Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning

World renowned Neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf on ”Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety and Toxic Thinking.”

Today we have a special BONUS episode on the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast with a very insightful backstory for how we came to meet our next guest. But first,  if you are new here, my name is Andrea Samadi, and I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain. 
You can watch this interview on YouTube here. 
----------------BACKSTORY-----------------
I first heard our next guest on Dr. Daniel and Tana Amen’s Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast[i] right at the start of the Pandemic last May 2020 where I learned about a “Step 5 Process to Managing Trauma.” At the time of this interview, many people around me were just beginning to feel the stressors and pressure that this global pandemic was having on the world, and I began to pay attention to what this speaker was saying. I usually listen to my podcasts early morning and takes notes on my phone, and I began quickly writing what I was learning on this podcast.
This speaker caught my attention because she mentioned that she had spent 25 years in the in South Africa in the worst areas—working with local schools, and community centers where she would teach them about their brain and their mind, and her work had such an incredible impact on those around her, they would fill these rooms, with standing room only. I know what it takes to fill a room, coming from my work in the speaking industry, working closely with Bob Proctor Seminars, so I knew she had to be doing something outstanding to draw this much interest. This podcast episode ended and I went back to my usual work life and interviewing new speakers. At that time, I was referred to a publisher and was working with many of authors connected to this polisher (Corwin Press), and my interview schedule filled up through the summer, and I wasn’t looking for new guests, I was just trying to keep up with the demand to interview the ones I had in cue.
Then I had an email from one of my LinkedIn contacts, John Prucha[ii], from Atlanta, GA, who I heard from occasionally as he was enjoying the podcast episodes and often would send me his thoughts and feedback. One day he sent me a private message asking if I had considered reaching out to Dr. Carolyn Leaf[iii] for the podcast. At the time he sent me the message, I was swamped with the line-up of guests, but I do take all referrals seriously, and wrote down Dr. Leaf’s name on my desk.  And went back to work as usual.
A couple of weeks later I was working on a Character Book that I am creating, and this time, I am doing the interior design of the book, instead of sending it to a publisher, and I was looking for some headings to go along with the lessons I was creating. For each Character Trait, like Attentiveness, I have created ways to learn this attribute, and had the heading THINK (with some tips on what to think about before studying how to become more attentive), LEARN (the actual lesson on attentiveness), TAKE ACTION (with an activity to implement attentiveness into your daily life) and I was searching for the last heading. What happens to people after they learn a new skill? When I don’t know the answer to something, I usually type it into Google and see what comes up. I typed in THINK, LEARN, and the FIRST thing to come up was a book called Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using Your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace and Life[iv] by Dr. Caroline Leaf!  If you had been in my office, you would have seen me glance at the note on my desk as my brain processed, “Hey, wasn’t that the same person who John Prucha from LinkedIn asked me to contact?” Then I typed Dr. Leaf’s name into my notes, and there she was, on the Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, so I put down what I was doing, and emailed her offices to request her as a guest on the podcast. I don’t believe in accidents, or that things happen by chance or luck. I believe that when there is an opportunity that we can easily miss it if we are not aware. I really should have reached out to Dr. Leaf the minute I knew of her background with education and the brain, which is the whole entire theme of this podcast, for those who have been following us.  I did hear back from her offices, from someone named Jessica, who let me know that Dr. Leaf was currently swamped, but for me to reach back to her in January. Of course I put a note up on my calendar on my wall to contact Dr. Leaf then, and circled it so I wouldn’t forget.
And went on with my work and life, until I was contacted by Podbean, who hosts this podcast, to see if I could be interested in moderating an event that was coming up in November of 2020, called Wellness Week. I wrote back that I would love to do this and asked to learn more about the session I would be moderating. I received an email back that I would be running the session about Neuroscience, Mental Health and Coaching with John Kim, and….Dr. Caroline Leaf!
Of course I did a deep dive into Dr. Leaf’s work prior to that session, and loved every minute of speaking with her, learning more, taking more notes, and knowing that it would be so much fun to one day interview her face to face on The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast.
And today is that day.
World-renowned neuroscientist and best-selling author Dr. Caroline Leaf, is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist with a Masters and PhD in Communication Pathology and a BSc Logopaedics, specializing in cognitive and metacognitive neuropsychology. Since the early 1980s she has researched the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health, and the formation of memory. She was one of the first in her field to study how the brain can change (neuroplasticity) with directed mind input. 
During her years in clinical practice and her work with thousands of underprivileged teachers and students in her home country of South Africa and in the USA, she developed her theory (called the Geodesic Information Processing theory) of how we think, build memory, and learn, into tools and processes that have transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD), autism, dementias and mental ill-health issues like anxiety and depression. She has helped hundreds of thousands of students and adults learn how to use their mind to detox and grow their brain to succeed in every area of their lives, including school, university, and the workplace.
Dr. Leaf is about to release her NEW book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress and Toxic Thinking (March 2, 2021) where the solution is offered in five action-oriented steps called the Neurocycle, where she shares practical application and strategies for readers. Backed by clinical research and illustrated with compelling case studies, Dr. Leaf provides a scientifically supported plan to find and eliminate the root of anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts in reader’s lives so they can build a healthy new and automated neural network in 63 days, the length of time to properly build a new habit.
“I truly believe that mental mess is something we all experience often,” writes Dr. Leaf, “and that it isn’t something we should be ashamed of. This is my profession, and I still have to clean up my mind daily. The events and circumstances of life aren’t going anywhere; people make a lot of decisions every day that affect us all, suffering of some sort for you and your loved ones is inevitable. That said, I wholeheartedly believe that although the events and circumstances can’t be controlled, we can control our reactions to these events and circumstances. This is mind-management in action!”
Dr. Leaf leverages the strategies she has developed working with patients over the last 38 years to teach readers how to foster and cultivate the power of their own thinking and direct their own brain changes. Mind-management, when done correctly, helps facilitate talk between the conscious, the subconscious, and the nonconscious mind. This, in turn, gets brainwaves flowing in a healthy way, optimizing brain function. This is done by implementing the Neurocycle, a simple, clinically researched mind-management tool for personal use to address and ameliorate such warning signals as anxiety, depression, toxic thinking, inability to concentrate, irritability, exhaustion and burnout before they take over someone’s mind.
In CLEANING UP YOUR MENTAL MESS, you will learn:
What happens when we don’t use our minds properly
Mind-management and why we need it
How the 5 steps can help reduce anxiety and depression by up to 81% according to clinical studies
Why mind-management is the solution to cleaning up your mental mess
How the science can help us transition from being aware of toxic thoughts, to catching and managing them in their early stages
How our thoughts physically affect ourselves and others
How to capitalize on directed neuroplasticity using the Neurocycle
To apply mind-management to unwire toxic habits and trauma
How to leverage the lessons in the book for their daily lifestyle, including connection, brain-building, sleep, diet, exercise, people-pleasing, toxic perfectionism, overthinking, toxic emails and texts
Why mindfulness is not enough and how strategic mind-management through the 5 steps can take a reader beyond mindfulness
You can order your copy of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess[v] starting March 2nd (and pre-order your copy if you are listening to this podcast on March 1st).
Welcome Dr. Leaf, it’s such a pleasure to meet you face to face after working with you during Podbean’s Wellness Week for our session back in November last year.
Intro:
Dr. Leaf, before we get to the questions I have for you, I wanted to ask if you could give us a quick history of how you came to study the brain and how did you come to believe that if “we direct our mind, we can change our brain.” How did you set out to prove those 2 professors wrong who told you this concept was ridiculous?
My Thoughts: I first heard about the importance of studying the mind with Bob Proctor, who I worked for through his seminars for 6 years. I learned about the mind, the importance of positive thinking, and how we could change our conditions, circumstances, environment and results with the power of our thoughts. Schools/educators were not ready for this, so when I began working with schools, I had to change the word “mind” to “brain” to make what I was saying science based. Like you, I believe that with the right strategy, we can learn anything.
PART 1 of the BOOK “The Why and the How”
Q1: When we release this podcast episode, it will be the day before you NEW book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress and Toxic Thinking comes out. This book takes the research you have done over the past 38 years and teaches us exactly how we can make the most of our mind and brain, taking us to new heights. Can you explain what our mind is, and what happens to it if we don’t keep our thoughts clean? What is the interconnected mind? What’s the difference between the mind and  brain? Can we measure or see what “mind” is?
My Thoughts: On episode 23[vi], we take a close look at “Understanding the Difference Between the Mind and the Brain” with Dr. Daniel Siegel’s definition of the mind and brain. It’s a topic I’ve been interested in learning more about since learning of the importance of positive thinking from Bob Proctor in the late 1990s.  I know that our thoughts control our conditions, circumstances, environment and results. I just never had the science to prove it, other than one person I met, Dr. Joesph Guan (Clinical Director at the Brain Enhancement Center in Singapore) who studied with Dr. Bruce Lipton[vii] said he saw machines (called SQUID machines) that could measure a positive and/or negative thought and prove how negative thinking caused poor results.
Q2: I know I heard you mention on your podcast with Dr. Amen that if we are anxious while eating, that our pancreas will not secrete the peptides needed to digest our food, just like the importance of our thinking on our telomeres/aging. What happens when we don’t use our minds correctly and have doubts and worries occupying our mind, like most of us do on a daily basis?
Q3: Listeners of this podcast all know of the importance of self-regulation with regards to our results, but these days, we seem to get hit with something new every week that makes positive thinking really difficult. Can you explain what your research suggests to be the best way to manage our minds during stressful times?
PART 2 of the Book, The Practical Application of the Neurocycle
Q4: I heard you speaking about this concept of using your brain to change negative thinking a few times before I really understood it. I heard it first on the Brain Warrior Way Podcast, then again on Ed Mylett’s podcast, and you went into detail about this strategy during our session on Wellness Week and I was furiously writing notes to understand this concept.  I will link all of these episodes in the show notes for people to find, so you don’t have to go into detail, but can you explain the metaphor that you use of how our worries are like branches on  a tree, with the goal of identifying FIRST what we are worrying about, pick one worry to fix, get a new perspective of this worry, and then actually get to the root cause or origin of our worry to eliminate it?
My thoughts: I downloaded the SWITCH app after watching the Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast again and have just started to work on one thing I worry about.  After just one day, I am learning so much about why I think I worry about this one thing, and even just thinking/analyzing it, has helped. (Name it to tame it idea).
Q5: It seems that every day we have a new challenge to overcome and many of us our experiencing some sort of anxiety that can lead to depression which is completely normal.
How can we use neurocycling to build mental toughness, resiliency, or even emotional toughness to overcome how difficult times are these days?
Q6: How can we use these 5 steps to break bad habits and build good lifestyle habits?
Q7: How can we use these steps to detox from trauma or memories that we habitually play over in our minds—those Automatic Negative Thoughts?
Thank you very much Dr. Leaf for the years of research you have done in this field, for the books and resources you have created, and your Switch app where anyone can go and begin to immediately implement these ideas. For people who want to learn more about your work, is the best place https://www.cleaningupyourmentalmess.com/ 
If someone wants to purchase your book, out March 2nd 2021, I will put the links in the show notes. 
Also, you have an incredible podcast, Cleaning Up the Mental Mess[viii] where you go into detail on using the neurocycle in specific areas of your life (most recently for reclaiming the loss of self and your identity).
Other than the NEW book, your APP, website and podcast, have I missed anything that people should see?
Thank you!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Neuroscience Meets SEL Episode #106 with Andrea Samadi "Review of Dr. Leaf's Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess Book and App" https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/book-and-app-review-of-neuroscientist-and-best-selling-author-dr-caroline-leafs-cleaning-up-your-mental-mess-coming-march-2-20201/ 
What is Qeeg Brain Mapping https://www.mountainvistapsychology.com/qeeg/
REFERENCES:
[i] The 5-Step Process to Managing Trauma with Dr. Caroline Leaf on The Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast Published on YouTube May 22, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_sHPAvOXh4&t=2661s
[ii] John Prucha, Graduate Student from Liberty University https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-p-2160661b2/
[iii] https://drleaf.com/
[iv]Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using Your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace and Life by Dr. Caroline Leaf (August 7, 2018)  https://www.amazon.com/Think-Learn-Succeed-Understanding-Workplace/dp/0801093279
[v] Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf (March 2, 2021) https://www.amazon.com/Cleaning-Your-Mental-Mess-Scientifically/dp/0801093457
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Episode #14 “Understanding the Difference Between the Mind and the Brain” https://www.achieveit360.com/understanding-the-difference-between-your-mind-and-brain/
[vii] Dr. Bruce Lipton https://www.brucelipton.com/
[viii] Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess Podcast with Dr. Leaf https://drleaf.com/pages/podcasts

Brain Fact Friday on ”Using Neuroscience to Understand the Narcissistic Brain”

“When I look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, I see the shame-based fear of being ordinary. I see the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be loveable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose.” Brené Brown.
And when I look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, I see the spirit in that person, desperately trying to be seen for their talents, skills and abilities, but something keeps this person’s spirit in the shadows and I wonder what that is.
On today’s episode we will examine:
✔ Narcissism through the vulnerability lens
✔ What is narcissism and how is it diagnosed.
✔ What the narcissistic brain looks like.
✔ 3 STEPS to move you forward if you think you are a narcissist, if you live with one, or if you work with one.
 Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we bridge the gap between theory and practice, with strategies, tools and ideas we can all use immediately, applied to the most current brain research to heighten productivity in our schools, sports environments and modern workplaces. I’m Andrea Samadi and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to look at something I saw this past week about the narcissistic brain. We hear this word so often these days, thrown around when describing someone who is self-centered, someone who is unlikeable when they exclaim, “That person is such a narcissist!”
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is “a condition where people have an inflated sense of self-importance and a deep-seated need for attention and admiration. Those living with NPD show a distinct lack of empathy for the feelings and needs of others.”[i]
In writing this episode, I want to come from the “vulnerable” angle (like Brené Brown mentioned in her quote) and look at what we can learn about the brain of someone who meets at least 5 of the criteria for what we call narcissistic personality disorder.[ii] My goal with this episode is to help all of us to understand the “why” behind narcissism,  a personality disorder that is not difficult to miss when you either work with, or live with someone who shows even a few of the criteria that’s needed for a clinical diagnosis.
American psychologist, and brain disorder specialist, Dr. Daniel Amen, from Amen Clinics, says that “6.2% of the American population has a narcissistic personality disorder” that often begins in early adulthood.
What’s interesting, is that “Psychologically speaking, narcissism is a personality trait that every person possesses to some degree. Like any characteristic, it exists on a spectrum. We all fall somewhere along the narcissistic continuum” and a certain amount of self-centeredness is healthy.”[iii]
While writing this episode, I remembered something sleep medicine physician, and sports psychiatrist Dr. Shane Creado from EP #72[iv] said to me when he analyzed my brain scan from Amen Clinics, and I went back to that episode #84[v] to look at what he saw. I remember he said something about my deep limbic system being the brightest part of my emotional brain and that he saw this area overactive in people who hold themselves to high standards. I wondered for a minute. Oh no, does this make me a narcissist? Curious, I sent him a text late last night to double check what he meant by that and he sent me a wonderful explanation this morning, affirming that narcissism is complex, and operates on a spectrum. He explained why we all need a certain amount of it, to be focused on our goals, or things that we want to achieve, which explained why he saw this area light up brightly with people who are perfectionists, like I tend to be with this podcast.
When releasing content out to the world, I have to be careful of what I say, and how I say it, especially when I’m interviewing someone, and what I create goes into the world for anyone to watch, and will become a reflection of that person from that moment on. I’m incredibly picky with how I produce my video interviews, (and will probably never outsource them) as I want to highlight that person in a certain way--in the brightest light possible, not just for that minute, but for the rest of their lifetime that the video is online, representing them.  Thank goodness that the perfectionist in me doesn’t make me a narcissist, according to Dr. Creado, as this would be expected of anyone who wants to do their best on anything (a test, an interview, or whatever it is they are working on).
Where he cautioned me, was that if for some reason something doesn’t meet my high expectations, to watch that I don’t go down the path of self-doubt, shame, or guilt which would lead to depression. He reminded me that this topic is complex, and to be careful of taking a brain scan that “looks” a certain way, and then label of person because of it. He recommended credible personality testing to diagnose someone with a personality disorder, like the Minnesota Multi-Phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)[vi] that is one of the most researched psychological tests in existence.  He did say this topic was complex, and I’m starting to see why.
So for this episode, I want to stay on the surface of this complex brain disorder, to see if we can improve our own awareness of the narcissistic brain—what the research sees in a brain with someone who has been diagnosed with this personality disorder, and what can we learn from this. Dr. Amen, from Amen Clinics[vii]   where I had my brain scanned, has a section for understanding personality disorders on his website[viii], and notes that Narcissistic Personality Disorder is characterized by “an inflated sense of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.”  
He lists symptoms that include:
An exaggerated sense of self-importance
A need for excessive and constant admiration
A lack of empathy
Being preoccupied with grandiose fantasies of unlimited success, money, or power
A need to be recognized as superior or special and a belief that they can only keep company with people of equal exceptionalism
A sense of entitlement to special treatment
A tendency to exaggerate accomplishments or talents
Manipulation or exploitation of others
A belief that others are envious of them, while deep down being envious of others
An arrogant, haughty, or demanding attitude
While this topic is complex, as Dr. Creado shared, there are many books that one can read to learn more about the different types of personality disorders that are on a spectrum, meaning that not all types are the same, for today’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to focus on a trait that is common to all types of narcissism, and that is that they lack empathy. When I saw this, my need to understand “why” came to my mind, as I thought, “why do some people not care about others?”   
Which leads us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday where we can gain tremendous understanding with questions just like this, when we look at why people behave the way they do, and connect it, to the most current brain research.
DID YOU KNOW “that people who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder have less gray matter volume[ix] in a region of their brain believed to be involved with empathy”[x] and they also have “increased activity in baseline images in brain regions associated with self-directed and self-absorbed thinking.” Dr. Daniel Amen.
In the show notes I put an image of an fMRI scan that reveals the lower cortical thickness in the NPD brain vs a normal brain, as well as lower cortical volume, which explains why someone who has been diagnosed with this disorder would show impairments in the social brain.
WHY DO NARCISSISTS LACK EMPATHY?
It’s starting to make more sense to me now, almost like an AHA moment. When someone says “I don’t care” they really do mean it.
A closer look at the narcissistic brain can explain why.
SO NOW WHAT?
Dr. Amen, who has been on a mission to help people improve their health since he began looking at the brain back in 1991, now adds in a recent Instagram post with international DJ, producer and neuroscience fan, Steve Aoki[xi], that he’s on a mission to make brain health cool, and his clinic is where anyone can go to find answers. He states that what makes personality disorders complex is that “many environmental factors can impact brain function and lead to symptoms of mental illness” and he shares that he has seen “how environmental toxins (such as toxic mold) infections like Lyme Disease, extremely low thyroid, anemia, anoxia (lack of oxygen) and even chemotherapy can alter brain function and contribute to changes in someone’s personality.”[xii] Like Dr. Creado mentioned, since there are so many factors at play, it’s very important to investigate this disorder with someone who can perform a comprehensive evaluation that includes brain imaging, lab testing, and other assessments, and that we don’t jump to conclusions, and label someone as “bad” with this disorder. Looking at any disorder with the brain in mind puts a whole new perspective on our brain health, as we look to see beyond the behavior to what could be at the root of the problem.
Since I’m not a doctor, and a clinical diagnosis of this personality disorder is needed, the goal of this episode is to bring awareness to help all of us understand others that might show signs of this brain disorder whether it’s someone you work with, live with, interact with, or even (gasp) in ourselves.
How can we use this new understanding of the narcissistic brain to help us?
Go back and look at the list of symptoms that are present in this disorder, and see if there is someone in your life that is making your life challenging in some way, with this trait.
An exaggerated sense of self-importance
A need for excessive and constant admiration
A lack of empathy
Being preoccupied with grandiose fantasies of unlimited success, money, or power
A need to be recognized as superior or special and a belief that they can only keep company with people of equal exceptionalism
A sense of entitlement to special treatment
A tendency to exaggerate accomplishments or talents
Manipulation or exploitation of others
A belief that others are envious of them, while deep down being envious of others
An arrogant, haughty, or demanding attitude
What can we do next?
1: BECOME CURIOUS TO LEARN MORE: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Use this new understanding of the narcissistic brain to learn more. As you gain more awareness, you also gain more confidence with how to deal with challenging or high conflict people in your home or work life. I could list all the books I have found, but jut type narcissism into Amazon, and you will find hundreds of books to help guide you to understand:
What is narcissism
What causes it
How it’s diagnosed
Different types
How to move beyond the damage
2: THINK WITH YOUR BRAIN HEALTH IN MIND: Even someone like high performance author and expert Brendon Burchard[xiii] noted that after an ATV accident, his personality changed dramatically, and he went straight to Amen Clinics to look for the reason behind the personality change, with his brain health in mind. The key is to look for what might be at the root of the personality change and not to rule out accidents, injuries, or environmental factors. When we look at our health with our brain in mind, we also look at the supplements we can take, or what else we can do to improve our health, outside of taking medication that’s often prescribed for someone when they don’t need it.
3: USE THE CURRENT RESEARCH TO BACK-CAST YOUR LIFE: Once you begin to look at something you want to learn more about (like this topic-The Narcissistic Brain) go deeper into the research to see what this could mean for you in the future. As I began to research the narcissistic brain, I started to learn that someone with this disorder is at higher risk for dementia.[xiv] If I had someone in my life that were showing signs of this disorder, I would be using the technique I learned from Peter Attia[xv] calls back casting, and think about what we want our life to be like as we age. I would also begin to research this topic from as many of the experts like Dr. Ramani[xvi], to see what other people in similar situations have gone through.
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday,
DID YOU KNOW “that people who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder have less gray matter volume[xvii] in a region of their brain believed to be involved with empathy”[xviii] (Dr. Amen) and they also have “increased activity in baseline images in brain regions associated with self-directed and self-absorbed thinking.”
In this episode we looked at why someone with this disorder lacks empathy, with what science reveals with brain scan technology and my hope is not to label or shame someone who fits the wide spectrum of narcissism, but to open up our awareness and use this new understanding of The Narcissistic Brain to show us this issue is “biological, not moral” (Dr. Amen) and with this new understanding, help us to find new ways to move forward, and create more balance, peace and equilibrium in our everyday life.
This episode was created to help us to see why some people behave the way they do. Like Brene Brown said, this doesn’t make us naïve, but allows us to look past what some would call “bad behavior” and see the spirit or soul in every person. She reminds us--When we look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, we see the shame-based fear of being ordinary or the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be loveable, to belong, which we can all understand on some level.
I hope this episode has helped you to see Narcissism in a new light, like it did for me, so we can all keep learning, and looking for the latest research to inform our decisions, thinking with brain health in mind.
I’ll see you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
What’s Going on in a Narcissistic Brain? https://writemindmatters.medium.com/whats-going-on-in-a-narcissistic-brain-4ea5331b2696
Narcissists Lack of Empathy Detected on Brain Scans by Denise Chow June 24, 2013  https://www.livescience.com/37684-narcissistic-personality-disorder-brain-structure.html
REFERENCES:
[i] The Neuroscience of Narcissism Published June 13, 2020 https://www.learnaboutdid.com/2020/06/13/the-neuroscience-of-narcissism/
[ii] Dr. Amen 5 Signs You Are in a Relationship with a Narcissist Oct. 16, 2019  https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/5-signs-youre-in-a-relationship-with-a-narcissist/
[iii] I’m a professor of human behavior and I have some news about the narcissist in your life by Melody Wilding, Published Nov. 14, 2018 https://www.businessinsider.com/narcissism-vs-narcissist-2018-11#:~:text=Psychologically%20speaking%2C%20narcissism%20is%20a,of%20self%2Dcenteredness%20is%20healthy.
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #72 with Dr. Shane Creado on “Sleep Strategies That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-shane-creado-on-sleep-strategies-that-will-guarantee-a-competitive-advantage/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #84 on “PART 3: How a Spect Scan Can Change Your Life” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/
[vi] The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) by Kendra Cherry Sept. 02, 2021 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-minnesota-multiphasic-personality-inventory-2795582
[vii] www.amenclinics.com
[viii] https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/personality-disorders/
[ix] Gray matter abnormalities in patients with narcissistic personality disorder Published October, 2013 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23777939/
[x] Dr. Amen 5 Signs You Are in a Relationship with a Narcissist Oct. 16, 2019  https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/5-signs-youre-in-a-relationship-with-a-narcissist/
[xi] Dr. Amen with International DJ Steve Aoki https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci_k8NhLrYN/?hl=en
[xii] Narcissistic Personality Disorder by Dr. Daniel Amen https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/
[xiii] What Brendon Burchard learned about 2 brain traumas https://www.instagram.com/p/BjP5NKFBawh/?hl=en
[xiv] From narcissistic personality disorder to frontotemporal dementia: a case report published by Michelle Poletti, 2011 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21606578/
[xv] Peter Attita https://twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD/status/1529823436196835329
[xvi] Narcissistic Relationships and Dementia Dr. Ramani Published May 13, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJMzDBJssGA
[xvii] Gray matter abnormalities in patients with narcissistic personality disorder Published October, 2013 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23777939/
[xviii] Dr. Amen 5 Signs You Are in a Relationship with a Narcissist Oct. 16, 2019  https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/5-signs-youre-in-a-relationship-with-a-narcissist/

Neuroscientist Rohan Dixit, Founder of Lief Therapeutics on ”Measuring HRV in Real-Time for Stress Relief From the Inside Out”

"Heart rate variability has really come to the forefront in the last 40 years as being the most important biomarker for tracking health and recovery on a regular basis, and not just health and recovery, but resilience." (Neurohacker Collective)
Watch this interview here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8wbt2o-lO1I
 
It’s something we’ve covered on past episodes[i] including our most recent EP #228 where we reviewed Heart Rate Variability, what it is, why it’s important to track, with tips to increase it, for increased capacity throughout our day.
 
On this episode we will learn: 
✔  How Rohan Dixit created a wearable device for stress relief, based on his own personal struggles.
✔  The ONE THING that most of us are missing when it comes to improving our mental health and well-being.
✔  How Rohan came across HRV in his research and why as a neuroscientist he looked outside of the brain for a solution for our mental health and well-being.
✔ REVIEW: What is HRV and why it is an important biomarker to measure.
✔ Why tracking HRV in real-time helpful for our mental well-being.
✔ How we can all improve our stress levels by looking at our data.
✔ What is biofeedback and how does it work?
✔ The most common ways to decrease our HRV, that we should all be aware of.
✔ The research behind HRV as a drug-free solution to stress and anxiety reduction.
✔ How to get started and receive 15% off your first month using the code ANDREA.
NOW IMAGINE THIS! What if you could see your HRV in real time throughout the day, so you know what’s helping this important score, or hurting it? We will cover this on today’s episode as we meet with Rohan Dixit, the founder of Lief Therapeutics (a wearable stress relief device) that’s designed to help us to overcome stress and worry from the inside out. Stay tuned and we’ll explain how this ground-breaking device can help ALL OF US  to improve our health, as we learn self-regulation strategies using the device, that will eventually become a habit, showing us how to break free of anything that might be holding us back.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.  I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results using the most current brain research. If there’s a tool, strategy or resource that I find, that could be helpful to improve productivity and results, whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a coach or in the modern workplace, I will share it here.
On today’s episode #248, we will be speaking with Rohan Dixit, the founder of Lief Therapeutics, to see if we can sharpen our saw with our understanding of HRV, a biomarker that’s known for tracking health and recovery as well as resilience. What I think is absolutely incredible with this wearable stress relief device, is that you’ll see that the point of wearing this device, is to train us to breathe in a certain way to relieve our stress, anxiety and worry (that it will pick up) and then help to calm us down, so we won’t need to rely of the device.
Rohan’s mission is not about the money he could make with the device, but truly about helping people to be able to manage their own problems, without the use of medicine, or pills, or those things we do that we know relieve stress in the short term, but are bad for our overall health in the long term. I can’t wait to speak with Rohan Dixit, and explore the technology he created in his garage, (he’s a real Steve Jobs story) and the idea was based on his own personal struggles with anxiety and depression when he was younger, that he overcame, and then used his experience to help others. Let’s meet Rohan Dixit, the founder of Lief Therapeutics, and see how this device works, to improve our mental health and wellbeing from the inside out.
Welcome Rohan, it’s incredible to meet you after wearing the device you invented and now I have this incredible opportunity to ask YOU questions about it.  This is amazing. Thank you for joining me today.
I’m wearing mine today, and curious, do you wear yours every day or have you gotten the point to where you can self-regulate without it?
INTRO: To start off, Rohan, I had a blast researching your work, and am so glad I listened to you on The Abstract Doctors Podcast[ii] because I tend to more on the serious side, and could lighten up my interviews to make them more fun/less stressful and as I was learning more about you, I was dying laughing with these two doctors covering your Lief Device. They were asking why it’s called Lief, and they were guessing “it’s about turning over a new leaf?” Why is it called Lief?
Then I watched your clip of the Today Show[iii] with Hoda and Savanna trying out your device, and I thought, wow, I take learning and this podcast a bit too seriously because they were having such a good time investing the high stress parts of their day.  Since you are an expert at helping people relieve stress, I wonder what tips you would have for me or anyone else these days who spends most of their day sitting at a desk? What are most of us missing that could help us handle life’s pressures/stresses better?
Q1: I know there has to be a story here of how you came to be the founder of Lief Therapeutics that is focused on helping people to overcome stress and worry from the inside out. Where did this begin for you?
Q2: Where did you come across HRV, and is there really a story like Steve Jobs where you started this whole idea in your garage?
Q3: Can you give me YOUR definition of HRV for the lay person who is tuning in, and has no idea what it is? (We have talked about it often on this podcast but I recently reviewed it when I became stuck explaining it to someone else).
Q4: Tracking HRV in real time is such an incredible idea. I track with a device that gives me a daily score and I wake up dying to see my score, hoping for improvements as I’m working on certain strategies. Why would someone need to know their HRV levels throughout certain parts of their day? How does this help them? I think I heard you say this knowledge is like our “superpower!” What do you mean by that?
Q4B: Is the strap for athletes who might need to measure their HRV during play?
Q5: So I wrote your questions BEFORE trying out the device and wanted to add a snapshot of my work day, to see what you see with my bar graph. I had an important LIVE presentation on Monday morning that I practiced all weekend for, and wore the Lief device thinking it would show how calm I was under pressure. Then the unexpected happened and I had 2 major unforeseen tech issues that really threw me off. I’d like to know If you look at my Monday morning, what do you see but I want to guess and see if I have the right idea of this first?
This is what I see: I started out calm (green) which is the 60th-80th percentile and then as the time for the presentation came closer, I went into yellow, lowering my HRV to 20-40th percentile, most of the time presenting was yellow, with some RED (o-20th percentile) that happened about the time of the tech issue, and I ended up back to GREEN. While I was hoping to show you all GREEN with my morning, I can see that I had some moments of stress, but when something goes wrong, and we need to think and troubleshoot our way out of problems, I think this was me at yellow, thinking and not shut down in RED.  What do you see with these colors?
 
 
Q6: Now that we’ve talked about Lief measures, I wonder How exactly does the device work? What is this idea of biofeedback, and why are the sensors so important?
6B: What should we be looking for? We have already talked about the bar graph at the top of the dashboard that shows our HRV in real time. I put my WEEK 1 and WEEK 2 of using the device in the show notes to look at. Just glancing at my week 1 vs week 2, I can see my range improved from 46-55 (week 1) to 52-61 week 2, going from 65% success to 72% success. What should everyone be looking for in their first few weeks of using Lief to know that we are in fact showing an improvement?
Q7: Have you ever done experiments like I’ve seen people do with glucose monitors, and look to see what are a few of the most common ways to increase your stress and decrease HRV?
Q7B: I’ve been tracking my HRV and RHR with a different device since I heard Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast on the effects of alcohol on our brain and body[iv], and after I heard how bad it is for us, I don’t think I’ll ever drink alcohol again. After stopping this toxin, I’m watching my HRV skyrocket up. After 2 weeks, my HRV went from 76 to 84 and after a month it’s jumped up to the 90s.  I know it’s clear that alcohol impacts our HRV, giving us less capacity to handle stress throughout our day, but what else have you noticed affects us in this drastically? (sleep, diet, hydration I’m sure…anything surprising you’ve seen)?  
Q8: What’s involved for individuals who want to try it out, as well as health care providers? Do people just click on the link you provided for our listeners to get started?
Q9: What research backs this drug-free solution to stress and anxiety[v]?
Q10: I know this is way too many questions, but if I make them fun, I’m sure you won’t mind answering them! Is there anything important I have missed?
Thank you, Rohan, for sharing your groundbreaking program for us. For people who want to learn more, I do hope they will click on the affiliate link and test the device out, like I did, and see what they notice.
I noticed a difference on the first day of using the device and it was surprising to me that it picked up times of my day where I felt anxiety (like before I go to sleep) and didn’t realize it. I think the Lief device is an incredible solution for anyone who is anxious about something, to help to train themselves to calm down, and self-regulate without the need for drugs, or alcohol that we know is bad for our brain. Thank you again Rohan for coming on the podcast, and for your time today.
Some Final Thoughts on This Episode: 
As we close out this episode, I wanted to let you know that Rohan and I chatted a bit at the end, after we finished recording. It became clear to me that he had created this device, and coaching to help others, and it’s NOT about the money. From the product creation side, we do need money to sustain our business, so it’s not going to be free, obviously. If you click on the link, it will take you to a page to get started. The device costs $49/month and the coaching is $50/month for a total of $107.95/month which at first glance can seem like it’s high. I thought about this before trying it out, and what I would say to others who might also want to try it. If you’ve ever gone to therapy for a problem you’ve had, I know I’ve paid much more than this, in addition to doctor visits for our health and wellness, so I think about this device to be like training wheels to help us to use HRV as a biomarker, that will make us more resilient to stress, once we’ve learned to breathe in a way that the device shows will calm us down, and the coaching will help with all the questions, and data analysis to be sure you are going in the right direction. Once you’ve got the hang of controlling your HRV through breath work, you shouldn’t need to use this device.
I hope this has helped you, like it did for me, to see there are tools and resources in the world that can help us to improve our resilience to stress. If you want to try the device, just go to www.getlief.com and use ANDREA at checkout to receive 15% off your first month. If you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to send me an email[vi].
TO TRY THE DEVICE
Go to www.getlief.com
Put the code ANDREA in at checkout to receive 15% off your first month at checkout.
FOLLOW ROHAN DIXIT 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohan-dixit-5453a833/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/getlief
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getlief/?hl=en
Website: www.getlief.com
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
Richard Gevirtz https://www.alliant.edu/faculty/richard-gevirtz
REFERENCES:
[i][i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #228 Review of Heart Rate Variability  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-review-of-heart-rate-variability-the-most-important-biomarker-for-tracking-health-recovery-and-resilience/
[ii] Abstract Doctors Podcast with Rohan Dixit https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2e6-rohan-dixit/id1534778814?i=1000532292468
[iii] How Stressed do Hoda Kotb and Savanna Guthrie Get Over 24 Hours? April 11, 2018 https://www.today.com/video/how-stressed-do-hoda-kotb-and-savannah-guthrie-get-over-24-hours-1208201283672
[iv] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Podcast on “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain and Health” https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/  (37:39 alcohol and cortisol).
[v]Pilot Study on Reducing Symptoms of Anxiety with a Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback  Wearable and Remote Stress Management Coach https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-021-09519-x?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst&utm_source=ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst&utm_medium=email&utm_content=AA_en_06082018&ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst_20210726
[vi] Send Andrea any questions about her experience using the Lief Device to andrea@achieveit360.com

Brain Fact Friday: Review of Greg Link’s Book Challenge ”Using Neuroscience to Create Our Legacy”

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
On this episode we will cover:
✔ Brain Fact: DID YOU KNOW THAT "95% of the decisions we make take place in our subconscious mind?" (Deane Alban).
✔ A review of EP #207 with Greg Link with his tips to INTENTIONALLY create a legacy, reading a book a week. 
✔ Applying the 7 Levels of Awareness to our Daily Life to Be INTENTIONAL With the Life We Create.
✔REMINDER: To see and recognize the "spirit" in everyone. 
What does this mean to you? On today’s episode we will be diving into this quote…to see how much of our life we really do have control over. At the end of this episode I hope to show that with being intentional about every action we are taking, that we don’t leave anything up to chance, and that we can in fact, create an exciting life, and future, without relying on chance or luck, and there’s magic in the creation process, that illuminates the fact that there’s much more to who we are. I am not just my name, Andrea Samadi (or the human being you see), there’s a spiritual side to me, and there’s a spiritual side to you. Do you see it? Do you see the spiritual side in others? Once you see it, you won’t be able to see anything else, and I hope we can all begin to see the “spirit” in each other.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we bridge the gap between theory and practice, with strategies, tools and ideas we can all use immediately, applied to the most current brain research to heighten productivity in our schools, sports environments and modern workplaces. I’m Andrea Samadi, (and I hope by now you see I’m more than just my name, and that you know the “why” behind this podcast without me saying it each week.
With that in mind, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to go back to EP #207[i] with my dear friend Greg Link, the cofounder of CoveyLink who worked directly with Dr. Stephen Covey for many years, with our episode on “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, SEL, Trust and the 7 Habits.”  On this episode, Greg opened up with the quote I read at the start of this episode, from his back porch in Sedona, Arizona, reminding me just how much the 7 Habits connected to the brain, social and emotional learning and to this magical thing we call life. It was an extraordinary opportunity to speak with Greg on this day, as he hadn’t spoken publicly for almost a decade, since I saw him last, and when I got the prompting to ask him to come on the podcast, there was no way I was going to ignore it, or worry about whether he would say no, or not.
Just a reminder, for those who haven’t listened to episode #207 (go back and check it out—here’s the link to the YouTube interview[ii]) but I met Greg Link when I worked in the motivational speaking industry, when he was brought to help some of the speakers to gain more traction, and solve some of their problems with his experiences. Greg had recently skyrocketed Dr. Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book that sold over 40 million copies since its first publication, and many leaders in the industry were looking to learn from his success. On this episode, Greg gave us a running list of the books that influenced his life, and urged us to do the same to leave a powerful legacy behind.
As we are now in the final weeks of Q3 in 2022, I’ve focused the past few Brain Fact Fridays on Building a Stronger 2.0 version of ourselves, so we can all get a running start to 2023, and when I was interviewing Greg Link, I knew it was going to be an epic interview that I would refer back to often. I just didn’t know how powerful it was going to be at the time, but looking back now, connecting the dots backwards, after just a few months, this episode now has over 1100 downloads. I knew after we recorded that episode that I’d need to do a follow up and be sure to highlight his Legacy Building Activity.
With that in mind, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to take a closer look at HOW exactly we take control of our life, how do we build a stronger 2.0 version of ourselves in pursuit of whatever it is we are doing, and leave a meaningful legacy for others to learn from?
How do we do this when we know from this week’s Brain Fact that “95% of our decisions take place in our subconscious mind?” (Deane Alban)[iii]
How can we be sure that we create the future that we want, and help others to do the same, and leave a meaningful legacy, when most of our decisions are made subconsciously?
To build a stronger, 2.0 version of ourselves, intentionally, I’m going to follow Greg Link’s advice from our interview, and keep learning, reading and shaping who I am, since “learning is an active process (where me must learn to access it) at the right moment and apply it in real world contexts.” (Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience) who joined us on EP #100.[iv]
When we can see the power that each of us holds, (our spiritual side) we should ALL be capable of doing whatever it is that we want to do, by putting our minds to work, rolling up our sleeves, and intentionally creating something out of nothing with time and effort.
In our interview, Greg suggested that in order to leave a legacy that you are proud of, why not document the books you read, or the people you have studied, that took you to where you are today. His suggestion was so powerful, that I immediately contacted Julie Porter, a good friend of Horacio Sanchez, our 3rd time returning guest from EP #111[v] and asked if she could create a graphic of Greg’s book list, with the top lessons he’s learned in his career, to inspire others to do the same. You can review the image in the show notes, and I’ve also put a link to it in the resource section if you want to print a copy.
To Review Greg Link’s Interview Take-Aways:
He talked about:
How “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience”
He challenges us to all read a book a week and then ponder, contemplate, and connect the dots with what you are reading.
This will inspire you and “people who are inspired are 52% more productive than those who are engaged.”
This will help you to “Find your voice, and then help others to find theirs.” (8th Habit).
We captured the 22 books that Greg mentioned inspired him on the graphic Julie created for us in the show notes, and he also listed other notable authors he’s learned from.
Reminding us that “you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will connect in the future” with whatever it is you are doing.
He talked about Jack Canfield’s idea of taking “inspired action” and to listen to those promtings as you never know where they will lead you. Have you ever had a gut feeling to reach out to someone, maybe someone you haven’t spoken to in years? I never ignore those promptings!
Then he told us about Dr. Stephen Covey’s advice that “you’ve got to carry your own weather with you. You are bigger than your weather” which came from Greg’s story of how he almost didn’t go to work with Dr. Covey in the beginning because he would have to work in Utah, after he’s been enjoying the wonderful climate in San Diego, CA for some time. He ended up following Dr. Covey’s advice, and went back and forth between the two states to make this work.
Finally, Greg talked about the many connections between the 7 Habits, SEL and neuroscience. They are there when you look for them.
REVIEW AND CONCLUSION: WITH THE 7 LEVELS OF AWARENESS
Greg Link built a powerful empire, that he credits to his wife Annie, who saw the vision before he did, and listened to the many promptings they both received. He documented his career for us to all learn from, with the books that inspired his path, and encouraged us to do the same.
So, if “95% of our decisions take place in our subconscious mind” I don’t know about you, but I want to be sure that I’m being intentional with the actions I’m creating, to push me forwards, rather than backwards.
To do this, I will continue with reading as close to a book a week as I can get, and share what I’m learning with you on this podcast. But there’s something else I think we can all do, to be intentional with our growth and this included being aware of the 7 LEVELS OF AWARENESS.
 
Are you aware of them? They are the 7 stages of consciousness in a person’s life, showing the progression from where we all start out (knowing nothing), to where we begin to express our own talents, abilities and individuality. We can either ignore our own special talents, (or our spirit) or we can with discipline, step out and become someone great, unique, inspirational (like Greg, or others I have studied and have show cased on this podcast).
These 7 stages of consciousness can be seen often expressed in music,[vi] psychology,[vii] or even the arts where you see the progression a person takes over the span of their lifetime, towards mastery, or internal wisdom/enlightenment.
To close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday, where we looked at how “95% of our decisions take place in our subconscious mind” (Deane Alban) I wanted to highlight the activity that Greg Link shared with us so that we don’t leave anything up to chance or luck. Keep moving confidently towards your goals, studying, learning and growing and think about where you are in the 7 Levels of Awareness.
The 7 Levels of Awareness: Where are you?
We all begin at the same place:
Survival at the bottom of Barrett’s chart, or the Animal level on the second chart I took from my notes from my days working in the seminar industry. Many people get stuck in this “non-thinking” state where they are not contributing to society. No one wants to be at this bottom level, so they aspire for more.
Each diagram shows how we can move up towards Mastery, where we step out into the world, with our unique talents, contributing something to society, with our knowledge.
It’s the middle steps where our transformation occurs. As we progress up these levels of awareness, as we aspire to be and do more with our lives, our relationships strengthen, along with our self-esteem, and we begin to express our individual talents and abilities, stepping away from the crowd. Once we take action towards our goals, discipline will keep us on track, along with time, effort, study and experience. Stay in the game….until you look up one day, and you realize you are doing the thing that existed only in your dreams. After a lot of experience, you’ve now hit the Mastery, or Sage level where you’ve acquired wisdom, and now, like Greg Link did with his book list, it’s up to us to share what we’ve learned with others, so that we can help others move past these lower levels of awareness, and intentionally create a life of contribution that they can look back on, at the end of their life, and be proud of.
We must control our own destiny, or someone else will!!
I hope this episode has got you thinking about how unique each of are (the spiritual side that we all have) along with how we can all further develop our unique talents and abilities by reading a book a week like Greg Link suggested and then compiling our list of 20 books to share, to create our legacy, and move up the 7 levels of awareness towards mastery where we will be living a purpose-filled life, contributing our special and unique talents and abilities with the world.
That seems to be the meaning of life to me…I’ll see you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Greg Link’s 22 Book List Graphic https://www.dropbox.com/s/62cw8ab2kt8ixof/Andrea_Samadi_091222%20%281%29.png?dl=0
Julie Porter on Twitter https://twitter.com/JuliePorterEC 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #207 with Greg Link on “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, SEL, Trust and the 7 Habits.”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/co-founder-of-coveylink-greg-link-on-unleashing-greatness-with-neuroscience-sel-trust-and-the-7-habits/
[ii] Andrea Samadi Interviews Greg Link Published on YouTube April 1, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCRjLyCKE40
[iii] Deane Alban, 72 Amazing Human Brain Facts Based on the Latest Science https://sdbif.org/72-amazing-human-brain-facts-based-on-the-latest-science/
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #100 with Professor Mary Helen Immordion-Yang on “ The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-mary-helen-immordino-yang-on-the-neuroscience-of-social-and-emotional-learning/
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #111 with Horacio Sanchez on “Finding Solutions to the Poverty Problem”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/resiliency-expert-and-author-horacio-sanchez-on-finding-solutions-to-the-poverty-problem/
[vi] 7 Stages of Consciousness depicted in the 1976 Album L’Heptade https://www.discogs.com/release/1887068-Harmonium-Lheptade
[vii]Richard Barrett’s Seven Levels of Consciousness https://www.discogs.com/release/1887068-Harmonium-Lheptade
 

Jeff Kleck on ”Using Neuroscience to Inspire Thinkers: In Schools, Sport and the Workplace”

“Like Martin Luther King, I have a dream. I dream that someday all teachers will teach students how to think rather than make them think. I dream that all students will understand how their brains work and use the knowledge to be successful and excel in whatever endeavor they choose.” Arizona School Administrator, Jeff Kleck
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/2pDRrOOcX5s
On this episode we will learn: 
✔  About the educator who inspired Andrea to move in the direction of neuroscience in 2014.
✔  How he became interested in neuroscience, introducing Andrea to Carol Dweck and David A. Sousa.
✔  The moment of truth when Jeff met Andrea and gave her feedback that changed the direction of her work.
✔  How to handle criticism, and move forward even when it's difficult to hear.
✔ After 40 years in education, Jeff Kleck shares brain-based strategies he's used with students, athletes and his own children.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results using the most current brain research to inform our decisions.
Our guest today is someone I’ve mentioned often on this podcast, but one day, I realized that I know very little about the person who encouraged me to pivot in the direction of neuroscience, back in 2014. Every interview I’ve ever done, someone always asks me “How did you end up doing a podcast on the topic of neuroscience?” and I tell the same story about how an educator urged me to go in this direction many years ago. I’m very intentional about the people I ask to come on the podcast. They are usually someone who is making an impact in the field of health, wellness, and education in some way, or has had an impact on my direction, and the work I’ve been doing over the years and while creating the questions for Dr. Ginger Campbell, who’s well known for her podcast Brain Science[i], I stopped to think for a moment about how on the earth I ended up where I am today and I thought about our next guest. I never ignore those flashes of insight that interrupt me while working, as the connections I’ve made over the years are the only reason I am here today, working in this field of educational neuroscience, and so very passionate about it,  with the incredible opportunity to think, learn and create every day.
And I wouldn’t have had the courage to move in the direction of Neuroscience, without the guidance of our next guest, Jeff Kleck,[ii] who is now the principal at Valley Christian School in Phoenix.  I look forward to talking neuroscience with Jeff, someone I’ve not seen since he helped me to create my second book, Level Up: A Brain-Based Strategy.
On today’s episode #246, we’ll be speaking with Jeff Kleck, and see if I can fill in the blanks of where his passion for neuroscience began, what he’s doing now to help educators understand how their brain impacts learning, and what he thinks of the future of educational neuroscience in our schools, sports and workplace environments. Let’s welcome my mentor to this field of educational neuroscience, Jeff Kleck.
Intro: Welcome Jeff! It’s incredible to see you again. Was it 2014 when we met last? Maybe 2015? Somewhere back then…
Jeff, I reached out to you, as I mention in the back story that I never ignore those flashes of insight that come while working, and I was writing Dr. Ginger Campbell’s interview questions, and for a moment, I was stumped. How on the earth did I get here, asking the host of the top neuroscience podcast questions for an upcoming interview. For a minute, I was just blown away, because you’ll remember that day we met in your office, and you were handing me all these books off your bookshelf for me to read, I knew absolutely nothing about this topic. First off, I want to let you know how grateful I am that you presented me with this opportunity to learn more about the brain.
Q1: Can we begin with where YOUR interest in neuroscience began?
Why did you have all those books on your book shelf, and I know you gave me a ton of your hand-written notes and research to get started. Where did this interest begin for you?
Q1B: I’ll never forget you telling me to research Carol Dweck[iii]. I wrote her name on the back on a piece of paper, and her Mindset book took off in our schools after you had mentioned her work. I’m curious, who you are you studying now?
Q2: If you think back to that day where we met in your office, and you gave me all of those books (I still have them all, one set is behind me) I know that you were really trying to help me, or I know you wouldn’t have given me so much content to give me a running start. What do you remember about having to provide feedback about the direction I was going, that no one wants to say, but your feedback ended up being a huge turning point for me?
Q3: One of the books you gave me was David A. Sousa’s How the Brain Learns Series by Corwin Press. I can’t even tell you how much this series impacted the work I’ve been doing since we met. I’ve interviewed Dr. Sousa (twice), have met many other Corwin Press authors, worked on projects with other companies with these authors and have used what I learned from Dr. Sousa to help my youngest daughter who needed new strategies to help her with reading comprehension.  A huge thank you for that but I remember opening that book, and seeing all these charts about the brain, and memory, I almost thought that learning neuroscience was going to be too difficult for me. How are you approaching this topic with your teachers now, and do you receive any pushback on the topic at all? (does anyone talk about the reading wars—science vs whole language point of view)?
Q4: I know you’ve been wearing the hat of an educator for most of your years (working in the admin side) but I wonder, when you took off this hat, and switch to being a student, what is something that you have learned over the years about the brain that has helped you?
4B: Did you use what you know about the brain with your children when you were raising them?
4C: What strategies did you use for athletes as a football coach?
Q5: What’s your vision for educational neuroscience in the future? What do you think will help our students in the classroom, athletics and even when they move into College and their future careers?
Q6: Is there anything important that I have missed?
Jeff, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart for coming on this podcast today to share your passion and vision for neuroscience in our classrooms of the future. I know I would not be doing what I’m doing today without your influence, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.
I do hope that you publish something someday to document everything you’ve learned on this topic over the years and if  you do, please do come back on the podcast to share it.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
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RESOURCES:
How the Brain Influences Behavior by David A. Sousa  https://us.corwin.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/26266_book_item_26266.pdf
REFERENCES:
[i] https://brainsciencepodcast.com/
[ii] https://valleychristianaz.org/team/jeff-kleck/
[iii] Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck Published Feb. 28, 2006 https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck-ebook/dp/B000FCKPHG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1662756061&sr=8-1
 

Brain Fact Friday ”Using Neuroscience to Recognize Individuality and Uniqueness”

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast.  I’m Andrea Samadi, and launched this podcast just over 3 years ago, with a vision to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and help all of us (whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace) to understand the most current brain research, and how to use it, for improved productivity and results.
On this episode we will cover:
✔ That we are all unique and our brain makes us this way. (Chantel Prat, Ph.D) ✔ If we want to change ourselves in any way, this change must involve our brain. (Chantel Prat, Ph.D). ✔ We can change our brain for the better, by repeatedly taking action towards our goals, and strengthening our “roads” or neural pathways.✔ We can also change our brains for the worse. (Dr. Andrew Huberman) ✔ As human beings, our job is to help people realize how rare and valuable each of us really is. (Chatel Prat, Ph.D). 
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to leverage off something we’ve been talking about on the past few episodes, that we are all unique, and our brain makes us this way with “a pattern of connectivity as unique as our fingerprints.” (Deane Alban).  
Have you ever wondered “what makes you unique from others? Or why you do things a certain way?” I certainly have wondered this, and I think back to the days I worked in the motivational speaking industry and when discussing how change occurs, we went straight to the importance of understanding our paradigms, or habitual behavior and that if we want to experience change, we would need to change these habits, that began with changing our thoughts, feelings and actions, to attain the newly desired results. But now I see that there’s a simple answer to why we are unique, or do things in a certain way.
I recently came across Chantel Prat’s book, The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours[i] and I thought back to last week’s Brain Fact Friday, and EP 244[ii] where we looked at how we are all unique, and it’s our brain that makes us this way, and I wondered what we could learn from Chantel’s book, that just came out last month, to help us to figure out who we are, with our brain in mind. I haven’t finished reading her book yet, but the answer to “why we do what we do” stems from the fact that “my brain makes me this way.” (location 34, The Neuroscience of You, Prat).
Prat tells the story of when she first realized this to be true, when she took a course that described the famous story of Phineas Gage, who was a railway worker who made an error that caused an iron spike to blast through his left cheek and out the top of his head, and this essentially changed the personality of Phineas Gage.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I’m taking this AHA moment from Chantel Prat’s The Neuroscience of You to help us to understand ourselves on a deeper level.
“If you change your brain, you change the person.”
I could think about this one for the next year! I’m always looking for ways that we can improve our productivity and results, (and change ourselves for the better) and it would make sense to me that if we want to change ourselves in any way, that this change must take place in the brain, which will change the person.
How exactly do we change our brain?
Chantel Prat tells us that we can soak our brain in cortisol by increasing our stress levels, and this in fact will change our brain. But that’s not the change I’m looking for. Or we can shrink our brain with the research that Dr. Andrew Huberman[iii] provided for us on his eye-opening podcast episode on “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain and Health” which is also not the answer I was looking for. Or we can repeatedly take certain actions to strengthen the neural pathways or “roads” in our brain, and with time, these pathways strengthen, making whatever we are learning simpler, and easier to perform. This is getting closer to the change I’m hoping we all can attain. When we do something over and over again, eventually we will change our brain in the process, like the London taxi drivers, whose memory center, or the hippocampus in their brain, was significantly larger due to the mental workout they get while navigating the 25,00 streets of London.
So, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to stop and think for a moment about how each person we interact with, has a brain that’s unique from ours.  We can go all the way back to EP #168[iv] where Dr. Bruce Perry taught us that our brains are different based on our life’s experiences, or “What’s happened to us” and rather than judging someone who is different than we are, to work on getting to that place of understanding with each person we interact with.
Dr. Ginger told us on EP#243[v] that the biggest AHA moment of learning she’s had in all the years of covering Brain Science on her podcast, was that we are all different, and perceive the world in different ways, and that if we could embrace each other’s differences, the world would have less conflict and be a better place.
Chantel Prat said the same thing in her book, The Neuroscience of You when she said, “As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has, or ever will have.”
We are all unique and our brain makes us this way.
When you look at people (your co-workers, your friends, family members) what do you see? Do you see the “spirit” in each person, like Dr. Gervais talked about on EP #214[vi] on her book, The Spirit of Work where she connected science and business for a happier, more productive workplace, by making sure we all saw the “spirit” or uniqueness of each individual?
REVIEW and CONCLUSION
To review and close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday
We are all unique and our brain makes us this way. (Prat)
If we want to change ourselves in any way, whether it’s to attain new results, or become a new person, it will involve change at the level of our brain.
We can change our brain for the better, by repeatedly taking action towards our goals, and strengthening our “roads” or neural pathways.
We can also change our brains for the worse.
As human beings, our job is to help people realize how rare and valuable each of us really is. (Prat)
I don’t have all the answers yet and maybe I’ll know more after I finish reading The Neuroscience of You, but I think it’s fascinating to see how we have the ability to become an entirely different person, just from changing our brains.
And we can make this change from learning and applying something new, growing our brain, and changing ourselves in the process.
Like I mentioned with Ryan O’Neill, from EP #203[vii] who changed into an entirely different person in front of my eyes as he worked hard and steady, in the Paranormal Research field.
What do you think?
Can you see this change I’m talking about? (in yourself and others)?
With that thought, I’ll close out this week, and see you next week, and hope that we all keep learning, improving and changing…for the better.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours by Chantel Pratt, Ph.D published August 2, 2022 https://www.amazon.com/Neuroscience-You-Every-Different-Understand/dp/1524746606
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #244 “Using Neuroscience to Change Our Perception” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-neuroscience-to-change-our-perception/
[iii] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Podcast on “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain and Health” https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/  (37:39 alcohol and cortisol).
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #168 with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on “What Happened to You”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-bruce-perry-and-steve-graner-from-the-neurosequential-network-on-what-we-should-all-know-about-what-happened-to-you/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #243 with Dr. Ginger Campbell, MD on “Exploring Brain Science for Career and Life Success” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-ginger-campbell-md-on-exploring-brain-science-for-career-and-life-success/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #214 with Dr. Marie Gervais on “The Spirit of Work”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/marie-gervais-phd-on-the-spirit-of-work-connecting-science-business-practices-and-sacred-texts-for-a-happier-and-more-productive-workplace/
[vii][vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #203 with Paranormal Researcher Ryan O’Neill on “Making Your Vision a Reality”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/case-study-with-paranormal-researcher-ryan-o-neill-on-making-your-vision-a-reality/
 

Brain Fact Friday ”Using Neuroscience to Change Our Perception”

“If we have very strong beliefs about something, evidence to the contrary could be sitting right in front of us, but we may not see it because what we perceive is entirely different.” (Dr. Joe Dispenza, speaker, researcher and author who is passionate about the fields of neuroscience, epigenetics, and quantum physics, pushing the limits of possibility).
On this episode we will cover:
✔  How to change our perceptions, or what we believe, using the most current brain research.
✔ That we each have a  pattern of connectivity in our brain as unique as our fingerprint.
✔ How each person, with a unique brain, learns and behaves differently, based on how it's wired.
✔ 2 Strategies to improve health, well-being, productivity and resiliency, by measuring your personal fitness metrics.
✔The importance of accepting other people's differences.
 
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast.  I’m Andrea Samadi, and launched this podcast just over 3 years ago, with a vision to bridge the gap between theory and practice, with strategies, tools and ideas we can all use immediately to take what we know (our current knowledge) and apply what we know to the most current brain research for new results, and heightened productivity in our schools, sports environments and modern workplaces. Like Dr. Dispenza, I believe in pushing the limits of what’s possible, and hope this podcast helps those who tune in, to do the same.
As I’m writing this episode, it’s September 1st and I can’t believe how fast time flies. If we think back to the start of this year[i], we looked at how to make 2022 our best year ever, with what will we change, or do differently this year, to attain NEW results and I wonder, have YOU “thought in a wildly different way than you previously have been to get to the next level of what YOU are doing?” (Grant Cardone). If the answer is YES, then congratulations, you’re well on your way to new conditions and circumstances in 2023, but if the answer is “not yet” then let’s see what else we can do, together, using neuroscience to challenge our perceptions and change our old habits and behaviors, for new results, with our health in mind.
Changing our Perceptions, of What We Believe:
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, and EPISODE #244, I wanted to look at how exactly we create behavior change, using science to challenge our old beliefs. How can we change our perception or what we believe? To do this, we will go deeper into EP #239, where we looked at “Building a Stronger 2.0 Version of Ourselves”[ii] where we picked something that we wanted to change, with the bigger picture of what this change would mean, using our motivation based on our values, holding our focus on what we wanted to change, with a 90-day plan to make this change stick.  
But, what if we see the evidence, (we know that whatever it is we want to change is bad for us), we really want the change, but there’s nothing compelling enough for us to make this change, like Dr. Dispenza’s quote said.
“If we have very strong beliefs about something, evidence to the contrary could be sitting right in front of us, but we may not see it because what we perceive is entirely different.” (Dispenza)
Our beliefs (old habits and behaviors) will override the desired behavior change. Which leads me to this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
DID YOU KNOW THAT:
“Your brain has a pattern of connectivity as unique as your fingerprint?”[iii]
This episode is not about swaying you to believe what I believe, but to have you challenge your own beliefs, knowing my brain is different from your brain, and see if you can look at something from a different point of view, while I’m doing the same.
Just like Dr. Ginger Campbell told us on our last EPISODE #243, as the host of the longest running podcast on Neuroscience, she acknowledges that what she’s learned over the years is that everyone will have their own beliefs and perceptions about things, and since our brains are all wired differently, we must learn to be more accepting of other people’s beliefs, and the more we can accept each other for our differences, the better place our world will be. Accept that we are all different.
Even tuning into Brendon Burchard’s[iv] most recent podcast episode, he mentioned that there are secrets to helping people “achieve their goals, and get healthier” and that with all the years he has been working in the area of high performance, with world class athletes, high level executives, he’s discovered four things that needs to achieve their goals (health and happiness) and one them is to acknowledge that although we all might have different beliefs, that we are in fact, very similar, and that judging someone else for being “different” than us, is what creates the divisiveness we see in the world today. Progress can be made for all of us when we can embrace our unity, despite our differences.
With this model in place, on our recent interview with physician and neurologist Dr. Douyon[v], I asked him “when science reveals that something is bad for us, and even a carcinogen, what needs to happen to STOP society from consuming it?” (without judging people for their choices) and the answer to behavior change is going to be different for everyone, since our brains are all wired differently. What worked for me, might not work for you, but I think that when you can see the impacts of the behavior change on your own health, that this in itself is enough to drive someone towards lasting change and transformation.
Once you see an area of your health that you would like to change, Dr. Douyon mentioned to begin slowly, and see if you can “wean” yourself off of whatever it is you are doing. We were talking about a patient of his who he took soda away from, to stop her from having seizures, and the change didn’t last for her, because he felt like some people just can’t stop using the “cold turkey” method.
We are all wired differently, and without being judgmental, we all need to find our own way towards making our behavior change stick.
Using Data to Inform Our Health
Once you either cut out the food, the drink, the substance or the behavior that you know isn’t good for your body or your health, try measuring your biomarkers to see the impact of this decision on your health and body. There are many devices you can use to measure your results. I use the Whoop[vi] wearable device, (since I did interview their team) but you can also use the Oura Ring[vii] or even your Apple Watch.
After listening to Dr. Huberman’s podcast, I cut out alcohol immediately, without a thought, and then watched in amazement at the results of this “science-based” decision. In the past, I have cut this toxin out for 30, 60 and 90 days, but never payed attention to the physiological response that this had on my body.
This is what I saw after 2 weeks of eliminating alcohol from my diet August:
My HRV (heart rate variability) increased by 11%.
WHAT THIS MEANS: We reviewed HRV on EP #228[viii] What is HRV: The Most Important Biomarker for Tracking Health, Recovery and Resilience which means that this decision gave me 11% more capacity to perform. It gave me more resources to use towards my daily activities, helping me to be more resilient to daily stress.
My RHR (resting heart rate) decreased from 54 bpm to 51 bpm.
WHAT THIS MEANS: Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is a measure of your average heart beats per minute (bpm) while your body is at a state of complete rest[ix] and “a low RHR is an indication of a strong heart muscle that can pump out greater amounts of blood with every beat, so it doesn’t have to do it as frequently.” (Whoop) and “physical fitness is directly correlated to the strength of your heart.” (Whoop).  
This data helped me to see that in a very short period of time I’ve found ways to become more resilient to daily stress, and have increased my physical fitness, which are in line with my values of improving my health, so this habit is going to stick for me.
Review and Conclusion: Using Neuroscience to Change Our Perception and Build a Stronger 2.0 Version of Ourselves
But I’m not sure what it will take for you to change your behavior, when looking to create that NEW and improved 2.0 version of YOU, since our “brains are all as unique as our fingerprint” and what works for me, might not work for you, but I do know that when most of us are presented with sound information, or the most current research, and we are able to explain this research to others, that this is the beginning how our brains rewire for the better.
Sergei’s Story: Shocked into Behavior Change with the Fear of Death
To close out this episode, I wanted to share a story of how one person I know made their behavior stick, an entirely different way. I thought about this one guy I met on the hiking trials, who changed his behavior, because his life depended on it. Since I’m on the trails every day, you get to see the same faces over and over again and you get to know people this way, even if you don’t stop to have a conversation with them. 
One day I noticed a new face showing up on the trails, and he was a bit out of shape, but clearly working daily to change it. There were times I’m sure I saw tears in his eyes as we passed each other but it was months before we spoke, and exchanged names. You can tell when someone is working something out during exercise and focused, so we just usually waved until one day, we stopped to speak. 
His name was Sergei, and he was a mathematics professor at ASU and he told me that his doctor told him if he didn’t lose weight, he was going to die. Plain and simple, Sergei was scared into making a change in his health, and in a few months, he took off over 40 lbs. and completely turned his health around. I remembered later when he reminded me of his story that it made sense that he was crying in the first few weeks. Behavior change can be extremely difficult, that’s for sure, but Sergei stuck to his change, because his results were easy to measure. He quickly went off all the medicine he was on, and his new behavior stuck.
If we can measure the impacts of our change like Sergei, or like I was able to see with an increased HRV and lower RHR after just a few weeks, we can see and feel the physiological changes with the decisions we’ve made have on our health and wellbeing, then this is the first step towards lasting transformation, and permanent change, building a stronger 2.0 version of ourselves.
Recognizing Neurodiversity:
But not every strategy fits all. To get a bigger picture of the differences within our brain, a quick glance at the Neurodiversity image in the show notes can help us to see that “there is no right way of thinking, learning or behaving”[x]  but I do hope that we all look for ways that we can each take our results to new heights, using the most current research, and decide for yourself what behaviors or habits you want to stick, or kick to the curb, and then get to work, and see if you can match your behavior, with your intention, to create your new 2.0he  identity.
I’ll see you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 “How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #239 “using Neuroscience to Build a Stronger 2.0 Version of You”
 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-neuroscience-to-build-a-stronger-20-version-of-you/
[iii] Deane Alban 72 Amazing Brain Facts https://sdbif.org/index/72-amazing-human-brain-facts-based-on-the-latest-science/
[iv] Brendon Burchard “4 Parts to a Meaningful Life”  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/charged-life-brendon-burchard/id821746377
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #241 with “Physician and Neurologist Dr. Philippe Douyon on How to Rewire Our Brain for Health and Happiness:  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/physician-and-neurologist-philippe-douyon-md-on-how-to-rewire-our-brain-for-health-and-happiness/
[vi] www.whoop.com
[vii] www.ouraring.com
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #228 on “Review of Heart Rate Variability: The Most Important Biomarker for Tracking Health, Recovery and Resilience” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-review-of-heart-rate-variability-the-most-important-biomarker-for-tracking-health-recovery-and-resilience/
[ix] Resting Heart Rate: What’s Normal, Why it’s a Sign of Fitness, How to Improve it Published May 7, 2020 by Whoop https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/normal-resting-heart-rate-improve-fitness/
[x] What is Neurodiversity Published Nov. 21, 2021 by Nicole Baumer https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity-202111232645
 

Dr. Ginger Campbell, MD on ”Exploring Brain Science: For Career and Life Success”

Our guest today, Dr. Ginger Campbell has been running her Brain Science Podcast[i] since 2006, and anyone who studies the topic of Neuroscience would have come across her work, as a pioneer, where she launched her podcast all those years ago because she believes that “understanding how our brain really works is essential for being a good citizen in the 21st Century.”[ii]
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/W6QeFM6-9lI
On this episode we will learn:
✔  Podcast Hall of Fame, 2022, Dr. Ginger Campbell, host of the Brain Science Podcast: Why an MD began podcasting.
✔ Why Dr. Ginger believes that understanding our brain, is essential for being a good citizen in the 21st Century.
✔ Top lessons she has learned from hosting the Brain Science Podcast since 2006.
✔ What is that feeling of certainty?
✔ Where does intuition come in, and can we trust it?
✔ Is interoception (listening to what we feel in our body) reliable?
✔ What about solving our problems in our dreams? Is this reliable?
✔ What about premonitions? Can we trust them?
✔ Why do emotions make our memories stick?
✔ Things to consider with our thinking? We think, therefore we are wrong?
✔ How to distinguish neuroscience from pseudoscience?
✔ Dr. Ginger's thoughts on neuroscience in the field of education.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results using the most current brain research.
On today’s episode #243, we will be speaking with Dr. Virginia “Ginger” Campbell, MD, who is a physician, author and science communicator who was just inducted into the 2022 Podcast Hall of Fame. She also runs the podcast Books and Ideas, that includes more diverse guests including science fiction writers.
Dr. Campbell spent over 20 years as an emergency physician in rural Alabama, and in 2014 she went back to the University of Alabama in Birmingham where she completed a Fellowship in Palliative Medicine which is an approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex and often terminal illnesses. She now practices Palliative Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama and enjoys sharing her passion for science—especially neuroscience.
When I was referred to Dr. Campbell for this interview, I almost jumped out of my chair and wrote back quickly, knowing how timely our conversation would be as I was editing our recent interview with physician and neurologist, Dr. Douyon. I know that Dr. Ginger will open our eyes even further to help us ALL to connect the dots with our brain, as it relates to our health and wellbeing.
Let’s welcome Dr. Ginger Campbell, and get right into her thoughts about Brain Science, and see what we will learn from her deep and vast experience to help us to all take our understanding of the brain, and our health, to new heights.
Welcome Dr. Ginger! Thank you for joining me today.
INTRO: So, Dr. Ginger, from my email to you, I’m sure you know that I’m a follower of your work as a pioneer not only in the podcasting world, but as someone who has successfully been helping people to understand how their brain works (which is why we launched this podcast. Can you tell us where your career began, what need did you see, and how did you find your way to podcasting in those early days when I’m sure you needed to understand how to create your own code and website?
Q1: Dr. Ginger, now that we have an understanding of your background, I wanted to begin our questions today by telling you how honored I am to have the leader in the field of Neuroscience Podcasts, who was recently inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame, on our show, but then I listened to your recent episode with Batja Mesquita, on “How Cultures Create Emotions” and now I’m aware of this thing that I do, where I always open up by highlighting the talents of my guests in the back story, showing how “special” they are, or maybe what I’ve learned from their work, but now I know that in some cultures, this might make some guests uncomfortable to hear all this praise about themselves.
I had never thought about our emotions and how they are culturally connected.
What are some top AHA moments of learning for you, as the host of the Brain Science Podcast, and why do you think “understanding how our brains work is essential for being a good citizen in the 21st Century?”
If someone wants to gain access to your newsletter, where you share all the show notes for your recent episodes is the best way to text brainscience (all one word) to 55444? That’s how I signed up for your newsletter.
Q2: So, what is that “feeling of knowing” that we have? Where does it come from when we are certain of something (an answer on a test) or when we have those AHA moments when everything clicks? What is certainty? What is that feeling? Is it an emotion?
In your book Are You Sure?[iii] you look at the unconscious origins of certainty, and if PART 1, you dive into Richard Burton’s work on Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not[iv] which reminds me of an interview we did with Howard Rankin[v], on his book How Not to Think and that it’s always important to look at something with a different perspective, since our thinking can be wrong. What should we know about our thoughts, how we create thoughts in our brain and what should we be careful of with our thinking process?
What about some questions that I know science has yet to prove?
Q3: Where does intuition come in? Can we trust it, or is it also unreliable lie our thoughts and memories?
Q4: What about interoception (Antonio Damasio) and is this signal that we feel from within our body reliable?
Q5: I’m looking to explore this thing called certainty?  What about our dreams? I can get some incredible answers to things I want to know this way, and I know you’ve mentioned that our dreams are one way that we can consolidate new ideas but what do you think about the validity of finding answers to our problems in our dreams?  Or even flashes of insight we might see in those times before we fall asleep? (organic chemistry example—was that August Kekule, whose dream revealed the structure of benzene?
Q5B: Have you ever heard of people who say they “saw” something, before it occurred almost like a premonition? Can brain science explain that?
Q6: Last April, I took a stab at creating an episode on “How Our Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain”[vi] and in this episode, I wanted to explain how our emotions help memories to stick and I used the example of how most of us can tell you detail by detail of where we were on Sept. 11th, 2001. But if you were to ask me what I did on Sept. 10th, what I ate for breakfast that day, or anything about that day, it’s completely blank unless I just made stuff up backtracking from what I remember about Sept. 11th. Would you say my memories of Sept. 11th are accurate, or even when emotion is added, are our memories still unreliable?
Q7: What should we take away about our thinking? We think, therefore we are wrong?
Q8: What about neuroscience vs pseudoscience? Is there a quick and easy way to check to be sure we have the most current research (like finding a study on Pubmed) so we stick to the research, and stay clear of neuromyths?
Q9: What you have seen with neuroscience in the field of education?
Q10: Is there anything important that I’ve missed that you would like to share?
Dr. Ginger, I want to thank you very much for the work that you have done to pave the way for people like me who came to the podcasting field later, but still very  passionate about learning and sharing new ideas and research, showing us that we can ALL learn something that can help us to be a better citizen, employee, parent, or even human. If someone wants to gain access to your newsletter, where you share all your upcoming episodes and the notes for each episode, a reminder for people to text brainscience (all one word) to 55444.
I’ll put the links for people to follow you in the show notes, and thank you again.
I’m now motivated more than ever to keep learning, exploring and sharing ideas about science with the world. Thank you very much for role modeling the way, and WHI hope that you don’t mind me pointing out your talents…that I saw go well beyond brain science and into technology, code, automation…but that’s a whole new interview!
Thank you Dr. Ginger.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
To close out this episode, I do hope that if you are as interested in neuroscience as I am, that you do take a look at Dr. Ginger’s podcast and website. She does have a section for educators that’s easy to find, with many resources.  Today we learned quite a few lessons together, but my biggest take-away is that we all perceive the world in a slightly different manner, and when we don’t see eye to eye with someone else (in our work environment, or our personal relationships) to remember this is our brain at work, and if we can be more tolerant of the differences we have with others, we would have less conflict in our lives. Thinking with our brain in mind really can be life-altering.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode, and taken away something to help you to create more success in your work or personal life, and I’ll see you in a few days.
FOLLOW DR. GINGER
Website www.brainsciencepodcast.com
Email: brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/docartemis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GingerCampbellMD
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docartemis/
RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS: https://brainsciencepodcast.com/for-educators
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
OTHER RESOURCES:
On Intelligence: How a New Understanding of the Brain Will Lead to the Creation of Truly Intelligent Machines by Jeff Hawkins, August 1, 2005 https://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Understanding-Creation-Intelligent-Machines/dp/0805078533
Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not Robert Alan Burton Feb. 5, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Being-Certain-Believing-Right-Youre-ebook/dp/B003J5UJHW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Published October 21, 2011  https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman-ebook/dp/B00555X8OA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=FZ8EXQMZMLN7&keywords=thinking+fast+and+slow&qid=1661907469&s=books&sprefix=thinking+fast+%2Cstripbooks%2C143&sr=1-1
REFERENCES:
[i] https://brainsciencepodcast.com/
[ii] Dr. Ginger Campbell from the Podcasting Hall of Fame 2022 Ceremony https://podcasthof.com/
[iii] https://www.amazon.com/Are-Sure-Unconscious-Origins-Certainty/dp/1951591259
[iv] Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not Robert Alan Burton Feb. 5, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Being-Certain-Believing-Right-Youre-ebook/dp/B003J5UJHW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #146 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #127 “How Emotional Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/
 

Brain Fact Friday on ”Changing Behavior by Understanding Our Brain”

“Many of the most significant public health challenges faced today have a behavioral component. To change individuals’ behavior, we need to understand and change the brain.”[i] From Professor Huda Akil, a Syrian-American neuroscientist
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast.  I’m Andrea Samadi, and launched this podcast just over 3 years ago, with a vision to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and help all of us (whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace) to understand the most current brain research, and how to use it, for improved productivity and results.
On this episode we will cover:
✔  Why we must understand our brain, in order to change our behavior.
✔  2 Brain Facts learned from Dr. Andrew Huberman's most recent podcast on "The Effects of Alcohol on the Brain and Body"
✔  Why Chronic Disease Prevention means thinking with our brain health in mind.
✔ 4 Steps to change our behavior with our brain in mind.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I wanted to tie our past few episodes together, starting with EPISODE #239 where we talked about “Using Neuroscience to Build a Stronger 2.0 Version of Ourselves.”[ii]  On this episode we looked at how we can change our identity by reviewing our self-image.  We looked at where our self-image is formed (in the front of our brain) and how people who have stronger pathways in this part of the brain, will have higher, long-term self-esteem, which I think we can all agree would help us to move forward, towards this newer, stronger, 2.0 version of ourselves.
Then we looked at the concept of Praxis, or integrating our beliefs with our behaviors, as a way to step into this brand new 2.0 version of ourselves where we can become an entirely NEW person, overriding our old identity, building a new image of our self, over time, with hard work and persistence.  
Then, physician and neurologist, Dr. Philippe Douyon[iii] advised us with his experience of facing 2 kidney transplants, that the power for health and happiness, really is in our own hands, but he gave us a sense of urgency, telling us that we only have ONE brain, ONE body and ONE life.
If we really want to improve ourselves in any way, everything points back to understanding what’s happening with this organ that controls everything that we do. Next week, we will be speaking with Dr. Ginger Campbell, MD, who was just inducted into the 2022 Podcast Hall of Fame. Dr. Ginger has been running her Brain Science Podcast[iv] since 2006, and anyone who studies the topic of Neuroscience would have come across her work, as a pioneer, where she launched her podcast all those years ago because she believes that “understanding how our brain really works is essential for being a good citizen in the 21st Century.”[v]
When I think about why we launched this podcast, where we look for leaders around the world who are using the most current research, to help us to all see that success, health and happiness is possible for all of us, when we do things a certain way, and I would say, that this certain way, is with our brain in mind. Not to say that this way (with our brain in mind) is the only way to accomplish success, but if we are going to look at our life, and we only have a short time here to do whatever it is that we want with our time, I think to live up to our full potential, it’s important to remember that we only have one brain, and to be aware of what helps it, or hurts it.
Dr. Douyon’s company mission: “One brain, one body, one life” makes me think seriously about the consequences of every action I’m taking. While I enjoy every interview I’ve ever done, something magical happens when all of our episodes begin to thread together with a common theme, and I think that Dr. Douyon noticed the lights turning on in our interview.
It’s starting to sink in. To change an individuals’ behavior, we need to understand and change the brain.
Which leads me to this week’s Brain Fact Friday, that came to me early this week, while listening to Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast.
I’m sure everyone in the world “knows” that there are some things that are “good” for our brain (and productivity/results) and other things that aren’t but when new research comes out that is compelling enough to make me change my behavior, I’m going to share it here. If you were like me, you might have heard that there was a connection with drinking alcohol and cancer, but until this week, I didn’t know exactly how drinking even low amounts of alcohol (as low as one drink a day, or even if it’s not every day, a couple of drinks socially on the weekend) damages this one brain that we have, that controls everything that we are, and everything that we do. And I think it’s crazy that these brain facts that I’m going to share from the most current research are seldom discussed, so I’ll put all the links in the show notes to Dr. Huberman’s podcast (along with the notes) that made an impact on me, for anyone who is curious to review these facts for themselves.
I picked two out of the twenty-eight topics to cover on this week’s Brain Fact Friday to help us to all think with our brain health in mind.
BRAIN FACT 1
DID YOU KNOW THAT “alcohol changes our gene expression, which therefore causes cancer, particularly breast cancer and that for women, there’s a 4-13% increase in the risk of breast cancer for every 10 grams (1 glass of wine has around 10 grams of alcohol)?[vi] I’m not sure what you think when you hear this, but this research was enough to help me to decide very quickly that alcohol is now on the do not ingest list, if health is something I’m striving for, which it clearly is. I encourage you to listen to his entire episode. There were many facts that filled in the blanks for me and helped me to gain a better understanding of how toxins impact our brain and body.
BRAIN FACT 2
If that first brain fact was not enough, there were many more points to drive the truth of this matter home. Another shocking brain fact is that “alcohol changes the HPA-axis” (which is the part of our brain that balances what we see as stressful or not) and that for those who consume alcohol, (even low amounts like a couple of drinks in the week, or over the weekend) will have “elevated baseline levels of cortisol”[vii] even when they are not drinking. While most people will be thinking “hey, let’s go have a drink” to enjoy the stress-relieving and relaxing benefits (which might be true) no one is thinking that research now shows this causes our stress and anxiety to increase, in our working hours, days later, when we are NOT drinking, when focus and concentration is crucial.
I don’t know about you, but when we understand how important our brain is for our future success, and that we all want to avoid neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease, or increased stress in our work week, or even Cancer, it’s definitely something that I think we should all be fully aware of, and make the informed decision that’s best for you.
It’s sinking in more now. To change an individuals’ behavior, we need to understand and change the brain.
TIPS TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR WITH OUR BRAIN IN MIND:
When I asked Dr. Douyon, when science reveals something is bad for us, even a carcinogen, how can we stop people from consuming it?
STEP 1: Think Big Picture: Dr. Douyon gave us some great advice with not having someone quit something cold turkey, but wean them off whatever it is they are trying to quit. We’ve covered “Using our Brain the Break Bad Habits” in our early episode #35[viii] when looking at eliminating habits that no longer serve us. Instead of just thinking about what you want to quit, think about what you want to start, stop and what do you want to do more of.  Look at the bigger picture of what you want to create, so you aren’t focused entirely of that thing you want to give up. This should make the transition easier, especially when you can see the benefits to what you want to eliminate.
 
STEP 2: What’s Your Motivation Based on Your Values: This one was easy for me. With health at the top of what I value, it something proves to not be healthy for my brain or body, it’s an easy decision to eliminate it. What do you value? What will this change in behavior do for you?
 
STEP 3: STAY FOCUSED: When grinding away our old self-image, to create a new one, it will require focus, especially when something stressful happens.  When looking to make long-term change, I like to have a plan in place. John Norcross’s book Changeology
Explains how to stay focused on whatever it is you want to change for 90 days.  He says to make any long-lasting change stick, you’ve got to spend the first 14 days that getting psyched up for the change, then you prepare yourself for the change, from days 14-21, then 14-60 he says you’ve perspiring, since the change takes work, and you persevere from days 60-90. Persistence comes with day 75 onwards.  
IMAGE CREDIT: from John Norcross’s Changeology[ix]
STEP 4: INTEGRATE YOUR WINS: This is the part that most people forget. If we can change our old self, into an entirely new self, this is a serious win and I think is the purpose of life. We should always be striving to be a better, 2.0 version of ourself, and when we do, there’s nothing like it. Celebrate other people’s wins and give yourself credit when you achieve something you’ve worked hard for.
 
REVIEW AND CONCLUSIONS:
To review and close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I took 2 brain facts, from Dr. Andrew Huberman’s most recent podcast on “The Effects of Alcohol on the Brain and Body” to bring to the forefront the message that we learned so clearly from our recent podcast with Dr. Philippe Douyon that we have one brain, one body and one life, and that preventing the chronic disease, especially neurological disease in our future, means looking at our brain health today.
Dr. Douyon’s interview made me think of the fact that we will all die one day, and in this quest for our goals, and daily life, I never put that much thought into what I want the last half of my life to look like. Annie Duke, the author of How to Decide: Better Choices, Better Life[x] calls it Back-Casting, or when we think of how we want the last years of our life to look like. Have you ever done this? I’m definitely planning these years, with my brain in mind, and that means making tough decisions today, that will impact the last half of my life.
What do you think?
I’ll see you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] The neurobiology of behavior: what drives individual choices? Friday August 30th, 2019 from The Academy of Medical Sciences https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news/the-neurobiology-of-behaviour-what-drives-individual-choices
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #239 “using Neuroscience to Build a Stronger 2.0 Version of You”
 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-neuroscience-to-build-a-stronger-20-version-of-you/
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #241 with Physician and Neurologist Dr. Philippe Douyon on “How to Rewire our Brain for Health and Happiness.”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/physician-and-neurologist-philippe-douyon-md-on-how-to-rewire-our-brain-for-health-and-happiness/
[iv] https://brainsciencepodcast.com/
[v] Dr. Ginger Campbell from the Podcasting Hall of Fame 2022 Ceremony https://podcasthof.com/
[vi] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Podcast on “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain and Health” https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/  (1:37:11 alcohol and cancer).
[vii] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Podcast on “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain and Health” https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/  (37:39 alcohol and cortisol).
[viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#35 “Using Our Brain to Break Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/
[ix]John C. Norcross Changeology  https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Changeology/John-C-Norcross/9781451657623
[x] Annie Duke, How to Decide: Better Choices, Better Life https://www.amazon.com/How-Decide-Simple-Making-Choices-ebook/dp/B07TRJB3S3
 

BONUS Episode ”A Deep Dive into the Top 5 Health Staples” and Review of Seasons 1-4

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, with a special episode, recorded for Podbean’s Wellness Week.
When I first launched this podcast, in June 2019, using Podbean as my host, of course, it was a bit by chance, as I had just purchased a new template for my website that had a podcast theme, and the developer who helped me to build the site said “you can delete the podcast section if you don’t want to host a podcast” and I thought about it for a minute, and was already conducting interviews for the programs and services I was offering in my membership area, so I told him, “let’s just keep it” and I went over to Google and searched for “what is an RSS feed” and “how to launch a podcast.” I had no idea at that moment just how powerful that one decision would be, leading me to launch something that would connect me to leaders around the world, be downloaded in over 100 countries, become my biggest learning opportunity I’ve ever had,  and open up many doors, all from just one decision.
I also started this podcast because I saw a serious need in the area of social and emotional learning that was being implemented in schools around the country and the world, but many educators didn’t know the best way to begin their implementation.  We all know that “success in life, and in college and career specifically, relies on student’s cognitive, (the core skills your brain uses to think, read, remember, and pay attention) social and interpersonal skills, (including the ability to navigate through social situations, resolve conflicts, show respect towards others, self-advocate and learn how to work on a team with others) and emotional development (including the ability to recognize and manage one’s emotions, demonstrate empathy for others and cope with stress)” but what are these skills, and what exactly is the best way to implement them?[i]
In the corporate world, these skills aren’t new, but they are “newly important” and of high urgency to develop in our future generations. A recent survey showed that 58 percent of employers say college graduates aren’t adequately prepared for today’s workforce, and those employers noted a particular gap in social and emotional skills. This is where our goal with this podcast began—to close this gap by exploring six social and emotional learning competencies as a springboard for discussion and tie in how an understanding of our brain can facilitate these strategies. Hence the title of the podcast, Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain. 
Season 1: Consists of 33 episodes that begin with introducing six the social and emotional competencies (building a growth mindset, making responsible decisions, becoming self-aware, increasing social-awareness, managing emotions and behavior and developing relationships) along with an introduction to cognitive skills that I call Neuroscience 101 where we introduce some of the most important cognitive strategies, or the core skills your brain uses to think, remember and pay attention.
CONTENT: In this season, you will learn about understanding your mind vs your brain, mindfulness and meditation, the 3 parts of your brain, achieving peak performance, and improving awareness, mindsight, rewiring your brain for happiness, and experiential learning. We interviewed Ron Hall from Valley Day School who talked about how he launched his neuroeducation program into his school, Jennifer Miller on “Building Connections with Parents and Educators,” Helen Maffini on her Mindful Peace Summit and “Launching Mindfulness and Meditation in our Schools,” Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms,” 14 year old Adam Avin on “Improving Our Mental Health in Our Schools,” Clark McKown from xSEL Labs on “SEL Assessments” and how we can actually measure these skills, Sam Roberts on her experience of “Winning a 4 Year Prestigious Scholarship” using these skills, Donte Winrow on “Breaking into a Challenging Career Path” with the application of these skills immediately after graduating from high school, Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in Today’s Schools,” Harvard researcher Jenny Woo on “The Latest Research, Brain Facts and Myths, Growth Mindset, Memory and Cognitive Biases,” Psychologist Dr. Kenneth Kohutek on his new book “Chloe and Josh Learn Grit,” Psychologist Bob Jerus on “Suicide Prevention and Emotional Intelligence Training,” Spencer Taylor on his “Death of Recess Educational Documentary” featuring Carol Dweck and Sir Ken Robinson, Marc Brackett on his powerful book “Permission to Feel,” former Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rose on “Leadership, Innovation and the Future,” Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Can Change Your Life,” Friederike Fabritius from Germany on “Achieving Peak Performance with the Brain in Mind,” Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence,” my mentor and neuroscience researcher Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Principles,” Nik Halik on “Overcoming Adversity to Create an Epic Life,” and John Assaraf on “Brain Training, the Power of Repetition, Resourcefulness and the Future.”
Season 2: These 33 episodes build on the strategies from Season 1, with high level guests who tie in social, emotional, interpersonal and cognitive strategies to increase results in schools, sports and the workplace. You will learn about the power of repetition, challenge, creativity, using your brain to break bad habits, how the brain ties into mindset, self-regulation, and self-awareness, cognitive rigor, thinking, learning, brain rules for schools and the workplace, the theory of mind, brain network theory, personal leadership, taking initiative, resiliency, the science behind mindfulness/meditation and your values.
CONTENT: You will hear from Chris Farrell on “Strategies for High Achievers,” James Nottingham on “The Importance of Challenge with Learning,” Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success,” Todd Woodcroft on “The Daily Grind in the NHL,” Stefanie Faye on “Using Neuroscience to Improve our Mindset, Self-Regulation, and Self-Awareness,” the Co-Founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Frank Shankwitz on “Lessons from the Wish Man Movie,” Erik Francis on “How to Use Questions to Promote Cognitive Rigor, Thinking and Learning,” Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in the Schools and Workplaces of the Future,” Dalip Shekhawat on “Life Lessons Learned from Summiting Mount Everest,” Dr. Jeff Magee on “Managing Fear, Focus and Strategy During Challenging Times,” Tiffany Krumins on “Life After Shark Tank,” Kelly Schmidt on Easy to Implement Fitness and Nutrition Tips,” David Adams on “A New Vision for Education,” Torsten Nicolini on “Working Smart,” Dr. Lori Desautels on her book “Connections Over Compliance,” The Wise Emotional Fitness Program delivered via virtual reality with James MacDiarmid and Natasha Davis all the way from Australia, Suzanne Gunderson on “Putting the Polyvagal Theory into Practice,” Maria Natapov on “Building Autonomy, Self-Confidence, Connection and Resiliency Within Our Children,” Casel President Karen Niemi on “Tools and Strategies to Enhance and Expand SEL in our Schools and Communities,” Hans Appel on “Building an Award Winning Culture in Your School or Organization,” Greg Wolcott on “Making Connections with Neuroscience and SEL,” Dr. Barbara Schwarck on “Using Energy Psychology and Emotional Intelligence to Improve Leadership in the Workplace,” and an Introduction to my first mentor, speaker, Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it All Started,” where I share how I began working with these skills over 20 years ago,  along with a deep dive into some of the lessons learned from Bob Proctor’s Seminars.
Season 3: These 14 episodes tie in some of the top authors in the world who connect their work to these social, emotional and cognitive skills, with clear examples for improved results, well-being and achievement within each episode.
CONTENT: You will learn about the neuroscience of personal change with a deep dive into Dr. Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” (that’s currently the most downloaded episode) Self-Regulation and Behavior Change with David R Hawkins’ “Power vs Force,” Self-Regulation and Sleep with Dr. Shane Creado’s “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes,” Chris Manning on using “Neurowisdom” to Improve Learning and Success in Life, Horatio Sanchez on “Resilience,” Maurice J Elias on “Social and Emotional and Character Development,” Michael B Horn on “Disrupting Education” and the future of education, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “High Quality Distance Learning.” David A Sousa on “How the Brain Learns,” Eric Jensen on “Reversing the Impact of Poverty and Stress on Student Learning” and Samantha Wettje from Harvard on “Mitigating the Negative Effect of ACES.” I conclude this season with a solo lesson from me, on critical thinking and the brain, after being asked to create an episode on this topic for the corporate space.
 
