ARTICLES + PODCAST EPISODES
The P.E.A.C.E. Curriculum and taking a break to self-regulate 🙂
Hello! Just wanted to update you that season 2 of the podcast will continue in 2021. I hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy Episodes 1-4! I’ll be doing some webcasts with the Institute for Organizational Mindfulness in 2021 (where…
Season 2 Episode 4 – Tech Addiction and the Social Dilemna
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The human species has some pretty spectacular systems built into us to achieve mental, emotional and physiological states that most of us are not even really aware of.
We also have systems and features within us that make us very vulnerable to being influenced and ‘programmed’ into behavior that is not reflective of our most evolved neural circuitry.
Technology is interfering with and manipulating those systems.
And the more we get to know how technology is interfering with those systems, the more we can get control over our internal state rather than let the tech companies (who do not have the best interests of the human brain and nervous system in mind) hack into our vulnerabilities.
Season 2 Episode 3 Feedback Loops
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Listen on Spotify Listen on iTunes Listen on Blubrry What do a viral video and a stampede of animals have in common? It’s a mechanism that is also related to ‘self-fulfilling prophecies’, self-beliefs, anxiety and negative thinking…
Season 2 Episode 2- Your Brain’s Predictions and Paradigms
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Listen on Spotify Listen on iTunes Listen on Blubrry One of the most complex adaptive systems we know of is the brain*. When we are trying to understand a complex system, one of the most important things…
The Neuroscience of Parenting Patience – interview with Mindset Dad
How can we understand our brain in a way that helps us be more patient with the people in our lives? One way is to engage what is called ‘the high road’ of our brain -the more sophisticated, and generally…
Season 2 Episode 1 – Systems Thinking
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Listen on Spotify Listen on iTunes Listen on Blubrry This episode focuses on the idea of systems thinking, and how we can use this ‘lens’ or paradigm as a way of expanding our thinking so we can see new ideas…
How wearing masks might help us evolve our brain
One of the most powerful ways we can convey our internal state and our intentions to another is through our eyes. Specifically the muscles around our eyes. When we are comfortable and happy, this relaxes the orbital muscles,…
Micro-signals that affect your relationships
Our Mind-Brain-Body is a Signal Seeking System We all want to understand how to better navigate our world. The more ‘information’ we get, the more data our brain has to work with. This gives the mind-brain-body system…
Get you out of your head and focus with these 3 simple moves
YOUR PRESENCE MATTERS. I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in how you move and walk. Sometimes you’re ‘here’. Sometimes you’re not. I know when you ‘come back’ into the present…
Mindset, micro-movements and super-regulators: My interview with Girl on Fire host Kirsten Franklin
https://youtu.be/0IbuB3xsgxU What does your hand grasp every time you want to ‘feel better’? Is it automatic or are you choosing? Think about various forms of addiction, whether it’s drinking, drugs, gambling, online shopping, eating, smoking, video games, social…
Your ‘me-me-me network’ (default mode network) and how to keep it from running your life
Are you ‘in your head’ a lot? In that constant, incessant thinking, chatter, noise? Isn’t it exhausting? And then… what do we do? We often try to escape our thoughts by turning to something else – our phone,…
Guest podcast interview with Kirsten Franklin
I just finished an interview with a fantastic podcaster, Kirstin Franklin, for her Girl on Fire podcast. We talked about how to ‘get out of our heads’ and find release from anxious thinking, as well as self-regulation and Super-Regulation. I’ll…
A neurobiological take on police brutality
“Stop Resisting” goes against the physiological make-up of the human nervous system Here’s why: 1) if a person says “stop resisting” or “stop fighting”, it means whoever they’re saying it to is already in a sympathetic nervous system threat…
The science of courage: 3 brain techniques to deal with fear and stress
https://youtu.be/uwYY8xVX6uw There are different types of danger that we deal with. “tissue-damage danger” and “non-tissue damage” or symbolic danger. In order to not have our immune systems go into overdrive and deplete our resources, we need to know the…
How to teach the neuroscience of growth mindset in 5 steps
https://youtu.be/Fj5k6KAvt18 Thank you to Hyzel Fadhil who wrote these notes for my YouTube video: How to teach growth mindset in 5 steps Check out Hyzel’s YouTube channel here! To maximize a learner’s success, research has shown that a Growth…
These 5 Micro-Movements are a sign of Trust & Safety – PLUS my interview with Danny Bauer
“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.” – Bessel Van Der Kolk (this is me many years ago in Ejura,…
Facing uncertainty
When uncertainty and insecurity increase, these are signs that things we have turned to for stability are ending. This may seem like everything is crashing and collapsing around us. . . . When a point comes where all previous possibilities…
How to prevent your brain from getting stuck in negative, fear-based patterns
Your brain builds circuitry based on what you ‘feed it’. This can be healthy or unhealthy. Your brain isn’t filtering out ‘bad’ input, or judging whether something is going to help you grow or keep you stuck. It just…
Season 1 Episode 8 – Toxic Media: How social media impairs your brain, nervous system and relationship skills
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Have you ever had a misunderstanding over text? Maybe you texted someone and they didn’t reply right away.. or their answer left you feeling rejected or frustrated? Do you know why you feel the urge to put an exclamation mark…
How to evolve your brain
The human brain depends on experiences to build its most evolved and dynamic circuitry. New experiences push the brain to light up new networks, rather than repeat old ones. The brain thrives on being challenged. It is designed…
Neuroscience Meets Social Emotional Learning Podcast Interview
In my guest interview with Andrea Samadi, we discuss: Why applying growth mindset proving to be so difficult—whether in the classroom, workplace, or even in the field of athletics How the brain re-wires itself using myelin and why patterned…
My TEDx talk… Humans: the most experience-dependent species on the planet
“Everyone needs to hear this. Period.” -Mikkel, YouTube subscriber “One of the best TedX talks I have ever seen, practical & intellectual, there are even references at the end. Thank you Stefanie!” -Munir Rashid, Leadership Facilitator & Executive…
How fear affects the brain
“We don’t passively forget that something is scary. We actively learn that it isn’t anymore.” -Robert Sapolsky, Stanford neurobiologist and primatologist https://youtu.be/oRP-HLyyJkU This video is definitely an over-simplification of the concept of stress and fear… it’s not meant to…
It’s a tragedy this isn’t taught in schools
“In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them.” – Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score A couple of years ago, I spoke…
Three steps to build brain circuits that will help you deal with fear and stress
There are different types of danger that we deal with. “tissue-damage danger” and “non-tissue damage” or symbolic danger. In order to not have our immune systems go into overdrive and deplete our resources, we need to know the difference….
