Leveraging Stress to Your Advantage with Dr. Rebecca Heiss

On this episode of Backstage Pass, Gail Davis sits down with Dr. Rebecca Heiss — stress expert and researcher whose work has been recognized as “transformative” by the National Science Foundation — to challenge the way we think about stress and explore how it can be used as a performance advantage.

Key topics in this episode include:

• Why stress isn’t something to eliminate — and how trying to get rid of it can actually make it worse
• The difference between stressors and the stress response — and why that distinction matters
• How stress, when properly directed, sharpens focus, decision-making, and performance
• Simple, practical tools like “it’s not a tiger” to stop spiraling and regain control in high-pressure moments
• Why taking action — even small steps — is key to breaking cycles of overwhelm and inaction
• How high-performing teams use stress to fuel innovation instead of fear
• The role of stress as a signal for what we care about most — and how to use that insight to drive purpose and growth