Question
Everything.
Assume
Nothing.
You perform at a high level. But everything costs more than it used to, and there’s less of you left at the end of the day. I help high performers find out what’s draining their brain, and what to do about it.
teralyn sell, phd | brain health + performance
Question
Everything.
Assume
Nothing.
You perform at a high level. But everything costs more than it used to, and there’s less of you left at the end of the day. I help high performers find out what’s draining their brain, and what to do about it.
teralyn sell phd | brain health + performance
Trusted by physicians & clinicians for guidance on psychiatric medication decisions. Featured in
Technically, you’re functioning.
But there’s a difference between getting through life and having the capacity to fully participate in it.
You’re Getting it Done.
But everything takes more effort than it used to. You’re functioning—but there’s less left when the day is over.
You don’t feel like yourself anymore.
You’re tired, flat, foggy, disconnected, or just off. You’re still showing up, but not with all of you.
Your life is asking a lot of you.
Work. Decisions. People. Information. Responsibilities. You can handle it—but what is it costing you?
Nothing is necessarily wrong. You just know something could be better.
Your energy. Your thinking. Your work. Your life. You want to understand what actually makes a difference.
THE STORY BEHIND HUMAN RESERVE
High Performance Has a Hiddent Cost.
I was so good at performing that even my husband couldn’t tell when I was struggling.
He would say, “I didn’t know you were struggling, because you make things look easy.”
I’ve always been a Type A high performer. Driven, ambitious, and accustomed to carrying more than most people could see.
I was successful, productive, and meeting expectations. But my own experience with psychiatric medication taught me that functioning and being well are not the same thing. What was supposed to help left me feeling emotionally numb, physically unwell, and increasingly disconnected from the life I was working so hard to build.
Over 25 years of clinical work, I’ve seen the same pattern in others. Capable people doing everything expected of them, with little left at the end of the day.
It changed the questions I asked. Not just “Are you functioning?” but “What is it costing you, and what are we overlooking?”
That’s why I created Human Reserve, an approach that brings psychology, brain health, and human performance together to examine what supports your capacity, what depletes it, and what allows you to sustain it.
Today, I work with driven individuals, professionals, and high performers who want to understand not just how to perform, but how to sustain their performance without sacrificing their health or the rest of their lives.
Because the real measure of performance isn’t how much you can carry. It’s how much of yourself you have left after carrying it.
What are we actually trying to protect?
Because what’s the point of getting through the day if there’s nothing left of you to enjoy it?
Think.
Clarity, memory, focus, and the ability to learn.
Work.
Contribute, solve problems, and do work that matters.
Connect.
Relationships, belonging, and engagement with others.
Create.
Ideas, curiosity, imagination and possibility.
Decide.
Judgment, agency and the ability to navigate uncertainty.
Participate.
The energy and capacity to show up fully in your own life.
This is Human Capacity.
Not simply whether you can function, but how much of you is available to think, connect, create, decide, work and participate.
Protecting capacity means protecting agency.
Information alone doesn’t make decisions for you. Evidence matters. Trade-offs matter. And what matters to you matters.
Good decisions require more than answers. They require judgment.
AI shouldn’t replace your judgment. It should return you to it.
What is changing your capacity?
What is getting harder to think, decide, work, connect, create, or function — and what might you be missing?
✦ Not for emergencies. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. For U.S. mental health crisis support, call or text 988.
AI can be wrong. Responses are informational only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
AI shouldn’t replace your judgment. It should return you to it.
What is changing your capacity?
What is getting harder to think, decide, work, connect, create, or function — and what might you be missing?
✦ Not for emergencies. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. For U.S. mental health crisis support, call or text 988.
AI can be wrong. Responses are informational only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Your Sleep Score Isn’t Recovery
A perfect-looking sleep score can be reassuring. It can also distract us from the only outcome that matters: what sleep changed in the actual day ahead.
Human Capacity · Brain Health · Brain Economy · Performance
Keep Going
Start by getting curious.
01 READ
Follow the ideas that challenge you.
Human capacity, brain health, performance, and the forces shaping how we think, work, decide, connect, and participate
02 Listen
Stay with the conversation.
Long-form conversations that question what we think we know about mental health, medication, brain health, and being human.
03 START
Find out what your life is costing you.
See what is supporting your capacity, what is drawing on it, and how much you have left.
When the question is yours
It’s different when it’s your life.
You can read the research. Ask better questions. Understand the trade-offs. But eventually, the question becomes personal.
What is affecting my capacity?
Why does thinking take more effort? Why am I running out of energy sooner? What is making work, decisions, relationships, or everyday life cost more than it should?
You may still be working. Showing up. Getting things done.
You're exhausted.
But that doesn’t tell us what it costs you to keep doing it.
That’s where I start.
We look at the whole picture: what is supporting your capacity, what is drawing on it, and what may be getting overlooked.
ways to work with me
There’s more than one way to build capacity.
HUMAN RESERVE LAB
A deeper look at what your life is costing you.
Explore what is supporting your capacity, what is drawing on it, and what may be getting overlooked.
PERFORMANCE
Perform when it matters.
Build focus, confidence, preparation, adaptability, and the mental skills to perform under pressure.
CAPACITY FOUNDATIONS
Build the biological foundation.
A self-guided foundational program focused on nutrition and the foundational habits that support brain health and capacity.
In their words
What it’s like to work together.
Dr. Teralyn has been an invaluable resource for my patients who need expert guidance weaning off psychiatric medication safely. Her thoughtful, evidence-based approach and deep understanding of the compexities involved make her someone I confidently refer to.
Joshua Hellman, MD
Dr. Teralyn is my go-to brain health expert for clients struggling with dependency. Her depth of knowledge, clinical insight, and ability to get to the root of what the brain needs make her the leading authority in this field.
Cali Estes, PhD
this week on the gaslit truth podcast
Conversations worth having.
The Gaslit Truth Podcast goes where mental health conversations usually stop. We question the assumptions, examine the evidence, and talk openly about what gets left out.
Your Turn
What should I question next?
What are we accepting, measuring, treating, or optimizing without asking what it does to human capacity?
It could be something about brain health, work, technology, mental health, medication, performance—or simply something you’ve always wondered about.
Your question might become a future Capacity Report.
Leave your email if you’d like to know when I explore your question.
A trusted voice in rethinking mental well-being
Start with what’s actually going on not just what you’ve been told.