Episode 231: The Real Reason You Crash at 2PM with Adam Kingl
In this episode of I Dare You, I’m joined by author, keynote speaker, and executive educator Adam Kingl—co-author of the wildly fresh new book, EXECUTIVE EATS: The Cookbook for a Better Working Life.
Here’s the big idea: your leadership doesn’t start with what you know—it starts with how you feel. Your energy. Your focus. Your mood. Your ability to stay steady under pressure. And Adam makes the case (with real research + real-life practicality) that one of the most overlooked performance tools isn’t another productivity hack… it’s nutrition—and the act of cooking itself.
We talk about why so many high performers are running on fumes, why “powering through” eventually backfires, and how the creative arts—especially culinary art—can train you to become more innovative, adaptable, and mentally sharp. This conversation will challenge the way you think about food, leadership, and what it really means to show up as your best self for the people who depend on you.
If you’ve ever hit that 2pm crash, struggled to concentrate, felt your mood hijacked by stress, or wondered why you can’t sustain the level you know you’re capable of… this one’s for you.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why top performers are paying the price physically (and what to do about it)
- The link between nutrition, sustained energy, mood, and focus
- How cooking can actually become a mindfulness practice (not just another task)
- Why creativity is a trainable skill—and what chefs can teach leaders about it
- Simple, practical ways to eat for performance without making life complicated
About Adam:
Adam Kingl is the author of Next Generation Leadership and Sparking Success (shortlisted for the Business Book Awards). He teaches and advises globally, with faculty roles at University College London, Hult Ashridge, London Business School, the University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu in California, cooked in a professional kitchen, and now blends leadership development with performance science in a way that’s both inspiring and ridiculously actionable.
Get the book: EXECUTIVE EATS
Learn more about Adam: https://adamkingl.com/
