The Human Edge

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A performance physiology program for leadership teams.

 

The performance edge you need already exists in your team.

The question is whether they know how to access it.
Companies with highly engaged leadership see 23% higher profitability and 50% better odds of outperforming competitors.

High performance isn't just a state of mind. It's a state of body.

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Your leadership team has done the work. So why is performance still slipping?

 

The executive coaching. The leadership development. The mindset work. These aren't wasted investments — they have real value. But they all share the same blind spot: they start at the top and work down. Behavior, mindset, communication, strategy — all of it layered on top of a biological foundation nobody has ever looked at.

A top-down approach only works if the foundation underneath it can hold the weight.

Here's what the science actually shows: the body is driving more of your leaders' decisions than anyone gives it credit for. The body isn't just along for the ride. It's shaping the thinking, the judgment, and the leadership happening above it — constantly, invisibly, and without permission.

 

Poor sleep degrades the prefrontal cortex function responsible for strategic thinking. Stress that never fully recovers loses its ability to sharpen performance and starts to erode it instead. Energy that crashes at 2pm takes your best decision-making window with it. These aren't character flaws. They're biological facts with biological solutions.

You can't think your way out of a biology problem. But you can build your way out of one.

 

Our Approach: Body-first. Business forward.

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Most leadership programs operate entirely in the cognitive and behavioral world — mindset, habits, decisions, communication. They operate on the same assumption most leaders carry: that the body is just the vehicle the brain rides in.

We built OPTImind to flip that. Because the body is the soil the mind grows in. Tend to it and your leaders reach heights they didn't think were possible. Neglect it and performance — no matter how sharp the strategy — suffers.

OPTImind works from the body up. We identify the specific physiological root causes limiting each leader's performance and build the biological infrastructure for sustained high output. This isn't wellness. This is performance infrastructure.

Most programs stop where we start. Sleep, stress, nutrition, movement, recovery — these aren't the destination. They're the foundation. We make sure that foundation is in place first, then we build on top of it. Because optimization without infrastructure is just inspiration with an expiration date.

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The Human Edge Framework​

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4 Quarters. Each one connects physiology directly to business performance outcomes.

Quarter 1 — Foundation & Awareness This is where everything begins. For most leaders this is the first time anyone has looked at their biology as a performance system. Through individualized assessment and guided discovery, we build a new frame for what performance actually means and where it comes from. Stress gets reexamined not as an enemy to manage but as a tool to master. Energy, recovery, and daily architecture get seen for what they are — not simply lifestyle choices, but performance levers. By the end of Quarter 1 your leaders understand their own biology in a way no coaching program has ever shown them.

Quarter 2 — Core Pillars Most programs call these lifestyle choices. We call them cognitive infrastructure — the biological systems your leaders' best thinking runs on. This is where we get specific. The afternoon crash that derails your 2pm strategy conversation. The Thursday fog that degrades decision quality at the end of every week. The leader who is sharp at 6am and scattered by 3pm. These aren't motivation problems. They're sleep, movement, and fueling problems — and they have precise, personalized solutions.

Quarter 3 — Performance Optimization & Resilience This is where capacity stops being circumstantial and starts being structural. We build the biological systems that allow your leaders to absorb pressure, recover faster, and perform consistently — not just on good days, but under the sustained demands that define leadership at the highest level. This is also where we build margin. The biological reserve that means an unexpected quarter, a difficult season, or a high-stakes moment doesn't deplete the system — it tests it. Leaders with margin don't just survive pressure. They're built for it.

Quarter 4 — Integration & Expansion This is where the work stops being something your leaders are doing and becomes something they are. The biological infrastructure is in place. The habits are structural. Now we turn attention outward — from the individual to the team, from the team to the culture. Leaders who have spent three quarters rebuilding their own foundation start naturally raising the floor for everyone around them. Performance becomes contagious. The identity shift that began in Quarter 1 completes here — and what started as a program becomes a permanent way of leading, operating, and building.

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Meet Your Facilitators

The Human Edge is led by two professionals who bridge the gap between science and business:

 

Dr. Helen Harrod Clark

Helen brings deep expertise in human performance, physiology, and behavior change.

As a PT and performance specialist, she understands how your body works as a system

and how to translate complex science into practical strategies.

Helen is also an endurance athlete who transformed from finishing last

in high school cross-country to competing in ultramarathons and triathlons—

she knows what it takes to build sustainable performance from the ground up.

 

She owns The Maine Strength Co., a specialized gym in Yarmouth, Maine

focused on strength training and longevity science.

Her body-first approach helps founders understand that peak cognitive performance,

sustained energy, and business success all start with optimizing your physiology.
 

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Terry Johnson

Terry brings decades of experience across startups and Fortune 500 companies,

with deep expertise in business optimization, operations, and strategic planning.

He knows how to cut through complexity, identify constraints, and implement changes that

actually move the needle.

Terry understands that sustainable business growth requires sustainable founder

performance—which is why he partners with Helen to address both simultaneously.
 

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This is what a year looks like

 

A complete performance system — built around your team

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The Human Edge is a complete system — not a collection of interventions. Every component is designed to work together, build on each other, and integrate into your team's existing rhythm without adding to the load. Here's what that looks like across a full year.