The neuroscience of bravery: 3 keys to build brain circuits for courage and vulnerability
“In order for there to be courage, there needs to be risk. It doesn’t take courage to open up the refrigerator.” – Seth Godin Can we teach people how to be brave? Can we learn how to be brave?…
Season 1 Episode 12 – “Relational Minds”
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“What matters is not how things are, but how they interact.“ – Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist, in his book, Reality is Not What It Seems Relationships are the key to building our most powerful mind. Our relationships with others build…
We are the most nurture-dependent species that has ever existed
We are the most nurture and experience-dependent species that has ever existed on the planet. This means that our brains are not just hardwired from birth. They are literally, physically, neurologically, moment-by-moment, formed and built by our experiences. …
Why changing our brain is so hard: meet The Dip
Humans are the only species that can imagine a reality for themselves that does not yet exist – and then create new circuits to achieve that future reality. We can create a future version of us that is more ideal…
How to Develop a Growth Mindset – my interview with Maria Xenidou (part 2)
In part 2 of my interview with Maria, we do a deep dive on the four essential elements of growth mindset development. We also discuss the 3-step process we can follow daily to develop a growth mindset at any age….
Neuroscience of Growth Mindset – my interview with Maria Xenidou (part 1)
In this first part of our discussion, we explore my learning journey and why I decided to study psychology and neuroscience. We also talk about how experience-dependent learning helps us adopt a growth mindset. Later, we discuss why even identical…
How fear affects the brain and what to do about it
Fear is necessary for keeping us alive. Unfortunately, because humans live in a very metaphorical and symbol-based reality (using ‘sophisticated grunting’ as language, and words as symbols), our fear system can sometimes make us act as though our life is…
Season 1 Episode 3 – The science most people keep using is wrong
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There’s a lot of ‘old science’ out there. Stuff we humans used to believe that has been de-bunked. Things like… ‘humans are more complex than other species, which means we have more genes.’ Before the Human Genome Project was completed…
Mindset Neuroscience Reading List for Enhancing Human Potential
The Mindset Neuroscience 2019 Reading List for Enhancing Human Potential These books and articles changed me. Everything listed here has had a profound effect on my understanding of the world and my role in it. These authors, researchers and scientists…
Are we better at ‘hearing emotions’ than seeing them?
Are we better at ‘hearing emotions’ than seeing them? With society’s current amount of time spent looking at screens, we are using our eyes to a degree that is out of proportion from our other senses. The other issue is…
Understanding Neuroplasticity is Today’s Moral Imperative: 5 Must-Read Books for 2019
Understanding Neuroplasticity is Today’s Moral Imperative: 5 MUST-Read Books for 2019 We are the most nurture-dependent species that has ever existed on the planet. This means that our brains are not just hardwired from birth. They are literally, physically,…
Season 1 Episode 2 – Psychological Safety, Resilience and the Vagus Nerve
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“It’s not merely that we can’t be loving or creative when we’re scared; we can’t heal.” -Stephen Porges In order for us to access our most evolved neural and behavioral resources, we must be in a state of physiological…
This is the science we need to hear in these times of divisiveness
Did you know that if you condensed all of the matter of the universe, it would fill less than a teacup? The deeper into matter we go, the more space we find. That means even you. Your body is…
Season 1 Episode 1 – Neuroscience of Growth Mindset
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Listen on iTunes Old, outdated science said that the human brain basically stopped developing in childhood and there wasn’t much we could do to change it. What we got was what we got. But we now know that that…
These 5 Micro-Movements are a sign of Trust & Safety – PLUS my interview with Danny Bauer
“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.” – Bessel Van Der Kolk (this is me many years ago in Ejura,…
Season 1 Episode 6 – The importance of sound: Our ears may be more powerful than our eyes
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Sound may be the most important sense we have for learning as well as for detecting others emotions. The human ability to hear ‘just noticeable differences’ is significantly more powerful than what our eyes are able to detect…
Is There a ‘Dark Side’ to Growth Mindset? – my guest interview
As amazing as it is in encouraging strong learning habits and perseverance… yes, there is a dark side of growth mindset. Many growth mindset interventions lose sight of the need for safety (both psychological and physiological). In order for certain…
The Body is the Bridge
“In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them.” – Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score I recently spoke at a symposium in…
The 5 Commitments of Growth Mindset
Download this poster as a pdf and make sure to share it!! 1. Ask not what to do differently, but how to see differently ALL human behavior starts with how we ‘see’ (perceive) a person or situation. If we want…
Season 1 Episode 11 – This is what happens to your brain when you add diversity to your life
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No two people ever experience reality in the same way: our senses and neural architecture are built up by our own lifetime of unique experiences. Our brain and senses are constantly narrowing down our world. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: if…