Season 4:  These 14 episodes (82-96) that begin to tie in health, and mental health into the understanding of our brain, productivity and results. The shift to health on this podcast became apparent when we started to see how important our brain health is for our overall results.
CONTENT: Everything that we do starts at the brain level, and we dive deep into this with our 3-part episodes on “How a Brain Scan Changed My Life” with a look at what we can learn from looking at our brain using a SPECT image brain scan. The interviews of this season mix in the power of education with an understanding of health and wellness. Dr. Sarah McKay agreed with Dr. Shane Creado (from Season 3) that sleep is one of the most important health strategies we can implement. It became apparent that there were 5 health staples that emerged as so powerful they were showing an impact on Alzheimer’s Prevention, so this season became a deep dive into these top 5 health staples (daily exercise, getting good quality and quantity sleep, eating a healthy diet, optimizing our microbiome and intermittent fasting). You will also hear from Dr. Andrew Newberg and his episode on Neurotheology, Dr. Erik Won and his ground -breaking technology that’s changing the future of mental health, Luke DePron, who is stretching the limits with neuroscience, health, fitness and growth, Sarah Peyton on “Brain Network Theory, Default Mode Network, Anxiety and Emotion Regulation,” Momo Vuyisich on “Preventing and Reversing Chronic Disease by Improving the Health of Your Microbiome,” Jason Wittrock on the Ketogentic Diet and Intermittent Fasting, and Dr. Sandy Gluckman on “Reversing Children’s Behavior and Mood Problems.” We also hear from behavior experts Drs. Jessica and John Hannigan on their new book “SEL From a Distance” that offers simple strategies for parents and educators who are working on implementing these SEL skills into their home or classroom, during the pandemic.
When Season 4 took the direction of health, mental-health, and wellness, I began looking for guests to dive deeper into the Top 5 health staples that seemed to continue to emerge with each guest.
Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise  (Luke DePron)
Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep (Dr. Shane Creado)
Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet (Dr. Daniel Stickler).
Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome (Momo Vuyisich)
Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting (Jason Wittrock)
On this episode, that we are releasing for Podbean’s Wellness Week, I’ll take the Top 5 Health Staples from EPISODE #87 and offer additional tips, strategies, and ideas based our most recent interviews, that you can implement immediately for improved health and well-being. You can see EPISODE #87[ii] on the “Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies” that I wrote after watching Dr. David Perlmutter’s Documentary: Alzheimer’s the Science of Prevention[iii], that inspired the change in direction for the podcast towards health and wellness in addition to social, emotional and cognitive strategies for improved results.
The case is clear that in order to move the needle the most with our health, there are some important areas that we can come to a consensus that are crucial to pay attention to. We know that Alzheimer’s disease now affects “more than 5 million Americans and is the most common form of dementia, a term that describes a variety of diseases and conditions that develop when nerve cells in the brain die or no longer function normally.”[iv]
I was interested in learning more on this topic, since it was one of the reasons, we did scan our brain in the first place. The pattern of Alzheimer’s can be seen in the brain years before signs and symptoms show up, so when I saw Dr. Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s Prevention series, I watched every episode to learn what brain experts across the country are saying about the top ways to prevent this disease, that currently has no know or meaningful treatment but I was given some hope when I learned that “you can change the direction of your cognitive destiny” (From Max Lugavere,[v] a Health and Science Journalist and NYT Bestselling Author, Genius Foods). Here is how we can take control of our health and future, with the TOP 5 health staples that I think we should all know, how they play a role in Alzheimer’s prevention, with added TIPS from our most recent health interviews.
Health Staple 1: Daily Exercise: This seems to be the solution for every single brain problem, so I think that this is the most important strategy, and the reason why I block out exercise time on my schedule as non-negotiable. If we can incorporate 30 minutes of brisk walking every day, we will be miles ahead with our brain health. It wasn’t until I started to measure my activity, that I started to see that 30 minutes of walking really did make a difference. I didn’t need to be running or working really hard (like I used to think I had to do) to notice a difference, but I did need to put in some effort to move the needle.  The benefits  of daily, consistent exercise “come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.”[vi]  If for some reason, this whole idea of exercising still doesn’t sound the least bit interesting to you, you might be surprised like I was, that household activities like vacuuming, or raking leaves, or anything that gets your heart rate up, like shoveling snow (something I haven’t done in years since I moved from Toronto)—but these activities can also fall into the category of moderate exercise. The idea is whatever you choose, that it remains consistent, so it eventually becomes something you do habitually.
ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR DAILY EXERCISE:
If exercise reduces insulin resistance and inflammation, it would make sense that it also reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s. Studies show that “people who are physically active, have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and possibly have improved thinking.”[vii]
DEEPER DIVE with LUKE DEPRON:
On episode #90, I interviewed Luke DePron on “Neuroscience, Fitness and Growth” Luke is a Men’s Health & Performance Coach[viii], and graduate of Exercise Science, Kinesiology. Luke has done everything from personal training with 100s of clients, to working alongside Drs of Chiropractic as a corrective exercise specialist, training Olympic level athletes, to performance work with world champion mixed martial arts fighters. Currently Luke works as a Men’s Online Health and Performance Coach—learn more at http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/ where he helps men step into a lifestyle approach of exercise and nutrition to transform their physique, energy, and confidence. 
He’s also the Host of the Live Great Lifestyle Podcast[ix] where he’s interviewed former Navy Seals, Mixed Martial Arts world champions, New York Times best-selling authors, personal development speakers, and many more….
LESSON LEARNED FROM LUKE ON DAILY EXERCISE:
I learned from Luke that “most people start a fitness or nutrition journey with a physique goal in mind, but it’s how you feel at the end of it.” What’s inspiring Luke says “is to see someone who might not be in that great health to begin with, create daily and weekly habits or standards that they follow, that creates energy and confidence that comes along with these habits.” That’s what the journey is all about.
Health Staple 2: Getting Good Quality Sleep: Making sure we are getting at least 7- 8 hours each night. I think that we have seen the importance of sleep with our interview with sleep expert Dr. Shane Creado, on episode #72[x] and with Dr. Sarah McKay on episode #85.[xi] It is clear that sleep deprivation causes poor health and performance because it’s not allowing enough time for the brain to wash and clean itself. With less than 7 hours of sleep each night, the “trash”[xii] builds up in our brain, that leads us farther away from health.  I learned from health expert Darin Olien from the Darin Olien Show[xiii] --he’s the one who did the Netflix Docuseries with Zac Efron called “Down to Earth with Zac Efron[xiv]” that studies show that “almost all neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, are created when protein waste accumulates in the brain, which in turn slowly suffocates and kills the brain’s neurons.”[xv]  We also know that the brain shows lower functioning to important areas when it’s sleep deprived.
ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP:
Dr. David Perlmutter, on his Alzheimer’s Science of Prevention Series, made a clear case for the fact that “sleep deprivation is directly linked to developing Alzheimer’s disease” and that “sleep plays an important role…impacting our risk for developing this condition.” He went on to remind us that “from a medical perspective, we cannot afford a bad night’s sleep” and that “sleep is essential if we want to retain optimal function of our body and our brains.”[xvi]
DEEPER DIVE WITH DR. SHANE CREADO
On episode #72 with sleep medicine physician, sports psychiatrist and author of the NEW book “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-Edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage”[xvii] Dr. Shane Creado
Shane Creado[xviii] is a double board-certified sleep medicine doctor and psychiatrist. He practices functional sleep medicine, integrative psychiatry, and sports psychiatry, putting all those skills together to uncover underlying factors that sabotage the patients, comprehensively treat them, and help them achieve their goals.
LESSON LEARNED FROM DR. CREADO ON SLEEP:
Dr. Creado mentions that “Sleep is a key pillar of brain health and it’s modifiable, which is what’s beautiful about it. We can’t really change our DNA, well, we could talk about epigenetics and how the environment influences our DNA but sleep is something that it modifiable and we can correct it.” When working with a patient, Dr. Creado looks at the brain using SPECT image brain scans and based on what he sees, he determines the treatment plan. When Dr. Creado looked at my brain, he suggested that a change in my sleep pattern of adding just an additional half and hour to make 7 hours of sleep, would improve my results. He also reminded me that a 20 minute nap in the afternoon would boost my productivity and is not lazy, to incorporate this habit into my daily routine, and that Google and many high level corporate environments offer sleep pods to help their employees to gain the rest needed in the afternoon to boost productivity.
Health Staple 3: Eating a Healthy Diet: Eliminating sugar and processed foods. We hear this all the time and know intuitively what feels good when we eat it, and what makes our body feel tired, lethargic and just plain bad. The goal is to eliminate “the brain robbers that steal our energy and do what helps it, not hurts it.”[xix]  There are two specific moments that I remember were life-changing when it came to my diet.
The first was around 2005 when I was seeing a foot doctor, Dr. Richard Jacoby, for foot numbness after exercise, and he asked me to eliminate sugar completely from my diet.  I was looking for solutions to why I couldn’t feel the top of my foot during exercise, and I didn’t show any signs of diabetes, but this doctor was writing a book, that is now released called Sugar Crush: How to Reduce Inflammation, Reverse Nerve Damage and Reclaim Good Health[xx]  and he was convinced that sugar intake was at the root of most health problems. He suggested that I take fish oil, and learn to avoid higher glycemic foods, and the results that occurred were so impactful, that I wished I had done this sooner. The benefits of cutting out sugar from my diet only snowballed my health for the better down the road. When I was ready to have children, I was a bit worried that I would have some challenges here, as I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) in my late 20s and told that I might need to take fertility drugs to conceive,  but surprisingly, after some tests, my doctor told me that I no longer had this condition, that it appears to have reversed, and she asked me what I had done. The only thing I did was exercise, take fish oil and cut out sugar.
The second life-changing Aha Moment around diet was focused around intermittent fasting, that I talk about in point #5, but it was also eye opening when I started to follow Dave Asprey, the author of the NYT bestseller The Bulletproof Diet: Lose Up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Focus, Upgrade Your Life[xxi] and creator of Bulletproof Coffee[xxii].  Who would ever have thought that putting butter, coconut oil or MCT oil in your coffee would help you to increase your energy and stay lean? I heard this idea first from bodybuilder and fitness expert Jason Wittrock[xxiii] from watching his YouTube channel where he explains exactly what goes into a keto coffee, and why it’s good for your energy levels. He explains the science behind the keto diet and was a great resource for me when I was learning that eating fats, won’t make me fat. Thomas DeLauer[xxiv] is also a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about intermittent fasting, or the ketogenic diet.
ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR EATING A HEALTY DIET:
Did you know that sugar in the brain “looks like Alzheimer’s” in the brain,  and that “60% of cognitive decline is related to how you handle blood sugar?”[xxv] There was a study that followed “5,189 people over 10 years and found that people with high blood sugar had a faster rate of cognitive decline than those with normal blood sugar—whether or not their blood-sugar level technically made them diabetic. In other words, the higher the blood sugar, the faster the cognitive decline.”[xxvi]
Did you know that with Type 2 Diabetes, you have almost double the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, that has no known treatment? If you have type 2 diabetes, your goal would be to do everything that you can to manage your blood sugar, by eating good carbs[xxvii] (complex carbs with fiber),  eat lower glycemic foods[xxviii] that balance your blood sugar levels, instead of throwing them off balance with high levels of sugar.
Above is an image of a healthy brain, from Dr. Amen’s Clinics, showing even, symmetrical and smooth blood flow to all areas in the healthy brain, and the Alzheimer’s brain shows a drop of blood flow to the important parts of the brain.
DEEPER DIVE WITH DR. DANIEL STICKLER
On episode #96 with Dr. Daniel Stickler, MD, a former vascular surgeon who concluded that traditional medicine is not the best route for ideal health. He is now the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of The Apeiron Center for Human Potential (Apeiron meaning Limitless) and is the visionary pioneer behind systems-based precision lifestyle medicine, which is a new paradigm that redefines medicine from the old symptoms-based disease model to one of limitless peak performance. A few minutes of looking at Dr. Stickler’s work and your level of awareness will expand.
LESSON LEARNED FROM DR. STICKLER ON NUTRITION:
Dr. Stickler talks about a skill called interoception or the ability to listen to the signals within the body that we have spoken about in a few episodes on this podcast (whether it was with Dr. Dan Siegel and his Wheel of Awareness meditation[xxix] that strengthens this awareness) or personal trainer Jason Wittrock who talked about the importance of listening to your hunger cues to gain control over your eating habits.
Dr. Stickler mentioned interoception as a skill used by pro athletes to achieve results with their athletic career, or with those in the special forces who must learn this skill since they are often faced with life vs death situations. If we can learn to listen to the cues our body tells us, whether it’s with the food we are eating, or when we are eating, we will be miles ahead with our well-being.
Health Staple 4: Optimizing our Microbiome: Did you know that your gut is made up of trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes. This microbiome plays an important role in your health by helping to control digestion and benefitting your immune system. Taking a probiotic daily, remaining active, eating a healthy diet and avoiding foods that disrupt our microbiome[xxx] (processed fried foods, sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners, are important for our gut/brain health.
ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR MICROBIOME:
There does appear to be a hidden relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and the microbiome in our gut and that “an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) could lead to Alzheimer’s disease and wider neuroinflammation through the gut-brain-axis. Promoting ‘good bacteria’ relative to ‘bad bacteria’ in the gut may be important in maintaining good digestive, immune and neurological health.”[xxxi] This is still a developing field but taking prebiotics and probiotics[xxxii] are the best way to promote a healthy gut/brain balance.
DEEPER DIVE WITH DR. VUYISICH
 Our recent episode #93 with Dr. Momo Vuyisich, the co-founder and chief science officer of Viome[xxxiii], a healthcare disruptor that’s using IA to analyze your gut microbiome to make personalized nutritional recommendations, we learn about the importance of the gut/brain connection and how we can take control of our own life and health by optimizing our gut microbiome with personalized nutritional recommendations using Viome testing. 
Dr. Vuyisich’s research focused on applying modern genomics to the areas of gut microbiomes, host-pathogen and microbial inter-species interactions, pathogen detection, cancer biology, toxicology, infectious diseases, and antibiotic resistance.
LESSON LEARNED FROM DR. VUYISICH
Dr. Vuyisich believes that “Today we have 100% of the science and technology needed to cure every chronic disease and every cancer.” He urges everyone to learn more about ways to optimize their gut health by understanding what damages our gut health, and what is good for it. Since each person’s microbiome is different, his company offers microbiome testing, and the result is that people learn what foods they should avoid, minimize, enjoy and those that are superfoods for them. This has opened up a whole new world for him, and it begins with each person taking charge of their own health by understanding our gut/brain connection.
Health Staple 5: Intermittent Fasting: Has many health benefits[xxxiv] that you might have heard of, like the fact it reduces belly fat. I started intermittent fasting around 3 years ago when I was looking to take my health to the next level, and was following some of the well-known body builders, to see what they were doing for their health and fitness. I started the 16-8 program where you fast for 16 hours, and only eat foods in an 8-hour window. I just picked 4 days a week (Sunday to Wednesday) to do this, to see what happened, and the results were obvious. I was able to quickly get down to my goal weight, where I was stuck, and not able to move the needle with exercise alone.
ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION THOUGHT FOR INTERMITTENT FASTING :
Intermittent fasting has so many other health benefits tied to this practice, like the fact it “fights insulin resistance, lowering your risk of type-2 diabetes, reduces inflammation in the body, is beneficial for heart health, and may prevent cancer.”[xxxv] If it is fighting insulin resistance, then it is also fighting your risk of Alzheimer’s.
DEEPER DIVE WITH FITNESS TRAINER AND MODEL JASON WITTROCK
On episode #94 with personal trainer and fitness model, Jason Wittrock we learn more about intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet that go hand in hand.
I first found Jason Wittrock late 2016/ 2017 when I was searching for answers with my diet. I was at a crossroads with my health, and knew I needed to do some things differently, I just didn’t know exactly what to do, and I had heard some friends in some of my online groups talking about how they were drinking keto coffee, and experiencing health benefits, like increased energy and weight loss.  So I went to YouTube, and typed in “how to make keto coffee” and Jason Wittrock’s video came up called “Keto Coffee”[xxxvi] and my journey began here, taking my health to a whole new level, and have never looked back. I’m sure there are thousands of stories just like mine.
LESSON LEARNED FROM JASON WITTROCK
Jason says it just like it is. He talks about the fact that eating fats, won’t make you fat, which is a whole new paradigm for anyone who is used to counting calories.  He says “You can’t get mad at the butter for what the bread did” and is one of the leaders in the fitness industry who has built a career on helping people implement the ketogenic diet. Many people on this diet notice that they stay full for much longer, and intermittent fasting becomes easier to implement.
REVIEW AND ACTION STEPS:
Wherever you are with your current health, there is always a way to take your results to the next level. You also don’t need to get bogged down with implementing these ideas in a rush and stressing yourself out in the process.
To get started, pick one area that you want to improve, and work on that one area for the next 90 days.
Remember what Luke De Pron suggested, the end results should be how you “feel” not what you look like. How you feel will spill over to your confidence levels, helping to improve your daily productivity and results.
WHERE TO BEGIN WITH DAILY EXERCISE:
If you want to improve your daily exercise, but have no idea where to begin, I would start with walking.
Beginners: I remember after a surgery I had that I could barely walk to the bottom of my driveway and remember thinking how frustrating that was. Listen to your body and start with short distances.  I would wake up early, at 4am (since I didn’t want the whole world watching me struggle to walk short distances) and I could walk from the bottom of my driveway to the end of the street. I did that every day for a week and then added a longer distance that lasted 15 minutes. After a few weeks, I was walking longer distances and longer amounts of time, showing me that progress is possible, with regular, consistent activity.
Moderate to Advanced: If you have plateaued with your current exercise routine, have you tried working with a trainer? Many are available for zoom/video calls during this time if your gym is still closed, or if you don’t have one. The key is to do something that you have not done before, to get new and different results.
WHERE TO BEGIN WITH GETTING A GOOD QUALITY SLEEP
Watch the interview with sleep expert Dr. Shane Creado, on episode #72[xxxvii] and with Dr. Sarah McKay on episode #85?[xxxviii]
If you are waking up and feel tired, or not rested, have you considered getting a sleep study to test the quality and quantity of your sleep?
Take inventory of your sleep. Are you getting at least 7-8.5 hours/each night? Remember that Dr. Creado said that the beauty about sleep is that it is modifiable. How can you adjust your sleep to make improvements? Even just by adding an additional half an hour each night, along with an afternoon nap, can yield noticeable results.
Have you ever used an app to measure your sleep? Dr. Stickler in episode #96 measures all of his clients sleep using a Garmin device, and he has noted that someone doing all the right things EXCEPT for sleeping enough, were able to lose weight only once they improved their sleep.
WHERE TO BEGIN WITH EATING A HEALTHY DIET
Do you avoid processed foods?
Have you ever thought about cutting out sugar?
Do you choose healthy carbs and fats?
Do you choose whole foods vs processed foods?
WHERE TO BEGIN WITH OPTIMIZING YOUR MICROBIOME
Do you take a probiotic? A prebiotic?
Do you know what foods help/hurt or damage your microbiome?
Have you considered microbiome testing like Dr. Vuyicish’s company offers so you can pinpoint the foods that you should avoid, minimize, maximize, or foods that are superfoods?
WHERE TO BEGIN WITH INTERMITTENT FASTING
If fasting for 16 hours with an 8 hour eating window seems too much, try 12 hours fasting and 12 hours eating to begin. Try it for a few days a week, and just see if you feel better fasting than when you eat like you normally would. If you feel better, you can always experiment with different fasting methods, and see where you feel best.
Remember Jason Wittrock explaining that when you are eating a diet that is higher in fat, that you will not get hungry the same way you do eating a high carb diet.
I hope you have found this episode helpful, and I that you did learn something new. Please do send me a message on social media and let me know what you think.  I really do believe that if we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain, and these TOP 5 strategies seem to move the needle the most, especially when it comes to preventing Alzheimer’s and other diseases that I know we all want to avoid.  I hope you have found the additional interviews helpful, and begin to make small changes in one area at a time. It’s these small, daily habits, that when repeated over and over again, yield outstanding results.
See you next episode!
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REFERENCES:
[i] (Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams) page 4
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #87 on the “Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies”
[iii] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” https://scienceofprevention.com/
[iv] 10 Early Alzheimer’s Symptoms That You Should Know https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/10-early-alzheimers-symptoms-that-you-should-know/
[v] Max Lugavere, Health and Science Journalist and NYT Bestselling Author, Genius Foods. https://www.maxlugavere.com/
[vi] Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills by Heidi Goodman, April 2014  https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110
[vii] Alzheimer’s Disease: Can Exercise Prevent Memory Loss April 2019  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/expert-answers/alzheimers-disease/faq-20057881
[viii] http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/
[ix] Live Great Lifestyle Podcast with Luke DePron http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/podcast/
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #72 with Shane Creado on “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes” https://www.achieveit360.com/self-regulation-and-sleep-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-shane-creados-peak-sleep-performance-for-athletes/
[xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #85 with Neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay on “High Performing Brain Health Strategies That We Should All Know About.”
[xii] Darin Olien “The Sleep Position to Detoxify Your Brain”  https://darinolien.com/detoxify-your-brain/
[xiii] The Darin Olien Show https://darinolien.com/podcasts/
[xiv] Down to Earth with Zac Efron (co-host Darin Olien)  https://www.netflix.com/title/80230601
[xv] Darin Olien “The Sleep Position to Detoxify Your Brain”  https://darinolien.com/detoxify-your-brain/
[xvi] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” EPISODE 10 on Sleep  https://scienceofprevention.com/
[xvii] Dr. Shane Creado’s Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-Edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage (March 15, 2020) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085YFP9YW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
[xviii] www.shanecreado.com
[xix] Dr. Daniel Amen “7 Simple Brain-Promoting Nutritonal Tips” https://www.creativityatwork.com/2011/01/10/dr-amen-seven-simple-brain-promoting-nutrition-tips/
[xx] Sugar Crush: How to Reduce Inflammation, Reverse Nerve Damage and Reclaim Good Health by Dr. Richard Jacoby (April 2014)  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPVB4OA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
[xxi] Dave Asprey The Bulletproof Diet https://www.amazon.com/Bulletproof-Diet-Reclaim-Energy-Upgrade-ebook/dp/B00K8DSTWU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3EQ3XAEBNVQKS&dchild=1&keywords=dave+asprey&qid=1600893573&s=digital-text&sprefix=dave+asprey+the+%2Cdigital-text%2C210&sr=1-2
[xxii] Bulletproof Coffee https://www.bulletproof.com/recipes/bulletproof-diet-recipes/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/
[xxiii] Fitness expert Jason Wittrock on “What goes into Keto Coffee”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLwqBDMgGc
[xxiv] Fitness and Health Expert Thomas DeLauer https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC70SrI3VkT1MXALRtf0pcHg
[xxv] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” EPISODE 5  https://scienceofprevention.com/
[xxvi] The Startling Link Between Sugar and Alzheimer’s by Olga Khazan Jan. 26, 2018 https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/
[xxvii] Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/good-carbs-bad-carbs
[xxviii] Lower Glycemic Foods https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/low-glycemic-diet
[xxix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPSIODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Daniel Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/
[xxx] 11 Ways Your Life Can Disrupt the Gut Microbiome https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/11-ways-your-life-can-disrupt-the-gut-microbiome/
[xxxi] Alzheimer’s Disease and the Microbiome by Oman Shabir  https://www.news-medical.net/health/Alzheimers-Disease-and-the-Microbiome.aspx
[xxxii] What is the Difference Between a Prebiotic and a Probiotic https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323490
[xxxiii] https://www.viome.com/
[xxxiv] 11 Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
[xxxv] 11 Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
[xxxvi] Keto Coffee with Jason Wittrock Published August 2017 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzLwqBDMgGc
[xxxvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #72 with Shane Creado on “Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes” https://www.achieveit360.com/self-regulation-and-sleep-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-shane-creados-peak-sleep-performance-for-athletes/
[xxxviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episode #85 with Neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay on “High Performing Brain Health Strategies That We Should All Know About.” https://www.achieveit360.com/neuroscientist-dr-sarah-mckay-on-high-performing-brain-health-strategies-that-we-should-all-know-about-and-implement/
 

Physician and Neurologist, Philippe Douyon, MD on ”How to Rewire Our Brain for Health and Happiness”

“Finally, we have an expert in the field of neuroscience and neurology, who breaks down the complex concepts and demystifies the workings of the brain, while putting the power back in our hands. Through his thoughts and reflections on neuroplasticity and neuroinfluences, Dr. Philippe Douyon, a physician and neurologist, unlocks the true power of the brain to help us heal and reach our full potential.” Dr. Sidor, Quadruple board-certified Psychiatrist who reviews the book of our next guest, Dr. Philippe Douyon.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/qYUR3CAN1VQ 
On this episode we will learn:
✔  How Dr. Douyon came up with a unique approach to life when it comes to health and chronic disease, or any serious health challenge that might be thrown our way.
✔  What he learned from overcoming kidney failure, Covid, dialysis and from undergoing a successful kidney transplant.
✔  What he noticed was missing from medical school that was important to help patients heal and recover.
✔ Why positive thinking is crucial for overcoming illness and for our overall health and wellbeing.
✔  How he did dialysis "his way."
✔ His thoughts of the impact of alcohol and other unhealthy food/drink on the brain?
✔ His Pyramid of Neurological Health vs Our 5 Health Staples.
✔ How to help people make the decision towards health, one step at a time.
✔ His tips for health and wellness that we can all benefit from.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results using the most current brain research.
On today’s episode #241, we will be speaking heart to heart with Dr. Philippe Douyon, a board-certified neurologist who has a unique outlook of approaching life, when it comes to health and overcoming chronic disease, or any serious challenge that might unexpectedly be thrown our way, taking us by surprise.
Not only has Dr. Douyon's philosophy helped countless patients with medical, neurological, and mental health disorders, but it's the same philosophy that he used himself to overcome kidney failure, Covid, dialysis, and undergo a successful kidney transplant. He is the author of the book, Neuroplasticity: Your Brain's Superpower[i], that focuses on how to use our brain's ability to adapt and learn to heal to overcome life’s serious challenges. He also has an online course called Take Charge of Your Brain[ii] that teaches us how our lifestyle choices, directly influence our brain and health. I’m not going to hold back with my questions, as I’m certain that the research is loud and clear, that many neurological disorders (that we’ve been talking about on this podcast), like Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease, can be prevented with lifestyle changes.
What I love about Dr. Douyon’s work, is that everything he shares about health and wellbeing is what I learned years ago in the personal development industry, that he now matches with the most current brain research.  Concepts like:
Our thoughts do matter when it comes our mental and physical health and well-being.
How to STOP victim mentality (poor me thinking) especially when it comes to our neurological makeup.
How to increase our levels of success, even when we’ve lost hope with our health.
As a board-certified neurologist, Dr. Douyon shows us how we can in fact take charge of our health, with our brain in mind.
He believes that success in life and business starts in the brain and is on a mission to spread his empowering message that we CAN rewire our brain to create the life we were meant to live, of health and happiness, regardless of our age, and all without prescribing a single pill. 
Let’s meet Dr. Philippe Douyon, connect our brain, to our health and well-being, and take everything he says seriously, as if our lives and futures really do depend on it.
Welcome Dr. Douyon, it’s wonderful to meet you, especially after listening to some of your recent podcasts, and hearing your story. I’m sure I’m not the only one to tell you that your perspective to health and life is unconventional, especially with someone coming from the medical field, am I right?
Intro Q: Dr. Douyon, your story caught my attention as I spent 6 years working in the motivational speaking industry, with a speaker who helped people around the world to understand how when we change our thinking, it can actually change our results and that this change of thinking can impact EVERYTHING—our health, wealth, mental, and physical well-being. Where did YOU learn this secret to life, with the way we think, connected to our brain health and wellbeing? What’s your story and who did YOU study?
Q1: Your story made me think about when illness hits, many times, we aren’t sitting here waiting for it, prepared for everything we will have to go through. It hits us when we least expect it, and whatever it is, we’ve got to fight to get through to the other side. What did you notice was missing in medical school with this mind-brain connection? How did you know how to prepare your own mind and body to heal when you were caught off guard with your health?
1B: My Mom overcame Uterine Cancer in her late 40s and she used this mental activity where she would imagine each part of her body (from head to toe) like a meditation, and she would imagine an axe chopping up the cancer cells. She did this twice a day. I used to tell this story years ago, and many people would say “that’s crazy—there’s no way your Mom beat uterine cancer this way.” Since very few people did, her surgeon asked if she would come into the hospital and share her strategy, since she was the only one in her group who healed themselves completely and remains cancer free today. As a medical doctor, what can you tell me about the power of positive thinking, and our health? How important is our mindset to our healing when faced with a serious, life-threatening diagnosis?
1C: While reading your book, Neuroplasticity: Your Brain's Superpower, I couldn’t miss what your colleagues in the medical field said. Dr. Sidor, a quadruple board-certified Psychiatrist mentioned that “finally we have an expert in the field of neuroscience and neurology who breaks down complex concepts and demystifies the workings of the brain, while putting the power back in our hands.”  How are you planning to help other people understand about the power of their brain as it relates to health/wellbeing and reaching our highest potential in life?
Q2: When you were faced with dialysis, and decided to go through it “your way,” what did you do that was different from other people around you? What did other people say when they saw how you were spending your time in dialysis?
Q3: There is no sugar-coating with this question. I want to hear what you really think about this. While health is very important to me, at the top of my list, by no means am I perfect. We can all improve in some way. While I’m pretty good about choosing healthy foods, and sharing tips on the podcast for health and wellness, however, I do drink wine in moderation. Well, since writing these questions, I listened to Dr. Andrew Huberman’s most recent podcast on the impacts of alcohol and the brain[iii], and he makes a clear-cut case that even for moderate drinkers, there are very few benefits to drinking alcohol, only risks, making me seriously question why I’m putting a known carcinogen in my body when I won’t take an Advil because I know that will mess up my microbiome.  
What have you seen with people who choose unhealthy foods or drinks over their health? I know your take on soda is like my take on Advil, but what do you think about alcohol and its impact on the brain that we should think about for preventing neurological disorders?
Q4: Dr. Douyon, our podcast took a turn towards health and well-being around September 2020, when we started looking at the Top 5 Health Staples[iv] that I thought could really move the needle for all of us and improve our physical and mental health.  I really got into understanding Alzheimer’s Prevention, and it seems that exercise solves many mental/physical health problems, so we’ve centered many episodes around the impact of exercise on the brain.  When I heard you mention your Pyramid of Neurological Health, I wondered what you think we should all know to prevent neurological disorders?
Q4B: How do the TOP 5 Health Staples that we’ve been focused on the podcast compare to your Pyramid of Neurological Health? If you look at my list, would you change it in any way? Am I missing anything that’s important for our neurological health?
 
Q4C: What do you say to people who don’t want to let go of their vices?
Q4D: How do you make behavior change stick?
Q5: From listening to your Brain Prophet’s Podcast, I can see that you are on a mission to help people to take control of their brain, when it comes to their overall health, but what have I missed? How do you want your mission to impact the world? What is your vision for the work you are doing?
Q6: Most of our listeners are focused on their health and wellbeing, but like me, could sharpen the saw in some areas. What do you think is the wakeup call that we could all benefit from BEFORE a serious neurological illness hits us? What are one of two things would you suggest we all be doing to move the needle the most towards health and wellness?
For people to learn more about your work, I will put all the links to your website, book and online course in the show notes. I want to thank you very much, Dr. Douyon, for bringing credibility through science and research to the positive thinking movement where many years ago, many doctors would prescribe a pill over many of the strategies you’ve shared today.
Thank you for spearheading the way, and showing us how our health and well-being really can be within our control.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As we close out this episode, I think it came at the perfect time for me to think back to the beginning of the year, when we looked at how we would achieve NEW results, to make 2022 our best year ever[v], do things in a wildly different way than we have previously, and the importance of learning and applying NEW and specialized knowledge to our lives, in order to move beyond where we’ve ever been before.
This is exactly what Dr. Douyon’s online course, Taking Charge of Your Brain[vi] is all about.  I highly encourage following Dr. Douyon’s work, reading his book, and tuning into his podcast, especially if you have an area of your life that you want to improve in the area of health and wellness.
I’ve already made some notes of where I’ll be making changes, and it’s all focused around the understanding that we have ONE BRAIN, ONE BODY and ONE LIFE…and all the choices I’m making today are either “Rewiring My Brain for Health and Happiness” or they are not.
 I hope you’ll join me in looking for areas of your life that you want to improve.
I’ll see you on Friday.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
FOLLOW Dr. PHILIPPE DOUYON
Website https://www.inlebrainfitinstitute.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/philippe.md/?hl=en
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PhilippeDouyonMD
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-philippe-douyon-85a24449/
The Brain Prophet’s Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brain-prophets-podcast/id1582747254
RECENT PODCAST APPEARANCES:
Think Unbroken Podcast: Neuroplasticity and the Impact of Positivity with Dr. Philippe Douyon
Rewire the Podcast: Improve Your Health Through Neuroplasticity with Dr. Philippe Douyon, MD
Black to Business Podcast: [BLACK MEN WHO LEAD] How To Take Charge Of Your Brain & Rewire It For Success w/ Dr. Philippe Douyon
 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroplasticity: Your Brain's Superpower published by Philippe Douyon, MD April 23, 2019  https://www.amazon.com/Neuroplasticity-Brains-Superpower-Change-Brain/dp/164228100X
[ii]Take Charge of Your Brain online course by Philippe Douyon, MD.  https://www.inlebrainfitinstitute.com/take-charge
[iii] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Podcast on “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain and Health” https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/
NOTES FROM Juan Pablo Aranovich Published August 22, 2022 https://medium.com/@juanpabloaranovich/the-effects-of-alcohol-how-bad-are-they-bfb93c57ff8f
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #87 “Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/
[v]Neuroscience Meet Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #193 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-3-using-autosuggestion-and-your-imagination-to-put-your-goals-on-autopilot/
[vi] Take Charge of Your Brain online course by Philippe Douyon, MD.  https://www.inlebrainfitinstitute.com/take-charge
 

Trent McEntire on ”Using Movement to Fire Up Your Brain” for Students, Athletes and Seniors.”

“We have a brain for one reason and one reason only -- that’s to produce adaptable and complex movements. Movement is the only way we affect the world around us… I believe that to understand movement is to understand the whole brain. And therefore it’s important to remember when you are studying memory, cognition, sensory processing, they’re there for a reason, and that reason is action.” From neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/wiSPswItU70
 
On this episode you will learn:
✔  How Trent McEntire discovered a way to "unlock" his brain through movement, and change his life forever.
✔  How his discovery impacted his ability to go from a struggling reader, to someone who enjoys reading books.
✔ How he took his discovery and created a brain-training program for students, athletes and anyone struggling with a neurological disorder.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a student, or in the modern workplace.
On today’s episode #240, we will be speaking with Trent McEntire, from Fire Up Your Brain™[i] where you can see the Brain-Based Training Programs that he developed by chance (for kids, seniors and athletes) when he stumbled across the answer to something that unblocked his brain, through moving the body, leading him to develop The Fire Up your Brain Program™, unleashing his mission to help others around the globe with this discovery.
We just heard from Joshua Gillis on EPISODE #238[ii] about how important movement is for “unblocking” the brain, especially with athletes, so when I read Trent’s story, I was blown away with how our last episode, helped me to make sense of how Trent’s invention could possibly “Fire Up Your Brain” since we just learned about how some simple movements that Joshua created, had a profound impact on world-class athletes, who had almost given up hope of getting better.
Then I read his story, and it caught me off-guard a bit. From looking at Trent’s videos, and even the pictures of him on his website, I would guess he was a retired pro athlete of some sort, who had invented something that made a difference for his team, and extended this tool for kids and seniors, but there was much more to his story than meets the eye.
Trent was born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy, and experienced pain and stiffness every day from the time he was a child. Now my mind is going back to our recent episode with Ashok Gupta[iii], where he created an advanced brain retraining program to help people relieved chronic pain by breaking the vicious inflammation loop, and I wonder how Trent was able to move past his pain, using his love for sports and repair his own body. I’ll put Trent’s BIO in the show notes, but think he will tell his story in a way that we will all feel the heart behind the Fire Up Your Brain Program™, and participate with Trent’s mission to spread the word of his work. 
Let’s meet Trent McEntire, and learn how we can Fire Up Our Brain, unlocking us to new heights in school, sports and the workplace.
Welcome Trent, thank you for meeting up with me today to take us behind the story of this incredible invention you’ve created to Fire Up Our Brains. I’m going to guess that you are still in Michigan?
INTRO Q: Trent, if you were able to look at the back story I wrote, you will have seen that I wouldn’t have guessed that you had overcome so much in your past, including the pain and stiffness you were experiencing as a young child, through movement in sports. Can you share what those early years were like, and when things started to take a turn for the better for you?
Q1: Trent, we have spent many episodes talking about reading and the brain, and have dove deep into why some children struggle with reading with David A Sousa whose life’s work has been centered around “How the Brain Learns.”[iv] While it’s a complex topic, asking a kid to sit down and read longer isn’t the solution to this problem, I’m sure you’ll agree? How did you “unlock” the secret for reading, that marked the end of your reading challenges, through brain-training?
Q1B: How does the BrainSpeedBall work?
Q2: Now I’ve got to move on to something that’s really important to me and that’s health. Our podcast took a turn towards health and well-being around September 2020, when we started looking at the Top 5 Health Staples[v] that I thought could really move the needle for all of us, and improve our physical and mental health.  Daily exercise was STAPLE #1 and we’ve centered many episodes around the importance of exercise on our brain health. For someone like yourself, who has overcome health challenges, using exercise, what can you say about The Movement Gap, and why people might begin to lose hope with the medical community these days?
Q2B: How are you using the BrainSpeed Ball with higher-level athletes?
Q2C: Do you know how it works? What does the research say?
Q3: What exactly is the BrainSpeed Ball that you’ve invented? How does it work? And how does it help people with Neurological conditions to improve the quality of their life (Parkinson’s, MS, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, Sensory Integration, Traumatic Brain Injuries, etc?
Q3B: How was the production creation process, and trademarking BrainSpeed Ball?
Q3C: How do you plan to market BrainSpeed Ball?
Q4: How would an athlete, student or senior integrate the BrainSpeed Ball into their day? Where would someone begin, and then what Best Practices should we know about?
Q5: What are the ways that people can work with you?
Q6: What is your vision for Fire Up Your Brain™?
Q7: Trent,  Is there anything important that I’ve missed?
I want to thank you for coming on the podcast today and sharing  your story of how you came to discover BrainSpeed Ball with others who might know of someone (a child struggling to read), an athlete or a senior. If someone wants to try this program, where should they go?
Thank you Trent.
Final Thoughts: 
When someone who has spent their lifetime thinking of ways to help others, like Trent MeEntire, I think it’s really important to support their work. If you are a teacher in the classroom, looking for new ways to have your students take “brain breaks” be sure to visit the website FireUpYourBrain.com and read through some of the K-12 educator testimonials.
 
If you work with athletes, we have spent many episodes on this podcast talking about the importance of movement and the brain, but now we can add how eye-tracking is sharpening an athlete’s focus and agility.
 
If you know someone who is struggling with everything that goes along with a neurological disorder, we are going to dive deeper into this topic with Dr. Philippe Douyon this week, (a board certified neurologist who focuses on how to take charge of our health when we are faced with illness in our life, but in the mean time, I trust the work that Trent has put behind BrainSpeed Ball, and hope you will take a serious look at what he has created, to get us all moving, with our brain in mind.
See you in a few days.
CONNECT WITH TRENT
www.FireUpYourBrain.com
EMAIL: trent@fireupyourbrain.com
PHONE: 586-615-0223
FACEBOOK @FireUpYourBrain
INSTAGRAM @BrainSpeedClub
Ask Trent https://www.fireupyourbrain.com/pages/ask-trent
 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
REFERENCES:
 
[i] https://www.fireupyourbrain.com/
 
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #238 with Joshua Gillis on “Neuro-Func-Tional Training Centering the Mind/Body Connection”
 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/joshua-gillis-on-neuro-func-tional-training-centering-the-mind-body-connection-to-release-our-highest-potential/
 
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #234 with Ashok Gupta on “Health and Happiness: Getting to the Root of Chronic Pain and Illness”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/ashok-gupta-on-heath-and-happiness-getting-to-the-root-of-chronic-pain-and-illness-long-covid-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-and-others/
 
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  #197 with David A Sousa on “What’s NEW with the 6th Edition of How the Brain Learns” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/returning-guest-dr-david-a-sousa-on-what-s-new-with-the-6th-edition-of-how-the-brain-learns/
 
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #87 “Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/
 

Brain Fact Friday: Using Neuroscience to Build a Stronger 2.0 Version of You.

“It doesn’t matter how hard we work, or how many hours we put in, if OUR Paradigm (or mental program that has exclusive control over our habitual behavior) does not change, the results will ultimately remain the same, year after year.” Bob Proctor, from the Paradigm Shift Seminar.  
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, and for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to revisit how exactly we change our identity, to build a stronger, more resilient, 2.0 version of ourselves, by reviewing our self-image and self-belief that we covered on EPISODE #199[i] that had over 1300 downloads, showing me that you are just as interested in this topic as I am.
In this episode we will discuss:
✔ What is PRAXIS (the application of a theory) and how can we use this idea?
✔ What is our self-image vs our self-esteem?
✔ How is our self-image/identity formed?
✔ How do we identify gaps or areas we can improve?
✔ How can we change our self-image/identity?
✔ Can our confidence levels be seen by others?
✔ Can we predict a person’s self-esteem levels (or what they think of themselves) by looking at their brain?
✔ 4 Steps to create a 2.0 version of YOU!
 
What is PRAXIS and How Can We Use it For Improved Results?
This weekend I was thinking about life, and how we just get one shot to make it a meaningful one. I’m sure I’m not alone with this line of thinking, especially these days, when it comes to acknowledging how fragile life really is. Earlier this month, I lost another mentor—Mark Low, who was my neighbor in Toronto, who was the one who handed me “the” book that would change my life forever. You can read the story I’ve told often in the show notes[ii] but for this episode, after thinking about how precious life is, and all the lessons I’ve learned from the many mentors along the way, there was one profound lesson that stood out to me, that I want to tie into this episode that I’ll dedicate it, to my neighbor, Mark Low.
 
When I first went to work in the motivational speaking industry, back in the late 1990s, I was hired by my neighbor, Mark, to help with administrative tasks, that eventually moved into sales, leading me to travel to each of the seminars and learn from all the speakers and connections made over the years and I talk about everyone I’ve learned from often on this podcast.  In those early days, I would receive a paycheck from Mark’s company, that was called The Praxis Group. I remember looking at my check one day, and asking Mark “Hey, what does Praxis mean?” and he looked over at me from the desk on the other side of the room (we worked out of his parent’s basement back then, with our desks facing a wall that was covered in charts with our upcoming seminars, and he replied, “Andrea, it’s when you integrate your beliefs with your behaviors.” That’s was it. He just stopped for a minute and watched my face looking confused, and he added that “people really change when this happens and that they become an entirely new person” with this concept of Praxis. I looked up the definition that Miriam Webster[iii] gives today and it says that Praxis is the “practical application of a theory” or the “practice of an art, science or skill.” If you look up “becoming a better version of you” these days, the topic is still of high interest.
I remember thinking “that’s incredible”, as I love everything about change, growth, or skill-building but looking back now, I’m sure it took me over 22 years to get the full understanding of the meaning of Praxis and how exactly we integrate our beliefs with our behavior to attain this sought-after change which happens when we repeat the new habits of what we want, over and over again.  I had to dig a bit, but I did find an old photo of our offices in those early days, before Bob Proctor Seminars took off and became The Proctor Gallagher Institute, with an official office.  But in these early days, Mark Low worked at the desk to the left of me, and while it’s funny to see all of the old technology we used to use, or how we manually kept track of the seminar attendees with wall charts, there is much more behind the work that was done in those early days and it had to do with Praxis, which was why people paid the money that they did to attend these seminars.  Seminar attendees were all looking to create a new version of themselves, by changing their old beliefs, and then integrating their new beliefs (that they had learned) with their current life. They were paying for this concept of Praxis---whether it was around changing their beliefs about their ability to earn money, (there were many seminars on that topic) or improve their relationships, or creativity, or productivity, there was a change of thinking required that would lead to a paradigm shift, and then to permanent change, which I’m sure is what we all want in life. We are either improving and moving forward, to this new version of ourselves, or we are not.
PHOTO of Andrea working with Mark Low, selling Bob Proctor’s Seminars in Toronto, December, 2000.
So What Does Praxis (or Integrating our Beliefs and Our Behavior) Have to do with Our Self-Image?
The Mountain State Centers for Independent Living has a definition of self-image that I can relate to. It says that
“Self-image is how you perceive yourself. It is a number of self-impressions that have built up over time… These self-images can be very positive, giving a person confidence in their thoughts and actions, or negative, making a person doubtful of their capabilities and ideas.”[iv]
Our self-image is what we see when we look in the mirror, but like the definition we just read explains, what we see can be either be positive, giving us confidence, or negative, making us doubtful of our capabilities and ideas.” Our self-image is something that’s built up over time and I would say that it exists in the non-conscious part of our mind.  See the image in the show notes that I took from my notes from the Winner’s Image Seminar, that eventually went into my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed. This way of looking at our mind originated from the late Dr. Thurman Fleet, the Founder of Concept Therapy, and is a good way to think of where our “self-image” exists in our mind.
REMEMBER:
We can have a self-image that controls our ability to earn money, where we either see ourselves as a strong income earner, or not.
We can have a self-image that controls our weight and health, where we see ourselves as healthy, or not.
We can have a self-image that controls our grades in school, where we see ourselves as a good student, or not.
If we look at the image in the show notes of our self-image in our mind, it’s easy to see how what we think about ourselves, (our self-image) controls our results in life.
To change our paradigms, or old way of thinking, we need to do the work to overcome the old self-image that controls our results with a NEW self-image that with time, will override the old, outdated version of ourselves. Our NEW 2.0 self-image that’s based on the new actions we must take, will eventually cause us to create new conditions and circumstances, setting us up for a whole new life. Who wouldn’t want to choose this new path, over the old version of you? It just takes WORK and THE WILL to do it.
When We Believe in Ourselves, We Will Do That Work Required for Our New Results.
Our self-image also has a lot to do with our self-esteem “which is the overall sense of respect for ourselves and involves how favorably (or unfavorably) we feel about ourselves.”[v]  Obviously when we are earning more money than less, we will feel more confident, or if we are a student achieving excellent grades, this boosts our confidence levels.
It’s these strong confidence levels that we will need to override our doubts, fears and uncertainties that will come our way, allowing us to achieve PRAXIS, and the change that Mark Low mentioned comes along with creating a NEW identity.  You become a winner, or a good income earner or an excellent student. You Become a New Version of YOU!
Can Our Confidence Levels Achieved by This Thing Called Praxis Be Seen by Others?
When I look at the photo of myself that I found back in December, 2000, (I was 29 years old) I can remember sitting in that chair like it was yesterday. I know that I felt confident with myself, (my self-esteem) enough to quit my teaching position, and try something entirely new, but there was something missing with my equation. While I had a strong self-esteem (what I thought of myself) I had a weak self-image, as I worried about what other people thought of me. I think this is an age/experience concept, that shifts with time. But what goes on inside our minds, shows on the outside (with our behaviors and end results) like we can see with the diagram I drew out, so I do think that we can see someone’s confidence levels, or lack of confidence. It’s almost like this cybernetic mechanism that keeps us stuck from moving forward with whatever it is we are working on. When we are stuck, or unable to move forward, there’s something blocking our results at the non-conscious level. And we can, with some introspection, figure out what it is.
While writing this episode, I was talking to one of my close friends from high school she said to me “do you ever look back at pictures and think, wow, I wish I knew then, what I know now?”
She got that right for sure. I wish I knew this quote 22 years ago,  from America’s leading psychiatrist and brain health expert, Dr. Daniel Amen, who reminds us--
“When you’re 18, you think everybody is judging you, and you care deeply about what they think of you. When you reach 40, you no longer care what anybody thinks about you. At 60, you realize nobody has been thinking about you at all because most people only think about themselves.” (Dr. Daniel Amen).
Try This Activity Yourself.
Find a photograph of you from a long time ago, and see what you see. It’s really easy to see it in others, and more difficult when it comes to self-reflection. What do you see when you look at older photos of yourself? Do you remember how you felt in the photo? How is your self-esteem equation (what you think of yourself) vs your self-image (how you see yourself based on what you think others think of you), leading to your level of confidence?
You can learn a lot about yourself, and what you can improve from this level of self-awareness.
Once We See Our Gaps, How Do We Build Up Our Confidence?
Once we see our confidence equation, if you were like me, and noticed that for whatever reason, you had an area of your equation that you could change (either your self-esteem levels, or self-image) then this week’s brain fact Friday is for you. On this episode, we will create a plan to fix our gaps, and override the older version of YOU.
The Brain and Self-Esteem
Before we create this plan, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to revisit a part of our brain that researchers at Dartmouth College have identified as a region of the human brain that seems to predict a person’s self-esteem levels, or what they think of themselves (where our identity begins that leads us to our self-belief). We did cover this on EPISODE #199 but I want to look at this part of the brain from a different angle and how it relates to PRAXIS, or integrating our NEW beliefs with our NEW behaviors, for NEW results, and increased confidence levels that we will need to build this 2.0 version of ourselves.
This part of the brain that researchers discovered can predict a person’s self-esteem levels is called “the frontostriatal pathway, and the stronger and more active it is in the brain, the more self-esteem someone has.”[vi] The lead researcher of this study, Robert Chavez found that self-esteem lies in this pathway as shown in the image in the show notes and that “this pathway connects the medial PFC that deals with self-knowledge to the ventral striatum that deals with feelings of motivation and reward.” He called this pathway “the road” and that “a person with a strong road was more likely to have higher long-term self-esteem.” He also reminded us “how repeated behaviors (like meditation) can alter brain traits,” and we’ve talked about why repetition, or doing things over and over again can strengthen these neural pathways that lead to “stronger roads” and “higher levels of self-esteem.”
 
 
How Do We Build a New and More Confident YOU?
Or How Can We Integrate Our Beliefs with Our Behaviors?
This comes with time, experience and like we learned from Dr. John Dunlosky’s research from EPISODE #37[vii], from repeating the same thing, over and over again to strengthen those neural pathways, leading to “stronger roads” in the brain.
This weekend, as I was thinking about Mark Low and his business name, PRAXIS, and all the people he helped over the years, I went back to those early days when I watched many people “switch on” something with their thinking, and make significant changes in their lives as they changed their self-image, overriding their old paradigms, and created this NEW 2.0 version of themselves. I’m always on the look-out for those who do the work to make this change as many people get stuck in the process along the way, which is why I wanted to cover this on this week’s Brain Fact Friday, to bring clarity to how we can all accomplish this change.
So How Do We Create A NEW Self-Image and Override Our Old Paradigms?
Now this is the part that I think took me over 22 years to really understand. I think this part is clear, that over time, or doing things a certain way, we can override our paradigms, creating a new self-image, leading us to new results and “stronger roads” in our brain, leading us to higher levels of self-esteem. That makes sense, right?
When I asked Mark what Praxis meant and he said “it means integrating our beliefs with our behaviors” I don’t think I really understood how “Praxis” happens, like how do we make this change? How do we integrate our beliefs with our behaviors? It doesn’t just happen one day….it happens over time, after doing the same thing over and over again. One day, we look up from whatever it is we are doing, and notice that this change is now permanent. Like my high school friend reminded me, “don’t you wish we knew what we know now, back in those days?” I wish I was more confident in my abilities, and didn’t worry what others thought about me. I hope this awareness can help others to shorten their curve to changing old beliefs and habits, and create a NEW 2.0 version of themselves.
I saw it when I interviewed Ryan O’Neill, with EPISODE #203[viii] on “Making Your Vision a Reality” because he changed in front of my eyes into an entirely different person. A NEW 2.0 version of himself. When I began working with Ryan, around 10 years ago, he mentioned that he never imagined where his life would be today, starring on Television shows around the globe for his work as a Paranormal Researcher.
I thought about the hard work Ryan put in, to change his self-image, leading to new results, and I thought it was almost like taking a glass of water, and putting one drop of food coloring into it, likening the food color to the repetition of daily activity that’s required for this change. To make a long-lasting color change on the water, we have to keep adding new drops of color to the water, every day. We can’t just add a drop or two, and expect the color change to last. It will fade away, unless the drops are repeated. Exactly like the way we must repeat our daily actions, grinding away our old self-image, and building a new one in its place. It’s a process, but this new self-image, leads us to new results, and this new version of you. This is all possible with a vision, hard work and persistence.
How to Achieve PRAXIS and Integrate Your Beliefs with Your Behavior?
I’ve included a ROADMAP for you to use in the show notes for the next steps, but it doesn’t matter what you use. This is just a vision to help you to plan out where you are and where you are going.
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Start with the Self-Esteem Equation and Look for Your Gaps.
Strong Self-Esteem (what you think of yourself) + Strong Self-Image (how you perceive yourself based on how you think others see you) =
Strong Confidence Levels.
Where is your self-esteem (your overall sense of self-respect)? Does this are need work?
Where is your self-image (how you see yourself based on how others perceive you)? Are you like me, and just need to let go of what others think of you?
Once you can see the gaps, you know where to begin.
Write out the OLD identity you want to override (where you are now) and replace it with your NEW identity or vision.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
What is the NEW Self-Image you would like to create? (ie, good student, lose weight, leader in educational neuroscience?). Write out your NEW identity in as much detail as possible.
DO THE WORK: What do you need to do to achieve this goal? Find someone who has achieved what you want to do, and ask how to begin. Create an action plan, and don’t stop until you get to where you want to go.
 
INTEGRATE YOUR WINS: As you make incremental wins along the way, you must integrate these into your life. Celebrate each win, every step of the way, since the brain is a “prediction machine”[ix] (Andrew Huberman) and if you have too many losses in a row, the brain will begin to predict more losses.
REVIEW:
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday, did you know that researchers found a part of the brain that predicts a person’s self-esteem levels called “the frontostriatal pathway, and the stronger and more active it is in the brain, the more self-esteem someone has?”[x]
Did you know that we can change our self-image (how we perceive ourselves) by repeatedly taking action towards something that we want, (like Ryan O’Neill did in the Paranormal Industry) and this action will override our old self-image, watering down the paradigms that once controlled us (like we explained with the glass of water changing color with each drop of food coloring added), and giving us heightened confidence levels, and new results?
Like Mark said to me 22 years ago, “It’s called Praxis or integrating our beliefs with our behavior” and when this happens, it creates an entirely new person. It just takes WORK and the WILL to make this change.
I hope you enjoyed this episode that took me back 22 years ago, as I thought of where my journey began, in those early days of working in the motivational speaking industry. This episode is for you Mark, and for all those people who you worked with, including myself, helping us to change into this NEW 2.0 version of ourselves, that we could barely imagine without your vision, and I hope that it impacts listeners, the same way it did for me, all those years ago.
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
My Roadmap 2022 https://www.achieveit360.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/My-Roadmap-2022.jpg
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #199 “The Neuroscience Behind our Self-Belief and Our Identity”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-behind-self-belief-and-our-identity/
[ii] How a Book Can Change Your Life by Andrea Samadi https://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/43977/how-a-book-can-change-your-life?fbclid=IwAR0RHhcy0WXImsUkzyuMgfWwNPvQjXn2-36hiSBmKKEfZFI-MXtl_2U53Y0
[iii] Praxis definition https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/praxis
[iv] What is Self-Image and How Do We Improve it? Dec 22, 2018 by Courtney Ackerman, MA. https://positivepsychology.com/self-image/
[v] IBID
[vi] There is Where Self-Esteem Lives in the Brain by Anna Almendrala Published June 16, 2014 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/self-esteem-brain_n_5500501
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 with Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #203 on “Ryan O’Neill, Making your Vision a Reality” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/case-study-with-paranormal-researcher-ryan-o-neill-on-making-your-vision-a-reality/
[ix] LIVE EVENT Huberman Lab Q & A from Seattle, WA (32 min) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-event-q-a-dr-andrew-huberman-question-answer/id1545953110?i=1000576342167
[x] There is Where Self-Esteem Lives in the Brain by Anna Almendrala Published June 16, 2014 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/self-esteem-brain_n_5500501

Joshua Gillis on ”Neuro-FunC-tional Training Centering the Mind-Body Connection to Release Our Highest Potential”

“We have seen that the brain grows by use and that the more you use it, the better it will function.” Glenn Doman, the creator of the Doman Method"[i]
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/KUF52WCNRxU
I’d like to add, that the more we understand how our brain works, the more we will actually use it!
On the episode we will explore:
✔  The work of Joshua Gillis, Neuro-Integrator, and the outstanding results he has been having with world class athletes from the world of ice-hockey, to skiing, and wrestling.
✔ Where his work with "unlocking blocks in the brain" began.
✔ What we should all know about our the evolution of our brain and why movement is critical for "unlocking" our true potential.
✔ An Intro to the Neuro Func APP used to improve sports performance, cognitive abilities, and behavioral intelligence.
✔ How to access the FREE sessions in the APP to try it out.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a student, or in the modern workplace.
On today’s episode #238, we will be speaking with Joshua Gillis[ii], who is on a mission to spread his groundbreaking knowledge in neuroscience to as many people as possible, and maybe even convince them to become a member of the small but growing, NOWLiving community.  Before we get into WHAT exactly Joshua Gillis has discovered in this field, I’ve got to say that something about his work stuck out to me when his team contacted me.
While preparing for interviews, I want to be sure the topic is in line with our season theme of brain health as it relates to learning, and Joshua’s work goes deep into the brain and learning, which I saw with some of his teachers and colleagues who included Glenn Doman (USA), Blythe and Godard (UK) and (I hope I’m getting this one right, as I’m not well versed in Russian) Svetlans Masgutova (RUSSIA). This is quite a powerful list, but the minute I saw Glenn Doman, my mind went back to 1999 when I was working in the seminar industry, and the speaker I worked for, opened the seminar with the work that Glenn Doman was doing in PA, helping children with special needs accomplish the impossible. If you’ve ever heard my story, in those early days after I left the teaching field, I was still trying to figure out where I was meant to be working, and I would write down anything important that caught my attention when it came to helping young people live up to the potential we know we all have. When the speaker told us about Glenn Doman’s work, where we took a young boy named Brendon, who was severely handicapped, and was told he would “just live his life like a vegetable” and with the method of using his brain and movement, they had this young boy up and running (and I forget the time frame) but that’s not what was important. It was the fact his life changed 180 degrees from what everyone expected of him. I thought the story was profound enough to write his name and phone number on the first page of my seminar notes, where we I was supposed to be learning about how our mind is connected to our earning potential.  That weekend, I couldn’t stop wondering about what made such an impact for that young boy and it wasn’t difficult for me to find the notes I jotted down from that seminar.
IMAGE 1: My first introduction to the work of Glenn Doman in 1999 led me to purchase all of his books, and raise my two children with the Doman Method.
The problem with this #1 Best Selling Parenting Series was there was a huge gap with understanding the brain, or how it works, to allow me to properly use these books.
23 years after first hearing about the Doman Institute, I still have some of his books, but without any training these books and theories remained unused over the years, which to me is a huge waste.  I wonder if Joshua Gillis’ work could fill in the blanks of what I didn’t understand, so others listening to this podcast, could use these concepts to their advantage, and perhaps Multiply Their Baby’s Intelligence[iii] and join Joshua’s mission to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Let’s learn a bit about Joshua Gillis now that you have an idea of those innovators he has worked and learned with.
What Joshua has found, seems to be, the basic coding to unlock our brains to its true and full capacity like I heard about with that young boy Brendon, all those years ago.  His work is all based on the evolution of the nervous system and that our brain’s first job is to move the body. The result is a training and therapy system which will offer physical therapy, behavior and learning for children, psychology, endocrinology, men’s and women's health with a new more effective and holistic way to resolve these problems and so much more.
Joshua has been working 36 years as a therapist, treating over 10,000+ clients, including top athletes like:
Former Swedish ice hockey player, Peter Forsberg, who was known for his “on-ice vision and physical play” who was considered one of the greatest players of all-time, as one of NHL’s All Time Stars, and Winner of 2 Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Forsberg worked with Joshua for Rehabilitation and Increase in Performance and after his treatment he said “I could not even get my foot into the skates before getting the neuro-treatments. After surgery, and physio with the world’s best I had given up hope of ever skating again. Thank God I gave it one last try! After only 7 treatments I was skating and two months later back with the Avalanche and a million-dollar contract. This stuff is just unbelievable!”
I will put a link to Joshua’s top athletes in the show notes, that includes Markus Larsson, a retired Swedish alpine skier who took part in the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 winter Olympics who said “From the first treatment, I felt the difference. In a month after the treatments and neurotraining my finishes improved by 10 places to the top 10. Then, after a day of training and treatments with Joshua, I pulled off the impossible, a 5th place in the Olympics at 35 years old.”
How this happens, I don’t know…just as we still don’t understand exactly why when we turn on a light switch, electricity lights up our room, but Joshua has discovered something that “switches on” something in our brain, helping us to overcome where there were once blocks.
Let’s meet Joshua Gillis and see what we can learn about our brain and body, with an approach to improving the “human condition” that’s so interesting, that anyone listening will be moved and touched by his journey where he went from a Ski coach into pre-med and alternative medicine scouring the planet for knowledge living in Sweden, Italy and France, along with his personal struggle to help his two sons which is actually what led him to the creation of this work. I’m hoping he can unlock some of the mysteries of the brain, so we can all take something back to improve our own health, wellbeing and productivity.
Welcome Joshua Gillis, thank you for coming on the podcast today. Where have we reached you today? Are you still in Maine?
INTRO Q: Joshua, I’ve got to say I was thrilled to see your work come across my email, when your team reached out to me,  as it took me back over 20 years ago before I was even thinking about the brain and learning and came across some of your colleagues.  Can you take us back to when you began to make a connection with our brain, learning and movement? Where did this journey begin for you?
Q1: I’m sure you can see that I’m a huge Glenn Doman fan, and bought all his books when I was pregnant with my first daughter, of course, wanting to Multiply my Baby’s Intelligence before she was even born. I can’t be the only one who wanted to do everything possible in those early days. How did you meet Glenn Doman and what did you learn from his work?
Q1B: What should we know about the origin of our brain and our central nervous system?
 Q1C: What should we know about the brain to make it all simple?
Q2: So what’s behind the levels that you have used in your Neuro Func APP that you have used to improve sports performance, cognitive abilities, and behavioral intelligence?
Q3: So what exactly will people be doing at each level in the APP to improve their performance?
Q4: Does your APP help us to unlock our blocks through movement at each level?
Q5: This next sentence is profound. Especially with the topic I’m covering here on the podcast-helping people to learn how an understanding of their brain can impact productivity and results (in schools, sports and the workplace). You say:
“When certain and specific movements are practiced, there is a powerful shift deep within our unconscious mind that positively affects nearly all of what we are; emotional clarity, behavioral stability, intellectual and artistic ability, postural perfection and sports performance.”
Can you explain what this means?
Q6: What is your current focus/vision for your work?
Joshua, Thank you very much for coming on the podcast and sharing your fascinating journey to help us to unlock our brains so we can reach those higher levels of capacity.
Is there anything important that we have missed?
Final Thoughts
When I think back to the beginning of this episode, I was hoping that Joshua would be able to fill in the blanks for what I didn’t understand about the brain, but I realized that we don’t always need to understand everything. I learned that in order to unlock our potential, movement is critical, and Joshua has figured out the best movements that he has put into 5 levels in his app. I went through each level (you can sign up to access each level for FREE with your email address as well) and what I noticed was that there were some exercises I had recently started doing in physical therapy for neck pain. If you’ve ever been to physical therapy, you go when you need to recover your muscles from an injury, or recover from an accident or injury, and sometimes the exercises can feel like a waste of time. You do the same motion over and over again. But then, after each session, you express to your therapist whether you feel better or not, and after every session I had attended, I felt an improvement.
Before seeing Joshua’s app, or the exercises he’s been doing with athletes over the  years, I’m not sure I would have believed the power behind it all, until I thought of this one exercise called the “Cat Camel” that he has in the app.
If you have something that you would like to work on, I highly suggest trying his app, and see what you notice. I will be having Joshua back on the podcast to take a deeper dive into each of the 5 levels, but until then, try it out, and see if you can use movement, the basic blueprint of your brain, to unlock your potential, like we saw from the athletes he has worked with around the world.
I’ll see you next week!
LEARN MORE ABOUT JOSHUA GILLIS
Website https://nowliving.today/
NeuroFunC in the Apple App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/neuro-func/id1544667683 (Sign in with your email/password to access FREE Training).
EMAIL nowliving.today@gmail.com
SEE ALL APPS https://nowliving.today/applications/
TOP Athletes Joshua Gillis has worked with https://nowliving.today/top_clients/ 
RESOURCES:
Glenn Doman’s Work with The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential https://iahp.org/
Brain Gym https://www.braingym.com/
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Glenn Doman https://www.domaninternational.org/glenn-doman
[ii] Joshua Gillis Website https://nowliving.today/
[iii] How to Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence by Glenn Domann 2006 https://www.amazon.com/Multiply-Babys-Intelligence-Gentle-Revolution/dp/0757001831#:~:text=How%20To%20Multiply%20Your%20Baby's%20Intelligence%20provides%20a%20comprehensive%20program,for%20a%20lifetime%20of%20success.
 

Brain Fact Friday on ”How Conflict and Arguments Impact the Brain and Body”

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
On this episode we will cover:
✔ The future of educational neuroscience.
✔ A mid-year look at our goals.
✔ How unresolved issues impact our brain and body.
I’m Andrea Samadi, and for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I wanted to tie in our interviews from this week with something we can all use right away. I thought about what my friend Kate is building with YungMash Collective that we covered on EPISODE #235[i]—a mentoring community for young adults ages 18-30 to learn how to apply the most current cutting edge neuroscience to their lives to solve problems with their brain in mind. When Kate’s Dad heard this interview, he told her “what a noble cause” which is exactly what Simon Sinek said to me when he heard of my mission to make an impact in the field of education. It made Kate’s day to have her Dad’s support with her project…
Then I thought about Dr. Loretta Breuning’s Habits of a Happy Brain book that we just covered on EPISODE #236[ii] and I’m amazed at how new this topic of applying an understanding of our brain is, for improving our everyday life and results. Before this interview, I wouldn’t have thought about the serotonin boost that our mission would give both Kate and I, as Dr. Breuning taught us many things about how to increase our happy chemicals, and how serotonin increases when we have a sense of pride with our work, or social importance.
IMAGE: From Habits of a Happy Brain by Dr. Loretta Breuning
It’s only been recently that I began making the connection between the work we are doing here on the podcast, improving our results, and what our brain has to do with it all.  We’ve mentioned in recent episodes that “the first academic departments devoted to studying neuroscience didn’t appear until the 1960s” (National Geographic) proving this is a relatively new field of study to glean strategies from, and guide us towards an improved life.
Since we are now mid-year, in Q3 of 2022, I thought back to the beginning of the year, where we launched our 6 PART Think and Grow Rich[iii] book review on “How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever” and remembered that we opened each episode with a quote from Grant Cardone who said “In order to get to the next level of what you are doing, you must think in a wildly different way than you previously have been.”
Leading me to These Mid-Year Thoughts:
Are you thinking in a wildly different way than you did last year?
What are you doing differently?
What NEW results have you attained?
Have you broken any records, or moved beyond where you’ve ever been before?
Are you making an “effect” (which means a change) in the world?
Have you stopped to integrate your NEW success into your current life?
Remember, during our Think and Grow Rich book study, we said “it’s our DUTY or OBLIGATION” to win in 2022?
Do you think you are winning?
After thinking about these questions myself, I opened my email to see a note from Michael Thomas, the Director of the Centre for Educational Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London letting me know he has a new book coming out called Educational Neuroscience: The Basics[iv] that we will dive into a bit later this fall on the podcast. I had written Michael Thomas’ name on my desk last summer (June 2021) with a reminder for me to reach out to him after the interview with Professor and Canada’s Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Dr. Daniel Ansari, from EPISODE #138[v] on The Future of Educational Neuroscience. I knew Michael Thomas as a pioneer in the field and if it wasn’t clear to me 3 years ago, when we scratched down the name of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning as a podcast title, it’s clear as ice now, Educational Neuroscience is going to be a part of our future.
Michael’s forthcoming book reminded me of how important this topic is for all of us to understand, (whether we are training in the field of education or psychology) where these disciplines interconnect, helping us to question our assumptions about how our brains learn and what this means for education.   
For me, this means that this podcast is a lifetime commitment to keep learning, and sharing new ideas and strategies with you (as long as listeners tune in!). I’m committed on this end to finding high quality speakers, and representing their work for all of us to learn from, in the years to come.  I keep my eyes open for those who are winning, what they are doing, and then think of ways that we can all take our results higher, as we add this new understanding of our brain, to our everyday lives.
With that in mind, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I wanted to tie the importance of understanding our brain, for our physical and mental health, since we are focused on our health as it relates to learning this Season. This topic began to emerge more often during those early days in the Pandemic when families were suddenly forced under the same roof for work and school, and had to learn how to interact with each other in an entirely different way.  Remember those days? Did any problems emerge that you didn’t have to face prior to this time? No one like dealing with problems like this, but for our mental and physical health, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, we are going to look at the impact of NOT resolving our problems, and what that does to our health.
DID YOU KNOW THAT Unresolved issues (in your relationships, with your children, or even your work colleagues) … those problems we push aside because they are uncomfortable to talk about so we ignore them, to keep the peace, or have silence around a known issue, “damages our immune system in our brain and body? It damages everything about how we function as a human, damaging the tissues in our body, impacting our mental and physical well-being? Unresolved issues increase the vulnerability of our body by up to 90%” (Dr. Carolyn Leaf who appeared on our podcast last February 2021 for a BONUS EPISODE).[vi]
If we are going to reach those high levels of achievement this year, with whatever it is we are doing, and do things in a wildly different way than we ever have before, I highly suggest listening to Dr. Leaf’s most recent podcast episode where she talks about the impact of our thoughts on our health.
She shares a study that blew my mind when I heard it. She calls it “the Blister Study[vii]” and I’ve linked it in the show notes for you to see where participants were all given a wound or a blister on their hand, and then were directed to either solve an argument amicably, or in a toxic manner (either with yelling and screaming, or ignoring the problem by keeping silent). This was a controlled study, so some people didn’t act the way they would at home, but the study still revealed some fascinating things about the way we resolve conflict, and how our body heals.
After 3 weeks, smaller wounds should heal on their own (Dr. Leaf) while bigger wounds take longer. They brought the participants back after this 21-day period to see what happened to their small wound (the blister).
The study showed that those who were able to solve their conflict, or work towards a solution, (even if it was messy) came back and they had healed their wounds with an immune system that was working optimally. Those others who didn’t resolve their problems had compromised their healing from up to 65%.
Which made me look at my legs that I scraped up with a bad fall from hiking 3 weeks ago today. While I have other scars that haven’t gone away from other falls (that were more serious) the small cuts from 3 weeks ago were completely healed. Until I heard about this study, I would never have thought about how my mental health, and how I solve conflicts, could impact my physical health.
Have you ever thought about this? Did you know that if you are arguing with someone, and don’t resolve it, that you are compromising that person’s health right down to the level of how their brain cells function? That it actually “shortens the telomeres (that are like the ends of shoe laces, and protect the ends of chromosomes from becoming shorter) which impacts how we age.
To conclude this week’s Brain Fact Friday, if we are going to do things differently than we ever have before, one way would be to look at how we deal with conflict in our relationships.
Do we ignore issues to keep the peace, which we saw damages our brain and body, or do we do what’s difficult, and solve issues, as we think about the health and wellbeing of those people we interact with the most? If we really do care about others, solving our problems with our brain in mind is a healthy step forward.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend. If there’s conflict, I hope you solve it, rather than ignore it.
I’ll see you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #235 with Katherine-Alexander Dobrovolskaia on “YungMash Collective” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/katherine-alexander-dobrovolskaia-on-yungmash-collective-a-peer-to-peer-global-mentoring-and-empowering-community-based-on-cutting-edge-neuroscience/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #236 with Dr. Loretta Breuning on “Habits of a Happy Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/loretta-breuning-phd-on-habits-of-a-happy-brain-rewiring-your-brain-to-boost-serotonin-oxytocin-and-endorphin-levels/
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 of the “Think and Grow Rich Book Review: How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/
[iv] Educational Neuroscience: The Basics Forthcoming book by Cathy Rogers and Michael Thomas  https://www.routledge.com/Educational-Neuroscience-The-Basics/Rogers-Thomas/p/book/9781032028552
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #136 with Professor and Canada Research Chair Dr. Daniel Ansari on the Future of Educational Neuroscience  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-and-canada-research-chair-in-developmental-cognitive-neuroscience-and-learning-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE with Dr. Carolyn Leaf on her NEW book “Cleaning Up your Mental Mess” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/worldrenownedneuroscientistdr-caroline-leaf-oncleaningup-your-mentalmess5-simplescientifically-proven-stepsto-reduceanxiety-and-toxic-thinking/
[vii]Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokyne Production, Wound Healing December 2005  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16330726/
 

Loretta Breuning, Ph.D. on ”Habits of a Happy Brain: Rewiring Your Brain to Boost Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Endorphin Levels”

The secret of being happy is accepting where you are in life and making the most out of every day….
Or is it? Is there a secret to happiness that we can uncover by looking into the chemicals in our brain? We will find this out today.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/6Sb8wAsvwQ8
On the episode we will explore:
✔  A deep dive into the four happy chemicals in our brain.
✔ How to move past old patterns, behaviors and stress response circuits in our brain, for new results.
✔ Healthy ways to increase our happiness neurotransmitters.
✔ Vicious cycles we should all be aware of, and ways to break these cycles.
✔ How to rewire a "low trust" brain and what we can learn from how monkeys build trust in others.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, and on today’s episode #236, we have Loretta Breuning, the Founder of the Inner Mammal Institute,[i] Professor Emerita of Management at California State University and the author of  Habits of a Happy Brain[ii] and Status Games: Why We Play and How to Stop. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, Real Simple and numerous podcasts.
Loretta helps people to build their power over their mammalian brain chemistry, reminding us that “happiness comes from chemicals we’ve inherited from earlier mammals: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphin levels. When you know how they work in animals, your ups and downs make sense. Our happy chemicals evolved to reward survival behaviors, not to make us feel good all the time. But you can feel good more often when you understand nature’s operating system.”
Let’s meet Dr. Loretta Breuning and learn together, how to retrain our brain to boost our serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin levels, for a happier and healthier life by understanding why these neurotransmitters are important for happiness to occur in the present moment of our lives.
Welcome Loretta, thank you for coming on the podcast. We have been focused on our brain as it relates to learning, and when I saw your book, Habits of a Happy Brain I jumped to learn more about it, because who doesn’t want to learn more about our brain chemistry, especially when it comes to retraining our brain for happiness.
INTRO Q: Can we start with where your interest in this topic began? How did you go from being a University Professor, to writing books about our brain chemistry and connecting us back to our “inner mammal” and how our brain is wired for survival? 
Q1: You mentioned something in another interview[iii], that I think is important for us to understand. You said “we are all wired by our early experiences because this is when we have the most neuroplasticity.” What should we all know about how our brains are wired, that makes us all unique, right down to the level of the neurons in our brain?
Q1B: So, if we are to dive deeper into this, you know how we all have a trauma response, or when we are stressed, or experiencing overwhelm, we experience either fight (anger/irritability) flight (let’s talk about something else and avoid all of this) freeze (unable to move and disassociate), or fawn (where you keep the peace as a people please to avoid conflict)…all of these reactions hard-wired from our early experiences. I’m sure each of us, if asked, could think about which trauma response we use predominately. Once we are aware of our stress response circuit, what do we do with that?  Is it enough to just pay attention to whatever it is that’s causing a reaction and notice if it’s really a threat to you, or if we can just move beyond it?
Q2: When I think about happiness, I don’t usually think about what’s going on at the brain level (until reading your book).  I’m thinking, I want to move towards this, or I don’t. This makes me feel good, or it doesn’t. Do more of X, and less of Y. What’s behind this feeling of happiness? What 4 chemicals are showing up in the brain, and what should we know about how these 4 brain chemicals work?  (Page 14)
Q2B: To intentionally retrain our brain towards more happiness, is this a good formula? “look for the joy=dopamine, beware of masking my pain, it will be temporary (endorphins), look for those I trust (oxytocin) and keep an eye on my pride/desire for social importance with serotonin? Is this enough, or am I missing anything important? (Page 16)
2C: What are healthy ways to increase each neurotransmitter?
Q3: How does our brain wire itself early in life, and how difficult is it to break old wiring/habits?
Q4: What are some common vicious cycles we should be aware of? What is the solution to getting out of these cycles, or resisting habits that make you feel good in the moment, and then bad later?
Q4B: What tools do you have for people who are struggling to break a habit?
Q5: In Chapter 2, Meet Your Happy Chemicals, you say that “your dopamine circuits are built from your past experiences” and “that dopamine builds a neural template that helps you find your rewards” (page 36, Habits of a Happy Brain) all built from our life experiences, like the child who discovers a berry patch with their mother, triggering dopamine with the whole experience. What happens to the rush this person feels later in life, (eating berries, or other experiences that have been wired into the brain) and what should we understand about the ups and downs of dopamine?
Q5B: How can we translate this understanding into our parenting?
Q6: What about endorphin, that “masks pain for a short time” (Page 41) “that is only released if you push past your capacity to the point of distress” and allows you to move forward. We have recently addressed chronic pain[iv], with ways to retrain our brain using mindfulness and meditation, along with other strategies, but endorphin doesn’t seem to be a long-term solution to pain management. How does it contribute to our happiness if it’s a short-term solution to our pain?
Q7: What is the connection between oxytocin and trust? If you were standing in front of someone who just feels off to you for some reason, what happens at your brain level? Is oxytocin ONLY secreted with trust?
Q7B: You say that “our oxytocin pathways are built with life experience” (page 48) so would it make sense that if we have a hard time trusting in our past experiences that these neural pathways would lean towards mistrust with others until we had rewired a new pathway of trust?
Q7C: How would you rewire a “low-trust’ pattern in our brain?
Q8: How can we recognize when serotonin is flowing in our brain as we seek that feeling of being important or being respected, and how do our past serotonin experiences create our present expectations?  
Q9: What is your 45-day plan to rewire our brain towards happiness? How can we take all of this and make it applicable?
Q10: Why does our brain create unhappiness? What’s important with experiencing the contrast of happiness and it’s opposite?
Q11: Is there anything important that I have missed?
Final Thoughts:
Thank you Dr. Breuning for sharing your Habits of a Happy Brain and all of your research on this podcast. For people to learn more about your work, and access the incredible free video series you’ve created, I will put the link to your resources and where people can follow you in the show notes.
FOLLOW DR. LORETTA BREUNING
WEBSITE https://innermammalinstitute.org/trainings/
TWITTER https://twitter.com/InnerMammal
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LorettaBreuningPhD
LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorettabreuning/
YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/c/InnerMammalInstitute
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
REFERENCES:
 
[i] https://innermammalinstitute.org/about/
 
[ii] Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Endorphin Levels https://innermammalinstitute.org/books/habits-of-a-happy-brain/
 
[iii] The Quest for Status with Dr. Breuning and Mark Queppet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQFzCq8bSdk
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #133 with Ashok Gupta on “Getting to the Root of Chronic Pain and Illness” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/ashok-gupta-on-heath-and-happiness-getting-to-the-root-of-chronic-pain-and-illness-long-covid-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-and-others/
 

Katherine Alexander-Dobrovolskaia on ”YungMash Collective: A Peer-to Peer Mentoring Community Based on Cutting-Edge Neuroscience”

"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."  W.B. Yeats
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/-hQVyUdiBmk
On the episode we will explore:
✔ Why Kate launched a Peer-to Peer Mentoring and Empowering Global Community for young adults, ages 18-30.
✔ Who is Masha, who inspired Yung Mash Collective?
✔ Why Kate felt a sense of urgency to launch this Foundation a few months after losing her daughter, Masha, to a rare form of Cancer.
✔ What neuroscience cannot explain--the spiritual side of losing someone in the physical world.
✔ Lessons Bob Proctor taught in his seminars about the beauty of death, dying and the spiritual realm.
✔ Why some people "feel" things. Are they real?
✔ Kate's vision for YungMash Collective as place for young people to find answers to their problems, from trained Certified Neurocoaches.
 
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a student, or in the modern workplace.
On today’s episode #235, we are featuring return guest, Katherine Alexander-Dobrovolskaia who joined us last June, for our very first LIVE event[i] that we recorded from Hawaii.  For today’s episode, we welcome Kate back where she will share how she has turned an absolutely heart breaking loss into something life-changing for others with the launch of YungMashCollective, a new peer-to-peer global mentoring and empowering community based on cutting edge neuroscience, after losing her daughter, Masha, to a rare form of Cancer this past March.
Kate, who I met over 10 years ago in a community for those looking to learn how to apply the basics of neuroscience to our daily life, remained in close contact with me over the years, and she later joined Mark Waldman’s Neurocoaching Certification Program where we worked together to be sure we were both on track, completing the assignments. While it took me over two years to complete the course, Kate came into the program with a force to be reckoned with, motivating me to complete the lessons, so we could make use of the knowledge and certification program, to help others, with a sense of urgency. Kate completed her certification that first year, just before her daughter’s health began to decline.
I’ll let Kate tell her story, and how she is using her Neuroscience Certification to help others with this new foundation that she launched, YungMash Collective, to honor her daughter, Masha, and her gift to help others with problems they were struggling with. Let’s welcome my dear friend Kate, from the UK, and hear how she has turned her heartbreaking personal journey around, with her understanding of the brain, and this new Foundation to help others.
Welcome Kate. It’s always incredible to see you, especially face to face.  
INTRO Q: To begin, I just don’t have the words. Your story breaks my heart, as it would for any parent listening but especially for someone who saw everything happen first hand. Can you share what happened to your daughter, Masha, and orient our listeners to the why behind the YungMashCollective[ii]?
Q1: I know as a parent, we want our children to excel out in the world with whatever it is they are doing, especially when it comes to helping others along the way. While I’m sure you knew of Masha’s many talents, were there some things you didn’t know until you met with her friends at the vigil that night? What did you learn from gathering Masha’s friends together and the power that she had to help solve other people’s challenges?
Q1B: Knowing that anxiety and depression have reached an all-time high globally, besides the need for this age group that you are focused on with YungMash Collective.  What else beside the statistics we see everywhere about where things are in the world today, gave you a sense of urgency to launch this Foundation?
Q2: What services do you provide with YungMash Collective and how are you incorporating what we learned from Mark Waldman in our Neuroscience Certification program?
Q3: Now we are going to cross into the side of this that science is still exploring, but we can’t ignore the things that we “think and feel” when someone we love passes on from where we are in the physical plane, and moves to the non-physical or spiritual side. Can you share some of the mind-boggling things that you and Masha’s friends were talking about on your most recent podcast episode on Yungmash Radio, “Signs from Masha?”[iii] that prove without a doubt that she is still around with you?
Q4: Remember when my dear mentor Bob Proctor moved to the other side, just a month before Masha, and I shared something that he said with a voice recording, reminding us of how are “all spiritual beings, living in a physical body” and that he stopped being afraid of death when he began to look at how beautiful it was on this “other side.”  I know we can’t prove it with science, but what do you think about what he said, with the fact that “energy is neither created nor destroyed” and that when we move on, that we are still here energetically? He said “spirit is everywhere. What we see in the physical world and what you cannot see in the spiritual world are all connected, like the colors of the rainbow.”
Photo Credit: John Assaraf with Andrea's Neighbors in Toronto, Anita and Rolf Weiland
What have you seen that makes you believe this to be true?
Q5: I’m hoping in the next decade, we will have more answers to the things that science has yet to discover, but many people can access answers to problems they might have, by quietening their mind through meditation or mindfulness. I recently read that cognitive and clinical neuroscientist Athena Demertzi say that “during resting states, the mind still wanders. It goes here, there and everywhere—into the future, into the past” which reminds me of this interconnected world that we live in. If we can quiet our mind, and look for answers, what do you think Kate, these signs that we have both felt, and want to dismiss them as “coincidences” could they be our brain picking up things from the spiritual realm?
Q5B: If we are on this train of thinking, then everything that exists in the world is already here. We just need to tap into it. I can feel you and your energy without us talking. What do you think about that?
Q6: Now we’ve talked about the why behind your Foundation, with some fascinating stories that you and Masha’s friends have shared, how can people learn more about what you are building? When will you be launching?
Q7: Other questions that I have missed?
Kate, I want to thank you for sharing such a personal journey on our podcast. I truly love you and value our friendship and would do anything to send people your way who could benefit from what you are building. Is the best way for people to learn more is to connect via Instagram and Twitter? Other ways?
Final thoughts…
After Kate and I closed out this interview, and said our goodbyes, we both knew something very special had just occurred, and the synchronicities we experienced continued on for a few hours that morning. We both couldn’t deny that there is so much more to our connection that began while we were both beginning our journey with neuroscience with John Assaraf, and then to have him text me unexpectedly last Sunday after I sent Kate her questions was weird, but caught both of our attention reminding us that we are all connected, whether we are in the physical or spiritual world.  This got us looking a bit deeper at our connection and friendship. It began over 10 years ago, through John Assaraf, and then we both ended up getting certified through Mark Waldman. That might not sound like a big deal, but knowing most people don’t even finish this course, it’s shocking to us that we not only completed it together, but went on to continue to use the knowledge we learned with our work.  This brings me back to the quote I picked to open up this interview.  “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
 
Can you see the magic in your day? Do you feel the connection Kate and I feel with each other with someone in YOUR life? If you do, that’s all you need to do, just notice it, and know that it’s there. This way, you know that you are never alone. You are always surrounded by love and this in itself, is truly magical.
 
Keep looking for the magic in your day, and spread the word about Yung Mash Collective by staying in touch with Kate’s mission. This is only the beginning…
 
I’ll see you with our next episode.
 
 
 
 
 
FOLLOW KATE AND YUNG MASH COLLECTIVE
Website https://www.yungmash.com/
Get started https://www.yungmash.com/contact-us
Twitter https://twitter.com/yungmashC
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yungmashcollective/?hl=en
YungMash Radio on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KvZMDvmffrHkNto7v0wui?si=ZIRfEBVgTcGRrAFtWWTVDg&nd=1
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
The Light Between Us by Laura Lynne Jackson Published July 5, 2016 https://www.amazon.com/Light-Between-Us-Stories-Heaven/dp/0812987926
The Art of Dying by Peter and Elizabeth Fenwick Published August 26, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Art-Dying-Peter-Fenwick/dp/0826499236/ref=sr_1_3?crid=347QPKWXD04DR&keywords=the+art+of+dying&qid=1659468978&s=books&sprefix=the+art+of+dyin%2Cstripbooks%2C150&sr=1-3
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast FIRST LIVECAST EVENT with Katherine Alexander-Dobrovolskia. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-neuroscience-qa-livestream-andrea-with-katherine-alexander-dobrovolskaia/
[ii] https://www.yungmash.com/
[iii] YungMash Radio “Signs from Masha” https://open.spotify.com/show/5dzQAnZxXMjcrObXIfKi2t?si=EZv4QoavQMCyxf_mPXmqRQ&dl_branch=1&nd=1
 

Ashok Gupta on ”Health and Happiness: Getting to the Root of Chronic Pain and Illness (Long Covid, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and Others).

“If you do not make time for your wellness, you be forced to make time for your illness.”
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/3u2sCwB_mSg
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a student, or in the modern workplace.
This month, you might have noticed that we are breaking into a new season on the podcast, Season 8, where we are focusing on brain health and learning with a look at how an understanding of our brain can have an immediate improvement on our life, as well as our future generations. If you have followed our past few episodes, you’ll recall me mentioning our guest for today, Ashok Gupta, who is a well-known Neuroplasticity "brain retraining" expert who has spent the last 25 years researching the effects of the brain and the mind on illness. He suffered from a condition called ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, around 25 years ago when he was studying at Cambridge University. Through neurological research that he conducted, he managed to get himself 100% better. He then set up a clinic to treat others, and published the well- known neuroplasticity “brain retraining” recovery program he created, known as the Gupta Program[i] in 2007. He has published several medical papers, interviews experts in the field himself, like his recent interview with Dr. Joe Mather, medical director of a well-known functional medicine clinic in England called the Ruscio (ru-show) Institute[ii],  and is continually researching these chronic conditions. Recently, a randomized controlled trial was published showing the Gupta Program (that Ashok created himself) was highly effective compared to a control. The program now is used to support people with a wide variety of chronic illnesses, (like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia, among others that you can see listed on his website) and Ashok  Gupta is now on a mission to research and support people with chronic illness through this drug free and revolutionary, integrated and holistic approach.
When I was first introduced to Ashok and his brain-training program I thought of all the people I know personally who have had the frustrating experience of going to the doctor for something they know feels “off” in their body (whether an illness, or pain from an accident or injury” and the doctor says “there’s nothing physically wrong with them” and sends them off with a prescription for something (anti-anxiety medicine, or an anti-depressant) which doesn’t work, because it doesn’t come close to addressing the root cause.
If you’ve ever wondered why our body seems to hold onto an old injury, or what’s at the root of chronic disease like fibromyalgia, that causes years of frustration, lack of focus in the workplace and decreased productivity, there is a solution, and the answer shockingly comes with an understanding of our brain.
Let’s meet Ashok Gupta, and see how neuroscience is connected to chronic pain, and illness, and what he has seen from thousands of his patients around the world who use The Gupta Program.
Welcome Ashok, thank you for coming on the podcast to share the years of research you have done in the field of chronic pain and illness. What part of the UK have we reached you today?
INTRO Q:  To begin, I want to start from the beginning of your story because it really is incredible to see what you have built. I have watched some of your recent podcasts that people can access in the show notes[iii] and everything you share in all your interviews I find fascinating, and even ground-breaking. Can you share where this all started for you beginning with your own illness?
 
Q1: Ashok, the whole reason we launched this podcast, was to connect the brain to learning, and I heard you say it yourself that “most medicine is based on what’s measureable, and what is measureable is in the body. But the brain is a black box.” Without looking at the brain with fMRI scans, we just don’t know what’s happening (in medicine and with learning/education). How did you first think to look at the brain with chronic illness that led you to your hypothesis that I will let you share and explain?
 
