In high-performance environments, we obsess over strategy, messaging and outcomes, but we ignore a hidden performance drain: sensory friction.

In this luncheon, neuroscientist and founder of Steffie’s, Dr. Steffie Tomson, builds on her TEDx talk on “The Sensory Edit” to explore how small, everyday discomforts quietly tax our cognitive bandwidth. From shoes that hurt to lighting that strains our eyes, background noise, temperature, clothing, clutter and digital overload, these distractions create invisible stress that reduces focus, confidence and decision-making capacity.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Understand how sensory input impacts cognitive load, attention and executive function
• Identify common workplace and lifestyle friction points that drain performance
• Apply the “Sensory Edit” framework to eliminate unnecessary distractions
• Design environments, habits and even wardrobes that support confidence and clarity
• Make smarter, more strategic choices about comfort to improve presence and leadership impact

Guest Speaker: Dr. Steffie Tomson

Dr. Steffie Tomson, a neuroscientist-turned-entrepreneur, is on a mission to help women move through life with confidence, clarity, and ease. With a deep understanding of how the brain and body work together, she left the lab to solve a problem too often overlooked—footwear that holds women back instead of propelling them forward. Dr. Tomson specializes in speaking about cognitive tasks in the workplace, women's wellness, career transitions, and more.

Her educational background began in Houston, Texas as a Spanish Literature major at Rice University. She went on to graduate with a Ph.D In Neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine after studying the neural and genetic correlates of synesthesia. Dr. Tomson pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in the neurogenetics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience before relocating to Houston for her family. Dr. Tomson continued her academic career at the University of St. Thomas and Baylor College of Medicine before retiring to shift full-time into her business developing women's footwear.