Owls And The Fowls

Joanne Lockwood is joined by jet lag consultant and chrono-diversity advocate Stephen Jasper for a wide-ranging conversation about how our biological rhythms shape work, wellbeing, and inclusion. Stephen shares how extensive international travel led him from pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry to a PhD focused on jet lag, and why sunlight and timing are central to managing it.

Together they unpack the practical realities of travelling across time zones, including the difference between jet lag and travel fatigue, why “east is a beast and west is best” for many people, and how sleep disruption can affect cognitive performance, relationships, and day-to-day functioning. Stephen explains how light influences circadian rhythms, why late-night screen use can keep people awake, and why alcohol is a particularly poor choice when travelling.

The discussion then turns to workplace inclusion through the lens of chrono-diversity. Joanne and Stephen explore the stigma and bias often directed at “night owls”, the limitations of rigid nine-to-five expectations, and how flexible working and remote collaboration can allow people to work in ways that better match their natural rhythms. The episode closes with a call to treat chrono-diversity as a genuine inclusion issue, creating cultures where different sleep and productivity patterns are recognised and valued.

One-sentence summary

Stephen Jasper’s message is that honouring our natural rhythms isn’t indulgence but dignity — and when we ignore them, we quietly tax people’s health, relationships and sense of worth.

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Synopsis

Stephen Jasper didn’t set out to become “the jet lag guy”. He began as a hospital pharmacist, exhausted and burnt out from the relentless pace of healthcare. Travel entered his life almost by accident — a boss who’d had enough of flying handed it over. Then came the brutal reality of crossing eleven time zones to Buenos Aires, working, turning around, and doing it all again. He discovered through lived experience what science would later confirm: sunlight saved him. Managing his own battered body clock became a personal mission, then a PhD, then an advocacy platform. He describes himself simply as a night owl — someone who has spent a lifetime being told that early rising is virtuous and late hours are suspect.

What he is really trying to change is the quiet moral judgement we attach to time. The idea that those who rise early are disciplined and deserving, while those who work later are somehow lacking. Stephen sees the cost of that bias — burnout, strained relationships, cognitive fog mistaken for laziness, and policy decisions that misunderstand human biology. He wants a world where people can work with their rhythms, not against them — where we stop punishing owls for not being fowls, and where sleep is treated as sacred, not sacrificial.

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10 Small, digestible concepts for easy learning

1. Chronodiversity is a feature, not a flaw.

Human beings evolved with different sleep-wake patterns for good reason.

2. “East is a beast, west is best” — for most people.

Flying east shortens your day; flying west stretches it. Your body notices.

3. Jet lag isn’t just tiredness — it’s cognitive impairment.

It can affect you like alcohol, even if you look functional.

4. Sunlight is stronger than willpower.

Morning light tells your brain it’s safe to wake up; darkness tells it to rest.

5. There’s a difference between jet lag and travel fatigue.

A long journey exhausts you; time-zone shifts confuse your biology.

6. Adrenaline hides the crash — it doesn’t prevent it.

You can perform on pressure, but the bill comes later.

7. Sleep is not laziness; it’s maintenance.

Chronic deprivation chips away at long-term health.

8. Stigma shapes schedules.

We praise early birds without noticing the productivity of night owls.

9. One size never fits all.

Work patterns that suit one chronotype can quietly harm another.

10. You must choose: adjust or stay on home time.

Half measures prolong confusion — your body prefers clarity.

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The “why” in the story

What they believe is true about people

Stephen believes people want to do good work — but they do it best when their bodies are respected rather than overridden.

What they cannot unsee

He cannot unsee the burnout, the relationship strain, the “running on adrenaline” crash that follows high-performance travel or rigid schedules.

What they are no longer willing to tolerate

He is no longer willing to accept the moral superiority attached to early rising — the idea that productivity has a preferred hour.

What they are trying to build instead

He’s trying to build acceptance of rhythm diversity: workplaces and cultures where people can align with their biology and still belong.

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Narrative structure

1. The trigger:

A punishing three-day trip to Buenos Aires — eleven time zones, multiple flights, minimal recovery — and the shock of discovering how much one walk in sunlight could change everything.

2. The tension:

A world structured around early starts, rigid office hours, and suspicion of flexible work — even when output remains strong. The internal tension of being a lifelong night owl in a society that praises dawn.

3. The insight:

Chronotype is biological. Light, not discipline, sets the clock. And when we override that, performance suffers — even if we push through on adrenaline.

4. The pivot:

Instead of powering through burnout, he researched it. He turned lived frustration into a PhD and then into advocacy — educating others with practical tools and humour.

5. The destination:

A world where someone can start at midday, someone else at eight, and neither is judged — where sleep is protected and people feel trusted rather than micromanaged.

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Five key takeaways and learning points

1. Your body clock is not a character flaw.

So stop judging yourself — and others — for not thriving at 9am.

2. Fatigue distorts behaviour.

So what looks like grumpiness or poor performance may be biology, not attitude.

3. Travel without strategy strains relationships.

So preparation and recovery matter not just for work, but for home life.

4. Light is medicine.

So access to daylight and sensible screen habits genuinely matter.

5. Flexibility supports fairness.

So when hours can flex without harm, forcing conformity is unnecessary.

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Ten distinct ideas explained

1. Chronodiversity

Humans evolved with varied rhythms so someone was nearly always alert. Diversity in sleep timing protected communities.

2. Morning bias

Culturally, we equate early rising with virtue. This biases hiring, promotion and perception of effort.

3. Jet lag as impairment

Cognitive fog after crossing time zones mirrors mild intoxication. Decisions made then can carry real consequences.

4. The adrenaline illusion

High performers often cope short-term through stress hormones. The crash comes later — often at home.

5. Sunlight as regulator

Blue-green light entering the eye suppresses melatonin. Your brain listens to light more than to intention.

6. Age and rhythm

Teenagers drift later; older adults often drift earlier. Forcing uniform start times ignores biological shifts.

7. Sleep and long-term health

Chronic deprivation is linked to serious health risks. Sustainable productivity requires restoration.

8. Work-from-home liberation

Flexible hours enabled Stephen to feel valued for output, not punctuality. That is belonging in action.

9. Half-adjustment confusion

Trying to partly stay on home time and partly adjust prolongs jet lag. Clarity reduces stress.

10. Sacred sleep

Treating sleep as optional signals self-neglect. Protecting it signals self-respect.

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How people should change as a result

1. Think

• Shift from “When do they start?” to “What do they deliver?”
• Recognise that biology influences behaviour more than we admit.
• See flexibility not as indulgence but as design fairness.
• Question the moral halo around early rising.

2. Feel

• Move from judgement to curiosity about others’ rhythms.
• From guilt about resting to confidence in protecting sleep.
• From scepticism about flexible schedules to trust in output.
• From irritation at tiredness to compassion for physiology.

3. Act

• Protect morning light exposure when adjusting to new time zones.
• Avoid alcohol when travelling long-haul.
• Build core collaboration windows rather than rigid start times.
• Notice who speaks up in early meetings — and who may be disadvantaged.
• Check in with travelling colleagues after they return home.
• Frame performance around results, not visible hours.
• Treat sleep as a diary commitment, not a leftover.

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One thing to remember

Respecting someone’s body clock is respecting the person themselves.