How did you come to discover or hypothesize that in the case of chronic pain or illness that “maybe the brain is creating an artificial environment in the body because it’s overprotecting the system to ensure its survival” explaining why we feel pain or discomfort that doctors say isn’t there?
1B: We’ve all had an injury or something where the pain just never seems to go away or neck pain I’ve always had, if I came to see you about it, would you say that it’s a conditioned, or learned response? Perhaps tied to my posture at my desk, by not sitting up straight—what’s happening in this case? Why would the pain from an injury a long time ago still remain in my neck years later?  How does my brain create the inflammation/irritation I feel and how does it create a viscous loop building up more inflammation and pain in the body?
1C: What about hypnotherapy for pain reduction? With everything you have learned studying the brain and pain, why do some people respond really well to this type of therapy, while visits to the chiropractor seem to have very little impact on long-term pain relief?
1D: Has modern medicine caught up with brain retraining as a viable solution for chronic pain or disease?
Q2: When you discovered how the brain, specifically the amygdala and insula were connected to chronic pain and disease, what happened next? You obviously knew how it helped you with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but what about Long-Haul Covid, Fibromyalgia, Chemical or Mold Sensitivities, Gut Issues, Anxiety, Lyme Disease? There’s at least 12 conditions listed on your website and more listed in the Member’s Area. Is the solution to finding relief with all of these chronic diseases held within the amygdala and insula of our brain?
2B: Is emotional pain the same as physical pain?
2C: For people who want to learn more about your hypothesis, as well as your published medical papers, clinical study and new randomized control trial, they can read those on your website.[iv] How important was it for you that you were the FIRST original neuroplasticity or brain retraining program with over 20 years of experience? How has this helped you to pave the way in the brain-retraining industry?
Q3: Let’s talk about the Gupta Program that you developed. I signed up for your 28-day free trail[v] to see what your program offered, and I was impressed from the start. The FREE Trial gives you access to the first 3/15 sessions. Like you, I’m a course creator, and my earlier courses began on DVD (in the olden days) so I’m picky when it comes to online courses, with the eye from the creator point of view, and you have done an incredible job with your online program. How did you create such beautiful videos? Were you actually shooting in the mountains somewhere? Your program is definitely easy to use which does help new users looking for answers! (I’m guessing it’s on the Kajabi Platform?)
3B: I’ve just started the program, and have completed the first session out of 8. (Are there 8 session or 15?) I love it so far.  Will the brain retraining in the Gupta Program  help people like me with chronic pain, or is it just for the conditions we listed above?
Q4: What are the results that people are seeing using your program? I did watch the video testimonials that you have listed on your website[vi]. They are impressive! There’s a lot of success with Chronic Fatigue, and I also watched your interview with Dr. Joe Mather and his mold exposure story.
When people aren’t feeling well, what would be your recommendation? To use your brain-retraining program in conjunction with working with a medical doctor? What’s the best way to use your program? Where would people begin?
Q5: What’s next for you?
Q6: Is there anything important about your work that we have missed?
Q7: How did you learn to navigate your way through scientific articles on Pubmed?
For people to learn more about the Gupta Program, they can go to your website and like me, sign up for a free trial https://www.guptaprogram.com/free-trial/
They can also follow you:
FOLLOW DR. ASHOK GUPTA
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/guptaprogram
Twitter https://twitter.com/AshokGuptaTV
Ashok, Thank you very much for sharing your phenomenal program with us today. It’s clear that you have a heart to help people all over the world, especially those who don’t know where to turn.  I hope that anyone listening, feels “off” with their wellness visits your website to learn more and give your program a try. I know you are already helping people globally, just from reading the testimonials on your website, and do look forward to learning from you as a pioneer in mindfulness and mediation for improved well-being. Thank you so much Dr. Gupta.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.guptaprogram.com/
[ii] Dr. Gupta interviews Dr. Joe Mather, Medical Director of the Ruscio Institute, June 7th, 2022 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=1210685199469705&external_log_id=ea24049b-d07c-4d70-a576-1f747a984ee1&q=dr%20joe%20mather
[iii] Sam Visnic Podcast with Ashok Gupta on Retraining Your Brain for Chronic Conditions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z81QhEHYiQ&t=2235s
[iv] Learn more about Dr. Gupta’s research https://www.guptaprogram.com/conditions/treatment-for-other-chronic-conditions/
[v] 28 day free trial  of The Gupta Program https://www.guptaprogram.com/free-trial/
[vi] The Gupta Program Success Stories https://www.guptaprogram.com/success-stories/
 

Top 12 Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Interviews on YouTube

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for increased results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace, and release content to help all of us, specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity.
This weekend, I heard a message from New York Times Best Selling author of the book, High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard[i], that got me thinking about where we are right now in the world today. He said that while there might have been times during the Pandemic where we laid low, or held back in protective mode, the pendulum has swung the other way now, and that there is a high need for us ALL to be “more productive as a nation”[ii]  as we enter this next phase of the economy, and showing up with our A-game is not just timely, but crucial.
I know that listeners of this podcast are high performing, with learning new things at the top of your list, so with this in mind, for today’s EPISODE #233, I wanted to go back and review our TOP 12 Most viewed YouTube Video Interviews, as chosen by you, the listener, so we can all go back to the basics, and review some of the most important lessons learned on this podcast, since we launched just over 3 years ago.
I used to love listening to radio icon, Casey Kasem’s American Top 40[iii] back in the 1980s on my clock radio when I was in high school, where he would leave you in suspense as he counted backwards, to the #1 song, but for this countdown, I will start with our #1 most listened to episode, with something I remember about each one, or the speaker, and a link that we can all use to revisit, and “Sharpen our Saw”[iv] as Dr. Stephen Covey would say, as we can go back and review these most listened to episodes with the 7th Habit.
Since I keep an eye on the numbers of this podcast, whether it’s with the audio interviews, or video, I thought it was interesting that the Top 10 list holds 8/10 people who were in our early interviews, or the 1st 100 interviews, with 2 people who came in later, and rose to the top. While I think ALL interviews hold important lessons, let’s begin with our Top 12.
Let the Countdown Begin…
The #1 most watched interview, is our first interview with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, EPISODE #77 on “Developing and Delivering High Quality, Distance Learning”[v] that we can all remember came right as parents and teachers were thrown unexpectedly into the world of online learning. Watch this interview by clicking here https://youtu.be/7nLe3P50j4Q and review their tips to help all of us succeed in this every changing world. Don’t miss their return to the podcast for EPISODE #161 with their new book with John Almarode, “How Learning Works”[vi] where they tie learning and the brain What I will never forget with both these interviews is the timing of them. I’m sure no one will ever forget just how disastrous it was bringing our children to at home learning, and by the time we got to revisit everyone, for EPISODE 161, we were right in the middle of the Pandemic, and I remember in the second interview, we ALL had terrible colds. None of us cancelled this interview, that we did at 6am PST but we all said prayers for family members who were struggling with COVID, and we covered the content, using all of our energy to do so. I do receive emails about 2 two specific interviews from Education Departments in different parts of the country who ask if they can use them as models for their students on best practices for interviewing as well as for the content provided, which brings me to think about the fact that regardless of how we are feeling before we have to present something, “A Pro is at their best, regardless.” (Bob Proctor).  
The second most watched interview was with Howard Berg, The World’s Fastest Reader, with over a 90% comprehension rate on “Simple and Easy Strategies to Improve Reading, Comprehension and Recall.” Watch this interview here https://youtu.be/Al0B6HzxtEk This was such a fun interview, as Howard is an incredible teacher who I had no idea was like me, a former swimming teacher who learned about the importance of the student “wanting to learn” to swim that he translated into learning years later. I had met Howard years before I asked him to do this interview, and followed his work, using one of his speed reading strategies with my youngest daughter to help her to stay focused with reading. (It’s a common strategy of putting your finger on the page while you are reading, but Howard can show you that this practice can significantly improve reading speed and comprehension with many other important tips to improve memory and learning, that I think includes using humor to engage your students.
The third most watch interview is with Suzanne Gundersen on “The Polyvagal Theory in Practice” that you can watch here https://youtu.be/WCFrygUG-UI Understanding the Polyvagal Theory, and how our body shifts between rest and digest, fight or flight and total shut down became important for educators in the classroom to understand the states of minds of their students, and why they were acting certain ways, with strategies that can be used to calm down a student who might be struggling. I’m not going to skip this bit of feedback that you can read in the comment section of this interview, because it’s important that when we receive constructive criticism that we hear it. This interview on stress reduction, I do hear often “why did you choose that hyper music for a stress-reducing interview?” The answer is pretty simple, I try not to be defensive, and hear the criticism, so I can take it in to learn and improve, but I honestly had no idea what music to use when I first started out. I can see now that I should have chosen a calmer selection of music for this interview.  We are all learning together here. 
The 4th most watch interview is with Dawson Church on his Bliss Brain Book and Daily Meditations. Watch the interview here https://youtu.be/bH8yVKHjFN4 While I still use Dawson Church’s meditations EVERY morning, that you can access through his book, I really could have used them in the interview when my landscapers came, and my dog Nitro went cray, barking for what felt like an eternity.  Dr. Church was a pro and explained “The Neuroscience Behind Remodeling our Brain for Happiness, Resilience and Joy” without skipping a beat. When this happened, I could see his calm brain in action, and it really did show from my end, knowing there was a lot of noise that I did cut out. 
The fifth most watched interview is about Dr. Anna Lembke’s popular book, “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence” where she takes us through the fact that “we are all running from something” and looking at where we are out of balance using her strategies to help tip us back to balance, towards increased energy and productivity. I had to reach out to Dr. Lembke after seeing her on Dr. Huberman’s podcast, and she continues to show up on podcasts in my stream to this day, as this topic isn’t losing its importance. Watch this interview here https://youtu.be/5Pu82wZRZwo What I loved about this interview was that she was all about “finding balance” and explained how it was possible to do this. She shared that we don’t need to give up those things that we love, but take a break from them, and you will notice a brain reset in the process.
In 6th place, we have Dr. David Sousa with his series “How the Brain Learns” that was handed to me from an educator over 8 years ago, who urged me to go in the direction of neuroscience. Dr. Sousa’s series that’s now in its 5th edition, is one of the books I picked up when first beginning to understand how our brain learns to read, do math, how the ELL brain learns, or the special needs brain learns—each book explains the science behind learning and the brain. Watch our first interview here for EPISODE #78 https://youtu.be/4welQLkKm5I and then review our second interview when this book went into Its 5th edition here https://youtu.be/148InRAxFts
In 7th place, we have Marc Brackett with his early interview, EPISODE #22 on his book, Permission to Feel that you can watch here https://youtu.be/CeOzi8ZrFO4. I still follow Marc’s inspiring work, but what I love seeing the most is when someone’s work comes full circle. If you follow Marc on Instagram, you would have seen the post about his niece, Esme, who recently graduated from high school, and Marc posted a beautiful photo of the two of them, and wrote that he hopes that he is “as good an uncle to her as her grandfather (Marc’s Uncle Marvin who inspired his work) was to him.” (Marc Brackett). When I think of the thousands of schools using Marc’s Ruler approach, and the mark he’s made on the world, I can’t even begin to imagine how much he’s inspired this young lady. I might just have to find her, and interview her to find out!
Licensed and board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) Jessica Minahan comes in 8th with her book “The Behavior Code” that helps us to all understand and teach the most challenging students. Jessica’s work was referred to me by Greg Wolcott, who we have interviewed on this podcast, twice, and Greg often sends over ideas and suggestions for speakers to feature. I wish I knew about The Behavior Code when I was a first-year teacher, facing a classroom filled with behavioral students. You can watch this interview here https://youtu.be/oQqFN110gMM 
Mark Robert Waldman, comes in 9th with EPISODE #30 on “Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living” where Mark began exploring the importance of mindfulness with creativity, and productivity that I learned first-hand in his Neurocoaching Certifcation Program, (that took me 2 years to complete). His program is the ONLY program led by University faculty who are currently doing peer- reviewed brain-scan research in the field of Network Neuroscience. If you watch this interview, you will see how Mark loves teaching everyone how to maximize our brain power for improved results, when it comes to money, happiness and success. He is now working on a new book with Andy Newberg, MD. On “Balancing Your Default Mode Network” Watch our interview here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54bmB6_gPGc 
The 10th spot goes to Todd Woodcroft who at the time was an Assistant Coach with the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL. He’s since moved up to a Head Coach Position with D1 Men’s College Hockey, but if you follow his work, you would see that he still remains closely tied with the NHL, male and female player development as well as youth development. Our interview on “Embracing the Daily Grind in the NHL” is applicable for all of us, whether we are a teacher in the classroom, a coach, or working in the corporate world, as he makes a strong case for the daily habits that are embraced, not feared at the pro sports level. What’s interesting with this interview, is that it’s another case of things coming full circle, as many of the people Todd mentions in this interview (2 years ago), or who he worked with, have now moved forward in their career, using these principles, including himself, which to me shows that there is a science to success. When we “embrace the daily grind” or do things a certain way, we can attain predictable results. Watch this interview here https://youtu.be/uNFT4-Yg_kI 
Kelly Roman comes in at #11 with our interview on the Fisher Wallace wearable medical device that combats insomnia, anxiety and depression. I just released EPISODE 231[vii] where I recap my personal review of this device that I didn’t even know existed until interviewing Kelly Roman. You can watch our interview here https://youtu.be/jCtbngfXoYg that Kelly says is his all-time favorite interview. I think it’s neat to look back to this interview, when I had no idea that a device like this even existed, to see my personal review that improved my sleep by much more the gold standard of 20 minutes each night. When I wrote this review of the device, I began getting emails about my experience, and whether I still use the device, leading me to release that recent update, sharing that I still do in fact use the Fisher Wallace device to keep my WASO scores low, and now that I know it increases serotonin, I’m sure it does help my mood to be more even keeled and worry less about life’s usual stressors. 
John Ratey, MD comes in 12th on our countdown with our interview #116 on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.” You can watch this interview here https://youtu.be/ZTa1zwpQcxQ  for a reminder of how important moving our body is for the proper functioning of our brain.  When I reviewed Dr. Ratey’s interview, I was reminded of the intense research I do on each guest. I’m not sure where I read that Dr. Ratey spent some time as a Zen Monk, but I think it was something he hadn’t thought about for some time. I often refer back to Dr. Ratey’s interview where I first began to make the connection with the importance of exercise for learning and retention. 
I could keep counting down and reviewing the Top 40, like Kasey Casem’s Show, but I would be here writing all night.  To close out today’s EPISODE #233, I wanted to go back to what I heard Brendon Burchard mention over the weekend, with the importance of ramping up our learning, and that we must become more productive as a nation. It’s not the time to shrink back, and be protective, but lean forward, review our goals, notice what’s working, and what isn’t, “Sharpen Our Saw” and then move forward with everything that we’ve got.
I hope that reviewing our TOP 12 most watched interviews gives you some ideas to gain more clarity and perspective with whatever it is that you are working on, raising your ambition to do just a bit more, and show up, with you’re A game for a strong last half of 2022.
I’ll see you in a few days. :)
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
REFERENCES:
[i] www.Brendon.com
[ii] Brendon Burchard on “What to focus on as we enter this next phase of the economy.” https://www.growthday.com/iphone2
[iii] https://www.iheart.com/live/classic-american-top-40-6545/
[iv]The 7th Habit https://www.franklincovey.com/habit-7/#:~:text=Sharpen%20the%20Saw%20means%20preserving,emotional%2C%20mental%2C%20and%20spiritual.
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, EPISODE #77 on “Developing and Delivering High Quality, Distance Learning.” https://youtu.be/7nLe3P50j4Q
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #171 Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode on Their New Playbook "How Learning Works"https://youtu.be/1Zw3E1OZnl4
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #231 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/update-one-year-later-on-my-personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-sleep-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleep-management/
 
 

Brain Fact Friday: PART 2 on ”Chronic Pain and the Brain: It IS All in Your Head”

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for increased results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace.
For today’s EPISODE #232 and Brain Fact Friday, I wanted to stay on the theme of chronic pain and disease as we prepare to speak with Dr. Ashok Gupta[i] next week, a well-known Neuroplasticity "brain retraining" expert who has spent the last 25 years researching the effects of the brain and the mind on chronic pain and illness. I have so many questions for him, and hope you will tune into this next episode where I know he will answer everything, and give us all a solid plan for how to move forward to live healthier, more productive lives with our brain in mind.
After posting last week’s Brain Fact Friday, where we looked at chronic pain and the brain, asking “is it all in our head” I received many messages, including one from cognitive neuroscience researcher John Harmon, from EPISODE #170[ii] who added to our post on LinkedIn, saying that “most neuroscientists who study pain say it IS in the brain. And beliefs about bodily pain -- such as "I think this treatment will reduce my pain" -- are (obviously) in the brain also. There is a very real physical connection between pain perception and one's beliefs, emotion, attitudes and the rest of the mind.” He sums this all up saying, “If the mind (including pain and thoughts and beliefs about it) = a set of functional neural networks, it’s easy to see how the mind can either amplify, or dampen, pain -- via the two sets of FNNs (functional neural networks) either amplifying, or working to dampen, one another.”
This shows me something I’ve thought about for years—that it does matter what we think about.
Which brings me to this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
DID YOU KNOW THAT “Negative thoughts cause your brain to immediately release chemicals that affect every cell in your body, making you feel bad; while the opposite is also true—positive, happy, hopeful thoughts release chemicals that make you feel good. Your thought patterns can also have long-term effects. Repetitive negative thinking may promote the buildup of the harmful deposits seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and may increase the risk of dementia, according to a 2020 brain imaging study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.”[iii] (Dr. Amen, Your Brain is Always Listening.
In the world famous physician Dr. Daniel Amen’s recent book that he published in the middle of the Global Pandemic, Your Brain is Always Listening, he affirms that it’s not just the thoughts we are thinking about our health and wellness that are damaging for us, but how we think about everything that we do. If Your Brain is Always Listening,[iv] it makes sense to me that it’s fed positive thoughts about our mental AND physical health just like what John Harmon said about “the real connection between pain perception and one’s beliefs, emotion, attitudes and the rest of the mind.”
This is one reason why I don’t like sarcasm. I don’t think it’s funny at all to poke fun of yourself or another person for anything. I’m pretty serious about this, as it just hits a chord with me. If I ever hear someone putting themselves down in any way, I’ll mention it and say something like “well that’s not true” hoping it will switch that person’s mind from this practice that I didn’t realize until writing this episode could contribute to the risk of this person developing dementia later in life.
It’s important what we think about whether it’s in relation to that nagging pain we feel in our body, or those automatic negative thoughts that Dr. Amen writes about in his book, Your Brain is Always Listening.
Julia Gover’s TED Talk on Pain and the Brain that we mentioned in last week’s Brain Fact Friday explains the science behind this concept when she said that “pain is an output of our brain, not an input from our body” and that our brain “takes cues from our mood (and the level of stress hormones in your blood) from your environment (sight, sounds and smells), from your memory (to see if you’ve been in this situation before) and it will also take into account your own personal beliefs about your health and your body. Then it takes all of this into consideration and asks—do I need to protect myself. If the brain thinks there’s a threat, it will produce the experience of pain to protect you.”[v]
REVIEW
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday, DID YOU KNOW that “negative thoughts cause your brain to immediately release chemicals that affect every cell in your body, making you feel bad; while the opposite is also true—positive, happy, hopeful thoughts release chemicals that make you feel good.
It’s important more than ever that we find strategies to keep our thoughts positive, and eliminate negative thought cycles.  If you find yourself waking up and not feeling happy, for your physical and mental health, I think it’s of high importance to look for ways that you can switch this.
IDEAS FOR KEEPING OUR THOUGHTS POSITIVE
TIP 1: I covered one way that I’ve kept a positive mindset, while at the same time boosted mental clarity and focus, with EPISODE #231[vi] on my “Update on the Fisher Wallace Brain Stimulator” that increases serotonin and melatonin, while decreasing that stress hormone cortisol. Check out this episode that covers my results with using this wearable medical device designed to combat insomnia, anxiety and depression.
TIP 2: You could also read Dr. Amen’s book Your Brain is Always Listening where he talks about our “hidden dragons” that we can uncover for solutions to controlling our happiness and changing hard-wired habits in the brain.
IMAGE CREDIT: Dr. Daniel Amen's Presentation on "Your Brain is Always Listening" Published on Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unHhPdefYIU&t=547s
TIP 3: Work it out with exercise that Dr. Amen says solves most mental and physical problems.
Whatever you decide to do to keep your thoughts positive, remember:
I’ll see you next week as we dive into Dr. Gupta’s discoveries about chronic pain and illness and how the thoughts we think about really do matter.
Have a wonderful weekend.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.guptaprogram.com/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #170 with Cognitive Neuroscience Researcher, John Harmon https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/cognitive-neuroscience-researcher-john-harmon-on-our-brain-and-mind-under-pressure/
[iii] Your Brain is Always Listening by Dr. Daniel Amen published March 2, 2021 Page 98
[iv] Your Brain is Always Listening by Dr. Daniel Amen published March 2, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Your-Brain-Always-Listening-Happiness-ebook/dp/B08B52RL74/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlemWBhDUARIsAFp1rLVYEas79vkAA4DfBVEozW0I0l9boqpf8jXQDApjjBFYpn4NNjXFtFQaAp5UEALw_wcB&hvadid=534670613194&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030068&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6191731203555851064&hvtargid=kwd-1523419927192&hydadcr=22565_10355049&keywords=brain+is+always+listening&qid=1658503764&sr=8-1
[v] Julia Gover Pain and the Brain TEDx Northwich Published on YouTube August 21, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-1M95Kthw
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #231 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/update-one-year-later-on-my-personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-sleep-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleep-management/
 

UPDATE: One Year Later on ”My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Sleep Device for Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep Management”

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for increased results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace.
For today’s episode, I wanted to look back over the past 3 years and cover the most asked question that I receive via email, which stems from EPISODE #120 from last April 2021, on “My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device for Anxiety, Depression, Sleep and Stress Management”[i] which remains our most listened to episode of all time. We do have all of our past interviews that you can watch on YouTube[ii] and I would like to review our Top 25 in the near future (as chosen by YOU) because this is one very powerful list, with some surprises, and others who have remained at the top of the list every time I look.  Until then, I thought I’d answer the most asked question that comes in to me via email since it has to do with this most downloaded episode.
It’s no surprise that EPISODE #120 of “My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device” has had over 5,500+ downloads since we know that there has been “a global increase in depression and anxiety with tens of millions of additional cases reported globally in 2020”[iii] and from the emails I’ve received, it’s clear that people are searching for answers.
The question that I’ve answered the most since publishing that episode is:
“Do you still use the Fisher Wallace Device that you reviewed last year? If so, why?”
If you want to review our interview with Kelly Roman, the CEO of Fisher Wallace[iv] that markets this wearable medical device, that’s cleared by the FDA, for depression, insomnia and anxiety, I’ll link our interview from last February 2021[v] in the show notes and you can learn directly from Kelly Roman on why this device was described by Forbes as “one of four technologies innovating mental health.”
But to answer this question:
I absolutely, 100% still use the Fisher Wallace wearable device, every day for two 20 minute intervals.
***It’s important to note that this is not a paid endorsement of the product. When I interviewed Kelly Roman, I had not yet tried the device, and during the interview I mentioned that my brain scan with Amen Clinics showed signs of sleep deprivation,[vi] and I didn’t know how exactly I should fix that, other than “get more sleep.” At the end of the interview, Kelly offered to send me a device to try and see what I noticed, and I agreed.  While the details of this interview I had to review to remember, I didn’t forget that I I didn’t plan on wearing the device past the trial period. I remember thinking “I’ll see what happens” and just couldn’t imagine that this device would become a part of my daily routine along with my morning meditation.
***Also, another important reminder that I am not a medical doctor, and none of the advice, ideas or strategies I offer on this podcast should be taken as medical advice.
Back to the question…Do you still use the Fisher Wallace device, and why?
When I went back and reviewed the interview myself, I remember that I had never heard of a wearable device that was designed for anxiety, depression and insomnia. Even though these devices are not new, Kelly Roman shared with me that they actually originated from Russia in the 1960s and were called “electrosleep” devices, yet I still had never heard of a device like this for home use.
While I knew my sleep could use improving, I definitely didn’t suffer from insomnia, that neuroscientist Matt Walker dives deep into on his most recent podcast where he reminds us that insomnia, the most common sleep disorder affects ½ people and is classified when we have either “difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep or not feeling refreshed or restored by our sleep the next day.”[vii]  
None of these were me, but I had been measuring my sleep for months before trying the device and knew I could improve the time I was waking up at night, without knowing it, (which is called our WASO score- or wakefulness after sleep onset) so I took Kelly up on his offer to try the device to see if it could help me to stay asleep longer.
He was right with how simple and easy it was to try it out. While my device was gifted to me, I would have gladly paid the $500 fee to try it out.  I recently saw for people who are on their mailing list, the price was to just a couple of hundred dollars since this interview, and remains at a discounted price on their website. Kelly did mention that the more products they sold, the more they could reduce the pricing to make this wearable device comparable to something like the Whoop that we’ve talked about often.  The device arrived 2 days after the interview, via FEDEX and I began my clinical trial testing the product at home, using a FITBIT.
RECAP of 2021 RESULTS: Sleep Results After Using the Fisher Wallace Device for Five Weeks
I took this study seriously, and measured sleep each night for 5 weeks, with one week establishing my baseline. When I sent Kelly Roman my results, he suggested that I look at each week using the device, compared to the baseline of 5 hours and 28 minutes of sleep.  In week 1 there was not much change due to that one night I worked late, week 2 showed an increase in 35 minutes of sleep, Week 3 an increase of 23 minutes, week 4, an increase of 42 minutes, and week 5, the same increase of 42 minutes above the baseline.  According to Kelly Roman, 20 minutes of sleep increase is what he says would be the gold standard minimum that doesn’t seem like a lot but allows for improved REM sleep and over time he says reduces sleep debt.  
This was powerful to hear that my study showed an increase of much more that this gold standard of 20 minutes’ improvement showing me that the device worked better than I realized before I had shown Kelly these results.
When asked, “what results did you get from your trial?”, I share this fact, and just tell people to try it out, and see what it does for you. If you like it, keep using it, if not, they have a very simple, hassle free 30-day return. 85% of those who try the device, end up keeping it in the end, like I did.
RECAP of 2021 RESULTS: Mood and Anxiety
I did notice some other improvements in addition to sleep, and I know the device also helps to improve your mood, anxiety and depression. While depression does run in my family, and it’s something I am fully aware of, it’s not something I’ve encountered any symptoms with to date, and I think this might that I’m aware of the fact this runs in my family, so I maintain a certain amount of exercise to keep the endorphins and neurotransmitters flowing. I mentioned to Kelly in the interview that the device could save someone’s mental health if they didn’t have access to exercise, were in a wheelchair, elderly or disabled as it’s a healthier way to calm the mind and entrain the Alpha Brain state that is attained with meditation. Studies show the device helps to increase serotonin and melatonin, while decreasing cortisol, the stress hormone.
While using the device in the initial experiment, I also noticed that I had more patience, was less high strung or anxious, and was calmer with my day-to-day activities. This change was noticed immediately and along with an increase of energy, I was able to complete more tasks, in less time, and felt less stressed before going to sleep.
FAST FORWARD: From April 2021 to July 2022
Over a year later, I still use the device, like I mentioned, it’s a part of my morning routine. It can be used at any time of the day to calm the brain. Kelly Roman did suggest using it before bedtime it you want to improve insomnia. I chose to add it to my morning routine because I didn’t have the symptoms of insomnia, just wanted to improve overall sleep health.
Sleep (AFTER) Where am I now, a year later? From 50% range to 60 and 70%
While I no longer use the FITBIT, and can’t do a side by comparison like my home study, I now use the Whoop device, and can easily look at where my sleep was showing up when I began using this device in April 2021. Whoop gives you a sleep score every day that shows how much time you were awake, in light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep and it took me some after the study for significant changes to show up, but by November of 2021, my low sleep score in the 50s jumped up to the 60s and 70s and a 70% sleep score is the parameter that WHOOP gives if you are getting “enough sleep” based on the amount of strain you have in your day, to properly recover your body.
Just from looking at the graphs in the show notes, you can see the lighter days represented lower sleep performance and darker days represented higher sleep performance. The darker days (higher sleep performance) started to become more often after with time, and improved sleep became more consistent. To me, my sleep has clearly improved but it did take some time to jump from 50% scores using to scores in the 60s and 70s.
FIGURE 1: April 2021-January 2022
Sleep scores jumped from high 50s to mid 70s  
FIGURE 2: February 2022- June 2022
Sleep scores remained in the 60-70% range.
Mood and Anxiety (AFTER):
One of the reasons I kept using the device was that I just felt more even keeled with it. During the interview Kelly Roman mentioned that the device “helps to increase serotonin (the neurotransmitter that mediates satisfaction, happiness and optimism) and melatonin (a hormone associated with the sleep-wake cycle), while decreasing cortisol (the stress hormone)” so it made sense to me why I felt a calming effect. Kelly further explained that the device “helps to modulate the Default Mode Network and regulate the parasympathetic nervous system” which is quick and simple way to destress the brain and body.
CONCLUSIONS:
Using the device has a similar effect as meditation, calming the brain in two 20 minute sessions. While everyday life stressors seem to be easier to combat with daily meditation, I’m not planning on give up another tool that can help me to stay calm during stressful times.
So, when asked “Do you still use the Fisher Wallace device” my answer is 100% yes. It’s something I plan to continue using.
While I can clearly see that I’m not the model for perfect sleep, (that I can attain only while on vacation) I think that for something that targets improvements for “the most common sleep disorder that impacts 1 out of 2 people” (Matthew Walker) it’s worth giving it a shot.
If you want to learn more about this device, go to their website and click on the research tab to see their most recent studies.https://www.fisherwallace.com/pages/research
If you would like to try the device, just go to their website and do some research of your own. If you do try the device, I’d love to know what results YOU noticed. Send me an email and let me know.
I’ll see you later this week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
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REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Podcast EPISODE #120 on “My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
[ii] Watch ALL Past Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODES here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKhiYc5glhacO9k9WTrSgjzW
[iii] Global Increase in Depression and Anxiety Oct. 21, 2021 by Karen O’Leary https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-021-00064-y
[iv] https://www.fisherwallace.com/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #108 on YouTube with Kelly Roman, CEO of Fisher Wallace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCtbngfXoYg
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Podcast EPISODE #84 PART 3 “How a SPECT Image Brain Scan Can Change Your Life”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/
[vii] Matt Walker Podcast Insomnia PART 1 https://themattwalkerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1821163/10976547-26-insomnia-part-1
 

Brain Fact Friday ”Chronic Pain and the Brain: Is it All in Your Head?”

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) aligning our lives to the most current brain research.
This week's Brain Fact Friday will explore:✔ How neuroscience is a new field of study--where it began in academics in 1960, and where it is today.✔ How fMRI scans changed the way we can look at and study the brain.✔ Where advancements in neuroscience are going (in education and other sectors).✔ How fMRI scans can help us to learn more about chronic pain and disease.
IMAGE CREDIT: PAGE 51 of National Geographic's June 10, 2022 Issue on The Brain: Discover the Way Your Mind Works.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher or student in the classroom, or in working the modern workplace.
This season, Season 8 of the podcast, and our third year of creating content, I wanted to take a deeper dive into the importance of brain health since this 3 pound organ of remarkable matter that we all have, our brain, literally controls everything for us.  We all have a brain, but it still boggles my mind that we were never taught how to use it. We have now entered this “new era of neuroscience”[i] where we are gaining a deeper understanding of what makes us human, and the latest breakthroughs in science that can propel us all forward in ways we never could without the latest discoveries in science. When we think about how new these concepts are, this topic is truly fascinating, and I can understand why there is so much interest in this podcast, along with others of the same theme. Who wouldn’t want to know the latest secrets of the brain, and how they are relevant to our daily life?  
This topic is a relatively new field of study, where the first academic departments that focused on studying neuroscience didn’t begin until the 1960s, and then “for the next 40 years, brain science was hyper-focused on establishing the basics like
What is a neuron?
How do brain cells communicate with each other?
What are the brain’s functional areas that map onto behaviors?”
(National Geographic, page 5)
This solid foundation does help us to learn about different parts of the brain and uncover their functions, but I’m sure that you are like me, and have more questions that there are answers for when it comes to uncovering the mysteries within our brain.
When fMRI scans came about in the early 2000s, this changed the way we could look at the activity within the brain, and advancements in our understanding took a fast track, going far beyond just what we could see looking at the brain through a microscope.
I’ve mentioned it before on this podcast, that in the early days of studying neuroscience, we went from seeing research that was focused on different parts of the brain (like the amygdala or hypothalamus) to seeing entire networks in the brain as technology advanced.  Studies became focused more on the neural pathways, or the interconnected brain, bringing to light that when we take an action, it’s not just one part of the brain we should consider, but the “immense networks of the brain working together, sometimes across blurred borders and multiple functions.” (National Geographic, Page 6, The Interconnected Brain).
It’s taken some time (well, it’s taken over 60 years since those early academics began studying neuroscience) but we are now finally seeing positions in the field of education turn up in certain states where leaders like Dr. Lori Desautels[ii], an Assistant Professor at Butler University, just shared that in her state (Indiana) schools that were just a few years ago beginning to add social and emotional learning department heads, are now looking for those who are trained in the field of educational neuroscience. This topic is broad, and important not only for those in education, but in every sector of the modern workplace.
Which brings us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday, where we are preparing for an upcoming interview (closer to the end of this month now), with Dr. Ashok Gupta[iii], who is a well-known Neuroplasticity "brain retraining" expert who has spent the last 25 years researching the effects of the brain and the mind on illness, when he began researching ways to help himself with chronic fatigue that he was diagnosed with. He was frustrated with his own health and became fascinated in learning more about how his brain was connected to his body (in the late 1990s) when he began looking for answers, no one was talking about the brain/body connection. He says that medicine was focused on what we could measure, but the brain was a black box (without fMRI scans) that no one could peer into.
Like Dr. Gupta, I’m sure we can all relate with an injury we’ve had in the past, where the pain just doesn’t seem to go away. We keep going to the chiropractor, massage therapist or physical therapy, with no avail. Or we’ve gone to the doctor with chronic pain, or when we just don’t feel right, and the doctor does a bunch of blood tests, and says “there’s nothing wrong with you,” so we get a frustrating diagnosis of fibromyalgia, or some other autoimmune disease where doctor visits seem never-ending, and results or healing never occur.
It’s not been until recent discoveries that the brain was even considered with chronic pain or disease, but Dr. Gupta kept looking for answers within the brain, until he found them. We’ll learn more about Dr. Gupta’s discoveries when we speak with him, that has made a serious case for the fact that chronic pain, or illness, is due to the fact that “maybe the brain is creating an artificial environment in the body because its overprotecting the system to ensure its survival.” (Dr. Ashok Gupta).
Which brings us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday. I wanted to take a closer look at how neuroscience is connected to chronic pain.  Data from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that in 2019, 20.4% (or 1/5) adults had chronic pain and 7.4% of adults had chronic pain that frequently limited life or work activities (called high impact chronic pain)[iv] lasting more than a 3-month period.
Do you relate?
Have you had an injury and the pain just never seemed to go away?
Does this pain bother you while you are working, or impact your sleep?
Have you been to the chiropractor, or any other health care provider and it’s helped for a short period of time, but the pain returns?
I surely do relate to this and I’ve wondered for years. What is this pain in my neck? The doctors say there’s nothing structurally there, so off I go to physical therapy and learn to stand up straighter, and work without leaning forward, but the pain is always there and it has been since I slipped and fell on a pool deck in my late 20s. I’m not one of the 7.4% of adults whose life is limited with pain, but it’s been there all those years I was studying in University, or teaching a class, or leading a presentation. I always end the day with some neck exercises and Biofreeze for pain relief.
When a top sports chiropractor, who has worked closely with athletes and sports teams in my state evaluated me years ago, he seemed surprised that for someone who seemed to be doing things the right way, that I couldn’t solve this one thing—this pain in my neck. I definitely started to wonder “is this pain all in my head?” and now, I think there is some truth to this.  
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, DID YOU KNOW THAT “there is no single brain region that generates pain” (National Geographic, Page 58) and that “our pain is in our head…not for some people, but for everyone, 100% of the time?”[v] (Julia Gover, Pain and the Brain TEDx). Dr. Gupta will explain what he has discovered about how the brain creates a vicious loop of inflammation in our body (or you can watch his recent interviews here)[vi] but Julia Gover explains it really well in her TEDx talk on Pain and the Brain[vii].
Julia likens the pain we feel to a fire alarm that senses fire by being sensitive to heat and smoke, not specifically to the fire itself. This is exactly like our body. She explains there are “no pain signals, pain pathways, or pain nerves in your body—it’s the receptors on the end of your nerves that are receptive to pressure, touch, chemicals in the area, or temperature. Our brain takes clues from our mood, from our senses, and memory to see if we’ve been in this situation before. It also takes into account our own personal beliefs about your health and your body.” (Grovers)
We can see now that pain is a subjective experience and I began to learn more when I read that “two people may undergo exactly the same procedure, but they may come up with a very different pain response and also (pain relief) requirements.”[viii]
It goes back to Dr. Gupta’s hypothesis for pain, where he guessed that “maybe the brain is creating an artificial environment in the body because it’s overprotecting the system to ensure its survival.”
The brain takes everything it’s experiencing into consideration and asks—do I need to protect myself? If the brain thinks there’s a threat, it will produce the experience of pain to protect you. (Like the fire alarm sounding when it senses danger with smoke or heat).
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday—
Did you know that “although brain injury and chronic pain reshape how the brain works” that “the brain itself cannot feel pain?” (National Geographic, The Brain Page 50).
Which means that pain doesn’t exist in our body, it’s created by our brain and projected onto our body. So, if you have a pain in your neck like me, that just doesn’t go away, we do know that our brain and its neural networks are involved. We will dive deeper into this topic next Friday, and hopefully, Dr. Gupta will answer our questions on the best solutions we can use to resolve our chronic pain the following week. Until then, have a wonderful weekend, and hopefully its pain free. See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
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 REFERENCES:
[i] National Geographic, The Brain Discovers the Ways Your Mind Works (page 5) Published June 10, 2022 https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Brain-Editors/dp/1547859121/ref=asc_df_1547859121/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598244665656&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16963226721841914892&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030068&hvtargid=pla-1672909059785&psc=1
[ii] Dr. Lori Desautels https://www.facebook.com/revelationsineducation
[iii] https://www.guptaprogram.com/
[iv] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db390.htm
[v] Julia Gover Pain and the Brain TEDx Northwich Published on YouTube August 21, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-1M95Kthw
[vi] Sam Visnic Podcast with Ashok Gupta on Retraining Your Brain for Chronic Conditions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z81QhEHYiQ&t=2235s
[vii] Julia Gover Pain and the Brain TEDx Northwich Published on YouTube August 21, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-1M95Kthw
[viii] National Geographic, The Brain Discovers the Ways Your Mind Works (page 5) Published June 10, 2022 https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Brain-Editors/dp/1547859121/ref=asc_df_1547859121/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598244665656&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16963226721841914892&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030068&hvtargid=pla-1672909059785&psc=1 Page 53

Howard Rankin, Ph.D on ”Falling to Grace: The Art and Science of Redemption”

“The one who falls and gets back up is so much stronger than the one who never fell”
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/BkGLDGqmfUU
On the episode you will learn:
✔ How a personal story from Howard Rankin, can help all of us reach our highest levels of potential.
✔ The power of honesty and truthfulness with relationships.
✔ Why seeing the "spirit" in others is so very important.
✔ The steps we can expect to take if a "Fall" happens so we can recover quickly and gracefully.
✔ The importance of rising above our "primitive brain" when dealing with difficult situations.
✔ What happens to our physical and mental health if we hold "trauma" within.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, for EPISODE #229. I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces.
Today we are welcoming Howard Rankin back for the 4th time to the podcast, to cover his newly released book, Falling to Grace.[i] Before reading Howard’s book this month, I had no idea of his story. I saw his book come out in April, on his birthday and knew we would have him back on the show to discuss it, knowing it would be full of thought-provoking lessons, but I had no idea just how personal, and deep his story would be. If you recall, Howard Rankin first appeared on the podcast this time last year for EPISODE #146[ii] where he taught us “How Not to Think” and that our thinking is full of cognitive biases. While reading this new book, I found myself asking a question, that he would answer later in the book, showing me that it’s easy to jump to a conclusion but that we should all be aware of the “limitations of our thinking.”
This book also brought to light that we are all “spiritual beings having a human experience” and the importance of seeing the spirit in everyone, and treating them without judgment as we never know what their internal struggles might be.  We learned from Dr. Marie Gervais on EPISODE #214[iii] on her book The Spirit of Work that there’s a shift when can see someone’s spiritual side, and can also connect science to everything that we do. If you have ever looked at someone and noticed their spirit, you will know exactly what I mean. I’ll never forget the first time I looked at someone and saw them shining brightly, seeing their potential that they were unaware of. They were sitting in front of me, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget, and was probably one of the reasons why I do what I do today. We all have tremendous potential within us, and this podcast was designed to help us to become aware of it, then use it.  
But sometimes things happen in our life that make us question the direction we are going, but there is always a way around life’s obstacles. Howard’s book shows us that we can move beyond anything and connect our internal struggles to the most current brain research, in this quest to move towards redemption and healing.
I knew Howard lost his license as a psychologist and that it was important to cover, but I didn’t know how…which didn’t really matter to me. None of us are exempt from the story Howard will share—no one is exempt from Falling, in our personal or professional lives, but if we do, will we know how to Fall to Grace, with the lessons Howard shares for us? Howard’s story of tremendous loss and pain hold lessons we can all benefit from, especially if we want to reach our highest levels of productivity and achievement in this thing we call life. And if there’s something inside holding us back (like Howard will share) or anything else that might be bothering us, internally—that there is a way around it, to what he calls redemption—and it’s available for anyone who wants to do the work to achieve it.
“We can be redeemed only to the extent to which we see ourselves.” – Martin Buber
Let’s welcome back Howard Rankin for a 4th time to the podcast and see what we can learn from his lessons of Falling to Grace.
Welcome Howard, it’s wonderful to see you again. Thanks so much for coming back for a 4th time to the podcast.
I’ve got to say, your story is beyond painful for anyone to read, and witness first-hand the tremendous loss that occurred. It was heartbreaking to know this happened to you (and your family) and like the note I sent to you when I began reading your book, the lessons you are sharing with us are priceless because none of us are exempt from falling, but your experience gives us a pathway to fall with grace. Thank you for sharing such a personal story to help others find their way back up in a way we can all take something of value from and apply it in our own lives.
INTRO Q:
You say in the beginning of the book that you use your own story “mainly as a guide to the challenges of illuminating one’s conscience and what that entails” and that people can read the details about your circumstances in the appendix but the general idea is that you were a well-known psychologist with a very good reputation, had appeared on ‘The View’ and was featured on 20/20 as well as in many other media outlets. 
Then you crossed a line into this grey area that changed everything for you.
For those who want to read your entire story, they can read your book, for today’s interview I want to focus not so much on what happened, but for someone listening, who might be struggling with something internally, what can we all learn from your experience about the importance of dealing with those difficult emotions of guilt or shame?
Q1: You mention in your book that “While some studies have suggested that as many as 70% of people who experience trauma come back stronger, there has been concern that this can be misleading and there are clearly large numbers of people who struggle to get back to pre-trauma baseline, or never recover at all.” I noticed during a recent interview with someone who had recently lost his license that there was tremendous pain around everything that stemmed from false accusations that were written online, to everything he went through, and he lost so much in the process. Whether someone is in the public eye, or not, your book is a guide to help people begin the healing process, (after a Fall) but can you describe the steps or stages that people should consider going through while rebuilding their life after such a significant loss? Where does someone begin?
Q2: As I was reading your story, I kept thinking “How could this entire situation have been prevented in the first place” (I’m sure this thinking is flawed—first off, what cognitive bias[iv] would “how could this all have been prevented” be? What trap do I create when I’m thinking like this?
Q2B: Then I wondered, for the co-author of the book Intuitive Rationality[v], was there anything that you saw or felt back then that might have alerted you to “this person could destroy my life, career and future?”
Q2C: I thought about this question while hiking this morning. Why couldn’t both parties rise above their primitive sides and have fallen to grace together? Is emotional intelligence not enough? At what point do we all need to be aware of personality disorders?
Q3: When you talked about false accusations and that “the limited brain doesn't easily undo past associations and emotions especially to 'flashbulb' moments, critical events of high emotion. To change the association requires some effort and the fact is that few people are prepared to make the effort to go beyond the first biased, egocentric thought that comes into their minds about anything.” In a world where words spread fast online, and are permanent, how do you deal with your personal life being broadcast all over the internet for people to read and put their own spin on whatever it is they are reading, with their own cognitive biases?
3B: When someone says something about another person online, that’s enough to highly consider a lawsuit, since this type of behavior can damage a person’s future. I remember you mentioned there was something written online that you wanted removed (and it’s not there now, or I would have been sure to find a way to help you to remove it). What did you learn about the importance of knowing our “digital imprint” and when do you know when to take legal action, or just let some things go?
Q4: You mentioned that there will be people who make up their minds based on what they read online, but for the people who know you, nothing changes, like your son who said, “I know who you are.”  What did you learn from your son when he said that?
4B: How did you handle the people who you thought were your friends? 
Q5: Some lessons stuck out that struck a chord for me because I know you are right, but it still burns me to think there are people like this in the world. You said, “There will always be someone wanting to profit from your misery.”
Your advice: For the most part the best plan is to ignore them. Don’t give them any power over you and that “your redemption really depends on you acting differently. Your redemption is about not getting drawn into useless fights and emotional spats but rising beyond that primitive mindset.”
Besides meditation and long jogs, how did you get to this place of rising above where most of us would be operating at a lower level?
Q5B: How have you learned to listen to other people’s criticism without being defensive?
Q6: How did an understanding of the brain help you here?
Q7: What did you learn from Mary-Frances O’Connor and The Grieving Brain[vi] that can help someone to get through Grief with their Brain in Mind?
We covered this question in the beginning. One of the first lessons I learned from Bob Proctor when I worked with him all those years ago was the importance of taking responsibility for my thoughts, feelings and actions, and never blaming anyone else for what I think, feel and especially my results. You said it loud and clear that “you cannot escape the hell without taking responsibility” and that “until you take responsibility you have no credibility.” Can you explain that?
Q8: What did you learn about how trauma impacts the body? (Bessel van der Kalk and Dr. Lief). Why is forgiveness important for our physical and mental health?
Q9: If I was to sum up the top lessons learned from your story, Falling to Grace, what would they be?
Howard, I want to thank you very much for writing this book to help all of us to learn how to fall to grace, and reminding us that we are all human beings, hard wired with emotions (Jaak Panksepp) and we can with an understanding of our brain, learn how to control the feelings we have attached to these hard-wired emotions, helping us to rise above our primitive selves, and be our best selves, like you have shown we all can accomplish. Thank you so much for all you contribute to the world with your books, podcast and teachings. I’ve learned How Not to Think, and many lessons from the importance of Falling to Grace that would be a blessing if we could all master in our lifetime.  Thanks Howard.
To learn more about Dr. Howard Rankin
Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/HowardRankinBooks/
A website where he posts blogs: https://ithinkthereforeiamwrong.com/
LinkedIn and Instagram
Email: DrHRankin@gmail.com
WEBSITE FOR THIS TOPIC www.hownottothink.com
NEW BOOK FALLING TO GRACE: https://www.amazon.com/F alling-Grace-Art-Science-Redemption-ebook/dp/B09KHK9ZC1
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Falling to Grace, by Howard Rankin, Published April 2022  https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Grace-Art-Science-Redemption-ebook/dp/B09KHK9ZC1
[ii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #146 with Howard Rankin on “How Not to Think” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #214 with Dr. Marie Gervais on “The Spirit of Work: Connecting Science Business Practices and Sacred Texts for a Happier and More Productive Workplace” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/marie-gervais-phd-on-the-spirit-of-work-connecting-science-business-practices-and-sacred-texts-for-a-happier-and-more-productive-workplace/
[iv] List of Cognitive Biases https://thedecisionlab.com/biases?utm_campaign=TDL+Dynamic&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ad=564666141031&hsa_src=g&hsa_cam=14567061057&hsa_kw=&hsa_grp=127713121155&hsa_tgt=dsa-19959388920&hsa_ver=3&hsa_acc=8441935193&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8amWBhCYARIsADqZJoXVRqivwle3n2OaSqUArDe26i61KSN1OC6vBlEw4rDYwHz7EaTP6QkaAlIhEALw_wcB
[v] Intuality AI Website https://intualityai.com/
[vi] The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary Frances-O’Connor Feb. 2022  https://www.amazon.com/Grieving-Brain-Surprising-Science-Learn-ebook/dp/B093ZZ7HZY
 

Brain Fact Friday ”Review of Heart Rate Variability: The Most Important Biomarker for Tracking Health, Recovery and Resilience.”

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results.
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher or student in the classroom, or in working the modern workplace.
For today’s Brain Fact Friday, I wanted to revisit a topic that we have covered once already on the podcast, Heart Rate Variability or HRV. We covered an introduction to the importance of understanding HRV back in April of 2021 on EPISODE #125[i] on “What is HRV and Why is it Important for Tracking Health, Recovery and Resilience?” I wanted to go back to this episode and the basics of HRV because it’s such an important number to measure and understand “not just for health and recovery on a regular basis, but (for) resilience.” (Neurohacker.com) Recently, I found myself not being able to explain what it is, or knowing exactly how I can manipulate it for improved results, leading me to take a closer look at what it is, or go back to HRV Basics.
What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Why is it Considered “the Most Important Biomarker--a measure that captures what’s going on in a cell at any given moment that can serve as an early warning system for your health?”[ii]
Unless you have been training with a forward-thinking coach, you’re an elite athlete, or someone who has taken a serious interest in measuring their performance, most of us have not heard of, or really understand what exactly heart rate variability means. From the name, we can tell it has something to do with our heart rate. Maybe you’re like me and you measure your own HRV and have even studied it to see what exactly it is, but when it comes to explaining it to someone else, you just say when asked what it is “that it’s just an important number to know.”  When I heard that Dr. Rabin, a board-certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist, would consider HRV to be “the most important biomarker for tracking health” I knew it was time to revisit HRV closely so that I could better understand it myself, and explain it to others with more confidence.
I wondered:
What is HRV again?
Why is it the most important biomarker for tracking health, recovery and resilience?
What tools can I use to measure it?
Besides clean eating, sleep and rest, how else can I improve this important number?
Can I dive deeper and look at my HRV, and see if I can manipulate a higher score by doing things a certain way when I’m experiencing high stress or having an off day?
How can I stay motivated when life is difficult to keep pushing forward and have more high HRV days than low?
REMINDER: WHAT IS HRV?
After reviewing EPISODE 125, where we covered “What is HRV and Why is it Important?”  I remembered that this number measures a person’s ability to bounce back from stress. Kristen Holmes and Emily Capodilupo from Whoop are HRV experts and they remind us on their most recent review of HRV that “it’s the timing between the beats of your heart and that the variability comes from the sympathetic side (where we take action) and the parasympathetic side (where we rest or digest).”[iii]
BALANCING OUR PARASYMPATHETIC AND SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM:
Our goal is to find balance between the two parts of our autonomic nervous system. When there’s balance, we will see a lot of variability, or a HIGH HRV that tells us that our nervous system is balanced and that “you have a lot of resources that are available and ready to use.” (Kristen Holmes/Emily Capodilupo, Whoop’s HRV 101 Podcast).  This is why more and more athletes are using wearable devices like Whoop, or there’s the Oura Ring[iv], so they can wake up and see their score, and gain some insight into this number over time, using it for their training schedules.  If you wake up to a high HRV score, then you know it’s going to be a good day, with lots of resources available to you whether you are an athlete training for an event, or if you just want to operate at your highest capacity.
When your HRV score goes down, it’s because “one set of the inputs, usually the sympathetic (action-taking) part of our nervous system is dominating, producing cortisol and the parasympathetic side, isn’t getting heard.” (Kristen Holmes/Emily Capodilupo, Whoop’s HRV 101 Podcast).
WHY IS UNDERSTANDING THIS NUMBER SO IMPORTANT?
Now that HRV has been explained, (what it is) and I feel that I’ve got a solid understanding of what a high HRV score means, ( I have more capacity to perform)  versus a low HRV score, (where I’m not as balanced as I could be), I wanted to review why this number is so important for measuring rest, recovery and resilience.
I listened to Whoop’s most recent podcast on HRV Insights where they took all of their HRV related podcasts and gave the highlights of these on this one episode, and I heard internal medicine and journalist Dr. Bob Arnot, (ar-not) say that “HRV is the best overall marker for biological age—it’s how springy your overall autonomic nervous system is”[v] and world-renowned HRV expert Dr. Daniel Plews said that “knowing your HRV gives you more bang for your buck when you train” and then Whoop’s Vice President of Performance Kristen Holmes, (who joined us on EPISODE #134)[vi] agreed, saying that “you show up with more capacity to training, and that it matters what you did the day before for next day capacity and next day HRV.”
So, a higher HRV number is what we want to look for, if we have a day where our performance is important. Not just for athletes, but also an important number to watch for our productivity in the workplace. Will Ahmed, the founder of Whoop warns us “to avoid comparing your HRV to someone else’s as it’s “me verses me” number, and that we should be concerned with our score versus our baseline, and not ever look over the shoulder of someone else’s numbers to compare.
WHAT TOOLS CAN I USE TO MEASURE THIS SCORE?
Before measuring my HRV with Whoop, (that has a yearly fee associated with it[vii]), I started with a free app[viii] on my iPhone and it felt accurate and was a great place to start. Then I moved to measuring this number with Whoop when I was preparing for my interview #134 with Kristen Holmes[ix] and decided to purchase a membership and try it out.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THIS SCORE?
So, if this score is so important, how can we improve it? There are many articles you can read that will give you tips on improving your HRV[x] but world class stunt guy, Steve-O told Whoop that he swears by his high HRV Score with “mindfulness and meditation”[xi] which made me think beyond what we already know with clean eating, sleep and exercise.
While researching HRV on a deeper level, I got an email from the Rewire Fitness App that I had been using, since EPISODE #179[xii] with the CEO of Rewire Fitness[xiii] Sun Sachs, on Their First to Market Neuro Performance Mobile App for Athletes and the email said that I had been entered into a contest to win a prize (and the prizes were actually ones I could really use). The email said that the more we used this app, the more entries we would get into this contest. I thought, “I’m in” thinking that maybe I could see if I could increase my HRV levels with increased usage of this app, but adding something else to the plate is easier said than done, even with these incredible prizes.
Even though I had been using this app regularly since our interview last November, I have to say that I wasn’t using it twice a day (like Jack-O said gave him his noticeable HRV boost) and I was sometimes skipping a day. But this contest motivated me to take this all seriously and test out whether using the app, twice a day, consistently, could manipulate a higher HRV score with predictable results I could use in the future when needed. Here are the results:
DAY 1: Friday July 24th, I took the Rewire Fitness app readiness test that I take first thing in the morning, (that takes just a few minutes and it involves hitting a key when you see a shape appear on the screen) flagged me with high cognitive fatigue. It also showed low scores on the physical track, but my emotional track was looking good. I was tired, and the app picked it up, giving me a Readiness Score of 53 at baseline, was congruent to how I was feeling.
With this new understanding of HRV, after reviewing it last week, it would make sense that my HRV score would also be low, and I went over to the Whoop app to see, and it was. You can see on Friday, my HRV score took a dip down to 58 from 96.
Remember, if you do measure your HRV, don’t compare it to mine. 58 that’s a low score for me, could be a high score for someone else. The Rewire app had me do a Mindset Recovery Program that included guided breathing, binaural beats, self-talk, subliminal priming and visualization. I did do two meditations suggested for this day, in addition to what I already do in the morning.
DAY 2: The next day, Saturday July 25th, I woke up, took the 2 minute readiness test as usual, and all of my scores (cognitive, physical and emotional) had improved, giving me a rating of PRIMED with a score that went from 53 to 63. A quick glance at my Whoop app showed that my HRV score went up (just slightly) from 58 to 63 which I was hoping to see. I did do two meditations that the app suggested this day, in addition to what I already do in the morning.
DAY 3: Sunday night, July 25th, I went to bed, and wanted my score to be higher the next day, so that I could make a case for Jack-O’s theory that mediation and mindfulness really does improve your HRV score, and show how the Rewire App took me me from “Tired to Re-Wired” in one weekend, but I wasn’t sure it would work.
Not that I doubted the app, but when we are measuring something like HRV, there are so many different variables that can affect this number. Emily Capadilupo mentioned that if you are slightly dehydrated, this number can be decreased. So, I did everything I knew of,  to raise my HRV Sunday night, and Monday morning, woke up to an increased HRV score of 85, and a PEAK score on the Rewire Fitness app that went from 53 on Saturday to 88 on Monday.
RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT:
From this weekend experiment, it was clear that meditation and the mindfulness exercises did increase my HRV number, giving me more resources to draw from on Monday morning.
If you are measuring your HRV score over a long period of time, you can play around with this number to see what brings it up, and what takes it down. Obviously when we eat clean, get enough rest, and sleep, our score goes higher. Test it out and see what makes your score go higher for you, or lower. The CEO of Kernal, Bryan Johnson, says his HRV goes up higher when he sings. While my singing isn’t good enough to increase my HRV score, for such an important biomarker for tracking health, recovery and resilience, I plan to continue to do whatever I can to keep this number high.
MOTIVATION:
Which brings me to motivation because there are times that we just don’t feel like doing the activity that we know is important for our health and every day well-being. I often have days like this, and having a system that you can draw energy from within yourself can really help.
EXTRINSIC VS INTRINSIC MOTIVATION:
To review motivation, I revisited Clayton Christensen’s ground-breaking and besting selling book for motivation in the classroom, Disrupting Class, where he reminds us that “motivation can be extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the task where a person might learn to do something not because they found the task itself stimulating or interesting, but because learning it would give them access to something else they want.” This would be like me using the Rewire Fitness app that I had gone off course with, in order to win the prize I wanted, or the sales person who makes extra sales calls to earn a higher commission, or the athlete who trains hard to win that trophy at the end of season. The motivation comes from outside the task.
Intrinsic motivation is when “the work itself stimulates and compels an individual to stay with the task because the task by itself is inherently fun and enjoyable”[xiv] and I noticed this happening after using the app for some time, and seeing my results go up. I really started to enjoy doing the meditations and brain training when I could see how it was helping me to improve.  The motivation came from doing the task itself, just like when we exercise, and start to see how great we feel, it’s really hard to stop, once it’s a part of our routine.
I thought about what was motivating me to begin using the Rewire Fitness app 2/day to increase my HRV like Jack-O said worked for him, and it was interesting because although I knew it was an important part of my day to Rewire my brain, sometimes I would forget to do the readiness assessment in the morning (even though it just takes a couple of minutes) but the minute there was a contest to use the app, with prizes I could really use, I suddenly became highly motivated to use the app. I was extrinsically motivated by the contest, and like Clayton Christensen reminded us, this makes learning something new much easier. I was motivated to win the prize, but when I saw how much the app helped improve my HRV, I suddenly became intrinsically motivated, and using the app alone, without the contest, was enough. Contests are great motivators and a good way to jumpstart someone to begin taking new actions. 
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?
Looking deeper at motivation, I thought back to when I worked in the motivational speaking industry, and Bob Proctor was always talking about how he signed up for this Yo-Yo contest to win this red sweater he really wanted. He kept saying “you’ve got to want the sweater” to remind us of why we do what we do. He became a phenomenal yo-yo master, as close to a pro as I’ve ever seen, just to win this red sweater. 
So what’s your red sweater? What motivates you to do what you do? 
The key is to figure that out, and then whatever you are doing becomes so much easier, whether it’s adding a mindfulness and meditation app to your day, or just going back to the basics with clean eating, sleep and nutrition. You can draw on the energy from “your red sweater” or whatever it is, and before you know it, you don’t need the contest, or the red sweater, but you’ll be taking action, without the need of a prize to motivate you. Until one day life knocks you off course, it’s always good to know that you have your red sweater to draw on, and a predictable way of staying on track, keeping your HRV levels high.
REVIEW AND CONCLUSION:
To close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday, DID YOU KNOW that “Heart Rate Variability has come to the forefront the last 40 years as being the most important biomarker for tracking health and recovery on a regular basis, and not just for health and recovery, but resilience” (Neurohacker.com)
What is HRV again? HRV is “the timing between the beats of your heart and that the variability comes from the sympathetic side (where we take action) and the parasympathetic side (where we rest or digest).” (Whoop Podcast HRV Insights)
Our goal is to find balance between the two parts of our autonomic nervous system. When there’s balance, we will see a lot of variability, or a HIGH HRV that tells us that our nervous system is balanced and that “you have a lot of resources that are available and ready to use.” (Kristen Holmes/Emily Capodilupo-HRV 101 Podcast). 
If you wake up to a high HRV score, then you know it’s going to be a good day, with lots of resources available to you whether you are an athlete training for an event, or if you just want to operate at your highest capacity.
If you wake up to a low HRV score, you’ll need to draw on the energy of whatever it is that motivates you (your red sweater) to keep you moving towards health and wellness.
I used the Rewire Fitness App to show that I was able to go from tired, to rewired, and raise my HRV over the weekend, setting me up for a strong week, with lots of resources available for improved performance the next week. And I’ve got to say, it came in really handy, because this was a challenging week and I needed to be mentally sharp.
The key in raising HRV, (to attain this resiliency and sharpness) is to pick what makes you feel good (happy and healthy) and track this score to see what you notice. With time and trial and error, you should be able to get predictable results and do what you need to do to increase your HRV levels that give you more capacity with whatever it is you are doing, as well as with recovery and resilience.
I hope you have found this review of HRV as helpful as I did. I’ll see you next week with Howard Rankin who is returning back on the show for the 4th time, to talk about his most recent book, Falling to Grace[xv], as well as Dr. Ashok Gupta[xvi], who will share with us why an understanding of the brain is important for eliminating chronic pain and chronic disease.
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #125 on “What is HRV and why is it important for tracking health, recovery and resilience.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/what-is-hrv-and-why-is-it-important-for-tracking-health-recovery-and-resilience-with-andrea-samadi/
[ii] Biomarkers https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/science/biomarkers/index.cfm
[iii] Whoop Podcast HRV Insights https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hrv-101-insights-from-the-whoop-podcast/id1445509665?i=1000530228812
[iv] https://ouraring.com/
[v] Whoop Podcast HRV Insights https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hrv-101-insights-from-the-whoop-podcast/id1445509665?i=1000530228812
[vi]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop on “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
[vii] https://www.whoop.com/membership/pricing/
 
[viii] https://welltory.com/
[ix] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop on “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
[x] Tips for Improving Your HRV by Roni Radhakrishnan August 18, 2021 https://www.medicinenet.com/how_can_i_improve_my_hrv/article.htm
[xi] Whoop Podcast HRV Insights https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hrv-101-insights-from-the-whoop-podcast/id1445509665?i=1000530228812
[xi] https://ouraring.com/
[xii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #179 with Sun Sachs, CEO of Rewire Fitness on Their First to Market Neuro Performance Mobile App for Athletes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sun-sachs-ceo-of-rewire-fitness-on-their-first-to-market-neuro-performance-mobile-app-for-athletes/
[xiii] https://rewirefitness.app/
[xiv] Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns by Clayton Christensen https://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Class-Expanded-Disruptive-Innovation-ebook/dp/B00422LBY6/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjwk_WVBhBZEiwAUHQCmbNtWNQSbSZuYVry-Jprwv-Ms8v9hMGvJ_sq6ZNGHq7IO38Hc_LoLBoCFEgQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241643135200&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030068&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7203507980497277162&hvtargid=kwd-6896407241&hydadcr=21875_10169765&keywords=disrupting+class&qid=1656605317&sr=8-1
[xv] Falling to Grace, by Howard Rankin, Published April 2022  https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Grace-Art-Science-Redemption-ebook/dp/B09KHK9ZC1
[xvi] Ashok Gupta https://www.guptaprogram.com/
 

CASE STUDY: Manjula Veeranna from India on ”Transforming Lives with a Brain-Based Classroom”

Welcome to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results. When we understand how the brain works, we can be better equipped to help our students focus their attention and improve their results.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/jqRo1e30PkM
I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and educator with a passion for learning specifically on the topics of health, wellbeing and productivity, and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is to our everyday life and results--whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or in the modern workplace.  We have moved onto Season 8 of the podcast with a focus on our brain as it relates to learning, and today we have a case study, of someone who has been using the concepts she learned from self-study to create a brain-based program in her schools and community in India where they have already trained over 300 educators with her curriculum at the Institute of Cognitive Learning Sciences.[i]
On the episode you will learn:
✔ How an ambitious, forward-thinking educator, has created brain-based K-12 curriculum in India.
✔ How Manjula learned the most current neuroscience research before seeking out a certification with Dr. Kieran O’Mahony.
✔ The differences Manjula saw with the US Educational System and India.
✔ How she plans to impact change in the classroom, one teacher at a time.
Manjula sent me a message via my website, all the way from India, letting me know that she had listened to EPISODE #220[ii] with Dr. Kieran O’Mahony and Rich Carr on “Brain Centric Design” and she let me know she was a student of Dr. Kieron’s programs, and wanted to share what she was doing in India. I could tell that she was very excited about the work they were doing and so I wrote back quickly, and we set up a Zoom call to talk. I will let Manjula explain what she is doing with schools in India, the need she saw to change the way typical classrooms were operating by inspiring teachers, not forcing them to do something they didn’t want to do. She shared with me how she began to study neuroscience using as much free content as she could find online, (including our podcast) before she became certified, and began creating change one school at a time in India.
When you meet Manjula, I’m hoping that she will inspire you to keep searching for those students who need a bit of a push to reach their full potential. She was told as a young girl that she was below-average in school, and felt disconnected with her grades, but as she grew older, she wanted to prove to herself (and others) that she did indeed have unlimited potential and the will to make significant change in her community. You can’t miss the fire in her spirit. Let’s meet Manjula from India, and see how she is using brain-based learning to inspire students in the classroom.
Welcome Manjula, it’s wonderful to see you again. I’ve got to say, it was powerful meeting you yesterday on Zoom, and hearing about the work you are doing in India.
INTRO Q: To open up, can you share your story and background. What is life like growing up, and going to school in India?
Q1: How did you become interested in studying and learning about the brain? What resources did you learn from in the very beginning? Who have you been learning from?
Q2: What training did you take after you began to see how brain-based education could help students and teachers in India?
Q3: Who inspired you to reach for your highest potential in life?
Q4: When did you see that change towards brain-based learning was needed?
Q5: What did you notice about the differences between what family/school/student life is like in India vs the United States where you were learning your training? (values).
Q6: Do teenagers in India do the eye-roll (that I see often in the US) when asked to do something?
Q7: What did you create for the K-12 school market in India? What training do you offer?
Q8: What is the vision for what you are building?
Q9: Is there anything important that I have missed?
Thank you Manjula for sharing your story, program and vision for the future in education. You have created something incredible that I know will open up the eyes of those around the world who also share your vision. If people want to learn more about your programs, what is the best way?
RESOURCES AND LINKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MANJULA’S WORK
https://www.youtube.com/c/pipaltreeeducation/videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4XzzafTYNihURdODM4YAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjwUvDFf3I0
https://www.linkedin.com/in/manjula-veeranna/
https://www.facebook.com/manjula.veeranna.3
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
OTHER RESOURCES: 
Wendy Suzuki https://www.wendysuzuki.com/
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.linkedin.com/in/manjula-veeranna/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #220 with Dr. Kieran O’Mahony and Rich Carr on “Brain Centric Design”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/rich-carr-and-dr-kieran-o-mahony-from-brain-centric-design-on-the-surprising-neuroscience-behind-learning-with-deep-understanding/
 

Brain Fact Friday ”Using Neuroscience to Explain Why Our Dreams Are So Weird, Highly Emotional, and Often Forgotten”

“As long as we dare to dream and don’t get in the way of ourselves, anything is possible—there’s truly no end to where our dreams can take us.” Hilary Swank
On the episode you will learn:
The Neuroscience behind
✔ Why our dreams are so weird, highly emotional and often forgotten.
✔ With a BRAIN STRATEGY you can use to improve your waking life, with your brain and sleep in mind.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #226 and Brain Fact Friday, we are going to dive deeper into the research of Dr. Baland Jalal, who has studied the phenomenon of sleep paralysis and dreams for the past decade, and see what we can learn from our brain, while dreaming. To do this, we are going to review what’s happening to the brain during sleep paralysis, and during our REM/dream state to see what we can learn from this understanding. I hope this will open up our level of awareness and help us to understand how our dream world can impact our everyday, waking world.
What is Sleep Paralysis?
Dr. Jalal and I discussed this terrifying experience in depth on our recent interview, episode #224[i] and most of us can relate to this experience, but wonder what it is, and why it happens, in addition to many other questions I had about dreams themselves. You can see Dr. Jalal’s lectures on this topic, where he explains what happens to our brain when we sleep and that we even see things we might say were ghosts. Now that I have heard Dr. Jalal’s explanation of what happens to our brains when we are dreaming, I definitely think of my brain now, when analyzing my dreams, with this new awareness.
Which brings us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday where I want to explore sleep paralysis, why dreams are so weird, and why are they highly emotional, and do this, with our brain in mind.
SLEEP PARALYSIS
DID YOU KNOW that during REM sleep (when we dream) there’s a part of the brain in the brain stem that paralyzes the body to keep us (and our sleeping partner) safe[ii] and another part of our brain (the cortex) that’s responsible for our perceptual awareness. Occasionally, we can wake up when we are still in REM sleep, and are perceptually aware, but unable to move as we are paralyzed. This is sleep paralysis, and can feel terrifying, if you have no idea what’s going on.
I learned from Dr. Jalal that in this state we can also see what we think is a ghost, or which he explains is “an illusion that your brain creates” in the Temporal Parietal Junction (that’s close to our Occipital or Visual Lobe) that can project a sense of our self, outside of our body. Have you ever felt or seen something like this and thought it was a ghost? Seeing something like this, paired up with feeling paralyzed can be a terrifying experience as I told him in the interview, and he agreed, with his own sleep paralysis experience.
Then, our brain doesn’t like the feeling of incompleteness and it will make up a story of what you are seeing. Dr. Jalal explains that in all of the years he has done this work, he has found that our cultural background can influence what we think we are seeing. It took me some time to make the connection, but the ghost I saw, was not far off from an 18th Century Englishman, or even someone wearing the outfits of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I did grow up with a photo of the Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in my house, and this made me think it could have been the reason why my ghost was of British decent when I was actually in a house in Vancouver, Canada. My brain created this image from a past, cultural memory.
WHY ARE DREAMS SO WEIRD?
DID YOU KNOW that there’s a part of our brain called the Dorsolateral PFC[iii] (a region of the frontal lobes associated with executive functions like working memory and attention) (Curtis and D’Esposito, 2003) that put concepts together in a meaningful way in our life—and that during REM sleep, or when we are dreaming, this part of the brain “shuts off”[iv] so we aren’t usually aware that we are dreaming?
If you have ever thought “that dream felt so real” this is the reason why, and it also explains why everything in our dreams is messed up and backwards. One minute we are on a bus with friends we haven’t seen in years, you grab one of your friends’ hand, jump off the bus, and go to the movies, and the next minute, you are back in your childhood home, drinking tea. This is one of my bizarre dreams, and I’m sure you can relate with your dreams. Now that I understand Dr. Jalal’s explanation of the part of my brain that puts concepts together in a meaningful way, shutting down during REM sleep, I can clearly see why everything in my dream is disjointed and doesn’t make much linear sense.
WHY ARE DREAMS FILLED WITH STRONG EMOTION, PAST MEMORIES AND PEOPLE?
DID YOU KNOW that during the REM state, or while we are dreaming, that “four areas of the brain fire up: the visual spatial regions (that help people to find their way around the world), the motor cortex (creates movement in the body), the hippocampus (our memory center) and amygdala (that processes strong emotions like fear, pleasure or anger)”
“Which is why dreams are often filled with movement, strong emotions, past memories, people, experiences and are irrational.” Mathew Walker[v] tells us on his podcast that’s all about why we dream.
If you can keep a dream log, over time you can see what’s going on in your waking hours, and learn from your dreams. Usually our concerns, worries and fears will show up in our dreams in some way, and you can solve them once you are aware of what they are.
To conclude this week’s Brain Fact Friday, that came from our recent interview with the world’s leading expert on sleep paralysis, Dr. Baland Jalal, we took a closer look at the neuroscience of our dream world, explaining why our dreams are so weird, often highly emotional and what we can learn from them.
I have four brain tips to make what we have learned about our brain when we sleep, useful in our daily life.
UNDERSTANDING SLEEP PARALYSIS: Once we know what sleep paralysis is, that our brain paralyzes our body to keep us safe, then we can understand what might happen if we become perceptually aware during our REM sleep, and stuck between our sleep and wake state.
BRAIN TIP FOR THIS FACT: OUR BRAIN DOESN’T LIKE CONFLICT OR INCOMPLETENESS: So figure out what your story is, if you have had a sleep paralysis experience and it’s left you feeling unsettled. I explained my British ghost that my brain created as an illusion to tell the story and fill in the blanks of the unknown. What was YOUR sleep paralysis experience, and how can YOU  make sense of it?
 
WHY ARE DREAMS SO WEIRD AND OFTEN FORGOTTEN: Since we now know the Dorsolateral PFC, the front part of our brain associated with memory, attention and putting things together in a meaningful way in our life, shuts down during REM sleep, we can now understand why dreams are so weird and events that happen are all over the place. If the part of our brain responsible for our memory is turned off, this explains why “95% of our dreams we don’t remember” but we might remember the last few minutes, and last stage of our dreams if we are intentional about it.
BRAIN TIP FOR THIS FACT: REPEAT TO REMEMBER: (which is John Medina’s Brain Rule #5).[vi] If you want to improve this number see if you can remember your dreams when you wake up. Write them down before you do anything else, or they will be forgotten. Sometimes I’m not even awake yet, and I repeat the dream in my head while I’m brushing my teeth, to help me to remember and write it down when I can. Also, it will help if you are intentional about this practice and say “I will remember my dream” before you go to sleep at night.
LEARN WHY DREAMS ARE HIGHLY EMOTIONAL: When we know what parts of the brain fire up during REM sleep, especially our amygdala that processes strong emotions, or past memories and experiences, we can now look for messages in our dreams, over time to see what common themes come up. If we can solve the problems that we find in our waking hours, it will help improve the other 1/3 of our life spent in sleep.
BRAIN TIP FOR THIS FACT: SLEEP WELL, THINK WELL (John Medina’s Brain Rule #7).[vii] Here’s the im portance of sleep again. It keeps coming back on this podcast. John Medina writes in his Brain Rules book, that “people vary on how much sleep they need and when they prefer to get it, but the biological need for a nap is universal.” (Medina, Brain Rules)[viii] If there’s something bothering you in your waking hours, it will show up in your dreams in some way, and will impact your sleep. To truly sleep well, leading to improved “attention, executive function, working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning and even motor dexterity” (Medina) work out your problems, and add a nap to your day to keep your mind operating at its highest levels.
While Dr. Jalal does put his neuroscientific mind first with every question I asked him, there were still some questions that he said science couldn’t prove, that have a spiritual side. Instead of saying that some things are not possible, he leaves this up to us to keep an open mind, and perhaps in the future, new advancements in science could move us forward so that we could find answers to the spiritual questions of our dreams in a way to benefit our waking life. Until then, I plan to keep on dreaming, and learning as much as I can on this topic to share with you here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed diving deep into sleep paralysis, why our dreams are so weird, and highly emotional with some tips we can all use to take our understanding and awareness to a new level. It really helped me to make sense of my sleep paralysis experience after interviewing Dr. Jalal, and thinking of ways that we can all use what we learned from his research. I do plan to keep an open mind moving forward to see what else I can learn from lucid dreaming, especially as it relates to improving our psychological well-being.
See you next week and hope you have sweet dreams this weekend.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #224 with Dr. Baland Jalal on “Expanding our Awareness into the Mysteries of the Brain During Sleep” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/harvard-neuroscientist-drbaland-jalalexplainssleepparalysislucid-dreaming-andpremonitionsexpandingour-awareness-into-the-mysteries-ofourbrainduring-sl/
[ii] Sleep Paralysis https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21974-sleep-paralysis#:~:text=Why%20does%20sleep%20paralysis%20happen,or%20coming%20out%20of%20REM.
[iii] Dorsolateral PFC https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/dorsolateral-prefrontal-cortex#:~:text=The%20dorsolateral%20prefrontal%20cortex%20is,Pathways%20in%20Clinical%20Neuropsychiatry%2C%202016
[iv] Neuroscience of Dreams and Sleep Paralysis at Harvard University Published on YouTube Feb. 13, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBL-51kIkc&t=7s
[v] Mathew Walker Podcast The Sleep Diplomat https://www.sleepdiplomat.com/podcast
[vi] John Medina’s Brain Rule #5 Repeat to Remember https://brainrules.net/short-term-memory/#:~:text=Rule%20%235%3A%20Repeat%20to%20remember.&text=Which%20means%2C%20your%20brain%20can,have%20to%20repeat%20to%20remember.
[vii] John Medina’s Brain Rule #7 Sleep well, think well. https://brainrules.net/sleep/#:~:text=Rule%20%237%3A%20Sleep%20well%2C%20think%20well.&text=It's%20possible%20that%20the%20reason,reasoning%2C%20and%20even%20motor%20dexterity.
[viii] John Medina Brain Rules (Page 168) Published May 30, 2011 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Z6YGRC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

CASE STUDY: Ellie Mercado, Assistant Principal from Ossining, NY on ”Embedding Social and Emotional Learning with an Equity Lens”

"Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists they become the best they can possibly be." Rita Pierson, Educator.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/feNGn-cpPP8
For returning guests, welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #225 with a case study from someone I’ve mentioned before on the podcast, Elizabeth Mercado, from Ossining Union Free SD, New York, who you will see is a strong force with a goal to support ALL students, with the most comprehensive SEL plans that I’ve ever seen. I’ll be sure to link her plans and resources in the show notes for you to access and use it you would like, since her goal is to help all of us to move our students forward, with as much support as possible.
This interview takes a look at SEL with an equity lens, with clear examples of how to begin, what to do, and what SEL looks like in her District.  I do love hearing how people around the globe are implementing the ideas we share with you on this podcast (it really does help with new ideas and motivation) and Ellie Mercado, an Assistant Principal in Ossining, NY, let me know that she was inspired by what she was learning to support her students and staff. Little did I know just how much she would inspire me, with her story and thorough SEL plans that I think everyone in education could benefit from. You will see in this interview that I made more connections with her story, that I think is important to share with everyone here, because just one new piece of information or motivation, can have a huge ripple effect on the world.
A bit about Elizabeth Mercado: She’s an ENL immigrant student who came at twelve years old from the Dominican Republic without speaking English, to a poor neighborhood in the South Bronx, living in a 1500 sq feet apartment with 8 children ages 12 and younger and 4 adults, and experienced first-hand what it is to have challenges growing up and in school.  This experience gave her an in depth understanding of the impact of how our cultural, racial/ethnic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds can impact our learning.  This is why she’s passionate about being an educator and wants to create the best learning environment for her staff and students in the Ossining Community where many of them come from a similar background.  She believes that ALL students can be successful.  She is a middle school and early childhood assistant principal for the last seven years and one year as an elementary early childhood assistant principal whose goal is to provide her students with a safe, trusting and nurturing learning environment where they feel included, respected, supported; recognizing that every student and staff member has unique strengths.  She believes it is important to be intentional about all that they do since it makes a difference: the images on the walls; pictures in the books, holidays recognized; accepting and celebrating all; promoting student agency, voice and choice is all critical so students feel that they belong. 
 
I hope that Elizabeth’s story inspires you, whether you are working in a school, or in some other capacity, to think of where to begin when looking at SEL through an equity lens.
Let’s meet Elizabeth Mercado.
Welcome Ellie, It’s incredible to meet you finally after all the support you have sent our way with the podcast. I’m so grateful that you reached out to us and shared your SEL implementation with us. I’ve never seen anything as thorough, with a clear way to begin and knew immediately that we needed to share your work on the podcast. Thank you for being here when I know time is always hard to come by.
Intro Q: I’ve got to start and leverage off the emotions I felt watching your presentation with how you are implementing SEL with an equity lens at Ossining SD in New York[i], because your story shows exactly why SEL skills are important in our schools, and why they must transition into the workplace. Can we begin with your “WHY” and why you are so passionate about implementing SEL with an equity lens to share your story since I related to you on a million different levels and I’m sure others will as well?
Intro B: While I definitely connected with your story from the point of view of those newcomer students, coming to the US and needing to navigate their way (like that one student who came to your school, and her biggest question to you was “how did you learn English?”) I also thought about ways these students could be leaders in their schools, and raise their voice up, instead of the experience you had where the teacher didn’t understand you. I think of my girls in Arizona, in a Dual Language Instruction program (learning their subjects in Spanish for half the day) and lost without Google Translator (that they aren’t supposed to use in class). The Spanish speaking students are like gold to them, as they need them to survive. I just wonder, while new students coming to Ossining are learning to fit in, can their Spanish be used to help other students? I ask this because I know how much my girls rely on those who are fluent in Spanish.
Q1: We are going to get into the details of what you have built in Ossining SD, but from watching SEL come into our schools across the US in waves (I would follow Linda Dusenbury[ii] from Casel and her Collaborating States Initiative from the very beginning when only 8 states had SEL initiatives). Like someone mentioned on your presentation that you sent me, the biggest question Districts still have with implementing SEL is “where do we begin?”  Before you share your comprehensive SEL structure that you’ve built, can you take us back to the beginning, BEFORE you created what you have now, and tell us what you remember about your starting point?
Q2: We’ve all heard that students just need one champion to make a life-long difference and I don’t know an educator who hasn’t watched Rita Pierson’s TED TALK “Every Kid Needs a Champion”[iii] that has over 13 million views. Did your District always have the vision of SEL though an equity lens with the demographics in your District? Over 70% LatinX or Blacks.
Q3: Can you share the 6 Recommendations you covered in your recent training with tips on how to actually begin each one?
Q4: When I saw the quote from District Superintendent Dr. James Ryan that said “Social and Emotional Learning and Equity” two of the most important issues facing educators today, and seeing your passion for spearheading this movement forward, I couldn’t help but wonder what your vision is with this work?  Do you do workshops for schools to help them implement their plans? What do you see in the future?
Q5: Is there anything important that I have missed? I know that you shared a recent presentation about how you are growing a sense of community in your District. Can you share what you did here, and anything else that’s important that I’ve missed?
Elizabeth, I want to thank you so much for reaching out to me, and sharing your story. What you have built with SEL through the lens of equity at Ossining is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I know your story and resources will help educators, as well as those in the workplace who would like to start somewhere with an equity and leadership plan.  There is such strength and power that comes from you, and I know this is not at all how  you felt all those years ago when you were standing there in your English class, and couldn’t find the words to read your poem. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the vulnerability that you have shown, to share your story, and how it’s helping so many others.
For those who want to learn more about what you are doing at Ossining, what’s the best way?
Are there any resources others can access?
Andrea’s Final Thoughts:
This episode hit me pretty hard on the emotional level, that was obvious throughout, especially the end. I had to step away from my desk to think about why. I know how important this work is, but there was something about Ellie’s story that moved me deeply. After thinking about it for a while, I made the connection. We all know “why” we do what we do, and that’s an important part of our self-awareness, to keep us moving forward when times are difficult. Why I do what I do with this podcast is to lift up those students, like Ellie, who needed encouragement to access the unlimited potential that we can see she has. Her story of reading that poem in class made me remember when I first saw the importance of these SEL skills before they were called this, in the late 1990s, when I was working for Bob Proctor seminars and I watched him working with this group of 12 teens. If you’ve heard this story, you’ll know why Ellie’s background hit me on the emotional level. The moment I knew that SEL was going to be an important part of my future was when I saw these kids showcasing the skills they had been learning (things like improving their attitude, mindset and setting goals) and there was this one boy, Brian, who struggled to speak when it was his turn. You couldn’t blame him. He was on stage at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans in front of thousands of people, and the speaker went behind him and rubbed his back to calm him down so that he could get his words out. This moment is etched in stone for me as a pivotal moment in time.
Imagine if Ellie had a teacher who helped and encouraged her when she was struggling with her poem. It only takes one person to skyrocket or champion a student, and I’m so glad that Ellie found her champion. That’s why I spend the time to record these podcasts, hoping that maybe just one idea will help one student like Ellie, to take her talents into the world with strength and courage, to truly make an impact.
If I was ever to end this podcast (and I don’t plan on it, as I’m just too curious to keep learning and sharing new ideas) but I would end it with this episode, as it does come full circle for me with why social and emotional skills are important in our schools and workplaces today.
Do you know your why? Why do you do what you do?
While I know my why is just as clear as the day we launched this podcast, I know there is still so much to explore and learn in the field of neuroscience, like we saw with Dr. Jalal’s episode on dreams. As new discoveries with the brain and learning are uncovered, I’d love to share them here, so we can all access and use them in our life, and I stick to what I’ve always said. As long as listeners find these topics interesting, we will continue to produce more episodes.
And with that, I’ll close out this episode and will see you on Friday for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, where we will look closer at Dr. Jalal’s work on the dreaming brain, which expanded my awareness beyond where it has ever been.
I hope you enjoyed this episode with Ellie Mercado. You can find all the links to follow her work and access her resources in the show notes.
See you on Friday.
CONTACT AND FOLLOW ELLIE MERCADO
EMAIL: emercado@ossiningufsd.org
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/EMercadoAP
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
July 11th Casual Leadership Connections Conference: Cultivating Growth and Self-Care https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Join-Fellow-School-Leaders-at-the-9th-Annual-Regional-Leadership-Institute--RLI-.html?soid=1129297243955&aid=4gLt1ExsFIA
Culture at Care Park PowerPoint Presentation: Creating a Safe, Trusting and Nurturing Learning Environment
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZHpm64ahElUiW3e9s2M4mR9yBbAPVt541J0eCnsEBJw/edit#slide=id.gf07c305c23_1_0
How We are Embedding SEL with an Equity Lens to our Schools, Published May 18, 2021  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhFVRfS2qZM&t=2981s
IMPORTANT LINKS AND RESOURCES FROM HOW WE ARE EMBEDDING SEL WITH AN EQUITY LENS PRESENTATION
New York State Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks
AMD SEL Resources to Support Students, Staff and Family-20-21
Social & Academic Development through an Equity Lens
Applying an Equity Lens to Social Emotional & Academic Development
Nine Cultural Values Differences You Need to Know
USA is an Individualist society “I” at a 91 score vs Ecuador is a Collectivist society “We”  at a lowest 8 score.
(Jagers, Rivas-Drake, & Borowski, 2018)
This is Equity Video
Quick Facts for Criteria on CASEL's Guide to Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs
Transformative SEL as a Lever for Equity & Social Justice
Six Ways to Build More Equitable Learning Environments
SELEQUITY JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) and social justice 
STRATEGY 1 RESOURCES:
SLIDE 10 for MEANINGFUL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XJqpMl7dRLTdDGCKGval546TuK2eeaJTfQWSDUjN2DY/edit#slide=id.gcd85ba80c1_1_0
STRATEGY 2 RESOURCES:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XJqpMl7dRLTdDGCKGval546TuK2eeaJTfQWSDUjN2DY/edit#slide=id.gbb8ac5ae75_0_10
STRATEGY 3 RESOURCES:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XJqpMl7dRLTdDGCKGval546TuK2eeaJTfQWSDUjN2DY/edit#slide=id.gbb8ac5ae75_0_15
STRATEGY 4 RESOURCES:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XJqpMl7dRLTdDGCKGval546TuK2eeaJTfQWSDUjN2DY/edit#slide=id.gbb8ac5ae75_0_20
STRATEGY 5 RESOURCES:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XJqpMl7dRLTdDGCKGval546TuK2eeaJTfQWSDUjN2DY/edit#slide=id.gbb8ac5ae75_0_25
STRATEGY 6 RESOURCES:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XJqpMl7dRLTdDGCKGval546TuK2eeaJTfQWSDUjN2DY/edit#slide=id.gd497d415ec_0_261
REFERENCES:
[i] How We are Embedding SEL with an Equity Lens to our Schools, Published May 18, 2021  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhFVRfS2qZM&t=2981s
[ii] Linda Dusenbury from CASEL and her Collaborating States Initiative Plan https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED581611.pdf
[iii] Every Kid Needs a Champion TED TALK with Rita Pierson Published on YouTube https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion
 

Harvard Neuroscientist Dr. Baland Jalal Explains ”Sleep Paralysis, Lucid Dreaming and Premonitions: Expanding our Awareness into the Mysteries of Our Brain During Sleep”

“Dreams are one of the great mysteries of science. In their bizarre complexity, they can reveal deeper truths about who you are at the most basic level.” Researcher at Harvard University and the World’s leading expert on sleep paralysis, Dr. Baland Jalal
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/nE15JIqy5rU
On the episode you will learn:
✔ Who is Dr. Baland Jalal, and how did he find his way to study neuroscience and sleep, becoming the world’s leading expert on sleep paralysis?
 ✔ How is Dr. Baland connected to Francis Crick, who discovered the double helix of the DNA structure and Dr. V.S. Ramachandran?
✔ What is sleep paralysis and what happens to the brain while this is occurring?
✔Why is the time just before we go to sleep and the time just before we wake up important for increasing our creativity or gaining insight?
✔ Are premonitions real, and can we access important information from our dreams?
✔Can we actually travel to places we have never been?
✔ What is lucid dreaming and how can we gain insight from what we see in these dreams?
✔Can lucid dreaming be beneficial for our waking hours?
✔What advancements in neuroscience do you think could help us in the future with our dreams?
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #224 (that was postponed from April due to our guest’s busy travel and work schedule) we are going to go beyond where we’ve ever gone before on this podcast, and cover some topics that you might have questions about, like I did, and I’ve found Dr. Baland Jalal[i], from Harvard, the world’s leading expert on sleep paralysis, who has published 48 peer reviewed academic papers as well as a book from Cambridge University Press, to answer our questions.   We’ve covered dreams before, on EPISODE #104[ii], with Sleep Scientist Antonio Zadra and his book When Your Brain Dreams: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep but I left out some parts of the dream world that I thought might be too weird for this podcast, until I heard Dr. Jalal connecting the brain to our dreams, and this changed everything for me.
I mentioned on EPISODE #211, that when I first was introduced to Dr. Jalal, his team sent me an email with his Harvard Bio and a write-up about his work on dreams but little did I know that his work would open my mind to places it’s never been before, as I began to explore sleep paralysis (something I’ve experienced—just once which was enough for me, I just had no idea there was a name for it), lucid dreams (that I flat out thought I was crazy for having), and learning how my brain operates while dreaming, which revealed more truths about who I am at the core than I knew before coming across Dr. Jalal’s work. I’ve gone on to study English scientist and professor of neuroscience, Mathew Walker and often tune into his podcast that’s all about sleep, the brain and the body[iii] to see how we can all learn more about ways to improve our sleep, which we all know to be one of our top 5 health staples.
I did create this podcast to bring credibility to some of the concepts that used to be considered weird, but now, science and FMRI scans show why these practices that 20 years ago were not mainstream, are now commonly used in our schools and work environments.  Before watching Dr. Jalal’s lectures, I don’t think I would openly talk about the experiences I’ve had with the dream world, but I thought if I’ve experienced these things, what if our listeners have also, wherever you are listening to this podcast in the world, and perhaps hearing from Dr. Jalal WHAT these bizarre things called dreams actually are, WHY we have them, and see if they can expand our self-awareness, and open up our world to a new level and even be used in a way to improve our productivity, creativity and results in our waking life.
My mentor Bob Proctor was always challenging me to stop looking at life through the key hole, and instead, open up the door and expand my level of awareness. He would say, “Once the mind has been expanded, it will never go back to its original state. Awareness is not something you lose.” (Bob Proctor)
When Dr. Jalal and I were working on rescheduling our interview, he asked me how early on a Sunday I would wake up, since he is currently in Europe, and my response to him was that I would wake up at midnight to speak with him about this topic because it’s fascinating and I know will help all of us to expand our thinking. Let’s meet Dr. Baland Jalal, and see if he can shed some light with what neuroscience can tell us about our dream world.
Welcome Dr. Jalal, thank you for coming on the podcast, and helping all of us to expand our thinking about what happens in our dream world—especially knowing that this time takes up 1/3 of our life and that our sleep is such an important health staple. Thanks for being here today…I know you have been busy recording your second TED TALK and that you are in Europe now?
I’m hoping you can shed some light for ways we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves through our dreams, and what neuroscience can tell us about our sleeping brain.
Intro Q: I’ve watched all of your most recent podcasts, and had no idea how much I would learn from them. I really enjoyed your interview on The Ranveer Show[iv] as Ranveer seemed like such an open-minded person. You mention your beginnings on this podcast that I think are important to begin with since there’s a lot more to you than we see without listening to your story, so I’ve got to ask, can you take us back to your humble beginnings, and then how you met your mentor (Dr. V.S. Ramachandran)?[v]
Q1:  Until I heard your lectures, I probably wouldn’t ever admit to the fact that I had felt sleep paralysis. It’s such a weird and scary experience, and you explained it EXACTLY as I felt it over 20 years ago. For those listening, can you explain what sleep paralysis is, why we become paralyzed during REM sleep, and what’s happening in our brain to make this happen?
Q1B: Why does it feel so scary? I had an experience that if I had not heard you say this, I probably wouldn’t be mentioning it at all—but I thought there was a ghost laying on my chest. I could see him (in my head) and he definitely “felt” evil. Did my brain play a trick on me with what I was seeing and feeling or was there really a ghost in this sleep paralysis experience?
Q1C) How did you become known as the world’s leading expert on sleep paralysis and then I saw the topic of your most recent TED talk you how are you have designed one of the first treatments for sleep paralysis to help people who experience this terrifying phenomenon regularly?
Q2: I think it’s crazy that most of us have had these experiences, but we would just leave them off the table of our regular conversations with people, since they are just so weird. I actually remember asking a sleep expert years ago why I could “see things” in my head in those moments that I was drifting off to sleep. He wrote down the term “hypnagogia[vi]” and told me to study that.  I can sometimes see people’s faces and sometimes what I see foreshadows important events many years later. What can you tell us about the importance of this time before sleep and wake, and how insights can be drawn from what we see so we can trust what we see to be useful?
2B: Sometimes during this time, we can have the sensation of floating above our body.  I know you’ve talked about this often, and explain what’s happening in the brain for this to occur. Can you explain the part of our brain that’s responsible for our self-awareness, (Temporal Parietal Lobe) and how we could possibly see another version of ourselves floating above our self? (Sup Parietal Lobe)
Q3: Premonitions? Is there any TRUTH to what we are dreaming? Are there messages from our waking hours in our sleeping world? I think there are (after seeing common themes in my dreams from my waking hours) but what do you think? After your research and connecting science to dreaming, why do we have dreams? Are we supposed to learn from them?
What part of our brain can help us to interpret our dreams?
Q4: What about lucid dreaming. At the time I first wrote these questions (in April) I didn’t know there was a name for this. There are times just before I wake up, or times just before I go to sleep, that I can see things. My eyes are closed, (but I can feel them opening and moving around in my head as I’m trying to see this vision in my head) that I think are lucid dreams. Some of these visions have helped me in life with massive life-changing decisions and others I have no idea what I’m supposed to be learning from them. One example I can give you that I have no idea what the purpose of the vision is—there’s a hallway, and I can see people walking down the hallway. I know where this hallway is, and who the people are from what they are wearing. I’ve never been there before, but there’s certain things in the hallway, in addition to the people, that tell me where it is.  The last time I saw this hallway, I was able to (for the first time) zoom in on certain parts of the hall, and see photos on the wall, or the light at the end of the hallway, where the people were walking.   I know this hallway is a real place, because I saw a news clip of it, and had this immediate feeling of recognition like “that’s the hallway” but the camera in the news clip was shooting from a different angle than what I saw in my dream and I kept thinking…turn around, so I could see the hallway as I saw it in my head. What’s happening here? How can see “see” places in our mind where we have never been before? I don’t need to ask if it’s real because I’m certain it is from what I have seen, but what’s the purpose of have a lucid dream?
5: When we are “lucid dreaming” I recently learned from Mathew Walker’s research that in this state, our PFC that usually shuts down usually in dreaming, lights up and this explains why we can actually interact with people in our lucid dreams, or gain control of our dream.  I’ve always just been an observer (like my hallway example I’m standing behind the people) but recently saw that I could zoom in and out of the hallway and see the pictures on the wall--wouldn’t it be neat if we could interact with the people we see, or even bring back something to show we really were there, like a pen from someone’s desk or something. You mention that you had this experience, and that you put a piece of paper in your pajama pocket. Can you explain what happened to the paper? Do you know how to control lucid dreams so they could be beneficial for us?
Q6: If lucid dreaming is real, and I think it is, couldn’t we use this skill for improved productivity or creativity in our waking hours? Could athletes use this for mental rehearsal since dreaming of doing something is almost equivalent to actually doing it?
What about in the workplace to gain access to ideas or answers to problems? Is there a way to enter lucid dreaming at will vs just randomly happen (which is how it happens for me)? I can’t control what I see, it just happens.
Q7: How can we “test” ourselves to see if we are dreaming or not so we can develop Lucid dreaming more? Is it like the MATRIX when Neo puts his hand on the wall and it either stops, or goes through?  Can we do this to test if we are dreaming or not? What are you learning from your dream experiences to help yourself and others?
Q8: For people to learn more about your work, is the best place to follow you on YouTube where you post your lectures?
Thank you very much Dr. Jalal, for coming on the podcast, opening up my awareness BEFORE the interview, and giving us all an understanding of how our brain connects to our dream world. I hope it can help others to not be afraid of what they see during REM sleep, and keep searching for answers to help them in their waking hours, with whatever it is they are working on. It’s been such a pleasure to speak with you.
FOLLOW DR. JALAL
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/balandjalal
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balandjalal/?hl=en
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/DrBalandJalal
 
RESOURCES:
Sleep Paralysis and the Monsters Inside Your Mind by Baland Jalal July 15, 2020 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sleep-paralysis-and-the-monsters-inside-your-mind/
 
 
 
REFERENCES:
 
[i] Dr. Baland Jalal https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/baland-jalal
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #104 with Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sleep-scientist-antonio-zadra-on-when-brains-dream-exploring-the-science-and-mystery-of-sleep/
[iii] Mathew Walker’s Podcast https://themattwalkerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
[iv] The Ranveer Show Published on YouTube July 30, 2021 Neuroscientist Explains Scary Secrets of Your Brain https://www.youtube.co/watch?v=vJ_7h-OijAQ&t=24s
[v] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._S._Ramachandran https://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_3_clues_to_understanding_your_brain
[vi] What is Hypnagogia, the State Between Wakefulness and Sleep https://www.healthline.com/health/hypnagogia
 

Reducing the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by Understanding Sleep and the Brain

Did you know that according to English scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology, Mathew Walker, the author of Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams that current research shows “that there appears to be a causal affect between sleep and our risk for Alzheimer’s Disease?”  For this week’s Brain Fact Friday and Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #223 we are going to take some of the most noticeable lessons learned from our recent podcast with Dr. John Denboer, on “This is Dementia: Disrupting the Decline”[i] and see what we can learn from Mathew Walker’s most current research. This way, we can take a proactive approach to our sleep, optimizing our potential for learning, memory and retention, and see what we can learn about this devastating disease that affects “6.5M Americans, and is expected to double by 2050.” This topic goes hand in hand with our theme of Season 8 of our podcast: where our focus is  on Brain Health and Learning with a look at How an Understanding of Our Brain Can Improve Learning in Ourselves (adults, teachers, workers) as well as our future generations of learners.
On this episode we will cover:
✔︎What is the difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia
✔︎What the most current research says about the connection between Alzheimer's Disease and sleep.
✔︎11 risk factors that we can learn more about to mitigate Alzheimer's Disease.
✔︎A look at the 2 proteins that damage and change the brain.
✔︎What we can do right now to mitigate Alzheimer's Disease by understanding sleep and our brain.
 
