Flow State Isn’t Just for Athletes: Insights From Chris Bertram, Ph.D.

Dr. Chris Bertram is Exos’ Senior Director of Applied Neuroscience and an expert on how people learn and perform under pressure.

With 70+ scientific publications, a Ph.D. in Human Motor Control, and a feature in the documentary Flow, Dr. Bertram turns cutting-edge neuroscience into data-driven, high-impact strategies for thriving in business and life. Over the past two decades, he’s worked with everyone from professional snowboarders to executives navigating high-stakes decisions.

Today, he brings the science of flow state into both sport and business, helping teams accelerate learning, sustain well-being, and unlock their best work.

Whether it’s world-class training environments or corporate boardrooms, his focus remains simple: creating the conditions for people to feel and perform at their best in the moments that matter most.

Team Exos: Let's jump right in: Based on your experience with top athletes and high performers, what is the role of flow state in performance?

Dr. Bertram: Flow, at its core, is a state of expression. It’s that bull’s-eye moment when all the skills you’ve worked so hard to build come alive. 

Athletes often describe it as being “in the zone,” and the upside for them is obvious: learning faster, recovering quicker, and performing at their best when it counts. Flow allows you to express your skills on game day without hesitation.

And it’s no different in the office, or any other setting. Maybe your game day is a big presentation or an important project. No matter what you do, the ability to intentionally move into flow allows us to show up fully in the moments that matter most.

Team Exos: How did flow state become such a focus for your research?

Dr. Bertram: My academic background is in human motor learning: how people learn to move well, and then perform those movements under pressure. Flow wasn’t my starting point, but I kept hearing athletes talk about being in flow.

Then, I came across a study showing athletes improved up to five times faster when primed for flow state compared to a control group. That kind of effect is unheard of in learning science. It was undeniable to me that there was something powerful here.

Team Exos: And that led you to ask how flow applies beyond sports?

Dr. Bertram: Exactly. At first, I worked exclusively with athletes. But the more I looked at national sporting organizations and compared them to workplaces, the more I saw a massive disconnect. Athletes compete maybe 2% of the time. They spend 20 to 30% of their time training. And the rest is active recovery.

Contrast that with most workplaces, where it’s compete, compete, compete all day long. Recovery is almost nonexistent. If we treated athletes that way, they’d burn out in six months. Yet, we still think that model will work at the office. It doesn’t.

Team Exos: That’s a striking contrast. How have you tested flow in workplace settings?

Dr. Bertram: In our most direct study on flow in the workplace, We partnered with Hofstra University and designed a four-week study with 150 Exos employees. Half of them were in a flow-focused intervention group. They learned about flow science, practiced setting SMART goals, and were encouraged to take short recovery breaks. They also wore Fitbits to track sleep, heart rate variability, and daily activity.

When people set clear goals, took breaks, and moved well, the results were clear: Productivity went up. Engagement went up. Well-being improved. But it wasn’t just self-reported. Physiologically, people in the intervention group maintained healthy HRV levels. In the control group, HRV actually declined, meaning they were carrying more stress at the end of the study.

Team Exos: So flow gave them more output without sacrificing health?

Dr. Bertram: That’s the beauty of it. Flow helps us feel our best and perform our best. Not one or the other. Too often at work we’re told we can choose productivity or well-being, but not both. That’s a false choice. With the right triggers in place, people can achieve sustainable high performance while feeling happy and energized.

Team Exos: What were the key triggers in your study?

Dr. Bertram: The first was goal clarity. Having unambiguous goals is one of the most powerful front-end triggers for flow. We asked participants to set a clear goal for the next hour. That small act gave their minds focus and direction.

The second was recovery. Flow is a high-energy state. It burns fuel, and you have to repay that debt. Strategic microbreaks — just ten minutes away from work to move, stretch, or reset — made a huge difference.

And one of the most surprising findings was movement. Regardless of which group people were in, those who moved more during the day reported more flow at work. We started calling it “move more, flow more.” It doesn’t have to be a workout. Even a short walk or stretch break primes the brain for flow.

Movement changes what’s happening in the brain as much as in the body. It’s a simple, but powerful lever for unlocking flow state.

Team Exos: How does flow state fit into the employee burnout conversation conversation?

Dr. Bertram: In 2021, Adam Grant wrote in The New York Times about “languishing,” which he called the neglected middle child between depression and flourishing. 

His suggestion was that flow might be the antidote. Our research has shown that to be true. Flow gives people not only higher productivity but also better well-being. It helps counter that slow slide into burnout.

Team Exos: What’s the one thing leaders should take away from your research?

Dr. Bertram: That work ethic alone isn’t enough. Work ethic is important, but without  recovery it predictably tips over into stress, overwhelm, and the path to burnout. Athletes know they need cycles of training and rest. Organizations need to embrace the same mindset. Flow is trainable. With small shifts like clear goals, built-in recovery, and more movement, teams can do creative, innovative, powerful work while actually feeling their best.

Want to help your workforce reach the next level of performance, all while feeling their best? Download Finding Flow: The Why & How to Support Flow for the Modern Workforce.

About the Expert

Dr. Chris Bertram is Exos’ Senior Director of Applied Neuroscience and leading human performance coach with 20+ years of experience. He guides top entrepreneurs, executives, and athletes to maximize learning, build resilience, and excel under pressure. With 70+ scientific publications, a Ph.D. in Human Motor Control, and a feature in the documentary Flow, Dr. Bertram turns cutting-edge neuroscience into data-driven, high-impact strategies for thriving in business and life.