What if your worst professional failure became your greatest clinical asset?

In this episode, Matt Cumbee—former Navy SEAL and Arena Labs performance coach—joins us to unpack how “catastrophic” failures forge the grit and capacity every healthcare worker needs. Drawing on his time as a SEAL and years spent helping physicians, nurses, and surgeons translate elite tactics into everyday care, Matt reveals why embracing missteps is the fastest path to true mastery in high-stakes environments.

He breaks down the fail–reflect–master cycle, explains why the hardest lessons often come wrapped in sleepless nights, and shares the go-to strategies he delivers when clinicians need them most.

Whether you’re leading the OR or simply aiming to turn your next mistake into your greatest lesson, this episode is packed with actionable insights on how to fail faster, learn deeper, and ultimately raise the bar on patient care.

Got thoughts, questions, or big ideas? Reach out to the team at Arena Labs.

What can the CIA teach us about building better hospitals? More than you’d expect.

In this episode, Mike Mears—former CIA Chief of Human Capital and the founder of the CIA Leadership Academy—joins us to explore what medicine can learn from intelligence operations and high-stakes organizational design. After decades in the clandestine world, Mike has spent the past 20 years decoding what makes great leaders tick and how elite teams sustain performance under pressure.

We dig into the origins of psychological assessments (spoiler: the CIA invented many of them), how predictive hiring can prevent cultural collapse, and why emotional safety is the hidden variable behind high-performing medical units. Mike also shares powerful stories from his time in intelligence and his own personal experience in a hospital that changed his thinking on leadership forever.

Whether you're leading a clinical team, running a health system, or just trying to create a culture where people can thrive and last—you won’t want to miss this one.

Got thoughts, questions, or big ideas? Reach out to the team at Arena Labs.

What does it take to not only survive, but lead, in one of the most intense environments in healthcare?

In this episode of Peak Protocols, we’re joined by Jessica B. Williams, MSN, APRN, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the CVICU with over 17 years of frontline experience. Jess opens up about the physical and emotional toll of ICU medicine, and the turning point that forced her to reevaluate how she prepared for work.

From managing life-or-death ECMO scenarios to recovering from the hidden stress that built beneath the surface, Jess shares the internal practices that allowed her to return to high-stakes care with greater clarity, longevity, and leadership.

Whether you're early in your clinical career or leading a team through complex care, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: longevity isn’t just about knowledge, it’s about knowing yourself.

Got thoughts, questions, or big ideas? Reach out to the team at Arena Labs.

What can the FBI teach us about performance in healthcare? A lot more than you might think.

In this episode, Sarah Draper, a West Point graduate, Army veteran, and former FBI Special Agent, joins us to unpack what it takes to lead and last in high-stakes, high-consequence environments. After a 20-year career investigating national security threats and training the world’s top law enforcement leaders, Sarah turned her focus to medicine, coaching hundreds of physicians and nurses on sustainable performance.

We explore how disciplines used in tactical environments—like mental rehearsal, mission clarity, physiological readiness, and post-critical event recovery—translate directly to clinical settings such as trauma bays, ICUs, and ORs.

Sarah also shares what she’s learned from years of coaching frontline medical teams: the patterns of burnout, the practices that build resilience, and the small habits that sustain long-term effectiveness.

If you’re in the arena of high-stakes care, or leading those who are, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about how to prepare, perform, and recover.

Got thoughts, questions, or big ideas? Reach out to the team at Arena Labs.

In the premiere episode of Peak Protocols, we sit down with Jackie Pen — an elite performance coach whose journey has taken her from training world-class athletes at Exos and Future to leading clinician performance at Arena Labs.

Jackie isn’t just coaching the frontline of medicine, she’s redefining it. Her team translates the tools and frameworks used by Olympic athletes and special operations forces into practical, science-backed protocols for healthcare’s most demanding environments.

Whether it’s a 24-hour shift, a trauma bay at 3AM, or the quiet toll of burnout, Jackie’s coaches meet clinicians where they are, delivering strategies for readiness, recovery, and resilience.

This episode is a deep dive into what it truly takes to coach those who never get to stop.

Got thoughts, questions, or big ideas? Reach out to the team at Arena Labs.