What is Alzheimer’s and What is Dementia?
On our interview with Dr. Denboer, who has spent most of his career working with patients on disrupting dementia, we began our interview defining each of these terms, since many of us aren’t sure exactly what they are, and if we don’t know what they are, how can we be sure we are being proactive with preventing them?
Dementia: is a general term for “decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life”[ii] and there’s not just one form of dementia. There’s Alzheimer’s, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Mixed Dementia.
Alzheimer’s is “a degenerative brain disease that leads to dementia symptoms and gradually worsens over time.”[iii] We opened up our interview with Dr. Denboer with a quote from Dr. Babak Nayeri, a clinical associate professor from the University of Arizona who said “Dementia is not an aging disease; however, it is the most common disease of the aging population.” (from the Netflix documentary, This is Dementia).  “Though the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is increasing age, the disease is not a normal part of aging.”[iv]
11 Risk Facts of Alzheimer’s Disease
One of America’s leading psychiatrists and brain health experts, Dr. Daniel Amen, who we’ve spoken often about on this podcast, believes that Alzheimer’s (that damages the hippocampus or memory center of our brain) and is responsible for “the disease-memory impairment”[v] is “a lifestyle disease similar to heart disease and type 2 diabetes and that our everyday habits contribute to our everyday risk.”[vi] Dr. Amen lists 11 risk factors that increase our probability for Alzheimer’s (with the acronym Bright Minds) and sleep is the S in this acronym. You can read the rest of the risk factors here[vii] but to review them quickly, they are:
B: For blood flow problems
R: For retirement and aging
I: For inflammation
G: For genetics
H: For head trauma
T: For toxins
M: For mental health problems
I: For immune system problems
N: For neurohormone problems
D: For diabesity (that seriously impacts brain health and memory)
S: For sleep that we will dive deeper into today.
Which leads us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday, that we opened up this episode with.
Did you know that according to English scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology, Mathew Walker, that current research shows “that there appears to be a causal affect between sleep and our risk for Alzheimer’s Disease?” I recently watched Mathew Walker’s The Science of Better Sleep Masterclass[viii] and he explained that a recent study took a person who was sleep deprived (of non-rem sleep) for just one night, the next day “they saw an immediate increase in their blood of that toxic protein beta-amyloid”[ix] which shows “that there appears to be a causal affect between sleep and our risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.” (Mathew Walker).
What are Beta-Amyloids and Tau?
These two proteins are NOT the only factors in Alzheimer’s but since we now know from Mathew Walker that lack of sleep causes amyloid to increase in our blood, I think it’s important to understand what this could do to our brain over time.
To see a full presentation of How Alzheimer’s Affects the Brain[x], I will put a link to a page to review in the show notes. In this article, with a very clear video, you will learn how these two proteins, beta amyloid and tau, become toxic in the brain. You will see how the abnormal tau protein accumulate and eventually form tangles inside neurons, and beta amyloid clumps into plaques, which slowly build up between neurons. This is how Alzheimer’s begins to change the brain, and along with other changes, and inflammation, neurons begin to die, causing the brain to shrink, beginning in the hippocampus, our memory center, which is important for us all for learning.
To conclude this week’s Brain Fact Friday, where we looked at Mathew Walker’s research that shows a causal affect between sleep and our risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, I think a good action step for all of us would be to take a serious look at our sleep to be sure we are getting more than 6 hours each night. Or to at least understand what happens when we do go below 6 hours of sleep/night. I’m sure this will lead you to wonder just how much sleep we should be getting each night? Mathew Walker did cover the importance of sleep with elite athletes saying “sleep may be the greatest legal performance enhancing drug that too few athletes are abusing enough in this modern day and age” and that elite athletes like Lebron James gets 11 hours of sleep each night (a long sleep at night with 1-2 naps in the day) and tennis play Roger Federer gets in between 10-12 hours sleep/day and I’m sure if you ask a sports star with a proven track record how much sleep they get each night, they will talk of the importance of prioritizing sleep.
If you are not an elite athlete, looking to improve performance, Walker recommends 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
There’s a lot more that we can do, but we will cover that on another episode. Until then, I hope this episode shocked you enough (like it did me) to work as hard as I can to make sure we strive for improving our sleep each night, since we know this will affect our future health as a strong Alzheimer’s prevention strategy.
I hope everyone sleeps well this weekend, as we prepare for our much-awaited interview with sleep and dream expert Dr. Baland Jalal[xi], from Harvard.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #221 with Dr. John Denboer on “This is Dementia: Disrupting the Decline” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-john-denboer-on-this-is-dementia-disrupting-the-decline/
[ii] Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: What’s the Difference?  https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/difference-between-dementia-and-alzheimer-s
[iii] ibid
[iv] ibid
[v] Why looking at the whole hippocampus is not enough by Aleksandra Maruszak March 31, 2014
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2014.00095/full#:~:text=The%20hippocampus%20is%20one%20of,of%20the%20disease%2Dmemory%20impairment.
[vi] Alzheimer’s is a lifestyle disease by Dr. Daniel Amen Published Nov. 3, 2021 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/alzheimers-is-a-lifestyle-disease/
[vii] Alzheimer’s is a lifestyle disease by Dr. Daniel Amen Published Nov. 3, 2021 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/alzheimers-is-a-lifestyle-disease/
[viii] https://www.masterclass.com/classes/matthew-walker-teaches-the-science-of-better-sleep
[ix] ibid
[x] What Happens to the Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-happens-brain-alzheimers-disease
[xi] Dr. Baland Jalal https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/baland-jalal

Jason Littlefield and Erec Smith from EmpowerED Humanity on ”A Framework for SEL Through the Lens of Human Dignity and Neuroscience”

In order to learn something new, looking at something from a different perspective can shed some light. Today we are going to “See the world through a different lens” specifically with a new look at “Transformative SEL.”[i]
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/dY28tux0tq8
 
On this episode you will learn:
✔ How Jason Littlefield and Erec Smith of EmpowerED created a Framework for SEL when they noticed something was missing with Transformative SEL.
✔ How they envision empowering educators, youth and communities by strengthening the neural pathways to peace and resilience through mindfulness and social and emotional learning.
✔How you can work with Jason and Erec with their mission.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #222 we are going to look at SEL through a different lens with the work of Jason Littlefield and Erec Smith from EmpowerED Humanity[ii] whose work established in 2017 to provide educators, students, and communities a framework for life, leadership, and learning, focuses on fortifying the individual and increasing societal cooperation with a value-centered identity, human dignity, disrupting mindsets of fear/judgment with inquiry and compassion.
 Their Work Has 3 Pathways of Practice That:
Build awareness and equanimity (mental calmness)
Kindness and compassion towards self and others and
Celebrate common humanity, breaking the walls of indignity (or that treatment that causes one to feel shameful).
I spoke with Jason prior to our interview, as I know that the podcast guests I have chosen over the past 3 years have been addressing SEL as it relates to our brain and learning, but there was something missing that became apparent to me as we have not yet discussed diversity, equity and inclusion that are all important components of social and emotional learning.
THEIR MISSION[iii]
Empowering educators, youth and communities by strengthening the neural pathways to peace and resilience through mindfulness and social and emotional learning.
Their framework, Empowered Humanity Theory focuses on fortifying the individual and increasing societal cooperation by centering a value-centered identity, human dignity, disrupting mindsets of fear/judgment with inquiry and compassion, and intentionally engaging in 3 Pathways of Practice:
Practices that build awareness and equanimity
Practices that build kindness and compassion towards self and others
Practices that celebrate common humanity, and break the walls of indignity
That also includes 3 Attitudes:
1) Establishing a value-centered identity
2) Cultivating mindsets of inquiry/compassion over fear & judgment
3) Navigating self and others with a dignity lens.
They believe this framework fills a gap that we need at this moment to inspire us to empower humanity and affect the wellbeing of future generations in profound ways. It’s up to us to make the shift.
Let’s meet Jason Littlefield and Erec Smith, and dive into their Framework to view SEL through the lens of human dignity and our shared humanity, to see where we could expand our awareness and close any existing gaps.
INTRO: Welcome Jason and Erec, thank you for coming on the podcast today. Jason, when I saw your email and noticed how long you worked as an SEL Specialist, I thought that there must be something that you noticed was missing with the way that SEL was being implemented into our schools, and like we said in our email correspondence, your vision to empower humanity and affect the wellbeing of future generations in profound ways is important and timely.
Before we begin with our questions to dive into this topic, I’ve got to say first that I was a bit nervous to do this interview, mostly because this is a topic that I’ve not yet covered on the podcast. I know this is important, and before this interview, I was listening to one of my mentors, Dr. Jeff Rose, a former Superintendent from Atlanta, GA cover the topic of Equity Based Leadership on his most recent podcast and his guest, Joshua Starr, author of the book Equity-Based Leadership: Leveraging Complexity to Transform School Systems mentioned that “equity and social justice are an integral part of any school system’s agenda” (Joshua Starr).
Can we begin here, and have both of you share what drew you to create a NEW Framework to look at SEL through the lens of human dignity and our shared humanity? How does this relate to an equity-based transformation strategy? What did you notice?
Can we look at your solution or the EmpowerED Pathways Approach to SEL? How did you come up with your framework? 
3 Pathways of Practice:
Practices that build awareness and equanimity
Practices that build kindness and compassion towards self and others
Practices that celebrate common humanity, and break the walls of indignity
That also includes 3 Attitudes:
1) Establishing a value-centered identity
2) Cultivating mindsets of inquiry/compassion over fear & judgment
3) Navigating self and others with a dignity lens.
Q1: What would be some examples of the OLD WAY vs THE NEW WAY that prevents flawed thinking?
Q2: Who have you shared your model with and what do they say? Have you had any pushback with your “humanity centered framework?”  What are people saying?
Q3: What would be some entry points for schools to begin implementing your framework?
For people to learn more about your work, is the best place your website www.empoweredpathways.org?
UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.empoweredpathways.org/fourthwave-antiracism/progress-4ward-advancing-21st-century-antiracism-with-fourth-wave-antiracism-development-fward
Jason Littlefield, M.Ed
Jason Littlefield is an educator passionate about personal well-being establishing a society of individuals at peace within themselves and others. He established EmpowerED Pathways in 2017 and co-designed the Empowered Humanity Theory; a framework for life, leadership, and learning. He served as a public educator for twenty-one years in multiple capacities.  From 2014 to 2021 he was a Social and Emotional Learning Specialist for the Austin Independent School District. Jason has also served students and families from around the world, including Taiwan, China, and Benin, Africa. He is an advocate for decreasing our current human division and increasing personal well-being by bringing awareness to the impact and intent of the emerging ideology dominating our institutions and permeating the zeitgeist. He does so through EmpowerED Pathways, Free Black Thought, and The Institute for Liberal Values.
Erec Smith, Ph.D.
Erec Smith is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania. Although he has eclectic scholarly interests, Smith’s primary focuses on the rhetorics of anti-racist activism, theory, and pedagogy. He is a co-founder of Free Black Thought, an organization dedicated to highlighting viewpoint diversity within the black intelligentsia. Smith is a member and moderator for Heterodox Academy and sits on the Board of Advisors for both the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism and Counterweight, an organization that advocates for liberal concepts of social justice. In his latest book, A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment, Smith addresses the detriments of anti-racist rhetoric and writing pedagogy based on identity and prefigurative politics and suggests that a more empowering form of anti-racism be considered.
Access Erec Smith’s book A Critique of Anti-Racism in Rhetoric and Composition  https://www.amazon.com/Critique-Anti-racism-Rhetoric-Composition-Empowerment/dp/1498590403
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Transformative SEL https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/how-does-sel-support-educational-equity-and-excellence/transformative-sel/
[ii] EmpowerED Pathways https://www.empoweredpathways.org/empoweredhumanitytheory
[iii] https://www.empoweredpathways.org/about
 

Dr. John Denboer on ”This is Dementia: Disrupting the Decline”

“Dementia is not an aging disease; however, it is the most common disease among the aging population.” Dr. Babak Nayeri, Clinical Associate Professor from the University of Arizona, from the Netflix Documentary, This is Dementia.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/-U-slBBIEIA
On this episode you will learn:
✔ Who is Dr. John Denboer, what he built, and lost in his passion to help mitigate dementia.
✔ What Dr. Denboer learned raising funds for a high growth startup.
✔ What is the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
✔ What can we all do now to mitigate this debilitating disease.
✔ How a tattoo with personal and professional meaning motivates Dr. Denboer to keep moving forward with his work.
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, for EPISODE #221. For those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and workplaces.
This month, we are breaking into a new season on the podcast, Season 8, where our focus will be on Brain Health and Learning with a look at How an Understanding of Our Brain Can Improve Learning in Ourselves (adults, teachers, workers) as well as our future generations of learners.
If you’ve been following our podcast over the seasons, you will know that our content took the turn towards health and wellness around September 2020 with a BONUS EPISODE where we covered the Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies[i] after watching Dr. David Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s The Science of Prevention Documentary.[ii] We took a closer look at Daily Exercise, Sleep, Eating a Healthy Diet, Optimizing our Microbiome, and Intermittent Fasting) as strategies we can all use to improve our brain health with the goal of preventing one of the most devastating degenerative diseases that affects “more than 5 million Americans (that is closer to 6 million now after reading our next guest’s book) and is the most common form of dementia, a term that describes a variety of diseases and conditions that develop when nerve cells in the brain die or no longer function normally.”[iii] This number has reached “over 80 million cases globally and is expected to double to be 150 million cases by 2050.”[iv] (Denboer).
On today’s episode #221, we will be speaking with Dr. John Denboer, a former clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in early stage preventative medicine - including cognitive, physical exercise and nutrition – with a goal of slowing down the natural decline in patients with dementia. At peak, his practice served in the range of 10,000 patients in the US supported by over 100 employees. 
I listened to a recent podcast Dr. Denboer did with Graham Brown on the XL Podcast[v] and learned that while Dr. Denboer has a passion for disrupting Dementia (the umbrella for degenerative diseases likes Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s) that there have been many ups and downs in his start up journey as a pioneer in this field of health and wellness, disrupting Dementia. In today’s interview, I’ll ask him about the lessons he’s learned along the way, the importance of family, and to explain his mission to make a difference for dementia sufferers and their loved ones before the global numbers go from 55 million people living with Dementia to doubling these numbers in the next 20 years.
***Just to note that John Denboer is not a current licensed psychologist / neuropsychologist / doctor and cannot provide medical advice. While researching Dr. Denboer I did see some things online that made me wonder why he is not a current licensed psychologist, and if you know me, getting to the truth of something is important. Instead of sweeping what I saw under the rug, I will ask him directly to explain what happened, so we can cover his journey with all the facts uncovered.
Let’s meet Dr.John Denboer and learn what we can do to disrupt dementia, strengthen our brains, and apply some of the lessons he’s learned in his journey.
Welcome Dr. John Denboer.
 Intro: I’ve got to ask you, because I did notice before you sent me the note to be sure we say that you are not a current licensed psychologist/neuropsychologist/doctor that something happened to your license. When I’m researching someone, I always say, “if it’s online, I’m going to see it.” Instead of just ignoring what I saw, can I ask, what happened to your license?
Intro B: Dr. Denboer, I listened to a recent podcast you did, before I read your book, This is Dementia, or watched your Netflix  This is Dementia Documentary that goes hand in hand with the book, and it was a heartbreaking episode. It hit the heart for me, as I’ve been working the past 25+ years to bring awareness to important strategies and skills in our educational system (hence the name of the podcast Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning) and to do this, we have relied on grant funding with our work in the schools. Some competitive grants were won, others were lost, but my dollar amounts were nowhere near your dollar amounts lost with your start up. Can we start with a quick overview of what you built, what happened, and what you learned raising funds for a high growth startup, the successes/failures?
Q1: I just interviewed Hilary Decesare,[vi] who appeared on that TV show Secret Millionaire on her new book coming out Relaunch and she talked about all the people she’s helped over the years to start over. We’ve all been there at some point of time. What are you focused on now, and what is your vision for the future?
Q1B: I watched your Netflix Documentary This is Dementia last night, and I did lose an Uncle who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers at 58, and it was a devastating experience to watch his decline. For those who don’t know what Dementia is, can you explain the difference (Dementia vs Alzheimer’s?)
Q2: Can we mitigate dementia? What can we do right now to prevent this disease from impacting our brains?
Can you explain what science knows about the brain and Alzheimer’s and how Alzheimer’s Disease affects the brain (our ability to think, remember and make decisions)? I do like to make sure we include the science in a way that we can all understand and learn something new. Is it just those 2 proteins Beta-Amyloid and Tao[vii] that do the damage in our brain, or is there more to it?
Q1C: I did get my husband and I a brain scan[viii] to look and see what our brains looked like after I heard from Dr. Daniel Amen say that Alzheimer’s can show up in the brain years before onset, but we can’t all get our brains scanned and we were lucky to get his VIP rate since I did a podcast on the results. What can you share with us about early stage dementia detection since we can’t all get our brains scanned until the cost comes down. What can we all look for and what prevention tip can we all implement immediately to prevent cognitive decline?
Q2: When I saw your tattoo in the documentary, to motivate you personally and professionally, I related, as I recently got a tattoo for the same reason, and I draw on it daily to motivate me (it’s on my ankle). You can’t see your tattoo on your back though. Why did you put it there?
Final Thoughts
For people to reach out to you, and learn more, is the best place JohnDenboer.com?
Dr. John Denboer, I want to thank you for coming on the podcast today, and being so open to share your journey with all of those who tune into the podcast. There are many lessons to learn from your experience, as well as the importance of listening to your heart and moving forward no matter what obstacles come your way. You surely have faced more obstacles than most of us, and your story shows that being a pioneer in the health care industry does take a unique and dedicated individual. I wish you all the success with your mission, and raising awareness for how we can all mitigate and slow down this devastating disease.
Andrea’s Final Thoughts
Wow, that was a heartbreaking interview. I knew it was going to be difficult during the research phase, but knew there would be many lessons for all of us to hear. Since our focus of Season 8 is on brain health as it relates to learning, I wanted to debrief this interview, and think about everything that stood out to me.
Lessons Learned from Dr. Denboer’s Story
Never a Lender nor a Borrower Be. The first lesson made me think of something my Dad used to say all the time, and is easy for us to see in hindsight. He would always say “Never a lender, nor a borrower be” and I know how difficult it must have been for Dr. Denboer to share the story of where borrowing money took him drastically off course. If you have ever been in a pinch financially (we all have been at some point), borrowing money to help get you past your difficult time isn’t usually the best solution. Even if it’s from someone you know well, and trust (like your family) it still does cause tension. The best solution, is to find another way forward (either by earning it yourself) or change the direction until you have the resources you need. I know that Dr. Denbouer wanted to share the details of his journey so that others could see where he made turns that sent him off course with his goals, so those listening can learn from his mistakes.
Find a New Way Forward. We all get stuck, but when we know what we are meant to do, we must look for a new way forward. To see someone with years of work invested in his passion, lose their way, made me think of all the people who might have lost their way somehow during the Pandemic. I watched companies merge, and people being displaced, not sure of where to go next. I’m sure those of you listening could tell me a million stories, of loss and disappointment and as difficult times in our world continues, stories like John’s aren’t going to disappear. What I loved about this interview, is that Dr. Denboer is not giving up, and I know he will find a new way forward. He acknowledged how difficult it was, but he is clear on his direction, that his tattoo of his grandmother reminds him of daily. If you watch the interview, Dr. Denboer’s face lit up when he spoke about his grandmother, and what she represents to him. If you have something important to you, like Dr. Denboer, you too will find a new way forward, if you’ve been taken off track.
Keep Learning: We know that our brain health is crucial for all of us to live up to our full capacity, and Dr. Denboer reminded us that good cardiovascular health will get us 60% of the way, but to keep learning and doing things that stretch our brain in the process.
I hope that you found Dr. Denboer’s story to be helpful. If you want to reach out to him, go to JohnDenboer.com and send him a message. Like all of us, we could all use as much positive energy and love directed towards us, and our goals. I’ll close with a quote from Steve Jobs, reminding us that “What we’re doing here will send a giant ripple through the universe.”
See you in a few days.
Dr. John Denboer is a former clinical neuropsychologist specializing in the assessment and detection of early-stage dementia. He received his internship training at VA Boston Healthcare System (Boston University School of Medicine/Harvard University) and received his postdoctoral training at Barrow Neurological Institute. He has published extensively in the area of Clinical Neuropsychology and has been an expert speaker at many local, national, and international conferences. He is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Medical Officer of SMART Brain Aging, Inc., a company designed to help prevent and intervene in mild cognitive impairment and early-stage dementia. In the last 3 years, he has become a world-renown speaker in early-stage dementia detection and treatment. This has culminated in a Netflix documentary entitled “This is Dementia?!”[ix] as well as this book.
RESOURCES:
What Parts of the Brain Are Affected by Dementia by Chelsea Roderick Sept. 16 2022 https://relish-life.com/blog/brain-affected-by-dementia 
REFERENCES:
[i]The Top 5 Brain Health and Alzheimer’s Prevention Strategies (Daily Exercise, Sleep, Eating a Healthy Diet, Optimizing our Microbiome, and intermittent Fasting). https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/do-you-know-the-top-5-brain-health-and-alzheimers-prevention-strategies-with-andrea-samadi/
[ii] Dr. David Perlmutter’s “Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention” https://scienceofprevention.com/
[iii] 10 Early Alzheimer’s Symptoms That You Should Know https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/10-early-alzheimers-symptoms-that-you-should-know/
[iv] Disrupting Dementia TEDxGrandCanyonUniversity John DenBoer April 10, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0xooSv6FkY&t=13s
[v] https://podcasts.apple.com/dz/podcast/xl26-dr-john-denboer-disrupting-dementia/id1471486300?i=1000560704608
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #219 Secret Millionaire Hilary Decesare On Her New Book Relaunch. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/secret-millionaire-hilary-decesare-on-her-new-book-coming-june-9th-relaunch-spark-your-heart-to-ignite-your-life/
[vii] What Happens to the Brain in Alzheimer’s Disease https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-happens-brain-alzheimers-disease
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #84 PART 3 “How a SPECT Image Brain Scan Can Change My Life: Andrea’s Results” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/
[ix] This is Dementia Netflix Documentary https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2019/04/09/this-is-dementia-documentary-premiers-thursday-on-netflix/?sh=5ea60a61320c
 

Rich Carr and Dr. Kieran O’Mahony from Brain-centric Design on ”The Surprising Neuroscience Behind Learning With Deep Understanding”

"Your brain has a capacity for learning that is virtually limitless, which makes every human a potential genius." Michael J. Gelb 
 
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/xP3lTXlwcPQ
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How did Rich Carr (radio and communications) go from working with Paul Allen (Microsoft Co-founder) to working with Dr. Kieran O'Mahony in the field of neuroscience?
✔︎ What's Missing with the Behaviorist Method (rewards/punishment) that's used in our schools and workplaces?
✔︎ What is the Brain-centric Design and how can it be used to accelerate results in ANY industry?
✔︎ What should we all know about our brains to demystify them?
✔︎ What should we all know about learning and the brain?
✔︎ What do YOU have in common with Jeff Bezos?
✔︎ How can YOU get involved with Dr. Kieran O'Mahony and Rich Carr with Brain-centric Design?
 
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, EPISODE #220! For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. My goal with this podcast to make the research applicable for all of us to use-whether we have a background in science, or not.
On today’s episode #220, we have Rich Carr and Dr. Kieran O’Mahony whose pedagogic model, Brain-centric Design[i], is enjoying rapid acceptance in schools and businesses with high praise from different sectors including  Nike executives who say that upon implementing these ideas, “their learners (athletes) not only understood their positions better, but also reached their goals faster” (Brain-centric Design, Praise, Michele Jordan, Fortune 100 Learning Director) from the Department of Defense, noted that “this process invites us to lean in and become interactive with our learning, enabling us to grasp topics quickly and most importantly with vastly greater retention.” (Ken Robinson, Department of Defense) The feedback from those in the classroom who have begun implementing these ideas follow suit, saying “Brain-Centric Design took the guesswork out of the classroom and highlighted the scientific reasons behind the success” (Ellen Thompson, Fortune 100 Learning and Quality Specialist) who highlighted how great it felt to “identify the positive traits of cognitive flexibility, social—emotional engagement and adaptive expertise” that she already possessed.
Rich and Kieran’s model explains that while behaviorist pedagogy might sound like the best way for students to learn in the classroom, or for employees to be motivated in the workplace, that there’s a more effective way to learn with the brain in mind, and this is exactly why we cover the most current neuroscience research on this podcast.
Who knew that learning the most current research in neuroscience would be so important to the world? I certainly didn’t when launching this idea just under 3 years ago this month, but it’s clear with the number of downloads we receive all over the world (in 168 countries now) that this is an important and timely topic for us all to pay attention to. As we are now moving into Season 8 of the podcast, with a focus on Brain Health and Well-Being as it relates to learning, Richard Carr and Kieran O’Mahony’s Brain-centric Design fits right in as they focus on the training and certification of Communicators, Coaches, and Educators to form a deep understanding in the pedagogy of their program: Brain-centric Design: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind Learning with Deep Understanding[ii]. Because their framework is aligned with how the brain processes information, and how people’s brain loves to learn, (especially something new) its inherent design places any learning space in a psychologically safe framework.  They will show us how great things can happen when your brain is free of the behaviorist constructs of rewards and punishment that we have all seen in our public schooling, and corporate workplaces.
Let’s meet Rich Carr, and Kieran O’Mahony of Brain-Centric Design, and take a close look at why the behaviorist model that many of us have been use it using because it works, is out-dated, as they show us there is a better way to learn in our schools and classrooms of the future.
Welcome Rich Carr and Kieran O’Mahony, thank you for reaching out to me and sharing your learning model with all of us today.
INTRO Q: Just a quick glance at all of the praise of your work in the beginning of your book, Brain-centric Design: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind Learning With Deep Understanding I couldn’t help but notice the one written by Alan Breeze, Washington State Prison, Inmate #797180 who said that “there must be a way for headheads like myself to learn that does not include years of solitary confinement” and that if he had found your method, that instead of a testimonial from inmate #797180, it could have been written by Master Chief Brazee, US Navy.
How did you both come to discover your method?
Q1: We can clearly see that our K-12 Educational System needs transformation and how far we are behind other countries like Finland and Japan (who tune into this podcast) and Ireland where Kieran mentioned his journey began, we are currently in the TOP 20 in this country.[iii]  You mention that one reason is that our K12 system is built on the rewards/punishment system. Where did this Behavioralist Method[iv] go wrong? What are we missing when it comes to learning and deep understanding?[v]
1B: Why do some people seem to thrive in this system-or seem to be resilient enough to not be impacted by this system (dandelion vs orchid) and how is this data evident in the Nations Report Card? (NAEP).
1C: The example of in your video of the young girl who was given candy as a reward for completing her math sheet just broke my heart listening to it as I still see this happening with my youngest daughter. I don’t know why candy is given as a reward!  Can you explain why rewards and punishment aren’t helpful in the learning space?
1D: How does this rewards/punishment system carry into the workplace to prevent employees from reaching their potential? Kieran’s answer blew me away here, as I came from the system of commission sales, where employees were rewarded with money if they could hit their sales goals, and punished if they missed them. We know that people in this space can be fired on a dime, which works against how our brain works. Can you explain why the rewards/punishment system limits us in the workplace?
Q2: In chapter 1.1 of your book, Learning is Connecting the Dots, you say, “to learn you need neurons” and “to teach you need to know how neurons work.” Isn’t it mind-boggling that no one asks us right through our educational system, anything about our brain and how it relates to learning? I know that this is changing as more schools are learning how the brain relates to learning (the science of reading) etc, but where do you think we are now and what else needs to happen before learning and brain are more widely accepted in our schools and workplaces? I’ve got to say that I loved Kieran’s answer where he talked about learning about telomeres and mitochondria (that are both important structures in the cell that help us especially as we are growing older) but what he was learning was written by neuroscientists in complex terms. How are you translating these concepts into useful concepts and making them useful in the public domain for teachers, parents and even students to use in their lives?
Q3: What should we all know about our brain to demystify it? PART 1 of the book.
Q4: What should we all know about learning and the brain? PART 2 of the book?
Q5: Why is challenge so important with learning and what does Rich’s daughter and Jeff Bezos have in common? PART 4 of the book. Kieran’s take on this made me think back to the many influencers in my life who I’ll always be grateful for but ultimately it was my brain that made I used in every decision-making process.
Q6: How can BcD be applied in different industries? (Schools/Sports/Workplaces)?
Q7: Why is BcD Revolutionary and something we should all pay attention to?
Q8: Is there anything important that I have missed?
For people to learn more about you, what’s the best way? What is the call to action at the end? Contact you? www.braincentricdesign.com 
Thank you very much for sharing BcD with us. You have created a system that is revolutionary, and has the ability to impact change in our schools and workplaces. 
CONNECT WITH RICH CARR:
rc@braincentricdesign.com
https://braincentricdesign.com/
https://twitter.com/BrainCentric
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrknowledge/
https://www.youtube.com/c/RichCarrknowledge
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://braincentricdesign.com/
[ii] Brain-centric Design: The Surprising Neuroscience Behind Learning with Deep Understanding by Rich Carr and Dr. Kieran O’Mahony https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SRC6BSM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
[iii] Ireland Apple How-To Charts https://chartable.com/charts/itunes/ie-how-to-podcasts
[iv] Brain-centric Design Chapter 3.2 Behaviorism is Outdated May 20, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc0jWUZKqS8
[v] This is the one critical piece we are missing when it comes to learning and deep understanding. By Robyn Shulman Sept. 15, 2019 https://www.forbes.com/sites/robynshulman/2019/09/15/this-is-the-one-critical-piece-were-missing-when-it-comes-to-learning-and-deep-understanding/?sh=36515031e329
 

Secret Millionaire, Hilary Decesare on her new book coming June 9th ”ReLaunch: Spark Your Heart to Ignite Your Life.”

Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/naWMRm8tqck
 
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How Hilary Decesare, who made her first million at 32, got involved with giving back and ended up on the TV Show, Secret Millionaire.
✔︎ How the story of Hilary's Mom, connected with Andrea and an untold story with her and Bob Proctor.
✔︎ What Hilary learned from leaving her home, and going into a poverty struck area in Long Beach, CA.
✔︎ What is the 3HQ™ Method to help people move from their head, to their heart, to higher self.
✔︎ How anyone can reLaunch their personal or professional life.
✔︎ How John Assaraf helped Andrea and Hilary to ReLaunch their life and business.
✔︎ How to begin, and join Hilary's book launch on June 9th. 
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #219, we will be speaking with an award-winning business expert, international best-selling author, host of “The reLAUNCH Podcast”[i] and “The reLAUNCH" on Voice America's Talk Show Network, Hilary DeCesare who I feel a connection to, even before we’ve met. This interview will be interesting for me to see how this connection unfolds during the interview, and if it becomes apparent.
She’s a sought-after speaker, founder of The Relaunch Co., and previously one of Oracle’s top account managers worldwide, who brings fresh energy to industry leaders, CEOs, and solopreneurs. She holds a psychology degree and a range of certifications in her field, and has been featured on ABC’s hit TV series Secret Millionaire. Her insights have been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and mentioned in the Huffington Post, Yahoo, Market Watch, and others. As an innovator in neuropsychology as it relates to business and life, Hilary DeCesare has cultivated her experience to illuminate a heart-driven path to conquer today’s shifting landscape, re-imagining personal and professional success.
When I received an email introduction to Hilary’s work, I noticed that she was on the TV Show, Secret Millionaire, that I’ve seen and find inspiring. I love seeing people give back after they have found their way in this world, and Hilary Decesare definitely has a purpose to help others find their way which is what her new book, and podcast are all about. I had no idea just how much Hilary’s work would connect with mine, with many parallels that I hope will become apparent in the interview.
This is one of those interviews that I know how has the ability to completely transform someone listening. When ignoring her intuition resulted in fearing for her life at the edge of Niagara Falls, this award-winning Silicon Valley CEO and entrepreneur Hilary DeCesare was shocked into realizing she needed a deep reassessment of who she was and why. The answers surfaced where she least expected—her late mother. In RELAUNCH! Spark Your Heart to Ignite Your Life, Hilary immerses the reader in a world of neuroscience, to uncover a powerful secret that we all harbor: The 3HQuotient. This is the power to leverage the three H's—the Heart, the Head and the Higher Self. Stay tuned and learn some of the top lessons and personal stories from Hilary as well as from other experts like John Gray, John Assaraf  and Jim Fortin.
Let’s meet Hilary Decesare, and see what she can share to help all of us to see the silver lining of what’s happening in the world today, and for anyone out there, thinking of a reLaunch (maybe a new career path, or considering a new direction) this is her specialty.
Welcome Hilary Decesare, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. Hilary, like you’ve said on your podcast, reLAUNCH, you mentioned how lucky you feel to get to speak to such incredible people like your last guest, Dr. John Gray, whose book Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus was one of the most influential books of the last quarter century. I feel the same way, especially as I’m researching people and making many connections to what I’m learning and I wonder, just to open up and help people to quickly get to know the spirit of who you are, can you share perhaps why someone who made their first million at the age of 32 got involved in this work of helping others to see the “silver lining” in what many would consider very difficult times?
Your book, that isn’t due out until June 9th, but I found it and made a connection with how you saw your Mom and it related to a story of when I first moved to the US. Can I share this story that made me connect to you BEFORE I found another connection?
You Mom Taking Pride in Painting Your House (that gave you inspiration) reminded me of the Bob Proctor window cleaning story. Bob took pride in cleaning windows, just like your Mom took pride in painting that house.
What did you learn from your Mom in PART 1 of the book with her painting story?
We just interviewed Dr. Marie Gervais on EPISODE #214[ii] on her new book “The Spirit of Work” that I think resonates with your 3HQ™ Method (before I know what it is) because her book is about getting to the “spirit of a person in the workplace, to make a true impact. It wasn’t long while researching you that I was able to see beyond what we might see on the outside, and see the power and presence that you hold within with your spirit.  Maybe it was watching you go into that place in Long Beach, leaving your LA home behind (and all that you had that makes you comfortable) and watch how you could see the silver lining (or the spirit) of that situation that not many people would do. What did you learn from that experience that the show didn’t cover? Maybe insights you see now, looking back?
Q1: Hilary, I think anyone listening should go and watch your Secret Millionaire[iii] clip as it was eye-opening to see, especially in these difficult times we are all experiencing. You think it just can’t get any worse, and then it does, but nothing was as difficult to see for me than that house you had to stay in and I’m not picky when I travel, but a place needs to be clean. As we move to your book, RELAUNCH, that comes out June 9th, What is the 3HQ™ Method and how could it help people listening who might be going through a difficult time and in need of a  reLAUNCH? (Heart, Head, Higher Self)
Q2: You’ve got a unique approach to helping people uncover and get rid of their limiting beliefs. What is your BUGS approach, and where did you learn this? Did you have any negative beliefs and how did you get rid of yours? How do we identify our limiting beliefs?
Q3: Why do you say you must be invisible to be visible if you are going to have success in your personal and professional life?
Q4: How do you tap into your intuition? Can you explain the “Power of Pause” more?
Q5: I noticed that you have an incredible testimonial from someone who helped me back in 2014 (when I moved in the new direction of Neuroscience with my work),  New York Times Best Selling author, John Assaraf. How did you meet John, or did he just send you a testimonial for your book (since I know him, I know you must know him to gain access to his knowledge.
Q6: Hilary, is there anything important that I have missed?
For those who want to join your book launch on June 9th, what’s the best way?  TEXT 55444 and put Relaunch to gain access to everything on the book.
Thank you, Hilary, for meeting with me today. I was impacted by your work at the first glance of the email your offices sent me. It wasn’t difficult to get to the heart and spirit of your work and know that you will continue to help others reach new heights. I will put the links for your social media for people to follow you and wish you much success with this new book, and workshops and helping as many people as you can to find their way, and the silver lining. Thank you!
FOLLOW HILARY DeCESARE
www.instagram.com/therelaunchco/
www.facebook.com/TheReLaunchCo/
www.linkedin.com/in/hilarydecesare
https://therelaunchco.com/
ABOUT THE BOOK
RELAUNCH! Spark Your Heart to Ignite Your Life is an empowerment manifesto to yourself - it explores the 3HQTM: the intersection between the Head and the Heart and how to reach your Higher Self. It’s about learning how to live your most fulfilling life and to take it to the next level... and beyond.
Andrea’s Final Thoughts
To wrap up this interview with Hilary Decesare on her new book, Relaunch, if you are in a place where you think there could be more for you (whether in your professional or personal life), I think the strategies that Hilary outlines in her book could be a really good starting point. I do hope that you will join her launch and grab her book.
In Part 1, on the heart, you’ll see the story of Hilary’s Mom painting the house, showing us all how to move from the heart to the soul and examine our work to see if we take pride in what we are doing.  
In PART 2 we move to our head, and look at the reLaunch Flip™ where we go from being a victim with our story, to a victor and eliminate those BUGS (or automatic limiting negative thoughts) in our head that we all have.
We will see how when all of the H’s—the heart, head and higher self are connected, it will open up pathways that will connect us to others and new life experiences. Without a balance within our three H’s, it’s difficult for us to reach our highest potential.
REMEMBER: When we feel stuck, we aren’t really stuck, but it’s our thinking that is stuck and needs to shift/change. This process will help you to find the possibilities where you might only see closed doors.
PART 3 We look at our higher self and learn to use our intuition to find answers from within so we can trust the decisions that we make.
If you are looking for a way to reinvent yourself in some way, this book will give you many ideas for where to begin and what to look for in the process. Re Launch is a life-long program as we will need to Relaunch many times over in our lifetime.
I thought of the many times I’ve had to reinvent myself and was able to do so quickly as I had access to so many programs through the speaking industry I worked in for many years. Hilary’s book covers everything I have even seen (from John Assaraf, to Bob Proctor, Carol Dweck, and even Dr. Amen).   This book covers them all.
I’ll close with a quote from John Assaraf who helped me to reLaunch when I needed to move in the direction of Neuroscience. He says “
"If you're not in touch with who you really are and know that there is way more you can do and achieve, Hilary DeCesare shows how to put yourself on the path to not just manifestation, but transformation, starting from the inside out. Read the book, apply its lessons and watch your life soar to heights you have only dreamed about." - John Assaraf, Brain expert Featured in The Secret, and two-time New York Times bestselling author
See if Hilary’s stories resonate with you, like they did with me.  We all have the ability to reLaunch and come out stronger on the other side.
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] reLAUNCH Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-relaunch-podcast/id1510506747
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #214 with Dr. Marie Gervais on her book “The Spirit of Work”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/marie-gervais-phd-on-the-spirit-of-work-connecting-science-business-practices-and-sacred-texts-for-a-happier-and-more-productive-workplace/
[iii] Hilary Decesare Long Beach, CA Secret Millionaire Season 3, Episode 4 https://abc.com/shows/secret-millionaire/episode-guide/season-03/04-hilary-decesare-long-beach-ca
 

Brain Fact Friday on ”Using Neuroscience and Dr. Covey’s 5th Habit to Find Peace and Hope During Difficult Times”

 
This has been a tough week in the United States and while being interviewed on Tom Schimmer’s[i] educational podcast on Monday that focuses on learning, leadership, and life, he asked me what keeps me up at night related to education, and my answer to him was “school shootings” since they don’t seem to be going away. This was a day before the next mass school shooting would hit the news around the world.
This has been a really tough week for everyone, in addition to the stress the world is already facing, and I’m sure those listening to this episode outside of the US can feel the turmoil, and have many questions. While I certainly don’t have all the answers, I do have some thoughts that I think can provide some insight and hope for those who tune in. After this incident, while working on releasing our next episode, nothing felt right to me as I was writing, and so I figured the best solution was to take a break from our usual episodes, and think of ways that we could use this platform to amplify the voices left behind (like Chey and Pav have done do well)[ii] and highlight those who have been working in the trenches, to provide solutions for those impacted by the events like we saw repeated this week. 
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and workplace environments. For today’s episode, #218, and this week’s Brain Fact Friday, we are going to look at how neuroscience can help us to understand what’s happening in our world today, with some strategies that we can all use to move us from a world of chaos, towards hope. Now this episode feels right to me.
Before we take a look at these brain-based solutions, getting a bigger picture overview of the events that occurred this week is important. The k12 school shooting database lists some charts and graphs that provide visuals of this issue documenting “each and every instance a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property (in the US) for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, day of the week.”
There’s a map that you can click on to see the incidents that have occurred by state[iii], and it’s eye-opening.  Click on the link in the show notes and see for yourself. There wasn’t ONE state in the US that was exempt. You can see some that have less incidents, but country wide, you can see no one remains unaffected.
There’s also another graph that shows some of the most recent and well-known incidents next to ones we might not all know by name, all the well-known incidents highlighted in red. We can see Columbine in 1999 with 13 people killed, Sandy Hook in 2012 with 26, Sante Fe 2018 (10), Parkland, Florida, 2022 (17) and now Uvalde, Texas with 21 killed this week.
I share these numbers and visuals as a way to show that what Mathew Portell said is right on the mark. Moments of silence aren’t solutions.  It’s time to speak up. But what exactly do we say?
How can we “Seek to Understand?” when things are so horrible and abnormal?
Dr. Covey’s timeless principles can help us all here. We must first Seek to Understand[iv], using Dr. Stephen Covey’s Habit #5.
How do we understand such difficult tragedies in our world?
The Brain of a School Shooter:
This takes me back to the work of American Psychologist, Dr. Daniel Amen[v], whose work looking at the brain through SPECT Image Scans[vi] (that looks at blood flow and activity in the brain—where he looks to make improvements and further balance the flow to improve brain function) his work and scans weren’t widely accepted when he began years ago, but he now helps people who come to his offices across the country (from well-known sports athletes, to celebrities, to regular people) to look at their brain to get to the root of their health and wellbeing from the brain level. He’s famous for saying “When our brain works right, you work right.”
Dr. Amen focuses on “why” this behavior is occurring (Habit #5) as he explained on recent Instagram post that the brain of Kip Kinkel[vii] (the shooter from the Thurston High School Shooting in Springfield, OR, 1998) was shown to be “toxic, damaged, and dramatically under active.” Dr. Amen said it “was one of the worst 15-year-old brains” he has ever seen and reminds us that “we have to talk about brain function whenever behavior is so awful and abnormal” and that “if we understand why (his brain is this way—he thinks possibly lack of oxygen at birth) then we can do something about it, but “most people get medication without understanding their brain.” (Dr. Daniel Amen Instagram). Dr. Amen shows a healthy brain that is smooth, even and symmetrical, versus an unhealthy, under-active brain when he points to the brain of the shooter. The challenge with this strategy is that we don’t have SPECT image scanners in our classrooms (or any brain scanners at all for that matter!)  to pinpoint those with unhealthy toxic brains, so we could do something with this information.
What the Future Holds: Prevention from Understanding
Dr. Amen is working on making brain scans that he offers more accessible, which only the future will tell, and aren’t immediate solutions but there is still a lot that researching the brains of people who are committing these crimes can show. Since a SPECT image scan would only work on someone who is living (since it measures blood flow and activity in the brain) they can also look at the brain of someone who has died, to see what can be learned.
The Brain of NFL Player Aaron Hernandez
Just by looking at a razor-thin slice of the brain of Aaron Hernandez, (who was a football player in the NFL who was arrested and convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd, and ended up committing suicide in prison) it was clear that “his brain was riddled with stage 3 CTE, a neurodegenerative disease which has 4 stages and has been found in athletes like football players, boxers and soccer players who endure repeated concussions and other blows to the head. It’s been associated with memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”[viii] While brain scans are not an immediate but a future solution, I thought about what else we could do as we reflect on the events that stopped us all in our tracks this week to give us some peace in the middle of this chaos. Dr. Amen says often that he’s in the “helping business” showing that his brain is hard-wired for altruism. 
So How Can We Help Others With our Brain in Mind?
Friederike Fabritus, a pioneer in the field of neurol-eadership, who joined us on EPISODE #27[ix]  reminded me this week that “one aspect that is very important for our brain is purpose.  When we help others and behave in altruistic ways, our brain is flooded with the happiness trifecta: dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. These are instant well-being boosters.”[x]
Doing good for others helps us to feel better! Research has shown that our brains are hard-wired for altruism and purpose.” Which brings us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
Did you know that:
“Doing good for others helps us to feel better!” (Friederike Fabritius[xi], and from the research of a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, LA, Leonardo Christov-Moore[xii]  that “our altruism may be more hard-wired than previously thought?”[xiii]
Besides, Dr. Amen, who is helping us to “understand” why people behave in abnormal ways, we also have people in the world who take this understanding to another level by actually doing something about the problems that they see.
This leads me to highlight the work of Darryl Scott, the father of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School, who founded Rachelschallenge.org that focuses on his daughter’s life, with this legacy, not her death. Darryl Scott has spoken to over five million people in live settings around the world, not counting the millions he has spoken to through programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, CNN, and the Today Show. He has authored or co-authored five books, and meets with politicians and educators regularly concerning issues of school violence. I highlight Darryl Scott in this episode (even though there are others taking a stand to end violence in our schools) but I had the chance to hear Darryl Scott speak when he keynoted at a School Counselors Conference in Arizona in 2018 and it was an event I will never forget. While he talked about the importance of safe schools, and provided a timeline of the shootings that occurred after Columbine, he took us all back to the person who created education in the United States in the first place, Horace Mann.[xiv] Scott reminded us about The Principles of the Father of Education, one being the importance of making education “inclusive” for all children. He asked us to all think about where we are today with helping all students feel safe in our schools, making us all think to where US education began in the first place.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday where “doing good for others makes us feel better” and that we are “hard-hired for altruism” I hope that we can all think of how we can move forward, with understanding, and go the extra mile to help others in need. We might not be able to solve all the world’s problems at once, but doing a little bit every day to help others can make an incredible ripple effect on the world. I know we all know how to do this, and look for the ones who don’t stand out in the crowd to help.
While writing this episode, my alarm went off, and I had to pick up my youngest from her last day of school. While I was driving her home, there were two kids walking home up the side walk. One kid, looked like the older sister and the other, the youngest was much farther behind. It’s now close to 100 degrees out in AZ, so you get the picture. The little one walking behind dropped a folder of papers all over the ground, and her older sister didn’t even notice. She kept walking and the two girls were now really far apart. I’m writing this episode and super sensitive to this poor kid who just wants to go home, and now here papers are everywhere, so I stopped the car, and helped her to pick up her papers.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look she gave me when she said “Thank you” as she ran up the street to join her sister.
We all have a story like this—maybe you’ve helped someone walk across the street, or you’ve shown your kindness in some other way, but now we all know that are brains are wired to help others in this way, and to do more of this moving forward.
Review and Conclusion
To conclude this week’s Brain Fact Friday, where we are looking for solutions to the problems we see in the world, we went back to Dr. Daniel Amen’s work where SPECT image brain scans could help us to understand “why” terrible things can happen in the world (Using Dr. Covey’s Habit #5 of Seek to Understand First) but until the research catches up with every day practice, we can all remember that:
“Doing good for others helps us to feel better and that our brains are hard-wired for altruism and purpose.” When we find that purpose, like Darryl Scott, who founded Rachel’s Challenge, this can improve our well-being while our message goes on to impact millions more around the world. Keep our eyes open for those who could use our help, and take action when you can.
We can all make the world a better place, and our brains are hard wired to do this. 
I hope this weekend that you surround yourself with those you love, and that you think of ways that you can help others around you, as we do have the ability to make change over time, which does require action, not silence. 
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Tom Schimmer https://twitter.com/TomSchimmer
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #215 with Chey and Pav  on “Amplifying Those Voices Left Behind” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/chey-cheney-and-pav-wander-from-the-chey-and-pav-show-on-their-vision-to-identify-and-amplify-the-voices-often-left-behind/
[iii] K-12 US Shooting Database https://www.chds.us/ssdb/data-map/
[iv] The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/
[v] Dr. Daniel Amen Instagram post of the brain of a school shooter https://www.instagram.com/p/CeAHXUzJUaF/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #82 PART 1 “How a Brain Scan Changed My Life with Doug Sutton” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-brain-scan-changed-my-brain-and-life-with-doug-sutton/
[vii] Thurston High School Shooting , 1998 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurston_High_School_shooting
[viii] What the Aaron Hernandez Documentary Missed About His Brain by Dr. Daniel Amen Feb. 17, 2020 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/what-the-aaron-hernandez-documentary-missed-about-his-brain/
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #27 with Pioneer in the Field of Neuroleadership, Frederike Fabritius https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/pioneer-in-the-field-of-neuroleadership-friederike-fabritius-on-the-recipe-for-achieving-peak-performance/
[x] Friederike Fabritius LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6935211532599369728/
[xi] Our Brain and Purpose with Friederike Fabritius https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6935211532599369728/
[xii] Our Brain May be Hard-Wired for Altruism Study March 20, 2016 https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/content/535712/our-brain-may-hard-wired.html
[xiii] Our Brain May be Hard-Wired for Altruism Study March 20, 2016 https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/content/535712/our-brain-may-hard-wired.html
[xiv] Horace Mann, The Father of Public Education http://evolutionofeducation.leadr.msu.edu/2017/04/18/horace-mann/
 

Brain Fact Friday on ”Science-Based Tricks to Improve Productivity and Never Forget Anything”

Did you know that “the shorter we sleep, the shorter our life will be?[i]” Professor Matthew Walker, The New Science of Sleep and Dreams
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎  A review of the importance of sleep on our physical and mental health.
✔︎ How lack of sleep attacks the memory centers of our brain.
✔︎ 2 science-based strategies to improve memory and never forget anything ever again.
✔︎ Tips for how to use these strategies in your life for improved results.
Have you ever said, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” or pushed through your work possibly doing an all-nighter, thinking that you’ll catch up over the weekend?
The most current research shows that this is a really bad idea, as Matthew Walker, the author of the book, Why We Sleep, tells us that “lack of sleep attacks the hippocampus (where memory and learning take place) and increases the risk for various forms of cancer.”[ii]  We have covered the importance of sleep on this podcast in many different places, including a BONUS episode in December 2020 where we talked about sleep as one of The Top 5 Health Staples[iii] we should all pay attention to, but Professor Matthew Walker reminds us that “as we are getting older, our learning and memory abilities fade and decline...and that a physiological signature of aging is that our sleep gets worse” which contributes to cognitive or memory decline. I don’t know about you, but as I’m going through the next 50+ years of my life, I’d like to have a sharp memory, in addition to a healthy body that can help me to do the things I want to do with work and family and when I find something that’s NEW and INTERESTING, I will share it with you, wherever you might be listening to this podcast, so it can help you in your personal and professional life.
My hope is that today’s Brain Fact Friday makes us all think about how we can improve our sleep, memory and overall health as I share the most current research, and how I’m applying it for improved results and productivity. We are now nearing the end of Season 7 of the podcast on “Brain Health and Well-Being” and will begin Season 8 in June, on “Brain Health and Learning.” Having a theme for each season helps me to stay focused on the guests we bring on, as well as the questions I ask them. If there is a topic of interest to you, please send me a message[iv] and let me know.
Today we are going to take a deeper look at the importance of sleep on our learning, memory and overall health, as we prepare to speak with the world’s leading expert on sleep paralysis, Dr. Baland Jalal, from Harvard University, who will help us to connect the brain to some of our weirdest sleep experiences, with the hopes that this connection can help us to all learn something new, and perhaps use some new strategies to make sleep a priority that will in turn improve our memory and learning in our waking hours.
While researching for our next interview with Dr. Baland Jalal[v], I’ve been looking at what some of the leading experts have discovered about our dreams and sleep. I did explore what I was learning on EPISODE #211 on “The Neuroscience of Dreams: Expanding Our Self-Awareness”[vi] to open up the door for this interview and always want to remind everyone of EPISODE #104 with Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream”[vii] but today I want to highlight how our sleep is important for learning and memory consolidation, hoping the Dr. Jalal will deepen our understanding of our dream world, take some of the mystery out of what happens to our brain during sleep, and bring some strategies to the forefront that we can use to improve our productivity in the 16 hours of our waking day.
So Why is Sleep So Important and Critical to Look at For Our Health, Well-Being and Productivity?
Professor and Neuroscientist Matthew Walker, from the University of California, reveals a recent study with adults who got 6 hours of sleep vs 8 hours, and they noticed that in the “6 hours of sleep group, that certain genes were turned off (the immunity genes)” that we all need to fight against disease and viruses, and the genes that were turned on were the genes that produced tumors in the body. We’ve all heard of how important sleep is, and how it’s nonnegotiable for our health, but this study put sleep back on the map for me to keep investigating to see how else it can be improved. After our interview with Dr. Jalal, I hope to show how our dream time can benefit our wake time, and how we can use our sleep time for improved creativity, focus and productivity while we are working/awake.
Since lack of sleep “attacks the hippocampus” of the brain, where our memories are first formed, and then consolidated from short-term to long-term memory, I wanted to share some strategies where our memories can be strengthened, with or without a good night of sleep. I share these 2 strategies with you, as I recently had to draw on them, and then while listening to Stanford Professor and Neuroscientist, Dr. Andrew Huberman’s most recent podcast, on Understanding and Improving Memory[viii], I made some connections to the memory building techniques I’ve been using, while Dr. Huberman showed how science proves these strategies grounded in science.
If what Matthew Walker says is true, and that as I’m getting older, my learning and memory abilities are fading and declining, it would make sense to me to find some ways to strengthen my memories to prevent this from occurring.
Last week, the day before interviewing Dr. Marie Gervais, for EPISODE #214[ix] something weird happened and I lost the questions for our interview. The good thing is that it was the day before the interview, so I had time to recreate them, but what was interesting is that I relied on my memory to do this quicker than if I had to start from scratch. While I know I don’t have a photographic memory, where I could remember every word by detail, after listening to Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast on Improving Memory with Science Based Tools, I could see how science really helped me in this situation.
USING SCIENCE TO STRENGTHEN OUR MEMORIES  
TIP #1 Taking a Mental Snapshot in Your Mind. Until I heard Dr. Huberman talking about this as an effective, science-backed method for improving our memory, I wouldn’t have believed it myself, even though I do this all the time. He drew on a research article about Photographic Memory[x] where he explained it’s not in the sense of remembering every word of writing on a page (like some people can do) but a bit different—something he has been doing since he was a young kid, and something I’ve done since I was young as well. It’s when we take either an actual or mental photograph of something we want to remember, and the research says that if it’s something we choose to remember ourselves (it’s volitional) then our memory of this snapshot is enhanced, and even if we delete the actual photograph, if we took one, that we should still be able to recall every detail in the image, from our mind, for years to come.
HOW TO USE THIS IN YOUR DAILY LIFE
I thought about this example with recreating my questions for Dr. Gervais. Because I was in an emotional state while reading her book, and creating her questions, you would think this is what helped me to remember them when I had to recreate them (because her book The Spirit of Work was all about connecting to her at the soul level). I had the research, and went through each point, and remembered where the questions came from, but the places I could remember the questions clearly, were the ones that were connected to images I had seen (whether on social media) or somewhere that I remember thinking “yes, this goes along with what I want to ask” and it was the mental image recall that helped me to remember her questions.
If you want to try this, take either a mental, or an actual photograph of something you want to remember. Remember it must be volitional, not something someone else wants you to remember. While taking the photo, or imaging it, pay attention to what you are seeing. Where is the picture? What’s in the background? Is there a person in the picture? What are they wearing? Is there anything about the photo that would allow you to pinpoint the month the photo was taken? Are they wearing something that stands out? Where are they standing? How are they standing? What’s behind them? Is there a window in the photo? What’s outside the window? Is it daytime or nighttime? Now that you’ve got your mental image, delete it, stop thinking about it, and wait a week, and see how much of the image you can remember. With practice, you should be able to recall details from these mental or actual snapshots, many years later. Dr. Huberman did say that the research showed that although the image could be recalled, that the auditory along with the image would be diminished, or that vision trumps our auditory senses. 
TIP #2: Highly Emotional States + Adrenaline=Enhanced Memory. Dr. Huberman shared a study that was done by Cahill and McGough[xi] that showed when you are in a highly emotional state, adrenaline is released but what is interesting about this study is that “it’s not the emotion that stamps the memory down, but it’s the presence of adrenaline”[xii] that solidifies the memory.
He said “You don’t need to take anything to spike adrenaline” (Dr. Andrew Huberman) you just need to find what works for you and if it “makes your eyes go wide and breathing increase” then you’ve spiked your adrenaline. He did give some suggestions of ways to recreate this adrenaline boost in our brain to enhance learning and memory, without using repetition (the most popular research based strategy for learning retention) like cold ice baths or showers to increase adrenaline, or exercise that I use often.
HOW TO USE THIS IN YOUR DAILY LIFE:
How do you approach learning and memory? With this research in mind, did you think about stamping the memory of what you want to remember with adrenalin? Have you heard of strategies to increase adrenalin in your body (like a cold shower or cold bath) to stamp down your learning? I talked about this with Dr. John Ratey when I interviewed him on EPISODE #116 on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”[xiii] when I told Dr. Ratey that in order to study neuroscience, write these episodes, and make sense of it all, I had to run up a mountain, or do some sort of rigorous cardio activity in order to be able to sit at my desk and actually understand what I’m reading. Dr. Ratey agreed that I needed to create the neural chemicals needed for learning and memory.
How do you approach learning and memory? Exercise, cold baths, or some other method? I’d love to know…
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday
Did you know that “lack of sleep attacks the hippocampus”[xiv] the part of the brain that plays a role in learning and memory. If we want to protect this part of our brain, then paying attention to how much and how long we sleep is a responsible next step for us to all focus on, in addition to working on strategies that can strengthen this important part of our brain.
We covered 2 tips for implementing how an understanding of our brain can improve productivity in our life with the mental snapshot strategy that will allow you to remember anything, even if you’ve deleted it, by paying attention to whatever it is that you want to remember, and then practice this, to strengthen this part of your memory center. If you are like me, and have deleted something, you’ll never have to worry, because it will never be lost, when you’ve backed it up with a mental snapshot.
The second strategy of enhancing our memories is with the idea that it’s not just our emotions that make our memories stick, but the presence of adrenaline and to find ways to increase adrenaline naturally (like through exercise) to create the neural chemicals that our brain needs for learning and memory.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode, and that you have taken away something to improve your brain health and well-being. I’ll see you next episode with Dr. Baland Jalal where we will see what we can learn about ourselves, by diving into the dream world.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, Professor Matthew Walker Published on YouTube June 28th, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j9xCC_VtQA
[ii] The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, Professor Matthew Walker Published on YouTube June 28th, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j9xCC_VtQA
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE on The Top 5 Health Staples from December 11th, 2020 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/
[iv] Contact Andrea https://www.achieveit360.com/contact-us/
[v] The Neuroscience of Dreams by Dr. Baland Jalal Published on YouTube Feb.13, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBL-51kIkc
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-dreams-expanding-our-self-awareness/
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #104 with Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sleep-scientist-antonio-zadra-on-when-brains-dream-exploring-the-science-and-mystery-of-sleep/
[viii] Understand and Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools by Andrew Huberman May 16, 2022 https://hubermanlab.com/understand-and-improve-memory-using-science-based-tools/
[ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #214 with Dr. Marie Gervais on “The Spirit of Work”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/marie-gervais-phd-on-the-spirit-of-work-connecting-science-business-practices-and-sacred-texts-for-a-happier-and-more-productive-workplace/
[x] Photographic Memory: The Effects of Volitional Photo Taking on Memory for Visual and Auditory Aspects of an Experience by Barasch, Diehl, Silverman and Zauberman published at Yale University January 26, 2017  https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Barasch-Diehl-Silverman-Zauberman-Photographic-Memory-Psych-Science.pdf
[xi] A Novel Demonstration of Enhanced Memory Associated with Emotional Arousal Published December 1995 by Larry Cahill and James L McGaugh https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810085710483
[xii] Understand and Improve Memory Using Science-Based Tools by Andrew Huberman May 16, 2022 https://hubermanlab.com/understand-and-improve-memory-using-science-based-tools/ (31:49).
[xiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 with Dr. John Ratey on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[xiv] The New Science of Sleep and Dreams, Professor Matthew Walker Published on YouTube June 28th, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j9xCC_VtQA

Assistant Principal Dan Wolfe on ”Becoming the Change: Using the 5 SEL Competencies to Navigate Through Difficult Times”

“The best way to predict YOUR future is to CREATE it.” Abraham Lincoln
And what better way to create our own life than to have our very own built in compass.
BOOK RELEASE DATE: Memorial Day. Stay tuned. 
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/tPFhP5mg-l4
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How Assistant Principal Dan Wolfe came up with a "moral compass" using the 5 SEL Competencies to help students and teachers navigate through difficult times.
✔︎ How to use the 5 SEL Competencies to stay on track.
✔︎ How to use Dan's Self-Assessment to see where our strengths and areas of improvement are.
✔︎ How to use a "Compass Check" to monitor our progress along the way.
✔︎ Insights and AHA Moments with using the 5 SEL Competencies as your "guide."
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and workplace environments.
Today, on EPISODE #216, we will be speaking with Dan Wolfe, an Assistant Principal from Pasco County, Florida, on his new book Becoming the Change[i]: Five Essential Elements That Guide Us Towards Becoming Our Best Selves-- that is coming out before Memorial Day Weekend. Dan reached out to me via Twitter to let me know he was about to release a new book that was inspired by a blog he started on Social and Emotional Learning called “Our Moral Compass” that led to him starting the Become the Change Podcast[ii] where Dan focuses on the five areas of social and emotional learning that we have been focused on with this podcast.
I’m always looking for unique ways to share these important SEL skills, and I loved what Dan has created with his book that compares SEL skills to a moral compass that can used to keep us on track with our life. Before the title of the book changed, it was going to called Our Moral Compass, and evolved to Becoming the Change.
What caught my attention with Dan, BEFORE I had even read this book, was the original title. I wondered how he was going to use the SEL competencies to help us navigate through difficult times in our life. We all need a moral compass, and without this, we can veer off track very quickly. How do you navigate through life when times are difficult? Do you have your own built in compass that keeps you on track?
I look forward to speaking with Dan, learning how he is using the analogy of a moral compass to help his students learn, navigate their way through the complexities of life, by understanding and apply SEL in our schools today.
Let’s meet Dan Wolfe!
Welcome Dan Wolfe, thank you for reaching out to me and sharing your new book, Becoming the Change.
INTRO Q: Dan, what caught my attention with what you have created is not just the fact I can see that you have been immersed in teaching SEL for many years, which is clear from your blog and podcast, that I know is a lot of work on top of being an Assistant Principal and all that goes along with this full-time position.
When I first saw your compass analogy, with the SEL competencies that we have been covering on this podcast since we launched, (we did add mindset to ours) but you’ve got the 5 Casel[iii] Competencies covered, it made me think of this powerful leadership activity I did many years ago involving a compass. I was dropped off in the middle of the woods with a cooler of food, (that I remember being very heavy) and a tent, (that was awkward to carry) and we had to navigate to our camp site using a compass. There had to have been at least 5 of us. This was years before I think Casel even came up with their 5 competencies, (or at least they weren’t online) but they were all apparent on this trek from where we were dropped off in the woods, to where we needed to go (our campsite) where we met up with all of the other groups in one place.
This activity was of course to bring to light how we “showed up” in life under a stressful, grueling, difficult task. I’ve thought of this activity many times over the years, as an example of all that’s needed to guide us through life…but the one area that really helped, especially when at a crossroads, was navigating life, with a moral compass that came from within, choosing what I think was best for me at the time.
How did you come up with this idea of the moral compass connected to these important SEL skills?
Self-awareness came up as we all got to see ourselves and unique characteristics on this journey. Relationship skills seemed to be the most important as we had to come to a consensus with every decision we made. Obviously they had to be responsible decisions to allow us to get to where we were going (hopefully before dark) so we could set up our tent in the daylight. Social awareness was apparent as we had to think outside of ourselves and help others, and we of course had to manage ourselves, and make sure our emotions were regulated in this difficult task.
Q1: Like my example of using a compass, we had to make sure we stayed on track as we moved from where we were, to our final destination. When we went off track, we lost (or wasted) time that was important for setting up our campsite that evening. What happens when we go off track with your compass analogy? Pick one of the competencies and explain how we can use your compass to navigate this competency through life.
Q2: There’s a lot behind this quote that you mention as a Compass Check. “You are the Captain of Your Own Ship. Never let society determine the direction of your moral compass.” (Page 12, Becoming the Change). I think of this for leaders who have to forge their own way, often going where no one has ever gone before them, or even like we spoke on a recent episode with Dr. Marie Gervais, with the former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, who was given a lower wage because she a woman, and a woman of color. She didn’t even think of asking for more, since it was a “good” wage, but she knew she was being limited. In all the 5 competencies we usually know what to do to stay on track, but something gets in the way, takes us off course, and we don’t do it. How can we use this compass check to be responsible for ourselves, and our direction, as we pursue our goals?
Q3: Since anyone forging their own way will have come up against all of these statements, I wonder if you could review your Becoming the Change Self-Assessment Tool to pinpoint which one of the 5 competencies we need to focus on? I took this self-reflection tool, and while all the competencies are a work in progress, what showed up for me was self-awareness scored the highest with your score of  “I’m Headed in the Right Direction.” I know that I’m getting to know myself on a deeper level with each episode, and that my learning documented on this podcast, especially areas of growth that’s apparent if we answer your questions honestly. I think there’s always room for improvement and to learn more so I didn’t check “I’ve reached my destination” EXCEPT for the same area you did on Relationship Skills and helping others grow, since this is what I’m doing with the podcast.
What did you learn about yourself with this Self-Assessment?
What do you see others learn with it?
How can this tool be used like a compass to check our growth over time?
 
Q4: I couldn’t help noticing the choices on your self-assessment (I’m not sure which direction to go in or where to begin) or I’m at a crossroads, because I’ve been there many times. There was the time I was urged to move in the direction of neuroscience, and it was a new field for me, and I was questioning whether this was the right direction for me. What advice would you offer someone who has checked “I don’t know where to begin” or even when you’ve been working for some time and you hit a cross-road and are “somewhat stuck.” How would you help someone move past these 2 scenarios?
 
Q5: Chapter 2, Regulating Yourself Through Self-Management, you have a compass check about our true superpower. I heard podcaster Jay Shetty talking about superpowers and think we all have them, as we evolve, we get to know what they are. You put a quote in this chapter from Dale Carnegie about our True Superpower that I think is very important for us to all master.
 “Everybody in the world is seeking happiness—and there is one sure way to find it. That is
by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn't depend on outward conditions. It depends
on inner conditions.”― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People
In a world that seems to push our buttons daily (gas prices are skyrocketing, stress in the workplace is at an all-time high) how can we ALL master this superpower and stay in control of our happiness when the outside world is trying it’s best to sabotage our happiness?
Q6: In Chapter 3, Social Awareness, you have a quote by Brian Tracy.
“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others.”-Brian Tracy
This is a big one for me, and what’s crazy is that if you are not aware of your surroundings, this opportunity to lend a hand to another person can be missed. Your story about Sept 11th took me back to that time and I had only been living in the US a few months. The job I had come to do with youth had fell through, and I was at a crossroads, working out where I was going next, and to pay the bills, I found a job as a nanny at a local resort, and cleaned houses. Money was really tight. I remember standing in line at a grocery store and the guy in front of me was buying diapers (gosh after having kids, diapers were one of those necessities that you had to have, but boy where they expensive). I was NOT socially aware back then, and was thinking of myself, and in a split second I watched him not have enough money to pay for the diapers, and the check out clerk took them, and he ran out of the store. I missed an opportunity to help this guy, and I even tried to find him when I went outside of the store, but this has bothered me since that moment, over 20 years ago. Being socially aware is one thing, but being ready to act on it, when someone is in need is another. What have you noticed with social awareness and how to be prepared at all times to help others?
Q7: Chapter 4 on Enhancing Your Relationship Skills, you quote that No One is Perfect “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.”
-Donald Miller   This reminded me of my last interview with Dr. Marie Gervais, and her book The Spirit of Work when I noticed that when we look at each person’s spirit, that’s for fuller expansion, we can only see greatness in this person, not their imperfections. How have you used this idea to enhance your relationships and look at everyone in this way?
Q8: Chapter 5 Responsible Decision-Making you quote Gary Vaynerchuk who says “Your legacy is being written by yourself. Make the right decisions.” I love Gary V, and liked this quote because we all do have an incredible opportunity to leave an important legacy in our lifetime, that can impact others, for years after we are gone and create what you say as “an everlasting legacy.” What advice would you have here about being mindful of our decisions today, so that we can strengthen the legacy we are working our entire lifetime on?
Q9: Is there something important that I have missed?
Dan, I want to thank you very much for sharing your new book with us. I absolutely love the moral compass analogy, and know this will help many others navigate through these 5 SEL competencies with a clear path. For people who want to access your book, what is the best way? Is your website the best place for people to find you?
CONNECT WITH DAN WOLFE
Stay tuned for Memorial Day and the release of Becoming the Change.
Website https://becoming-the-change.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/ServLeadInspire
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
Thank you!!
BIO: Dan Wolfe has served as an educator in Pasco County, Florida for more than 20 years. During this time, he has held roles as a teacher, instructional/district coach and administrator. He is currently an Assistant Principal at Sunray Elementary. He was selected as Pasco County’s District Teacher of the Year in 2011-2012 school year. He is a part of the district’s Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Committee that recently established Pre-K through Grade 12 SEL standards.
For the past two years Dan has written a blog and recorded a podcast called Becoming The Change (formerly Our Moral Compass) which focuses on a different quote each day and how we can best apply it towards becoming the change through our own moral compass and the five areas in SEL. 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://becoming-the-change.com/
[ii] https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/becoming-the-change/id1498725281
[iii] https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
 

Chey Cheney and Pav Wander from The Chey and Pav Show on ”Their Vision to Identify and Amplify the Voices Often Left Behind.”

For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, originally from Toronto, now in Arizona, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/2GysauKi3Mc
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ The importance of Dr. Stephen Covey's 8th Habit-Finding Your Voice and Helping Others to Find Theirs.
✔︎ A look behind the scenes of The Chey and Pav Show-Where They Began and Where They are Now.
✔︎ What they have each noticed with their personal and professional growth hosting their podcast.
✔︎ Their vision for their NEW book "The Magnificent Microphone"
✔︎ What they learned from working with an artist with this book.
✔︎ How they intend this book to be used to connect with students whose voice is often left behind.
✔︎ How they use Easter Eggs (personal insights) to connect to their long-time supporters.
With today’s episode, my goal is to show the importance of identifying, sharing and amplifying the voices that aren’t typically amplified. Dr. Stephen Covey reminds us that when he created the 8th habit, it was “not about adding one more habit to the 7, one that somehow got forgotten. It’s about seeing and harnessing the power of a third dimension to the 7 Habits (taking The 7 Habits beyond where they were before) that meets the central challenge of the new Knowledge Worker Age (requiring continual growth). The 8th Habit is to Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs.”  After seeing this quote I had to ask Greg Link, who worked and partnered with the late Dr. Covey if I understood the real meaning behind this quote as I sensed it was deeper than I was grasping, and he said “He is likening finding your voice (the 8th Habit) as a next dimension fruit or outcome of mastering the 7 Habits. It’s an outcome or next level, opposed to another habit” which left a profound impact on me with this episode that features 2 well-known podcast hosts from my hometown, who are on a mission to help others to amplify their voice, with their podcast and NEW book series. This means that their mission will inevitably create many NEW opportunities (or fruits as Dr. Covey put it) that will impact many people, around the world, for many years to come.
Today’s episode #215 is important to me (well, all the episodes are important) but this one touches the heart, mind and soul on a deep level, (as Dr. Marie Gervais reminded us to pay attention to in our last interview #214[i] on The Spirit of Work, to bring our whole selves to whatever it is we are doing) – and today’s episode does just that.
Today we will be speaking with Chey Cheney and Pav Wander, from The Chey and Pav Show,[ii] a weekly podcast that centers around teaching insights, reflections and growth of Chey and Pav, two middle school teachers from Toronto, Ontario.  They regularly comment on being JUST two teachers in a highly diverse community, who look to share best practices, favorite resources, mis-steps and setbacks from their teaching experiences.  I’ve told them often they are far from “just” teachers, but are exemplary, legendary leaders, who are paving the way forward for many who have previously not been seen, or heard and were at risk of being left behind. They did outline the highlights of becoming published authors (and all that they learned from this experience) on their most recent podcast episode #110[iii] that I encourage everyone to tune into.
Today’s episode we will look at their new picture book, The Magnificent Microphone[iv] that depicts a story of Chey and Pav, who in the picture book, are two keen and energetic elementary school students who often feel unseen and unheard at home and school. They always have vibrant ideas to share, but for some reason, they are always ignored! One lucky day, they find a Magnificent Microphone which helps them elevate their voices with the people that haven’t been listening.  I invite everyone to join Chey and Pav as they plunge into sharing their voices, learn about storytelling, and find ways to help others amplify their voices.
Let’s meet these NEW published authors, keynote speakers, successful podcast hosts, and legendary middle school teachers from Toronto, Canada, Chey and Pav!!!!
Welcome Chey and Pav!!!!!
How much fun in this going to be??? Thank you for joining me today on the podcast.
You know you’ve got a serious supporter of your work here, and I really do need to come back for a visit and meet up with you for coffee in the parking lot because the staffroom was never my thing.   
Welcome, both of you.
So, I’ve got to say this is really cool for me to speak with you both, being a former TDSB teacher. It’s been a long time, but I was at Zion MS in North York. My department head was Jim Carson, who I had to look up and saw he’s now at Fairmount PS (I think)…I’m not sure where Rexdale is from North York and how many educators you get to meet across the District..
FOR CHEY: So Chey (am I the only one who has no idea who the Hurricane Cheney is??). I’ve heard of a few wrestlers, (my husband is definitely a fan--he has a poster of the Iron Sheik in his office)—and I’ve heard of some others but I wonder why you chose The Hurricane as your Superhero name? What’s so cool about this wrestler?
FOR PAV: And welcome Pav (Wonder-woman Wander)…I understand this reference much better than the wrestling one.  You definitely are Wonder-woman, teaching, raising a family and running the podcast. No explanation needed unless there’s more that I’ve missed?  Oh, expect baker as well, as I did steal one of your Christmas Cookie recipes!
Q1: So, it’s been over 2.5 years since you launched your podcast, (is that right??)  that’s now called The Chey and Pav Show, and I know so much has happened since you put your voice out into the world in this short amount of time that’s probably gone by like the blink of an eye. So many new opportunities are coming your way, and many more on the horizon, so I do want to first of all congratulate you both on the decision to do this work. Looking back now, Pav, you say this is “the most exponential growth you’ve experienced as a teacher.” Could you both go back to when you took your RSS feed and put it out to multiple podcast channels…what do each of you remember thinking back then and was exponential growth that would be chronicled for the world to see on your mind at all?
Q2: Let’s go to your 100th episode, which is a HUGE milestone (awesome!!) where you each went over your “most impactful” episodes over the years that impacted your growth. What is unique about this podcasting experience, is that the world gets to watch your growth (which I’ve seen with some other podcast hosts I follow-and I can see the growth in myself. I remember the first 50 interviews I did, I seriously look like I’m hyperventilating…I can’t watch them without thinking “just take a breath…breathe!!”  I know you have noticed your growth as well. Aside from the knowledge you have both gained, what have you noticed about your growth personally and professionally with hosting The Chey and Pav Show and putting your voice out to the world?
Q3: What I loved about your 100th episode is that you picked some episodes that were impactful, and stood the test of time. Over the years, I often draw back to past episodes for this reason, as I think they can inspire others for years to come. I know it’s hard to think ahead, and easier to look back, but what is your vision when you get to EPISODE #200? What are your next podcast milestones goals?
Q4: I’d like to move to your NEW picture book, The Magnificent Microphone, since this is a huge deal that you are now published authors. I actually wrote these questions BEFORE I read your book, and these questions have more meaning now, as I felt your story on a deep emotional level. Can you each share your vision for this book and eventual series?
Q5: I have to mention your art work, since we also had an artist create images for our Level Up program and book. We interviewed our artist on EPISODE #13[v], Sam Roberts, as her artwork actually gained her a 4-year, all paid, prestigious leadership scholarship at the University of AR. Who knew when she was 16 years old, and sending me back ideas based on what I was asking her to draw for me, where this would lead her in her future.
What did you learn from your artist, Shawnna Purkis, and I wonder what this experience uncovered for her as her voice was elevated being your artist?
Q6:  What’s next for you both? I know you are going to make this a book series, but I wonder if you have thought about the books having components that could be used for the ELL population? (I ask because I worked for Pearson ESL and many books to schools for Newcomer students). Have you thought about this audience as you are now working on translating this book into many different languages?
Q7: I’ve got to mention the Easter Eggs (not chocolate-but the personal insights) that you have noticed in your episodes. I didn’t notice I was doing that until I looked back when I got to EPISODE 100 and saw how intentional I was with the guests I asked to be on the podcast. The people I asked were ALL influencers in my life in some way. I quote them often, as I want to leave a legacy with what I’m creating to help others, by recording these moments of growth and it’s a lot of fun knowing there’s a creative side of me embedded in each episode. What have you both noticed?
Q8: Congratulations on your huge keynote presentation in Saskatoon! I loved watching you both prepare for that. I know there’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff that happens (let alone content prep). What stuck out to you from that weekend as memorable for you both?
Q9: Is there anything important I have missed? 
I want to thank you both for the years of support with our podcast. I haven’t met you in person, (yet) but feel massively connected to you both. For people to learn more about your podcast, book series, and contact you, is the best place your website www.cheyandpav.com
Thank you!! I can’t wait to see what’s next for both of you and how many young leaders your book (and series in the future) will inspire. When I make it back home, I’ll be sure to let you both know!
Reflections After This Episode:
Some final thoughts:
Today I got to come full circle as a former teacher from Toronto District School Board, who had no idea of the impact possible when you put the 8th Habit into action.  Imagine how many young leaders Chey and Pav’s book series will inspire. This is only the beginning for them, but I see so much more. I do understand now why they refer to themselves as “just” teachers from Toronto (although I will always see them as legendary leaders). I can’t wait to see where these two teachers with a passion of  sharing their voices, through storytelling, and find helping others to amplify their voices end up in the next 5-10 years. Dr. Stephen Covey’s quote reminds us all that life is about getting to the 8th Habit—so whatever it is that you might be working on, I hope this episode has given you some insight of the importance of amplifying those often unheard voices—whether it’s in the classroom, workplace, or in the sports environment.
With that final thought, I’ll see you next episode, with an elementary school assistance principal, Dan Wolfe, who is just about to release a NEW book that takes the 5 SEL competencies we’ve covered on our podcast and shows us how to navigate through life with these competencies as our “moral compass.” See you next episode.
FOLLOW CHEY AND PAV
Twitter https://twitter.com/Staffpodcast Podcast
Twitter Chey Cheney https://twitter.com/mrccheney
Twitter Pav Wander https://twitter.com/PavWander
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/staffroompodcast
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cheyandpav/
Instagram Chey Cheney https://www.instagram.com/chey_cheney/
Instagram Pav Wander https://www.instagram.com/___pav___/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chey-and-pav-%E2%80%9Cteachers-talking-teaching%E2%80%9D-8b69081b8/
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #214 with Dr. Marie Gervais https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/marie-gervais-phd-on-the-spirit-of-work-connecting-science-business-practices-and-sacred-texts-for-a-happier-and-more-productive-workplace/
[ii] The Chey and Pav Show https://www.cheyandpav.com/
[iii] https://www.cheyandpav.com/podcast
[iv] The Magnificent Microphone by Chey Cheney and Pawan Wander Illustrated by Shawnna Purkis Published April 14, 2022  https://www.cheyandpav.com/picture-book
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #13 with Sam Roberts on “Winning a 4-Year Prestigious Leadership Scholarship at the University of AR, Fort Smith” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/our-very-own-teen-artist-sam-roberts-on-winning-a-4-year-prestigious-leadership-scholarshipat-the-university-of-arkansas-fort-smith/
 

Marie Gervais, Ph.D on ”The Spirit of Work: Connecting Science, Business Practices and Our Spirit for a Happier and More Productive Workplace.”

“Healthy workplaces are characterized by strong communication, mutual respect, and attention to work relationships” and “there’s no denying that work and workplaces are experiencing a crisis.” (Dr. Marie Gervais, whose newly released book, The Spirit of Work) is “a path to the enhancement of the soul.”
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/md088Ynx0ek
 
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces.
On today’s episode #214, we will be speaking with Dr. Marie Gervais[i] the CEO of Shift Management Inc and the author of The Spirit of Work[ii]," where she offers a high-level yet approachable model in rethinking how we view and structure work. Her book delves into the fascinating relationship between people and work, combining ancient wisdom, modern science, spirituality, and real-world examples to share insights into developing a soul-sustaining workplace culture. She also has a podcast herself, The Culture and Leadership Podcast[iii] where she dives deeper into this topic.
After releasing three interviews this year on workplace burnout, it’s been clear that workplaces around the world are indeed experiencing a crisis, as I’ve had many messages relating to individuals with their specific workplace struggle and Dr. Gervais highlights this new workplace problem in the beginning of her book when she shares that “statistics about workplace engagement, happiness and satisfaction have shown consistent decline and saw significant change since the event of the coronavirus pandemic.” (The Spirit of Work).
If you are a leader, change-maker, or anyone looking to build a humane and sustainable system of work, and can see that something needs to change in today’s workplace, this interview is for you. I hope we can all learn some new perspectives to create happier workplaces where productivity and creativity soars by looking at how to build our future managers with skills that are based on what humans need to succeed and develop in our future workplaces.
In today’s episode we will cover:
The interconnections between science, business practices and sacred texts as they relate to work
Find practical tools and workplace examples to apply to management as a soul-enhancing journey
Rethink common but destructive workplace cultural assumptions
To see ourselves as a spiritual being with thoughts and actions that have lasting effects
This episode has already made me move from my thinking/intellectual mind, and see what we can learn together when we incorporate our spirit and soul into our daily work.
Let’s meet Dr. Marie Gervais!
Welcome Dr. Gervais! It’s wonderful to meet you. Thank you for coming on the podcast all the way from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada which I always consider my home country, because that’s where I grew up.
Dr. Gervais, congratulations on releasing your new book, The Spirit of Work, that I watched you unbox[iv]. I know how exciting it is to put your heart, soul and mind into something and release it to the world. I related when you said that releasing this book was like pushing a bolder up a hill. How has this journey to release this book been for you?
I’ve got to mention the story behind your episode, because there’s always so many twists and turns with creating content. While researching each guest for this podcast, I put a considerable amount of thought into what I wanted to ask, look for ways that what I want to ask is being mirrored in the world so our interview can help others for years to come, and I begin to connect with that person (I’d say on a soul level) in this research process.
Something that’s never happened to me in all my years of content creation. While preparing for your interview, something unexpected happened and I actually lost the 5-page script I’d written, after I had finished it and sent it to your team. I saved it and then after opening it again, it was just blank. Your team got the blank version. I’ll never know what happened, (and it might not be worth the time to look into that) but the file somehow became corrupt, as you saw, and I had to stop, think about it all, and recreate your questions.  
I know there are always lessons to learn with everything we do and I really do think it happened for a reason to make me think hard about The Spirit of Work that I noticed after creating your questions. When this spirit is present, it drives our work in an entirely different way.
INTRO Q: What do you think about this AHA Moment connected to your book and this interview that perhaps I needed to rethink my original questions for you and recreate them from more of a soul level, than mind?
Q1: What does the Spirit of Work mean to you and how did a negative experience from your job led you to continuously ask questions about workplace culture leading you to write this book?
Q2: We have covered the idea that human beings live simultaneously on three planes (our spiritual/soul side, intellectual/mental side and physical side on many episodes, starting with Dr. Daniel Siegel who talked about “Mindsight[v]” as being “the basis for social and emotional intelligence,” or Dr. John Medina[vi] who mentioned Theory of Mind as a way to connect to others on a deeper level,  my mentor Bob Proctor talked about paying attention to our spiritual side all the time in the creative process and Greg Link mentioned that even when we die, our spirit still exists. Why is the mind/body/soul connection important to you and your work?
Q3: I do believe that we create what we imagine and that “we build systems around the outcomes of our beliefs to prove the veracity of our beliefs” (Spirit of Work).
How can we build workplaces we love where we can be with others in healthy, enjoyable interactions, that build prosperity and solve conflicts easily? Where do we even begin to make the change that you see?
Q4- I saw a quote that made sense to me, and I’m sure anyone listening would agree that “true leaders don’t create followers” they create more leaders, but often there’s no room for new ideas in our corporate world and its rare, if not impossible to go from the bottom of an organization, to the very top, without someone leaving, proving themselves somewhere else, and coming back with a promotion. Taking this leap outside of an organization (to a new one) is a difficult one, but so often it’s the ONLY way for someone to push past this block and forge their own path.
What’s behind this concept where managers or leaders DO NOT create other leaders, but squash them into a corner, so they have to end up quitting, and proving themselves somewhere else? Is this a fearful leader, and what needs to change for this quote to ring true in more organizations?
Q5: For someone who was promoted into a position of leadership (maybe someone with a tech background who didn’t have to worry about people skills in the past) and they now find they are dealing with people and all their complexity (mind/body/soul).  What keys to success would you offer this person to unlock the skills that will accelerate anyone in the workplace?
Q6: What are some common mistakes that you see in the workplace that leaders can avoid with your experience?
Q7: This type of training was left out of ALL the corporate training I ever went through, but was at the center of the work I did while in the motivational speaking industry. We were always looking at how our past would show up in our present-day life, and identify subconscious blocks that might be holding us back. Bob Proctor called them paradigms, or beliefs that have turned into habits over time, that either work for us, or against us. How can leaders help their team members to identify their subconscious blocks to move them forward and towards their goals?
Q8: Your call to “rethink work, informed by new understandings about the greatness we are destined to achieve as a human race” is a noble cause that takes thought from all of us. Maybe it was why I lost my original questions, so I had to THINK about them again, and ask them in a way that they came from my heart (from my emotional side after crying a bit) but it made me think about how I bring my “soul” to each interview. What do you want our listeners to take away from this interview? What are your final thoughts we should all take some time to ponder for a bit?
Q9: For people to learn more about your book, podcast and the work you do at Shift Management Inc, is the best place to learn more, your website? https://shiftworkplace.com/
Thank you for meeting with me today, and sharing your vision for a happier, more productive workplace with the world. You’ve given me a lot to think about, and strategies to shift to soul-enhancing thoughts that bring joy with my work, and ways that we can all shift away from when we are soul-diminishing.
FOLLOW DR. MARIE GERVAIS Website - http://shiftworkplace.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/shiftworkplace
Email - marie@shiftworkplace.com
c 780-993-1062
www.shiftworkplace.com/the-spirit-of-work
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://shiftworkplace.com/
[ii] https://shiftworkplace.com/the-spirit-of-work/
[iii] https://shiftworkplace.com/podcast
[iv] https://www.instagram.com/p/CdG1iHVolJP/
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight as the Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/
[vi][vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #42 with Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in Our Schools and Workplaces of the Future”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-john-medina-on-implementing-brain-rules-in-the-schools-and-workplaces-of-the-future/
 

Brain Fact Friday ”Using Neuroscience to Improve Our Work Lives”

“Did you know that the brains of people who are chronically burnt-out show similar damage as people who have experienced trauma”[i] and that “burnout reduces the connectivity between different parts of the brain which can lead to decreased creativity, working memory, and problem solving skills?” (Vanessa Van Edwards).
It’s incorrect to assume that burnout is just an emotional response to long hours or a challenging job. Instead, scientific evidence shows that burnout takes a profound physical toll that ripples well beyond our professional lives.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to cover the importance of understanding how serious workplace burnout is at the brain level. After releasing our 3rd interview this season on work burnout, I realized just how important this topic is to you, the listener, with all the comments that came in to me this week on this topic. There is a serious need for us to ALL recognize when we have too much on our plate, so that we take immediate action without feeling like we are giving up on our company, ourselves, our goals or dreams. I also don’t want to discourage anyone from putting in the extra work, or effort that is required to reach the top of your industry, or whatever it is that you are working on that might require a push at this time, so, my hope with this episode is that we can find the right balance to get to wherever it is we are going, in one piece, so that we can enjoy life when we get there, and have enough energy left so that we can continue moving forward and attain new goals, reaching new heights and achievement along the way.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #213, “The Neuroscience Behind Work Burnout” we are going to look at what’s happening in the brain when we are under considerable workplace stress, so that we can recognize this often swept under the rug concept, and put some solutions into place immediately, to prevent the effects of this epidemic called burnout, with an understanding of what’s happening at the brain level.
 “Using cutting-edge techniques, integrative research teams are demonstrating that burnout is not just a state of mind, but a condition that leaves its mark on the brain as well as the body. Just as the impact of burnout that stifles healthy professional growth, emerging research shows that the chronic psychosocial stress that characterizes burnout not only impairs people’s personal and social functioning, it also can overwhelm their cognitive skills and neuroendocrine systems — eventually leading to distinctive changes in the anatomy and functioning of the brain.”[ii]
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk[iii] (psychiatrist, author of the book The Body Keeps the Score[iv]) draws on more than thirty years at the forefront of research and clinical practice, to show the characteristics of the brain of someone who has experienced trauma and research now shows these characteristics are showing up in the brains of  employees who are chronically burnt out.
What to look for:
Fear-Driven Brain: People who have experienced trauma (or are under chronic stress) will have a brain with enhanced threat perception (or see danger where others see things can be manageable). (Van der Kolk)
THINK ABOUT THIS…
If you are under chronic stress, do you see threat or danger often? For example—do you think others are out to get you? This could be that your threat perception has been enhanced from chronic stress and a signal for you to slow down.
Unusual Outbursts or Increased Moodiness: Burnout Enlarges Our Amygdala (our emotional center in the brain) and can increase moodiness. (Vanessa Van Edwards).
THINK ABOUT THIS…
If you notice someone around you is unusually moody, it might be their brain’s reaction to their increased stress. Instead of snapping back at them, see if you can help them to find ways to decrease their stress levels. When we work with our brain in mind, we can find solutions to problems, instead of jumping to conclusions or assumptions (which is easy to do).
Inability to Think: Burnout reduces the neural connections in the brain, causing decreased creativity, working memory and problem solving skills. (Vanessa Van Edwards).
THINK ABOUT THIS…
While under stress, do you find it difficult to think? I relate to this one the most because I cannot write these podcast episodes unless the house is quiet. In order for thinking, creativity, problem solving and memory consolidation to occur, our brain must be working optimally. I know we have said it often on this podcast—“when our brain works right, we work right” (Dr. Daniel Amen) and if you can’t think, this is a red flag that something needs to change.
All of this seems common sense, but just because we know something, it doesn’t mean it’s common practice. How many of you have noticed these stress related situations, and pushed through, ignoring all of the stressors that face us daily. Most of us…
But did you know that The World Health Organization added burnout to the International Classification of Diseases Index in 2019. It defines burnout as “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”[v] and in our last interview with Dr. Sharon Grossman[vi] this week, being able to recognize when we are feeling stressed, is the first step towards being able to better manage ourselves, before it becomes chronic, impacting our brain and cognition.
Christina Maslach, a professor emerita of psychology at University of California Berkeley  developed a way to measure burnout with an inventory[vii] that can predict burnout before it occurs and two of her inventory items we spoke about on our last episode.
Control: Do workers have enough autonomy (like the example we used with the employee with no control over their schedule). How does control work in your organization? Do employees ever get double booked on calls, (adding stress and pressure to their day) or do they have the ability to set boundaries for what they can and cannot do in the day (making their schedule manageable)?
Reward: Does the company recognize when employees go above and beyond with recognition, and rewards that motivate employees to work harder, and put in that extra effort? Do they reward hard working employees outside of their working hours? If not, employees will eventually tire of this hard work, without any reward, and engagement will decrease.
Both of these situations can lead to an employee disengaging from their work. The first example, the worker becomes over-engaged and without the needed breaks, their cognition will be affected, and eventually their health, (which I watched happen to someone I know this week, while writing this episode and thinking “that person is showing the classic signs of burn out” and sure enough, they did, before the week ended and they were forced to slow down) or the second example, will lead to under-engagement, without a challenging, stimulating environment, leading the employee to check out mentally from their work which means their health will also be at risk, in addition to their productivity.
What Should We All Know About Work Burnout?
“It is estimated that 40% of office workers in the United States and Canada are burnt-out and this statistic is even higher in industries like medicine and athletics which have 50% and 60% burnout rates respectively.”[viii] This is exactly what we heard from Dr. Sharon Grossman who works mostly with doctors and high level CEOs, not to mention even the highly successful journalist, Arianna Huffington who learned the hard way that ignoring these red flags connected to our wellness will not allow any of to escape unscathed as she “collapsed from exhaustion, hit her head on her desk, and broke her cheekbone”[ix] when she ignored these signs.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I didn’t want to paint the picture that there is something wrong with hard work. I watch hard workers excel all the time, and they amaze me with their ability to perform at high levels, consistently, without complaining, just quietly working and hitting goal after goal, moving them forward one step at a time, with the tenacity that comes from a mix of their vision, and being dedicated to their craft. I just want to highlight that in this quest for whatever it is we are working on, if we notice something in off where we are either overly engaged, or under engaged with our work, that ignoring these signs won’t get us anywhere.
Putting our brain health and well-being first, which is the theme of our podcast this season,
REMEMBER FOR THIS WEEK’S BRAIN FACT FRIDAY:
“That the brains of people who are chronically burnt-out show similar damage as people who have experienced trauma”[x] and that “burnout reduces the connectivity between different parts of the brain which can lead to decreased creativity, working memory, and problem solving skills” (Vanessa Van Edwards) and if we want to be at our best, increase our creativity, solve problems and have a stellar memory, then it all begins with optimizing our brain by managing our levels of stress.
And with that, I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, and we will see you next week with Dr. Marie Gervais[xi], who specializes in the future of work, workplace communication and productivity, as well as the well known Chey and Pav[xii], my good friends from Toronto from the @staffpodcast.
Our interview with Harvard’s Dr. Baland Jalal[xiii] on the bizarre lessons we can learn from our dream world will be coming at the end of the following week, as he is traveling, but this interview is one that you won’t want to miss. It’s going to be an exciting month. Rest up, and See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]How to Fight Burnout and Get Unstuck by Vanessa Van Edwards https://www.scienceofpeople.com/burnout/#:~:text=The%20brains%20of%20people%20who,memory%20and%20problem%20solving%20skills.
[ii] Burnout and the Brain January 29, 2016 by Alexandra Michel  https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/burnout-and-the-brain
[iii] https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/
[iv] The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score
[v] Experiencing Job Burnout by Orlando Mayorquin May 2, 2022   https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/05/02/what-is-job-burnout-stress/7411686001/
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #212 with Dr. Sharon Grossman https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-burnout-doc-sharon-grossman-phd-on-a-research-based-approach-to-preventing-work-burnout-from-the-inside-out/
[vii] Factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory: An analysis of data from large scale cross-sectional surveys of nurses from eight countries Published 2009, April 10  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2700194/
[viii] How to Fight Burnout and Get Unstuck by Vanessa Van Edwards https://www.scienceofpeople.com/burnout/#:~:text=The%20brains%20of%20people%20who,memory%20and%20problem%20solving%20skills.
[ix] Arianna Huffington: What You Need to Know to Prevent Burnout By Brit Morse, INC. https://www.inc.com/brit-morse/arianna-huffington-wellbeing-stress-burnout.html
[x]How to Fight Burnout and Get Unstuck by Vanessa Van Edwards https://www.scienceofpeople.com/burnout/#:~:text=The%20brains%20of%20people%20who,memory%20and%20problem%20solving%20skills.
[xi] https://shiftworkplace.com/the-spirit-of-work/
[xii] www.cheyandpav.com
[xiii] Dr. Baland Jalal https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/baland-jalal

The Burnout Doc, Sharon Grossman, PhD on ”A Research-Based Approach to Preventing Work Burnout From the Inside Out.”

