Why Performance Medicine Is the Future of Healthcare

What if the same science that helps astronauts survive space or athletes excel at the Olympics could also help cancer patients survive chemotherapy or founders thrive into their 90s?

Dr. Jack Kreindler, physician, entrepreneur, and human performance expert, is redefining the boundaries between elite human performance and everyday medicine. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explored how performance medicine merges cutting-edge physiology, personalized diagnostics, and mental resilience to not just treat disease—but help us live longer, healthier, and more purposeful lives.

From Elite Athletes to ICU Patients: What Is Performance Medicine?

Traditionally, human performance science has been reserved for extreme settings: high-altitude expeditions, Formula 1, elite sports, or space travel. But Jack believes it’s time to bring these insights into everyday healthcare. Performance medicine blends clinical care with the science of thriving under extreme physical and psychological stress.

Whether you’re a cancer patient preparing for surgery or a tech founder burning out, understanding how to optimize the body before it breaks down could make the difference between surviving and thriving.

“The same VO2 max test used on athletes can help determine whether a patient will survive surgery.”

Prehabilitation: Training the Body to Heal

Jack explains the critical role of “prehabilitation”—a proactive approach to getting patients fit before treatment. In cancer care and major surgeries, small interventions like stress training, sauna use, or controlled hypoxia can significantly reduce complications and even prolong survival.

Performance isn’t just about sprinting—it’s about your body’s ability to recover, adapt, and endure.

Metabolic Flexibility and Measuring What Matters

One standout concept from the conversation is metabolic flexibility: the ability to efficiently switch between burning fat and sugar depending on your energy needs. It’s a performance advantage for athletes—but it’s also a predictor of resilience during illness.

Thanks to wearables, blood tests, and continuous glucose monitoring, individuals now have access to tools that were once limited to labs and elite institutions. Yet, Jack warns: having data is not enough. Knowing how to interpret it—and not getting obsessed—is the real challenge.

Why Founders Need Performance Medicine Too

Jack’s Founders Health Program began as a quiet experiment. But after COVID-19, it exploded in relevance. Isolation, fear, and health anxiety pushed even the most bulletproof CEOs to rethink their wellbeing. Now, founders undergo elite coaching, physiology testing, and lifestyle interventions to help them avoid burnout and lead with longevity in mind.

“Health is becoming the new pub,” Jack quips. The new social currency? Energy, clarity, and long-term stamina.

The Longevity Boom and Its Dark Side

While the longevity industry is booming—with promises of living well past 100—Jack cautions against a fear-driven “don’t die” culture. He distinguishes between longevity neurosis (a desperate fear of death) and healthspan aspiration (wanting to live purposefully for as long as possible).

Real performance medicine, he says, should be about vitality, not vanity.

The Hidden Power of Human Connection

One of the most powerful insights from the conversation came late in the discussion: human connection as a social determinant of health.

From neonatal care to end-of-life compassion, Jack highlights the physiological and psychological impacts of touch, social networks, and purpose. In his words:

“Your care network strength and your social flexibility is just as important as your grip strength and your metabolic flexibility.”

Final Thoughts

Performance medicine is not about turning everyone into superhumans. It’s about applying science, diagnostics, and mindset training to optimize how we age, recover, and thrive—no matter who we are.

If healthcare begins to shift from treating illness to enhancing performance, it won’t just save lives. It will redefine what it means to live fully.