About the Flow
Research Collective.
We are a research and development nonprofit studying the neurobiology of human performance and mental health to develop protocols for those who need it most.
Our
purpose.
By studying the neuroscience of peak human performance, we address two of the defining challenges of our time: human performance and mental health.
Flow and conditions like PTSD share overlapping neurobiology. What makes the brain perform at its best is the same dynamic that breaks down in mental health and neurological disorders. Understanding one advances the treatment of the other.
Steven Kotler.
Steven Kotler is a New York Times-bestselling author, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University, and the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective.
His journey began in the 1990s—not in a lab, but in the field, where experiences on the cutting-edge of sport and medicine sparked a 30-year obsession with a single question: what happens in the brain when humans perform at their absolute best?
That question led to 17 books, three Pulitzer Prize nominations, peer-reviewed research published in journals like Nature and Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, and a training methodology deployed across 156 countries and 28 industries.
It also led to the realization that the same neuroscience that drives peak performance has profound implications for the mental health and neurological disorders that devastate veterans, first responders, and millions of others.
This has led to treatments and protocols. This is the work of the Flow Research Collective today.
The team.
Chase Prado Adams is Managing Director of the Flow Research Collective, where he oversees partnerships, collaborations, and funding while leading the team's day-to-day operations. His work keeps the organization running efficiently as it advances research and education in the neuroscience of peak performance.
Dr. Michael Mannino is a neuroscientist, AI entrepreneur, and Chief Science Officer of the Flow Research Collective. He holds a PhD in neuroscience and complex systems plus a Master's in philosophy of mind, and his research centers on attention, perception, and embodied cognition. He also teaches AI ethics at Miami Dade College.
Ryan Wickes is Chief of Staff at the Flow Research Collective, leading cross-functional teams across performance and leadership programming. His background includes resilience coaching and program development with the military, and he is a Master Resiliency Trainer (University of Pennsylvania) and Qualified Mental Health Associate.
Dr. Sarah Sarkis is a licensed psychologist, executive coach, and Senior Director of Performance Psychology at Exos, where she works with elite athletes and corporate leaders on sustainable high performance. A frequent voice in the Flow Research Collective community, she writes and consults on the psychology of growth, leadership, and resilience.
Dr. Andrew Newberg is Director of Research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health and Professor in the Department of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. A pioneer of “neurotheology,” he uses SPECT, PET, and fMRI imaging to study how meditation, prayer, and contemplative practices reshape the brain.
Dr. Michael Gervais is one of the world's leading high-performance psychologists, founder and host of the Finding Mastery podcast, and co-founder of Compete to Create with Pete Carroll. He spent nine seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (including their Super Bowl run) and has trained tens of thousands of leaders at organizations including Microsoft.
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist, founder of the Center for Human Potential, and host of The Psychology Podcast. Trained at Carnegie Mellon, Cambridge (Gates Scholar), and Yale, he is the bestselling author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization and a leading voice on creativity, intelligence, and human flourishing.
Dr. Adam Gazzaley is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry at UCSF and founder of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center. He invented the first video game ever cleared by the FDA as a medical treatment and has authored more than 190 scientific papers on attention, memory, and cognitive enhancement.
Rich Diviney is a retired Navy SEAL commander with more than thirteen overseas deployments and former officer in charge of SEAL selection, assessment, and training. He is the bestselling author of The Attributes and Masters of Uncertainty, and the architect of the SEALs' “Mind Gym” program for high-stress performance.
Vika Victoria is a Ukrainian-born speaker, MOTH-winning storyteller, and founder of Stories That Shift, a storytelling advisory for leaders and teams. A former media executive (Coca-Cola, MARS, Comcast), she has spent years studying how narrative, masculinity, and emotional well-being intersect in leadership and resilience.
Dr. Peter Diamandis is founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, co-founder and executive chairman of Singularity University (with Ray Kurzweil), and co-founder of more than 25 companies in space, longevity, and education. An MIT-trained engineer and Harvard-trained physician, he is a four-time New York Times–bestselling author, including collaborations with Steven Kotler.
Founding team.
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