Are you a doctor, attorney, high level manager, CEO or business professional in a high stress environment? And did you know that according to a recent Gallup Poll that teaching, and nursing are tied for daily stress? Teaching can be a lonely profession when educators lack support, training and strategies for classroom management, leading to lack of job satisfaction, disintegrating health, depression, and teacher attrition.
Whatever profession you are in, we can’t escape the demands of everyday life, so on today’s episode we will cover new strategies for overcoming work burnout before it takes a toll on our health, job satisfaction, productivity, and motivation.  Today, on EPISODE #212, we will be speaking with Dr. Sharon Grossman, otherwise known as the Burnout Doc who will provide us with a fresh perspective of an age-old problem, with tools and strategies that she has used on many of her own clients, to take the steps to prevent work burnout BEFORE it occurs.
Watch this episode on YouTube here https://youtu.be/kDjQCyffiCk
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How we can recognize work burnout vs boredom or lack of challenge.
✔︎ Knowing how and when to set boundaries when the workload is too high.
✔︎ What to do the minute you feel "resentful" at work.
✔︎  What's at the root of work burnout.
✔︎ Tips for creating your ideal work environment.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces.
Today we are going to look at work burn out from a different angle. We did launch the year with Nick Jonsson on EPISODE #188[i] on “Strategies for Overcoming Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Workplace” and Mood and Stress Expert Erika Ferzst on EPISODE #198[ii] on “Using Your Brain to Prevent Workplace Burnout” but I saw something different with our next guest and here’s why.
Dr. Grossman sent me an email that went above and beyond ANY email I’ve ever received. She took a considerable amount of time not only create a VIDEO introduction to her work, but to let me know how the content on our podcast resonated with her and her work with stress management. She mentioned all of the ways that we would have a great conversation, as we dig deeper into our theme of Season 7 on “Brain Health and Well-Being.” I sometimes even forget myself what our theme is (even though I have a note on my computer monitor to remind me and keep me on track) but Dr. Grossman not only knew our theme, but how she could provide new insight and ideas into work burnout, with the brain in mind, and take our content to another level.  
What I didn’t know after her incredible introduction that caught me off guard as I began to read her book, The 7E Solution to Burnout[iii] is I realized that Dr. Grossman is not much different from anyone else, EXCEPT for the fact that she experienced work burnout herself, and noticed that she was not going above and beyond for her clients, so she created a system that she used herself, in addition to now sharing it with others, to impact change to combat work burnout and she wants to share he system with all of us.
I can’t wait to dive deeper into some solutions for this issue that I’m sure many of you listening have faced in the past, if you aren’t experiencing it to some extent today, with some ideas of how an understanding of our brain can help us to better manage our mind while under stress.
Let’s meet Dr. Grossman…
Welcome, Dr. Sharon Grossman, thank you for such an engaging intro to your work that you sent over. You really did make a memorable impression.  
Way to set the bar high and create an immediate interest on a topic that I know you can see we’ve covered a few times on the podcast.
INTRO Q: Dr. Grossman, can we begin with when you noticed some early signs of burn out when you stopped wanting to go above and beyond for your clients. When you said this, I can look back to times when I lost the zest for what I was doing, and didn’t recognize this as work burnout.  Can you explain what happened, how you knew it burnout, and where this all began for you?
Q1: Dr. Grossman, what I love is that your strategies are solutions that work from the inside out, without anyone having to change their environment. This is how I think long-term change can occur because even the most stressful work environments can be turned around with your 7E Solution. Can we take a common workplace scenario that causes most people to become overwhelmed, and you walk us through your 7E Solution so we can figure out how to apply your method to combat stress?
SITUATION: It’s 8pm at night, and you are still working. Your work day began at 7:30am with calls,(of course after dropping the kids off at school) and your calls go straight through until 5:30pm. You need to finish a report that you will present to the entire company in the morning, so instead of throwing it together in the morning, you are working on it late at night and feeling resentful that your work day seems to never end.
What would you say to someone who’s work day looks like this every day? How can such a stressful day be turned around to be more manageable?
Q2: How can we become more stress-hardy and gain more control over too many demand/not enough time to complete them, especially as a perfectionist who wants to complete everything perfectly and on time?
Q3: What is at the root of this problem? Why does the traditional definition of success leave many of us burned out?
Q4: What are ways that we can train our mind to work for us, rather than against us?
Q5: Is there anything important that I haven’t asked you about?
Thank you very much Dr. Grossman for your time today on the podcast. For people who want to learn more about you, you are offering a FREE "Dial Back Your Stress" Breakthrough Session http://www.bookachatwithsharon.com/
Thank you for this offer and for all of your tips today.
FOLLOW DR. SHARON GROSSMAN
Podcast https://drsharongrossman.com/podcast/optimizeyourlife/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharongrossman/
Website https://drsharongrossman.com/
Free Burnout Checklist https://drsharongrossman.com/burnoutchecklist/
BIO: Dr. Sharon Grossman
You know how high achievers struggle with constant stress and end up working to the point of exhaustion? Imagine if you could continue doing the work you love, create a life you’re wild about outside of work, and have time for that life. What Sharon Grossman, the Burnout Doc, does better than others in her industry with her 20 years of experience as a psychologist, is she gives you a roadmap for managing stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. In just 90 days she helps you go from friend and frazzled to energized and exhilarated.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #192 with Nick Jonsson on “Strategies for Overcoming Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Workplace”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/nick-jonsson-on-strategies-to-overcome-isolation-stress-anxiety-and-depression-in-the-workplace/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #198 with Erika Ferszt on “using Your Brain to Prevent Workplace Burnout” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mood-and-stress-expert-erika-ferszt-on-using-your-brain-to-prevent-workplace-burnout/
[iii] The 7E Solution to Burnout by Dr. Sharon Grossman https://coachingbysharon.teachable.com/p/7e-solution-burnout/?preview=logged_out

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Dreams: Expanding Our Self-Awareness”

Everything you’ve got in your life is an expression of your level of awareness (Bob Proctor) and when you change your level of awareness, everything starts to shift. It’s fascinating.
Today’s podcast I’m going to share how my awareness expanded as I began researching for an upcoming interview and what’s absolutely amazing about this experience, is that “once the mind has been expanded, it will never go back to its original state. Awareness is not something you lose.” (Bob Proctor).
On this episode we will cover:
✔︎ Why lifelong learning is important for expanding our levels of awareness.
✔︎ What we all should know about dreaming and the brain.
✔︎ Review of our sleep cycle and REM sleep.
✔︎ Tips for remembering our dreams.
✔︎ Opening our mind up for new ways to improve creativity, business ideas, and sports training with our dream world.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #211, “The Neuroscience of Dreams: Expanding Our Self-Awareness” I’m going to cover how an understanding of neuroscience connected to our dreams, could open up doors of possibility in our lives. This topic is not one that I was planning on covering, but as my awareness expanded while researching for an upcoming interview, I thought back to when some other topics that many people perceived as “weird”, are now readily accepted in our schools and workplaces, and perhaps, as new research and studies evolve, this topic could provide us with a new way of creative problem solving, or ways to generate new ideas in the business world, or even a new tool for mental rehearsal in the sports world.
Before we get into this episode, I do want to start out by thanking you, the listener for tuning in. While writing this episode, I woke up to an email from Anuj Agarwal, the founder of Feedspot, who ranks podcasts based on content, followers, and traffic, letting me know that we had made ranking for The Best 30 Neuroscience Podcasts.[i] For those who have listened to our earlier episodes, you’ll know that I didn’t set out to go in this direction of Neuroscience, (it wasn’t even on my roadmap) but we ended up here by chance, when an educator urged me to go in this direction almost 10 years ago.  So to hit this achievement, in a relatively new field of study for me, without a background in science (other than the fact I did teach 9th grade Biology for a semester), it’s a true honor, and I’m beyond grateful to continue to host this podcast, and that you are finding these episodes as helpful as I am. This is the reason why I thought about launching this podcast in the first place—to show that anyone can learn and apply these skills, backed by science, whether you have a science degree or not. This cutting-edge research is important for all of us to know, understand and apply and I’ll be researching in this field anyway, so I figured, I might as well share what I’m learning on this platform. With our analytics, I can see where listeners are tuning in from by Country, and do appreciate all the messages you send to me on social media, letting me know that you listen and what you are learning.  I can now put some faces to the downloads, as I got to recently meet Sarah Eaton, from Queensland, Australia, who works with the Australian Government, and Ellie Mercado from Ossining, NY working in the field of education with social and emotional learning among many others who tag me on posts, and let me know this information is helpful and important. We do have a Facebook Group[ii], if you do want to stay connected to others around the globe as well.
Moving on now to this week’s episode, and Brain Fact Friday, where I want to make a connection to an upcoming interview later next week, but in the meantime, I hope this episode will help us to expand our level of awareness when it comes to our dreams.  My mentor, the late Bob Proctor (who I know I talk about often) was always saying “Stop looking at life through the keyhole. Open up the door and expand your level of awareness”[iii] by changing your paradigms. You can go back to episode 66 and 67[iv] to review the importance of changing our paradigms to break through to new levels of awareness, that will help us to reach new heights in our personal and professional lives, which is what happened to me while preparing for an upcoming interview.  I noticed that some of my paradigms, or beliefs started to change, as I began to connect the science to what I was learning, expanding my awareness in a way that it will never be the same again.  
As you can see from past episodes, it is very important to me to stick to the most current neuroscience research with this podcast, and I do aim to steer clear of pseduoscience, and fads, but pick topics to help make a difference for us in our modern workplaces, whether it’s through the science of reading, or productivity, and this time, my paradigm or beliefs were challenged. Which is what learning is all about.
I was introduced to Dr. Baland Jalal’s work from his team, who emailed me his Harvard Bio[v], letting me know his field of research and the topics we could cover on the podcast. I wrote back immediately, as I saw Harvard, neuroscience, researcher connected to sleep, and Dr. Rama 2011, TIME Magazine 100 most influential people in the world. (I’ve heard Dr. Jalal use the short form of his name, so I’ll take the easier way out here as I don’t think I’ll get it right even with some practice).
Even though I read the email intro quickly, I knew Dr. Jaland was someone I wanted to learn more about, especially as we covered the importance of sleep on many previous episodes, and dreams on EPISODE #104[vi] with Sleep Scientist Antonio Zadra and his book When Your Brain Dreams: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep, but I had no idea that Dr. Jalal’s work was going to open up my level of awareness to where it had never been before, allowing me to cover some topics that I normally would think of as “too weird” for this podcast, and in turn, change some of my beliefs around sleep.  
Dr. Jalal says that “dreams are one of the great mysteries of science. In their bizarre complexity they can reveal deeper truths about who you are at the most basic level. Keep on dreaming.”
So now my mind is opening up and I wonder:
Why do we dream what we dream?
What’s happening in our brain when we are dreaming?
What’s the purpose of dreaming: are there things we could learn from our dreams?
Mathew Walker, the author of Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams covers these questions on his podcast[vii] and he has said “perhaps it was not time that heals all wounds, but rather time spent in dream sleep” which is REM sleep, and this made me think:
What else could I learn about dreams, to open up new levels of awareness, new insights maybe that could help increase peace and understanding in my world that I could share with you to do the same?
What could we learn from Dr. Jalal’s work on sleep paralysis as the "top-rated expert in sleep paralysis in the world?"
And what is sleep paralysis?
Could learning more about our dreams expand our thinking, like Proctor would say, helping us to see the world in a different way, instead of just peering through the keyhole, with a limited view? After all, it was Proctor who taught me to log my dreams (he taught me to write them down the minute I would wake up) and I’ve been doing this since 1999, (off and on), and although I thought I knew what dreams were all about, when I began researching Dr. Jalal’s work, I realized just how little I really knew about dreams.
What about you? I know we all know how important our sleep is, but for something we spend 1/3 of our life doing, (sleeping) Baland-how much thought do you put into your dreams? Other than writing down my dreams, and glancing at them from time to time to learn common themes, lessons, or ideas, this is an area that I think I could explore more with.  
Is there something I’m missing with this time? Could I learn something about my dreams, or use this “dream-time” to my advantage in a way that I could improve the other 2/3 of my life?
Mathew Walker, calls sleep “our superpower”[viii] and reminds us how important sleep is for learning, memory and productivity, and that “when we wake up, we are (actually) wiser” and that “it’s not time that heals all wounds, but time spent in dreams that provides emotional convalescence.” (Matt Walker, Podcast 3 on DREAMS).
 
What’s your experience with dreams?
Are you too busy to even think about them?
If you do—do you remember them?
Do you know why we forget them?
Have you ever had this weird feeling that you were paralyzed and couldn’t move while sleeping?
Have you ever had visions of places you’ve never been while dreaming and wondered what they are? Are they real, or imagined?
The Stages of Sleep and REM Sleep:
We will dive deep into these questions on our interview with Dr. Baland Jalal, but in the meantime, I wanted to give you something to think about to expand our awareness and get us thinking about dreams until then to prime our brain for what we will learn, and this begins with a quick review of what our sleep cycles look like. I never really thought about improving my sleep cycle until I reviewed the Fisher Wallace medical device on EPISODE 120[ix] but did you know that we have sleep cycles (about 5 of them that last about 90 minutes if we are sleeping 8 hours). Stage 4, our REM sleep or where our dreams occur happens at the end of each sleep cycle and is the longest in the last sleep cycle right before we wake up. We are dreaming all night, but “95% of our dreams we don’t remember when we wake up” (Dr. Jalal) because “we need serotonin to transfer them to our long-term memory”[x]
Did you know:
When we are in REM sleep (and dreaming) that our body is paralyzed?
What part of the brain controls this paralysis and
Why it’s important that we don’t move in REM sleep?
SLEEP PARALYSIS:
Until researching Dr. Jalal, I didn’t know that we were paralyzed in REM sleep, but I also have FELT sleep paralysis before. I just didn’t know there was a name for it. Then I heard Dr. Jalal’s explanation of sleep paralysis[xi], (and he described it exactly as I experienced it) and I would have to say this is not something I would ever admit I’ve felt. You know, it’s one of those things you’d rather leave out when someone says “hey, how did you sleep” and you’ve had an experience like this, I’d personally rather skip this conversation and just say “oh it was great” with that look on my face that will tell you there was nothing great about it. It’s got to be one of the weirdest experiences, but Dr. Jalal explains what is happening, the importance of our brain paralyzing our body during sleep, and connecting our brain to this “weird” phenomenon that expanded my awareness to what else I could learn about dreaming and REM state.
I also thought, if I had this experience, and so did Dr. Jalal, and then the guy interviewing him on the podcast I was watching, Ranveer,[xii] also had the same experience, how many other people listening could relate, and learn something new with this new angle of the neuroscience of sleep.
To make the most out of our upcoming interview with Dr. Jalal, I encourage you to learn more about your sleep to expand your level of awareness.
Do you know how much sleep you get?
Do you know how much time you spend in REM sleep each night?
Do you remember your dreams?
To remember your dreams so that you can gain deeper levels of insight about yourself, here are some suggestions:
Make an intention that you will remember what you were dreaming about when you wake up. This might take some time, but with focused effort, see what happens.
Wake up, and write down your dream immediately, or you will forget. Either write them down on a notepad beside your bed, or on your phone.
Start looking for patterns in your dreams.
Before our interview with Dr. Jalal, later next week, we will dive deeper into lucid dreaming, or “knowing you are dreaming while you are dreaming”[xiii] to see what fMRI scans reveal about our ability to control our dreams, interact with people in our dreams, and even travel to a different location within our dreams. All of this is fascinating, as science now steps in to validate some of the practices that many of us have heard of over the years, and brings light to what exactly is happening when we wake up, and wonder “what on the earth just happened?!”
My goal with these episodes are to take what I would have once thought of as the weirdest experiences I’ve ever had while sleeping, and demystify them with brain science. Of course, I’m going to ask Dr. Jalal to share his insights and research with us, so we can learn what might be of importance to think about with our dream time, and how this new awareness could be of benefit to us in the future. I’m hoping that he can shed some light on what we can learn from our dreams that we can take into the 2/3 of our waking hours, that could improve our creativity, performance and results.
To close out this episode and review this week’s Brain Fact Friday:
DID YOU KNOW: “that dreams can reveal deeper truths about who you are at the most basic level?” (Dr. Baland Jalal).
I hope this episode expanded your awareness like it did mine about the possibilities that our dreams could provide for us in the future.
See you next week as we dive into our brain, stress and the workplace, and our upcoming interview with Dr. Jalal to open up our awareness in ways that science will show us that there are many benefits to keep on dreaming!
Have a good weekend.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://blog.feedspot.com/neuroscience_podcasts/
[ii] https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697/
[iii] How to Shift Your Paradigm by Bob Proctor Published on YouTube July 26, 2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWL0w9-oiqg
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with Lessons Learning from Bob Proctor’s Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[v] Dr. Baland Jalal https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/baland-jalal
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #104 with Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sleep-scientist-antonio-zadra-on-when-brains-dream-exploring-the-science-and-mystery-of-sleep/
[vii] The Mathew Walker Podcast https://themattwalkerpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
[viii] Sleep is your superpower TED 2019 by Mathew Walker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH-MGqokk_Y
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #120 “Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Medical Device for Anxiety, Depression, Sleep and Stress Management”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
[x] The Neuroscience of Dreams by Dr. Baland Jalal Published on YouTube Feb.13, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBL-51kIkc
[xi] Happy Hour Podcast Why is Sleep Paralysis Always Scary? Published on YouTube June 21, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eisGABFcn9w
[xii] The Ranveer Show Published on YouTube July 30, 2021 Neuroscientist Explains Scary Secrets of Your Brain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ_7h-OijAQ&t=24s
[xiii] How Lucid Dreaming Works Published on YouTube Jan. 21, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH-MGqokk_Y
 

Dr. Jon Finn, author of the Best Selling Book, The Habit Mechanic on ”How to Fine-Tune Your Brain and Supercharge How You Live, Work and Lead”

“If you don’t truly understand how your brain and body work, it will be more difficult to maximize your potential” (Dr. Jon Finn[i], author of the Best-Selling book, The Habit Mechanic[ii]) which took Dr. Finn over 20 years to write, and was not intended to be read once, and left on a shelf to collect dust. This book contains Dr. Finn’s life’s work, “where he’s trained and coached over 10,000 people: Global businesses, high-growth start-ups, individuals, elite athletes, coaches and teams, leading educational institutes, and families” to thrive and succeed in our challenging modern world. This book is exactly what I have been looking for, as it is full of practical and simple exercises in each section that we can all apply for immediate results, backed by science.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/CO-_znUut28
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎  How Dr. Finn, from Leeds, UK, took three psychology related degrees to inform his work with The Habit Mechanic and his Tougher Minds Consulting Firm.
✔︎ What Dr. Finn discovered made Roger Bannister's training more "efficient and effective" than his competitors.
✔︎ How he has used his Habit Mechanic Model to develop high performing sports teams.
✔︎ Simple and easy ways that we can all fine-tune our habit-building muscles.
✔︎ Strategies to teach others how to do the same.
✔︎ Unique visuals for improving time management, and overcoming obstacles.
Dr. Finn, who founded the award-winning Tougher Minds Consultancy, and has three psychology-related degrees, has been working in the field of resilience, performance, and leadership science for over 20 years, and through his work, has uncovered WHY people fail, while trying their very best.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve our productivity and results in our schools, sports environments, and modern workplaces. On today’s EPISODE #210, we will explore Dr. Finn’s cutting-edge insights from psychology, behavioral science, neuroscience, and world champions that helps organizations develop “Habit Mechanics” and “Chief Habit Mechanics” (we will uncover the difference between the two) building resilient people, outstanding leaders, and world-class teams.  I’ve been looking for a book that bridges the science with all of the strategies we’ve been covering on this podcast, and today we will connect the dots with theory, practice and results, as we ALL learn how to “fine-tune our brain, and supercharge how we live, work and lead.”
Before we meet Dr. Finn, I have to give you a bit more of his background, because when reading his book, I was floored with how he connected the research to habit building, with examples that we can all understand and remember.
Dr. Finn and his colleagues have a collective experience of over 100 years in helping people, leaders, teams and organizations build better habits. They have worked extensively in the highest levels of elite sport, advised the Government and think tanks, had their work featured in The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, People Management and T.E.S, published peer-reviewed papers and popular books within the area of performance psychology, and helped 10,000s of people be their best more often.
His company, Tougher Minds work globally and I’ll include a list of the people, teams and organizations they have helped fulfil their potential in the show notes.
– ING– Janus Henderson Investors– Aon– HSBC– Mercedes– Chaucer– John Deere Financial– The Professional Golfers’ Association– Premier League Football Managers– Deloitte– The Rugby Football League– The Scottish Golf Union– Yorkshire County Cricket Club– European Tour Golfers– Sky Sports– England Athletics– Rugby League Super League Head Coaches
Let’s meet Dr. Jon Finn and uncover why traditional approaches to being our very best, that we might all still be using, are outdated and ineffective.
Welcome Dr. Finn, all the way from Leeds, United Kingdom which I had to look up, is only about 4 hours from Worthing, Sussex, where I was born.
Dr. Finn, I’ve got to tell you, I’m beyond thrilled to have found you and your book. Thank you very much for coming on the podcast to share your life’s work and strategies with all of us.
INTRO Q: I actually started reading your book last week when I was going in for a routine medical procedure (nothing serious).  I had an IV in my right arm, was holding my phone with that hand, (I don’t like wasting time) and was jotting down notes while I was reading, and was so excited by what I was learning, that when the procedure was over, I completely remember telling the doctor about your book, and how profound it was tying it to the past few interviews I’ve done on Habits on the podcast. I’m not sure if he added it to his reading list, but hopefully all the other patients around me found your book on Amazon, after I had reviewed it for them.
I was blown away from the first few pages, and we hadn’t even set up our interview date at the time. Can we begin with where this all started for you-- how you used failure as a catalyst with your story where you noticed that mental skills were more important than physical skills, launching your career into performance psychology?
INTRO B: Then, how did your three psychology-related degrees inform your work as a consultant, and with writing The Habit Mechanic?
Q1: Dr. Finn, you’ve helped over 10,000 people using your unique consultancy tactics (that are comprehensive, thorough and backed by science. Why did you decide it was time to share your teachings, and put them into writing for the world to see?
Q2: What stuck out to me right in the beginning of the book, (aside from the unique way that you made the concepts I was reading stick with analogies that we’ll get to) but it was that you revealed the secret science behind an iconic sporting success, Roger Bannister in STEP 1 of your book, Discover Your Superpower.  We’ve all know how Roger Bannister was the first person to break the record for the four-minute-mile, but can you tell us why Bannister succeeded where many others had failed, and what did he have to “learn” to make his training more “efficient and effective” than his competitors?
2B: What about a sports team?  When I saw that you worked with the Head Coaches of The Rugby League Super League, I couldn’t miss asking what science-based advice you would offer to a head coach of a sports team to create a championship team?
Q3: I really do believe we all have superpowers, and the key to unlocking our potential is when we figure out what our superpower is and then learn how to use it, with the understanding that “science shows that with deliberate and focused practice we can improve any skill” (page 63, The Habit Mechanic). Can you explain how we learn a new skill, and turn it into a habit, with your analogy of the “ice cube” so we all remember this concept as we apply it?
Q4: We have covered habit building on some of our past episodes, specifically episode #103[iii] where we talked about how to set goals in different areas of our life, but after reading your book, I can see that many times, this goal-setting activity happens at the end of the year, and needs to be reinforced to be strengthened—and you show us how in your book. Can you elaborate on habit building, maybe some mistakes you see that are common as to why habit or skill building don’t stick, and what we MUST do to build new skills that do stick with your igloo analogy? 
Q4B: How do you know where  your gaps are, or what bricks to build in your igloo?
Q5: There was another analogy that stuck out to me when reading The Habit Mechanic and that was the bar code where you get us to think about how to eliminate destructive habits that fill up our day. I know we all have 24 hours in a day and I’m always trying to find ways to “cheat” the system and find more time. I think this idea is brilliant. Can you explain the bar code analogy, and how we identify our super-habits vs destructive habits to improve our productivity in a way that it sticks?
Q6: And you’ve got another powerful analogy to help us to move past obstacles and actually achieve those things we write down and label them our “goals.” Can you explain your unique “Lighthouse Brain” model that you cover in Step 2 of the Habit Mechanic Process so we can learn how to better manage those stressors that come our way and try to knock us off course from our goals?
Q7: How can people use and understand behavioral science/your Nine Action Factors to help build better habits for work success? What should we all know about learning NEW habits and skills, and becoming expert habit builders and do you have a fancy way for us to remember and switch on these ACTION factors so we can ALL be sure to implement them after this interview?
Q8: We see books that cover only habits, or sleep, or diet, or exercise, or motivation, or stress management, or confidence, or productivity, or performing under pressure, or learning how to learn, or leadership, or teamwork. But your book covers all these areas? Why did you write the book this way?
Q9: What is the difference between “Habit Mechanic” tools and “Chief Habit Mechanic” tools?
Q10: As we sum up everything on your life’s work of becoming a Habit Mechanic, is there anything important that I might have missed?
Dr. Finn, I want to thank you for coming on the podcast, and sharing your tools, resources and strategies for us to all become Habit Mechanics, and Supercharge How We Live, Work and Lead. For people to learn more about your book, is the best place www.tougherminds.co.uk ?
I will put all the links for people to follow you in the show notes, and look forward to following your work in the years to come as more science will reveal new strategies that I know we will all want to learn. 
FREE TRAINING AND TOOLS https://www.tougherminds.co.uk/free-training-tools-and-insights/
CONTACT DR. FINN  https://www.tougherminds.co.uk/contact/
FOLLOW DR. FINN
Twitter https://twitter.com/TougherMinds
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jon-finn/
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.tougherminds.co.uk/
[ii] The Habit Mechanic by Dr. Jon Finn Published April 5, 2022  https://www.amazon.com/Habit-Mechanic-Fine-Tune-Brain-Supercharge-ebook/dp/B09VNNY3GR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=L04X6G0XCL7T&keywords=habit+mechanic&qid=1650127357&sprefix=habit+mechanic%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-2
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 on “3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/
 

Using Neuroscience to Impact Change

On this episode we will cover:
✔︎ The importance of making mistakes and failing forward✔︎ How an understanding of the most current research can improve productivity and results in our schools, sports and workplaces✔︎ An important ingredient for change to occur✔︎ A review of past episodes to consider what change you could initiate in your workplace✔︎ Prepare for our NEXT EPISODE #210 with Dr. Jon Finn the author of The Habit Mechanic.
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”--American architect, systems theorist, author, inventor, philosopher and futurist, Buckminster Fuller
This quote made me think of why we launched this podcast in the first place. Not to fight against all the models that we struggle with in our world today, but to offer solutions like Sir Ken Robinson[i] did with his thought-provoking case of creating an educational system that nurtures, rather than undermines creativity. If you haven’t watched Sir Ken’s TED talk in a while, I encourage you to go back to it (it’s got over 72 million views)—and you’ll see how the concepts he talks about are still as valid today, as they were in 2006. Sir Ken’s TED Talk reminded me that “all children have exceptional capacity for innovation” and that “creativity is as important as literacy” in our schools, but we tend to squander it. I could “ponder deeply” (Greg Link, EPISODE 207) about that for a while, and am always looking for ways to increase creativity and innovation for our next generation of students in the classroom.
Sir Ken said something else that hit me on a deep level on his famous TED talk, as I sat at my desk, listening to his words, knowing that he’s been gone for some time, but he’s not really gone. His legacy lives on as he makes me think about his words and write this episode, making connections to past episodes and speakers, and sharing these thoughts with you, wherever you might be listening to this podcast. With one of his examples, he said “If you are not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original” when he shared a story of a four-year-old who wasn’t afraid to be wrong and then he brought it back to how school teaches us that mistakes are the worst things you can make.
Making me think again--
Am I afraid of making mistakes?
Not so much anymore, but take me back to 7th grade, being wrong in class (in front of everyone) probably would have prevented me from trying in the future without someone there to encourage the idea of failing forward, which is such an important concept for us to all learn early.
With today’s episode on “The Neuroscience of Change” I’m hoping that we can all take Sir Ken’s advice, and be prepared to be wrong, with the hopes that it somehow moves us forward. Looking back and connecting the many dots over my career, I know I wouldn’t be here today on this podcast if an educator didn’t sit me down in his office, and show me where he thought I was wrong and could improve my work and career path with this understanding of simple neuroscience as the solution. But it did take action on my part without worrying about the outcome. We’ve got to be prepared to be wrong first, Sir Ken reminds us.
What about you? Do you have ideas that you would like to move forward with—to impact change?
Maybe in your school, or to be used in sports with athletes, or in your workplace?  These episodes were created in the how-to format to generate ideas for all of us.  I hope we can all ponder deeply about this, think about where we would like to see change, write down some thoughts and ideas, and see if these ideas can take us to somewhere new, somewhere we’ve never been before, as we make connections with the neuroscience of change.
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve productivity and results in our schools, sports, and modern workplaces. Today’s EPISODE #209, on “Using Neuroscience to Inspire Change” we will build off of our last two interviews where we dove deep into why The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book with Greg Link on EPISODE #207[ii] sold over 40 million copies worldwide, breaking the Covey organization through many obstacles along the way, taking them to where they had never been before not only in North America, but also in Japan, using many of the principles that connects the dots back to simple neuroscience, years before the research could explain their success. Or Blaine Oelkers from EPISODE #208[iii] who showed us how change begins in our mind with “what we think about.” We will continue to stretch our thinking on EPISODE #210 that’s being recorded later next week with Dr. Jon Finn, author of The Habit Mechanic[iv] where he will show us how traditional approaches to being our best are outdated and ineffective and will really take our thinking to new heights when he shares the secret science behind an iconic sporting success, Roger Bannister, who is famous for being the first athlete to run the 4-minute mile, but did you know that Bannister’s secret advantage had to do with the fact that at Oxford University, Bannister was training to be a medical doctor, and he used his understanding of the inner workings of the body to gain a competitive advantage over all other athletes, making his training “more effective and efficient.” (Page 59, The Habit Mechanic).
As we begin this episode, I know there are some things that are very difficult to change and what I’m proposing here isn’t easy at all. Beliefs run deep, and require some serious thought. We covered self-belief and identity on EPISODE #199[v] where we could actually see when our identity and self-belief forms in the brain and that this pathway is strengthened with daily practice (whether it’s through meditation, a sport, or practicing an academic skill) that we learned from Dr. John Dunlosky’s work all the way back to EPISODE #37[vi]. We covered “The Neuroscience of Belief” on EPISODE #173[vii] where we looked at cognitive bias, and challenging our beliefs which is important especially when we follow the most current brain research. I just learned yesterday that something I once believed, is no longer true as new research has already debunked it, and found there is a more effective way. On episode #159[viii], we looked at “The Power of Surprise” and how our brain secretly changes our beliefs, and then EPISODE #146[ix] with Howard Rankin, taught us “How NOT to Think.”
The goal of this episode is not to change your mind, or challenge you to believe what I believe, (that an understanding of how our brain works can lead us all to increased productivity and results) but my goal is to show all of us that hearing those words “you are wrong” can actually lead to innovation, like Sir Ken told us, and to keep an open mind as we are learning. Especially as we move ahead with our interview with Dr. Finn next week, where we will see how the most current research leads to innovation, when we are ready to make change, without the fear of failure, or of being wrong.
Just look at these examples and think about how “being wrong” could possibly move us forward, to uncover a new way.
Right or Wrong? You Tell Me…
If you are in the field of education, you’ll likely be aware of the reading wars,[x] where one camp believes in teaching phonics versus the whole word, and each camp firmly believes in their methodology. I know I could create a presentation for a group of educators and show how an understanding of the science of reading could make you lean towards having more belief in the need to break words down as we are learning them, (and teach the skill of reading with the brain in mind) but this still might not convince a die-hard fan whose taught reading a certain way their entire career. Is there a right or wrong? Just keep an open mind and see if there could possibly be another way to teach a child to read—with the brain in mind.
Like the reading wars, I learned about the “therapy and coaching wars” yesterday, where brain scans that began in the late 1990s now reveal that some of the practices that exist in traditional coaching and therapy are not effective,[xi] as they are not evidence-based. John Norcross, American professor, board-certified clinical psychologist and author in psychotherapy, behavior change and self-help has spent the past 15 years researching what works in psychotherapy, that can be applied to coaching/therapy as well. You can read the links in the show notes of what Dr. Norcross has discovered doesn’t work in therapy or coaching, but I want to focus on one particular finding that he mentioned DOES work and that’s when the client, or student is “self-initiating, self-motivated, and self-aware—with the ability to self-heal.”[xii]
Which brings me back to our EPISODE with Greg Link where he talked about the “secret sauce” of Dr. Covey’s success with the 7 Habits book, and he mentioned that the secret to their success came from the fact that people who attended Dr. Covey’s events were “self-initiating” or they chose to be there. When they were not forced to attend his events, but chose from their own free will, they participated in an entirely different way than if they were told they had to attend. This is what Dr. Norcross noticed made psychotherapy work, and what Dr. Covey also noticed led to personal change with the 7 Habits. There does appear to be a neuroscience to change, and it has to do with “leaning in” to what you what to learn or accomplish.
If you are listening to this podcast, you are also “leaning in” and open to change with the ideas that you are learning. This is how change occurs, one person at a time.
Change in the Classroom:
Scroll through our episodes and see if there are certain ones that stand out to you as interesting, and listen to those ones to generate new ideas for change and innovation in your school or classroom. I can’t list all of them, but do highly recommend EPISODE #56[xiii] with Dr. Lori Desautels on her book “Connections Over Compliance” that rewires our perceptions for discipline in our schools, Greg Wolcott’s EPISODE #64[xiv] on “Making Connections with Neuroscience and SEL,” EPISODE #78[xv] with Dr. David A. Sousa on “How the Brain Learns” and EPISODE #111[xvi] with resiliency expert Horacio Sanchez on “Finding Solutions to the Poverty Problem.”  
Change in the Sports World:
If you work with athletes, don’t miss EPISODE #38[xvii] where we connected the daily grind required for success in the sports world to Dr. John Dunlosky’s research of the importance of spaced repetition, or EPISODE #116[xviii] and #121[xix] where we saw how exercise impacts academic achievement, #134[xx] on wearable devices that measure and track sleep, strain and recovery, #163[xxi] on reading the emotions in others, and #166[xxii] on accelerating leadership for success in sports and the classroom.  Episode #168[xxiii] with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner uncovers the importance of teaching and coaching with the brain in mind.
As we prepare for our episode with Dr. Finn next week, on “Fine-Tuning Your Brain to Supercharge How You Live, Work and Lead” and think of new ways to inspire creativity and innovation in our workplaces, without being afraid to make mistakes like Sir Ken reminded us, we will dive deep into the science behind habit building.  We will look closely at why some traditional approaches to being our best are outdated and ineffective, with an understanding of cutting edge science to better build our habits, to create higher levels of success in our future.
And like Dr. Norcross pointed out, whatever we are learning today, might change in 30 years as new science is revealed…but that shouldn’t stop us from looking at change through the lens of neuroscience, with the hope that what we can learn can take us to new heights in the meantime.
I hope you enjoy reviewing some of our past episodes, or ones that you find interesting to your field of work, and I’ll look forward to seeing you next week with Dr. Finn that I know will take us ALL to new levels of awareness. See you then!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Sir Ken Robinson TED 2006 “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”  https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #207 with Greg Link on “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, Trust and the 7 Habits” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/co-founder-of-coveylink-greg-link-on-unleashing-greatness-with-neuroscience-sel-trust-and-the-7-habits/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #208 with Blaine Oelkers on “Mastering Your Thoughts, Goals and Life with the WYTAYBA Strategy: What You Think About You Bring About” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/blaine-oelkers-on-mastering-your-thoughts-goals-and-life-with-the-wytaba-strategy-what-you-think-about-you-bring-about/
[iv] Dr. Jon Finn The Habit Mechanic https://www.tougherminds.co.uk/habit-mechanic-overview/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #199 on “The Neuroscience of Self-Belief and Our Identity” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-behind-self-belief-and-our-identity/
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 with Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #193 on “The Neuroscience of Belief” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-belief/
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #159 on “The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-michael-rousell-on-the-power-of-surprise-how-your-brain-secretly-changes-your-beliefs/
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #146 with Dr. Howard Rankin on “How Not to Think” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
[x] The Reading Wars: Phonics vs Whole Word Published on YouTube August 18, 2020  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7UZP3irJ3I
[xi] Dr. John Norcross on What Does Not Work in Psychotherapy https://www.psychalive.org/dr-john-norcross-work-psychotherapy/
[xii] Psychotherapy Relationships That Work: Volume 2, Norcross & Wampold https://www.oxfordclinicalpsych.com/view/10.1093/med-psych/9780190843953.001.0001/med-9780190843953
[xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desautels on her book “Connections Over Compliance” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #64 with Greg Wolcott on “Making Connections with Neuroscience and SEL” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/assistant-superintendent-greg-wolcott-on-making-connections-with-neuroscience-and-sel/
[xv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #78 with David A. Sousa on “How the Brain Learns” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/award-winning-author-david-a-sousa-on-how-the-brain-learns/
[xvi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #111 with Horacio Sanchez on “Finding Solutions to the Poverty Problem” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/resiliency-expert-and-author-horacio-sanchez-on-finding-solutions-to-the-poverty-problem/
[xvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #38 with Todd Woodcroft on “The Daily Grind in the NHL” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/assistant-coach-to-the-winnipeg-jets-todd-woodcroft-on-the-daily-grind-in-the-nhl/
[xviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 with Dr. John Ratey on “SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[xix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #121 with Paul Zientarski on “Transforming Students Using Physical Education and Neuroscience” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/naperville-central-high-schools-paul-zeintarski-on-transforming-students-using-physical-education-and-neuroscience/
[xx] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com on “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
[xxi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #163 with Dan Hill on “How to Read the Emotions in Others” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dan-hill-phd-the-faces-guy-on-how-to-read-the-emotions-in-others-for-schools-sports-and-the-workplace/
[xxii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #166 with Chris Gargano on “Accelerating Leadership for Maximum Results” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/vice-president-executive-producer-of-the-new-york-jets-chris-gargano-on-accelerating-leadership-for-maximum-impact-and-results/
[xxiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #168 with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on “What Happened to You” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-bruce-perry-and-steve-graner-from-the-neurosequential-network-on-what-we-should-all-know-about-what-happened-to-you/
 

Blaine Oelkers on Mastering Your Thoughts, Goals, and Life with the WYTAYBA Strategy--What You Think About You Bring About

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, EPISODE #208, I’m Andrea Samadi, author and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and today’s guest ties in perfectly to what we have been talking about on this podcast the past few months. Before I introduce him, I have to mention that he contacted me through LinkedIn and asked if I was looking for podcast guests. I always am and do have a running list of people I reach out to as our topic is specific, tied to how the most current brain research can help us to improve our productivity and results.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/rZ5s3MBa91I
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ Who is Blaine Oelkers, and why did it take 3 seconds for Andrea to notice something unique about his work?
✔︎ The mistake that 99.9% of people who read the book Think and Grow Rich make.
✔︎ What were in the "missing pages" of Think and Grow Rich that Blaine Oelkers discovered?
✔︎ What is the "secret" that we should all know, while studying Think and Grow Rich.
✔︎ Strategies to become crystal-clear with whatever it is that we want to create.
✔︎ How neuroscience supports what Napoleon Hill teaches in Think and Grow Rich.
✔︎ Simple strategies to break and form new habits.
✔︎ The importance of "cleaning" your mind.
 
If you recall, our last episode with Greg Link[i], who partnered and worked with the late Dr. Stephen Covey with the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People mentioned how many of the principles that they used for success over the years took some time before they were accepted in the corporate world, let alone the K-12 school market, so when I come across someone who’s an expert, or even known as a Chief Results Officer, I want to know who they are, who and what and who they have studied, and how exactly they are getting these high levels of results that most of us want, but take such hard work to achieve.
While researching our next guest, Blaine Oelkers[ii], a lifetime entrepreneur, a graduate of Purdue University and Stanford University’s Entrepreneurship program, I learned that he’s coached 1000’s of people with what he calls their Personal Implementation Plans (PIPs) elevating his clients to a higher level of productivity and results that he calls You 2.0, when I saw exactly what I was looking for.
It's rare for someone to teach these success principles, without having studied with one of the “greats” at least for a period of time, so I always look to see where their love of self-improvement began. I will be sure to ask Blaine this question, but it became clear to me that he has a sound knowledge of the most influential success books when I saw that he has taught the book we covered to launch our year with, Think and Grow Rich, and has some tips to help us to be more effective while studying this book, along with some lost passages!  At this point in my research, I ‘m beyond curious how he knows this top secret information and wonder if it has to do with the fact that he shared the stage with American author and entrepreneur, Jim Rohn.
I suppose we will all have to find this out in the interview. Let’s meet Blaine Oelkers and see if we can kick our productivity up a notch and uncover where he learned these secrets for success from.
Welcome Blaine. Thanks so much for reaching out to me. I’m not sure if you noticed that it took me about 3 minutes to write back to you that you were a perfect fit for the podcast!
INTRO Q: I mention in the backstory that I’m always looking for people who can take our understanding of productivity and success to higher levels, and I have to open up with the question I was thinking the whole time I was researching you—where did your love for self-improvement begin, who did you study, and what do you think makes you stand out from others in this field—I saw it immediately.
Q1: I opened the year with a 6-part series on Think and Grow Rich[iii] after studying this book for the past 3 years with Paul Martinelli. I have to say that when you teach something, you study it so differently as I could tell that didn’t finish reading it until I had to explain it to others.  I wonder what did you uncover that 99.9% of people miss every time they read TAGR? Here’s my guesses—that people don’t FINISH the book? Or they don’t IMPLEMENT the ideas Napoleon Hill suggests? Or they don’t read the book with effort and like Greg Link mentioned on my last episode-they don’t really “ponder deeply” with what they are reading.
Q2: What do you think “the secret” is that Hill says will stand out to you, and every chapter mentions it? Bob Proctor would never tell us what the secret was as he said we would stop looking for it.
Q3: What are the lost passages of TAGR? How did you come across them?
Q4: We’ve spoken often on this podcast about the importance of creating a crystal-clear vision of what you want. Why have you found this to be important, and how do you help others to remember this? WYTABA
Q5: How has neuroscience proven that WYTABA works? RAS
Q6: When you begin to connect the science to some of these success strategies, I know that belief is formed. What’s been your experience of working with corporations/leaders over the past few decades. How have things changed with this understanding of neuroscience?
Q7: We’ve also covered breaking/forming habits often on this podcast and I love how simple you make this. What should we all know if we want to form a new, healthy habit (like exercising more or cutting out unhealthy foods?)
Q8: What are some simple ways that we can keep our mind free of negative thoughts?
Q9: Any questions that you think I’ve missed that would be good to add
CONNECT WITH BLAINE OELKERS
Get healthy challenge https://www.facebook.com/groups/yesyoucanchallenge
Rewire your brain group https://www.facebook.com/groups/rewiremybrain
Watch Blaine’s TED Talk http://blainetedx.com/
Listen to Blaine’s Podcasts http://selfluence.com/podcasts/
CONNECT with BLAINE OELKERS
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaineoelkers/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chiefresultsofficer
Blaine, I want to thank you for the hard work you are doing in this field.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Headspace App for Taking “Mind Showers” https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getsomeheadspace.android&hl=en_US&gl=US
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #207 with Greg Link https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/co-founder-of-coveylink-greg-link-on-unleashing-greatness-with-neuroscience-sel-trust-and-the-7-habits/
[ii] https://www.superresultsexperience.com/about
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #196 PART 6 of the Think and Grow Rich book study https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-15-success-principles-of-napoleon-hill-s-classic-boo-think-and-grow-rich/

Co-Founder of CoveyLink, Greg Link on ”Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, SEL, Trust and the 7 Habits”

Have you ever felt “The Speed of Trust?” It’s the “shortest route to results” (Robert Allen, author of Multiple Streams of Income), and “the one thing that affects everything else you’re doing. It’s a performance multiplier which takes your trajectory upwards, for every activity you engage in, from strategy to execution.” Stephen R. Covey
I felt “The Speed of Trust” from the moment I asked our next guest if he would come on the podcast, knowing full well that he hasn’t spoken on a podcast or radio show since around 2014, but I know that “when trust is high, communication is easy, instant and effective.”
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/kCRjLyCKE40
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ Who was behind the marketing strategy that took Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits Book to sell over 40 million copies worldwide (surpassing the popular Think and Grow Rich book) in 40 languages.
✔︎ How exactly did Greg Link come to meet and partner with the late Dr. Stephen Covey and what dots were connected as he looks back over his career now.
✔︎ How “Inspired Action” a term coined by Jack Canfield helped many leaders forge a path where no one had ever been before.
✔︎ What the Covey Organization learned from taking their book to Japan, and how they became the best-selling foreign business book in Japan.
✔︎ How Dr. Covey simplified the 7 Habits, and his vision for this book from the beginning.
✔︎ The challenges that Dr. Covey had as they began their work in the K-12 school market, how they overcame these challenges, and created The Leader in Me program.
✔︎ How they overcame daily obstacles they faced and used the 7 Habits to move forward.
✔︎ How he came up with the idea for the 8th Habit.
✔︎ How Greg’s expertise was recognized in the motivational speaking industry.
✔︎ Why Trust was a trait that was the center of The Speed of Trust, Smart Trust and their new book Trust and Inspire.
✔︎ What advice did Dr. Covey give Greg Link that changed his life, and how can you use this advice today?
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, EPISODE #207, I’m Andrea Samadi, author and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and today’s guest is someone I have mentioned often on this podcast. For returning guests, you’ll be able to figure it out quickly. For those who are new, welcome.
This episode is very special to me in many ways—not just with the fact that I consider myself beyond lucky to have had the opportunity to have met some of the world’s most influential people at a time in my life (late 20s) when this influence was important for the direction that I would take, that would land me exactly where I am now, all these years later.   While listening to today’s episode, my hope is that this story inspires you in some way, to take action with whatever it is you are working on as I take you on a trip that goes back over 20 years ago, with the lessons learned along the way highlighted, so that you can see how some of the top influencers in the world have faced challenge, had doubts, fears and worries, and even unthinkably difficult life challenges that they all had to overcome, just like you and me.
What was unique with this opportunity that I had while working in the motivational speaking industry in the late 1990s, is that I was driven to keep in touch with many of the speakers who came in over the years, (as you can see from this podcast) and this platform allows us all to continue to learn and grow from them with what author Jack Canfield would call Inspired Action (that I’ll cover in a minute).  Today’s guest, I know we can all learn from which is why I knew I had to ask him to share his experience on this podcast. 
If you think back to our final episode of The Think and Grow Rich book study, EPISODE #196[i] that we launched 2022 with, we opened with a quote from Bob Proctor, who said ““You can’t just THINK and GROW RICH, you’ve got to do something with those thoughts” and it reminded me of meeting some of these global leaders, around 20 years ago, including our guest today, Greg Link, and that knowledge is power, but without action, it’s useless. It’s got to be Inspired Action as well, that comes from the heart.
The seminar where I met Greg Link was a pivotal one, and we’ll talk about this in the interview,  when Steve Jobs says, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, only looking back. It was here that I met Mark Victor Hansen, who co-authored The Chicken Soup for the Soul Series with Jack Canfield, Presidential Historian Doug Wead from EPISODE #187[ii] and many others including celebrities like Melanie Griffith, and world class athletes who came in to speak. I met today’s guest, Greg Link in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena, as he introduced me to his good friend Stedman Graham, the longtime partner of Oprah Winfrey, at the very beginning of this event.
I remember at the time, I had just started to write my first book that would be published quite a few years later, The Secret for Teens Revealed, (that was originally called The Mentoring Excellence Now Program that was created when I worked with over 100 youth with physical disabilities for the Easter Seals Foundation) and when I met Stedman, and saw that he had just written a book for teens[iii], I remember that feeling of “oh no, I’ve missed the boat on this topic” but the message I would receive loud and clear this weekend from the speakers, was quite the opposite. I can still hear Doug Wead shouting out at the audience, in an attempt to motivate action from them, when he said, “Get up and do something” with this booming voice and I wrote down-move forward with publishing this book idea I had in my head. What shocks me to the core, looking back and reading my notes from this event, is that I had written Doug’s age beside his name. 21 years ago, Doug Wead was 54. I’m turning 51 this year, and if you heard EPISODE #187, you’ll know that Doug passed away unexpectedly last year, at the age of 75.  I don’t know how old you are, but I do know that whatever age you are, that there’s no such thing as “missing the boat” with whatever it is you want to do.
If that’s not a huge motivator, I don’t know what is. Remember, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, only looking back. Everything I needed for success in my lifetime was right in front on me that weekend. They were all standing a shoulders length away from me. If you were standing next to someone who could possibly change the course of your life, would you see it?
After I had recorded our Top 10 episodes of all-time, I got this strange feeling to ask Greg Link if he would come on as a guest. I mentioned taking “inspired action” at the beginning of this episode, and recognize this was one of those moments when I sent the message to Greg, but hesitated. Why was I afraid to ask him to do this? He’s always been there, ready to help when I’ve asked in the past. He did an incredible testimonial[iv] for our work in 2013, AFTER those days working in the seminar industry, and he even wrote a back of the book endorsement for The Secret for Teens.  I hesitated because I knew he had been off the grid for some time, but I asked him anyway. That’s what Jack Canfield, who partnered with Mark Victor Hansen for the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series would call taking “Inspired Action.”
I learned from Jack Canfield that those flashes of insight we get to reach out to someone, are important to listen to.
I’m so excited to see what this Inspired Action will uncover, and know that whatever it is that you take away from these secrets to success from someone who not only worked with, but partnered with the late Dr. Stephen Covey, my hopes are that it inspires you to move forward, and take the Inspired Action needed, to move you in the direction of your goals.
Let’s meet Greg Link….
Welcome Greg!! Thank you for speaking with me today on what I am shocked is your FIRST podcast appearance?
Before I get to the questions, I always like to open up with something that helps us to dig a bit deeper before we begin, and it has to do with the fact that you kept coming into my head the past few podcast episodes, as I do tie in past episodes to current ones, and after quoting you on the last episode, I thought “I’ve got to ask Greg Link to see if he would speak with me on my next episode” and I know we have kept in touch over the years, but I wasn’t sure if this is something you would want to do, so I was a bit nervous before I sent you that message. I usually listen to those thoughts that come into my head (Jack Canfield called it taking inspired action)—so I wonder, if you would share what you have been up to the past few years, since I saw you last, and what did you really think when I asked you to come on this podcast?
This leads me to go back to where your career began…
Q1: How exactly did you come to meet and partner with Dr. Stephen R Covey, I know you’ve told me the story—I wonder if looking back, like Steve Jobs’ incredible commencement address at Stanford, what dots were connected when you think back to that moment?
Q2A: When I found that interview you did in 2014 with that Toronto radio station where you mention where your journey with Dr. Covey began--it made me wonder what qualified you to work in publishing and why did Covey pick you? What did you do that made Ken Blanchard refer you to Dr. Covey when he was launching the 7 Habits book?
Q2B: 2 PART QUESTION--It’s written everywhere how you took the 7 Habits Book to incredible heights, published globally in 40 languages. Can you explain what you did? Also 7 Habits is the best-selling foreign business book in history in Japan. How did that happen?
Q2C: How did get Dr. Covey to “simplify” the habits to make them easier for people to understand? Why did you call him your recovering academic?
Q3: I saw it when I first began, and so did you! I remember you telling me how difficult it was BEFORE Leader in Me launched in our schools. You gave me millions of tips BEFORE I went into the schools with my work, and I still met with challenge and obstacles. Can you share how difficult it was for the 7 Habits BEFORE it sold millions of copies worldwide, inspiring the Leader in Me curriculum? AND what led the 7 Habits into primary schools in the first place?
Q4: We could spend a good week on my next question, because you’ve got some incredible life experience, with high levels of success and achievement reached, but I want to know about those times where things were difficult. Our audiences consist of educators, and those in the corporate workplace (around the world) who could benefit from your story that you told me where everything went wrong in Portland (I think) and Dr. Covey insisted that “the show must go on.” Can you tell this story, so we can all take some pressure off ourselves when it comes to presenting or speaking in front of others and wanting everything to be perfect? What about Distance Learning from Microsoft and Zoom?
Q5: I think I like the 8th Habit the most, as that’s what I’ve centered my life’s work around (especially with this podcast). You mentioned to me that The 8th Habit almost didn’t get published! What happened?
5B: What’s YOUR favorite habit, and one that you find yourself working on the most?
Q6: When I first met you, it was around 2002 when you came to consult with Bob Proctor and Mark Victor Hansen from the Chicken Soup for the Soul on their 3% Club seminars, around the same time Doug Wead came in, and I remember meeting you in the lobby of the Ritz Carleton in Pasadena, that’s now called the Langham, and I remember that you were coming in to help impact change with the seminars back then. What do you remember about those days, and working with the seminar industry leaders? Didn’t you also work with Tony Robbins and Werner Erhard?
Q7: We’ve talked about your book with Stephen M.R. Covey, Smart Trust. I’ve got a Character Book on my laptop that I’ve held off producing (it was a compilation of lessons I used when I worked with schools) but will release it eventually. Trust has always been THE most important character trait for me. What was it about Trust that you thought was important for everyone to know-what was so important about Trust for you that you wrote a book on this topic?
Q8: I know you’ve got another book on Trust coming with Stephen MR Covey (Trust and Inspire)…and in this low-trust world, I think this is the best time for this book. What’s this next book about?
Q9: I’ve got to ask a question about family, since I know it’s an important part of your life, and the pandemic surely put the emphasis on family for us globally. Your family has gone through some really difficult times. For those listening, who may also be dealing with difficult times, what words of encouragement could you offer with your life experience in mind?
Q10: As we think of all the habits, I like the 8th Habit the most, as it relates to our building our legacy (Find your Voice and Inspire others to find theirs.  What advice can you offer for people listening as they might be working on the legacy they want to create, thinking of Dr. Covey as an example?
Q11: What’s next for you? Trust and Inspire, and then what?
Q12: What are your final thoughts?
For people who want to reach you, what’s the best place? I’ll be sure to put your Twitter, Linkedin and social media accounts, and I’m sure when this goes out, everyone will be reaching out to you for an interview. A lot of excitement was generated BEFORE I even asked if you would do this podcast today.
Greg, I want to thank you for your time today, to share these secrets that only you would know. I’m so grateful we met, and that you took an interest in helping me along the way to find my voice, and help others find theirs. Where I am today is such a huge quantum leap from where y mindset was back when you first met me, so I’m forever grateful for the help, ideas and support along the way. I’m looking forward to Trust and Inspire coming out next month and learning more from you moving forward. 
This episode is far from over. My mind was blown while editing this episode as Greg mentioned so many book titles, that I do plan on creating a map of this episode, with his suggested book titles to guide us along the way. I do highly suggest grabbing this next book, Trust and Inspire, and taking on Dr. Covey’s challenge of reading a book a week, like Greg has done over his career. His final challenge of writing out the 20 books that have changed your life, with your commentary, is something I will do in the future, and hope that this episode inspires you to take inspired action in your life.  
See you next episode!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address Published on YouTube  March 7, 2008 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
The Brain That Changes Itself Norman Doidge Published Dec. 18, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-That-Changes-Itself-Frontiers/dp/0143113100
Shakti Gawain Creative Visualizations Published November 15, 2016 https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Visualization-Power-Imagination-Create-ebook/dp/B01MSL5SIL/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3OTH9QMA0T39R&keywords=shakti+gawain+creative&qid=1648757709&s=books&sprefix=shatki+gawain+creative%2Cstripbooks%2C108&sr=1-2
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg Published December 31, 2019  https://tinyhabits.com/book/
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by W Clement Stone published June 12, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Success-Through-Positive-Mental-Attitude/dp/1416541594/ref=asc_df_1416541594/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312025908234&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7742204498469496254&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030068&hvtargid=pla-436652129468&psc=1
Werner Erhard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Erhard
ASQ American Society of Quality Consultants https://asq.org/
The Leader in Me (The 7 Habits for Schools)  https://www.leaderinme.org/
Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools https://www.leaderinme.org/lighthouse-schools/
Muriel Summers’ Leader in Me School https://www.leaderinme.org/muriel-summers/#:~:text=For%20more%20than%20two%20decades,book%20by%20the%20same%20name.
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier Published Feb. 29, 2016 https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever-ebook/dp/B01BUIBBZI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QFW8U95Q6QZG&keywords=the+coaching+habit&qid=1648831862&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+coaching+habit%2Cdigital-text%2C141&sr=1-1
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier, Published February 29, 2020 https://www.amazon.com/Advice-Trap-Humble-Curious-Forever-ebook/dp/B083YZTW4B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JXXFWF2F19C5&keywords=advice+trap&qid=1648832648&s=digital-text&sprefix=advice+trap%2Cdigital-text%2C125&sr=1-1
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPSIODE #60 “A Deep Dive into Dr. Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/
IMPORTANT LEGACY QUOTES:
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
'We are human beings not human doings” Dalai Lama
"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” Albert Schweitzer
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations" George Bernard Shaw
“At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
“In the end all you have is your reputation” Oprah
“It takes 20 years to build your reputation and 5 minutes to ruin” Warren Buffett
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #196 “The Neuroscience Behind the 15 Principles in Think and Grow Rich” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-15-success-principles-of-napoleon-hill-s-classic-boo-think-and-grow-rich/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #187 in Memory of Presidential Historian Doug Wead https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/in-memory-of-presidential-historian-doug-wead-on-applying-leadership-and-character-lessons-from-the-greatest-us-presidents/
[iii] Teens Can Make it Happen by Stedman Graham, December 2001 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Teens-Can-Make-It-Happen/Stedman-Graham/9780684870823
[iv] Greg Link’s Testimonial of Andrea’s Work Published Fed. 14, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTfN-6ZSmdY

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Trust”

Did you know that “trust is the highest form of human motivation? It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience.” Stephen Covey
For returning guests, welcome back, and for those who are new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, author, and educator, with a passion for learning, understanding difficult concepts, and breaking them down so that we can all use and apply the most current research to improve productivity and results in our schools, and modern workplaces. Today’s EPISODE #206, is on a topic inspired by one of my early influencers, “The Neuroscience of Trust.” This episode came to me as I’m preparing for our next episode next week, with someone I have quoted often on this podcast, Greg Link[i], the co-founder of the Covey Leadership Center. Greg was the one who orchestrated the strategy that led Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, (1989)[ii] to become one of the two best-selling business books of the 20th century according to CEO Magazine, selling over 20 million copies in 38 languages. Greg created the marketing momentum that helped propel Covey Leadership Center from a start-up company to a $110-plus million-dollar enterprise with offices in 40 countries. 
You’ll need to tune into our next episode #207 to learn more from Greg Link’s incredible experience working with Dr. Covey, and with individuals and companies around the world, where Greg will share what qualities are important and integral for success for our students in today’s classrooms, and in our modern workplaces as we dive into our topic of “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, SEL, Trust, and the 7 Habits.”
While researching Greg, who I met when he came to work in the seminar industry in 2002, I was reminded of a topic that he thought was so important that he wrote a book about it with Stephen M.R. Covey (the son of the late Stephen R. Covey) called Smart Trust: The Defining Skill That Transforms Managers into Leaders.[iii]
If you look up quotes from Stephen Covey on trust, you can see how important this skill was to him. He said, “trust is the glue to life” and “the one thing that affects everything else you’re doing. It’s a performance multiplier which takes your trajectory upwards, for every action you engage in, from strategy to execution.”
The quote I like the most is where he says that “the first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. It’s to bring out the best in people by entrusting them” and what I learned from Greg and his book Smart Trust, is that “we have to extend trust to others, to get it back.” This seems counterintuitive, or not what we’d expect to hear, especially in a low-trust world, where many of us don’t want to be too naïve, and too trusting on one side of trust, or we don’t want to be too suspicious either, on the other side of trust. So how do we use Smart Trust, and find the right balance with this skill that transforms managers into leaders?  If you read the book, you will see where Greg had a huge AHA moment with his relationship with trust, when someone extended trust to him. Leaders go first, they extend their trust to others, by walking their talk, by showing their character and competence (by doing what they say they will do) and watch how people respond around them (not with blind trust, but with Smart Trust) and you will be surprised that when you give trust, most often, you’ll get it back.
Greg does mention cases where trust is not possible to be restored, like for those who invested their money with Bernie Madoff[iv] who was known for defrauding thousands of investors out of tens of billions of dollars over a time span of around 17 years, it would  be difficult for trust to be restored in this case, but he affirms that “it’s possible to restore and regain trust”[v] and possibly even on a deeper level with time and transparency.
Which brought me to wonder, where does trust exist in our brain?
DID YOU KNOW THAT “high levels of trust are associated with decreased amygdala activity and low fear. When there’s a breach of trust the brain’s conflict detector the ACC (anterior cingulate cortex) activates the amygdala. Trust and fear are inversely related; fear activates the amygdala and trust decreases activation. Trust therefore frees up the brain for other activities like creativity, planning and decision-making”[vi] which to me shows on a brain level why “the act of extending trust is an act of leadership.” (Stephen M.R. Covey).
To conclude this episode and set us all on the right frame of mind for our next episode with Greg Link, (next week) I highly encourage you to read Greg’s book, Smart Trust, and pre-order Stephen MR Covey’s NEW book, coming out next month, Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Inspire Greatness in Others[vii] so that we can all deepen our knowledge of this skill that is a prerequisite for success in life, and business, especially for those in a position of leadership.
To Build Smart Trust, and open your brain up to higher levels of creativity, planning and decision-making, Here are Some Tips From Greg Link:
Believe in Trust: and remember that extending trust is the key to leadership.
Start With YOU: look at the two sides of trust. Integrity-do I walk my talk? Competence—do I do what I will say I will do?
Declare Your Intent: Be transparent and say what you want to accomplish so others are clear of your expectations.
Assume Positive Intent in Others: Always give others the benefit of the doubt.
Extend Trust: to others and you will gain more influence. No need to micromanage others, just use SMART Trust.
With those tips, I’ll bring this episode to close. Have a good weekend and I’ll see you next week on EPISODE #207, where Greg Link will share what only someone who worked directly with Dr. Stephen Covey and the blockbuster 7 Habits book would know. It’s going to be memorable.
   
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
                                                                                                           
REFERENCES:
[i] Greg Link Speaker’s Bio https://premierespeakers.com/greg-link/bio
[ii] https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/
[iii] Smart Trust: The Defining Skill That Transforms Managers into Leaders by Stephen M.R. Covey and Greg Link Published September 3, 2013 https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Trust-Defining-Transforms-Managers/dp/1451652178
[iv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Madoff
[v] Interview with Greg Link on Smart Trust November 27, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-PyD-pX8nk
[vi] The Neuroscience of Trust https://headheartbrain.com/brain-savvy-hr/the-neuroscience-of-trust/#:~:text=High%20levels%20of%20trust%20are,amygdala%20and%20trust%20decreases%20activation.
[vii]Trust and Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Inspire Greatness in Others by Stephen MR Covey April 5, 2022  https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/198214372X?tag=simonsayscom

Author and Educational Consultant André Hedlund on ”A Voyage into the Learner’s Universe: A Macro View of Neuroscience and SEL”

Have you ever wondered WHO exactly YOU are? We are more than our name, our job title or perhaps how we are viewed in our personal lives. Whatever part of the world you are listening to this podcast from, today’s episode is going to stretch your mind, like it did mine, as we expand our field of view from our individual schools or workplaces to our cities, to go far outside of where we operate on a day-to-day basis to think on a different level than we usually think about ourselves, or those around us. We are going to use a brilliant article written by author, Chevening Alumnus (MSc in Psychology of Education--University of Bristol) and former National Geographic Learning Consultant, Andre Hedlund[i] called Learning Cosmos: A Voyage into the Learner’s Universe[ii] to help take our imaginations on a trip, where we will “consider the multitude of principles, theories and frameworks that address learning, and compare (them) to the expanding universe. Different spheres, each one influencing the others.”
Watch this interview on YouTube with visuals here https://youtu.be/wsJ8NpYawdM
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How Andre Hedlund compared learning to the Cosmos for a Macro vs Micro view of learning.
✔︎ How the 6 SEL Competencies compare to the Cosmos and Larger Universe.
✔︎ How Andre took the most current and well-known educational frameworks and theories and mapped them to the Cosmos for a deeper look at learning.
✔︎ How looking at something from a new angle (Macro vs Micro) can give you a new perspective, solve problems, and open your eyes to new possibilities.
Today Andre will look at neuroscience and psychology and try to bring together principles about cognition, emotion, attitudes and beliefs, motivation, learning design, and context (many of the topics we have been talking about on this podcast for the past 3 years) into an illustration that resembles the universe so we can see how we fit into our world, from a different point of view, and Andre’s hope is that this “Learning Cosmos Angle can help students, teachers, schools, families and policymakers admire and reflect on the amazing universe surrounding our learners.” (Hedlund).
Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, EPISODE #205, I’m Andrea Samadi, author and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and today’s guest is an expert in Education, the Science of Learning, Neuroscience, Psychology, Pedagogy, and the Methodology Behind how we learn. If you are interested in neuroscience and learning, which I’m sure you are,  if you’ve been tuning into our podcast, I know this episode will expand your thinking, like it did mine, as we hear from Andre’s perspective why neuroscience alone cannot tell us how we learn. We must look at psychology and education for these answers, but next, he takes it a step further with an empowering, mind-boggling thought. Imagine this if you will…
“The Cosmos is within us. We are all made of star stuff. We are a way for the Universe to know itself.” –Astrophysicist, Carl Sagan[iii] This quote opens Andre’s article, and it took me back to the day I was first introduced to this topic of neuroscience, before I knew how the brain and learning were connected.
I had many questions.
How on the earth (pun intended) is the learning connected to Cosmos?
Wait, what is the Cosmos again? It’s been a while since I studied the planets and I never really got into Star Trek or those out of space shows.
What does it mean when he says “the cosmos is within us?” I’ve been wrapped up in the brain for the past few years and had to look up what exactly this means.
The funny part of researching and coming up with some questions for Andre to help us to dive deeper into this topic, was that I shared on LinkedIn that I was looking forward to this interview, as I spent Friday night reading Andre’s new book, The Owl Factor: Reframing Your Teaching Philosophy A Reflective and Practical Guide for Teachers and Trainers, and Greg Link, who I’ve mentioned before on this podcast, who took Stephen Covey’s  7 Habits book to great heights, commented on the post and got me to think even harder about the questions I was going to come up with. I don’t think there are any accidents in life, and when Andre caught Greg’s attention, I felt like I had better dig deep into this topic and see if we can all reframe our teaching philosophy with this new perspective.
Let’s meet Andre Hedlund, and take this Voyage into the Learner’s Universe.[iv]
Welcome Andre, all the way from Brazil.  We do have a good number of listeners from your past of the world, and after reading your article, it really did make sense to me, showing me how someone in another country, can hold so much passion for this topic, (like I think I do) but with a different angle. Thank you very much for contacting me and sharing your work that I know will help us to all see things in a different way today.
INTRO Q: So, this podcast is The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, as you know, and I clearly remember when we made the connection with Neuroscience and the SEL competencies that we talk about all the time on this podcast. How on the earth did you make the connection with learning and the cosmos?
Q1: Where do we begin? What is the science of learning? What should we all know about how our genetics and epigenetics impact our learning? (for ourselves, our own children, and our students?). What does this mean for the future? Gene editing?
Q2: I like the idea of looking at things from a different perspective to learn something new but I’ve got to say that using diagrams, or frameworks have been a key component for me to break down difficult concepts. Even Greg Link mentioned it to me when looking for ideas to promote my book to schools, and he asked me “are the concepts in your book clear like Covey’s 7 Habits?” and it made me think of the importance of using frameworks or images to convey what I wanted to teach. So I picked these 6 SEL Competencies that we have been focused on throughout this podcast.
How did you take ALL the theories and frameworks connected to learning and compare it to the Universe/Cosmos? What is the first competency that’s important? Is it our SELF-AWARENESS (who we are), our identity? To me, you’ve put the self-worth or identity first, with The Four Pillars of Learning (attention, engagement, error feedback, and consolidation) (Dehaene 2020) which overlaps with the Engage, Build, Consolidate Framework (Paul Howard Jones 2018).
4 Pillars of Learning -How do these make us self-aware? Do you have examples or ideas to build on this?
Then you compare the cognitive sphere to earth’s conditions to support life (like the presence of liquid water or breathable air). Do you mean that self-awareness that comes with motivation, attitudes and beliefs, emotional and cognitive skills is integral for us, like water and air is on the planet? (Do I understand this correctly?)
Q3: Is Self-regulation next? With the research on Emotional Intelligence by Salovey and Mayer (1990S) popularized by Daniel Goleman (1995), Emotion Regulation by James Gross and Ross Thompson and the Theory of Constructed Emotion (Lisa Feldman Barrett 2017).
Then you compare our emotions to our planet’s climate and say “our mood is like earth’s weather.”
Q4: Next is our attitudes and beliefs about learning (or how learning works)  that should include Metacognition, (thinking about thinking or learning how to learn), Growth Mindset (one’s belief they can improve their intelligence through commitment and effort) and Self-Efficacy (one’s ability to set and achieve goals).
Q5: Motivation is important and must include autonomy, relatedness and competence.
Daniel Pink believes what drives people is autonomy, mastery and purpose.
Q6: Macrocosm vs Solar System Level? Earth and why it’s perfect for life. Design our lessons so student’s flourish. Flexible, active and desirable difficulties.
Q7: Interstellar Level?
Systems Theory (we just mentioned this with Joshua Freedman Interview). What impacts an individual’s development.
Q8: Environmental?
Q9: Conclusion--What was your purpose/goal of creating this theory? What feedback have you received so far?
Q10- What’s next?
Andrea closes this episode with her thoughts on how thinking "macro vs micro" can help us to look at things in a different way, like André did with education, to solve problems, create new ideas, and innovate. 
FOLLOW ANDRÉ HEDLUND
Twitter https://twitter.com/andrelshedlund 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andr%C3%A9-hedlund-msc-he-him-83411621/ 
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/andre_hedlund/?hl=en 
Website https://edcrocks.com/
BIO: Andre Hedlund is a Chevening Alumnus (MSc in Psychology of Education
- University of Bristol) and former National Geographic Learning Consultant and Materials
Reviewer. His work includes teacher education for Academy of Distinction (Italy),
Gallery Teachers (Europe), and Amolingua, with several international projects including
LINGO+(awarded Erasmus+ funding). Andre is a Bilingual Program Mentor for Edify
Education and a guest lecturer on Multilingualism, Global Education, and Neuroscience
at PUCPR. He is also a member of the BRAZ-TESOL Mind, Brain, and
Education (MBE) SIG, and he blogs at edcrocks.com
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://edcrocks.com/
[ii] https://www.academia.edu/49459091/Learning_Cosmos_Article
[iii] We Are Made of Star Stuff Published on YouTube Nov. 3, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bm479V8qPs
[iv] Learning Cosmos by Andre Hedlund Published on YouTube March 13, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuv5g71wiEQ&t=1067s

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Happiness”

Did you know that “from a neuroscientific standpoint, happiness is experienced in different ways depending on your state of mind?” Mark Waldman
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, and EPISODE #204, with all that is going on in the world, I wanted today’s episode to take a closer look at how we can all find happiness in our life, even during the most difficult times, and look at happiness through a neuroscientific lens. If we can do this, I am confident that we will all walk away from this episode with a way to generate happiness, with our brain in mind.
Welcome back!  I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and we launched this podcast almost 3 years ago, with the goal of taking the mystery out the science behind high performance strategies, so that we can all apply the most current brain research, to improve productivity and results in our schools, sports and modern workplaces. I became interested in success strategies to improve performance in the late 1990s while working with some of world’s top performers in the motivational speaking industry and saw immediately how important these skills were for our future generations.
For those who have been with us since we launched, thank you for coming back, for listening, and supporting the podcast over the years. The topics we cover each week seem to be never-ending, as more research continues to be uncovered, each episode connects back to past episodes that you might remember from our earlier days.
Bringing us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
Did you know that “there are three distinct networks in the brain responsible for happiness?
It hit me while recording our Top 10 Episodes of All Time[i] when psychologist Dr. Francis Lee Stephens said “no one ever comes to me saying my thinking is awful. They come with—I feel like garbage.”  How do we look for happiness, or positive feelings when we “feel” like garbage?
We covered The Neuroscience of Happiness way back in November 2019 on EPISODE #29[i] and I remember it being such an important topic, that I created a PowerPoint Presentation on YouTube[ii] to go along with this episode where we dove into the recipe for peak performance, with strategies to boost our serotonin levels to generate more happiness.  We took a closer look at the neuroscience of anxiety, with ideas to calm our limbic, emotional brain. We were almost a year into the pandemic, and nothing has changed with the importance of mental health and well-being since we recorded EPISODE 29, but today, I want to look at happiness with the latest neuroscience research I’ve recently  learned from Mark Waldman, adding a new perspective, hoping that whatever is going on in our lives, wherever you are listening from in the world, that you can look at happiness with this new lens, a neuroscientific lens, and see if the ideas I’ll share can help you today can generate more happiness in your life, as well as mine, as I put these strategies into practice right along with you.
This week I learned that the latest neuroscientific research suggests there are three distinct networks in the brain that generate happiness. As we take a closer look at these three networks, I hope we can think of some NEW strategies to bring real happiness, into our day, with this new knowledge of the specific network of the brain that this feeling is being generated in.
1. Frontal Parietal Network: also called the Central Executive Network (CEN) or our Thinking Network that controls our everyday thoughts and memories about what happiness means to you. Waldman reminds us that these memories are “mostly based on old beliefs and memories of the past and that happiness is something that only occurs briefly in the present moment.” Remember: that your beliefs about happiness are embedded in the past, and that you can think back to old memories that made you happy, but this level of happiness won’t last forever.
HOW DO WE GENERATE MORE HAPPINESS USING THE CEN: Have you ever heard of visualizing yourself in your happy place to shift how you are thinking or feeling? When you actively pull up a memory of yourself, on a beach (let’s say) in the middle of winter, it can help you to feel the sunshine on your face, or smell the salt water for the time you are visualizing, but when you open your eyes, you do come back to reality that you aren’t really on this beach, so this strategy will get you to feel happiness and shift your mood, but there is another strategy that can bring you closer to real happiness.
2. Salience Network: This network (that doesn’t fully develop until we are 28-30 years old) puts a value or level of importance on the experience we are having in the present moment and can “generate a deeper level of satisfaction” which is what real happiness is. When we can savor the experience while it’s happening, like when we savor a hug from someone that you love, you are “using the Salience Network” to generate a deep level of satisfaction. When you can “mindfully immerse yourself in what you are experiencing in the present moment, you can touch those brief moments of pleasure.” (Waldman).
HOW DO WE GENERATE MORE HAPPINESS USING OUR SALIENCE NETWORK: When writing this episode, I asked my youngest daughter to give me one of her “special” hugs because I know that she savors every moment when she hugs someone. In my lifetime, I’ve only ever had a hug like this from one other person, my friend Christian, who we lost in his late 30s, and his hugs were unforgettable. Have you ever felt this? Someone who hugs you and they squeeze you so tightly, they take the air out of you, and they give everything they’ve got with this hug? I remember saying to my friend “ok, enough already” as I could barely breathe with his tight hugs, but now that he’s no longer here, I bet there’s many of us who wish we held on tight for those extra seconds. My daughter’s hugs are like this and she says that she “feels the hug with her heart, closes her eyes and that the squeeze part is important.” She’s definitely mastered the mindful hug that brings happiness to everyone she comes in contact with. I know that during the pandemic, we barely shook hands with each other, let alone give each other those big bear hugs, but if you can hug someone close to you, that you love, and mindfully immerse yourself in this experience, you will feel “real” happiness.
Savor your hugs.
What else can you savor that you really enjoy? If you have ever been really hungry, that first bite of a sandwich tastes extra special. Savor that first bite and you’ll feel what I mean.
I’m sure you can write a list of things that you love that you will take the extra time to savor, to feel this heightened sense of happiness that originates in the Salience Network of your brain.
3. Default Mode Network: or Imagination Network that “generates fantasies about what happiness may or may not be” (Waldman) and this network is active when we are “wishing for happiness” in our life. This “daydream-like realm of imagination can make you desire deeper levels of happiness” but research shows that “seeking happiness in this way increases depression.” (Waldman). We dove deep into the DMN back on EPISODE #48[iii] in March 2020 with ideas for using this new brain science to reduce stress and find balance in the major networks in our brain.
HOW DO WE GENERATE MORE HAPPINESS USING THE DEFAULT MODE (OR IMAGINATION) NETWORK? When using mind-wandering to visualize happiness, to prevent yourself from feeling too far away from your goal, bring yourself back to reality by using mental contrasting. This evidence-based strategy, known as the WOOP strategy[iv] (not to be confused with the wearable device that measures sleep and stress). WOOP stands for “Wish, Outcome, Obstacle and Plan” and can help you to keep from drifting off track into negative thinking that sometimes can occur in the DMN.  Stay on course by daydreaming for a bit (maybe about a beach vacation) and then switch to your CEN and think of the outcomes of this beach vacation. How incredible would it be to escape reality and just relax poolside for a while? Now bring yourself back to reality with mental contrasting or thinking of the obstacles that you must overcome for this goal to become a reality. Create a plan, and you can turn your happiness daydream into reality.
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday, we’ve outlined clearly the three networks in the brain responsible for our happiness, with ideas for generating happiness using each one. We can learn to activate these networks together, for example, by thinking of a specific happy memory with our CEN, and savoring it, with our Salience Network, and then using our DMN to further dream, or imagine our happiness memories, switching back to our CEN to create a plan to bring our happy memory to reality. I know this will increase our happiness in all 3 networks of our brain, and hopefully will leave us with an elevated feeling, bringing us as close as we can get to true happiness.
REMEMBER: To savor those hugs, or whatever it is for you that brings you true happiness.
Wishing you a happy weekend, and hope this episode made you smile.
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #29 “How to Rewire Your Brain for Happiness and Well-Being to Optimize Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-re-wire-your-brain-for-happiness-and-well-being-to-optimize-learning/
[ii] PowerPoint Presentation on YouTube for EPISODE #29 “The Neuroscience of Happiness”
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 on “Brain network Theory: Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/
[iv] WOOP Strategy https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/setting-goals-woop
 
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #201 on the Top 10 All Time Episodes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-top-10-all-time-episodes-on-the-neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-learning-podcast/
 

Case Study with Paranormal Researcher, Ryan O’Neill on ”Making Your Vision a Reality”

"Whatever it is you are going after, you’ll do it when you believe it." Napoleon Hill
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/tsBpdG1DpaE
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎  How Ryan O'Neill rose to the top of his field using specific success strategies that we've been teaching since the late 1990s.
✔︎ How Ryan used these principles to home-school his daughter and help her to create a successful future.
✔︎ The pathway from setting to achieving large goals-what to expect.
✔︎ Creating a new identity in the process-how to integrate your belief with your behavior.
✔︎ Overcoming obstacles and criticism and why what other people say or think doesn't matter.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, EPISODE #203, with a Case Study of someone who did just that—he believed in his vision and rose to the top of his field but only once his family got there first.
Welcome back.  I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and launched this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research and success strategies directly to you, whether you are a teacher in the classroom, or looking for new ideas to improve productivity in your workplace, my goal is to bring the experts to you with clear strategies that we can all use to implement for immediate results. 
This week, I’m speaking with Ryan O’Neill, a Paranormal Researcher from Scotland, UK, who I met around 10 years ago, when he signed up to take our first certification program, where we taught the success principles in my first book The Secret for Teens Revealed[i] that turned into our Level Up Program[ii] for schools. Years before we narrowed our focus with teachers, we worked with individuals, all over the world (teachers, coaches, and parents) who were looking for a curriculum they could use whether it was to improve young people’s mindset with sports, in the classroom or with their personal lives. Many people who studied Bob Proctor’s work in the seminar industry, came our way, looking to narrow their focus with these timeless principles for young people.
Ryan stuck out to me as unique, back then, as he signed up for the program to use the principles to help his children to learn these concepts. He knew that school wasn’t teaching them these important skills, and I still remember as he was going through each of the lessons with me, back then it was on Skype, he would then go on and teach the lesson to his daughter Tammy who was a teen at the time, just figuring out her life’s purpose. I remember she soared with these success principles that she saw her Dad taking seriously, and she did the same. She knew that these unique principles could help her to achieve high levels of success in her life, and she continues to use them to this day, as she’s put them on autopilot with her daily habits. His other daughter Rhian also became involved with this work, and did some voiceovers along the way that still exists in our work today.
Ryan had such a strong belief in these principles, that he ended up helping us to create The Secret for Teens DVD program, that you can still find on Udemy.[iii]
He was an integral part of our work in those early days when we were just starting out, as he had a keen mastery of seeing something that wasn’t yet there, and his belief was contagious, as he began checking off goal after goal that he had set out to achieve.
I’ll get to the heights that Ryan has reached in his career using this skill of bringing his goals to completion with my questions, but when I saw how much he has achieved since those early days we worked together, I had to bring him on the podcast to feature his story as a case study so he can share how exactly he applied the success principles to achieve these outstanding results.
Let’s meet Ryan O’Neill, from Scotland, UK, who has always been crystal clear of his life’s purpose “of researching, studying and sharing his open-minded discoveries, into all things mysterious” and see if he can take us back to where he began, and what it took to reach the top of his field as a part of the Scottish Paranormal Team, at the forefront of paranormal research in Scotland for the past 15 years. I know he will give us some tips from his experience that will boggle our mind  when he takes something that many will say is impossible, and show us how simple and easy ALL of our goals can be.
Welcome Ryan!!!
Ryan, I can’t even tell you how happy I am to reconnect with you after working with you so closely in our early years.  It’s incredible to see you.
INTRO Q: Ryan, when we first launched our FIRST coaching certification program in 2012 (I think), you were one of our first students to sign up and go through a program that would later transform into our program for teachers with the Level Up Program. Do you remember how we met? How did you find us all the way from Scotland?
I remember that one of the goals you had for going through the lessons in this program was that you wanted your daughter Tammy, who was a teen at the time to learn these principles. Thinking back to this time, how do you think the program/studying these success principles helped Tammy create the life she wanted to live?
Q1: There were 10 success principles in this book[iv] that I told Bob Proctor in our interview came from this DVD I found when I worked in his office is Toronto. I thought these principles were profound and should be taught to young people in the classroom, and Bob never produced that program I found. I remember sitting in my basement in Toronto, watching the DVD and writing out each of these powerful principles that would eventually be the chapters in the book. Which of these lessons do you think were the most helpful to Tammy when she was a teen?
Lesson One: Why is a winning attitude so important for a rewarding life?
Lesson Two: What is your mind and how does it control your destiny?
Lesson Three: How will the laws of the universe change your life immediately?
Lesson Four: How does goal setting and persistence set you apart from all others?
Lesson Five: How can the confidence formula and body image give you predictable results for success?
Lesson Six: Why will responsibility shape your future?
Lesson Seven: How can you turn your life around by blasting through things that make you nervous?
Lesson Eight: How do self-motivation and your values help you live a decent life of integrity?
Lesson Nine: How can you let your courage emerge from within and rocket your life?
Lesson Ten: What difference will you make in your lifetime?
Q2: Now onto the questions about the rest of your vision. Once you created the mindset for your family, how did you create the vision for your work with Scottish Paranormal? I remember you had a keen eye for bringing what many of us couldn’t see to reality.
Q3: I just completed a deep dive into Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich[v] book to launch this year, so that everyone listening becomes crystal clear with what they want and adding WHY they want it. Can you go back to your vision and remember what it took to get to where you are now, from where you began?
Q4: We worked together around 10 years ago, and then we both went off to put the focus into our work. I’ve always kept my eye on what you are doing, and especially Tammy and Rhian, and do follow Carrie on Instagram. Your family has always been important to me. What changes have YOU seen with your family, since you began doing this work? What about your son? Did he ever become interested in self-study? 
Q5: I did a whole episode on belief and identity because I think both of these are important, in addition to the self-image that we create. It’s more about who we BECOME in this process.  Looking at your work now, I can see that you have become an entirely different person. I’m not sure if you would see it, but it’s easy for me to have seen the growth since your early days, just like I’m sure you can see my growth. Do you remember a moment when your belief matched your behavior? I think the definition for this concept is called PRAXIS.
Q6: What about paradigms? Looking back, it’s much easier to see what might have held you back with your work. Can you see any paradigms that you had to change to get to the top of your field? How did you do it? Did you read your goal vision 2/day? 
Q7: After working hard for many years, never complaining, just working, trying different projects (your book-weight loss angle), then you hit your break. Can you share what happened? (Discovery Channel?)
Q7B) What is the scariest thing you’ve ever seen with your work and how do you handle this part of it?
Ryan's team investigates some of the most haunted castles in the world, like Glamis Castle.
Q8: Were there times that you faced criticism for your work?  How did you handle it?
Q9: Looking back, you were a serious student, like me, I think that’s why we got along so well back then. You weren’t afraid to do the work required, whereas many people I have worked with just weren’t as diligent with the work that was required for the changes to occur. What were some pivotal lessons from the work that you did on your mindset? Did anything stick out that kept you going when times were difficult?
Q10: What’s on the horizon for you next? For a serious student of this work, I know this is just the beginning.
Q11: Is there anything important that I have missed?
Ryan, I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed I am with the path that you took, with the belief that you held all these years, to create the success that you see now. You deserve every moment of your success as well as your family. I wish you all the best in whatever it is that you create next, and for people who want to follow your work, I will put all the links to follow you in the show notes.
FOLLOW RYAN O’NEILL
Scottish Paranormal https://scottish-paranormal.co.uk/
Twitter https://twitter.com/Haunt3dScotland
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-o-neill-80416b47/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SuccessCoachRyan
Some Useful Links
▪️ The Main Community — https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScottishParanormal▪️ FB Page — https://www.facebook.com/HauntedScotlandInvestigates▪️ YouTube Channel — https://goo.gl/TLqW3m▪️ SP SPIRIT BOX APP — https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appybuilder.jonathangaraway.Scottish
VIDEOS
Scotland’s Most Haunted Castle https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=171681638090730&ref=sharing
The Real EVP’s Underground Edinburg https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=3418454248236439
RYAN’S BOOK
The Unseen World: Afterlife Research by Ryan O’Neill Published October 20, 2018 https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-World-Afterlife-Research-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B07GS24NF5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QOO1RD19E8N5&keywords=the+unseen+world+ryan+o%27neill&qid=1647532733&sprefix=the+unseen+world+ryan+o%27neill%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES
Rich, Successful, Strong, yet empty. Mohammed Issa, TEDxAccra Published on YouTube June 16, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO801NKR0Cc
 
Gayle Porter https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Famous_(TV_series)
REFERENCES:
 
[i] The Secret for Teens Revealed program launch Published on YouTube May 2, 2013  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GlA9WvQQYE
[ii] Level Up for Students https://www.achieveit360.com/level-up-online/
[iii] The Secret for Teens Revealed Online Course https://www.udemy.com/course/the-secret-for-teens-revealed-a-10-step-success-blueprint/
[iv] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi Published 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership-ebook/dp/B078TQ4NF5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OFS7HYPZ2KJ1&keywords=secret+for+teens+revealed+samadi&qid=1647537149&sprefix=secret+for+teens+revealed+samadi%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #196 “The Neuroscience Behind the 15 Principles in Think and Grow Rich” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-15-success-principles-of-napoleon-hill-s-classic-boo-think-and-grow-rich/
 

Emotional Intelligence Pioneer, Joshua Freedman on ”Getting Results with Emotional Intelligence in Our Schools and Workplaces.”

