and reversible and why lasting change comes from mastering the fundamentals: sleep quality, daily movement, nutrition, stress management, and consistent data tracking. The conversation explores key biomarkers, the dangers of sedentary living, the ro...

In this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed sits down with Quest Diagnostics CEO Jim Davis to discuss the partnership behind WHOOP Advanced Labs. Will and Jim discuss how combining blood biomarkers with continuous physiological data is reshaping consumer health. Will and Jim explore how trends in metrics like cholesterol, glucose, sleep, and recovery can drive more personalized, actionable insights and help shift healthcare from reactive to preventative. Jim shares his personal approach to health tracking, Quest's vision for democratizing lab testing, and leadership lessons from running a 50,000+ employee organization. Jim gets candid about...

This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP SVP of Research Algorithms and Data Emily Capodilupo sits down with best-selling author, military test fighter pilot, and former Airforce Chief of AI Test and Operations, Tucker “Cinco”  Hamilton. Tucker shares his experience operating at the edge of human performance – from life-or-death situations in the cockpit to navigating the future of AI development, he breaks down why it's essential to unlock elite performance. Tucker presents his idea behind tapping into your “last 20%”, marking the difference between good performance and fulfilled performance to unlock strong clarity, purpose, and character. Emily and Tucker break down the ev...

On this week’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast, the WHOOP Research Series continues, sharing science-backed habits to help you improve your golf game. WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes and WHOOP Staff Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki break down the groundbreaking new research linking recovery, sleep, and biometrics to the real-world performance of elite golfers. Drawing from one of the largest datasets in WHOOP research history, including 35,000+ nights of sleep data from 389 professional tour-level golfers, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki reveal how small improvements to sleep and recovery can translate to improved golf pe...

On this episode of the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder & CEO Will Ahmed sits down with comedian Bert Kreischer for a candid and light-hearted conversation on how “the average guy” uses WHOOP. Bert shares his personal experience as a long-time WHOOP wearer, how it helped to improve his health and fitness journey despite spending months on tour. From prioritizing longevity habits like weightlifting, sauna, cold plunge, and optimizing sleep habits, to still allowing himself to party and live life fully, this episode blends comedy with real talk about balance and what it actually means to get healthier.

(01:03) Bert Krei...

On this month’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast How To Series, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with renowned neuroscientist and author of The Stimulated Mind Dr. Tommy Wood. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Wood share the key habits to “future-proof” your brain against dementia, ensuring you stay sharp throughout all stages of life. Dr. Wood highlights the importance of activating your brain, outside of the monotonous routine of daily life through exercise, learning a language or instrument, or picking up a new hobby. This episode will provide you with the key tools...

In this month’s episode of the WHOOP Podcast Longevity Series, Emily Capodilupo sits down with physician, entrepreneur, and AI educator Dr. Trishan Panch to explore what artificial intelligence actually means for the future of medicine. From ICU algorithms to everyday primary care, Emily and Dr. Panch unpack why the healthcare system is structurally built for acute rescue rather than prevention and how AI, wearables, and continuous monitoring could fundamentally shift that model. Dr. Panch presents what it would take to responsibly integrate AI tools into clinical care, and how technology might finally make proactive, personalized health scalable. But th...

This week, WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed welcomes designer Samuel Ross, back to the WHOOP Podcast to unveil Project Terrain, the new collection built to elevate your performance. From technical Italian and Japanese fabrics to architectural steel clasps and reflective detailing, Samuel shares how function, endurance, and silhouette drive every decision. Together, Will and Samuel explore each of the pieces of the collection, diving into the intent that went into the creation of each. Whether its the perforation of the fabrics, the logo detailing, or material finishing, each detail of this collection was thoughtfully created to reimagine performance...

Welcome back to the WHOOP Advanced Labs series! This week on the WHOOP Podcast, Dr. Hazel Wallace, medical doctor, registered nutritionist, and member of the WHOOP Medical Advisory Board, joins WHOOP SVP of Research Algorithms and Data Emily Capodilupo for a powerful conversation about women’s health, nutrition, and the hormonal milestones that shape our lives.

From the reality that most medical research is based on male bodies to the overlooked nutritional needs of women across the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and beyond, Dr. Wallace breaks down what women actually need to thrive. Emily and Dr. Wallace explore co...

Welcome to the WHOOP Research Series, where we breakdown into the extensive, scientific research conducted by the WHOOP Performance Science team. On this week’s episode, WHOOP Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist, Dr. Kristen Holmes sits down with WHOOP Senior Research Scientist Dr. Greg Grosicki to unpack the latest WHOOP Research Study on Heart Rate Variability Coefficient of Variation or HRV-CV. Using data from 21,000+ WHOOP members and 2 million nights of sleep, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Grosicki reveal why day-to-day stability in your HRV may matter more than the number itself. HRV-CV proves to outperform traditional metrics in de...

On this months edition of The WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data Emily Capodilupo sits down with longevity researcher, bioethicist, Scholar in Residence at the American Federation for Aging Research, Dr. Raiany Romanni-Klein to explore how society should be handling aging.

Dr. Romanni-Klein breaks down why aging may be the most underfunded and misunderstood driver of suffering in modern society, and why treating it as a solvable biological problem could transform our economy, healthcare system, and future. From the ethics of longevity to the policy failures slowing innovation, Dr. Rommani-Klein explains that extending healthspan...

In this month’s edition of the How To Series, WHOOP Founder & CEO Will Ahmed sits down with one of the world’s most dominant cyclists, Mathieu van der Poel. Will and van der Poel sit down to unpack how to perform across disciplines, sustain longevity in elite-level sport, and embrace suffering for greatness. 

Van der Poel shares his training philosophy, what motivates him to push through the toughest moments of a race, and how he uses WHOOP data to optimize recovery. From sleep habits, to caffeine consumption, to strength training, and key recovery habits, van der Poel...

This week, on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder & CEO Will Ahmed sits down with 23-time gold medalist, Michael Phelps. Michael opens up about his experience coming up as a swimmer, reflecting on impactful changes that could benefit the sports future successes. Michael shares personal stories from his career, revealing the areas athletes can improve upon in order to break records on the world’s biggest stage. Beyond competition, Will and Michael dive deep into recovery, sleep, and the power of data, assessing how small biometrics guided Michael’s training at the highest level and how WHOOP is changing how athl...

The WHOOP Podcast Longevity Series is back! This week, WHOOP SVP of Research, Algorithms, and Data, Emily Capodilupo sits down with Dr. Ami Bhatt, renowned cardiologist, Chief Innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology, and Chair of the Digital Health Advisory Committee. Dr. Bhatt offers a rare, inside look at how medicine, technology, and policy are coming together to enhance the future of healthcare. From wearables to AI to patient agency and clinician training, this conversation unpacks what it takes to modernize healthcare. Dr. Bhatt shares her personal journey from practicing cardiologist to national innovation leader, highlighting the...

This week on the WHOOP Podcast, WHOOP Founder & CEO Will Ahmed, sits down with Samuel Ross, Global Creative Director, WHOOP x SR_A, for an exploration of design, performance, and purpose. Drawing from his formative years, creative partnership with Virgil Abloh, and work shaping some of the world’s most influential brands, Samuel reflects on how creativity, physical discipline, and narrative converge to define modern culture. Will and Samuel explore creativity, discipline, and storytelling and reveal how intentional design can shape not only products, but the way we live and perform.

Join the waitlist!

(00:46) Samuel Ro...