But here’s the reality: the people who talk most honestly about that sense of dread and self-doubt—the feeling that they’re one tough question away from being found out—are often the ones with the longest track record.

Mental fitness isn't just a boardroom benefit. It shows up in every part of your life, work and home. I'd go as far as saying it's the foundation for strong emotional intelligence, a regulated nervous system, happiness, fulfilment, and clarity.

So, it seems there is some research behind this question and some genuinely good evidence. Not the "house music is tuned to a special frequency" version that gets passed around online; that one doesn't trace back to any actual study I can find. But there are a couple of separate strands of real research that explain a lot about why a room full of strangers moving to the same beat does something to your brain that sitting still doesn't. If you’re curious, read on…

A brain that won't switch off isn't broken. It's a brain doing its job a bit too well, unfortunately, it doesn't realise it's causing you another problem.

The inner critic that fires before a board presentation. The catastrophising that turns a difficult quarter into an existential crisis. The stress response that hijacks your best thinking at exactly the moment you need it most.

These patterns don't live in your conscious mind. They live in your subconscious, in the ingrained habits and automatic reactions that kick in before you've had a chance to think about them. Changing them requires working at that level.