“We teach what we most need to learn” Joshua Freedman
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/xE0F0l9tbqo
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, EPISODE #202, with someone I’ve been wanting to speak with since the early days of launching our podcast. He’s a specialist on emotional intelligence, with connections that link him to Daniel Goleman’s[i]  earliest work, as the CEO and one of the co-founders of Six Seconds[ii], the global community growing emotional intelligence that began in 1997, around the time I had my AHA Moment and realized how important these skills are for our students in the classroom. He’s an educator, author of 5 books, researcher and parent, who translates the latest neuroscience of emotion into practical insights we can all use to connect, solve problems, lead, and live better lives.
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎  What led Joshua Freedman, one of the leading experts of emotional intelligence in our schools and workplaces, to discover the SEL/Neuroscience connection in the late 1990s.
✔︎ How the 6Seconds.org SEL Model is different than ALL other models and why EVERYONE working with SEL must see this model.
✔︎ A simple 3 step approach to implement emotional intelligence in our lives, as well as our students in the classroom, or in the workplace.
✔︎ How to use our emotions as a guidance system and what to be aware of with certain emotions (like trust).
✔︎ How to get involved with 6Seconds.org with their FREE SEL resources, assessments, programs and services. 
Before I introduce you to this week’s guest, I’ve got to say that for someone who has spearheaded the movement of EQ in our schools and workplaces for over 3 decades, his humble and kind nature will show you that he practices what he teaches.
Welcome back.  I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding and applying the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or in the corporate environment.
Let’s get right into this topic, and meet this week’s guest, Joshua Freedman, the CEO of 6 Seconds, and dive into the field of emotional intelligence in our schools, sports and workplace environments. I know that after these questions, we will all look at “emotional intelligence” with a new lens.
Welcome Joshua, it’s wonderful to meet you after all the years I’ve followed your work.
Joshua, I don’t know if you know this, (or remember) as I know that you do many of these interviews, but when we first launched this podcast, I did reach out to you, and even had a spot on your calendar. You are the only interview to date that I wrote the week of, and said I needed more time to research you, because I didn’t feel fully prepared for the interview. Do you remember this by chance?
What happened—I usually read each person’s book and come up with some questions on how their work applies to the field of SEL and neuroscience, but when I began to research you, I saw that where your work began, and realized I needed to think about your questions as one of the leaders behind the movement of this field of emotional intelligence, to bring more meaning to today’s discussion and make sure I didn’t leave anything out. A sincere thank you for speaking with me today and letting me thoroughly prepare the questions for you so we can go deep into this topic of how to get results with emotional intelligence.
INTRO QUESTION: While researching your background, Joshua, I listened to some of your interviews[iii], and was surprised to see that your introduction to this field came in a similar way to mine. We were both first year teachers (you were at the Nueva Learning School in California in the early 1990s and I was a first-year teacher at Zion Middle School in Toronto 1996. Both of us felt overwhelmed with our experiences. Can you go back to your early days and think about what was missing back then? Why do you think we BOTH felt ill-equipped? And what’s different today with the tools we have available for success in the classroom or in the workplace?
Q1: This field has come a long way since we were both first year teachers. I know that over the years (like many others) we could see that these skills were important, and was always trying to push them forward (when I worked at Pearson Education I tried to put these skills into a software program that was designed for HS students, but I know the timing was off) or even when I was given grant funding to put the program I wrote into the schools in AZ and was told that for this field to gain traction, we need to include the science that backs the importance of these skills. I didn’t make the neuroscientific connection with SEL until an educator guided me in this direction, but you did. Can you tell us how you made this connection, with the meaning behind 6 Seconds (the name of your company that you founded in 1987?) making the connection between neuroscience and SEL?
Q1B: We launched this podcast with the goal to connect Neuroscience with SEL, diving into 6 SEL competencies that we chose that came from CASEL’s 5 [iv], plus Carol Dweck’s Mindset[v] work and we know how important IMPLEMENTING these competencies are. When I saw your 6 Seconds Model, it opened me up to how simple it can be to implement Emotional Intelligence skills.  Can we dive into your 6 Seconds Model[vi] that at the core of your programs and look at how we can implement EQ with a practical example in our school, sports environments, or workplaces?
Andrea’s SEL Model (CASEL’s 5 Competencies plus Mindset) from Carol Dweck’s work.
6 Seconds EQ Model (Know Yourself, Choose Yourself, Giver Yourself), becoming more aware, more intentional and more purposeful to live a more fulfilled life.
Q1C: It’s funny because the other day, after listening to one of your interviews, where you were told this bad emotion you felt “just is” and when you accept what you are feeling, it gives you some sense of peace. I thought back to how many times when something happens in our household and I say, “its ok, it just is” a glass breaks “it’s ok, it just is.” Someone spills milk all of the floor, “it’s ok, it just is.” So, I asked my girls “do you remember me saying this when something like this happens?” And getting feedback from your kids is always eye opening. They said “yes, you do say this ALL the time, but your face looks mad while you are saying it.”
So, I’m still learning that to connect what I say with what I really feel to communicate authentically…and I really had no idea what I was saying wasn’t matching up with how I was feeling (because I honestly don’t care about the broken glass…but maybe the time to clean it up is what got me out of integrity…. now I can work on fixing this. How can we make sure that what we think and feel line up so that we can communicate what we intend to communicate?
This was actually the quote I picked out that opens up this episode
“We teach what we most need to learn.” Joshua Freedman
Q2: The importance of naming our emotions is something we uncovered from our earlier interviews with Dr. Daniel Siegel[vii] who said, “Name it to Tame it” and even with Marc Brackett from the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence with his book Permission to Feel.[viii]  I never began looking at my emotions (beyond this makes me happy/this doesn’t) until in the neuroscience course I took, we studied neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp[ix] and his 7 emotional systems he believes to be present in each person’s brain. He said, “neuroscience is the only path to understanding how we feel” which makes me want to connect what we feel to our brain. Your career began when you identified the emotion of “feeling depressed” with your first classroom experience, that I connected to.
If you look at the table in the show notes that lists Panksepp’s 7 core emotional systems, where do you think that “feeling depressed” would sit on these 7 emotions, and where does “feeling depressed” show up in our brain?
Q3: What are some strategies for some of the most common ways people are feeling these days? When feeling low trust, how do you change that? When our work begins to feel meaningless, how do we bring it back to meaningful? What strategies do you find to be helpful for overcoming our bad feelings?
Q4: Since you have had the vision of this work for over 3 decades, what have you seen over the years since your early days, and do you think schools and workplaces are taking these skills seriously now, compared to your early days?
Q5: As we are coming to a close here, I want to be sure I haven’t left anything important out. Is there anything important that I haven’t asked you about?
Thank you very much Joshua, for speaking with me, and diving deeper into the Neuroscience behind our emotions. For those people who want to connect with you, I’ve put a link to your website and social media accounts in the show notes.  Thank you for the work you are doing in this field, bringing more belief to the fact that our emotions are important guidance systems, that can help us to solve problems, connect with ourselves and others, and live a life with more meaning.
Thank you!
CONNECT WITH JOSHUA FREEDMAN
Website https://jmfreedman.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/eqjosh
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sixseconds
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/freedman/
Contact Joshua Freedman to Speak for Your Organization https://jmfreedman.com/contact/
Take the FREE Emotional Intelligence Test https://www.6seconds.org/freetest/
Free SEL Kit for Educators https://www.6seconds.org/education/
Emotional Intelligence Assessments https://www.6seconds.org/education/assessments/
JOSHUA FREEDMAN’S BOOKS
1998: Self-Science: The Emotional Intelligence Curriculum(ISBN 978-0962912344, Six Seconds, English and Italian)
2007: At the Heart of Leadership(ISBN 978-0971677272, Six Seconds, English, Chinese, and Italian)
2010: Inside Change: Transforming Your Organization with Emotional Intelligence
2012: At the Heart of Leadership(3rd Edition, Six Seconds)
2014: The Vital Organization: How to create a high-performing workplace (Field Guide) - co-author
2015: Whole-Hearted Parenting: How to use emotional intelligence to create more peace, connection, and joy
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
6 Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment https://www.6seconds.org/tools/sei/
Brofenbrenner’s Systems Theory of Learning https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/bronfenbrenner-ecological-theory/
Self-Science, The Subject is Me Published 1978 by Karen Stone, Harold Q. Dillehunt https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Self-Science%3A-The-Subject-is-Me.-Stone-Dillehunt/6f25bd457c88b5c8f78c6f06c94766dd9e43b3b0
REFERENCES:
[i] Daniel Goleman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Goleman
[ii] 6 Seconds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Seconds
[iii] Interviews with Joshua Freedman https://jmfreedman.com/interviews/
[iv] CASEL’s 5 SEL Competencies https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
[v] Carol Dweck https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/
[vi] Six Seconds SEL Model https://www.6seconds.org/2010/01/27/the-six-seconds-eq-model/
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #28 with Dr. Dan Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/
[viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #22 with Marc Brackett on his book Permission to Feel  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-of-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/
[ix] The Science of Emotions Jaak Panksepp Published on YouTube Jan 13, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65e2qScV_K8

The Top 10 ALL TIME Episodes on The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast

“Learn continually—there’s always one more thing to learn” Steve Jobs
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, for episode #201 on “The Lessons Learned from our Top 10 All-Time Episodes” as we reflect on the episodes that YOU chose to be the most impactful since we launched back in June 2019.
For those returning, welcome back, and for those new, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding and applying the most current research that we can ALL use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.  I launched this podcast as a solution to bring these ideas directly to you.  As we are now well into our 7th season, with a focus on brain health and well-being this year, it hit me while recording our 200th episode, that it would be helpful to take a look back and review the top lessons learned since launching this podcast over three years ago. There’s so much content that’s been covered, and while I can’t mention every episode, you can always go back and scroll through the website[i] and pick episodes that stand out to you when looking for something new to learn. I still listen to these older episodes, and always pick something of value from each one. Like we said as we recapped our 200th episode, we picked high quality guests intentionally, and the content reflects these high caliber speakers.
What I Wish I Knew When We First Launched This Podcast:
While preparing for this episode, I glanced at the top 10 all-time episode list (that I have included in the show notes) and a few things came to my mind that I thought would be helpful to share with this review. Before I get to the lessons learned from our top episodes, I wanted to share some lessons learned from the production side of things. Many people reach out to me asking questions about “how do you launch a podcast” or “what would you have done differently if you were to do everything over again?”
There’s definitely ONE THING I would have done differently. If you scroll all the way down on our Podbean website to our first 6 months,[ii] you might see the downloads next to each episode are lower than you might expect up until December 2019. This is not just because we were starting out, (earlier episodes averaged around 300 downloads in the beginning, compared to 1,000 per episode now, but I’ll tell you one of the biggest errors I made launching this podcast, that impacted our numbers right from the beginning. If you look, next to each episode, you can see the number of downloads for that episode, and in the beginning, (episodes created in 2019) I saved the audio files in the M4A format which is the format that Camtasia (where I do my editing) defaults to, after saving an audio file. For those listening who don’t deal with audio files, think about it as one of those errors that you want to prevent others from EVER doing in the future.
Who knew that Spotify, our third largest source of traffic, (with Apple Podcasts as our first, and Podbean, our host as second) only accepts MP3 audio files, so when setting up this podcast, I realized 6 months into it, that I had an error message on the connection to Spotify and zero downloads from this source?  It took 6 months to notice this error because there’s a lot with launching a podcast, but a mistake like this had to be fixed sooner than later. To do this, we had to reformat all audio files from M4A format to MP3 for our podcast to appear on Spotify, and that meant that any episode created in 2019, was reset to zero. This was a huge lesson to learn, (when downloads are important for the spread of your podcast) but I’m glad we fixed it early on. If you are thinking of launching a podcast, be sure to record ALL audio files in the MP3 format. I wish I knew this in the beginning.
There weren’t any other big AHA moments from the production side of things that stick out, other than the fact that there was this annoying crackling sound with the audio in our earlier episodes. I still have no idea what was interfering with the audio in the earlier days, and the new Rodecaster Pro Sound Board that we implemented in 2021 eliminated that problem, but I don’t think I would have changed the way we launched. I wanted to see if this idea would gain traction BEFORE we purchased all the high-tech equipment that we use now, and will continue to improve as we move forward.
Now, on to our episode lessons
According to you, the listener, the #1 all-time favorite was EPISODE #120[iii] with my personal review of the Fisher Wallace wearable medical device for anxiety, depression, and sleep management with over 5100 downloads. I mentioned on our previous episode that I receive the most feedback from this one, as I think that people really wanted to know there is a real person behind the review, who really did try the device.
LESSON #1 from EPISODE #120: The Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device Improved My Sleep by More Than the 20 Minute Gold Standard. If you listen to this episode, you’ll see that I was looking to improve my sleep, which it did, much more than the gold standard of 20 minutes improvement each night, and it was a non-evasive, drug-free way to do this. I can’t tell you how many people I talk to who say they “barely sleep at all” and with sleep being one of the top 5 health staples that we covered on a BONUS EPISODE[iv] where we reviewed Seasons 1-4 at the end of 2020, and the fact that in my brain scan evaluation from Amen Clinics on EPISODE #94[v], Dr. Creado told me that my brain looked sleep deprived, I knew it was important to take a closer look at new ways to improve our sleep.
Remember that I am just providing my experience of testing out this device, and everyone is different, but I do highly recommend trying it if sleep is something you are looking to improve. They do offer a 30-day trial and I saw the benefits well before the 30-day mark. I mentioned that in addition to being able to sleep longer, I noticed having more patience, was less high strung or anxious and calmer with my day-to-day activities. The improvements were significant enough that I continue to use the device every morning, since this review, while meditating and I seriously thought I would just be using it only for the month that I was conducting this review.
The 2nd most popular episode of all-time was EPISODE #162[vi] with Dr. Anna Lembke, the Medical Director of Addictive Medicine at Stanford University on her new book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. When I saw Dr. Lembke on Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast and received a newspaper article written by Dr. Lembke on my car while I was hiking, (from a good friend who I was talking to about how addictive technology can be) I knew I had to reach out to Dr. Lembke for this interview. It wasn’t until after I had read her book, that I figured out she was in the Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma[vii] where she discusses the addictive nature of social media, explaining that it taps into “our basic biological imperative to connect with other people—that directly affects the release of dopamine and the reward pathway” (32:35 The Social Dilemma) and she warns us that “there’s no doubt that a vehicle like social media which optimizes this connection between people is going to have the potential for addiction.”
LESSON #2 FROM EPISODE #162: A Dopamine Fast Can Reset Your Brain. There are many important lessons in this interview, but the one that stood out the most to me, and even surprised me during the interview, was that Dr. Lembke said that technology, or video games, or whatever it is that we are doing that we enjoy (too much) floods our brain with dopamine, and “if we can take a month off from our drug of choice” this will allow our brain to reset it’s dopamine balance, and that after the month off, you can test it out and see if you are able to go back to whatever it is that you were over-indulging with, in a more controlled manner. If we can figure out how to reset our dopamine balance and keep our use of whatever it is that we enjoy to a level that it doesn’t flood our brain, we will happier, balanced and don’t have to give up entirely the things that we enjoy.
Our next episode, The Neuroscience of Personal Change with “Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” from episode #68[viii] came in at the third most downloaded episode, and this one sat at the #1 spot until that review of the Fisher Wallace device took over.  What’s funny to me about this episode, is that I remember sitting in the lobby at a local resort in Arizona, with my laptop open, as I was writing this script, and knew that I was missing something. The episode seemed boring, and it couldn’t even hold my attention, so I did what I usually do when bored, and scrolled through my social media accounts to see if I could learn something new that would give me a new perspective and add something of value to this episode.  I’m always reading, watching, listening and learning from those around me, and add these ideas into the podcast.
Then I saw it. I read a social media post from my mentor, Greg Link[ix], who I’ve mentioned in past episodes. He was the mentor who I drove 3 hours each way to thank for the ideas that he gave me over the years with this work. As co-founder of the Covey Leadership Center, Greg was the one who orchestrated the strategy that led Dr. Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, (1989) to become one of the best-selling business books of the 20th century according to CEO Magazine, selling over 20 million copies in 38 languages. He created the marketing momentum that helped propel the Covey Leadership Center from a start-up company to a $110-plus million-dollar enterprise with offices in 40 countries. When he writes something, I always pay attention and what he has to say is always insightful and profound. This time, what he wrote was full of his own personal insight on what was happening in the world today, (it was June 2020)[x]  and his post was a very personal reflection that mentioned the 7 Habits book, and Habit #5 “Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood.” It’s been a couple of years since I read his post, but it stopped me in my tracks and made me think about how it’s typical that when communicating, we often want to say our point first, without practicing what Stephen Covey called empathetic listening.
I knew at that moment that I wanted to think about ALL of the Habits (including the 8th one that is covered in a whole new book) and see how neuroscience could be connected to this best-selling book. It was this episode that Chris Gargano, the Vice President and Executive Producer of the New York Jets,[xi] would find our podcast as he was looking for content for his Leadership Course that he teaches at NYU and mentioned it was “ambitious” to make these correlations, and looking back at this episode, it was a lot of work to dive this deep into each of the habits, with this new angle.
The biggest lesson for me thinking about this episode is that the first three habits are all about managing ourselves, habits 4-6 are about leading others, and habits 7 and 8 are about unleashing potential. Habit #8 that Stephen Covey wrote a whole book on, is about “Finding Your Voice and Inspiring Others to Find Theirs” and it gave me some insight into why Greg Link might have sent me ideas over the years. It was the 8th Habit and he was living it.
LESSON #3 FROM EPISODE 68: The 8th HABIT: Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs. I met Greg Link, through Bob Proctor, around the time that Doug Wead came in to speak at the seminars (2002) and my passion for working with young people with these leadership concepts was just emerging. If you see Greg’s background, he was a busy guy, and when I met him, at a seminar in CA, we were in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton, (now The Langham Huntington in Pasadena) where he introduced me to Stedman Graham, (who is known as the long-term partner of Oprah).  Stedman was there with a Basketball Team and had just published the Teens Can Make it Happen Book.[xii]  It wasn’t just me that Greg Link was giving ideas to, but he gave others (like Steadman) ideas for how to make a book successful because that’s the 8th HABIT “Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs.”
Photo: Andrea at The Ritz Carlton, Southern CA (2002) This hotel is now The Langham Huntington, Pasadena.[xiii]
What’s Your Vision? REMEMBER: We all have the ability to impact the world by taking our mental energy and creating a vision, channeling our physical energy with discipline, unleashing this energy towards what we are passionate about and tapping into our spiritual side to further develop our talents and abilities. We can all do this, and once we’ve got to where we are going, we can role model the way for others to do the same, just like Greg Link showed me.
The 4th most listened to episode was #168[xiv] with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on the book Dr. Perry wrote with Oprah, What Happened to You that brings together all the work Dr. Perry has done over the years at The Neurosequential Network.[xv] I put the link to Dr. Perry’s resources in the show notes because this is where I first started to get to know his work as I followed the trainings that he did when the Pandemic first began. Dr. Perry’s work explains how traumatic events impact the brain, and I did find Oprah’s parts of the book to be difficult to read as they were highly emotional, but Dr. Perry’s intentional use of offsetting the difficult parts of the book with neuroscience, made for a balanced learning experience.
LESSON #4 FROM EPISODE #168: Came from Steve Graner, who I found out in the interview is a childhood friend of Dr. Perry who now works with him as a Project Director, implementing the Neurosequential Model for Sport[xvi] when he said “as a teacher and a coach, why don’t I know this?” He went on to explain that he understood Dr. Perry’s model much better as a coach than as a teacher, and applied his model to his coaching first, and then eventually to his teaching.” Even though he was Dr. Perry’s childhood friend, he didn’t know everything he was teaching, and when he looked at the model, everything made sense in a way he had never seen it before. This lesson made me see exactly WHY we must keep learning about the brain, and applying what we learn to our work and lives.
Moving on to our 5th most downloaded episode, where this journey with social and emotional learning began, with my mentor, Bob Proctor, from EPISODE #66.[xvii]  I list ten important lessons learned at the start of our interview together, and dove much deeper into more lesson learned from working with him for 6 years on EPISODE 67[xviii] but when the news hit that my dear mentor had passed on at the beginning of February, it took me a week or so, but I eventually watched our interview on YouTube[xix] to see if I could learn something new while reflecting back on everything. I did pick up a few lessons, but one wasn’t immediate. It took me some time to step back and look at something he said to me from a different angle to find the answer I was looking for. Have you ever done that? Looked at something from a different perspective to learn something new? This is how it happened.
Lesson #5 from EPISODE #66 with Bob Proctor: Leave Everyone You Come in Contact With, With the Impression of Increase. During Bob’s memorial service, everyone was sharing their stories of how Bob impacted them, and their lives, and it was his son Brian who said something that connected the dots for me. He said that Bob was always leaving people with “The Impression of Increase”[xx] and explained that he would always leave people in a place of abundance rather than lack and limitation. Brian shared this story of how Bob would put him to bed and whisper “success secrets” in his ear at night, and when my girls were little, I did the same to them, so that they would begin to infuse this mindset into their non-conscious minds while sleeping.
Brian’s story made me recall something Bob asked me when I was moving from Toronto, Canada, to Arizona, USA in early 2001. He said, “Are you going to fly first class?” And I’m not kidding, times were lean in those days, I didn’t even know how I was going to afford a sandwich when I arrived, but I remember laughing at the thought, trying to hide how scared I was of the unknown and just shook my head “no” and wondered why he would ask me that. It hit me AFTER his memorial service, all these years later, while revisiting our interview, at the very end, he said “there’s only one corner of the Universe I can change, and that’s me. Andrea can only change Andrea. It’s very important that we understand that. The only thing that Bob can change is Bob. You can’t change anyone else. You might inspire others to change, or cause them to look at things differently, but the ONLY corner of the Universe I can be certain of improving is my own self” and he went on to say, “when we understand that, we will stop letting outside conditions define us, control us, and dictate where we are going to go and what we are going to do.”
This took me right back to that day when he said “Are you going to fly first class?” and my bank account didn’t have enough money in it for a first class ticket, so I said no. He was giving me the Impression of Increase, trying to stretch my mind to think beyond what I could see. There was coach, and there was first class. I don’t think he expected me to be reckless and spend money I didn’t have, but he wanted to show me there was another option. 20 years later, when traveling with the family,  we do always check to see if we can fly first class (depending on points and availability) but in those lean years, I didn’t even consider this option. Bob couldn’t do this for me, but he could say something to give me the “Impression of Increase” that maybe there was another way to move to a new country. He could motivate me by his example, but the work had to be done by me, over my lifetime. And the same for you, listening.  Keep learning, growing and applying everything that we learn.  
This lesson took another turn while writing this episode and I was trying to find the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena where I had that photo taken the day I had met Greg Link and Stedman Graham in the lobby, (2002) BEFORE I had published my book for teens, and was just creating the vision for my future. My husband looked at the photo, and said, “I know I stayed there in 2019) remembering a sports team that he saw there, and he found a photograph he took of that exact spot, 17 years later. Who knew, when I stood there in 2002, that my future husband would stand there years later on a business trip. The Impression of Increase has new meaning now, and I’m grateful to have learned this lesson, showing me that we can ALL create the vision that we want, and create a truly beautiful life. Why wouldn’t we choose this option, over lack and limitation?
Photo of the Langham Huntington, Pasadena, CA (formerly the Ritz) in 2019
The 6th most downloaded episode was Dr. Michael Gaskell’s EPISODE #172 on “Leading Schools Through Trauma”[xxi] which is the title of his second book. Dr. Gaskell has a unique story, because his books and strategies stem not only from his experience working in schools, and offering trauma-informed solutions from what he has seen working in his day to day world, but he takes it a step deeper, BEING a former student who was labelled himself as “anxious, low-performing, hostile and other terms that pointed to the characteristics of trauma.” (xi, Leading Schools Through Trauma). 
I know that this being trauma-informed is an important topic, from Dr. Bruce Perry’s work, as well as Dr. Lori Desautels[xxii] work and this interview provides hope that the work being done in our classrooms today can have a profound impact on our students of the future, who may show these signs of struggle for a reason.  
LESSON #6 from Dr. Gaskell on EPISODE #172 is to look deeper into why a student might be misbehaving or struggling and invest the time to get to know this student. He says this is a “critical investment” and that he was one of these struggling students, and no one ever gave up on him. Michael Gaskell’s book and interview helped me to understand how to recognize trauma, and offers tools, and resources for being trauma-informed in today’s classrooms.
 The 7th most downloaded episode was #174[xxiii] with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens on “Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy” where he explained what he thought was missing from psychotherapy and how his new book on affective neuroscience fills this missing link. With the rise in mental health issues that we can clearly see have emerged since the global Pandemic, and the fact that on EPISODE #188[xxiv] we uncovered that “one-quarter of Americans intend to improve their mental health in 2022”[xxv] 
 
LESSON #7 from Dr. Francis Lee Stevens from EPISODE #174 we learned of the importance of addressing our “feelings” to make an impact on our mental and physical health, and that changing our thinking can help us cope with our emotions, but we need to address our emotions to have long-term change in our health. In his book “Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy” his goal is to “change the feelings” we have that we don’t like, not just manage the symptoms.
Our 8th most downloaded EPISODE #161[xxvi] came from our second interview with Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode on their new book with Corwin Press How Learning Works. Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey were returning guests from EPISODE #77[xxvii] on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students” that still is our #1 most watched YouTube interview with over 6,000 views.[xxviii]
On this episode, it being an early one, as times were really busy, I remember having the worst cold, and for some reason, my internet kept dropping and disconnecting the interview. I’m sure no one listening noticed this, as editing does wonders, but this is what I remember from this episode, looking back. This book was written, as John Almarode explains “to build a bridge between the research and classroom practice” and in PART 2 of their book, they talk about how to Adapt promising principles and practices to meet the specific needs of your students—particularly regarding motivation, attention, encoding, retrieval and practice, cognitive load and memory, productive struggle, and feedback.
Douglas Fisher describes the Promising Principle of Attention and explains that life in the classroom would be much easier if we had our student’s undivided attention for the whole day, but this is just not reality. He breaks this principle down by showing us
What attention in the classroom means?
What goes into paying attention.
What are the practices that we can enact as teachers to improve and address the need for our students to pay attention?
What does the research say about the need for attention in the classroom?
What can we do right now?
LESSON #8 from EPISODE #161 on How Learning Works to me proves that there is a bridge between the science of learning, and classroom practices and this book provides the steps needed for us to cross this bridge and put theory into practice. What stuck out the most to me in this interview, aside from all of the resources and tools, was that Douglas Fisher explains in the beginning of the interview how he became interested in studying the connection between the brain and learning back in 2007 when he realized everyone was talking about the brain, and he knew nothing about how the brain was connected to learning, so he signed up for a Neuroanatomy Seminar with doctoral students, and went every Thursday night, from 7-9:40 pm to figure out how the brain learns, and how a teacher can use this.
There are two Brain Fact Friday episodes that came in at spot 9 with the Neuroscience of Belief[xxix] and spot 10 with Overcoming Digital Addictions[xxx] that I’ll let you go back and review, mostly because it’s Thursday afternoon, and I’m still writing this episode, and think it’s time to wrap this one up, and go for a run before the Arizona sun gets too hot!
To bring this episode in for a close, let’s Review the Top Lessons Learned from the episodes YOU chose to listen to the most since we launched this podcast over 3 years ago. 
LESSON #1: The Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device Improved My Sleep by More Than the 20 Minute Gold Standard.  If you are one of those people who know that your sleep needs some help, I would begin with measuring your sleep using free apps that you can find on your phone. You don’t need to start with all of the fancy tools but begin to get an idea of how long you are sleeping, how much REM sleep you are getting, and become familiar with what a sleep cycle looks like. If you want to hear the episode with Kelly Roman[xxxi], the CEO of Fisher Wallace Labs and their wearable medical devices to help improve sleep, while also treating anxiety and depression, go back and listen to episode #108. I really did think that after the month trial and my review, that I would stop using the device, because I really didn’t think it was going to make that much of a difference for me. I’m grateful that I found this device, that’s cleared by the FDA for the treatment of depression, anxiety and insomnia,[xxxii] and will always share what I think can help us to improve the quality of our life, especially around the Top 5 Health Staples.
LESSON #2: A Dopamine Fast Can Reset Your Brain. I had heard of dopamine fasting before I came across Dr. Lembke’s Dopamine Nation book but didn’t understand just how easy it was to flood our brain with dopamine, causing us to feel off balance. I almost didn’t believe her when she said in our interview that many of her patients can go back to whatever it was they enjoyed doing, with some modifications, after a month off, once their brain had reset, until I tried it myself. If there is something that you are doing, that’s causing you to feel off balance, you should be able to kick whatever it is on your own, or with an accountability partner to help you and Dr. Lembke’s interview explained exactly how to do this.
LESSON #3: The 8th HABIT: Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs.
This lesson begins with you and looking back, I can’t forget those early days when I wasn’t sure of myself and didn’t have a clear vision of what I wanted and was still searching for my own voice. When I met Stedman Graham, and saw he had written a book for teens, I remember thinking “That book will do well, he’s got Oprah to help him to promote it” and I almost shrank back from writing my own book for teens until I saw that even the long-time partner of Oprah took advice from those around him like Greg Link, who was role-modelling the way. Find Your Voice First and Then Inspire Others to Find Theirs. You won’t be able to do it for them, but you can role-model the way for everyone you’ll be watching you.
LESSON #4 came from Steve Graner, who works with Dr. Perry at the Neurosequential Network when he said “As a teacher and a coach, why don’t I know this?” This is exactly why we launched this podcast as we search for new ideas that can accelerate the teaching and learning process with the understanding of neuroscience made simple. If I had Dr. Perry’s upside down triangle when I was teaching those behavioral kids as a first year teacher in Toronto, it would have explained everything to me, like it did for Steve. I wouldn’t have operated by trial and error, (like I did when telling my students to run around the school building when they were misbehaving) since that was the only way they would listen. AHA Moment, they listened because they were regulated after the exercise, leading me to conclude, like Steve did at the very beginning of this episode, “Why didn’t I know this?”
Lesson #5 from Bob Proctor: Leave Everyone You Come in Contact With, With the Impression of Increase. This concept came from Chapter 14 of the book The Science of Getting Rich[xxxiii] by Wallace D. Wattles, written in 1903, and the concept still holds today, almost 120 years later. Wattles wrote “when dealing with other people, whether directly, by telephone, or by letter, (this book was clearly written over 100 years ago) the key thought should be to convey of increase” (CH 14, SGR, Wattles) since we all desire increase. We ALL want to be, do and have more in our life and are always seeking fuller expression. So how do we do this? Always look for the good in people and point it out to them. Tell them what you see. Don’t hold back. There’s so much good in EVERY person and when you look for it, you’ll see it. Make this a habit and a way of life. Always “leave everyone you come in contact with, with the impression of increase.”
LESSON #6 from Dr. Gaskell on EPISODE #172 was to never give up on a struggling student, since he was one of these students, who didn’t fall through the cracks, and went on to attain high levels of achievement with his career, helping others to do the same. I think this is the beginning for Dr. Gaskell’s work, as he continues to write more books and present on this topic around the country. This lesson reminds me to the quote by Theodore Roosevelt, that “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I don’t like the idea of giving up on anything, but this takes it to a new level when you think of the unlimited potential locked up inside ALL of our students, and not knowing what each student is capable of doing or creating in their lifetime.
LESSON #7 from Dr. Francis Lee Stevens from EPISODE #174 we learned of the importance of looking beyond the thoughts we have that are bothering us, to the “feelings” behind the thought to make long term change possible. For example, if something is bothering you, it might take some time to figure this out, but you can go deeper and see if you can make connections to your past to when you first felt this way, and how this experience made you feel (like I’m not good enough) or something like that. When you can begin to make sense of why you feel a certain way, you can begin to heal the past, that brings healing to your present day. I did see the connection with Dr. Stevens’ work, and Dr. Carolyn Leaf’s work from a BONUS EPISODE that we released this time last year on her book “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess”[xxxiv] that covers a 5-step process to reduce anxiety and toxic thinking.
LESSON #8 from EPISODE #161 on How Learning Works to me proves that there is a bridge between the science of learning, and the classroom, and Douglas Fisher admitted he knew nothing about how the brain learns back in 2007. He mentioned he felt “incompetent and behind” without this understanding and that’s what drove him to sit in a Neuroanatomy class with doctoral students to make this connection.  Listening to Douglas Fisher’s introduction to neuroscience took me back to why we launched this podcast in the first place—to make neuroscience simple as I remember being awarded grant money to put my programs in Arizona schools, and an educator told me that I needed to understand the science behind learning, and write a new book for my program, and I began to question whether or not I was capable of doing this. 7 years later, I’m so glad I didn’t give up on the idea of making neuroscience simple and easy for all of us to understand.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reviewing these TOP EPISODES as much as I have and know that each time I listen to them again, I still do learn something new.
I’ll see you next week, and hope that wherever you are listening to this episode, that you and your families are safe.
Until next time…
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REFERENCES:
[i] Podcast website to see all past episodes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/
[ii] Podcast website to see all past episodes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #120 with My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device for Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Management. https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/?customizing=1
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning BONUS EPIOSDE and REVIEW of Seasons 1-4  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #94 on PART 3 of our Brain Scan Series: Andrea’s Scan Results https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #162 with “Dr. Anna Lembke on Her Book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/medical-director-of-addictive-medicine-at-stanford-university-dr-anna-lembke-on-dopamine-nation-finding-balance-in-the-age-of-indulgence/
[vii] The Social Dilemma Full Feature Netflix Movie Published on YouTube August 17, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mqR_e2seeM
[viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #68 “The Neuroscience of Personal Change”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/
[ix] Greg Link Speaker’s Bio https://premierespeakers.com/greg-link/bio
[x] Pandemic, Recession, Unrest: 2020 and the Confluence of Crises by Susan Milligan June 2, 2020 https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2020-06-02/pandemic-recession-unrest-2020-and-the-confluence-of-crises?context=amp
[xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #166 with Chris Gargano on “Accelerating Leadership” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/vice-president-executive-producer-of-the-new-york-jets-chris-gargano-on-accelerating-leadership-for-maximum-impact-and-results/
[xii]Teens Can Make it Happen by Steadman Graham, December 2001 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Teens-Can-Make-It-Happen/Stedman-Graham/9780684870823
[xiii] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langham_Huntington,_Pasadena
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #168 with Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on “What Happened to You” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-bruce-perry-and-steve-graner-from-the-neurosequential-network-on-what-we-should-all-know-about-what-happened-to-you/
[xv] COVID 19 Stress, Distress and Trauma Series https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources
[xvi] Neurosequential Model in Sport https://www.neurosequential.com/nm-sport
[xvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 with The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Where it All Started”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/
[xviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with the Top Lessons Learned from Bob Proctor’s Most Powerful Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[xix] The Legendary Bob Proctor on The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast YouTube Interview Published June 4, 2020  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHWMCzfODU4
[xx] The Impression of Increase by Bob Proctor Published on YouTube October 8, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGoYzsugZ_0
[xxi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #172 with Dr. Michael Gaskell on “Leading Schools Through Trauma” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-michael-gaskell-on-leading-schools-through-trauma-a-data-driven-approach-to-helping-children-heal/
[xxii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #16 with Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in our Schools and Communities”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lori-desautels-and-michael-mcknight-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience-in-our-schools-and-communities/
[xxiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #174 with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens on his new book “Affective Neuroscience”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/psychologist-dr-francis-lee-stevens-on-his-new-book-affective-neuroscience-in-psychotherapy-science-based-interventions-for-our-emotions/
[xxiv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #188 Brain Fact Friday on “Putting our Mental and Physical Health First”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-putting-our-mental-and-physical-health-first/
[xxv] One-quarter of Americans Intend to Improve Mental Health in 2022 December 20, 2021 https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20211220/onequarter-of-americans-intend-to-improve-mental-health-in-2022
[xxvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on “How Learning Works” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/johnalmarodedouglas-fisherand-nancyfreyon-how-learning-works-translatingthescience-oflearningintostrategiesformaximum-learning-inyourclassroom/
[xxvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/
[xxviii] Our #1 Most Watched YouTube Interview with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nLe3P50j4Q&list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKhiYc5glhacO9k9WTrSgjzW&index=56
[xxix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #173 on The Neuroscience of Belief https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-belief/
[xxx]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #157 on Overcoming Digital Addictions with Neuroscience  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-overcoming-digital-addiction-using-neuroscience/
[xxxi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #108 with Kelly Roman on “Wearable Medical Devices for Anxiety, Depression and Sleep/Stress Management” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/ceo-of-fisher-wallace-laboratories-on-wearable-medical-devices-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
[xxxii] Fisher Wallace Clinical Trial Evidence https://www.fisherwallace.com/pages/published-research
[xxxiii] The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles 1903 https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wallace-D-Wattles-Collection/dp/1519738692/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=1519738692&psc=1
[xxxiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE with Dr. Carolyn Leaf on “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/worldrenownedneuroscientistdr-caroline-leaf-oncleaningup-your-mentalmess5-simplescientifically-proven-stepsto-reduceanxiety-and-toxic-thinking/

200th Milestone Episode with Majid Samadi (Returning Guest) from EPISODE 1 on ”Why We Began This Podcast”

All organizations start with WHY, but only the great ones keep their WHY clear year after year.”― Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Watch the interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/hP854mDG9do
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎  The vision for The Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast, from Majid Samadi's eyes, watching the podcast grow from the early days when it was just an idea.
✔︎  Why SEL skills are important in today's classrooms, and Emotional Intelligence training in our corporate workplaces.
✔︎ How Andrea held her vision for interviewing high quality guests with an experience over 12 years ago, of running The Teen Performance Magazine.
✔︎ The TOP 3 Guests from Majid's point of view in the past year.
✔︎ How to monetize a podcast, and why this step is crucial to sustain any idea.
✔︎ The "behind-the-scenes" of this podcast, from someone whose office is next door to where all interviews are conducted.
 
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, for our 200th episode milestone, with a reflection back on “The Why Behind Our Podcast” which is the #1 question people ask me when I share that I host this podcast. I hope that we can all learn something about “why we do what we do” as we reflect back on the past 100 episodes (that covers 2021 and the beginning of 2022). I’ve asked a special returning guest from episode #1[i], Majid Samadi, senior regional sales director at Lexia Learning[ii], and my husband, to join me as we reflect back on “why we do what we do”, as Simon Sinek would say.
Welcome back.  I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding and applying the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision with this podcast began 3 years ago, and I think it’s important to step back and take a look at “why” we began this podcast, since “the why” should be behind all of our work to keep us moving forward. As we think about “why” we do what we do, I hope that you reflect on why you do what YOU do, and see if you can gain insights from your why, to drive you to new levels of awareness, as we do the same.
I chose Majid Samadi to join me on this episode, because he’s really good at launching big ideas, especially those ideas that have a clear “why” behind them. It was Majid who encouraged me to publish my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed to put the ideas I learned from the seminar industry into writing, and when I mentioned that I was thinking about launching a podcast in early 2019, when my website had a podcast theme, his first words were “how can I help you to begin?”
You would think that the person in our household who met Simon Sinek (me) would be his biggest fan, but Majid would be a much bigger fan of Sinek’s work than me. Every year he trains his sales team (at Lexia Learning—a company that provides structured literacy solutions and professional learning to students and educators across the country) on Sinek’s “The Golden Circle” so that his sales team launches their year with a clear why behind what they will be doing, to kickstart their year.
I’m always looking for a new angle to think about “why we do what we do” and I recently saw Mathew Portell’s[iii] keynote speech at Butler University’s 6th Annual Educational Neuroscience Symposium and it opened my eyes to a new way to approach this episode.  Mathew Portell, who is currently in his sixth year as principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, an internationally recognized innovative model school for trauma-informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools, opened up his keynote for the Neuroscience Symposium with a completely NEW way of looking at our why. At least it was for me. Before I bring Majid on, I wanted us to all think about why we do what we do, to see our work through a new lens, with renewed purpose this year.
Remember on our final episode of our Think and Grow Rich book study, we talked about how important it was that we had a clear vision of our goals (WHAT WE DO) but has anyone ever asked you why you do what you do? Canadian Health and PE Educator, Dan Vigilatore,[iv] teaches this to all new health/physical education teachers at York University’s Faculty of Education. I’ll put a link to his recent lesson in the show notes.[v]
Back to Mathew Portell’s keynote. During Mathew’s recent keynote, he gave us a formula to think about.
SLIDE from Mathew Portell’s Presentation https://paradigmshifteducation.com
He said to think about your Intent (why you do what you do) + outcome (what are your outcomes of your work) = Impact (are you having an impact?) when thinking about the work that you are doing. It’s been almost three years ago since we launched this podcast (in June 2019) and back then, I didn’t see this formula, but I knew we had the right intent with our work, we were making headway with our programs in the schools, but the impact was not at all what I had envisioned. We were missing something with our impact.
I always had a global vision for this work and didn’t need Mathew Portell’s formula to tell me that our outcome was off. We needed to do something differently to have a larger impact—this global vision. So, when I bought a template for my new website that had a podcast theme, and the website developer said “you can delete the podcast section” I knew that I had to do something beyond what we were doing, and launched the podcast, putting our best work out to the world, for free, completely unaware of where it would lead us.
Three years later, we hit the Top 15 Best SEL Podcasts for 2021[vi], and Top 20 Best Neuroscience Podcasts for 202[vii]1 featuring some of the leading experts in neuroscience, education and the brain, I know that the impact is beginning to match the vision I saw.
Think about Mathew’s formula with your work, and let’s welcome my better half, the one who has watched me with this work since those early days when all of this was just ideas scrawled on paper all over my office walls and he said “are you ever going to do something with those ideas?”
Let’s welcome Majid Samadi.
Welcome Majid! Thanks for agreeing to come back on the podcast as a returning guest for this important milestone.
INTRO Q: I know that you know, I think it’s important to thank people who’ve helped you along the way. It’s always been very important to me. I think you’ll remember I once drove 3 hours, each way, to thank someone who infused me with ideas and support over the years.
I’ve thanked everyone but not sure if you know how much I appreciate all you’ve done to help me to keep this podcast going, from all of the late night edits, that often went into the weekend, so you would take the kids swimming while I’m at my desk or just giving me the quiet time needed to research each guest, there’s just so much behind the scenes that goes into the production of each episode. So, my first question, after thanking you for all your support over the years, making everything, can you think back to episode 1 and tell me what YOU think are the biggest changes you’ve noticed since we launched the podcast to make all of this worthwhile?
Q1: Thinking back to our first episode, that was June 2019, you had just come home from a business trip) when I asked you to read and answer those questions (with no prep) about why these emotional intelligence skills are important in our workplace.
Almost 3 years later, what would you say now? After the pandemic--Why are these skills so important in the workplace?
Q2: I’ve always said you are my quality assurance department because every guest has been vetted by you (after I’ve chosen them) to be sure they align with the most current research with practical strategies we can all use and implement. You’ve kept me on track with the vision of this podcast with high quality guests and it’s not the first project we’ve done together where this was important. We had to do the same thing when we were looking for guests for the Teen Performance Magazine[viii] 12 years ago and I recall you on the phone with Taylor Swift’s PR team. What sticks out to you with this responsibility of making sure we provide the highest quality guests/content for our listeners, just like we did 12 years ago with our magazine interviews?
Q3: We hit the first 100 episodes last December 2020, (a bit over a year ago) and I know that don’t have a chance to listen to ALL of them (I will do a thorough review of lessons learned from our TOP 10 in this past year). But I wonder, since we are immersed in each person before, during and after their interview, is there someone that comes to mind that stuck out to you this past year as we went from 100-200 episodes? Your TOP 3? Is there anything important that you remember about these episodes?
Q4: Since you have watched the vision of Achieveit360.com where we started with curriculum and tools for middle and high schools with our Level Up Program, how do you see things have evolved over the years with our vision? If you can think back to the days we spent hours coming up with our website URL, how has our vision evolved over the years?
Q5: This podcast was created by design, to consist of the highest quality content (that was going to be a course for an educational publisher as you remember) with the idea that this information would be FREE for those who do not have access to this information. You know that this podcast is sponsored by Achieveit360.com and our programs and services but in the future, we do have a vision to do something we have never done before and will provide ads on the podcast. As someone who drives sales with your sales team, why do you think monetizing a podcast with ad space is important and for people who think a podcast will make them a ton of money, what do you think they should know?
Q6: For those who tune into the podcast, from whatever part of the world they listen to, what would you like them to know about the “behind the scenes” production process. What do you see that others don’t (without embarrassing me too much) from the researching, editing, and production side of things?
Q7: Aside from the fact that I know you would support anything I produce and create, what is it about this podcast that you see that’s different from some of the other projects you have seen me working on over the years in this office?
Q8: It’s difficult for me to go back to earlier episodes when my sound quality wasn’t that great, or to remember when the audio wouldn’t work for my first interview with Ron Hall[ix], (who now uses our podcast as a resource for a graduate class he teaches on Trauma and Resiliency at a local University in his area), or when I was nervous for at least the first 50 interviews, including Greg Wolcott from EPISODE #7[x] who became one of our top supporters, giving me many opportunities to speak and share resources with First Educational Resources[xi], but I sometimes do listen to past episodes and the content is always useful and applicable and I know that we launched without being perfect, but was always open to learning something new. What would you like others to know about The Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast that I would never say?
Q8B: What’s the process from idea formation, to an idea that comes to fruition?
Q9: If you were to hijack my email account for a day, and invite a guest that has nothing to do with neuroscience that you would interview, who would you choose and what would you want to ask them?
Q10: Is there anything I’ve missed, that you think is important that we share on this 200th milestone episode? We haven’t spoken about the fact that you believe in the importance of giving back to the community with the work you do in your spare time. Why is giving back so important?
Thank you, Majid, for coming back on the podcast as a guest and again, thank you for your support behind the scenes to make this podcast possible. I’m proud to be the one who does this thing called life next to you.
Majid gives Andrea a surprise at the end of the interview that says "Congrats on #200! Thanks for your impact on the world.!" Stay to the end to see! 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
See ALL past interviews on our YouTube playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKhiYc5glhacO9k9WTrSgjzW
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #1 with Majid Samadi on “Why Implement an SEL or EQ Program in Your School or Workplace?”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-why-behind-setting-up-a-social-and-emotional-learning-program-in-your-school-or-emotional-intelligence-training-for-your-workplace/
[ii] Majid Samadi https://www.linkedin.com/in/majid-s-2328046/
[iii] Mathew Portell https://paradigmshifteducation.com/
[iv] Dan Vigliatore https://twitter.com/PhysEdDynasty
[v] Health and Physical Education Educator Dan Vigliatore “Starts With Why Lesson” at York University’s Faculty of Education https://bit.ly/3HbYhAb
[vi] TOP 15 Best SEL Podcasts for 2021 https://blog.feedspot.com/social_emotional_learning_podcasts/
[vii] TOP 20 Neuroscience Podcasts for 2021 https://welpmagazine.com/20-best-neuroscience-podcasts-of-2021/
[viii] Teen Performance Magazine https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/77535
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #3 with Ron Hall on “Launching Your Neuroeducational Program” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/interview-with-ron-hall-valley-day-school-on-launching-your-neuroeducational-program/
[x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning EPISODE #7 with Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/greg-wolcott-on-building-relationships-in-todays-classrooms/
[xi] First Ed Resources https://twitter.com/1stEdResources

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience Behind Self-Belief and Our Identity”

“All things are possible if you believe.”[i]
“Our results are all based on our beliefs”
“If we don’t like what’s going on outside, we’ve got to go inside, and change our beliefs.”[ii]
--Bob Proctor
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, for episode #199 on “The Neuroscience Behind Self-Belief” that I want to dive into instead of the episode I was planning on writing this week, (a deep dive into David A. Sousa’s NEW Edition of How the Brain Learns), that I will release next week instead.
For those new, welcome, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or in the corporate environment.
Sometimes we must listen to what’s going on around us, and I got the message loud and clear this week, that made me pivot towards this topic of self-belief. This week I met my good friend, Patti Knoles, for coffee. We used to work together years ago when we both worked for Bob Proctor in the seminar industry, and although we live in the same state, it’s been a few years since we met up in person, but after the news earlier this month, we decided to meet and share some memories.
Patti Knoles with her daughter, Jessica Knoles
NOTE-- For those who follow this podcast and tuned into our final episode of our Think and Grow Rich Book Study[iii], you will know that my mentor, Bob Proctor sadly passed away earlier this month and I dedicated that final episode to him. After I released that episode, I knew I needed more time to just process everything and wasn’t finished. I wanted to stay open to what else I could cover, that would make an impact for everyone else who tunes in, while saying goodbye to the man behind the work that I do, so I just kept my eyes and ears open and went to meet Patti for coffee.
Patti Knoles, is a quiet, yet fierce force behind many creative efforts with Bob Proctor’s seminars, since the late 1990s when I first met her. She’s a graphic designer by trade, but so much more than that. She’s a true visionary, with a talent of combining her creative ability, with her imagination and thoughtfulness, bringing something powerful out in her work. It was Patti who I asked to design the covers of my two books, because I wanted her talent to shine through with my work, which it did. The Secret for Teens Revealed[iv] that was published in 2008 won an outstanding book sales award, and the publisher funded my second book, Level Up[v] with this incentive that ended up helping thousands of teens globally to go after their dreams, and live the life they imagined.[vi]
Think about this for a second. When we know what we want, we’ve got to start with writing it down. Writing causes thinking, thinking creates an image and this is where ALL ideas begin. Patti was able to take what I wrote down and turn it into an image that would later impact thousands of others around the world. Your ideas, or what you want to create, really do have the ability to change the world.  I wonder if you believe that?
When I met Patti for coffee, she had a bag, and a gift for me that I’ve got to say was the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received. To honor Bob’s legacy, Patti created coffee mugs that had a photo of Bob, saying “Live Like Bob” and on the side she inscribed “BE. DO. HAVE. GIVE.” which she had heard him say often. There was so much thought to this gift, but the icing on the cake came with the card that had a whole bunch of sayings that I know Bob said all the time, that have stuck in my head over the years. I’ve got the card and mug on my desk as a great reminder to DREAM BIG and NEVER GIVE UP on my vision.
The biggest AHA moment I had from my meeting with Patti is that we ALL have the ability to make an impact on the world with our ideas. It wasn’t just Bob Proctor who inspired the work that I do, but many others that I met along the way, like Patti who designed the cover of my two books, and then the teens who would drive our programs to new heights. Then the educators I met along the way, paving my path forward. Once we take action with the ideas that we want, we will meet many others, along the way to drive us forward.
I don’t know who has inspired the work that YOU do, but I’m sure there’s someone you look up to, that you want to live up to their example.  You want to live like they do. This is why they are called mentors. Who has inspired you? What is YOUR vision? Who will YOU inspire with your work? Do you know what you want to do? Have you written it out? Are you hanging out with people who inspire you to move towards what you want?
If you’ve listened to the 6 Part Series of our Think and Grow Rich book review, you will remember that when I was in my late 20s, Bob Proctor asked me “what do you really want?” and I was caught off guard, because no one had ever asked me that before but there was more to it. I didn’t have a clear vision and didn’t have self-belief. I’m sure many of you listening can think back to your late 20s (if you are older than that now) and remember how you were in those early years when you were just figuring life out.
Back then, I didn’t believe I could have the things I really wanted. Who was I to think I could move to a new country and make an impact in the field of education? Proctor had us write out our goals and design that life that we wanted, with the book Think and Grow Rich as his guide post, and I still have my first sketches of the house I imagined living in, the car in the driveway, the family I envisioned, and the life I’m living today that’s not far off from the vision he had me create over 20 years ago. But it wasn’t always that way. If you knew me back then you’d remember, just like Patti who remembers those early days when I was carving out the vision.
You can see for yourself with a snapshot of my goals from 1999, the year I met Proctor. He would describe me as a “scared schoolteacher”, and I didn’t like that identity. But it was true. Based on my upbringing, it wasn’t easy to DREAM BIG, or think of BEING LEGENDARY, and I wasn’t someone who TOOK CHANCES. All of this took time from those beginning days when Proctor said, “What do you really want?” and I wrote them down. It began here, and you can see that Bob wrote his number at the top of the page for me to call him if I had any questions. At that moment, I made a pact to follow through and never give up on this vision that began with doing everything I was fearful of doing. I don’t know if you can relate, or if you have any fears, but I think EVERY high school student should have a list of things they really want to do, and a plan to work past their fears. This is where self-belief begins.
When I met Patti that day, we were reminded of where we began, and of how much our lives changed by living it, by our own design. Not by chance or luck, but by pushing past obstacles, fears and being relentless with this push.
We all begin here. With doubts, fears, and insecurities. We must do the work to discover our own self-belief and that was the whole idea of covering the 6 PART book study of Think and Grow Rich at the start of this year. At the end of this book study, I ask “Do you have an unwavering belief in whatever it is that you want to achieve” and urge us to all put some serious thought into this. It’s because I remember the days when I didn’t have it.
If you want to see my interview with Bob Proctor, and where my vision for the school market began over 20 years ago, go back to episode #66[vii] where this vision began, and EPISODE #67[viii] on the Top Lessons learned working with him for six years in the late 1990s. I only scratch the surface of the lessons learned in those six years, that carved the path for the future that began with this list of goals in the late 90s.
Meeting with Patti this week, I was reminded that in that final episode, I left something important out and didn’t want to move on without addressing the importance of our self-awareness, right down to understanding our identity, because if we ignore this, it will impact our ability to reach our highest potential. We did cover the neuroscience of belief on episode #173[ix] where we talked about the importance of understanding our cognitive biases, and how flawed our beliefs are and to be open to challenging our beliefs.
What is the Neuroscience of Self-Belief?
But what about self-belief? You can clearly see by the goals I wrote in 1999 that I didn’t have “an unwavering belief” in my vision, if I even had a vision at all. This all took time, work, and awareness, for self-belief to form with each success or win to propel the vision forward.
It begins with self-awareness that we covered on EPISODE #2[x] of our podcast back in July of 2019 and that “we must know our identity to reach our highest level of potential” and once you can see that you have the ability to reach whatever it is that you set your mind to, you’ll see that the opportunities in life are limitless. You’ll develop that unwavering belief.
Where does self-belief come from? How does it become instilled in us? How can we inspire it in others?
Researchers at Dartmouth College have identified a region of the human brain that seems to predict a person’s self-esteem levels, or what they think of themselves (where our identity begins that leads us to our self-belief).
“It's called the frontostriatal pathway, and the stronger and more active it is in the brain, the more self-esteem someone has.”[xi] Lead author Robert Chavez found that self-esteem lies in this pathway as shown in the image in the show notes and that “this pathway connects the medial PFC that deals with self-knowledge to the ventral striatum that deals with feelings of motivation and reward.” He called this pathway “the road” and that “a person with a strong road was more likely to have higher long-term self-esteem.” He also reminded us “how repeated behaviors (like meditation) can alter brain traits,” leading me to think back to our Think and Grow Rich book study and whether the repeated action of reading and writing our goals twice a day could strengthen this pathway, and self-esteem, leading to a stronger belief in whatever it is we are working towards. It would make sense to me that this is true, as well, that this pathway is strengthened with daily practice (whether it’s through meditation, a sport, or practicing an academic skill) that we learned from Dr. John Dunlosky’s work from EPISODE #37.[xii]
Using a Power Identity to Get to Your Next Level
Aside from repeated behaviors to strengthen our self-belief, through an increased self-esteem, what else can we do? I first heard of the concept of creating an “alter ego” when I interviewed multi-platinum recording artist, Sean Kingston in 2009 for the Teen Performance Magazine[xiii] when he was talking about how important it was for him to inspire self-esteem in his music. I became an instant fan of his work while preparing for that interview where he explained that he used certain strategies to move him forward. He depicted the “alter ego” in his song Face Drop[xiv] as an inner power or strength that gave him a new identity when he was singing, to help him to overcome his fears, insecurities and doubts. I don’t think I fully understood this concept until recently, when author Todd Herman hit many of the speaking circuits with his book The Alter Ego Effect, that he explains on Tom Bilyeu’s podcast[xv] and another podcast I heard recently[xvi] where we are reminded that “our thoughts and words can impact our state and those around us.” Herman’s book explains how we can change our brain state to attain the desired results with this “alter ego” or “power identity” that helps us to overcome obstacles and takes us beyond where we’ve been before.
Sean Kingston used this “alter ego” idea to form a new identity or self-belief, that drove him forward, and I could only guess that this repeated practice could possibly strengthen the frontostriatal pathway in his brain leading him to long-term self-esteem, which he needed for his success in the music industry.
It’s powerful when we can connect brain science to our life, leading me back to my meeting with Patti, where we chatted about how grateful we were to have been mentored by someone who changed our results over the years. It wasn’t just Bob who changed our results, but all of the people we met along the way as we worked towards our goals. We vowed that we would continue his legacy through our work, which led me to write this episode.
How to Develop an Unwavering Self-Belief and Then Instill it in Others?
Keep Studying: Awareness is the key. If I was to ask you “What do YOU really want” would you be able to tell me in detail, or would you hesitate like I did when I was first asked that question. If you aren’t sure yet, keep learning and you will discover this pathway with time based on your talents, skills, and abilities.
Read and Write Your Goals Out Daily: There is a power and magic to the clarity that comes from this activity. I can’t say this enough, that this is where the magic happens. In addition to this, I had an affirmation that was created for me to help me to overcome my biggest doubts and fears and has been the most powerful tool I’ve used to overcome self-doubts. When I was affirmation was first given to me, I couldn’t even read it, let alone read it out loud. With time, the belief came, until it became my identity and I’m shocked that there was a time I didn’t believe this.
Know Your Fears! They will show up in your results whether you like it or not, so it’s easiest to get them out of the way. Do what Proctor had me do and write out everything you are afraid of. Looking back at my list, I remember being afraid to ask him questions, or to ask him if I could speak on stage at times during the seminar. Can you imagine if I never overcame those fears? There’s no way I’d be able to do what I’m doing without acknowledging and then overcoming what I was afraid of. We all have fears, when we first begin.
Expect Your Win: Whatever it is you are working on; you will meet with success when you are prepared for the outcome. Do the work, with consistency, and the win will be the outcome of this effort.
What’s Your Legacy? How will you make a difference in the world? Once you have achieved your win, it’s up to you to replicate your win in others. This I believe is our duty, and why many of us choose the teaching/coaching profession. This brings me back to my meeting with Patti, where she gave me the coffee mug reminding me to “Live Like Bob” with a card with all the ways I can do this. I’m grateful for this reminder from Patti to “live” ALL of these in my lifetime and encourage others to do the same in theirs.
Here's the affirmation that was created for me that has been on my bookshelf since 2001. This affirmation helped me to create a new identity.
To close out this episode, I want to thank Patti for inspiring me to write this episode and for the years of friendship.
I’ll leave you with these questions:
Who do you want to live like?
What legacy do you want to leave?
Do you BELIEVE you’ll achieve it?
I’ll close this episode with the same quote I closed out our final episode of our Think and Grow Rich book study.
“What story do you want to tell? What scenes do you want to shoot? How do you want the movie to end? Be the director of your life.” --Bob Proctor
Whatever it is you are going after, you’ll do it when you believe it.
See you next week!
FOLLOW PATTI KNOLES:
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BakytaDesign 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-knoles-57947010/ 
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pattiknoles/?hl=en
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
REFERENCES:
[i] Believe in Yourself: When You Understand This, Your Whole Life Will Change by Bob Proctor Uploaded Nov. 21, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPIjwbuP2BM
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 with The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Where it All Started”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #196 “The Neuroscience Behind the 15 Principles in Think and Grow Rich”
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-15-success-principles-of-napoleon-hill-s-classic-boo-think-and-grow-rich/
[iv] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi, Published 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1604940336
[v] Level Up by Andrea Samadi Published in 2015 by Andrea Samadi https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-Brain-Based-Skyrocket-Achievement-ebook/dp/B078V3L7FT
[vi] How to Think, Create and Innovate with Your Imagination Published July 1, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlgdwScpZco
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 with The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Where it All Started”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with the Top Lessons Learned from Bob Proctor’s Most Powerful Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #173 “The Neuroscience of Belief” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-belief/
[x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #2 “Self-Awareness: Know Thyself” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-awareness-know-thyself/
[xi] There is Where Self-Esteem Lives in the Brain by Anna Almendrala Published June 16, 2014 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/self-esteem-brain_n_5500501
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 with Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/
[xiii] Teen Performance Magazine https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/77535
[xiv] Face Drop Video Version Nov. 14, 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXo7qtsGX8Y
[xv] Tom Bilyeu with Todd Herman on “Becoming Your Alter Ego” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neyy2pSbkoI
[xvi] Beyond the Xs and Os with Dr. Cassidy Preston and Chris De Piero on “The Alter Ego Effect” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-alter-ego-effect-with-peak-performance-coach/id1545004073?i=1000550151919 

Mood and Stress Expert Erika Ferszt on ”Using Your Brain to Prevent Workplace Burnout”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, for episode #198 with mood and stress expert, Erika Ferszt, who was a senior creative executive for over 20 years and for 10 of those years, led all of the advertising, media and digital efforts for Ray Ban. She must have made such an impact with her work that the Ray-Ban Erika’s were named after her!
Watch our interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/y-vFVaiBPrw
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ The signs and symptoms of work burnout that led Erika to leave a job she loved and create an app to help reduce workplace stress.
✔︎ How her health scare led her to pursue 2 years of Postgraduate studies in neuroscience.
✔︎ How someone without a science background can understand and teach neuroscience in a way that it's simple and easy to use.
✔︎ What she offers at Moodally.com for corporate executives.
✔︎ How a stress management program like her app can help improve self-efficacy, so we can better manage our daily stress.
In 2015 she suffered a burnout episode and was hospitalized for 10 days with stress-related vision loss, and through this experience, went back to school to study the relationship between stress, the brain and the mind and founded her company Moodally.com as a result.
 
If you’ve been following our podcast, you will see clearly why I have asked Erika to join us today, for season 7 of this podcast where we are focused on brain health and well-being. Welcome back.  I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or in the corporate environment.
 
Today’s guest, Erika Ferszt, loved her job with Ray Ban. She will tell her story, explaining it was not like she was working for a terrible boss in a toxic work environment, but quite the opposite as she loved her work, but when her body reacted to the constant stress it was under, she was forced to make some changes, that led her to a whole new path in life.
 
Let’s meet Erika and hear how her burnout led her to create Moodally.com and a whole new life.
 
Welcome, Erika, thank you for meeting me on a Friday night (I think??). Are you in Italy now? (I know you said Europe).
 
There was so much to your story, when I saw it that resonated with me when I saw the path that you took after your health scare, but I have to start with a question that’s not so obvious (like tell me where this all started).
 
Intro Question:
I’ve got to say that most people I know here in the US push themselves hard work wise. You know, the American Dream can be had, but there’s a price to pay, and I’m always watching those close to me, looking for a sign that the push is too much, and now we can measure if our body is recovered or not with these wearable devices that can tell us if we need to rest and slow down. Were there ANY signs or symptoms that you can think of, looking back, with that episode, that you were close to burn-out?
 
Q1: So, you land in hospital, with quite a scary situation. I’ve lost my eyesight before, but it was temporary, and in one eye only, and I found out later, after I freaked out because I couldn’t drive the kids to school, that it’s common (it was an ocular migraine and I Googled it by looking out of one eye while calling my eye doctor) but your vision loss lasted much longer and was serious (and when I Googled loss of myelin sheath around the optic nerve I almost wish I hadn’t. Can you share what the stress did to your optic nerve to cause the vision loss, did you Google it and notice what I could have been, and with everything that you learned is that what led you to pursue 2-years of Post Graduate studies in the Neuroscience after this experience?
 
Q2: I have just completed a one year Mindfulness Based Neurocoaching Certification program (that took me 2 years because I found it to be very difficult/intensive) it was with a neuroscience researcher, who I have been working with over the years to understand the science behind what’s going on in the brain, and it’s one of the reasons I host this podcast, to make neuroscience is simple and easy to use for all of us, whether we have a degree in neuroscience or not. How do you think we can bridge this content and make it easier for people to understand? I’m always looking for ways to simplify ideas. Do you have any thoughts so that a teacher, or someone without a science background could understand and teach others these complex ideas with confidence?
 
Q3: Let’s go to how you founded Moodally.com (your Mood ali) and go straight to WHY you created this company, with a focus on our moods? I’m one of those people that is happy fairly consistently, because I know how important my mood is for my results and how it’s our competitive advantage, but I have to work at it (daily). If I miss a day of my routine, it’s pretty obvious. What does Moodally offer and how do most people implement it into their daily routine?
 
3B: How is mood different from our attitude or mindset?
 
 
Q4: I heard you say that “what shapes our mood is our self-efficacy or our belief in our abilities to face what life throws at us.” On any given day, we can have work pressures, health pressure, kids (health and school pressure), and the Pandemic magnified this, making many people I know consider a career-change, since there was so much change in the workforce. Can mental strength built by your app (or other ways) help with this self-efficacy, so we can better face all of the challenges that are thrown our way daily?
 
 
Q5: I was talking with a good friend of mine from high school, and he was sharing how his life has been since the Pandemic, and he said “sometimes it would feel good, just to get a win, eh?” (he’s Canadian) and yesterday I had an usually stressful day, where it was not obvious I had done any mental training, and I wondered at that moment, what do constant dead ends do to our self-efficacy? You know, those days where nothing works out right (like for me yesterday) Does it de-motivate us, lowering our ambitions and prevent us from pushing ourselves forward? What’s the healthy balance of the push that keeps us reaching higher, without letting those down days push us towards burn-out or apathy?
 
Q6: What is your vision for Moodally.com and who do you typically work with?
 
Q7: Is there anything that’s important that we haven’t covered today?
 
Thank you very much Erika, for sharing your expertise with us, and giving us some tools that we can access to help push us forward in a healthy way.
 
If anyone wants to learn more about you, is the best place Moodally.com?
 
FOLLOW ERIKA:
Moodally Matters Podcast https://anchor.fm/moodally-matters/episodes/How-Burning-Out-From-an-Award-Winning-Job-Improved-My-Life-with-Erika-Ferszt-e1dg16a
 
LinkedIn Page https://www.linkedin.com/company/moodally/
 
Free tools on her website https://www.moodally.com/#FREEBIES
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
 
 

Returning Guest Dr. David A. Sousa on ”What’s NEW with the 6th Edition of How the Brain Learns”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #197 with a special returning guest, David A Sousa, who we first spoke with back in August 2020 on episode #78[i].
Click here to watch this interview on YouTube https://youtu.be/148InRAxFts
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ What's new with the 6th edition of Dr. David Sousa's "How the Brain Learns"
The importance of the cognitive component of social-emotional learning
The importance of student engagement, especially through academic teams
Connections between Bloom’s Taxonomy and current instructional strategies, such as teaming and project/maker learning
Strategies that ALL teachers can implement to reduce stress in the classroom and improve student learning/engagement.
What happens in the brain when we are learning something new.
How to make practice PERMANENT and transfer knowledge into memory.
What we can learn from the specialized areas of the brain
How the science of reading can help us as teachers with the learning process
I’m thrilled to have the chance to speak with David Sousa again, as It was David Sousa’s How the Brain Learns book Series[ii]  that is now in its 6th Edition (that includes How the Brain Learns, How the Brain Learns to Read, How the Gifted Brain Learns, and How the Special Needs Brain Learns) that I was given by an educator who put me on the path of helping others to understand how learning occurs in the brain. When reading this series, I was told from other respected colleagues that this book series is one that every educator should read, and after our first interview, was contacted from educators all over the country (and world) with how helpful this series has been for them. How the Brain Leans has helped me as a parent to understand how my own children learn (specifically with reading) and gave me more understanding and patience to help put into practice some of the secrets for accelerating literacy that we have dove into on this podcast, since this first interview with David Sousa, almost 2 years ago now.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or in the corporate environment.
A bit about David Sousa, he’s an international consultant in educational neuroscience, has written more than 20 books for educators and parents on ways to use brain research to improve teaching and learning. He has conducted workshops for more than 200,000 educators in hundreds of school districts on brain research and science education at the Pre-K to Grade 12 and university levels. He has presented at national conventions of educational organizations and to regional and local school districts across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
Dr. Sousa has a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Bridgewater (Massachusetts) State University, a master of arts degree in teaching science from Harvard University, and a doctorate from Rutgers University. His teaching experience covers all levels. He has taught high school science and has served as a K–12 director of science, a supervisor of instruction, and a district superintendent in New Jersey schools. He has been an adjunct professor of education at Seton Hall University and at Rutgers University. He has received awards from professional associations, school districts, and Bridgewater State University (Distinguished Alumni Award), as well as several honorary doctorates for his commitment and contributions to research, professional development, and science education. He has been interviewed on the NBC Today show, on National Public Radio, and other programs about his work with schools using brain research. He makes his home in south Florida.
I would highly recommend watching our first interview together and can’t wait to hear what’s new to deliver game-changing and brain-changing results for our students.
Let’s welcome back Dr. David A. Sousa!
WELCOME and INTRO Q: Welcome back, David, thank you for coming back on the podcast as a returning guest.  David, I’m sure you will remember me sending you feedback after our first interview from educators around the world who were using How the Brain Learns with their students, and that you know how important this understanding of the brain is for the future of education.  Thank you for your dedication to this field. I know I speak on behalf of everyone who reads your books and gains a deeper understanding of how to teach with our brain in mind as a result.
David, as research of the brain continues to evolve, these insights can change the way that we as educators that you call “brain-changers” (and even as parents) guide our students/children towards success. My intro question to you in our first interview was to help orient our listeners with your background and how you became interested in the brain and learning. Can you share where your passion for the brain and learning began, and what you’ve seen over the years working with educators around the world?
Q1: Can we begin with some of the brand-new findings that you have put into this 6th Edition of How the Brain Learns, and expand on the growth of educational neuroscience, since this is the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, and how do you integrate the cognitive component of social and emotional learning?
Q2: It was an educator in 2014 who handed me your How the Brain Learns series, and told me the importance of understanding how important this book would be if I wanted to help guide students towards success and I have seen change in the field since then, and especially with the interviews on this podcast over the past 3 years, but what are you seeing? Are schools and teaching changing fast enough as new research emerges?
Q3: We are focused this season of the podcast on brain-health and well-being and after some of our interviews last year like Dr. Ratey,[iii] the author of the book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, we can clearly see how important exercise is for academic achievement. How would you suggest we prepare our students to stressful situations like taking tests, or anything they must face that might be stressful?
 Q4: I think it’s fascinating when we take a trip inside our skulls and look at how the brain learns (acquiring new knowledge and skills). In Chapter 2, you have a diagram that shows how our brain takes in new information and on my last podcast episode, I wanted to show what learning looks like with neurons reaching out to other neurons and making new connections in the brain. Can you explain what happens in the brain, when we are learning something new, and what does the new research reveal is important for students to enjoy the learning process so what they are learning is retained? (Transforming the learning into creative thoughts and products).
Q5: In chapter 3, you cover memory, retention and learning. There was so much to this chapter that I found important because it baffles me that I can test my daughter on her spelling test the night before, and sometimes she recalls the words the next day, accurate enough to do well on her spelling test, but other days, the practice we did doesn’t stick. What’s involved in retaining what we learn, and what could I do to guarantee her practice will be retained? Does practice really make perfect, or what else do we need to consider?
Q6: In Chapter 4, on The Power of Transfer, you examine the factors that affect transfer. Most of us know how important prior knowledge is for learning, and you even open up all your books in this series with a “what we already know” section, but I never thought of negative transfer, or something interfering with my learning. What should we all know and understand (general guidelines) for teaching transfer?
Q7: In Chapter 5, Brain Organization and Transfer, there’s a focus on teaching to the whole brain and this chapter includes some incredible resources (videos) that explain how brain areas are specialized. I found it helpful to know what parts of the brain are involved in reading (from your How the Brain Learns to Read book), or even how the ELL brain is different in How the ELL Brain Learns.  What is important for us to know about the new research and how some regions of the brain are specialized to perform certain tasks?
Q8: In chapter 6, you have a quote that hit me as a parent of a child who has struggled with reading because I know how important this skill is for her entire academic career. You quote “one you learn to read; you will be forever free” and I can see it in her eyes how much she wants to learn this skill. How has the science of reading contributed to our understanding of the struggle that students face (whether it’s reading, or with mathematics) and what is “productive struggle?”
Q9: I could keep asking you questions and know that the content of this book is thorough, with new findings included in this latest edition. Is there something that we have missed, that’s new, that you think is important for us to cover?
Thank you for your time today, to dive deeper into the 6th Edition of How the Brain Learns with these fresh insights that educators can use to guide their students towards success. For anyone who wants to access this book, I will put the link to it through Corwin Press in the show notes along with the free resources they can access immediately.[iv]
https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-the-brain-learns/book278665
https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-the-brain-learns/book278665#free-resources
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: An Action Guide for School Leadership Team by Hank Resnik March 2019 https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/integrating-social-emotional-and-academic-development-sead-an-action-guide-for-school-leadership-teams/
 
Engaging the Rewired Brain by Dr. David A. Sousa Published Dec. 9th, 2015  https://www.amazon.com/Engaging-Rewired-Brain-David-Sousa/dp/1941112250
Mind, Brain and Education by Dr. David Sousa Published July, 2010  https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Brain-Education-Neuroscience-Implications-ebook/dp/B0046W6UDY
 
REFERENCES:
 
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #78 with David A. Sousa on “How the Brain Learns”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/award-winning-author-david-a-sousa-on-how-the-brain-learns/
[ii] How the Brain Learns by David A. Sousa https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-the-brain-learns/book278665
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[iv] How the Brain Learns 6th Edition FREE RESOURCES https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-the-brain-learns/book278665#free-resources

In Memory of the Legendary Bob Proctor ”The Neuroscience Behind the 15 Success Principles” of Napoleon Hill’s Classic Book, Think and Grow Rich

Welcome back to PART 6, EPISODE #196 and our final episode of this series, where we will cover the final chapters and add “The Neuroscience Behind the Timeless Goal-Setting Principles” in Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, Think and Grow Rich to ensure we make 2022 Our Best Year Ever with brain-science in mind.
This episode I’m dedicating to the man who has been reading this book for his entire life, who I have mentioned often in this series and podcast, Bob Proctor, who was the first person to see more in me than I could see in myself. It was Bob who asked me “What do you really want?” when I was in my late 20s, and just figuring it all out. He did catch me off guard with this question, but it didn’t take long to map out the vision, as crazy as it seemed at the time, when you have someone who believes in you to push you along the way, the vision becomes clear.  Once you know what you want, and have a crystal-clear vision of it, it really is our duty to make it happen in our lifetime. Bob is the perfect example of someone who took action, inspiring millions globally, and someone I will forever be grateful that I crossed paths with. I found out that Bob was gravely ill, while finishing this episode, thought it was important to recognize his influence as an example for all of us, to put something into our goals this year that we have never done. Using Bob’s example, do something wildly different this year, than you ever have previously. He said many things that are forever stuck in my head, but I found a quote that makes sense to close out our book study that I think will stick with all of us.
He said, “You can’t just THINK and GROW RICH, you’ve got to do something with those thoughts.”
I’m hoping that this year, we are all looking for quantum leap results, that take us far beyond where we’ve ever been before. I have been studying success principles, and how successful people became that way, since the late 1990s when my paths crossed with Proctor. I saw these ideas could transform results for our students in the classroom, years before we talked about how important our mindset was after Carol Dweck’s[i] work made its impact on the field of education, and I wrote my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed [ii] to document these success principles that are echoed throughout Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich book, and aren’t difficult to understand, but implementing them in our daily life is where the hard work comes in.
Here’s my challenge to you—to go through each of the PARTS in this series and see what you can do to truly make a difference and impact with whatever it is you are doing this year. We’ve covered the 15 principles used by some of the wisest people in the world, and I want to add a sense of urgency for all of us to kick it into high gear this year. Think and act in a wildly different way than we have previously. This will take some focus, but the results will be well worth the effort. Remember that Hill says you haven’t read this book until you’ve read it 3 times? We can come back to this series next year and continue to apply the principles with the new experiences built over this year. This series is not only for you, the listener, I am doing the work right along with you!
If you want to see my interview with Bob Proctor, and where my vision began, go back to episode #66[iii] and EPISODE #67[iv] on the Top Lessons learned working with him for 6 years which is one of our most downloaded episodes, and one I still receive feedback and messages about.
With this episode today, I knew I had to tie in the most current brain research, so that we can look at ways to improve our current goal-setting/achieving process, with strategies that will take the guess work out of our year, to make a difference for all of us, since the strategies I will share are all peer reviewed, and have been proven scientifically to be the most effective way to achieve whatever it is that we are working on this year. When I say I want us to make this our best year ever, I really do mean it and wouldn’t spend the time to create this episode, if I didn’t think it could make a difference for all of us.  There is a neuroscience to setting and achieving goals, for habit formation and habit breaking, and I hope this episode will help break down the science, and make these principles applicable in your daily life, for the results that will inevitably come as a result.
Remember, it is our duty to take action, and use the potential that we each have. This is not just a mere wish, or hope, it’s for us to all take action on whatever it is that we want (our burning desire) in a way that we’ve never done in past years. What will we do differently this year?
We have covered an introduction to how our brain forms and breaks habits on an earlier episode #35[v] way back from January 2020 that’s a good episode to review in addition to what I will share with you here.
On this episode, you will learn:
✔︎ Review PART 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to all 15 Success Principles of Think and Grow Rich.
✔︎ Strategies and action steps that tie the most current brain research to these 15 Success Principles.
✔︎ Tools and resources you can use to immediately implement these success strategies into your life so you can move quickly and easily towards your goals.
If you have made it this far in this 6 PART SERIES, I’ve got to congratulate you, as most people don’t ever even finish this book, let alone read it 3 times, like Hill suggests. I can tell that each time I’ve read this book, I stopped at Chapter 12, The Subconscious Mind, probably because we covered this concept thoroughly when I worked with Proctor, that I missed reading Chapter 13 on The Brain, Chapter 14 on the Sixth Sense and Chapter 15 on How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear that I’ll highlight at the end of this episode. I can tell that I didn’t read these chapters, as there are no notes written on these pages, and then the edition that I have, when I got to the end of the book, there was a surprise. There was a Chapter 16 that I didn’t know existed. If you will recall, there were only 15 Principles that we were going to cover, so when I saw the 16th chapter, I was confused and immediately sent a message to my good friend Alan Lindeman[vi], from Ohio, who has taught this book for years, and I knew he would reply to me immediately, which he did.
Alan filled me in and reminded me that Napoleon Hill wrote another book shortly after Think and Grow Rich was published, but his wife wouldn’t let him publish it at the time. It depends on the version of the book that you have, but mine has this 16th chapter that Alan thinks was included in the newer editions. I won’t review it, because I’m superstitious with what I think and talk about and prefer to stick to positive angles, steering clear of dark thoughts, or perspectives, even if I know it’s important to be aware of them. I would just prefer to keep this work focused in the light, and would never speak or think of anything outside of positive thoughts for anyone and this self-awareness will keep me from covering this final chapter. If you want to know what it’s about, just Google Chapter 16 of Think and Grow Rich, and you can see for yourself, if you are curious. Just remember the power of autosuggestion, and that your nonconscious mind will take in whatever you offer it, so I highly recommend skipping it, and focusing on the 15 principles we have covered. There is a power of thought, and if Hill didn’t think it was important to guard our thoughts, I don’t think he would have covered this in his first chapter.
For this episode, I want to review each of the 5 PARTS that we covered in this series and see how the most current brain research ties into the timeless principles Hill wrote about, to give us more belief as we push forward with whatever it is we are working on this year, which was the goal of covering this book to launch our year, in the first place. I’ll add the final 2 chapters (15 and 16) at the end to complete our book study before our final review to bring these principles all together.
Remember that PART 1 began with a reminder from Grant Cardone that “in order to get to the next level of whatever it is that we are doing, we must think and act in a wildly different way than we previously have been.”[vii]  We’ve talked about Price Pritchett’s You2 book around this time last year on the podcast, where he explains that “if you want to accelerate your results rapidly, you must search out and vigorously employ new behaviors” (Pritchett, You2, Page 7). That’s what I am hoping this book study has inspired us to all do. What will we do DIFFERENTLY this year? I’m hoping some of the strategies I share will inspire us to take NEW actions, that will yield NEW results and that we continue to look at everything we are doing, with our brain in mind.
Using Neuroscience to Learn Something New
Have you ever wondered what happens at the brain level when we are taking new behaviors like Pritchett recommends, or thinking in a wildly different way than we ever have been? Or when we are learning something new?  Maybe you say “no, Andrea, I’ve never wondered this” and I’ll say “that’s ok” but just for a second, think in a wildly different way than you ever have previously, from how we have been taught learning occurs, (the old method where we sit in class and I teach you something from the front of the classroom) and maybe you’ll learn it by actually doing it when you take what I’ve taught you, and apply it. 
Instead of this old way of learning, I want us to think inside of the skull of our brain, to our neural networks, as we are learning something new, or if you are teaching students in the classroom, or coaching a sport, and see if this understanding can help you to see how new information is acquired at the brain level first, before giving us the new results we all want to achieve. Just think differently.
Look at the image in the show notes, and let’s take a trip inside our skulls. When learning something new, (in the classroom, at home, or a new sport) neurons in the brain begin to slowly extend an axon out to other axons, connecting to other neurons (which is a slow process).
We have oligodendrocytes (green in the image) that wrap myelin around the axons to allow information to move faster. We have astrocytes (shaped like stars, and red in the image) that play an active role in memory and learning as they wrap around the blood vessel serving as gatekeepers at the blood brain barrier, providing homeostasis and regulating blood flow in the brain.[viii]
For learning to occur, Eva Kynt, as associate professor at the University of Antwerp in Belgium shares that we must have “motivation and willingness to learn (as) the basic elements”[ix] and “one way to motivate the brain is to expose it something new and unfamiliar.”[x]
“The ability to learn new things—whether that’s calculus or hitting a fast ball—requires stretching our brain past the point of what’s familiar or comfortable” (Cal Newport, Georgetown University) and “that stretch requires unbroken concentration.” Think of all the actions happening in the brain, and the focus that’s required to make these connections happen. Cal Newport from Georgetown University says “the amount of concentration a person requires to learn something new depends on the complexity of the material. The more complex something is, the more sustained focus a person will likely need to grasp it” and that there are “habits of mind to facilitate learning, such as curiosity, and diligence.”
As we are teaching or coaching new skills, think of the neural networks that are being created, the myelin that’s formed each time a student reinforces the skill they are learning and ways that you can inspire students to become curious with what they are learning.
What is interesting to me is that the research shows that there is nothing inspiring about doing something we know we can do. There’s no motivation in that and requires us to use our imagination (Chapter 6 of TAGR) to push ourselves, and those we are teaching, to new limits. American neuroscientist and tenured professor at the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Andrew Huberman’s research said that “the data shows the probability of achieving the goal depends on whether the goal is easy, moderate or impossible. If the goal is too easy, or difficult we won’t use enough of our autonomic nervous system to recruit our action” and these goals won’t lean you towards readiness, “but when goals are moderate” or something that everyone can “see” as possible something happens to our blood pressure to prepare our body to take the needed action. Huberman says “when goals are moderate, or in range, there’s a near doubling of the systolic blood pressure” that helps the body to lean into the goal. Your body becomes primed for the action it’s about to take.
If we are looking to achieve quantum level results, or achieve something that we have never done before, I think it’s direly important to make what we are going for to be achievable, or something we can see ourselves doing, for the leaning in to occur physiologically. That’s why reading and writing our goals out twice a day and having a crystal-clear vision of what we want, that burning desire that anyone can spot when you are talking about what you are working towards, is so important. When we can connect what the research says to our goal-achieving process, it makes more sense.
Put This into Action: Breaking Past to Where We’ve Never Been Before
Think about the sports team in last place, who has a vision of winning, and had to stretch their mind beyond their past results. Like the Cincinnati Bengals who according to NFL research “no team in NFL history had overcome a halftime deficit of 10-plus points to win in multiple games against an opponent in a single season (including playoffs).[xi] This team suffered year after year with their performance and haven’t been a good team since they made the playoffs in 1988. 2 years ago, they were the worst team in the NFL, until they got a new head coach and quarterback, and whatever they did changed the trajectory of the team. The QB had previously won the college national championship so he brought the winning mindset to the team. Only they know what they did to achieve this milestone and will be interesting to see how it plays out moving forward, but I think it just takes one person of influence to turn a team around, with a new mindset, encouraging new actions, and to think in a wildly different way than they ever had previously, so they can get to where they have never been before.
This concept can be applied in the workplace if we want a new position at work and the salary is 3 times higher than our current salary. We must be able to see beyond what we know we can do, using our imagination, to break through where our results currently are sitting to achieve these quantum leap results. We must be unwavering with our vision for what we want.
This is how history is made in the sports world, and how we can transfer this skill to our personal and professional lives.
PART 2[xii] we looked at the importance of positive thinking, being crystal clear with what we want, and I’m going to add something Price Pritchett warns us of in his You2 book, that “most people confuse wishing and wanting with pursuing” their goals and that “quantum leaps require you to take the offensive. You can’t achieve exponential gains in your success from a defensive position. You can’t make a passive stance and make a quantum jump…and leave the safety that goes along with merely wishing for something. You must place your trust in action.” (Pritchett, You Squared, Page 24).
The Neuroscience of Action Taking/Executing Your Goals
So, what is the neuroscience behind taking action with our goals? American neuroscientist from Stanford University’s School of Medicine, the well respected Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses the science of setting, assessing and executing goals on his recent podcast.[xiii]  Dr. Huberman reminds us that there’s only ONE basic system in the brain related to setting goals and there are common brain circuits that help move us towards our goals (short and long-term) and that humans can juggle many different types of goals (financial, health, work related etc.) but usually when we put all of our focus on one area, we lack in other areas. Like our health can suffer if we focus too much on our work goals, and vice versa.
Setting, Assessing and Executing Goals and Our Brain:
To reduce the stress with the goal setting process, Huberman tells us that when we are going after our goals there are only four parts (or circuits) of the brain involved and understanding how these four areas work together can help us to find ways to move towards our goals, more intentionally, with increased focused and with brain-science involved.
No matter what the goal is (an executive building a multi-million-dollar company, or a teacher creating their lesson plans) there, are only these four common circuits involved in the goal seeking areas of the brain[xiv]:
Goal-Seeking Areas of the Brain:
The amygdala: often associated with fear, anxiety or avoidance of pain.
Initiating Action/Preventing Action Basal Ganglia: A circuit Involving the initiation or prevention of action (go or no-go circuit).
Executive Functions like Thinking/Planning (Now and Future) Circuits: Lateral Prefrontal Cortex
Orbitofrontal Cortex: Meshing Emotionality to Our Current State (where we sit now without our goals vs how it will feel when we achieve our goals).
How Do We Assess the Value of the Goal and Know What Action to Take? What happens in these circuits depends on what value is placed on a goal, and given the value of the goal, we decide which action to take, or not take and the neurotransmitter dopamine will be used in our brain depending on this value of the goal we deem as important.
Which brings us back to why a book like Think and Grow Rich could help us in the first place. If I think about the four goal-seeking areas of the brain, and how they are activated during the goal setting/achieving process, it makes sense to me that having a solid plan to stay on track would keep these 4 areas of the brain working for me, instead of against me. The chapter on choosing faith over fear will help prevent my amygdala from shutting down my brain when obstacles come my way, because I will have a plan to move past them. Then I can imagine the Basal Ganglia saying “go Andrea, keep going!” and cheering me on past whatever obstacles come my way like procrastination, and the persistence chapter will remind me why I must keep going, use my executive functions as I think, plan and add the final goal setting part of my brain to add emotion to how incredible it will feel when I achieve what I have worked so hard for, or the pain and frustration I will feel if I miss the goal.
This book was designed to support the four goal seeking areas of the brain. No wonder it works so well.
What I thought was fascinating with the research that Dr. Huberman mentioned is there are ways that we can further  “improve our focus and cognitive attention” and our ability to stay focused on what we want, and that’s by focusing on an external point, and the minute we focus on a point (outside of our body) it requires effort, and something happens at the brain level that prepares us further for the action we are about to take. Remember Pritchett said we can’t achieve exponential gains in our success from a defensive position. We must be primed and ready for action.
Then Use Your Visual Focus to Achieve Your Goals Quicker and With Less Perceived Effort
Huberman’s focusing activity helps us to be prepared mentally for the action we must take, by leaning into the goal, when we do this. He gave an example of a study where one group looked at the goal line in a goal-achieving exercise they had to move to (narrowing their attention to what they wanted-move themselves to the goal line wearing 15 lb weights), while the other group did not look at the goal line, or their final destination. The group that used their focused attention towards the goal they wanted, (they could see exactly where they were going, with no doubts at all) were more primed for that goal physiologically. He explained on a deeper level what happens to the brain and body when we focus on the goal ahead of time, but the results showed the group that looked at the goal line, were able to move towards the goal line with less perceived effort (17% less effort) and quicker (23%) faster than the other group that did not look at the goal line.
Put This into Action:
So how does Dr. Huberman’s research tie into PART 2 of our book study? He said that just by changing where a person looks, they changed their perceived effort and their ability to achieve their goal more quickly.
Do you have your eye on your goal? Are you clear about your END point, or where you are going? There really is a science behind setting and achieving our goals. 
As we are working through PART 2 of the series, where we took our goal, that is not a wish, nor a hope, but a burning desire, remember that desire that Edison saw in Barnes’ eyes? Barnes was clear about what he wanted. He had his eyes on the end goal, and Edison saw it just as clearly as Barnes did. That energy radiated from Barnes, and Edison picked it up.  He didn’t let it waver (with doubts, fears or worries) and never took his eyes off his goal.
I put an image in the show notes of a roadmap I created in the Level Up Program[xv] (that I created for schools) to help us to break down our goal into quarters. It helps to bring clarity to where you are now, with a vision of where you are going, and a place for action steps you can take along the way, breaking the goal into smaller chunks. You might have a process for breaking down your goals that you prefer, but I put I wanted to share this strategy with you in the show notes as an example to map out your year, with a clear path, keeping in mind that the research shows this clarity (or your eye on the end goal) is so vitally important.
Our brain will pick up on the value we place on our goal, (our clarity and definiteness of purpose) and provide you with the dopamine needed to take the action necessary for the attainment of that goal. That’s mind-blowing to me, to think about WHY the principle of desire (knowing clearly where we are going) pushes us towards what we want.  It’s happening on a biological and physiological level. Thanks to Dr. Huberman’s podcast, I was able to make this connection, and many more on a deeper level.
REMEMBER: When we are clear about WHAT we want, and WHY we want it, this will drive our behavior and our brain will produce the neurotransmitter dopamine to push us towards action of what we want. When we can keep our eye clearly on the end goal, we will get there with less perceived effort and quicker than if we didn’t have this clear vision. This reminded me that Brendon Burchard chose clarity as one of the habits in his book, High Performance Habits, as one of the habits that moves the needle the most for habits of high achievers, and now I can see why.
PART 3[xvi] we examined the importance of putting these goals on autopilot with what Hill calls “autosuggestion” and then further honing our craft by studying, learning, and developing specialized knowledge that will separate you from others, making you truly unique with your talent that you’ll continue to perfect in your lifetime, while using your imagination to keep building and perfecting whatever it is that you want to create in your life. What we are doing here is creating NEW behaviors that will become automatic and work for us and make our pursuit towards our goals much easier with time.
The Neuroscience of Habit Building
We mentioned at the start of this episode that we have covered an introduction to how our brain forms and breaks habits on an earlier episode #35[xvii] from January 2020 that’s a good episode to review in addition to what I will share with you here.
PART 3 is all about putting our goals on autopilot, and Hill suggests reading and writing our goals every day, twice a day. What he is doing, is helping us to prime our brain to become crystal clear with our vision, that after a certain amount of time of repeating our goals, they begin to become automatic in our brain. They no longer feel like pipe dreams, but we become familiar with them, and this is not far off from the habit-building literature you will find when you research “How to Build New Habits” with the hundreds of books, research and articles on this subject online.
What I liked about Dr.Huberman’s work is that he explains that there are certain habits that will give us more “limbic friction”[xviii] or are more difficult to do. This is going to be different for everyone. For me, getting up and exercising every day is easy to do, and requires very little limbic friction because it’s become a habit for me over many years, but to sit at my desk and read through Neuroscience Articles on Pubmed is excruciatingly difficult and when we have something that we find difficult to do, we can end up procrastinating, and not doing it at all. Dr. Huberman makes this daunting task simple and easier to tackle by diving the day up into phases, like Phase 1 being the early morning, (0-8 hours after waking up) where you can “overcome this limbic friction” and do the things that are most difficult for you if you tackle them in this early window of the day to help you to push past something that’s difficult, which will eventually form a habit. This was the main idea of Brian Tracey’s popular book Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.[xix] It was about tackling those difficult tasks first.
Put This into Action:
I’ve always liked the idea of picking one habit you will form (or break) every 90 days, and if you can check off each day you do the new habit (if it’s exercise, reading articles on pubmed, or trading coffee for hot lemon water) whatever it is, you pick one habit, and focus on that for 90 days. At the end of the 90 days, you will have formed a new habit, and will have a heightened level of self-awareness as you go through this process. I highly suggest this activity but will say that if you are looking to eliminate a habit you don’t want anymore, and can’t do it, then a good episode to revisit is Dr. Anna Lembke from EPISODE #162[xx] who explains how certain habits can become addictive, and how to break them. You can use the chart in the show notes to pick one habit and make it stick, or break a habit this way over a 90-day period.
I listened to another incredible podcast with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com who we had on for episode #134[xxi] on “Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain” and she was speaking with Dr. Hazel Wallace on “Nutrition and Habit Formation[xxii]” and they discussed some similar habit forming/breaking strategies. I loved the example that Kristen Holmes used when talking about ways to break habits she didn’t want (like looking at your phone while driving) and she mentioned that thinking of the negative consequences of the action can help you to break these habits. Dr. Huberman mentioned this strategy of his “The Science Behind Setting and Achieving Goals”[xxiii] podcast with the idea of visualizing failure as being an effective goal achieving strategy, instead of the usual visualizing success strategy. He makes the distinction that predicting failure is much different than visualizing failure as predicting failure, or what happens if you don’t achieve what you are going for, can help you lean into your goal. When you are on track, you can reward yourself along the way, and withhold rewards when you veer off track, to keep your dopamine reward center active. The best reward is always the unexpected reward that you could also use to further motivate someone and amplify their system.
Take a look at the image in the show notes and pick one habit that you will form or break over the next 90 days, and see if you can use Dr. Huberman’s strategy of tackling the new habit in Phase 1 of your day, to make it easier on you and your brain, as you attempt to create a new habit.
PART 4[xxiv] we dove deep into why organized planning, decision-making and persistence are important and timeless leadership characteristics, with strategies to help all of us to improve our persistence muscles.
The Neuroscience of Focus
There is a way to focus in on our habits, using our persistence to turn them into stronger habits that stick, and use up “less limbic friction” (Dr. Huberman) or how difficult a habit is to carry out, when we think about the habits we do every day (like brushing our teeth) that are automatic, easy to do, and we can easily perform them at any time. They are strong habits.
Putting This into Action: and Increase the Likelihood That We’ll Build Strong Habits That Stick
A study identifies “neurons that fire at the beginning and end of a behavior”[xxv] become a habit.
Remember the 4 parts of the brain involved in goal-seeking? For this strategy, we are involving the basal ganglia (action execution or suppression or the do/don’t do) circuits of the brain for something Dr. Huberman shared is called “Task Bracketing” and happens any time we are learning a new habit/skill or trying to break a new habit or skill. Most of us will find some things easy to do, and others more difficult, depending on whether they are habits or not.
It matters what we are doing BEFORE and AFTER the skill, to bracket it, because parts of the brain (in the Basal Ganglia that determine whether we are taking an action or not) will become more active (before and after a particular habit) so it “brackets” the habit to make it stronger. I do remember hearing this in a past episode with Dr. Ratey, the author of Spark: The New Science of Exercise and the Brain on EPISODE #116[xxvi] where he mentioned that any time exercise is done BEFORE a new habit you are trying to form, it will make that habit stick.  It made sense to me that exercise could be used to frame the habit or think of this imaginary bracket around the habit adding more focus to it, with our brain primed with neurotransmitters, strengthening what we are doing, so it can be performed at any given time.
If we have habits that are “bracketed (with physical exercise, or any other strategy you can think of to prime your brain to what you are about to do) like viewing sunlight, cold exposure, caffeine, fasting, or ways to increase norepinephrine, and dopamine) this will help you to engage in activates with high limbic friction”[xxvii] (or the activities that you find difficult to do).  So even if we got a terrible sleep, or aren’t operating optimally, we will still move forward and perform what we set out to do, since we have placed a higher value on this habit we’ve bracketed, just like habits we don’t think as necessary, we could skip. This creates a neural imprint on our brain of the value of whatever habit it is we want to maintain. Preparing our brain for this habit that we want to create by initiating it when our brain and body are in the right state, like early in the first 8 hours of the day when we are less tired, is another way to “bracket” the habit we want to stick with less “limbic friction.”
Another way to strengthen a habit is to think of the neural pathway that’s created each time we do the thing that we want since “neurons that fire together, wire together” and neuroscience and the literature in psychology support that doing what you want to accomplish once or twice in your mind BEFORE hand, can help you to create the neural circuit before you even begin the habit creation process.
Do you know how you bracket your “high limbic friction” habits? Here’s how I do this. In order to read, research and write complex ideas involving neuroscience, I start my day around 4am with coffee (half caffeine and half decaf), use exercise and intermittent fasting that I break after my morning hikes. This way my brain in primed to sit at my desk and create content that I sometimes find difficult to learn, understand and explain. After my interview with Dr. Ratey, I was aware of the fact that I knew I needed to do certain things for me to focus on work that I find difficult to do, but I had no idea it was a brain strategy called “bracketing” until I learned that from Dr. Andrew Huberman.
Example of how Andrea brackets her difficult work (reading/writing neuroscience articles) with caffeine, exercise and intermittent fasting.
PART 5[xxviii] we looked at the incredible power of the Mastermind, when two or more minds come together, creating what Hill called a third, invisible, intangible force that may be likened to a third mind. Next, we took the mystery out of sex transmutation showing that we can use this energy, the most powerful of human desires, to develop keenness of imagination, courage, willpower, persistence, and a creative ability that can become a motivating force to propel any profession to new heights. Finally, we reviewed the importance of linking ALL Parts of our mind together and reminding us about the power of autosuggestion and reading/writing our goals out twice a day.
This part of the book showed me how important it is to bring our understanding of the brain and mind together. One of our earlier episodes from October 2019 focused on “The Difference Between the Mind and Brain”[xxix] so we can see how energy and information comes into our body, and how we can use this information.
There’s an incredible power that is formed when we can tap into our creative mind whether it’s through a mastermind team, or transmuting your energy, we all have the ability to take our results to a new level with this concept.
THE FINAL CHAPTERS OF THINK AND GROW RICH, REVIEW AND CONCLUSION
Chapter 14: Talks about the importance of our sixth sense or developing our intuition that “will open to you at all times the door to the Temple of Wisdom.” (CH 16, Page 248, TAGR). Hill says “the ability to use this power comes slowly, through application of the other principles outlined in this book. Seldom does any individual come into workable knowledge of the sixth sense (or intuition) before the age of 40. More often the knowledge is not available until one is well past 50.” (CH 16, Page 257, TAGR).
I first became interested in this topic years before I read this book, and there are many useful books I have found that have helped me to further develop this skill, like Shakti Gawain’s Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life[xxx] that has a section for using intuition in the workplace. When you become good at listening to what feels right vs what feels wrong, and science ties into this as we will feel it throughout our entire body (interoception) then we will become quicker and more efficient at making decisions and will never need to ask someone else “what do you think about this?” because you will know with certainty what the answer is. This skill does require practice.
The final principle we will cover is Chapter 15 and How to Outwit the Six Ghosts of Fear that Hill says is mandatory, or else none of the other principles will work. He says “before you can put any portion of this philosophy into successful use, your mind must be prepared to receive it. The preparation is not difficult. It begins with study, analysis and understanding of three enemies you need to clear out. These are indecision, doubt and fear.” (CH 15, Page 262, TAGR).  Before we can even get to the Six Ghosts of Fear, we must eliminate all doubts and fears that make us indecisive. Do you see how ALL chapters of the book work together like the colors of the rainbow?
Are you decisive or indecisive? If you have learned to trust your intuition, you will be decisive, and not attached to what other people think or as Hill said not “easily influenced by the opinion of others.” Once you have used your sixth sense to move past these three enemies, there are Six Basic Fears (or Ghosts of Fear) that we must outwit.
Fear of Poverty
Fear of Criticism
Fear of Ill Health
Fear of Loss of Love of Someone
Fear of Old Age
Fear of Death
“Fears are nothing more than states of mind” (CH 15, Page 263, TAGR) and all six of these fears should be examined and eliminated for you to reach your highest potential.
As we come to a close of this chapter, we are brought back to remember how important our thoughts are in chapter 1, and that we must build the life we want with a clear mental image of our goals. We need to be careful who we surround ourselves with, not stay clear of negative thinking, complaining, or worrying. And once we have followed all the steps Hill suggests, in each of the 15 chapters, and eliminate all doubts and fears, we will move steadily in the direction of our goals and THINK for ourselves.
REVIEW, ACTION STEPS AND INSIGHTS
To bring this final episode into a close, I want to review each PART with some thoughts on what action we will take to make use of this book study. I had no idea these episodes would keep me busy for the entire month of January, but I did learn that instead of relying on someone else to walk me through the book, teaching it on the podcast helped me to understand the principles on a deeper lever than any other year I have done with study with someone else leading it.
PART 1:  We talked about stretching our brain past what’s familiar or comfortable and think in a wildly different way than we previously have been. The amount of concentration we require to learn something new depends on the complexity of the material, and we must think of learning from a new angle, from within our skull, right down to the neurons, and axons in the brain, and how they are forming neural circuits, depending on the effort we are putting in to form a new habit or create a new circuit that with repetition will eventually become easier. What will you do differently this year? How will you break through to new levels and achieve something you have NEVER done before?
PART 2: We looked at being crystal-clear with our goal, knowing where we are now, and where we want to go, and the action steps we will take, and how focusing on our end point or goal, will help us to get there with less perceived effort and time. I gave you a roadmap to use to map out your year and break it up into quarters so that at any given point of time, if you are asked where you are in the process, you are unwavering with your response.
Is your year clearly mapped out from where you are now, to where you are going?
PART 3:  We looked at how autosuggestion puts our goals on autopilot and some ways to break habits that don’t serve us, and how to form new ones. What strategies will you use this year to break or form new habits? I put the 100 Days to Habit worksheet in the show notes you can use for this strategy.
PART 4: We talked about the neuroscience of focus and how to add “task bracketing” to make difficult “high friction limbic” tasks easier to accomplish, while setting the brain on a path to creating a new habit with whatever it is you find difficult. What are your “high friction limbic” tasks? How do you task bracket them to make them less difficult?
PART 5: Puts all of the parts of the brain together and leads us into the final chapters of the book that I admit I hadn’t read until doing this book study. Learning how our brain works is something we can do with new learning, applying new research and honing our skills and craft along the way. It’s all a process, which takes time.
To close out this episode, I’ll end with a quote that I saw the other night on one of Bob Proctor’s social media accounts. I know it wasn’t him posting this, but his team, as he never had time for that sort of thing, but whoever picked this quote, got it right. It said
“What story do you want to tell? What scenes do you want to shoot? How do you want the movie to end? Be the director of your life.”
Bob Proctor
Whatever it is you are going after, you’ll do it when you believe it.
Napoleon Hill had an unwavering belief in his vision when Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in American history challenged him to write a book on the laws of achievement, and Hill told him “Andrew Carnegie, I’m not only going to equal your achievements in life, but I am going to challenge you at the post and pass you at the grandstand.” [xxxi]
I’m sure that Carnegie saw the belief in his eyes.
Do you have an unwavering belief in whatever it is you want to achieve?
I would seriously put some thought into this. It’s the last chapter of the book I wrote, inspired by my work with Proctor, The Secret for Teens Revealed, I took the principles I learned while working with Bob in the seminar industry, and created an action plan for teens to use. The last chapter in this book is What Difference Will You Make in Your Lifetime? We should all know the legacy we want to create, and the difference we will make in our lifetime. It’s not what we GET in our lifetime, it’s who we become and it’s up to us to make this happen. The 15 principles of this book that we have studied are a solid roadmap to help guide us there. I think we can now all agree how these principles are backed by science and why they are effective.
With that, I complete our Book Study of the powerful book, Think and Grow Rich, that has been studied by some of the wisest people in the world, and if you’ve made it this far, you can add yourself to this list as well. I would love to hear any feedback on this episode and what you think. Did this study help you to refine your year? Now that we have completed the study, what action steps will you take? Do you feel the sense of urgency that I tried to convey that this MUST be the year we ALL do things differently to attain new results, and that as each year comes to a close, we revisit these 15 principles to further refine our plans? If this was the last year of your life what would you do to make an imprint of the world with your talents and abilities?
See you next week as we move into some interviews with a returning guest, David Sousa and his new edition of How the Brain Learns, as well as a fascinating story of Erika Ferszt[xxxii], who founded Moodally.com and turned to neuroscience after she experienced work burnout after 10 years of working for Ray-Ban in Global Advertising and Media. We continue our season in pursuit of our goals, with health and wellbeing at the core of our message.
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REFERENCES:
[i] Mindset: They New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck Published February 28, 2006 https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck-ebook/dp/B000FCKPHG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3FV9OCNZT8UVQ&keywords=carol+dweck&qid=1643721730&s=books&sprefix=carol+dweck%2Cstripbooks%2C112&sr=1-3
[ii] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi, Published 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1604940336
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 with The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Where it All Started”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with the Top Lessons Learned from Bob Proctor’s Most Powerful Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #35 “How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/
[vi] Alan Lindeman, Executive Coach https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlindeman/
[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 “Making 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/
[viii] Astrocyte Regulation of Blood Flow in the Brain May 2015 by Brian A MacVicar and Eric A Newman  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4448617/
[ix] Harnessing a Universe of Knowledge: The Science of Learning, Special Time Edition, by Markham Heid Page 12
[x] IBID
[xi] NFL Playoffs: What we learned from Bengals’ win over Chiefs in AFC Championship Game by Kevin Patra, Jan. 30th, 2022 https://www.nfl.com/_amp/2021-nfl-playoffs-what-we-learned-from-bengals-win-over-chiefs-in-afc-championsh
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #191 PART 2 on “Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith Over Fear”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/
[xiii] Set and Achieve Goals with Andrew Huberman https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-setting-and-achieving-goals/
[xiv] The Science of Setting and Achieving Goals Andrew Huberman Podcast EPISODE 55 Published  January 15, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1F7EEGPQwo
[xv] Level Up for Educators https://www.achieveit360.com/level-up-for-educators-neuroscience-meets-sel/
[xvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #193 PART 3 on “Putting Our Goals on Autopilot with Autosuggestion and Our Imagination”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-3-using-autosuggestion-and-your-imagination-to-put-your-goals-on-autopilot/
[xvii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #35 “How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/
[xviii] Dr. Andrew Huberman “The Science of Making and Breaking Habits” https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-making-and-breaking-habits/
[xix]Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracey April 17, 2017  https://www.amazon.com/Eat-That-Frog-Great-Procrastinating/dp/162656941X
[xx] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #162 Dr. Anna Lembke on her book “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/medical-director-of-addictive-medicine-at-stanford-university-dr-anna-lembke-on-dopamine-nation-finding-balance-in-the-age-of-indulgence/
[xxi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com on “Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain” with a Whoop Device https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
[xxii] Whoop Podcast #157 with Kristen Holmes and Dr. Hazel Wallace on “Nutrition and Habit Formation” https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/podcast-157-dr-hazel-wallace-nutrition-habit-formation/
[xxiii] The Science of Setting and Achieving Goals Andrew Huberman Podcast EPISODE 55 Published  January 15, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1F7EEGPQwo
[xxiv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #194 PART 4 on “Perfecting the Skills of Organized Planning, Decision-Making, and Persistence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-4-on-perfecting-the-skills-of-organized-planning-decision-making-and-persistence/
[xxv] Distinctive Brain Pattern Helps Habits Form by Anne Trafton Feb. 8, 2018 https://mcgovern.mit.edu/2018/02/08/distinctive-brain-pattern-helps-habits-form/
[xxvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 with Dr. Ratey  on “The New Science of Exercise and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[xxvii] Dr. Andrew Huberman “The Science of Making and Breaking Habits” https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-making-and-breaking-habits/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #195 PART 5 [xxviii] on “The Power of the Mastermind, Taking the Mystery Out of Sex Transmutation, and Linking ALL Parts of the Mind” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-5-on-the-power-of-the-mastermind-taking-the-mystery-out-of-sex-transmutation-and-linking-all-parts-of-our-mind/
[xxix][xxix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #23 “Understanding the Difference Between Your Mind and Brain for Improved Results” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/understanding-your-brain-and-mind-for-increased-results/
[xxx]Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life by Shatki Gawain Published October 10, 2001 https://www.amazon.com/Developing-Intuition-Practical-Guidance-Daily/dp/1577311868
[xxxi] https://www.inspiration-for-success.com/napoleon-hill/
[xxxii] http://www.moodally.com/

