Human potential isn't unlocked in the training itself — but in how we recover, sleep, and align with the body's natural rhythms. That's where I work.
I've spent my life inside high-performance sport — as a two-sport Big Ten athlete, a seven-year member of the U.S. National Field Hockey Team, and a Division I coach — and then as the scientist testing whether the principles that drove that success hold for everyone else.
As a coach, I refined those principles with one narrow group of athletes. For the past decade at WHOOP, I've been asking a bigger question: do they generalize? Drawing on one of the largest longitudinal physiological datasets in existence, I've studied how the same levers — sleep, circadian alignment, recovery, behavior — shape readiness across Olympians, military operators, surgeons, and ordinary people trying to show up for their lives. The finding is consistent: they do. What works for an elite athlete works, in the same physiological grammar, for the parent of three.
That's why the work translates across elite sport, military, healthcare, and the boardroom. The rare thing I bring is both sides — deep scientific rigor and real coaching experience in high-stakes environments. In 2025 I testified before the U.S. House Ways & Means Health Subcommittee on the role of recovery and preventive health in population outcomes. Whatever the audience, the goal is the same: clarity, grounded presence, and embodied resilience.
Three ways the science becomes usable — for organizations building performance cultures, stages that need substance over slogans, and teams that want an edge grounded in physiology.
Talks that make circadian science, recovery, and human performance literacy tangible — tuned to elite sport, executive leadership, defense, and education audiences.
Designing readiness systems and interpreting physiological data for elite organizations — Ferrari, Paris Saint-Germain, MLB, the EPL, the NBA and NFLPA, and collegiate programs from Florida State to Tennessee.
Dozens of peer-reviewed publications across circadian health, sleep regularity, and women's physiology — three issued patents, and long-form writing that connects the evidence to how we actually live.
Aligned draws on more than two decades in high-stakes, high-stress environments and insights from one of the world's largest physiological datasets to make a compelling case that recovery isn't a luxury — it's our competitive advantage.
Recovery is not what we do after the work. It is the work.
It shows how to align with your body's natural rhythms rather than fighting against them — a book that feels both rigorous and genuinely useful.
Your body does not run on willpower.
It runs on timing.
In a world that rewards urgency and exhaustion, Aligned offers permission to slow down and live with intention. Holmes guides each of us to listen more deeply — to our bodies, our rhythms, and most importantly our values. This book isn't about optimization or achievement; it's about wholeness.
Dr. Holmes has written an incredible book that revitalizes the human body and the human spirit. I am thrilled to have her scientific expertise and decades of experience at my fingertips. A must-read for anyone looking to become the most exceptional version of themselves.
Dr. Holmes bridges something rare in the performance world — deep scientific rigor and real coaching experience in high-stakes environments. In Aligned, she shows that sustainable performance isn't about hype or hacks, but about understanding your physiology, respecting recovery, and building daily habits that compound over time.
Dr. Kristen Holmes brings us a data-centered approach to total alignment for performance in sports, work, and relationships. Her knowledge and warmth shine through the pages, as if you are sitting across from her in marvelous conversation.
Aligned is a must-read for anyone who wants to achieve big goals in their life — by harnessing the biology of resilience, stress, and readiness. This is the roadmap for how to outperform yourself.
Aligned makes a convincing case for recovery as the foundation of performance. Dr. Holmes shows how recovery and emotional resilience improve when we work with the body's natural circadian rhythms rather than against them. The result is a book that feels both rigorous and genuinely useful.
Recent long-form conversations on sleep, circadian science, recovery, and building a life aligned with your physiology.
Booking a podcast or interview? Head to inquiries below.
Selected from dozens of peer-reviewed publications. Full list available on request.
Speaking, media, advisory, or press for Aligned — tell me what you're building and I'll be in touch.