Sleep: The Highest Return Investment in Your Health and Performance

In person event - FREE to attend - all welcome!

Event format:

• 12 noon for lunch and networking
• 12.45 for presentation, 1.45 Q&A
• 2.00pm finish

High performers in the insurance and financial services sector understand the importance of smart investments, yet many overlook the most powerful asset they own: their health.

Sleep is the foundation of energy, performance and long-term health, yet modern working patterns, chronic low-grade stress and digital overload mean many professionals are operating well below their potential.

In this eye opening seminar, Performance and Recovery Specialist Samantha Gaunt explores the powerful link between sleep, performance and longevity. Drawing on the evidence base behind CBT-i (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia) and behavioural science, this session reframes sleep as a strategic investment in your career, health and future wellbeing.

Attendees will learn how sleep impacts decision making, productivity, emotional regulation and long-term health outcomes, and will leave with practical, evidence-based strategies they can implement immediately to improve their sleep quality and daily performance.

Whether you're a leader, adviser or professional managing high cognitive demands, this session will provide actionable insights to help you protect your most valuable asset: your brain and body.

Learning Objectives:

By attending this session, participants will:

• Understand the role of sleep as a critical driver of performance, health and longevity
• Learn how sleep affects decision-making, focus, emotional regulation and productivity 
• Gain insight into the science of sleep and the behavioural principles behind CBT-i
• Identify common habits and workplace factors that undermine sleep quality
• Discover practical, evidence-based strategies to improve sleep consistency, recovery and daily energy
• Reframe sleep as a long-term investment in professional performance and wellbeing

Who Should Attend:

This session is suitable for:

• All CII and PFS members and non-members seeking to improve energy, focus and resilience
• Leaders / Business Owners working in high-pressure, cognitively demanding roles
• Individuals interested in protecting their long-term health and longevity
• Anyone who wants to optimise their sleep to perform at their best, both professionally and personally

No prior knowledge of sleep science is required.

Speaker Biography

Samantha Gaunt (FInstCPD, MISMA, FRSPH) is a performance and recovery specialist working at the intersection of science, leadership and sustainable high performance.

With a background in Human Physiology and Medical Research, and specialist expertise in sleep science and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i), she brings over a decade of applied experience across sleep, nutrition, stress physiology and metabolic health.

A former Director in a high-growth scale-up and now business owner, Sam understands the cognitive load and sustained pressure leaders face. She works with ambitious entrepreneurs and leadership teams to optimise energy, sharpen mental performance and build strategic recovery without compromising ambition.

Trusted across corporate, property and elite sport, her work bridges science with commercially intelligent performance strategies.

As a mother of four and Health Director at Health Labs HQ, Sam lives the standards she teaches: sustainable leadership begins with personal capacity.

Please note: There is no parking at the hotel but there is plenty of car parks and on street parking nearby. Also it a 3 minute walk from Leeds Railway Station.