Think and Grow Rich Book Review PART 5 on ”The Power of the Mastermind, Taking the Mystery Out of Sex Transmutation, and Linking ALL Parts of Our Mind.”

Welcome back to PART 5 of Making 2022 Your Best Year Ever with EPISODE #195 on “The Power of the Mastermind, Taking the Mystery Out of Sex Transmutation, and Linking ALL Parts of Our Mind” as we continue our deep dive into Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, Think and Grow Rich, that has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Before I go on  with this episode, I just want to say that out of those 15 million copies of this  book sold, I wonder how many people of those 15 million people read the book the way that Napoleon Hill intended? I know I didn’t until Paul Martinelli taught me how to read it, and I know from doing this book study that I’m only scratching the surface of these 15 principles, used by some of the wisest people in the world. Hill himself would say that if you haven’t read the book three times, or completed the exercises, you haven’t read the book yet! I hope this book study is helping you to dive deeper into these important chapters of one of this classic and timeless book, and that you are gaining a deeper awareness as we’re reading this book together.
On this episode, you will learn:
✔︎ Review PART 1, 2, 3 and 4 to Reinforce the First 9 Chapters of Think and Grow Rich.
✔︎ What "power" can be felt and seen when we Mastermind with Others.
✔︎ What is the "Irresistible Force" That Hill Says Gifts Us With a Super Power for Action?
✔︎ How Do ALL Parts of Our Mind Work Together?
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back. I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.
If you have been following our book study of Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, Think and Grow Rich, we are nearing the end of this study. Just to review, you will recall how
PART 1 began with a reminder from Grant Cardone that “in order to get to the next level of whatever it is that we are doing, we must think and act in a wildly different way than we previously have been.”[i]  We outlined all of the 15 principles that we will be diving into (have covered 9 of them so far) and in
PART 2[ii] we looked at the importance of positive thinking, being crystal clear with what we want, and choosing faith over fear in pursuit of our goals.
PART 3[iii] we examined the importance of putting these goals on autopilot with what Hill calls “autosuggestion” and then further honing our craft by studying, learning, and developing specialized knowledge that will separate you from others, making you truly unique with your talent that you’ll continue to perfect in your lifetime, while using your imagination to keep building and perfecting whatever it is that you want to create in your life.
PART 4[iv] we dove deep into why organized planning, decision-making and persistence are important and timeless leadership characteristics, with strategies to help all of us to improve our persistence muscles.
Leading us to the final chapters of the book with the last two episodes that will cover Chapter 10 on the Power of the Mastermind, Chapter 11 (one of the most misunderstood chapters in the book) The Mystery of Sex Transmutation, Chapter 12, The Subconscious Mind on this episode, and the final episode in this series, that will cover Chapter 13, The Brain, Chapter 14, the Sixth Sense and 15 on Outwitting the Ghosts of Fear.
Before I began recording these episodes, I didn’t know how many it would take to cover these chapters thoroughly, but if you are like me, and just want to learn, keep listening and see if you can add anything new to your goal-setting/achieving process. I had no idea it would cover the entire month of January to properly review this book. We really could keep going all year, as each principle we could talk about for an entire month. Therefore, I think it’s important to revisit this book, every year, as we are working on new goals, to continue to improve our own process, and take our understanding of each principle, to a new level. Remember that Hill says that if we haven’t read the book three times, and completed the exercises, we haven’t read the book at all.
Chapter 10 The Power of the Mastermind
Bringing us to Chapter 10 on The Power of the Mastermind that Hill brings to life when he says that “no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible, intangible force that may be likened to a third mind.” (CH 10, Page 195, TAGR). Hill is describing the power that happens, the “collective consciousness” that’s created when 2 or more people come together for a sustained period of time to drive forward an idea.
I know that we have all felt this happen. No one has said it better than the late Doug Wead[v], who I first heard talk about this power May, 2001 when I worked in the seminar industry and heard him speak for the first time. His speech was called “The Third-Party Principle” and the wisdom that’s held when you take your idea or whatever it is you are working on, to two or more other people. He called it the “triple-braided cord” that would form when 2 or more minds came together. This is the power of the mastermind that Hill wants us to pay attention to, where he says that “no two minds ever come together without creating a third, invisible, intangible force, that may be likened to a third mind” and the reason why we should always look for people smarter than we are, to learn from.  “The Master Mind may be defined as coordinated knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” (CH 10, Pag 195, TAGR).
Whatever it is you are working on, if you can create a Mastermind group to help push your idea forward, you will notice the “power” of this Mastermind, that Hill titled this chapter on. There’s something magical that happens, that you won’t miss. Every person will feel it and be forever changed from each meeting that you have. Have you ever seen this principle in action? You’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, if you have.
“Plans are inert and useless without the sufficient power to translate them into action.” (CH 10, Page 193, TAGR) and “this chapter will describe the method by which an individual may attain and apply power…Power refers to an organized effort …of two or more people who work towards a definite end in a spirit of harmony.” (CH 10, Page 195, TAGR).
Hill reminds us to “keep in mind the fact that there are only two known elements in the whole universe—energy and matter. Matter may be broken down into molecules, atoms and electrons” and that the “human mind is a form of energy” (CHA 10, Page 196, TAGR) that will be an important part of the next chapter, but will show us in this chapter, why one plus one equals three. Always surround yourself with people who are smarter than you for this compounding effect to occur.
Do you have a Mastermind group that you participate in?
I’m sure for people who tune into this podcast, that this is not a new concept, but just a reminder of the success principles that have been proven over the years to yield the highest results. “Henry Ford began his business career under the handicap of poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. Within the conceivably short period of 10 years, Mr. Ford mastered these three handicaps, and within 25 years, made himself one of the richest men in America. Connect with the additional knowledge that Mr. Ford’s most rapid strides became noticeable from the time he became a personal friend of Thomas A Edison, and you will begin to understand what the influence of one mind upon another can accomplish.” (CH 10, Page 197, TAGR).
Setting Up Your Own Mastermind Group:
To make use of this principle, align yourself with others you can learn from, and begin. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Jeff Bezos all had their inner circle of “thinking partners” to help take their ideas to new heights. “Economic advantages may be created by people who surround themselves with the advice, counsel, and personal cooperation of a group of people who are willing to lend them wholehearted aid in the spirit of perfect harmony.” (CH 10, Page 195, TAGR).
WHO DO YOU INVITE? “Some of the best sources for creating your own Mastermind are your own employees.” (CH 10, Page 100, TAGR).  Come together with people who are in harmony as you (with the same beliefs as you, and what you think is possible) but the people you choose must THINK differently than you to take you beyond where your mind can see. You will see this in action when you meet and be prepared to draw new ideas and knowledge from others, who can see things that you might not be able to see.
WHEN DO YOU MEET? Pick a date to meet either in person or online and stick to that same date (whether it’s once a month or once a quarter), keep your meetings going for at least a year.
WHAT SHOULD YOU NOTICE? First, you will notice a sense of peace and certainty that comes from these meetings, because of the energies coming together with a common goal, of helping each other. You will notice a calmness of mind, in addition to new ideas and ways forward. Next, you will notice these meetings are highly creative. Ideas will flow, and you will move away from the competitive plane, to a more creative one. Finally, you will notice that others will see things that you cannot see. They will be able to notice progress moving forward, when you see roadblocks, and the idea is that together, your minds move past all obstacles, with the powerful force that you create together.
Do you see how these chapters and principles all work together, like the colors of the rainbow. You will remember the image that shows how our thoughts can move from one frequency to another. If you want to think and act in a wildly different way than we previously have been (from Chapter 1) then it would be with the help of your Master Mind. The new ideas generated will take you from where you are now, to new levels of awareness, in pursuit of your goal.
Bringing us to Chapter 11, The Mystery of Sex Transmutation
Which I think is one of the most misunderstood chapters in this entire book. Many people teach this book, and many skip over this chapter, and I it’s  because many people can get stuck with the physical side of this concept, that they miss that there’s more than the physical, and how simple yet important this concept is. Simple, and easily explained, but not at all easy to do.  We could go down a rabbit hole here, but let’s stick to why Hill thinks this idea is “simple and easily explained” to begin with, so we can see why he included this principle as one of the main chapters in this book.
At first glance, I know, we can make up our own mind of what we think this chapter is about but let’s look at Hill’s definition.
What is Sex Transmutation?
It means the switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expressions to thoughts of some other nature” (CH 11, Page 206, TAGR) and can be better understood with that same image we just looked at to explain how our mastermind group can take us to new levels of awareness,  where we can see how our thoughts can move us to different frequencies. Remember that we live simultaneously on three planes; we are spiritual beings, with an intellect, and we live in a physical body. If you look at the diagram in the show notes, we have labelled the lines or different levels of frequency S for spiritual realm, where we will feel the need to expand or always move forward, I for the intellectual realm where we access our creativity to build our dreams, and P for physical.
I’m sure it’s easy for us to imagine the energy that exists on the physical plane (just the same as we would imagine where we currently are with our goals on the physical plane, or what can use our 5 senses to see, feel, taste, touch and smell) but there’s much more to this energy, that goes beyond our 5 senses, to the intellectual and spiritual frequencies. Hill says to transmute this energy “It means the switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expressions (the lowest form of energy) to thoughts of some other nature (on a higher frequency)” (CH 11, Page 206, TAGR).
3 Planes of Existence (Spiritual, Intellectual, and Physical).
Remember it is “simple and easily explained” but not easy to do the switching from the plane that you predominantly operate from. This is where I think most people will miss the value in this chapter, and not spend enough time thinking beyond the physical. There is so much more for us to experience if we can detach from the physical, but it’s difficult to think beyond our five senses, because we have not been taught to operate with the unseen world or to “switch our mind from thoughts of physical expressions to some other nature.” (Hill).  We look at our bank accounts, and see how much money we have, and can’t “imagine” beyond what we see. We can use our higher faculties our (intuition, imagination, will, reason, perception and memory) to see beyond our senses to attain new results, switch to different frequencies, and “transmute” our energy.
How Do We Do This?
We can take this idea of sex that we know as “the perpetuation of mankind, the maintenance of health, and the transformation of mediocrity into genius through transmutation” (CH 11, Page 205, TAGR) and switch it from “thoughts of physical expression, (on the physical plane) to thoughts of some other nature” (on a higher level of frequency or plane) (CH 11, Page 206, TAGR).  We must actually do the switching and go from the physical level, where it’s very easy to get attached emotionally, detach (or let go) and switch our thoughts to another frequency with effort.
This is “simple and easily explained” but not easy to do, and Hill warns us this is why people seldom succeed before age 40. He notes “more often, they do not strike their real pace until they are well beyond the age of 50” (CH 11, Page 216, TAGR) and this chapter goes on to explain how to use this vital force to communicate with others, and inspire others through compassion, encouragement and enthusiasm.
Hill says this energy “is the most powerful of human desires. When driven by this desire, people develop keenness of imagination, courage, willpower, persistence and creative ability unknown to them at other times. When harnessed and redirected along other lines, the positive attributes of this motivating force may be used as powerful creative forces in literature, art or in any other profession or calling.” (CH 11, Page 206, TAGR). We will become highly attractive and appealing to people if we can balance these three planes of existence. You’ll see a creative force that really is unstoppable.
Where does this energy exist predominantly in you?
Some people have higher drives of this energy on different planes. Do you know where you operate from with this energy most of the time? It’s useful to know this, so you can work on balancing all three areas for improved results.
Paul Martinelli explained this to me in a way that made complete sense. He said to think about a singer[vi] who may have incredible talent, with a voice that moves you to the core. She sings and it strikes your emotions, and even on a spiritual level, you are moved. But there is something missing. She is shy and is lacking when it comes to her stage presence. She may have mastered the spiritual and intellectual realm but has not fully developed her talent in the physical realm and lacks the charisma needed for her to perform on stage.  
Hill reminds us about the “irresistible force against which there can be no opposition—when driven by this emotion, men and women become gifted with a super power for action. Understand this truth and you will catch the significance of the statement that sex transmutation will lift one to the status of genius. The emotion of sex contains the secret of creative ability.” (CH 11, Page 207, TAGR).
We can transmute or “transfer one form of energy into another” (CH 11, Page 205, TAGR) which is how we move from one frequency or vibration to another. Don’t get trapped into thinking that we can exist only on the physical plane or that this energy exists only on the physical plane. It can also exist on the intellectual and spiritual plane with the use of “transmutation” that transfers or changes the physical energy into another form.
Remember, this idea links back to the first chapter, when we had to think “wildly different thoughts”[vii] to get new results, that would take us from where we are now (physical realm) to where our goals sit (spiritual realm in the diagram).
Think about where you operate from predominantly.  If you are dominant in the physical realm, you will be missing something in the intellectual and spiritual realm, just as if you are dominant in the intellectual realm, there will be something missing for you in the physical realm. This is just another way to become more self-aware and find balance in all three areas to experience the “superpowers for action” that Hill explains is possible with this energy.
Chapter 12: The Subconscious Mind
Bringing us to Chapter 12 on what Hill calls the Subconscious Mind. We will call it this in this description but have been taught to label this part of the mind in recent years as the nonconscious mind (with any mental process that goes on in which the individual is unaware).
Don’t forget to READ and WRITE the 6 STEPS every day, to influence this part of your mind. We did cover this in PART 2[viii] of this series.
We did also cover this part of the mind on PART 3[ix] when exploring autosuggestion with the three parts of your mind: The conscious mind, The Non-Conscious Mind and how our mind impacts The Body. Hill reminds us in this chapter that “The subconscious mind works day and night” (CH 12, Page 230, TAGR) and that you “cannot entirely control your subconscious mind, but you can voluntarily hand over to it, any plan, desire or purpose you wish to be transformed into concrete form” (CH 12, Page 230, TAGR) and reminds us to go back to Chapter 4 on Autosuggestion and read this chapter again. Since each of these principles are connected, like the colors of the rainbow, it’s good practice to keep your book tabbed, so that you can go back and forth to previous chapters when needed.
To review PART 5 of this SERIES:
The Power of the Mastermind: Remember the third-party principle or the “third, invisible, intangible force that may be likened to a third mind.” (CH 10, Page 195, TAGR). with the “collective consciousness” that’s created when 2 or more people come together for a sustained period of time to drive forward an idea. Do you have a Mastermind Group that you participate in? This is a powerful practice that will guarantee forward motion.
Taking the Mystery Out of Sex Transmutation: Do you know what plane you predominantly operate on? To make full use of this power, how could you create more balance in all 3 of these areas?
Linking All Parts of Our Mind: Have you formed the practice of reading and writing your goals twice a day? If not, you are missing the power of autosuggestion created from the power of your non-conscious mind that works day and night and accepts whatever you tell it.
With that, we will bring this episode into a close, and I will see you in a few days for the final episode of this series, that will cover Chapter 13, The Brain, Chapter 14, the Sixth Sense and 15 on Outwitting the Ghosts of Fear.
Have a wonderful weekend!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
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REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 “Making 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #191 PART 2 on “Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith Over Fear”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #193 PART 3 on “Putting Our Goals on Autopilot with Autosuggestion and Our Imagination”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-3-using-autosuggestion-and-your-imagination-to-put-your-goals-on-autopilot/
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #195 PART 4 on “Perfecting the Skills of Organized Planning, Decision-Making, and Persistence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-4-on-perfecting-the-skills-of-organized-planning-decision-making-and-persistence/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #187 “In Memory of Presidential Historian Doug Wead on Leadership and Character Lessons from the Greatest US Presidents” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/in-memory-of-presidential-historian-doug-wead-on-applying-leadership-and-character-lessons-from-the-greatest-us-presidents/
[vi] Paul Martinelli on The Mystery of Sex Transmutation Published May 1, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QlYitpjpvM&list=PLO4Y7YoQ7TKPBOWw15h1DhlYQcKK8Hhub&index=13
[vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #191 PART 2 on “Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith Over Fear”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #191 PART 2 on “Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith Over Fear”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #193 PART 3 on “Putting Our Goals on Autopilot with Autosuggestion and Our Imagination”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-3-using-autosuggestion-and-your-imagination-to-put-your-goals-on-autopilot/

Think and Grow Rich Book Review PART 4 on ”Perfecting the Skills of Organized Planning, Decision-Making and Persistence”

Welcome back to PART 4 of Making 2022 You Best Year Ever with EPISODE #194 on “Perfecting the Skills of Organized Planning, Decision-Making and Persistence” as we continue our deep dive into Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, Think and Grow Rich, that has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
On this episode, you will learn:
✔︎ Review PART 1, 2, 3 to Reinforce the First 6 Chapters of Think and Grow Rich.
✔︎ Why the Skills of Organized Planning , Decision-Making and Persistence are important and Timeless Leadership Characteristics.
✔︎The Major Attributes of Leadership.
✔︎ The Major Causes of Failure in Leadership.
✔︎ Strategies to Improve Your Decision-Making and Persistence Muscles.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back. I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. This month, I decided to share my notes with you on a book that I have been studying every January since 2018, with Paul Martinelli, who has studied this book for most of his career. It was the book that my mentor Bob Proctor has studied for his entire life, over 57 years, and a book that some of the wisest people in the world have studied.
If you have been following our episodes of Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, you will recall how
PART 1 began with a reminder from Grant Cardone that “in order to get to the next level of whatever it is that we are doing, we must think and act in a wildly different way than we previously have been.”[i]  We outlined all of the 15 principles that we will be diving into and in
PART 2[ii] we looked at the importance of positive thinking, being crystal clear with what we want, and choosing faith over fear in pursuit of our goals.
PART 3[iii] we examined the importance of putting these goals on autopilot with what Hill calls “autosuggestion” and then further honing our craft by studying, learning, and developing specialized knowledge that will separate you from others, making you truly unique with your talent that you’ll continue to perfect in your lifetime, while using your imagination to keep building and perfecting whatever it is that you want to create in your life.
Now we move into Chapter 7 on Organized Planning, Chapter 8 on Decision, and Chapter 9, my all-time favorite, on Persistence. If you think about it, we have developed our vision in the first six chapters, have probably created a plan to move towards what we want, and are using our mind, our five senses, and even thinking beyond our five senses with our 6 faculties of the mind that we reviewed on episode #67.[iv] These next three chapters are integral for making sure our plans stay on track, that we take continual action steps towards our crystal-clear vision, with a never give up attitude. Which leads us to…
Chapter 7 Organized Planning
This chapter holds some timeless secrets for success that are so important, you can go to Amazon and find hundreds of books that focus on “organization” whether in your personal or professional life.  You can browse through Netflix and find shows based on the importance of keeping your home “organized” with the show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo[v] where she explains the energy that frees up when your home goes from disorderly to orderly.
Hill reminds us in the beginning of this chapter on the importance of organized planning when he states “if the plan you adopt does not work successfully, replace it with a new plan” (CH7, Page 117, TAGR) and that “temporary defeat should only mean one thing—the certain knowledge that there is something wrong with your plan.” (CH7, Page 117, TAGR). Remember Thomas Edison “failed” 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent light bulb.
“A QUITTER NEVER WINS AND A WINNER NEVER QUITS” Hill suggests writing this sentence out on a piece of paper “and place it where you will see it every night before you go to sleep, and every morning before you go to work.” (CH7, Page 118, TAGR). I remember in 6th grade, my teacher, Mr. Ron Walker had a poster above the clock in our classroom at Norman Ingram Public School in Toronto, with a beat-up kid trying to learn hockey. He has band aids all over him, cuts, and bruises, but at the top of the poster was written that phrase “A QUITTER NEVER WINS AND A WINNER NEVER QUITS.”  I used to stare at that poster often, not because I wanted to learn that sport, maybe a bit because it was right over the clock that I kept my eye on, but that phrase would later be something that would become a habit and would lead me to places that most people would never see, because the win often occurs AFTER most people would typically give up. We’ll examine this on a deeper level in the Persistence chapter.
In this chapter, on Organized Planning, Hill writes about the TOP 11 Major Attributes of Leadership, and while all of them are important, the ones that stood out to me are that leaders possess:
Unwavering Courage “that comes from knowledge of self and of one’s occupation”(CH 7, Page 120, TAGR)
Self-control “people who cannot control themselves cannot control others”(CH 7, Page 120, TAGR)
Definiteness of Decision “People who waver in their decisions show that they are not sure of themselves” (CH 7, Page 120, TAGR)
Definiteness of Plans “The successful leader must plan the work and work the plan.”(CH 7, Page 120, TAGR)
The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For “One of the penalties of leadership is the necessity and of willingness, upon the part of the leaders, to do more than they require of their followers” (CH 7, Page 120, TAGR) and
Mastery of Detail of everything that pertains to “the leader’s position” (CH 7, Page 120, TAGR)
You will see how these characteristics of leadership all tie into the next few chapters we will be looking at.
Napoleon Hill also lists the TOP 10 Major Causes of Failure in Leadership in this chapter, and the first one is “The inability to organize details” (CH.7, page 122, TAGR) where “the successful leader must be the master of all details connected to that position” (CH.7, page 123, TAGR).
While I think ALL the 10 Major Causes of Failure are important to read through, and take an honest look at, the first one will set you up for success if you can master organization in your personal and professional life as the ability to organize details in our workplace begins with the ability to organize details within ALL the major areas of our life. I covered the nine environments of our life, on our episode that launched 2021 last January, on EPISODE #103 “3 Ways to Reset, Refuel and Recharge Your Brain”[vi] and I do highly recommend taking a 360 look at our life every year to evaluate where energy might be leaking that could be directed somewhere else. Our environments (that surround us) either inspire us or expire us. They either add energy and move you ahead or drain your energy and hold you back.
Whether this is fair or not, it’s easy to walk past someone’s work environment and notice if it’s organized, (giving energy vs draining energy) or sit in their car, and look around and notice if it’s kept clean, (giving energy vs draining energy) or open up their closet and see how their clothes are organized, (you get the picture) Our environments and how we keep them give anyone a glimpse into how we value organization in the major areas of our life.
The statement “How you do anything is how you do everything” which says a lot and means that the small details matter. Hill put the inability to organize details as his first Major Cause of Failure and he even leaves a spot open for you to add you own idea to this list, in spot #31.
He reminds us to “know thyself” and we couldn’t agree more. Our second episode on this podcast was called “Know Thyself”[vii] still remains as one of our most popular episodes. We launched our podcast with the topic of Self-Awareness to kick off our first social and emotional learning competency since to “know thyself” is the most substantial achievement we can have in our lifetime.
“The major value in life is not what you get. It’s what you become.” (Jim Rohn, American author, speaker and entrepreneur).
Hill reminds us that “you should know all of your weaknesses so that you may either bridge them or eliminate them entirely…you can know yourself only through accurate analysis.” (CH 7, Page 144, TAGR).
Do you know yourself? Your strengths AND weaknesses?
Hill offers a 28-question inventory to help us to self-assess ourselves, decrease our faults, and increase our virtues.
Chapter 8 Decision
Hill opens up this chapter by sharing that an “accurate analysis of over 25,000 men and women who had experienced failure disclosed the fact that lack of decision was near the head of the list of the 30 major causes of failure.” (CH 8, Page 157, TAGR). He says that this is not a statement of theory, but a fact and that successful people “had the habit of reaching decisions promptly and of changing these decisions slowly, if and when they were changed.” (CH 8, Page 157, TAGR)
He shared that one of Henry Ford’s outstanding qualities was “his habit of reaching decisions quickly and definitely and changing them slowly.” (CH 8, Page 158, TAGR)
How do you make decisions? Remember that you “have a brain and mind of your own. Use it and reach your own decisions.” (CH 8, Page 159, TAGR).
Making decisions requires courage and “the great decisions which served as the foundation of civilization were reached by assuming great risks.” (CH 8, Page 160, TAGR). You can read through some examples that Hill provides of those famous people in history who made decisions that required courage. Some of them are so moving, that they inspired me many years ago, before deciding to move from Toronto to the United States, to purchase a poster that has been in my office ever since I made this move, with the word Courage is written on the top, along with the poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that says “The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision which no man could have dreamed would come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.” (Goethe)
This is true (with a committed decision all sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred) and cannot be experienced until AFTER the committed decision is made, and all other options or bridges are burned. Like we mentioned in PART 2 of this study, in Chapter 1 where “Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat.” (CH 2, page 21, TAGR).  Barnes did this when he found his way to New Jersey to meet with Edison, and Dr. David Sinclair did it when he left Australia for MIT.[viii]
Do you make decisions quickly and change them slowly?
“You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it and reach you own decisions.” (CH8, Page 159, TAGR).
Chapter 9 Persistence
This chapter is to me, the most important chapter of the book. It’s so important that I put a tab labelled PERSISTENCE instead of just a chapter number so I could refer to this chapter often when needed.
People who reach high levels of success in their life can usually tell you where they have applied persistence to get what they wanted, with the mixture of their will (one of the higher faculties of the mind). Successful people are often “known as cold-blooded and sometimes ruthless. Often they are misunderstood. What they have is willpower, which they mix with persistence” (CH. 9, Page 175, TAGR) to get what they want. The word “persistence” is “to character, what carbon is to steel.” (CH 9, Page 178, TAGR). “Without persistence, you will be defeated, even before you start. With persistence, you will win.” (CH 9, Page 178, TAGR).
STRENGTHENING YOUR “PERSISTENCE” MUSCLES
I was taught to use this skill in my early days of working with Proctor. There was an activity he would have us to do that was meant to develop “Persistence” so that it became a habit. He would have us read this chapter, for 14 days in a row. The entire chapter, every day, for 14 days, and if for some reason, you missed a day, you would need to start over again. This was much easier for me in the days before I had children, and I read this chapter often. Fast forward to 2019 when Paul Martinelli challenged us to read the chapter for 14 days in a row, I thought “that’s a piece of cake” and I took the challenge. I would have to say this was one of the most difficult things I have done in recent years and could see exactly how it builds your persistence muscles. I set my alarm to wake up a bit earlier than usual, and went to my office, and every morning, would read this chapter using the small light in my office, so I didn’t wake anyone else up in the house. I wouldn’t say it was easy but try it yourself and see how you do. It was smooth sailing for me until one morning I was at my desk reading, and one of the kids came into my office not feeling well, and I put my book down to solve her tummy ache and get her ready for school. The day had started, and I had missed reading the chapter. I didn’t have a block of time in the work day to do this, so I had to take something off my schedule, to get back on track. This activity will open your eyes to how different roadblocks will come your way, and take your eye off your goals, and without the use of your will, you would probably let that one thing fall off your radar. And you will have to start over again at day 1 if that happens. Try this challenge, and tick off every day that you read the Persistence chapter from start to finish and see if you can do this 14 days in a row. It’s an eye-opening activity that will give you incredible self-awareness. Try it, and let me know what you notice.
Never underestimate the compounding effect of consistency.
“A good example of the power of persistence is show business. From all over the world people have come to Hollywood seeking fame, fortune, power, love or whatever it is that human beings call success…But Hollywood is not easily nor quickly conquered. It acknowledges talent, recognizes genius and pays off in money only after one has refused to quit. The secret is always inseparably attached to one word—persistence.” (CH 9, Page 180, TAGR).
It requires discipline—the ability to give yourself a command and follow through.
Who do you know who is persistent?
If you are in the profession of sales, someone who is persistent will be conditioned to not take “no” for an answer in the sales cycle. When the customer says “no” the persistent sales representative will ask questions to see if there is any possible way forward. Asking questions helps them to discover if there is an opportunity, or not. They may uncover that the person said no because they just spent their budget with another company and had no more budget left to spend with you, even if they love your product. A persistent salesperson who can develop and maintain strong relationships with their customers would then be able to ask if it would be possible for them to cancel the order with the other company and purchase with you.
It may lead to an opportunity, or not, but without persistence, one would never know.
WHEN TO GIVE UP
There’s always the point where whatever it is we want is out of our reach, and when we have tried all angles, pushed past when most others would have given up, that I think it’s ok to give up, only if you put in your best effort. I don’t quote my Dad (Frank) often, as sometimes our best teachers in life teach us important life lessons the hard way without any sugar coating that would not lead to intended results. My Dad used to always say “What’s for you won’t go by you” which helped me a few times I didn’t get the job I wanted in my early 20s. I do still believe that saying to be true, and remember that force negates, that there is always a time that you will know you’ve given your best shot, and this opportunity just wasn’t for you.
Which leads us to the conclusion of this episode. I’ll see you next week as we move into the final chapters of the book, with Chapter 10 on the Power of the Mastermind, Chapter 11 (one of the most misunderstood chapters in the book) The Mystery of Sex Transmutation, Chapter 12, The Subconscious Mind and Chapter 13, The Brain.
I hope you are finding value in visiting these timeless principles, used by some of the wisest people in the world, to make your 2022, your best year ever. See you next week!
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REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 “Making 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #191 PART 2 on “Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith Over Fear”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #193 PART 3 on “Putting Our Goals on Autopilot with Autosuggestion and Our Imagination”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-3-using-autosuggestion-and-your-imagination-to-put-your-goals-on-autopilot/
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into Most Important Concepts Learned from Bob Proctor Seminars: https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[v] Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 on “3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/
[vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #2 “Know Thyself” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-awareness-know-thyself/
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #191 PART 2 on “Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith Over Fear”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-2-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever-by-thinking-differently-and-choosing-faith-over-fear/

Think and Grow Rich Book Review PART 3 ”Putting Our Goals on Autopilot with Autosuggestion and the Imagination”

Welcome back to PART 3 of Making 2022 You Best Year Ever with EPISODE #193 on “Making Your Goals Automatic by Putting Autosuggestion into Practice with Your Imagination“ as we continue our deep dive into Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, Think and Grow Rich, that has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
On this episode, you will learn:
✔︎ Review PART 1 and 2 to Reinforce the First 3 Chapters of Think and Grow Rich.
✔︎ Chapter 4: How to Use Autosuggestion to Set Your Goals on Autopilot.
✔︎ Chapter 5: Why We Must Acquire and Know How to Use Specialized Knowledge to Reach High Levels of Success
✔︎ Chapter 6: Why Imagination is Everything.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back to Season 7 of our Podcast. I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. This month, I decided to share my notes with you on a book that I have been studying every January since 2018, with Paul Martinelli, who has studied this book for most of his career. It was the book that my mentor Bob Proctor has studied for his entire life, over 57 years, and a book that some of the wisest people in the world have studied.
If you have been following our episodes of Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, you will recall how PART 1 began with a reminder from Grant Cardone that “in order to get to the next level of whatever it is that you are doing, you must think and act in a wildly different way than we previously have been.”[i]  We outlined all of the 15 principles that we will be diving into and in PART 2 we looked at the importance of positive thinking, being crystal clear with what we want, and choosing faith over fear in pursuit of our goals.
Before I began recording these episodes, I didn’t know how many it would take to cover these chapters thoroughly, but if you are like me, and just want to learn, keep listening and see if you can add anything new to your goal-setting/achieving process. We really could keep going all year, as each principle we could talk about for an entire month. Therefore, I think it’s important to revisit this book, every year, as we are working on new goals, to continue to improve our own process, and take our understanding of each principle, to a new level.
Whatever it is you are working on—a new job or position at work, or smaller steps to a huge vision that you have, it’s normal to be skeptical of anything new, especially when the ideas are so abstract. At first glance the title of this book sounds crazy. Think and Grow Rich! Sounds a bit out there. The only reason I am covering this book on this podcast, is because it is such a classic, and has the ability to  challenge anyone’s “thinking” and the principles have been used successfully from some of the wisest people in the world.
I have met many people while working in the speaking industry who had successfully created beautiful lives with these principles, and they kept coming back to deepen their study, awareness and understanding. It’s a process. When I read about how Jim Carrey[ii] used these ideas when he first came into the film industry, visualizing his first $10M check, I wasn’t surprised at all.  
For this episode we will move into chapter 4 on Autosuggestion, Chapter 5 on Specialized Knowledge, and Chapter 6 on Imagination. What I’m noticing is how these chapters all work together, like my mentor Proctor says, “like the colors of the rainbow” as we think back to PART 1 of this book study and remember this whole process began with the realization that we must think about what we want (or desire as Hill would say) with a high degree of clarity, increasing our awareness of the world,  adding an unwavering belief and expectation around the attainment of what we want, (by choosing faith over fear, overcoming all obstacles) and then put this worthy goal on autosuggestion by repeating the 6 steps from the Desire Chapter twice a day (reading and writing out our vision).  
If I were to want to STOP and FREEZE at any moment of these 15 principles, it would be right here, with the importance of understanding chapter 4 on autosuggestion because if we think about it, for anyone who has attained ANY level of success in their life, it began in their mind first and is best said with this poem by Walter D. Wintle.
“If you think you are beaten, you areIf you think you dare not, you don't,If you like to win, but you think you can'tIt's almost a cinch you won't.If you think you'll lose, you've lostFor out in the world we find,Success begins with a fellow's willIt's all in the state of mind.
I’m really starting to think that the “secret” in these pages lays somewhere with our ability to “think” and now Hill introduces the term autosuggestion or a way of self-conditioning our non-conscious mind.
Sounds deep, but exciting, at least I think it is. I’m sure this is why this book is the #6th bestselling book on Amazon, but I wonder how many people read the book this way and put this much thinking into each chapter. I definitely didn’t until Paul Martinelli walked me though each chapter of the book.
REVIEW WHAT WE’VE LEARNED in PART 1 and PART 2 to reinforce what we’ve covered before adding a new layer.
KNOW WHAT WE WANT: Begin with identifying what you really want. Clearly defined goals written as if you have already attained your goal. I’m so happy and grateful now that---and write out what you want by a certain date.
ADD FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS: Engage your emotions, feelings, and expectation which has a magical power that continues to drive what you are seeking, towards you, and you towards it.
GET YOUR SENSES INVOLVED: Use all of your 5 senses to see yourself in attainment of your goal, feel it, even put something in your physical surroundings that you can touch like I did years ago when I put a small cactus in my room in Toronto, to help me to visualize moving to this new location. This small cactus helped me to imagine (beyond my senses) the beautiful landscape and mountains of AZ when I looked outside of my window in Toronto, and could only see snowbanks, frost and icicles.
THE POWER OF REPETITION: Write and repeat what you want twice a day, with whatever method works for you. Grant Cardone uses a legal notepad, I read my goals out from where they are written on my wall, and write them on a notepad, and have seen others using letterboards where they have to take the time to write out their goals using letters, or whiteboards they can write on and erase their every day.
ACT AS IF WHAT YOU WANT IS YOURS: When someone asks you what you are working on, your language is imperative for the direction of where you are going. Do you say “I’m trying for xyz” or “I’m in the process of achieving xyz” that gives a whole different level of confidence. Whenever I hear someone say they will “try” something, it’s a clear indicator it’s not even on their radar. There’s no such thing as “try.” You are either doing something, or you’re not.
CHOOSE FAITH OVER FEAR: When you keep moving, past all obstacles, you will notice that new people, circumstances and situations will come your way to help you. There is no such thing as “something for nothing.” This only comes with hard work and perseverance.
Which leads us to the next step in the process with Chapter 4: Autosuggestion or “Self-Suggestion” (Chapter 4, Page 69, TAGR).
This chapter is best described with a quick lesson on how the mind works. I first wrote about this in my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed[iii] (page 71) Lesson 2: What is Your Mind?
I first learned this concept while working with Proctor in the seminar industry, and it really did change the way that I think. The idea of creating order in our mind with the image of the stickperson originated from Dr. Thurman Fleet in 1934 and is a way of thinking of our mind. If you look at the image in the show notes labelled A, B and C of the stickperson.
Our conscious mind (A) in the diagram, is the part of our mind that we use when we are consciously doing something like reading, studying, learning, solving problems, or playing sports.
***Non-Conscious Mind (B)[iv] is the part of our mind that accepts whatever enters it. This is an extremely powerful concept and since I learned this BEFORE I had children, I was very careful of not playing the news around the kids, even when they were babies. We know that watching and listening to the negativity on the news is not good for us, as it all seeps into our mind when it’s in this submissive state (or a baby’s mind that is wide open to whatever you put into it) and this can change how we feel. That’s because what we are hearing is going right into our non-conscious mind and impacting our body and in turn, as adults, impacting our results. If you have young children, you can use this to their advantage by guarding their mind from negativity and adding positivity when you can, by whispering in their ear before they go to bed at night something powerful like “you will achieve all of your goals and live a wonderful happy life” as you send them off to sleep. Always be mindful of what you have playing in the background of your home. With this principle of autosuggestion, it really does matter.
It’s also important to think about this when we sit down to eat. Our mind goes into a submission state, when it’s not thinking, and anyone else’s negative thoughts can go straight into our non-conscious mind. It’s very important that we are careful who we surround ourselves with, as their thoughts can impact our mood, for this reason.
We have all “felt” this happen, and this image explains why.
Our Body (C): I know that you will know that our thinking and attitude can impact our health, since our body inherits what our mind expresses. Healthy thoughts, put our body in the best environment for health and conversely, when we dwell on negative situations, that can stress our body and can cause dis-ease. A healthy dose of optimism can go a long way with coping with life’s stressful situations.
Just by looking at the stickperson diagram, we can see how autosuggestion is one way to access our non-conscious mind so that we must be in integrity of what we are thinking, and feeling, creating the results we want. When our thoughts and feelings are lined up, it’s called PRAXIS and is the first step towards putting this principle into action. By repeating your goals twice a day, eventually, with time, you will believe what you are saying, build faith, and it’s the belief mixed with faith that will drive your behavior moving forward.
REVIEWING YOUR HIGHER FACULTIES:
Before we move onto the next chapter, Chapter 5, on Specialized Knowledge, I think it’s important to bring up one of the BIG IDEA’S I learned from working with Bob Proctor, who has been reading this book for his entire life (over 57 years). If you go back and listen to EPISODE #67[v], you will see BIG IDEA #4 where I explain the importance of learning to live beyond our 5 senses (or what we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch) that can be limiting. We can access new information, deeper flashes of insight, higher levels of creativity, if we learn to live with our 6 intellectual faculties that operate beyond our 5 senses for a competitive advantage. Napoleon Hill thought that intuition (or the sixth sense as he calls it) and imagination are so important that he added them to his chapters or principles that we will dive into in later episodes.
Intuition is a mental tool that gives us answers, by picking up the energy or feeling from another person or situation. Sometimes we feel we just know the answer, or we have a gut feeling. That is our intuition at work, and we must learn to develop and listen to it. With practice, we can learn to trust our intuition and become confident with that which we feel or know. Then, we can move confidently toward that which we want without any doubt, because we’ve used this higher faculty that instills a level of trust within  ourselves.
Chapter 5-Specialized Knowledge
To further hone in on what we want, chapter 5 reminds us to add an understanding of specialized knowledge which separates you from everyone else, making you special with the knowledge you have acquired. In chapter 5 we learn that knowledge (general or specialized) must be “organized and intelligently directed” (CH 5, page 79, TAGR) “and is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if it is organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end.”
This makes sense when we think about everything we learn in school (general knowledge) that has no use unless we apply and use it in some way (specialized). Hill explains this is the “missing link in all systems of education … the failure of educational institutions to teach their students HOW TO ORGANIZE AND USE KNOWLEDGE AFTER THEY ACQUIRE IT.” (CH 5, Page 80, TAGR).
Henry Ford even said that he has a row of buttons on his desk that he can push to find out answers to anything he wants (general knowledge) and that any “person is educated who knows where to get knowledge when needed, and how to organize that knowledge into definite plans of action. Through the assistance of his Master Mind, Henry Ford had at his command all the specialized knowledge he needed to enable him to become one of the wealthiest men in America.” (Ch.5, Page 81, TAGR).
If you think about this principle and what it means, I think about why some books become best sellers, and others are still great, but are missing something. Think about Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that we covered on EPISODE #68[vi] on The Neuroscience of Personal Change. Why was Covey’s book so successful and named the number 1 most influential book of the 20th century, selling more than 40 million copies in 50-plus languages[vii]. I think one of the reasons was that it contained specialized knowledge (The 7 Habits) in a framework that showed us how to organize and use it, after we read the book.
We are taught what to do with each habit, with clear steps on how to implement this new and specialized knowledge into our life to manage ourselves, and others. Next, think about another book, Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now[viii] that might still be an incredible book, but it was missing something. If you have read this book, you might be able to recall something about it, or that Tolle worked with Oprah on a series to teach these concepts, or you might remember specifics about the book, but was there a framework to help you to apply what the book was teaching us? Can you remember anything about it? There were incredible lessons in this book, but they were not organized in a framework to help people to use and apply them.
“Knowledge is not power until it becomes organized in definite plans and action.” (Ch 5, Page 80, TAGR) and Hill reminds us that just because Henry Ford had little formal education, it didn’t mean that he was not “educated.” The word educate comes from the Latin word “educo” that means to “educe, to draw out, to develop from within. An educated person is not necessarily one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. Educated people have developed the faculties of their mind (that we reviewed with BIG IDEA #4 above) so that they may acquire anything they want, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others.” (CH 5, Page 80, TAGR).
How to Use Specialized Knowledge to Reach New Heights?
How good are you at what you do? Are you continually looking to improve your talent? When you can take someone who has developed their talent in a way that comes natural to you, but amazes others, you have developed something unique. This must be improved, honed and further developed to continue to grow, expand and meet with success. Do you see how each principle in this book is a part of a formula? It’s a process…
Be sure that whatever your idea or goal is, that you continue to grow and refine it, adding more and more specialized knowledge to what you are building, which brings us to the last piece of the formula in this episode.
Chapter 6-Our Imagination.
The final part of this episode is when we add our imagination to the mix, to think beyond what we can see, and into the unknown world where our unattained vision lays.
Imagination is Everything[ix] according to author Earl Nightingale. All great inventions are created in two separate places: the mind of the inventor and the physical world when the inventor creates it. Our lives reflect how well we use our imagination, because when we hit one plateau of success, it will be our imagination that will take us to what’s next. When we create our crystal-clear vision, that we read and write twice a day, we are activating our imagination to do this.  When we write and read our vision in detail it activates cells of recognition in our brain that when we imagine what we write, eventually our brain will accept and recognize what we are telling it, and it will go from feeling like a crazy pipe dream, to eventually something that you can see yourself doing. Then one day, what you imagined, becomes your reality.
Think of all the inventions over the past 50 years that changed how we live our lives. Someone had to think of how the world has changed in the past 10 years with the image in the show notes showing how Amazon has almost no stores, Uber owns almost no cars, Facebook creates no content, Airbnb owns no real estate, Netflix is not a TV channel and Bitcoin has no physical coins. All of these ideas began in someone’s imagination, and are transforming the world.
Did you know that in 2020, Jeff Bezos’ annual salary from Amazon was “$81, 840 which qualities as middle-income wage in his home state of California.”[x]
Bezos’ increase in wealth came in 2020 mostly from Amazon stock prices. He is now said to “make more in one second than most people make in one week. He makes about $8.9 billion per month, $2.5 billion per week, or $321 million per day”[xi]
Which brings us to one of the most famous quotes of this book. Napoleon Hill writes “If you are one of those people who believe that hard work and honesty will bring you riches, perish the thought. It is not true. Riches, when they come in huge quantities are never the result of hard work! Riches come, if they come at all, in response to definite demands, based on the application of definite principles, and not by change or luck.” (Chapter 6, Page 108, TAGR).
I’m sure we can all see how the Pandemic causes many of us to shop online, which meant there was a demand for what Bezos had created and Bezos was prepared and ready when this demand hit and I’m sure he had a clear pathway for his vision that wanted to build.
REVIEW OF PART 3
To sum up this episode, and prepare for Chapter 7 on Organized Planning, Chapter 8 on Decision, and 9 on Persistence, don’t forget to review the important steps in PART 1 and 2 that we went over in the past 2 episodes.
Next,
Review how our mind thinks: with the concept of the stick person so we can see how repeating and writing out our goals is an easy way to put them on autosuggestion.
Learn to live beyond our five senses: (or what we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch) that can be limiting. Revisit episode #67 and pay attention to the definition of intuition and imagination, since Hill felt they were important enough to list both of these in his 15 principles.
Keep Learning: by thinking of how you will continue to acquire and organize specialized knowledge that will take you to new levels with your craft.
Let Your Imagination Soar: Hill suggests reading the entire book first but coming back to this chapter “to put your imagination to work” (Ch. 6, Page 100, TAGR).
Remember this is all a part of a process. If it seems like there are many ideas stacked together, just keep reading, and thinking and each time you put in some more thought to the potential of these ideas, your awareness will expand, giving you a new level of confidence for whatever you are working on.
See you in a few days with the next 3 chapters.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
Chapter 4: Autosuggestion Published on YouTube July 28, 2018  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYOc329tEYQ
Chapter 5: Specialized Knowledge Published on YouTube July 28, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV9KVZ0sQ7Q
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 “Making 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/
[ii] What Oprah Learned from Jim Carrey October 12, 2011 https://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/what-oprah-learned-from-jim-carrey-video
[iii] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi, Published September 15, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1976820030
[iv] ***If you have heard of the term sub-conscious mind used where I say non-conscious, it’s just because I have substituted non-conscious as a more recent term for what we used to call the subconscious mind.
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into Most Important Concepts Learned from Bob Proctor Seminars: https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #68 “The Neuroscience of Personal Change: With Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/
[vii] How Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits Guides Leaders in Times of Challenge and Uncertainty by Marcel Schwantes, https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/stephen-covey-the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-leaders.html
[viii] The Power of Now by Eckert Tolle August 1, 2004 https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808
[ix] Imagination is Everything YouTube by Earl Nightingale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e25hRhKPm4M
[x] Mind-Blowing Facts About Jeff Bezos’ Wealth Published July 27, 2021 by Dawn Allcot https://www.yahoo.com/now/5-mind-blowing-facts-jeff-182204262.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABJswqzQ-kSEQG-_kMdVZLAFZZRj0X13NDhrKwPFWjvxnht_QzHjo0yPUi5ydMf8G33y7o8SmqRJeHTVTOo3ADKOGRmSXd2d5DGyWiTinM0qb-IoVUVzkXxHpDA0NIvj8BS3hF9mHF5OGCxjC8Fuf_ikfLkGkmENcWHExq_zvzrR
[xi] IBID

Nick Jonsson on ”Strategies to Overcome Isolation, Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Workplace”

With the rise of mental health issues and with the COVID pandemic forcing less and less interactions amongst co-workers and leaders, senior leaders in many organizations are suffering numerous new ailments and challenges. With this workplace scenario continuing to be a problem, as times progress with more and more complications arising, many leaders are reaching breaking points in their personal lives. With no one to reach out to, many of these leaders may be suffering from what Nick Jonsson, the Co-founder and Managing Director of Executives Global Network in Singapore, calls “executive loneliness” that arises when top executives are exposed to extreme and prolonged stress, resulting in an increase in anxiety, isolation, and depression.
Watch this interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/b6TCGyysI-A
On this episode, you will learn
✔︎ What is "Executive Loneliness" and how has the Pandemic caused us to make our mental and physical health a priority?
✔︎ Nick's story and why he is passionate about talking about what others would rather shy away from.
✔︎ What is "smiling depression" and how to recognize when change is needed for yourself, and others.
✔︎ 5 Steps to Recovery outlined in Nick's book "Executive Loneliness"
✔︎ Where to begin to make changes with our physical and mental health.
✔︎ What increasing your activity looks like and how to measure it.
We just uncovered on EPISODE #188 “Putting Your Mental and Physical Health First”[i] the shocking statistic that  “one-quarter of Americans intend to improve their mental health in 2022”[ii] and that according to a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, “almost 70 million adults resolve to find ways to improve their mental health this coming year”[iii] but Nick Jonsson, from Singapore, shows us that this is a global issue, and he wants to raise awareness of this phenomenon, no longer being quiet about the issues he has personally faced himself.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or in the corporate environment.
In his book, Executive Loneliness,[iv] Nick Jonsson outlines that most executives and leaders often do nothing to address this phenomenon of “loneliness” for fear of appearing unsuccessful and frowned upon. Worst, he shares that not addressing it exacerbates the negative and difficult feelings, to the point where it becomes more and more difficult for them to function. Ultimately, it takes a toll on their whole life.[v]
As we were looking for leaders around the world to launch of year, with a focus on physical and mental health, Nick Jonsson was the one I wanted to launch our year with to be our first interview of 2022. If you follow Nick on social media, (and I’ll put all his links in the show notes) you will notice that he puts his physical health first (which we have shown on this podcast is one of the top health staples to make an impact on your overall physical and mental health) –you will see him riding his bike, hiking, and training at his local pool.
Let’s meet Nick Jonsson and see what we can learn together with his experience and knowledge, to put our mental and physical health first this year.
Welcome Nick!
Nick, I like to open up the podcast with a question where we can get to know you a bit better, and just from looking over your social media posts over the holidays, it was more like a lesson in Geography, with health and wellness, and family tied in.
 
INTRO: Can you share a bit about what you’ve been up to over the holidays, that took you to 4 countries, with your family, and how you kept health at the forefront the entire time?
 
I saw you training the other day at your local pool in Singapore—how are things these days with COVID protocols over there? Still very strict?
 
Q1: It was important for me to launch 2022 with you, with your focus on mental and physical health, that’s our focus for Season 7 of our podcast. I know this is the question that most people ask you, and I’ve linked the podcast you did with From Survivor to Thriver[vi] so our listeners can learn more about you, but can you just a bit of your background with the 2 stories that coincided, to bring you to not be quiet around a topic that many people still shy away from?
 
Q2: I wonder if we can tie in this issue of executive loneliness, leading to an increase in anxiety, isolation, and depression, to something that our first responders might be going through these days or even those teachers who have been sent back to teaching online again, stress is at an all-time high in many sectors. I heard it described recently from someone working in policing who broke down and had to leave the field, to a desk job, and is on track for early retirement now,  because all that pressure builds up over time (A good analogy I heard is like a garbage can getting filled up until the can overflows, just like the stress building up with a person until they can’t take it anymore).
 
You explain the pressure in the corporate world (all the meetings, being the first one in the office, the last one to leave, the one keeping it all together, and you still must be at your best and perform when there’s little time for yourself. I saw the parallel with many different sectors who are being pushed to the limits in a way that’s not far off from how you describe what you see with senior executives. Before we even begin to look at strategies and solutions for this serious issue, how would someone know that change needs to occur?
 
2B) Was the Pandemic an eye-opener for people to begin health programs?
2C) What are the trends you are seeing Internationally with working on the weekends?
 
Q3: I love how you’ve clearly outlined what you think is important with your 5 Steps to Recovery in your book. You walk the reader through all the steps with some very important things to consider in the early stages, since no one usually talks about these things and I do think it’s important that we do talk about the things that make us uncomfortable, for change to occur. Can you explain “smiling depression” and what to look for, and the support systems should we all know about?
 
Q4: And what about for someone listening, who might be in a rut themselves, and making any sort of change is difficult, so where do you suggest for someone to begin to make the changes that will instigate an improvement with their health instead of staying in that cycle that leads to more overwhelmed?
 
Q5: I love how you tie “Getting Healthy” into your book, and we’ve been focused on the Top 5 staples on this podcast (Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise, Relaxation/Meditation and Tools to Help Us with our Mental/Physical Health).  It didn’t take me longer than a minute to skim through your social media pages when I was writing these questions to notice that you practice what you preach, which is awesome! I saw you relaxing with your son, at the cinema in Sweden, your sleep data (WOW) showing 15 hours of sleep (you must really have needed it) and a 120 km (74 mile) bike ride (woah!) I thought I was cool after a 7-mile hike!! Can you take us through what you normally do for training, and what tools do you use to measure your workouts, sleep and rest?
 
Q6: Is there anything important about your book that I have missed?
 
Q7: What are some ways that people could work with you? https://nickjonsson.com/page/work-with-nick
 
I’ve put all of the links to your social media accounts in the show notes, and I want to thank you very much Nick for speaking with me today, as this topic is timely and important.  You’ve given us so many ideas to help our listeners who might be launching the year with some overwhelm, with some specific steps they can take to launch 2022 with their mental and physical health at the forefront of their mind, to truly make it their best year ever. Thanks Nick! Have an incredible Thursday!
 
 
FOLLOW NICK JONSSON ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Website https://nickjonsson.com/index
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jonsson.nick
Twitter https://twitter.com/NickJonsson
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-jonsson/
 
RESOURCES:
15 Male Celebrities Who Have Struggled with Depression by Ben Radding Feb. 22, 2019 https://www.menshealth.com/health/g26445823/celebrities-with-depression/
 
REFERENCES:
 
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #188 on  “Putting Your Mental and Physical Health First” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-putting-our-mental-and-physical-health-first/
[ii] One-quarter of Americans Intend to Improve Mental Health in 2022 December 20, 2021 https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20211220/onequarter-of-americans-intend-to-improve-mental-health-in-2022
 
[iii] IBID
[iv] https://nickjonsson.com/page/mybook
[v] Roshan Teran, A Review of Executive Loneliness Published June 6, 2021 https://www.leaderonomics.com/articles/personal/executive-loneliness
[vi] From Survivor to Thriver Podcast with Nick Jonsson https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-38-nick-jonsson-if-we-can-talk-to-each-other/id1551758201?i=1000544204022

Think and Grow Rich Book Review PART 2 ”Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith over Fear.”

Welcome back to PART 2 of Making 2022 You Best Year Ever with EPISODE #191 on “The Importance of Thinking Differently and Choosing Faith over Fear” as we continue our deep dive into Napoleon Hill’s Classic book, Think and Grow Rich, that has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
Be sure to click here to access the images in the show notes.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back to Season 7 of our Podcast I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. This month, I decided to share my notes with you on a book that I have been studying every year, with Paul Martinelli, who has studied this book for most of his career.
On our first episode[i] and PART 1 of this book study, where we cover the Author’s Introduction and Desire chapter, we opened with a quote from Undercover Billionaire Grant Cardone, who said, “In order to get to the next level of whatever you’re doing, you must think and act in a wildly different way than you previously have been” and this is where I wanted to begin this episode, with reviewing Chapter 1 “Thoughts Are Things” with the idea that we must “think” in a wildly different way than we previously have to obtain NEW results in 2022.
On this episode, you will learn
✔︎ How to go from fear to hope, using faith, in pursuit of your goals.
✔︎ How to “think” wildly different than you did last year.
✔︎ Examples of people who “thought” their way to their goals, making their ability to “think” the best investment of their lifetime.
✔︎ The 6 STEPS you must take every day, that will put your goal on autosuggestion.
✔︎ Common mistakes made when goal-setting/achieving.
✔︎ 4 steps to overcome your fears, helping you to break through to new levels in 2022.
✔︎ How to becoming unwavering with our faith, helping us when obstacles appear.
How Do We “Think in a Wildly Different Way” to Get New Results?
The answer is--by expanding our awareness. I’m sure you see now why studying Think and Grow Rich by reading and thinking about every word we are reading is so very important. We could spend a whole year studying this book, which is why I think we should all keep reading it, gaining more awareness long after January and this book study ends.
Look at it this way. Remember the last lesson where we looked at how ideas are formed, and how it’s up to us to act on our ideas and bring them to fruition.
IMAGE: Levels of Frequencies of Thought
Look at the image in the show notes of the levels of frequency and think of this as an example of where you are now, or the thoughts, feelings, and actions you are currently living with, giving you a certain result. Then imagine all the lines above where you are now, leading to where you want to go. Think of these frequencies like radio stations. To tune into the radio station you want, you need to turn the dial to that frequency. This is exactly the same idea to think about when we want to tune into the frequency that our goals exist on.
And it won’t be with the level of thinking you have at your current level. That’s the whole point of Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful.[ii]
To ATTAIN your goal, or a new result, you will need to “think and act in a wildly different way that you previously have been” like Grant Cardone, reminded us. That’s because the goal is on a different frequency than where you are now. To hit this NEW target, you will need to think NEW thoughts, take NEW actions, that will create NEW results, and none of them will be what you are currently doing.
When I first saw this image, I remember wondering “well how on the earth do I magically get on the same level of vibration as the thing that I really want?” and the first time I did this exercise, I wrote down that I wanted to live in the United States (when I lived in Toronto at the time) and had no idea how I would ever make that happen. In the beginning, we don’t need to know all the details on “how” we will do what we want to do.
How Do You Move to a New Frequency?
Over the years, and once I had achieved a few goals this way, it became obvious how this works. Think back 5 years ago to the person you were then. You have probably grown and changed since then and may be nothing like the person you once were. You had new experiences that took you to a new frequency. It can happen with a new job, where you must think in an entirely different way than you had to with a previous job, or maybe you moved to a new location, like I did, and had new experiences that have changed you. Now you can see the importance of why Napoleon Hill called this book “Think and Grow Rich” because it is crucial that we change our thinking to obtain the new results we are looking for. When we change our thinking, we will have new experiences, that will change our conditions, circumstances and environment, changing our vibration or frequency level and put us exactly where we need to be for the attainment of our goal. Only then, will we be able to look back and explain how we did it to others.
Yesterday, I ran into my good friend Jeff Gould on the hiking trails, otherwise known as South Mountain Cowboy, who has been horseback riding on these mountains for the past 40 years and he looks younger than most of us who run up and down the hills daily. While chatting with Jeff this morning, who is a huge supporter of this podcast, he shared what he’s learning from the episodes, and that he’s always challenging himself to “think differently” by tuning into these episodes, which is probably what keeps him looking and feeling so young! I agreed with him that happiness comes naturally when we do what we love, continually challenge ourselves to grow, and live life doing whatever it is that makes us happy. It’s a simple formula really--we radiate energy when we are doing what we love and enjoy the most, aligning ourselves with more and more experiences, as we continually expand and grow in pursuit of our vision. Can you see how 2022 can be your best year ever? It just takes your vision, and your will to achieve it, and I love seeing people like Jeff, living their dream on a daily basis.
Jeff Gould, Southmountain Cowboy, on Telegraph Pass Mountain, AZ.
Edwin C. Barnes
In Chapter 1 “The Power of Thought” Hill talks about Edwin C. Barnes who also had a vision that he wanted to achieve when he “thought” his way into a partnership with Thomas Edison. Hill shares how Barnes had this burning desire to work with Thomas Edison. This was his goal, and was way out there for him, because he didn’t even know Edison, and was short on money to pay for his rail fare to get him to New Jersey to meet him. Barnes overcame all the obstacles he faced, and Edison described meeting the man he would eventually partner with by recalling the day he arrived. He said, “he stood there before me looking like an ordinary tramp, but there was something in the expression of his face which conveyed the impression that he was determined to get what he had come after.” (Page 2, TAGR). Edison recognized the look in his eyes and it’s what allowed him to eventually go into partnership with Barnes, who had no money, or influence to bring to the table, but he did have “initiative, faith and the will to win” (CH 1, page 4, TAGR) which was all Edison needed to see.
Barnes thought wildly differently to obtain what he wanted, and Edison picked up the energy or vibration that came from him, and it was easy for him to trust this was going to be a lucrative partnership.
There are more important examples in this chapter, that I hope you will read, to see why we should never quit when we experience defeat, and why persistence is a power that often gets a person what they want, but only when one persists long after most people would usually give up. Have you even seen this principle in action? I saw an example of this recently while researching Dr. David Sinclair, who we covered on EPISODE #189[iii] when I uncovered that he had to self-fund his trip from Australia to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to interview to work in their lab, which he did. He didn’t let his lack of funds stop him from finding his way to MIT and had many obstacles to overcome when he would eventually begin his work, when he experienced criticism for the direction he wanted to take, when other researchers questioned whether “aging was even a thing”[iv] to study. He had a clear vision of what he wanted and didn’t let any obstacles get in his way, even though he faced many that began in his early days and was just something he had to push through.
Chapter 2: DESIRE
Which brings us to Chapter 2: DESIRE and why we must know what we want, with a crystal-clear vision, and hold an unwavering belief that we can have it, and expect that we will have it, remembering this is where it all begins. That “all achievement, begins with an idea.” (Napoleon Hill). Barnes had a “burning desire” (CH2, page 19 TAGR) that “was not a hope.  It was not a wish. It was a pulsating desire, which transcended everything else. It was definite.” (CH2, page 19, TAGR).
Barnes wanted to work with Edison, even though there was no evidence of these two meeting. It wasn’t like Edison and Barnes had been talking about this idea for a while, it was Barnes’s idea, and when he started to move this idea into form, I’m sure he thought it was crazy and something he wouldn’t be shouting out from the rooftops. Going from where we are now, to where we want to go, is a process.
You are never ready when you start something, but you will never be 100% ready. You just need to start and do the thing that you want to do.
When I moved from Canada to the US in early 2001, I remember following this process, and not sure of “how” exactly I was going to do it. Proctor would always remind us that we don’t need to know “how” we will do what we want, but just get it started and the way will be shown. That was true. The way will always be shown, along with a billion obstacles that will show up as well, to try to deter you from moving forward.
You just need to know WHAT you want and WHY, and this will drive your behavior. You can only explain HOW you did it after the fact, looking back, once you arrive there.
Do you know what you want? Do you have that burning desire that Edison saw in Barnes’s eyes? Remember, it’s difficult to see our own potential, but others can surely see it in us. That burning desire of what you want radiates from you, and others can pick up this energy, and like Edison did with Barnes, help move you to where you need to go. That’s why you can’t be shy about what you are working on. You will need all the help you can get, from as many different sources as possible. And there’s something else to consider.
“Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat.” (CH 2, page 21, TAGR).  Barnes did this when he found his way to New Jersey to meet with Edison, and Dr. David Sinclair did it when he left Australia for MIT. I remember doing this when I left Toronto. There was no going back saying “oh it didn’t work out” because I had burned all ships and had no other options.
You must be committed with your decision (which is another chapter) but you will see how all of these chapters tie into each other. The Latin root word for the word decision literally means “to cut” so when you make a decision, you must never go back. You’ve burned your ships and cut all sources of retreat.
Which brings us to the important 6 Steps to Achieve Your Goal in chapter 2.  You will notice that these steps are written with the idea of drawing finances to you, but these 6 steps can be used to bring ANY goal your way. These are the 6 steps I have written on my wall, that I read every day, and Grant Cardone, Uncover Billionaire says he does this as well, all 6 steps, every day, twice a day. I’ve watched him do it using a legal pad of paper in less than 3 minutes.
Either way, the 6 steps to put any goal into our non-conscious mind, so that it eventually happens on autopilot, without much effort,  is as follows:
Write out a clear description of what you want.
You must be prepared to give something of value up in return for what you want. There no such thing as “something for nothing.” When you begin working on your action steps, it will become clear what you are giving up.
Set a date when you intend to have this goal that you desire.
Create your action plan, to carry out what you want, whether you are ready for it or not.
Write this out in detail!
Read what you wrote twice a day! “As you read, see and feel and believe yourself already in the possession” (CH 2, page 23, TAGR) of what you want.
It’s this simple, but not really, because most people won’t follow these steps. I was surprised when I watched Grant Cardone demonstrating how he WRITES and READS his goals twice a day, mostly because I know where this idea originated from, and most people miss that reading out loud part. Cardone didn’t. He knows these six steps and didn’t miss one of them. It’s easy to read this book, and grab some ideas to implement, and make some mistakes, and not do exactly what the book suggests. That’s why it’s called “Think and Grow Rich.”
Common Mistakes That Are Made When Setting Goals-That Will Guarantee That None of this Will Work?
People set goals on what they know they can do, or what they’ve done in the past. You will be sure to fail this way, because there is no inspiration in going after what we already know we can do. You need to really stretch yourself, and think of what you want, that takes you beyond where you have ever been before in this process.
You’ll be sure to fail if you don’t change your plans when they aren’t working. If your Plan A fails, do you have a Plan B?
Remember—you don’t need to know exactly how you will attain your goal. Just begin, do the work, and eventually you will achieve it, and only then will you be able to explain this process to others.
Chapter 2 has some examples of well-known, highly successful people who have put these ideas into action and ends with Hill summarizing the process for us when he says “I want to convey the thought that all achievement, no matter what it’s nature or purpose, must begin with an intense, burning desire for something definite. Through some strange and powerful principle of mental chemistry, nature wraps up in the impulse of strong desire that something which recognizes no such word as impossible and accepts no such reality as failure.
We must remember that there’s a difference between “wishing for” something and being ready to receive it. Remember that look that Edison saw in Barnes’s eyes? Do you have that look with whatever it is you want? If I was standing in front of you, and asked you “what do you really want” would you answer this question clearly and confidently, with that look in your eye, and be able to show me how you would use the 6 steps, with your action plan, or would this question catch you off guard, like when Proctor first asked me, and I wasn’t prepared to answer it?
This brings new meaning to the quote— “Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.” How? Over time, we become better at what we do. Every day that we write and repeat our vision out loud, it etches deeper into our being. Our vision becomes who we are, and we never let it rest, until we perfect our craft and achieve our goals.  Keep going and remember “if a person is not prepared when the opportunity arises, it will only make them look foolish.” (Earl Nightingale).
How Do I Overcome my Fears?
What happens when you begin moving towards your big, outrageous idea, and FEAR, or DOUBT starts to set in, ruining your vision, and making you want to give up? This will happen. It will happen more times than you’d like. Dr. Sinclair mentioned it happened to him when he finally got to MIT to work on his vision of creating anti-aging strategies and people he worked with challenged his ideas, urging him to reconsider his vision, and that “anti-aging” wasn’t a thing to do study. He talked about this on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he called home and was worried that he had made a mistake with his vision. It’s easy to see HOW this happens, when it’s not you who is experiencing the fear.  Look at the image in the show notes where you see your INSPIRED IDEA that you are working on with focused thought.
I write about this in my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed[v], and it’s something I learned from my early days of working with Proctor.
The Terror Barrier or The Change Mechanism
To break through to a new level, you will need to break through what Proctor called the Terror Barrier, and I re-named it The Change Mechanism in my first book. It’s what happens when you have a major shift in your life, and you begin to feel scared deep inside that maybe you have made a mistake. Your entire Central Nervous System starts to go off as you begin to think of this new thought.
I remember feeling this when I quit my teaching job, broke my contact with TDSB and went to work for Proctor for $10 an hour. It didn’t help that my Dad screamed at me that I would regret this decision for the rest of my life, but I really did believe that there was more I needed to learn. You will go through these 4 stages with your new idea.
Stage 1: Help I’m Stuck (Bondage).
When you are here, you are living in your comfort zone. Life is easy, because you are not stretching outside your comfort zone. There is no discomfort or fear. But, if you were to be honest, this type of life is playing it safe. You might know you are capable of so much more, but are afraid to take the necessary steps needed for this change. You are stuck here, in your old paradigm. If you look at the image in the show notes, I show a person who is thinking x thoughts in their conscious mind, with x thoughts in their non-conscious mind, getting x results. They are not doing anything new, and their results will stay the same. We have all been here, stuck, not sure of how to make a change.
Stage 2: I’m Frustrated
If we live life stuck for too long, you will become frustrated, because it’s natural that we want to BE, DO, and HAVE more with our life. We are either creating (expanding) and growing, or we are going the other way, disintegrating, not growing, and frustrated. The feeling of frustration can be motivating, and push you to make a change, and try something different.
Stage 3: I’m Making Changes, But Feeling So Uncomfortable
At this stage, you have taken a new idea (I label it a Y idea in my diagram) in your conscious mind, but your non-conscious mind still has the old X idea (or whatever you are currently doing) so there is cognitive dissonance at the brain level. The new idea might be a new job, moving somewhere else, or maybe an entire career change, and suddenly, in the middle of the decision-making process, your entire central nervous system goes out of control, and you are overcome with fear. It’s because your non-conscious mind is still operating with your old idea, or whatever you are currently doing, and you will think that you have made a mistake and question your decision.
At this point, we must understand that the opposite of FEAR is FAITH, leading us to Chapter 3 of the book. We feel fear because we lack understanding, FAITH is based on understanding, and when we have it, we can move forward, and never look back at our old life. We will only advance forward to new opportunity with understanding, and the use of FAITH.
It’s here that we BREAK FREE from our past, and experience the final stage,
Stage 4: Freedom
Freedom is achieved when we step outside of our comfort zone, feeling uncomfortable, but doing it anyway, and keep moving towards growth. You’ll see in my diagram the Y (or new idea) in the conscious mind, over time will create a Y idea in your non-conscious mind, and with time, you will notice that you made the switch, broke free from your past where you were stuck, into a more fulfilling life, creating new results.
You did this using faith that Hill says “is the head chemist of the mind.” (CH 3, page 45, TAGR).
How Do We Develop Faith?
“Faith is a state of mind that may be induced, or created by affirmations or repeated instructions..through the principle of auto-suggestion” (CH 3, page 46, TAGR).
We develop Faith by following the 6 Steps, writing and reading our goal out loud every day, twice a day, until it moves into our non-conscious mind on autosuggestion.
It’s a process. If you have never read your goal out loud before, I will tell you that it feels weird in the beginning. When I first started doing this activity, I would close my window, thinking my neighbors will think I’m crazy, especially when I did this process trying to win grant funding for some of the projects I worked on. The first time you do this, you will feel weird, until with time, your words flow quickly, confidently, and easily.
You will read your goals out loud “as if you were already in possession of them” (CH 3, page 48, TAGR). I found it helps to say something like “I’m so happy and grateful now that….” and whatever it is that you want “now that I’m awarded a $50,000 grant to work with students in our schools” or whatever it is that you might be working on.
This is the part where we may all have different beliefs with this process, but if you are like me, and believe that there is something bigger than you, you can call it whatever you want (God, Spirit, Infinite Intelligence) whatever you call it, you will feel it in this process. Hill wrote that “FAITH is the element, the chemical which when mixed with prayer, gives one direct communication with Infinite Intelligence.” (CH 3, page 49, TAGR).
We must have FAITH in our DREAMS, not in our DOUBTS.
This is a process, that comes from following the 6 steps of reading/writing our goals every day and doesn’t need to take a lot of time, Grant Cardone did it in less than 3 minutes. Faith is a state of mind that will develop as you become more self-aware, self-confident and with experience.
Remember—to Become Unwavering with our Faith
You must go through the Terror Barrier and match up your conscious mind, with your non-conscious mind.
You will continue to build faith through autosuggestion when you write and repeat your goals.
Pick one idea that you are working on, and as you move towards it, with new actions, you will develop more self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem.
This will lead to BELIEF….one day you will be working and think back to the early days when you didn’t have the level of confidence, faith and belief that you have today, and you will be grateful that you stepped outside of your comfort zone, through the fear, with faith at your side, into a new life that had more opportunity than you ever realized. Whatever it is that you are working on, remember with that understanding you can move past the fears, doubts, and uncertainties to hope, and this changes your entire mindset, giving you faith, fueling you to keep moving forward.
I hope you are enjoying studying this book with me as I’m diving deeper into my notes more thoroughly than I’ve ever done in the past. Some of the wisest people in the world have studied these principles, and it doesn’t matter what your background or level of education is. The playing field is equal for all of us. This book is the essence of success that can be used in anyone’s life.
I’ll see you in the next few days as we move onto Specialized Knowledge, Imagination and Organized planning next episode, with an interview coming with Nick Jonsson, from Singapore, the author of the important and timely book, Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcome Isolation, Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Modern Business World.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 “Making 2022 Your Best Year Ever”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/
[ii]What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith, June 12, 2008  https://www.amazon.com/What-Got-Here-Wont-There/dp/1846681375
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #189 on “Understanding Hormesis: Why Stress and Adversity Make Us Physically and Mentally Stronger” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/understanding-hormesis-why-stress-and-adversity-make-us-physically-and-mentally-stronger/
[iv] The Backlash Dr. Sinclair Faced from the Scientific Community Published Jan.29, 2019 with Joe Rogan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDdAI-X3y1o&t=618s
[v] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi, Published September 15, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1976820030

Think and Grow Rich Book Review PART 1 ”How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever”

“In order to get to the next level of whatever you’re doing, you must think and act in a wildly different way than you previously have been. You cannot get to the next phase of a project without a grander mind-set, more acceleration, and extra horsepower.” Grant Cardone, author of the 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure [i]
Be sure to click here to access the images in the show notes.
MAKING 2022 YOUR BEST YEAR EVER: WITH CHANGE
I chose this quote to launch this episode, and our 7th Season of The Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast with Grant Cardone,[ii] who I’ve been watching for years before he starred on Undercover Billionaire[iii] when I saw him working with (at that time) 16 year-old Caleb Maddix[iv], teaching this young man, who is now in his 20s, how to truly make an impact on the world and live his life with a success mindset. Since the day I watched him coaching this teen, I realized he has a heart for helping our next generation to become successful, while inspiring the rest of the world with his 10x Rule book, countless programs that focus on financial education, and encouraging anyone who will listen to shift their mindset to make 2022 their Best Year ever. To do that, Cardone reminds us that we must all THINK differently and “change what we did last year.”
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back to Season 7 of our Podcast and Happy New Year! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.
I wanted our first episode to launch our 7th Season to be different from past years. Instead of releasing an episode with goal setting or achieving tips, I challenge you to do something different this year. We all know that in order to achieve different results in 2022, we must CHANGE and I’m pretty sure we all have a list of things that we want to do differently to really make a mark on this year, but to make sure I was on track, I thought I’d better check in with what Uncover Billionaire, Grant Cardone is suggesting we change this year, since his results are proof that he knows what he’s talking about. Cardone suggests in order to make this change, we must keep 6 things in mind that will drive us towards our goals. 
We must have:
Discipline: By waking up early, watching the sunrise, and getting to bed early. This practice gives you 2 extra hours to launch your day, which translates into an extra month a year to work on your dreams or yourself. It will also help you to become highly motivated and will be a driver for your year, boosting our
Confidence: To further drive what you are doing and help you to fill up your calendar with meaningful work where you will create your
Action Plan with Activity: and be open to listening to
Feedback: From the marketplace (or your network) on how you can improve.
Surrounding Yourself with Your Network: Of other like-minded, successful people who will encourage you/holding you accountable. And there is only one outcome--
Success: This is Our Duty/Obligation. We Must WIN/SUCCEED in 2022.
To truly make an impact on this year, so it’s our best year ever, I think we should all take a look at what Cardone suggests and do whatever it takes so that we achieve our end result (or whatever it is we are working on) at the end of this year.  But how exactly do we do this?
Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever by Studying the Best-Selling book Think and Grow Rich[v]
I challenge you to practice Cardone’s TIP #1 with me, and develop discipline by waking up early, and study the #6th All-time Amazon Best-Seller, Think and Grow Rich with me this month. This is a book that has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, that has timeless principles used by some of the greatest minds of the 20th century, and I hope that together, we will uncover some new ideas that will bring us all new results in 2022.
I’ve been launching my year this way since 2019, with Paul Martinelli, who co-founded and built The John Maxwell Team[vi], by diving deep into the many secrets within Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich book from someone who has studied and taught the principles within this book for his entire career. It was this book, that my mentor Bob Proctor[vii] was inspired by, and often opened up and quoted during his career teaching and speaking about wealth principles around the world, as he carried the same weathered copy around with him, reading, studying, as his bible, that he would open up first thing in the morning, and then again before he went to bed.
During the six years I worked with Bob, I knew this book was important to him, and there were times it sat in the middle of the table we were sitting at, and we all just knew not to touch it. I remember looking at it, thinking “what else could he really be learning from this book?” as the pages looked like they were about to fall out, and disintegrate. Napoleon Hill talks about a “secret” that is hidden within the pages of this book, and I have a few ideas of what I think the secret is. Bob would never tell us what the secret was, and would say “if I tell you, then you won’t look for it yourself” which is probably true.
Bob Proctor's original copy of Think and Grow Rich.
I used to think that the secret was that “all achievements begin with an idea” and we just have to gaffe this idea with a pencil, write it down, and act on it, (using the 6 steps that Napoleon Hill suggests in the Desire chapter) or someone else will surely launch it. But each time I studied the book, and the author’s preface, that describes this secret, I thought about it again, and each year, come up with a NEW idea or perception of what I think the “secret” is.  Bob would say that books will have new meaning each time you read them because you change each year, and you see something in yourself that wasn’t there the last time you read it.
When you finish the book, and this book study with me, I wonder what you think the secret is in the book?
HOW TO READ THINK AND GROW RICH-WITH EFFORT
You’ve got to put some effort into this book study. It took me until 2019 to read this book properly. You know what I mean. You can read a book, flip through the table of contents, skim their meaning, grab some ideas, write them down, even apply them to your life, but then you put the book away, and don’t think about the ideas ever again. This is not the way to read this book, and it wasn’t until Paul Martinelli started teaching it to me, that I saw HOW to read Think and Grow Rich properly, uncovering the secret for myself, and finally putting it use, the way I think Napoleon Hill intended. I think.  If Bob has been studying this book for more than 50 years (reading it twice a day), then I think I’m only scratching the surface of how it’s intended to be read and applied.
KEEP THE BOOK ON YOUR DESK SO THAT YOU READ AND IMPLEMENT THE IDEAS YOU LEARN
This book is always on my desk and opened often and I do highly suggest that you purchase a copy that you keep on your desk so you can refer to the pages on your own, and participate in the activities that I will suggest as we go through the important concepts of these 16 principles that really do have incredible power. I put a tab so I can quickly find the 6 steps to put any idea on auto-suggestion from the DESIRE Chapter (they are also written on my wall) and I practice them daily, and know all about the 30 Major Causes of Failure (so I can avoid them) in the Organized Planning Chapter, with my own #31 added to the end.
It was the successful founder of US Steel (the first corporation in the world with a market capitalization of over $1 billion, Andrew Carnegie,[viii] who encouraged the young reporter and author of the book, Napoleon Hill, to uncover why some of the most successful people in the world, became that way, using the principles that Hill would use to create this book. Carnegie thought it was a shame that many of the top leaders in the world, like Thomas Edison or Henry Ford, would go to their grave without sharing their knowledge and success strategies to help others. This book will change your thinking, open up the door to new ideas, help you to create new habits and results.
This is why I host this podcast, because like Hill, I think it’s important to share the most current research, and any success strategies (for free) so that we can all benefit from this information and apply it to our work and personal lives, since we just weren’t taught these concepts in school.
I’m grateful that this year, I was reminded of this book by my friend Hans Ajay[ix], who let me know he was studying certain chapters to launch his year. There are many ways to study this book, to make the principles seep into your mind subconsciously, and thanks to Ajay, I decided it was time to look at my notes over the past few years and share them on the podcast to launch 2022 with a new angle. In this podcast series, I will review all chapters of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, with my notes added, after years of study, and hope these ideas will challenge you to do things differently this year, perhaps with more intention, and that you continue to study this book for years to come.
I was so excited to see that even before I had released this episode, some of my social media posts have inspired some of the top leaders in my network, like Matt Stewart,[x] from Scotland, who runs the EntrepreneurMe programs with our next generation of entrepreneurs in the school market, to consider re-reading the book this year.  I hope that you will join us, so that we can all make the change needed to make 2022 our best year ever, together.
In this series you will learn:
 
✔︎ How to apply the 15 success principles to your life, used by the most successful leaders of the 20th century like Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford.
✔︎ How to harness the power of your non-conscious mind, when you can create new habits, that you put on autopilot, and work for you, instead of against you.
✔︎  Create a clear vision of what you want to create in your life in 2022 to make it a year that is pivotal for the next few years to come.
✔︎  Create the mindset needed to attain this vision with a 6-step plan of how to do it.
Try something new this year and see if diving deep with me into the pages of Think and Grow Rich can make a difference for you, like it has made for millions of people all over the world, who have taken the principles seriously.
THINK AND GROW RICH PART 1:
INTRODUCTION/THOUGHTS ARE THINGS/
Author’s Preface and Introduction “What Exactly is The Secret?”
The book begins with the mention of this money-making “secret” that’s contained within the book’s pages and how Carnegie believed this “secret” should be taught in all schools and colleges and if it were taught properly would “revolutionize the entire educational system and that the time spent in school could be reduced to less than half.” (vi, Think and Grow Rich, 2003 edition).
As you read through this book, you’ll be reminded of this secret in the pages that jump out at you and every chapter mentions it.
I first thought this “secret” was that we must have an idea, and write it down, something that we really want. Then I thought about the VERY first thing Bob Proctor said to me when he met me was after finding out I was a school teacher, in Toronto, and he asked me “What I Really Wanted” to do with my life, and back then, the late 1990s, I definitely didn’t have a clear picture of my goals written out to go through with him step by step (like I do now). I was taken back a bit, because no one ever asked me anything like this before.
Hill says that “the secret will stand out to you when you are ready for it” and when it appears, you will recognize it. I didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted back then but do now. If  you’ve been following this podcast, you’ll agree that it’s clear that I want to make an impact on the field of education by bringing together simple neuroscience, with social and emotional learning skills, to help make life easier for future generations with these evidence-based strategies. I wrote down that I wanted to become an expert in the field of educational neuroscience years before I had taken a neuroscience course or understood the structure and function of the brain.  I would never have gone on a podcast back then sharing my vision with the world and if you were sitting next to me, and this was written in my notebook, I’m sure I would never let you see that I had written that and might even hide it from anyone who might be looking.
Does this resonate with you? What do you think? Where are YOU in this process of what you REALLY want? Can you paint a clear picture of it for anyone who asks?
If you look at the image in the show notes (sorry I didn’t write neater, I didn’t think I would ever share these notes) you will see that we must first THINK to create an IDEA. Hill called the book Think and Grow Rich, and if there is a secret in this book, I now think it’s that “there’s work required, to actually think” and begin this entire process.  If you aren’t sure of what your vision is, and it’s not yet clear, then sit quietly somewhere and use your imagination and intuition to think for a while.
Stuck With Your Vision? Ask Yourself These Questions:
What do others say you are good at?
What do you enjoy doing that you would do even if you weren’t paid for it.
Think of an area of life where you are dissatisfied. How would you like this area to improve?
It’s normal to want to be, do, have more in your life so that you can extend your services and help more people with your services. You can’t see your own potential, but you can be made aware of it. I think it’s really important to tell people where they are excelling in life, so they know what you see, that they might not be able to see themselves.
 
