October 27, 2026- For years, stress has been treated as something to avoid, eliminate or simply endure in both our personal and professional lives. But according to neuroscientist and performance strategist Dr. Heidi Hanna, that mindset may be holding people back. Instead of focusing on stress elimination, Dr. Hanna advocates for “stress optimization” – learning how to recognize stress, work with it and use its energy to improve performance and well-being.
That philosophy grew out of both personal experience and years of research. “From a very early age, I believed stress was the enemy,” Dr. Hanna said. After doctors linked many of her physical ailments to stress, she became determined to understand it rather than fear it. Her research eventually led her to a different conclusion: “The danger of stress lies in letting it be pushed away or pushed down.”
Dr. Hanna often compares stress to the waves of the ocean. “The waves will come,” she said. “If we push against them, they will exhaust us. But if we can see them as energy to propel us in a better direction, our entire nervous system and problem-solving ability is more effective.”
In the following interview with Repertoire Magazine, Dr. Hanna discusses why stress is unavoidable, how the brain is designed to respond to it, and how shifting our perspective can help us build resilience, sustain energy and perform at our best.
Continue Reading in the latest issue of Repertoire Magazine.