The Art and Science of Thriving
Welcome to The Art and Science of Thriving, the podcast where high-achieving professionals unlock the secrets to living a fulfilling, balanced, and high-performing life.
Through evidence-based insights in neuroscience, psychology, and high-performance strategies, we’ll explore how to achieve success without burnout, create clarity and purpose, and thrive in every area of your life.
Michael Schiel, a high performance coach and transformation consultant, hosts the podcast. Michael helps overwhelmed people and teams find their purpose, achieve their goals, and reach peak performance while creating well-being, balance and fulfillment in their lives
The Art and Science of Thriving
Episode #84: How to Truly Recharge — The Neuroscience of Rest
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Most people think recharging means doing less. But neuroscience tells us: it’s not just stepping away from work that resets your brain — it’s what you do with that time that matters.
In this episode of The Art and Science of Thriving, I reveal why so many high-achievers finish vacations or breaks still feeling drained — and what to do instead.
You’ll learn:
- Why passive “escapes” like Netflix or scrolling don’t actually recharge your brain.
- The science behind true recovery — including NSDR, green time, awe, play, and slow-wave sleep.
- What happens in your brain when you really rest — from glymphatic system detox to DMN activation.
- Four evidence-based shifts to help you design recovery that actually works.
Whether you're heading into summer or just need a reset, this episode will help you recharge in a way that fuels performance, creativity, and well-being.
We are Looking For Beta Testers for Our New Thrive App
We have created an app that helps overwhelmed professionals achieve peak performance and thrive by supporting new high performing habits and behaviors. It is built on the same science we use in our podcast episodes. We are looking for people to try out the test Beta version of the app for free. Click here to find out more or to check it out!
Instantly Unlock Performance Now
The "Thrive Hive" is a monthly membership to help teach, coach and support individuals, organizational teams and their leaders in reaching their full potential, and living a flourishing life with balance and well-being.
You get access to group coaching, monthly education, webinars/livecasts and other events, topic-based support and tools, and access to a private community of other like-minded individuals.
You can find out more or sign up clicking here!