I am Hercules

I am Hercules.

Medical doctor. Surgical assistant. Student of the mind. Reader of the early Church Fathers. Singer of old songs.

I followed one question through all of them: what does it take for a human being to be whole, and to stay in tune when it matters?
Portrait of Dr Hercules Kollias, smiling, with a grey beard and dark-rimmed glasses, wearing a dark jacket

Never one thing

For most of my life people asked which one I was: the doctor, the coach, the theology student, the singer. The honest answer is all of them, because each field answered a question the last one raised.

Medicine taught me what the body does under pressure. Neuroscience and psychology taught me how the mind learns and gets stuck. The operating theatre taught me judgement when it counts. Theology took me past the point where the instruments stop. Music taught me to listen.

This is where those threads meet.

Where the work goes

Speaking

Keynotes and workshops on judgement under pressure, from the operating theatre to the boardroom.

Speaking

Working with me

A small amount of private work with leaders, doctors and families, mostly by referral.

Learn more

Books & projects

The Shoe Factory, tools I have built, and work in progress.

Explore

And sometimes, a song

I sing jazz ballads and standards. The old songs know a great deal about love, loss and time.

All the Way

2:28
All the Way (Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn), sung by Hercules, with Nathan Seiler on piano. Press play to listen.

Latest writing

All writing

Medicine and the mind

Your body is sabotaging your leadership (and your coach can't see it)

Why tiredness, poor sleep and irritability are not always a mindset problem, and why the body belongs in any honest conversation about leadership.

3 min read

Leadership

The theatre paradox: why peak performance requires letting go

Lessons from the operating theatre about control and trust, and why trying to control everything reduces performance.

4 min read

Medicine and the mind

What happens in your brain under pressure (and how to rewire it)

The stress response, the amygdala hijack, and practical ways to think clearly when it matters.

5 min read

Begin with a letter

Join the Desert Medicine list for an occasional, thoughtful email when there is something worth reading.

Unsubscribe any time. I never share your address.