Simon Gilchrist on The Truth About Stress, Sleep & Movement

In this insightful episode of Trail Blazers, we sit down with Simon Gilchrist, physiotherapist, performance coach, and founder of GRIT, to explore the powerful intersection of physical health, stress, and long-term wellbeing.

Simon brings years of experience working with elite athletes, military professionals, and high-performing individuals, and shares how the same principles used in elite sport can be applied to everyday life. From stress and sleep to movement and bone health, we unpack the foundations that help people recover, perform, and thrive, especially when facing burnout or chronic fatigue.

We explore how wearable data often reveals stress patterns people are unaware of, the surprising reality of how clients misperceive their own health habits, and why childhood activity lays the groundwork for lifelong resilience. Simon also introduces his “Five, Three, Eight” framework, a simple, effective structure for movement that supports both longevity and vitality.

Other key themes include:

• The long-term risks of ignoring low-level stress
• How to rebuild strength and confidence after injury or burnout
• Why osteoporosis is a childhood issue
• What parents and adults can do to reclaim foundational movement
• The role of strength, grip, and posture in predicting long-term health
  

Whether you're navigating stress, looking to optimise performance, or aiming to live a healthier life for longer, Simon offers grounded, science-informed insights that can apply to anyone. We close the episode with Simon’s vision for policy change, and his advice for living well across the decades. We hope you enjoy the episode.

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