2027 Theme: Foundations of High Performance

 

The HERO Performance Lab™ is the flagship live learning experience within the HERO High Performance Academy™. This year-long webinar series is designed to help participants better understand the human side of performance through the lens of neuroscience, human behavior, communication, and practical application. 

 

Each session explores a real-world topic connected to how people think, react, communicate, regulate emotions, handle pressure, build trust, and perform under challenging conditions. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to become more aware, more intentional, and harder to derail in the moments that shape performance.

 

Webinar Schedule

All webinars take place on the last Thursday of each month in 2027 (unless otherwise noted),  3:10 PM – 3:55 PM ET

Each monthly learning cycle includes:

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• a live interactive webinar

• practical application challenges

• companion reading material

• two Neuro Nuggets™ reinforcement videos

• opportunities for reflection and discussion

 

January 28, 2027

Why Smart People Underperform Under Pressure: How the brain changes behavior when the stakes feel high

Why do capable people sometimes think worse, communicate poorly, and behave unlike themselves under pressure? This session introduces the foundational concepts of the HERO Performance Lab™, including the Ancient Brain/Modern Brain framework, Behavioral Action Moments (BAMs), and the role of Reflection in improving performance.

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Neuro Nuggets™

• Why Tired Brains Get Sucky

• Pressure Shrinks Thinking

 

February 25, 2027

The Pause Is Power: How better decisions are made in high-stakes moments

Learn how slowing down slightly in key moments can dramatically improve judgment, emotional regulation, communication, and decision-making. This session introduces the Three R’s framework and explores practical ways to move from reaction to response.

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Neuro Nuggets™

• Why Fast Feels Right

• The Neuroscience of Regret

 

March 25, 2027

Why It’s So Hard to Be Wrong: How defensiveness blocks growth and performance

Why do smart people resist feedback, double down on bad ideas, or become defensive when challenged? This session explores the neuroscience of defensiveness, ego protection, and learning agility while introducing Humility as a key high-performance skill.

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Neuro Nuggets™

• Why Feedback Feels Like Threat

• Learning Faster by Being Wrong

 

April 29, 2027

Understanding Others Without Losing Yourself: The communication advantage of high performers

High performers do not just communicate clearly. They understand people better. This session explores empathy, perspective-taking, emotional contagion, and why misunderstandings happen more easily than most people realize.

 

Neuro Nuggets™

• Why They See It Differently

• Listening vs Waiting to Talk

 

May 27, 2027

The Stories Your Brain Makes Up: How assumptions sabotage judgment and performance

The brain is constantly assigning meaning, filling gaps, and creating stories about people and situations. This session explores how assumptions, certainty, and fast interpretations shape performance, relationships, and decision-making.

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Neuro Nuggets™

• Your Brain Loves Certainty

• What Else Could Be True?

 

June 24, 2027

When It Gets Messy: Using the HERO Skills when emotions, pressure, and people collide

Real growth is tested in difficult moments. This session focuses on applying the HERO Skills during conflict, emotionally charged conversations, misunderstandings, and stressful interactions.

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Neuro Nuggets™

• Triggered in Real Time

• Repair After a Bad Moment

 

July 29, 2027

Why We Avoid What Would Help Us Most: The psychology of procrastination, discomfort, and growth avoidance

Why do people avoid difficult conversations, meaningful change, or the very habits that could help them improve? This session explores discomfort avoidance, procrastination, and the neuroscience behind growth resistance.

 

Neuro Nuggets™

• Why We Delay Important Things

• Tiny Actions Matter

 

August 26, 2027

Stress Less, Perform Better: How regulation—not toughness—drives sustained performance

Many people think high performers simply push harder. In reality, sustained performance often depends on recovery, regulation, and nervous system management. This session explores stress, burnout, recovery, and emotional regulation.

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Neuro Nuggets™

• Burnout vs Laziness

• Calm Is a Skill

 

September 30, 2027

Trust Is a Performance Multiplier: Why teams move faster when people feel safe

Trust influences communication, innovation, collaboration, and accountability. This session explores the neuroscience of trust, psychological safety, belonging, and why relational dynamics dramatically affect performance.

 

Neuro Nuggets™

• Why Safety Fuels Speed

• Belonging and the Brain

 

October 28, 2027

Focus in a Distracted World: Protecting attention in an age of interruption

Attention has become one of the most valuable resources in modern life. This session explores distraction, dopamine-driven behaviors, attention fatigue, and practical strategies for improving focus and mental clarity.

 

Neuro Nuggets™

• Dopamine and Distraction

• Attention Is a Competitive Advantage

 

November 18, 2027

High Performance in the Age of AI: Why human skills matter more as technology advances

As AI becomes more capable, deeply human skills become more valuable. This session explores adaptability, judgment, communication, emotional intelligence, and why human behavior still matters in an increasingly technological world.

Neuro Nuggets™

• AI Can’t Replace This

• Human Skills in an AI World

 

December 9, 2027

(Special Year-End Session)

The Year You Became Different: Reflection, integration, and designing the next version of yourself

Growth is often difficult to see while it is happening. This final session focuses on reflection, behavioral consistency, identity change, and carrying the lessons of the year forward intentionally.

 

Neuro Nuggets™

• Why Growth Is Hard to Notice

• Reps Over Time

 

Quarterly Ask Dr. Steve Sessions™

In addition to the monthly webinars, participants will also engage in four live Ask Dr. Steve Sessions™ throughout the year. These sessions provide opportunities for:

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• open discussion

• practical application

• Q&A

• organizational challenges

• real-world problem solving

• deeper exploration of Academy concepts

 

The HERO Performance Lab™ Difference

The HERO Performance Lab™ is not simply a webinar series.

It is an ongoing, practice-based learning experience designed to help people better understand:

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• how humans behave under pressure

• why performance breaks down

• how relationships shape outcomes

• and how awareness, reflection, and practice improve consistency over time

 

Because high performance is not just about doing more. It is about becoming harder to derail when life gets difficult.

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