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• Onboarding Month — Biological Baseline & Performance Profiles Before anything else, we assess. Each leader completes a comprehensive physiological audit across sleep, stress, nutrition, movement, energy patterns, and daily architecture. From that data we build an individual Performance Profile — the clearest picture your leaders have ever had of what's limiting them and why.

• 4 Quarterly Group Workshops The full leadership team, together, four times a year. Each workshop connects directly to the quarter's physiological focus — building shared language, shared awareness, and a team culture that supports high performance from the inside out.

• Individual Coaching Sessions — Performance Physiology + Business Strategy Coaching sessions are tailored to each leader's Performance Profile and the specific demands of their role — alternating between Helen's clinical performance physiology work and Terry's business strategy expertise. The cadence and depth is designed around what each leader actually needs, not a one-size-fits-all schedule. 

• Quarterly Business Performance Check-ins Four times a year we zoom out — connecting the physiological work directly to business outcomes. Where is performance moving? What's the ROI? What do we adjust for the next quarter?

• Wearable Data Integration For leaders with wearable devices, objective data supplements the self-report assessment — adding a layer of biological precision that goes beyond what any survey can capture.

• Performance Profile Refinement Your Performance Profile isn't a one-time snapshot. It evolves across the year — updated at mid-year and year-end to show exactly how far each leader has come and where the next opportunity lives.

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How The Human Edge Works:

 

Phase 1: Discovery Call + Initial Assessment

We start with a conversation to determine if this is a mutual fit. We'll explore:

• Discovery with leadership: organizational goals, team challenges, desired outcomes

• Individual assessments: identifying physiological and strategic limiters for each participant

• Program design: customized workshops, coaching cadence, and team interventions based on YOUR specific needs

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Phase 2: Infrastructure Building

This is where we create and customize your programming to meet your goals. This includes:

• Regular workshops (virtual + in-person): translating the science of performance into practical application

• Individual coaching: addressing personal limiters and building sustainable systems

• Team programming: collective capacity building when it serves organizational goals

• Intensive retreat: accelerated transformation for high-priority initiatives

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Phase 3: Integration and Partnership

This is where we focus on success long term. We offer our services to help with the following:

• Reinforcement of new performance infrastructure

• Measurement of organizational and individual outcomes

• Planning for ongoing partnership and sustained momentum

 

This isn't a one-and-done program. It's the beginning of a different way of operating—one where human performance and business performance are designed together.

By the end, your company will have a clear, proven system for sustainable high performance.​

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the program delivered?

The Human Edge is hybrid: virtual and in-person. Initial assessments and intensive workshops typically happen on-site at your location or at can be made virtual. Ongoing coaching and follow-up sessions are delivered virtually for efficiency. Optional retreat components can be configured based on your team's needs and location.

We're not local to Maine. Can this still work?

Absolutely. While we're based in Southern Maine, we work with organizations nationally. The program can be designed as hybrid delivery—we'll travel for critical in-person components (assessments, workshops, retreats) and handle ongoing coaching virtually. We'll discuss the optimal configuration during the discovery call based on your team's location and the scope of engagement.

Our team is already overwhelmed. How does adding "one more thing" help?

This is exactly why the program works. We're not adding tasks—we're building capacity. The physiological and strategic infrastructure we develop actually reduces cognitive load, improves decision-making efficiency, and creates margin where there was none. Participants consistently report having MORE bandwidth after engaging with the program, not less. We're addressing the root cause of overwhelm, not piling on top of it.

What does the participant experience look like?

Each participant receives an individualized assessment that identifies their specific performance limiters. The result of this assessment is an individualized Performance Profile from which we will set individual goals. From there, they participate in educational workshops that translate the science into practical application, plus individual coaching sessions to implement sustainable changes. This isn't group fitness classes or meditation apps. It's clinical-grade assessment with personalized intervention—designed for high performers operating under real demands.

Can we customize the program to fit our teams needs?

Absolutely. The Human Edge framework provides the clinical structure, but every engagement is built around your specific team's Performance Profiles, your business context, and the unique demands of your leadership environment. No two teams are the same biologically or strategically, and our program reflects that. The framework is the foundation. Everything built on top of it is designed around you..

What's the investment, and how do we measure ROI?

Investment varies based on team size, engagement scope, and delivery format. We discuss specific pricing during the discovery call after understanding your organizational goals and participant numbers.

ROI is measured through both organizational metrics (retention rates, healthcare costs, productivity indicators, sick days) and individual capacity markers (sleep quality, energy levels, cognitive performance, subjective wellbeing ratings). We establish baseline measurements at the start and track progress throughout the engagement—so you see the return, not just the investment.

Can we continue working with OPTImind Labs after the initial program?

Absolutely. Many organizations transition to ongoing partnership models—quarterly workshops, annual assessments, retained access for emerging challenges. The initial engagement builds the infrastructure; ongoing partnership maintains and evolves it as your organization grows. We'll discuss continuation options as we approach the end of the program.

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Ready to find your Human Edge?

Human Edge partnerships begin with a conversation. We want to understand your organizational goals, your team's current capacity, and whether OPTImind is the right fit for the transformation you're trying to create.

Book a discovery call with Helen and Terry to assess whether we can help you build what you need.

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Your business is only as strong as the system that runs it. Invest in both.