Once you have a vision, write it down and follow these steps for:
Applying the Power of Thought:
What’s your VISION? If I was to ask you “what do you really want?” would you be able to describe your plan clearly and confidently to me? Or would you hesitate, like I did when Proctor first asked me this question.  Do you have CLARITY around this vision? It’s not an accident that Brendon Burchard, author of the New York Times Best Seller, High-Performance Habits, found that CLARITY[xi] was one of the habits that research found moved the needle more than any of the other habits for those who are high-performers vs non-performers, meaning that when you have clarity, you are more likely to make decisions that support your vision. Become crystal clear about who you are, and what you want, and you will be able to answer this question quickly and with confidence. The clearer your vision, the less doubt, fear and confusion you will have.
What’s your BELIEF around your vision? Your belief will drive your behavior and help get you out of bed in the morning and keep moving towards what you envision. Do you believe that you will receive your vision? Are you ready/prepared for it? When you are laser focused on your vision, it will be all that you can see. I talked about “Using the Reticular Activating System to Set Your Intent and Achieve it”[xii] earlier this year, that explains how there is a part of our brain (RAS) that will help you to achieve whatever it is that you are focused on (good or bad) so you might as well use this part of your brain to your advantage.
Do you EXPECT that your vision will come true? Expectation hooks you up with what you want and brings it closer to you. Have you ever heard that what you seek, is also seeking you? You will move towards it, and it will move towards you. Remember—you can be hooked up to what you want, but if you don’t expect it, you won’t bring it towards you. You also cannot force this, or it will not come. Force negates. You seek something first, then it seeks you.
What is your vision? What is your goal? Are you prepared? There is no such thing as something for nothing. You must do the work. Be sure to review EPISODE #67[xiii] on “Expanding Your Awareness with Lessons Learned from Bob Proctor’s Seminars” especially with BIG IDEA #5 how we bring an idea from our mind (spiritual realm) and bring it to fruition (physical realm) actually making it happen.
When I asked Bob about the quantum world that Dr. Dan Siegel[xiv] talks about in our interview, where there is this plane of possibility where we can create anything, Bob answered with “I believe the physical realm that we live in and the spiritual world, are all connected, like the colors of the rainbow.” When we take an idea, it comes in from spirit, hits our intellectual mind, and it’s up to us whether we move it into form. 
Have you ever had an idea that you thought was brilliant, and you never did anything with it, and then suddenly you see someone else has created it? That’s because there is only one mind, and that we can all tap into these ideas.  
This is how ALL ideas happen. They start in the mind of the person who creates it, and then after dedicated work, they hit their target, and people watching might say “Oh wow, that person is so lucky” not realizing the work that went into the attainment of the goal. There are usually years of hard work, persistence, of failures, wrong turns, course corrections, but all starting with that clear vision or idea with an end goal or target.
“Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.”
How? Over time, we become better at what we do. Never let it rest, until we perfect our craft. Keep going and remember “if a person is not prepared when the opportunity arises, it will only make them look foolish.” (Earl Nightingale).
HOW TO CREATE YOUR VISION FOR AN IMPROVED 2022:
To review the INTRO and CHAPTER 1 of Think and Grow Rich, remember that to achieve NEW results in 2022, we must do something differently than we did in prior years. I hope that you continue to listen to this deep dive into Think and Grow Rich, and wake up early, with me, improving our discipline and confidence levels with this new habit.
EXAMPLE of ANDREA’S VISION:
Grant Cardone reminds us that “Average is a Failing Formula.” (page 70 10x Rule) and he suggests that we write our goals down in the morning/night as if we have already achieved them.
Here’s my FIRST vision of wanting to become an expert in educational neuroscience from January 2019, 6 months before I launched this podcast. I hadn’t even bought the new template for my website when I wrote this and was going to call the podcast Social and Emotional Learning Meets Neuroscience. I had no idea where this idea would lead to, but knew whatever it was, that it needed to have Neuroscience and SEL meshed together somehow.
Figure out what it is that you REALLY want, something that’s much bigger than you, (that you might not want others to see because it’s so big to you) and then believe that you can have it.
When I wrote this, I had no idea this podcast was going to become the top Top 15 Best SEL Podcasts for 2021, and Top 20 Best Neuroscience Podcasts for 2021 and would feature some of the leading experts in neuroscience, education and the brain, but I believed this vision was possible even when I didn’t know what an RSS feed was  (that I now know drives ALL podcasts out to the world).
What’s YOUR vision? Do you have it written down? Did this episode give you some ideas on making 2022 your best year ever? Please do what Matt did and take a picture of you studying with me and let me know you have learned. It will help motivate others to do the same.
Remember: “All achievements begin with an idea.” (Napoleon Hill) and then you expand and refine your ideas as you progress towards them.
I’ll see you in the next couple of days where we will move onto DESIRE, FAITH and THE 6th SENSE.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Grant Cardone, The 10XRule https://www.amazon.com/10X-Rule-Difference-Between-Success/dp/0470627603
[ii] Grant Cardone Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever published on YouTube Dec. 30, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5QGEBkxuL0
[iii] Undercover Billionaire starring Grant Cardone https://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Billionaire-Season-2/dp/B091J1WPJL
[iv] Andrea Samadi interviews Caleb Maddix (Jan 4, 2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFKA6CPt_sI&list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKiiOxLqeDi_Jd2eG15S-ALF
[v] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_and_Grow_Rich
[vi] See Paul Martinelli’s work over the years as co-founder of the John Maxwell Team https://www.facebook.com/paul.martinelli/videos/1287039331710834/
[vii] The Secret to Think and Grow Rich Revealed by Bob Proctor Published on YouTube April 11, 2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-_vjDssVA
[viii] Andrew Carnegie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie
[ix] Hans Ajay https://www.instagram.com/hansajayb/
[x] Matt Stewart https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurme/?ref=badge&hl=en
[xi] Brendon Burchard on How to Find Clarity https://brendon.com/blog/how-to-find-clarity/
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE  “Using the Reticular Activating System to Set Your Intent and Achieve it” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-the-reticular-activating-system-to-set-your-intent-and-achieve-it/
[xiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with Lessons Learning from Bob Proctor’s Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/

Understanding Hormesis: Why Stress and Adversity Make Us Physically and Mentally Stronger”

I know we’ve all heard of the old saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” but have you ever wondered if science could open our eyes to what exactly this means? I’ve wondered this, and it led me to this week’s Brain Fact Friday where we will explore hormesis or the idea that “short, intermittent bursts of stressors can actually trigger a cascade of cellular processes that enhance overall health, slow aging, and make you more resilient to future stress (both physical and mental).”[i]
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How our cells respond to short, intermittent periods of stress.
✔︎ A look into 2 pathways that are important for longevity (The Sirtuin and mTOR).
✔︎ 4 Ways to boost our health, using hormesis or stress, making us physically and mentally stronger.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding, and applying the most current brain research to improve productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. The purpose of this podcast is to take the mystery out of this new discipline that backs our learning with simple neuroscience to make it applicable for us all to use right away, for immediate results.
I had no idea while initially researching for this episode that neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Andrew Huberman, would be hosting Dr. David Sinclair[ii] (a Professor in the Department of Genetics from Harvard Medical School) on the Huberman Lab Podcast this week, and covering this very topic on “The Biology of Slowing and Reversing Aging”[iii] where the idea of hormesis was discussed throughout. I do recommend this episode for those who want to take a deeper dive into the science of anti-aging, longevity and the fascinating work that Dr. David Sinclair is doing in this field, in addition to Dr. Peter Attia’s Podcast, The Drive, on “Dr. Sinclair, Ph.D. Slowing Aging, sirtuins, NAD, and the epigenetics of aging.”[iv]
If you are listening to this, and thinking “What? She’s lost me! What is she even talking about? Slowing down the ageing process? What is NAD and what are sirtuins?”  Just remember to keep an open mind--this podcast focuses on looking for the research from the most reputable place (Pubmed.gov), learn what the experts in the field have to say about what they are discovering, and then we break down the research in smaller pieces,  so that we can all make it applicable in our daily life, whether we’ve taken a neuroscience course, or not. What I’ve learned from studying closely with neuroscience researcher Mark Robert Waldman the past few years, is that we must be open to what the research says and keep our egos (and judgements) out of whatever it is we want to prove. I’m working hard on an abstract that supports the importance of educational neuroscience as a new discipline in our schools, versus the old model of learning, and although there is research that supports my hypothesis, it’s still a new field, and I must remember what Dr. Sinclair tells his students, that “most things we thought were true are not…or will change over time.”[v] I’m now on my third revision of this abstract, because it’s not easy to step away from what we want to believe, and leave it up in the air, because we might be wrong about everything, when it comes to looking at life through the lens of a scientist.
Just keep an open mind, especially when you hear that Dr. Sinclair, now at the forefront of anti-aging research, after all the criticism he’s received over the years, is in the late stages of clinical trials of working on something that mimics exercise in a pill to speed up metabolism. The next few years are going to really blow our minds with what is possible, and I hope that we can all embrace new ideas, with open minds and make the needed change with what we learn from the research, whether it’s in the classroom like I’d like to see with new models of learning backed by neuroscience, or in the modern workplace.
Moving into Season 7 of this podcast in the New Year, with a focus on Brain-Health and Well-Being, I won’t always be looking for speakers and authors who are discovering what we already know. I’m looking for people like Dr. Sinclair, who will stretch us to think in ways we’ve never thought before, to do what we once thought was impossible, showing us that we have powerful reservoirs of mental and physical strength, that we can tap into when needed.  Now that fascinates me and is what will motivate me to keep learning more to share with you here.
With that said, I wanted this week’s Brain Fact Friday to tie into last week’s episode to improve our mental and physical health, since according to a recent survey from the American Psychiatric Association, “almost 70 million adults resolve to find ways to improve their mental and physical health this coming year”[vi] and while looking for ideas, I saw a graphic I created last year that caught my attention. The graphic was about using “hormesis” as a stressor to make us stronger. I know how important hormesis is for our mental strength, by choosing to stretch ourselves beyond what we think we are capable of and had heard of strategies that use hormesis like exposing our body to extreme cold (with ice baths), or extreme heat (with saunas), with exercise, (and HIIT) and even intermittent fasting, but I didn’t know what exactly this stress was doing for me on a cellular level.
What does hormesis or this intermittent stress and adversity do to our cells that makes us physically and mentally stronger?
This brings us to this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
DID YOU KNOW THAT: “We have 2 pathways that are important to longevity—the Sirtuin (the pathway we want to activate for health and longevity) and mTOR System (where too much activity causes disease in the body)[vii]  showing us the importance of understanding the key regulators of ageing and age-related diseases?[viii]
This episode will focus on the Sirtuin Pathway, giving us hope that even when our cells become damaged, the Sirtuins help unwrap and put back together the unraveled, damaged DNA. To me, it’s just like the neuroplastic brain that can also repair itself depending how we live our life, and is refreshing to know that we have tremendous control over our future physical, mental health and well-being, and our resilience to stress.
There are ways that we can naturally boost the Sirtuin genes, opening them up, making them more active, giving us more energy, turning on all our bodies’ natural defenses, and in essence, slowing down the aging process, bringing our attention inside our body, down to the cellular level, helping us to understand why certain hormetic behaviors are good for us, and others that do not involve this stressor, are not.
Dr. David Sinclair, a leading expert in the field of anti-aging reminds us that “our bodies were designed to respond to adversity…and we’ve removed it from our lives because it feels good (or it’s easier)—but we need adversity to be resilient and fight disease.”[ix]
So, this year, as we are looking for NEW ways to boost our mental and physical health, I challenge you to start by thinking of the science behind hormesis, adversity and challenge and stretch our minds to try something new, something that challenges us, makes us uncomfortable (for short periods of time) yet has the potential to yield to outstanding health, and wellness benefits to take us to new heights in the New Year.
Please do consult with your doctor before trying anything new and remember that “you can change your epigenome (our loops of DNA) by how we live our life more than anything our genes give us. 80% is epigenetic (our behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way our genes work).” (Dr. Sinclair) I want us to look deeper into why these strategies, that involve some sort of intermittent stress (hormesis) can make us physically and mentally stronger.
Improving the Sirtuin/Longevity Pathway to Reduce Aging by:
Strategy 1: Choosing Workouts That Challenge You
If you have ever hired a personal trainer, it’s not usually because you don’t know what to do, it’s usually the how part that we are missing, the need for someone to push us past where we usually would stop on our own so that we push ourselves enough that to damage our muscle fibers, preparing them to rebuild themselves stronger than they were before.  I did mention on episode #114 that “when we put our body under stress, like we do with exercise, that BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor--which is like fertilizer for the brain) upregulates, triggering the growth of cells to meet the increased mental demands of the movement.”[x]   
When thinking about how to receive the benefits of exercise for improved cognition and well-being, be sure to pick workouts that challenge you, or push you beyond where you would usually stop on your own. “You can choose HIIT (high intensity interval training) where you go all out for 30 seconds to a minute, followed by 15 seconds of rest to experience hormesis. During these intense bursts, your muscles are briefly starved for oxygen, (hypoxia) which stimulates the production of mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell.)”[xi]  It’s this brief period of stress that “improves the capacity of the cells to withstand greater stress.”[xii]
Strategy 2: Using Saunas, Cryotherapy or Ice Baths
For someone who finds anything below 80 degrees freezing, I’ve not yet tried extreme cold, with ice baths or cryotherapy[xiii] for pain relief, muscle healing, and improving the sirtuin pathway to reduce aging, but many people I know swear by this practice. Until I’m brave enough to try this, I’ll stick to ice-packs, but wonder if you have tried this strategy to speed up healing?  I’ll say that sitting in a sauna is a lot like Arizona summers, and not difficult when you do this often enough to get used to those higher temperatures. The only challenge with this one, is that most of us don’t have a sauna in our home. I remember a friend of mine from Toronto, from Finland, swore by a sauna in his home, and I thought of him when I first heard of using heat stress to “trigger a thermoregulatory response”[xiv] if used regularly. Since I want to make use of the research I discover, I did investigate how expensive it would be to put a small sauna in your home, and Costco[xv] does carry them for a reasonable price. Might be something for next year’s Christmas wish list, or worth saving up for.
Strategy 3: The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Pioneer in anti-aging, Dr. Sinclair noticed that “our clock is ticking faster by always being fed…and it’s not important WHAT we eat, but WHEN we eat during the day.”[xvi]
I’ve been practicing this strategy since discovering Jason Whittrock from EPISODE #94[xvii] in 2016 but didn’t understand the science behind fasting back then. Remember that Dr. Sinclair reminded us that “our bodies are designed to respond to adversity” and “when we are hungry, we turn on these adversity, hormetic genes that are called longevity genes—and they make the body fight against aging and diseases,”[xviii] even increasing your mental focus. The problem in America is that most of us don’t allow ourselves to get to the point of hunger where all the benefits are. There are fast food restaurants on every corner to prevent us from starving to death, but I think, this strategy is freeing, giving you so much more extra time and energy that you will never want to give up again once you become free from “needing” to eat. If you want to start this practice, and don’t know where to begin, just skip one meal a day with either breakfast or dinner. No one ever said we “need to eat 3 meals a day” so you’ll notice some paradigms shifting as you try this.
I noticed a marked difference with my health after incorporating this strategy, but it took some time to get used to it. The key is to get past the first 2-3 weeks or so when you think “I need to eat something” and learn to get past the hunger feeling. It does go away. Everyone is different, and so I’ll let you know what works best for me, but that might not work for you. You have to play around these strategies and discover for yourself what will work best for your situation.
I started with fasting Sunday through Wednesday with a 16-hour non-eating window from 5:30pm-9:30am and 8-hour eating window from 9:30am-5:30pm back in 2016. I only drank water, tea or coffee in the non-eating window, and ate fairly clean in the 8 hour eating window, and chose only 4 days a week to do this, so that my body wouldn’t get used to it and adapt.  With time, I began to trust that my body had stores of energy that it would use up, until it was fed or fueled again. It just became my way of life, and who knew it was a longevity strategy! I had no idea.  
I usually exercise early morning with an empty stomach and have never once felt lightheaded or shaky with strenuous exercise on an empty stomach. Just monitor how you feel and adjust this strategy to work for you and your schedule, knowing that over time, your body gets used to whatever you are doing, so you’ll need to continue to switch it up.
Strategy 4: Taking Dietary Supplements (Resveratrol, NMN and Berberine) with Food
Every year I look for what I can add to my health regime to strengthen it and I look for what others are doing in the health and wellness industry. If you’ve been following this podcast for awhile, you will know that I’ve been a longtime fan of Dave Asprey and his bulletproof coffee, so after listening to Dr. Huberman’s podcast[xix], I decided I would try all 3 supplements they discussed (Resveratrol, NMN and Berberine) since both Dr. Huberman and Dr. Sinclair talked about the benefits of each one on health and longevity.
 This strategy I’ve not tried yet, but I put the link in the resource section for these 3 supplements on AMAZON and suggest that you do some research yourself before buying anything.
Aha Moment and Paradigm Shift With This Strategy: Dr. Sinclair mentioned that in the fine print of his study with mice that he gave Resveratrol to, that when they gave this supplement to the mice every day, that the only thing that happened was that the mice were protected against a fatty Western diet. They had no noticeable lifespan extension. But for the mice they gave Resveratrol every OTHER day, they lived over 3 years (which is a long time for lab mice), showing him that there are benefits to NOT taking the same thing every day.  This blew my mind, as I’m a creature of habit, and take the same thing every day. With this research in mind, I’m going to create a new plan of what supplements to take and when. Just like exercise, supplement use needs to be alternated so my body doesn’t get used to what I’m taking.
Just a bit more about the 3 supplements Dr. Sinclair has studied and noted to be anti-aging that I want to try this year:
Resveratrol:  Dr. Sinclair suggests taking 1,000 mg a day that this “must come from a supplement and not from drinking wine, or you would have to drink 200 glasses/day to get the right amount.”  I’m sure we have all heard of the health benefits of resveratrol, that it (may lower blood pressure, has a positive effect on blood fats, lengthens the lifespan of certain animals, protects the brain, may suppress cancer cells)[xx] so I’m going to try it to see what I notice.
NMN: 1000 mg/day Nicotinamide Mononucleotide to protect against heart disease, lower risk of obesity, enhance and maintains DNA repair, and slow down the rate of aging[xxi]  by enhancing NAD levels in the body, an important coenzyme found in all living cells that plays a role in promoting health and prolonging lifespan “but these levels decline as we get older, or obese.”[xxii]  Dr. Huberman and Dr. Sinclair suggested taking 1,000 mg of NMN to fuel the NAD molecule that also fuels Resveratrol to work in the body. It seems this one works best with Resveratrol since it increases those important NAD levels in the body that we need to live, and since numerous studies have demonstrated that “boosting NAD+ levels increases insulin sensitivity, reverses mitochondrial dysfunction, and extends lifespan”[xxiii] I’m definitely going to add this supplement to my health care regime in the New Year.
Berberine: Dr. Sinclair called this the “poor man’s Metformin” Metformin is a drug given to people with diabetes. I used to take metformin for another purpose and had no idea this drug had additional benefits of protecting against heart disease, cancer, frailty and dementia. If you are taking it, then just know there are these additional benefits, and if you don’t have access to it, there’s always Berberine, a powerful supplement with many benefits at the molecular level like “it’s been shown to lower blood sugar, cause weight loss and improve heart health.”[xxiv]
Longevity expert, Dr. Sinclair takes these 3 supplements daily, with a bit of olive oil and vinegar, with a basil leaf, and says it tastes like he’s drinking a bit of salad dressing, which sounds wonderful, but I’ll let you know when I try it out!
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday:
DID YOU KNOW THAT: “We have 2 pathways that are important to longevity—the Sirtuin (the pathway we want to activate for health and longevity) and mTOR System (where too much activity causes disease in the body) that are key regulators of ageing and age-related diseases[xxv] and we can do things that positively impact the Sirtuin genes, by choosing challenge boosting hormetic activities, opening these Sirtuin genes up, making them more active, giving us more energy, turning on all our bodies’ natural defenses, and impacting the rate of aging.
Whatever strategy we choose (workouts that challenge us, heat/cold exposure, intermittent fasting, or supplements that target anti-aging, my hope is that we now have a different picture of why we are using hormesis to build a better, stronger, more resilient version of ourselves that embraces adversity head on, and full force. Just like when we have peered inside our neuroplatic brain and learned something new on other episodes, we have now looked deep into the longevity of our cells, and understand why hormesis doesn’t kill them, but only makes them stronger!
Have a safe, happy and healthy New Year and I’ll see you next year for the start of Season 7!
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RESOURCES:
NMN (Nicotinamide mononucleotide as an anti-aging health product) August 11, 2011 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123221001491
NMN Supplement on AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/Nicotinamide-Mononucleotide-Supplement-Metabolism-Capsules/dp/B079S3XF4H
The Science Behind NMN: A Stable, Reliable NAD+ Activator and Ant-Aging Molecule by Christopher Shade Feb. 2020 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7238909/#sec1-2title
The mTOR Pathway August 31, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSx9ryXzCFE
REFERENCES:
[i] Hormesis: Meet the Stress That Makes You Physically and Mentally Stronger Feb. 28, 2021 by Stephanie Eckelkamp https://amp.mindbodygreen.com/articles/hormesis
[ii] https://sinclair.hms.harvard.edu/people/david-sinclair
[iii] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. David Sinclair EPISODE #52 https://hubermanlab.com/dr-david-sinclair-the-biology-of-slowing-and-reversing-aging/
[iv] Peter Attia, MD “The Drive” EPISODE #27 with Dr. Sinclair, Ph.D. on “Slowing Aging, sirtuins, NAD, and the epigenetics of aging” Published on YouTube Jan. 6th, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edrIEC0kJv8
[v] The Backlash David Sinclair Faced by the Scientific Community Published on YouTube January 29, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDdAI-X3y1o
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #188 on “Putting Mental and Physical Health First” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-putting-our-mental-and-physical-health-first/
[vii] The mTOR Pathway August 31, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSx9ryXzCFE
[viii] Antioxidant Modulation of mTOR and Sirtuin Pathways in Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases by Asmaa Abdullah, Nuraqila Mohd Murshid and Suzana Makpol Published August 31, 2020 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-020-02083-1#:~:text=mTOR%20and%20sirtuin%20are%20key,3).
[ix] Joe Rogan Podcast with Dr. David Sinclair on “How Fasting Can Fight Aging” Published on YouTube June 18, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUwd-D94pzE
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #114 on “Building a Faster, Stronger, Resilient Brain by Understanding BDNF” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-building-a-faster-stronger-resilient-brain-by-understanding-brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor-bdnf/
[xi] Hormesis: Meet the Stress That Makes You Physically and Mentally Stronger Feb. 28, 2021 by Stephanie Eckelkamp https://amp.mindbodygreen.com/articles/hormesis
[xii] Modulating Exercise-Induced Stress: Does Less Equal More? August 1, 2015 by Jonathan M Peake, James F. Markworth https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01055.2014?rss=1
[xiii] What are the benefits of cryotherapy https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319740
[xiv] Saunas for Personal Health and Longevity Strategy by Steve Hill July 22, 2021 https://www.lifespan.io/news/saunas-health-and-longevity/
[xv] 1-2 Person Infrared Sauna from Costco https://www.costco.com/dynamic-gracia-1-2-person-low-emf-infrared-sauna.product.100675807.html
[xvi] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. David Sinclair EPISODE #52 https://hubermanlab.com/dr-david-sinclair-the-biology-of-slowing-and-reversing-aging/
[xvii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #94 with Jason Wittrock on “Nutrition, Intermittent Fasting, and the Ketogenic Diet”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-trainer-and-fitness-model-jason-wittrock-on-health-nutrition-intermittent-fasting-and-the-ketogenic-diet/
[xviii] Joe Rogan Podcast with Dr. David Sinclair on “How Fasting Can Fight Aging” Published on YouTube June 18, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUwd-D94pzE
[xix] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. David Sinclair EPISODE #52 https://hubermanlab.com/dr-david-sinclair-the-biology-of-slowing-and-reversing-aging/
[xx] 7 Health Benefits of Resveratrol by Kerri-Ann Jennings March 3, 2017 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/resveratrol#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
[xxi] NMN (Nicotinamide mononucleotide as an anti-aging health product) August 11, 2011 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090123221001491
[xxii] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. David Sinclair EPISODE #52 https://hubermanlab.com/dr-david-sinclair-the-biology-of-slowing-and-reversing-aging/ 59:25
[xxiii] The Science Behind NMN: A Stable, Reliable NAD+ Activator and Ant-Aging Molecule by Christopher Shade Feb. 2020 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7238909/#sec1-2title
[xxiv] Berberine: A Powerful Supplement with Many Benefits by Kris Gunners January, 2017 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/berberine-powerful-supplement
[xxv] Antioxidant Modulation of mTOR and Sirtuin Pathways in Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases by Asmaa Abdullah, Nuraqila Mohd Murshid and Suzana Makpol Published August 31, 2020 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-020-02083-1#:~:text=mTOR%20and%20sirtuin%20are%20key,3).

Brain Fact Friday on ”Putting Our Mental and Physical Health First”

As we are in the middle of our holiday season, wherever you might be listening around the world, rushing about, tying up loose ends with work, with a focus somewhere in our heads towards whether we are ready, or not, for the holiday, where we can spend that quality time with those we love,  I want to release a quick episode to thank you, the listener, for your support with this podcast.
This year, we were listed in the Top 15 Best SEL Podcasts for 2021,[i] and Top 20 Best Neuroscience Podcasts for 2021[ii] and I owe this honor to you. Without listeners, and high quality guests, there is no podcast, so thank you for tuning in, sharing the episodes that you enjoy, and sending me messages and feedback with new ideas to continue to feature the leading experts in neuroscience, education and the brain.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you who tune in, have been fascinated with learning, understanding and applying the most current brain research to improve results in our lives (whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or using these ideas in the corporate space).
This podcast uses Seasons to separate our content, and as we move into Season 7 at the start of the New Year, our theme will remain “Brain Health and Well-Being” as my friend Dan Vigliatore[iii] Health and PE Teacher from Toronto, Canada reminded me this year, that there’s more to this podcast than providing meaningful content around neuroscience. Wellness education must be at the heart of everything we do, since our brain is involved in everything that we do, and everything that we are, and I do want to make that apparent for those listening, like Dan noticed. Especially with the fact that I began my teaching career as a PE teacher in the late 1990s.
As we move into 2022, and plan for a new year of content, around the theme of Brain Health and Well-Being to optimize our cognitive, social and emotional competencies, I’m  truly honored to have this opportunity to host this podcast, because the strategies that we are uncovering in each episode are not only for you, but they are transforming my results, as well! I do look forward to uncovering new ideas, strategies and research in this field in the New Year that we can all use to take our results to new heights.
Especially since it’s such an interesting time in our world. Last night, we were speaking with our pediatric cardiologist who told us that at the beginning of the Pandemic, almost 2 years ago, it was very quiet in his offices, and now, with the new spike in COVID cases, he is busy with new patients coming in, with symptoms they weren’t experiencing in the early stages of the virus[iv], showing us how important our health remains for us.
With everything going on in the world today, I’m sure that YOU will have health in the back of your head this whole time, knowing full well that 2022 is only a few days away, and before we know it, we will all be back in the swing of a New Year, with our old schedules, homework routines reestablished, and hopefully, healthy habits back on track, so for just a minute, I want take this moment to stop, pause and think about what’s important at this time of year.  
Instead of releasing an episode about setting goals, like we did to launch the New Year Last year, with EPISODE #103[v] on “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever” that I still think is a good episode to revisit, for this week’s BRAIN FACT FRIDAY and EPISODE #188, I want to cover “Putting Our Physical and Mental Health First: To Ensure a New Generation of Thriving Adults.” Our next generation needs us to model the way.
The signs pointing in this direction have been clear the whole time of the Pandemic, but have you noticed there’s a sense of urgency around mental and physical well-being at this time? I saw it with one of my first XMAS cards that came in the mail. I’ve been getting a Christmas card every year from my mentor Bob Proctor and his wife Linda. It always makes me smile to keep in touch with people who have had a profound influence on my life, and this year, when I opened the card, there was a handwritten note highlighting the importance of a “healthy” and joyous 2022. This was early December, before the Omicron Variant began impacting people around the world, but I noticed this, and it stuck in my head “pay attention to health this year.”
Then I remembered that my next interview is scheduled for the middle of January, with Nick Jonsson,[vi] author of the #1 International Best Selling book on Executive Loneliness whose website headliner says “mental health issues are rising dramatically” especially in the workplace and I’d say the writing on the wall is clear where our focus needs to be in 2022, especially if we want to be stable, strong and predictable for the children in our lives, who watch and respond to everything that we do.
So, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday,
DID YOU KNOW: “That one-quarter of Americans intend to improve their mental health in 2022”[vii] and that according to a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, “almost 70 million adults resolve to find ways to improve their mental health this coming year.”[viii]
American Psychiatric Association president Vivian Pender, MD thinks this statistic is “important and encouraging” but points out of the “level of variation among demographic groups” and that “psychiatrists need to understand these trends.”
She references a poll conducted by APA’s Healthy Minds from Dec. 6-8th with a nationwide sample of 2,119 healthy adults and 37% of them revealed “anxieties about the state of their mental health approaches.”
The poll listed the following resolutions to make an impact on mental health as meditation (53%) therapy (37%), purposeful social media hiatus (35%), journaling (32%), accessing a mental health app (26%) and seeing a psychiatrist (1/5th of the participants).
Since there is such an important and timely movement toward mental health and well-being at this time, I want to provide the TOP STRATEGIES that we’ve covered over the past 2 years on this podcast, that would fall into the categories of the top modalities for improving mental and physical health.
STRATEGY 1: Meditation
There’s so much to this strategy, that it can be overwhelming for a beginner to know how to start. I learned something valuable from each of these episodes and I hope that it helps you to begin, or fine tune your meditation practice.
EPISODE 25: Mick Neustadt covers “How Meditation and Mindfulness Changes Your Life”[ix] and this episode is great for people who are new to meditation and mindfulness. He explains what mindfulness is, why it’s so important for young people, and what the research is saying about the importance of implementing a mindfulness program into your daily life.
EPISODE #98: Dr. Dawson Church covers “The Science Behind Using Meditation: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness”[x] where he explains how he was able to turn his attention away from the horrible tragedy of losing his home in the 2017 Northern California wildfires, to create thoughts, habits and behaviors to support a happy life. I still use Dawson Church’s Bliss Brain Meditations every morning when I first wake up, because there’s something very peaceful about them.
EPISODE #28: Dr. Dan Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine covers “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence”[xi] taking us into the results he is seeing with understanding the “mind” in others (whether in schools or the workplace).
EPISODE #60: I cover a deep dive into Dr. Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation[xii] for anyone new, learning about what to expect from this meditation.  Dr. Siegel’s guided meditation has the potential for fascinating insights and results, and I will always point to this one, for anyone looking to strengthen their mind.
EPISODE #154: Author and movie producer Tom Cronin on “The Portal Book and Film: How Meditation Can Save the World”[xiii] if you want to see how Tom transformed his life with meditation.
Strategy 2: Accessing a Mental Health App or Tool
In order to dig deep and make improvements with our brain and cognition, there are tools out there that can help. Before knowing about these tools, I thought the only way to strengthen my brain was through nutrition and exercise.
EPISODE #108: CEO of Fisher Wallace Laboratories Kelly Roman who covers “Wearable Medical Devices for Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep/Stress Management.”[xiv] Fisher Wallace has over 70,000 patients and 10,000 subscribers using their devices and has continued to run three sizable clinical trials during the pandemic, investigating how neurostimulation is a strong contender as a treatment for anxiety and depression compared to drug use. 
EPISODE #120: My Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Medical Device[xv] came from following month following my interview with Kelly Roman after I had a chance to test the device myself. This is to date is our #1 most downloaded episode of all time with over 5K downloads and the episode I receive the most emails, and DMs on social media about. People want to know that there is a real person behind this review, who really did use the device. I would add a photo of me wearing it to prove I do use it but think the model in the picture looks much better than I do. All joking aside, this is a serious topic, and the emails I have received tell me that people are desperate for solutions when it comes to mental health. While I tested this device to help improve my sleep, I did notice feeling less anxious and worried about things, and it had a calming effect on me. Like I tell anyone who emails me, I highly suggest this product, and if you use it consistently, the way it’s designed to be used (20 minutes twice a day) you should notice an improvement in whatever it is that you are looking to improve (among other things) like I did.  The only way to know this, would be to try it. They do offer a hassle-free 30-day trial period so you can return the device with no questions asked if you don’t want to keep it.
We had a BONUS EPISODE in February of this year, with World Renowned Neuroscientist Dr. Carolyn Leaf on “Cleaning Up Your Mess: 5 Simple Steps”[xvi]  She has an app that goes along with her book, called Neurocycle and I would say it’s the most effective way to clean up your mind (other than going to therapy, that I have not done) that I have ever seen. She helps you to pinpoint a problem that you have, and eliminate it in a process she calls Neurocycling.
EPISODE #106: I Review Dr. Leaf’s “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess” book and Neurocycle App.[xvii]
EPISODE #134: with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com we cover “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery, and Strain with a WHOOP Device.”[xviii]
EPISODE #135: I offer my biggest AHA moments from my interview with Kristen Holmes on “Recovery Strategies to Build Resiliency Against Physical, Mental and Emotional Stressors.”[xix] I haven’t been wearing this device for a full year just yet, but there are immense benefit if you are able to measure your sleep, HRV, recovery and even your skin temperature and respiratory rates, on a daily basis.
EPISODE #179: Sun Sachs, the CEO of Rewire Fitness covers their “First-To-Market Neuro Performance Mobile App for Athletes”[xx] This interview I really needed this app before and after, as I had just tested positive to COVID the day before and was right in the middle of the wonderful symptoms. I think that Sun Sachs’ story was so engaging, and his voice was so calming, that I quickly forgot I was under the weather that day, and diligently use this app to help prime my mind before and after workouts.
Strategy 3: Exercise
I can’t leave exercise off the table, but have put this strategy last, because I usually put it first. The research points to the fact that exercise can help us to achieve optimal physical and mental health and learning about this research really can help us to all put exercise first to move the needle with health and wellness in 2022.
EPISODE #116: with Best Selling Author John J Ratey, MD on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”[xxi]  who explains why the brain is primed for learning after exercise.
EPISODE #118: with a Deep Dive into John J Ratey’s Books[xxii]
EPISODE #123: with Northeastern University Professor Chuck Hillman, Ph.D. on “The Impact of Exercise on the Brain and Learning”[xxiii] On this episode we dive into the brain scans Dr. Hillman did showing how exercise had a clear impact on student’s during test taking and can help us to all see of the importance of physical activity on a student’s academic performance.
To Review This Week’s Brain Fact Friday:
DID YOU KNOW: “That one-quarter of Americans intend to improve their mental health in 2022”[xxiv] and that according to a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, “almost 70 million adults resolve to find ways to improve their mental health this coming year.”
With the TOP 3 strategies I’ve shared with you (Meditation, Using a Mental Health App or Tool and Exercise) I wonder what you found to be the most insightful and interesting. Your brain will ONLY pay attention to what it finds interesting, which would be the first step towards making lasting change with whatever health and wellness strategy you choose. If you are ready for to make 2022 your best year ever (mentally and physically) pick one strategy that you find the most interesting, and start with that.
Have a happy and healthy holiday, and I’ll see you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Prioritize Mental Health in 2022 by Rochelle Ryan, Dec. 22, 2021  https://www.peoriatimes.com/opinion/article_d8b17f14-605c-11ec-b901-af80d364da97.html
3 Tips for Better Mental Health in 2022 https://www.colorado.edu/health/2021/12/20/3-tips-better-mental-health-2022
Employee Mental and Physical Health the Spotlight for 2022 https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/96614-employee-mental-and-physical-health-support-in-the-spotlight-for-2022
4 Mental Health Tips for Creating an Even Better 2022 https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/hapiguide/4-mental-health-tips-for-creating-an-even-better-2022/
 REFERENCES:
[i] Top 10 Social and Emotional Learning Podcasts for 2021 https://blog.feedspot.com/social_emotional_learning_podcasts/
[ii] 20 Best Neuroscience Podcasts for 2021 https://welpmagazine.com/20-best-neuroscience-podcasts-of-2021/
[iii] Dan Vigliatore https://twitter.com/PhysEdDynasty
[iv] Heart Problems After COVID-19 by Wendy Susan Post https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/heart-problems-after-covid19
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/
[vi] https://nickjonsson.com/page/mystory
[vii] One-quarter of Americans Intend to Improve Mental Health in 2022 December 20, 2021 https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20211220/onequarter-of-americans-intend-to-improve-mental-health-in-2022
[viii] IBID
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  #25 with Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Changes Your Life” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mindfulness-and-meditation-expert-mick-neustadt-on-how-meditation-and-mindfulness-changes-your-life-results-and-potential/
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #98 Dr. Dawson Church on “The Science Behind Using Meditation: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-dawson-church-on-the-science-behind-using-meditation-rewiring-your-brain-for-happiness-resilience-and-joy/
[xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Dan Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #60 on “The Science and Benefits of Dr. Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/
[xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #154 with Author and Film Producer Tom Cronin on “The Portal Book and Movie: How Meditation Can Save the World” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-film-producer-tom-cronin-on-the-portal-book-and-movie-how-meditation-can-save-the-world/
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #108 with CEO of Fisher Wallace Laboratories Kelly Roman who covers “Wearable Medical Devices for Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep/Stress Management” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/ceo-of-fisher-wallace-laboratories-on-wearable-medical-devices-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
[xv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #120 with Andrea Samadi’s Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
[xvi][xvi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE with  World Renowned Neuroscientist Dr. Carolyn Leaf on “Cleaning Up Your Mess: 5 Simple Steps” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/worldrenownedneuroscientistdr-caroline-leaf-oncleaningup-your-mentalmess5-simplescientifically-proven-stepsto-reduceanxiety-and-toxic-thinking/
[xvii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #106 Review of Dr. Carolyn Leaf’s  “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/book-and-app-review-of-neuroscientist-and-best-selling-author-dr-caroline-leafs-cleaning-up-your-mental-mess-coming-march-2-20201/
[xviii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com we cover “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery, and Strain with a WHOOP Device.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
[xix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #135 on “Recovery Strategies to Build Resiliency Against Physical, Mental and Emotional Stressors” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-recovery-to-become-resilient-to-physical-mental-and-emotional-stressors/
[xx]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #179 with Sun Sachs,  the CEO of Rewire Fitness covers their “First-To-Market Neuro Performance Mobile App for Athletes” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sun-sachs-ceo-of-rewire-fitness-on-their-first-to-market-neuro-performance-mobile-app-for-athletes/
[xxi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 with Best Selling Author John J Ratey, MD on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[xxii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #118 with a Deep Dive into John J Ratey’s Books  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/deep-dive-into-best-selling-author-john-j-rateys-books-spark-go-wild-and-driven-to-distraction/
[xxiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #123 with Northeastern University Professor Chuck Hillman, Ph.D. on “The Impact of Exercise on the Brain and Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/northeastern-university-professor-chuck-hillman-phd-on-the-impact-of-exercise-on-the-brain-and-learning/
[xxiv] One-quarter of Americans Intend to Improve Mental Health in 2022 December 20, 2021 https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20211220/onequarter-of-americans-intend-to-improve-mental-health-in-2022

In Memory of Presidential Historian Doug Wead on ”Applying Leadership and Character Lessons From the Greatest U.S. Presidents”

“We are not limited by money, but rather by the poverty of our own dreams.” Doug Wead
 
Watch this interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/VN2Ng6mMtHc
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ Why it's important that we ask others for help with our goals.✔︎ How Andrea met the advisor to 2 American Presidents, and how he helped her to create Character and Leadership programs for the K-12 School Market.✔︎ A Look back at an interview with Andrea and Doug in 2014 on the Greatest US Presidents.✔︎ A Formula for Leadership that Doug noticed with many US Presidents involving a Mamma's Boy and an Absent Father.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #187 with a release of one of our earlier interviews that we released long before we launched this podcast from March, 2014 in memory of my mentor, Presidential Historian, and advisor to two American Presidents, Doug Wead[i], who passed away unexpectedly on Friday December 10th.[ii]
You can listen to the back story of how I met Doug, and his impact on the work we’ve been doing in the field of education on this podcast, since the knowledge and ideas he shared with me back then, are relevant for us today.
 
REMEMBER: This is one of my earlier interviews, and the sound quality is not the same as it is today with advancements in technology and experience.
 
I do hope you enjoy this interview on “The Greatest or Best US Presidents” where I asked him the following questions:
 
Who was the greatest of all US Presidents?
Which Presidents showed great leadership?
Can you explain this formula for leadership that you discovered studying our past Presidents? (A mama’s boy with an absent Father)?
Will we ever see a female President?
How is Barack Obama doing as a President? He was the US President at the time of this interview (March, 2014).
How is President Obama doing as a Father?
What was President Gerald Ford like as a person, since Doug knew him personally?
Final Thoughts of how Doug’s career led him to the Whitehouse.
Wow, what a man! Doug had an incredible career working in the Whitehouse, inspiring many around the world, and it all began with his vision to feed people who were starving to death in Cambodia. In 1970 he co-founded the Charity Awards and was a part of the founding of Mercy Corps which has distributed $2 billion of food and medicine around the world and my hope is that he has inspired you in some way to take action with your goals, whatever they might be.
 
With that, we say goodbye, and I’ve got to say, this is one connection that I am grateful I wasn’t too afraid to reach out to ask for help.
 
 
 
 
 
BIO:
Doug Wead is a New York Times bestselling author and former adviser to two American Presidents. He served as special assistant to the president in the George H.W. Bush White House.
Mr. Wead's books are known for their primary sources. He has interviewed six American presidents, seven first ladies, 19 presidential children and twelve presidential siblings.
In 1970 he co-founded the Charity Awards and was a part of the founding of Mercy Corps which has distributed $2 billion of food and medicine around the world.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Newsmax https://www.newsmax.com/politics/doug-wead-presidential-historian-obit/2021/12/13/id/1048472/
Mount Rushmore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore
REFERENCES:
[i] www.dougwead.com
[ii] https://www.charismanews.com/culture/87802-top-of-the-week-conservative-political-commentator-doug-wead-a-lifelong-pentecostal-dies-of-heart-failure-at-75

Brain Fact Friday on ”Using Neuroscience to Understand the Introverted and Extroverted Brain”

DID YOU KNOW “that the brains of introverts and extroverts are measurably different? MRI technology reveals that the dopamine reward network is more active in the brains of extroverts while introverts have more grey matter.”[i]  I posted a graphic this week with this brain fact written on it on social media, and it drew more feedback and comments than usual, making me think that this needs to be this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for BRAIN FACT FRIDAY and EPISODE #186 on “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Introverted and Extroverted Brain”
DID YOU KNOW "That MRI technology reveals that the dopamine reward network is more active in the brains of extroverts while introverts have more gray matter?" (Deane Alban).On this episode you will learn:✔︎ Where the terms introvert and extrovert originated from.✔︎ Characteristics of an introvert, extrovert and what's in between.✔︎ 3 ways the Introverts' and Extroverts' brains differ.✔︎ How you can use this information to improve your workplace productivity and social life.
 
After I posted this graphic on social media that you can see in the show notes, John Harmon, Mind/Brain Researcher from EPISODE #170[ii] made a comment that really made me think, which is the purpose of this podcast. I want us to all think on a deeper level about understanding how our brain functions and impacts our results. He said “this makes sense to me since extroverts engage in more high energy personal interactions. Conversations trigger more emotional ups and downs, including rewarding thoughts and feelings. Especially feelings. With introverts, solitary activity tends to be much more even-keeled emotionally. Feelings of reward are weaker and less frequent. Therefore, the dopamine-laden neural networks that coincide with this feeling will be less active as well.” I had to stop and think after reading John’s thoughts, and it took me inside my own brain. I could those times that I’m stepping away from my usual introverted self where I’m studying, reading and researching in my quiet office, towards a more extroverted persona when I’m speaking in public, and interacting with larger groups, that this high energy interaction results in a spike of dopamine that I enjoy, but not for too long, as I crave the quiet and solitude of my office to bounce back, and recharge before another event.
John’s comments made me want to dive a bit deeper into understanding our personality traits, especially over the holidays when we may be interacting with others more on a social level. If we can understand ourselves and others at the brain level, it might give us more clarity and awareness throughout this holiday season and into the New Year, helping us to see why we feel the way we do, and see beyond the labels of introversion and extroversion.
When I typed introverts and extroverts into Pubmed.gov[iii] where I’ve been taught to look for the most current brain research, I found 170 articles ranging from different topics like Childhood experiences and adult health[iv] or Introversion/extroversion, time stress and caffeine: effects on verbal performance[v] I knew that this would be a good topic to take a closer look at if there were this many abstracts to read. If you want to dive deeper than I go with this Brain Fact, you can easily go to www.pubmed.gov and type in the words introvert and extrovert to see the studies that have been done on this topic. Also, if you want a quick reminder of how to tie in the most current neuroscience research to your next presentation, go back and listen to EPISODE #124 on “How to Be a Neuroscience Researcher in 4 Simple Steps”[vi] and you can easily add brain research to your work.
So, back to this week’s Brain Fact Friday on Introverts and Extroverts. It was Carl Jung who created these terms in the first place, way back in 1920. He deduced that “extroverts gained their energy from their social interactions and external environments and tended to feel uncomfortable and anxious when they found themselves alone. Introverts on the other hand, can replenish their energy levels when they are in quiet environments. Unlike extroverts they find socializing and busy environments overstimulating and too demanding.”[vii] So what are the differences between introverts’ and extroverts’ brains?
The Dopamine Difference: “Introverts are sensitive to dopamine”[viii] which explains why they prefer solitude and calm over those high energy personal interactions. Extroverts draw their energy from others, while introverts need time to recharge after being around others for longer periods of time. This is an easy one to see—you know whether being at a party, especially this time of year is something that fuels you or depletes you. It happened to my husband and I recently, where we were at a party, and the host, an obvious extrovert came over to us, unable to hold in his excitement and exclaimed “Hey guys, I want you to know that we have extended the party by 3 hours!” He was thrilled to share this with us, and we were all having an incredible time, but to an introvert, this news wouldn’t be as exciting to hear. When my husband looked at me and was still ok with leaving the party early to stick to our schedule of waking up early, I was thankful that I was with an introvert like me, who understood this, without saying a word. “Extroverts are less sensitive to dopamine”[ix] and need more of it for their happiness, which was obvious with all the extroverts on the dance floor who were there long after we had left the party and gone to sleep.
IMAGE SOURCE: The Introvert Brain Explained Illustrated by Marti Olsen Laney
Introverts Prefer a Different Side of Their Nervous System,[x] the parasympathetic side that is responsible for the rest and digest mode and restoring the body to a calm state, vs the sympathetic side that triggers fight, or flight modes.
We dove deep into understanding the Parasympathetic Nervous System with Suzanne Gundersen on EPISODE #59[xi] and her interview that’s worth reviewing as it’s risen to the TOP 10 most watched interviews we’ve conducted and can help us with strategies to calm our brain when under stress.
Remember: “While extroverts are linked with the dopamine/adrenaline, energy-spending sympathetic nervous system, (allowing them to engage in high energy personal interactions like John Harmon noted), introverts are connected with the acetyl-choline, energy-conserving, parasympathetic nervous system”[xii] that explains the need for taking a break from stimulating environments. “Acetylcholine is related to pleasure, just like dopamine, however acetylcholine makes a person feel good when they turn inward.”[xiii] Understanding ourselves and others is much easier when we can link our personality and how we behave to the wiring within our brain and nervous system, as well as how we respond to the neurotransmitters our brain creates.
Introverts Have More Grey Matter in the Front of Their Brains. A study in the Journal of Neuroscience found that introverts had “thicker gray matter in their prefrontal cortex—the area of their brain associated with abstract thought and decision-making. Extroverts had thinner gray matter in the same area”[xiv]  that’s associated with “deeper thought and planning” which suggests that “extroverts may be more prone to impulsivity than introverts who prefer to mull things over.”[xv]
Travis Bradberry, the author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 reminds us that “how social you are is driven by dopamine, the brain’s feel-good hormone. We all have different levels of dopamine-fueled stimulation in the neocortex (the area of the brain that is responsible for higher mental functions such as language and conscious thought). Those who naturally have high levels of stimulation tend to be introverts (like we said above as they are more sensitive to dopamine)—they try to avoid any extra social stimulation that might make them feel anxious or overwhelmed. Those with low levels of stimulation tend to be extroverts. Under-stimulation leaves extroverts feeling bored, so they seek social stimulation to feel good.” Just like my friend, the extrovert who extended the party for 3 more hours that night—this caused his dopamine to rise and kept him on the dance floor all night, while the thought of more dancing made me look at my watch and think of ways to avoid the surge in dopamine with an early night.
While taking a closer look inside our brain and nervous system can help us to gain some understanding, my LinkedIn connection Denny Coates[xvi] reminded me that they key word in this graphic is “more” and that “all healthy human beings have a dopamine reward network and plenty of gray matter. Which means we all have the potential to exercise introversion at times and extroversion at times” reminding us not to compartmentalize people as introverts or extroverts. This rang true to me as there are times I question “what am I, introverted or extroverted” because public speaking energizes me, so I can’t be only a book worm who loves to study and learn in a quiet environment, leading me to think like Denny, and look for what could be in the middle.  I found the term Ambivert whose personality type “doesn’t lean too heavily in either direction. They have a much easier time adjusting their approach to people based on the situation.”[xvii]
What are you? If you still aren’t sure, you can take Travis Bradberry’s 9 Signs You Are an Ambivert Quiz[xviii], and if you answer yes to most of these questions, you are probably like me, and sometimes seek out stimulation, while other times like to avoid it. See how you can leverage your personality type remembering that we don’t have to label ourselves as one or the other, but can learn how to adapt to social situations and make them work for us, not against us.  Here are the 9 questions to ask yourself:
I can perform tasks alone or in a group. I don’t have much preference either way.
Social settings don’t make me uncomfortable, but I tire of being around people too much. (like my dance party example).
Being the center of attention is fun for me, but I don’t like it to last.
Some people think I’m quiet, while others think I’m highly social.
I don’t always need to be moving, but too much down time leaves me feeling bored.
I can get lost in my own thoughts just as easily as I can lose myself in a conversation.
Small talk doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but it does get boring. (I noticed this for the first time recently when someone sat down next to me and started a conversation about nothing. I couldn’t end that conversation fast enough. Has this ever happened to you?)
When it comes to trusting other people, sometimes I’m skeptical, and other times, I dive right in.
If I spend too much time alone, I get bored, yet too much time around other people leaves me feeling drained.
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday, “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Introverted and Extroverted Brain” I hope this helps you, like it did me, to see inside our brain, at the differences, and help us to see that we don’t have to be one or the other, but to stretch ourselves when we need to in professional or social environments, and then give ourselves a break when we notice we need to back off, and go within to recharge our batteries.
Have a wonderful weekend, whether you will be out at a party, working, or relaxing. Either way, I hope what you choose whatever gives you the most energy to launch a productive week.
See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
The Introvert Brain Explained https://www.magicaldaydream.com/2013/06/the-introvert-brain-explained.html
REFERENCES:
[i] 72 Amazing Brain Facts by Deane Alban https://bebrainfit.com/human-brain-facts/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #170 on “Our Brain and Mind Under Pressure” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/cognitive-neuroscience-researcher-john-harmon-on-our-brain-and-mind-under-pressure/
[iii] Research on Introverts and Extroverts https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=introverts%20and%20extroverts&page=2
[iv] Childhood experiences and adult health: the moderating effects of temperament https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32420492/
[v] Introversion/extroversion, time stress and caffeine: effects on verbal performance https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1257762/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #124 on “How to Be A Neuroscience Researcher in 4 Simple Steps”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-how-to-be-a-neuroscience-researcher-in-4-simple-steps/
[vii] Why Introverts are Introverts? Because Their Brains Are Different https://www.lifehack.org/412467/why-introverts-are-introverts-because-their-brains-are-different
[viii]Introverts’ and Extroverts’ Brains Really Are Different, According to Science https://introvertdear.com/news/introverts-and-extroverts-brains-really-are-different-according-to-science/
[ix] IBID
[x] IBID
[xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #59 with Suzanne Gundersen  on “Puttig the Polyvagal Theory into Practice” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/suzanne-gundersen-on-the-polyvagal-theory-in-practice/
[xii] The Introvert Brain Explained https://www.magicaldaydream.com/2013/06/the-introvert-brain-explained.html
[xiii] Why Introverts are Introverts? Because Their Brains Are Different https://www.lifehack.org/412467/why-introverts-are-introverts-because-their-brains-are-different
[xiv] Introverts’ and Extroverts’ Brains Really Are Different, According to Science https://introvertdear.com/news/introverts-and-extroverts-brains-really-are-different-according-to-science/
[xv] Introverts vs Extroverts: Brain Scans Reveal Pros and Cons of Personality Types https://www.medicaldaily.com/introverts-vs-extroverts-brain-scans-reveal-pros-and-cons-personality-types-402185?amp=1
[xvi] Dr. Denny Coates https://drdennycoates.com/
[xvii] 9 Signs You’re an Ambivert by Travis Bradberry https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/04/26/9-signs-that-youre-an-ambivert/?sh=257eff263145
[xviii] 9 Signs You’re an Ambivert by Travis Bradberry https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/04/26/9-signs-that-youre-an-ambivert/?sh=257eff263145

Brain Fact Friday on ”Using Neuroscience to Repattern Our Brain”

DID YOU KNOW that research from the Max Plank Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science in Germany, led by neuroscientist John Dylan-Haynes has shown that the decisions we make daily to act on something, begins “automatically and without involvement of our consciousness”[i] up to 7 seconds BEFORE we take the action we are thinking about? I learned this from Adele Spraggon,[ii] the author of Shift, in this week’s interview #184, while talking about her 4 STEP re-patterning process to break habits for an improved 2022 and it got me thinking about how we could use and understand this brain fact to take our results to new heights, especially as we are preparing for a New Year.
If you are like me, and have ever done something and then wondered “why did I just do that?” then this episode is for you!
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for BRAIN FACT FRIDAY and EPISODE #185 on “Using Neuroscience to Repattern Our Brain.” For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.
This week’s Brain Fact Friday took me back to the late 1990s, when I worked in the personal development industry[iii] and first learned about how our results were all determined by our thoughts, feelings and actions. I’ll put an image I want you to see in the show notes.
 
I used to have this picture taped to my wall so I could see it every day from the speaker I worked with. I’m sure he used to carry it around when he would speak to people one on one, explaining that our thoughts come first. We think an idea (I really want this goal) and then we add emotion or feeling to this goal, that charges us up as we picture ourselves in possession of that goal, changing our body state, and getting us to take action of some sort, moving us in the direction of this goal. The action steps that we take (calling someone, getting mentored and getting ideas to take NEW actions) give us new information that we didn’t have before, and this in turn, changes our conditions, circumstances, and environment, taking us to places beyond where we have ever been before and we achieve our goals, the end result.  This is how I was taught how to bridge the gap between goal setting and achieving, over 20 years ago,  and how I’ve tackled every single goal since then.  I’ve taught this concept to thousands of people (of all different ages) around the world over the years through the books and courses I’ve created. They are old, but the information is still relevant. If you want to take a look, you can access some of my first online courses on Udemy[iv].  On the back of my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed,[v] I even wrote something that showed how important it was to distinguish the difference between a goal setter and achiever. I wrote:
“When we look at people who have achieved great things, we often believe they are more talented than the rest of us, or luckier, or more well-connected. But the only thing that separates the successful from everybody else is that they have learned to bridge the gap between setting goals and achieving them. They have developed ways of behaving and—more importantly—ways of thinking that enable them to get what they want.”
I knew when I wrote that in 2008 that there was a fine line between setting and achieving goals, and that we must have an unwavering mindset around the goal we are going after, but what I didn’t know, that I learned this week, was that our thinking precedes our actions by up to seven seconds and is pre-determined with a pattern or neural pathway that’s created in my brain, as unique as my own fingerprint long before I take any action.  Understanding this pattern is behind why some people achieve their goals, or not, not their rock-solid mental mindset that’s important, but probably wouldn’t be the deal-breaker.
We must understand that the old way of THINK/FEEL/ACT can lead us into a habit loop, getting the same result over and over again, that no one wants. We want NEW results, and when we use neuroscience to re-pattern our brain, we know it begins with understanding and re-patterning our brain when something isn’t working for us.
I learned from Adele Spraggon’s book Shift that “we FEEL first (information comes in though the senses, and it changes the body’s vibration). We ACT second and THINK last and that thought does not activate the sequence; it follows.”[vi]
If we want to take a different action and get a new result, we need a NEW pattern that begins with being in tune with what we FEEL first, then ACT and THINK last. If you haven’t listened to EPISODE #184 where Adele explains her 4 STEP approach, I would be sure to listen to this episode next, but I thought it was too important to not cover this on this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
To review this week’s brain fact,
Did you know that we can predict what someone is thinking up to seven seconds before we think that thought[vii] and “by looking at brain activity while making a decision, researchers could predict” what people were thinking before they were consciously aware of it?[viii]
We know this to be true because we have all done this—taken an action, not being consciously aware of exactly what we are doing and then asking ourselves “why did I just do that?”
The difference between goal setters and goal achievers are that they THINK and BEHAVE differently. How do they do this? They are 100% in tune with what’s working for them, or not. They know the patterns that they are taking that lead them towards the results they are looking for, and when something is not leading them towards what they want, they switch the pattern.
It’s that simple. Here’s how implement this week’s brain fact Friday.
STEP 1: Uncover What’s Not Working: If you want to achieve new results with something you are working on, is all you need to do is ask yourself “What’s not working with what I am doing” and this will help put you back on course to achieving your end result. It begins with being honest with what needs to change.
STEP 2: Listen to What Your Feel Before You Act. To avoid taking actions that put you back into your habit loop, pay attention to how you feel. We’ve talked about interoception, or listening to what you feel in your body on many different episodes. Slow down and pay attention and you will know if the action is right for you, or not.
STEP 3: Take a NEW Action: Different to what wasn’t working and notice the results. If you are moving in the direction of what you want, you have re-patterned your brain to a new result. Life should feel easy, peaceful and like Adele mentioned, “everyone should feel happy” around you.
If you are thinking of what you would like to change in 2022, I hope you can see how this re-patterning approach can help take you to new heights.
As we are progressing on this podcast, and I look back at older episodes, like EPISODE #35 from January 2020 “Using Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”[ix] I can see where we are learning new ideas together that are essentially re-patterning our brains. 2 years ago, I was setting goals with the idea that “Neurons that Fire Together, Wire Together” and “Neurons that are out of Synch, Fail to Link” so I knew that old habits would eventually die out, (and fail to link) which they usually do. Habit breaking shouldn’t be difficult, when you follow Adele Spraggon’s 4 STEP Method from our last episode, but when something is difficult to break, it always goes back to the patterns that YOU’VE created in YOUR brain that you need to re-pattern. If you were able to create the habit, then you can also create a new habit that works better for you.
Remember: The decisions we make daily to act on something, begins “automatically and without involvement of our consciousness” so we had better be sure that the actions we are taking daily are moving us towards those things that we want (our goals) not away from them.
See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Our Brains Make Up Our Minds Before We Know it by Douglas Van Preet Dec. 21, 2020 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/unconscious-branding/202012/our-brains-make-our-minds-we-know-it
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #184 with Adele Spraggon on “Using Science to Break Up with Your Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/adele-spraggon-on-using-science-to-break-up-with-your-bad-habits-in-4-simple-steps/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #67 on “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into Bob Proctor’s Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[iv] The Secret for Teens Revealed Online Course on Udemy by Andrea Samadi https://www.udemy.com/course/the-secret-for-teens-revealed-a-10-step-success-blueprint/
[v] The Secret for Teens Revealed by Andrea Samadi Sept. 15, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1604940336
[vi] Adele Spraggon, Shift (Page 12) http://www.shift4steps.com/
[vii] Mind Reading with Brain Scanners John Dylan-Haynes TEXxBerlin Published on YouTube October 1, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMDuakmEEV4
[viii] Brain Makes Decisions Before You Even Know it Published April, 2008 by Kerri Smith https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2008.751
[ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/

”Shift” Author, Adele Spraggon on ”Using Science to Break Up with Your Bad Habits for a Successful 2022!”

As we are finalizing Q4 of 2021, with the holidays on the horizon, I know that you are probably like like me, and on the lookout for any new strategy that we can learn that will take our game to a new level in 2022. I’ll cover our lessons learned this year in another episode, and have some fun ideas coming up as we approach episode #200, but as you know, we are always looking for brain-aligned strategies that we can all use to implement immediately, and I found something that I think we should all know about, with our next speaker. She was recognized in 2021 as the Top Behavior Expert of the Year[i] with her 4 STEP re-patterning approach that digs deep into our subconscious mind, so we can change those habits or behaviors that we’ve got running on auto-pilot, for new and improved results in 2022. If there are ANY new brain-aligned strategies that I come across in my research,  I will find them, and share them with you here.
Watch the interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/U7N0JzxJHO0
Learn more about Adele Spraggon and her Shift book https://www.adelespraggon.com/  
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎  ONE question you can ask yourself at the end of the year, to free up your energy for 2022.
✔︎  How habits are formed in the brain (good and bad ones).
✔︎  How Adele Spraggon found a NEW 4 STEP re-patterning approach that does NOT involve replacing an OLD habit with a NEW one.
✔︎  How to know if our habits and patterns are working for us, or not.
✔︎  How Adele's simple and easy to use 4-STEP re-patterning method can help you to jumpstart your 2022.
✔︎  The benefits of re-patterning old, outdated habits.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #184 with an award-winning author, thought leader, international trainer and fearless speaker, Adele Spraggon[ii]. Her book, Shift, 4 Steps to Personal Empowerment[iii] has won three awards for its powerful message of inspiration and hope and is sweeping the globe, transforming how people are setting and achieving their goals.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome back! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or in the corporate environment.
I want to welcome Adele Spraggon, from my hometown of Toronto, Canada today, and get straight to some questions that I hope will give us a new look at goal setting/achieving with our brain in mind, and be the perfect episode for us as we leap into 2022.
Welcome Adele, thank you very much for joining me today and sharing your book and proprietary 4 STEP repatterning approach with our listeners at this very important time of year.
Adele, we have a common thread that I learned when I began reading your book and studying your work. We both began our work in the personal development field and before I get to my first question for you, I noticed as we connected on LinkedIn that we have a couple of speakers and authors in common from my hometown. Just curious to see if we were in similar circles when I lived in Toronto, did you attend Gerry’s Book Publishing seminar or any of Bob’s events?
I know we both noticed there was something wrong with the way that we were initially taught HOW to set and achieve goals. (think/feel/act (that I learned in the late 1990s)  vs FEEL/ACT/THINK) where we use what neuroscientists call interoception to FEEL before we act. This was missing from everything we were taught right from our first days in school, through college and into our careers. I noticed this distinction over the past couple of years of interviewing experts on the podcast, but when I heard you explain it, I understood it at a whole new level  and you created your proprietary 4 STEP re-patterning approach when you saw it, which I think is brilliant.
INTRO Q: Can you share WHEN you first saw the need to teach others how to use their brain to achieve their goals or whatever it is we are working on and why it’s important to notice that FEELING must precede our ACTIONS?
Q1: I have done a lot of thinking (and episodes) on breaking habits and one of my earlier episodes #35 was on “How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”[iv] where we talk about the fact that “Neurons that fire together, wire together” when we are reinforcing a habit or something we are doing over and over again with this neural pathway. Then I discovered from Stefanie Faye on episode #133[v] that the brain creates high priority pathways with skills we are practicing over and over again, and how the brain re-wires itself using myelin that actually increases the speed and efficiency of these electrical impulses along the nerve cells with what we are practicing, which makes it easier for us to understand how habits are formed and reinformed in the brain. Then, I even heard on EPISODE #143 with Dr. Jon Lieff[vi], on his new book, The Secret Language of Cells, that anything we do AFTER exercise is further reinforced in the brain.
With these three brain facts in mind, with how habits are formed and reinforced in the brain, can you explain WHY some of our habits are so difficult to BREAK, (while some we can break without any effort at all)?
1B) What needs to be in place FIRST in order to change behaviors that aren’t working for us?
Q2- In your book, you say that no patterns are wrong—they either work for the given situation you are in they don’t. This question took me beyond where my thinking usually goes, because as we try new strategies to achieve new results, we will learn new habits.  What question can we ask ourselves to identify the habits quickly and easily that we need to shift?
Q3- Adele, Can you take us through your 4 step re-patterning process to help us once we have identified what we want to change? How does the old pattern disappear? Is it just from no longer thinking about it? That pathway in the brain eventually just stops being reinforced and disappears? How long can we expect this to process to take?
Q3B) How do we know if the NEW patterns we’ve created (in its place) will work for us?
Q4: Is there anything important that I have missed that is important for us to think about at this time of year about habit breaking?
Q5- What are the benefits of repatterning old habits? What will this process do for us?
Q6-For people who want to learn more about the book, what’s the best place for someone to find it?
Adele, I want to thank you very much for sharing this powerful 4 STEP process to rewire our brain, especially at this time of year when many of us are looking back at the year at what didn’t work and thinking of changes we make immediately for an improved 2022.
For people to learn more about you, I will link all of your social media channels in the show notes, as well as http://www.shift4steps.com/ where you have a clear call to action to help people to get unstuck with this 4 step process?
Thank you!
FOLLOW ADELE SPRAGGON
Website https://www.adelespraggon.com/ 
Book Promo Page http://www.shift4steps.com/ 
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelespraggon/ 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/adele.spraggon 
Twitter https://twitter.com/AdeleSpraggon
 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
John-Dylan Haynes https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6993585_Decoding_mental_states_from_brain_activity_in_human
RESOURCES:
Interview with Adele Spraggon and Kerri Macaulay on the Choose Unstoppable Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/choose-unstoppable/id1498640322?i=1000541227865&fbclid=IwAR27FhLfiQArlQ4D6JOJPLJ_gQ-oTRFnCzdk0p9wS57-g1f4SDuBsRXDlAs
REFERENCES:
[i] Adele Spraggon selected as Top Behavioral Change Expert of the Year 2021 https://www.prunderground.com/adele-spraggon-selected-as-top-behavioural-change-expert-of-the-year-by-iaotp/00212951/
[ii] https://www.adelespraggon.com/
[iii] Shift: 4 Steps to Personal Empowerment by Adele Spraggon https://www.adelespraggon.com/offers/L7Yd4CQz/checkout
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #35 on “How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #133 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-applying-neuroplasticity-to-your-school-or-workplace/
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #143 with Dr. Jon Lieff on “The Secret Language of Cells” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/jon-lieff-md-on-the-secret-language-of-cells-what-biological-conversations-tell-us-about-the-brain-body-connection/

Dr. Simone Alicia, The Self-Esteem Doctor on ”Self-Esteem: Why We Must Have it To Succeed.”

Have you ever held back something about yourself that you are either aware of consciously, or not, without realizing how impactful sharing this part of you could be for your career, or how many more people you could help when the shields come down, and you finally allow others to see yourself for who you are?
Watch the interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/CmPlSZKc-NA
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How Dr. Simone Alicia made the connection between the fashion runway, and helping young people tap into reservoirs of self-esteem.
✔︎ How she began teaching young people brain-aligned solutions with success, years before knowing this is what she was doing.
✔︎ How her life skyrocketed when she became authentic, and began using her background as a runway model to help others.
✔︎ How you can join and help her self-esteem mission at www.theselfesteemdoctor.com 
Our next guest, a former model turned educator, who has brushed shoulders with Jamie Foxx and Will Smith, did just that, for many years, until she questioned why she was holding back this critical piece of who she was, and it opened the doorway for her career, helping many young people in the process.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #183 with Dr. Simone Alicia, otherwise known as the Self Esteem Doctor.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or in the corporate environment.
Today’s guest, Dr. Simone Alicia, or the Self-Esteem doctor was introduced to me over Thanksgiving week. When I began researching her work, I was shocked at the many similarities in her life, to mine. Not that I was a runway model, like she was, as exciting as that looks, but we were both educators, who saw a serious need to help young people with their self-esteem. She built her business through the fashion runway, helping young people to find their potential this way, launching a magazine[i] (twice a year) just like we did with The Teen Performance Magazine[ii] where we interviewed celebrity teens to help improve the self-esteem of young people by showing them that even celebrities suffer with self-doubt, and how they overcame their insecurities.
Dr. Simone Alicia says it best herself that "Self Esteem is a mindset. It’s a focused belief about yourself and your ability to succeed in life. This is your path to clarity, wholeness and lasting happiness. It is the key for you and for everyone. Life’s too short to wait, align with the greatness within you and do it now!” she says and I agree 100%. Life is short—so don’t hold back, with anything.
Dr. Alicia went on to create incredible resources on her YouTube Channel,[iii] with online courses[iv], and has been a keynote speaker with many different organizations around the country.[v] She has her own podcast that people as young as age 6 and up, will find engaging and motivating.
I was drawn to Dr. Simone Alicia because I’ve always been curious as to why we hold ourselves back. It began when I was younger and missed opportunities because I was afraid of taking risks, and it’s why I began working with young people and self-esteem in the late 1990s, with the hopes that even one of the young people we’ve helped, goes on to accomplish their wildest dreams and this is exactly what Dr. Alicia said inspires her. It’s like Marianne Williamson’s poem where she says “our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, famous?”
I’m so excited for what we will uncover together, about her pathway to help young people discover their greatness, how she has been using brain-aligned strategies for years before they were making an impact in our schools and where she is focused on making an impact next.
Let’s meet Dr. Simone Alicia!
Welcome Dr. Alicia, thank you for joining me today. I’ve got to say, it’s not often that I’m preparing for an interview, and thinking “this sounds so much like me” and it kind of shocked me as to how similar our paths were, especially when the only runway I’ve ever seen, I was standing next to it, not on it! What a fascinating background you have.
INTRO Q: I like to open with a question that digs a bit deeper into anything I have uncovered in my research about you, and you go very deep on your podcast, and I will ask you some questions around that a bit later, but can we start with the fact that you (like me) both were drawn to teach self-esteem to kids. I know the moment that hit me like a brick in my stomach (when I saw a speaker working with 12 teens with like you said, these concepts that we now know to be called social and emotional skills (including growth mindset) and their results skyrocketed. It was clear to me what I was meant to do with my life at that point, but it’s been a 20-year journey from that moment to now. Can you share with us was there a moment of truth like I had where you just knew…this is what I need to do?
Q1: When I saw this need, there was this specific moment that just about destroyed me. When I saw it, I just remember that I started crying. It was embarrassing because I had to go sell books and there were all these famous people around. Melanie Griffith was there, and this famous athlete came to speak to me, and when I cry, it’s sort of noticeable. My whole face goes red. I just remember looking down and thinking “Oh Goodness, please get me through this.” I was working for this speaker, (Bob Proctor) and he was featuring these 12 teens and There was a moment when the speaker stood behind a teen who was having a hard time speaking in public (we’ve all been there) and he stood behind the teen and rubbed his back in such a way that he calmed down and I think the speaker just instinctively knew what to do with these kids to change their results, and this is exactly what happened. I heard you say exactly the same thing. You just instinctively knew what to do when there was someone in front of you that needed help. Can you take me through the process of how you began to use the runway as a way to help young people with their self-esteem?
Q2: So why is this skill so important? I saw it with that young kid who struggled to speak in public and thought “oh please don’t let this kid miss out on a lifetime of opportunity because he is afraid of what others will think of him.” I’ve since reached out to his Dad, who is extremely successful and well-known worldwide, and he wrote back immediately, connecting me to him. I can see this young man is now married, and I’ll find out more, and would love to get him on the podcast (thanks to you reminding me of this whole experience) but what did you see? What was it about this skill (self-esteem)  that made you dedicate your life to it?
Q3: Many schools these days are dealing with students with trauma and many of us who are educators don’t have training in this area. I’ve just started to learn about trauma and the brain in this Neuroscience Certification course I am very close to completing and I saw something right away with your story. You know, the one that was difficult, with one of your first client who came to you with trauma, and you were able to change her life through the runway? Well, I connected the work of Joseph LeDoux[vi] on memory reconsolidation with your experience. I wonder, are you aware of Joseph LeDoux’s work? If so, has this idea of going back to a traumatic memory in a good place (like you recreate on the runway) and change her whole mindset about the trauma that occurred with her. Are you aware of memory reconsolidation and perhaps HOW you helped that one girl overcome this traumatic experience using the runway?
Q4: So what do we leave out? As we move forward in our careers, and many of us take off beyond where we were before, do we talk about our roots? I don’t particularly like sharing the fact that I was scared in my early days. I’m not that way anymore, but someone listening who might be afraid of launching an idea into the world could see that we all start out somewhere. At what point did you realize you had to unmute your modelling history?
Q5: I heard about this technique through the speaker I worked with over 25 years ago. He used to say that it was Jack Nicklaus who invented it. He would say “you need to go to the movies with your sport” and visualize every moment of the game ahead of time with golfing. I know that athletes now see how valuable this exercise it and I’ve received many emails about this over the years asking for tips on visualization. Why do you think mental rehearsal is so important and what does it have to do with self-esteem building?
Q6: What are your programs/services that you offer?
Q7:  What’s next/vision for the future? Where are you going now?
Thank you very much for your time today, Dr. Alicia. If anyone wants to reach you, what’s the best way?
Thank you!
Discover FREE Resources here https://www.theselfesteemdoctoracademy.com/
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FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
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RESOURCES:
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #90 with The Host of the Great Lifestyle Podcast, Luke DePron on “Neuroscience, Health, Fitness and Growth” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/host-of-the-live-great-lifestyle-podcast-luke-depron-on-neuroscience-health-fitness-and-growth/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/
REFERENCES:
[i] TSED Magazine (Dr. Alicia) https://www.theselfesteemdoctoracademy.com/pages/tsed-magazine
[ii]The Teen Performance Magazine (Andrea Samadi)  https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/77535
[iii]Dr. Alicia YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Us6sa8YgVAPn3Ui9asWlA
[iv] Dr. Alicia Online Courses https://www.theselfesteemdoctoracademy.com/pages/categories
[v] Dr. Alicia Speaking https://www.theselfesteemdoctoracademy.com/pages/speaking-request
[vi] How Can Memory Reconsolidation Work In Therapy? Published Nov. 9, 2017 featuring neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPCzAf9TIFk

Brain Fact Friday on ”Accelerating Literacy: Understanding How the Brain Learns to Read”

DID YOU KNOW that “How quickly and successfully the brain learns to read”[i] is greatly influenced by the student’s ability to speak.  “It is important to understand what cognitive neuroscience has revealed about how the brain processes the spoken word” (Souza, page 11) when looking to unlock the secret for accelerating literacy with our students, or children.
On this episode you will learn:
✔︎ How the brain learns to read.
✔︎ Why it's so important that our children/students learn to read by 3rd grade.
✔︎ Strategies that you can use today to accelerate reading with your emergent bilingual students, or struggling readers.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for BRAIN FACT FRIDAY and EPISODE #182 on “Accelerating Literacy: Understanding How the Brain Learns to Read”
For those new, or returning guests, welcome! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I’m deep in the middle of preparing for a presentation with Assistant Superintendent Greg Wolcott[ii], and his Learning Abilities Summit. If you are an educator, looking for new ideas and strategies for your students, please do visit his Summit page to learn more.[iii]  For a reasonable cost, he offers training for educators that’s available virtually, from people around the country who share their expertise to accelerate learning for your students. I highly recommend following these Summits and offering them to your staff for professional development.
As an educational consultant, I first began making the connection with how the brain impacts learning back in 2014 and began creating presentations around what I was learning years before I had launched this podcast. One project was with an educational publisher who asked me to create a whitepaper on how ELL (English Language Learners or our Emergent Bilingual) students learn to read. This was right in the middle of watching my youngest daughter struggle with learning to read in 1st grade (she’s now in 5th grade struggles much less) but as we begin, I have to say that I have not only taught these strategies to educators, and created training materials with them, but have personally used them with my own daughter as learning to read is not only a challenge for our ELL students, but many English speaking students as well.
Before I offer some of the strategies, I discovered in my research to create this whitepaper to accelerate literacy, I think it's always important to dig deeper into "the why" behind looking for solutions to the most common challenges our students are facing when learning to read. We know that every child learns at their own pace, but there are important metrics to notice with reading and I did ask Dr. Daniel Ansari, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning about these benchmarks when it comes to numeracy and math on our interview #138[iv] this past summer. If you want to review the important metrics he suggests for math, please do revisit his interview by looking at the references in the show notes. But getting back to literacy—I want to share some statistics (and these are US statistics for our international listeners) but you will get the point no matter where you are listening to this podcast. I’m sure it wouldn’t shock you to know the problems that illiteracy is causing in America (and internationally) but if we dig just a bit deeper, did you know that:
2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.
1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read at all.
Students who don't read proficiently by the 3rd grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school.
Nearly 85% of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60% of all inmates are functionally illiterate.
In 2013, Washington, D.C. was ranked the most literate American city for the third year in a row, with Seattle and Minneapolis close behind.
Long Beach, CA was ranked the country’s most illiterate city, followed by Mesa, AZ, and Aurora, CO.
 
It’s eye opening to see these statistics.
 
These Shocking Statistics that Lead To
High Drop-out Rates
Low Graduation Rates and College Completion
Incarceration
Welfare…for our students.
And can contribute to work burnout and other health challenges for teachers (who continue to look for new angles to help students who are struggling--many times without making progress because it's not about asking our students to read MORE but understanding HOW they are reading) proving that it’s a critical time to look for new ways to accelerate literacy with our students. I can’t forget to mention Howard Berg’s[v] interview on speed reading on tips for improving reading comprehension. Please do look in the show notes for his interview on accelerating literacy.
If you have a struggling reader (if you are a teacher, or parent)
THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS:
Has the student developed a vast vocabulary?
Are there grammatical errors in their speech?
How do students put their sentences together?
These are all clues to help us to understand additional ways that we can help our students to improve their ability to read. If there are challenges with any one of these questions, there may be a challenge with the student’s ability to read—that begins with their ability to speak.
Think about this for a moment. Think of a struggling reader that you know. What have you noticed about how they speak?
An incredible feature of the human brain is that it “acquires the spoken language fairly quickly and accurately.” (Souza page 12) We are born with the ability to distinguish sounds from written symbols and express ourselves to others. Before we had advanced brain scanning technologies, we found evidence of how the brain produced the spoken language from injured brains. The Broca’s Area (named after French physician Paul Broca) and the Wernicke Area (named after German neurologist Carl Wernicke) are the 2 main areas of the brain that produce the spoken language.
Research in cognitive neuroscience indicates that learning any skill (including reading) requires the following four elements (SLC, 2000)
Practice: For the brain to build and strengthen the neural pathway required for that new skill.
Intensity: Learning a new skill requires focus and concentration.
Cross Training of Skills: By bringing together skills to support reading (such as spoken language fluency and comprehension)
Motivation and Attention: Motivation is the key to learning any new skill.
There must be strategies involved to increase the students' motivation to read.
Studies do show that the brain’s “ability to acquire the spoken language is best during the first 10 years of life” (Souza, page 15) but this does not mean we cannot learn a new language after age 10. It just means it takes more effort.
However, unlike the spoken language, the brain does not have one area specialized for reading. Reading takes up many parts of the brain working together like a symphony. You can see how the skills needed to link the sounds we produce from the letters of the alphabet, must be learned from direct instruction. Emerging readers can build strong reading skills through repetition and practice to strengthen the neural pathways used as the brain learns to read.
The Reading Brain Involves Many Parts of the Brain Working Together:
The temporal lobe (that is responsible for phonological awareness and decoding sounds)
The frontal lobe (that looks after speech production, reading fluency, grammar, and comprehension)
The angular and supramarginal gyrus that links the different parts of the brain together to execute the action of reading
The parietal lobe (turns letters into words, understanding language)
The occipital lobe (the visual processing center)
So how can we unlock the reader within each of our students and bring all these parts of the brain together, working in unison?
If you want to learn the details of all 9 brain-aligned strategies, please do click on the link to access this presentation, and many others, through Greg Wolcott’s Learning Abilities Summit[vi] but I will cover the first strategy for this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
REVIEW THIS WEEK’S BRAIN FACT FRIDAY
Remember that “how quickly and successfully the brain learns to read”[vii] is greatly influenced by the student’s ability to speak.
STRATEGY 1: Building Vocabulary that Skyrockets Students Past Their Obstacles When They Become Stuck.  
I learned this strategy from David Sousa’s “How the Brain Learns to Read Series.”[viii]
Learning to read requires “a solid mental lexicon of spoken vocabulary” (Sousa) and although many researchers “differ on the nature of these networks, most agree that the mental lexicon is organized according to meaningful relationships between words.” (Sousa)
“It seems that the brain stores clusters of closely associated words in a tightly packed network so that words within the network can activate each other in minimal time.
Activating words between networks, however, takes longer.” (Sousa) It would take the brain a shorter period of time to connect words in the same categories (vegetables, peas, peppers, artichoke) and consequently longer to access words not connected in the same network as (frog and salad) for example.
Put it into Action: When learning new vocabulary words, be sure to connect words in categories and practice new words in clusters, using maps or webs. During pre-writing, take one word in the middle of a paper and map out as many words and ideas that are connected to this one word to form a sentence.
For ELLs: You would think that exposing ELLS to English and having them interact with native English speakers will result in them learning English. This is a misconception. ELLS must “pay conscious attention to the grammatical, morphological and phonological aspects of the English language.” (Sousa) They need targeted instruction beyond immersion.
For example—interactions between EL and native English speakers in the mainstream classroom do not occur naturally. When they do happen, they are often brief exchanges of conversational English that doesn’t provide the opportunity to develop academic language.”
So, to build NEW academic vocabulary (not just conversational) for our students with our brain in mind, BE SURE TO: Create Meaningful Relationships Between Words and Students’ Mental Lexicon because Vocabulary Words in the Same Category are Easier for the Brain to Access.
This brain-aligned strategy can be used for any student learning to read.
I hope you have found this week’s Brain Fact Friday useful. When sitting with your students, or children, when they are reading, see if you can look at them through a new lens, with their brain in mind. As they are reading words, and they struggle with one, see if you can get them to think of this word in a category of other similar words. Instead of just explaining the meaning behind new words, without any context, offer another word that would go along with the word they are challenged with, (like we saw the example of peas, lettuce and peppers) to place this word in their brain, in a cluster with other similar words, where it can be accessed quickly and easily the next time, they come across it.
Remember this week’s Brain Fact Friday and that “how quickly and successfully the brain learns to read”[ix] is greatly influenced by the student’s ability to speak. With this in mind, I’m sure you would know that the other strategies I discovered to help accelerate literacy, include many ways to have students practice reading out loud with confidence, listening to others reading, giving and receiving feedback and of course ways to organize their writing.
See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] David A Sousa How the Brain Learns to Read Published March 62014 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Read-David-Sousa/dp/1483333949 Page 11
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #7 Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/greg-wolcott-on-building-relationships-in-todays-classrooms/
[iii] Learning Abilities Summit https://www.firsteducation-us.com/learning-abilities-summit
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #138 with Dr. Daniel Ansari on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-and-canada-research-chair-in-developmental-cognitive-neuroscience-and-learning-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #145 with the World’s Fastest Reader, Howard Berg on “Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension and Recall” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-worlds-fastest-reader-howard-stephen-berg-on-strategies-to-improve-reading-comprehension-and-recall-for-educators-and-the-workplace/
[vi] Learning Abilities Summit https://www.firsteducation-us.com/learning-abilities-summit
[vii] David A Sousa How the Brain Learns to Read Published March 62014 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Read-David-Sousa/dp/1483333949 Page 11
[viii] David A Sousa How the Brain Learns to Read Published March 62014 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Read-David-Sousa/dp/1483333949
[ix] David A Sousa How the Brain Learns to Read Published March 62014 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Read-David-Sousa/dp/1483333949 Page 11

Brain Fact Wednesday on ”The Neuroscience of an Effective Gratitude Practice”

Did you know that there is crucial component of mental, psychological, and social health that is often overlooked[i] and that “Gratitude is a mindset that activates your prefrontal cortex and sets the context for your experience such that you can derive tremendous health benefits?”[ii] Dr. Andrew Huberman
On this episode you will learn:✔︎  Why your gratitude practice might be outdated, like mine, without brain-science in mind.
✔︎  The physical, psychological and social benefits of an effective gratitude practice.
✔︎  The most effective way to practice gratitude, with your brain in mind.
✔︎  5 STEPS for an effective Gratitude Practice that will help you tap into the mental, psychological and social benefits. 
If you are like me and have a gratitude journal that sits on your desk, and you might have heard of the many health benefits that being grateful can have on you and your life, but you aren’t really sure if your gratitude practice is truly an effective one—then, this Brain Fact Friday is for you.
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #181 on “The Ingredients of an Effective Gratitude Practice.”  I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. We can achieve outstanding and predictable outcomes with whatever it is we are working towards, when we act intentionally, with our brain in mind.
For those of us in the United States, we are approaching Thanksgiving, where we traditionally think of what we are grateful for. I know our Canadian listeners have had this holiday last month, as I watched friends and family celebrate, but I always wonder why there is just one holiday that puts an emphasis on practicing gratitude, especially when there are so many studies that show the clear benefits that gratitude has on our life. You can see for yourself. Go to www.pubmed.gov and type in the word gratitude and fMRI and you will see many recent studies that show how “gratitude leads to benefits for both mental health and interpersonal relationships”[iii] and when you look at the researchers immersed in this work, you will see University Professor and Chair in Neuroscience, Antonio Damasio’s[iv] name come up often with his contributions to the understanding of brain processes that underlie emotions, feelings, decision-making and consciousness, in addition to his work with gratitude.
I’m sure those of you listening to this podcast would know that gratitude is good for your brain, and if you dig deeper into it, you would have discovered that “scientifically speaking, regular grateful thinking can increase happiness by as much as 25%, while keeping a gratitude journal for as little as three weeks results in better sleep and more energy.”[v]
But as I dug deeper into the research behind this episode, I started to see there was much more to creating the benefits of a gratitude practice when you dive into the Science of Gratitude like the impressive and respected podcaster, Dr. Andrew Huberman[vi] who covered this topic on his podcast this week. I highly suggest listening to his podcast, where I had many AHA Moments, for a thorough look at the why gratitude has such a profound impact on our health and well-being.
Then I came across professor of psychology, at the University of CA, who has studied more than one thousand people, from ages eight to 80, and found that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefit that go far beyond helping us to be happier and well rested.
Robert Emmons, a leader in the positive psychology movement, editor in chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology and Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, is the author of over 200 original publications in peer‑reviewed journals and has written eight books, including The Psychology of Gratitude (Oxford University Press), Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier (Houghton-Mifflin), Gratitude Works! A Twenty-One Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity (Jossey-Bass) and The Little Book of Gratitude (Hachette).
Robert Emmons’ research focuses on the psychology of gratitude and how gratitude is related to optimal human functioning, improved health and overall life happiness. His research that began with college students, found that those who kept a gratitude journal for 3 weeks had the following benefits
Physical Benefits
Stronger immune systems
Less bothered by aches and pains
Lower blood pressure
Exercise more and take better care of their health
Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking
Psychological Benefits
Higher levels of positive emotions
More alert, alive, and awake
More joy and pleasure
More optimism and happiness
Social Benefits
More helpful, generous, and compassionate
More forgiving
More outgoing
Feel less lonely and isolated.[vii]
 
DOES A GRATITUDE JOURNAL OR LIST REALLY WORK?
I’ve had a gratitude journal on my desk since October 5th, 2008 and this journal is hard covered, with an Introduction to Gratitude by Jack Canfield[viii].  I remember joining a training class that Jack was teaching, and he used this practice as a part of creating a positive future, by keeping your mind focused on what you were grateful for, with this journal. So I bought one, and have used it since then (not daily but often enough I can open it up and get a pretty good idea of what made me happy at a certain time in my life.
I remember when I first started this practice, I was working for a corporation that was going through some difficult times, and I was always looking for new ideas to infuse happiness and optimism into our work life. I shared the ideas with the importance of looking at the positive side of things with my teammates, and writing out everything we were grateful for on a daily basis, since I knew there were benefits to doing this. Fast forward to 2014, when I first began learning about the brain, and wrote the Level Up book, if you attended one of my presentations, you would have received a notepad where you could write your Daily Gratitude List when you sat down to hear my presentation.
Is There a Better Way?
So what’s wrong with a gratitude journal or list? I didn’t know there was anything wrong with this method until this week when I listened to Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast on “Gratitude.”
Dr. Huberman did mention that some researchers like Kelly McGonigal[ix] have done some incredible work with students around this topic, and I if I think about it, EPISODE #109 on “The Reticular Activating System”[x]  that explains why writing out what we are grateful for is not too far off the mark when we understand that there is a part of the brain, our Reticular Activating System[xi] which is a filter that helps you to focus on what’s important to you.  When we write our list of what’s important to us, or if we are writing things that inspire us, this practice will keep our mind away from thinking of the negatives in our life, or our defensive brain circuits, helping us to lean towards a more positive way of thinking.
HAVE I BEEN DOING IT WRONG FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS?
But what was I missing? What did I not understand until I wrote this episode about creating an effective gratitude practice? Dr. Huberman’s podcast explained the missing link of what I’ve been doing wrong the past 13 years with my gratitude practice, with ideas for improvement. If you want the deep dive explanation, I highly recommend listening to his most recent episode on gratitude.
Here’s what I learned:
DID YOU KNOW THAT “we have pro-social circuits in our brain that are designed to bring us closer to ourselves, others and things (like our pets and certain foods) or anything that we want to be closer to and want more of? They actually reduce defensive circuits that involve areas of the brain and body associated with freezing or backing up, when these pro-social circuits are activated?” (Dr. Andrew Huberman)
Dr. Huberman went on to explain the positive psychology movement where Robert Emmons’ research comes in, and that there are parallel universes (happiness/unhappiness) where positive psychology urges us towards practices that tap into our neuro-circuits for happiness, away from sadness. I think of the speaker I worked with in the late 1990s, Bob Proctor[xii], who was always pointing us towards possibility thinking to find solutions to problems and away from the negative thinking of lack and limitation. This is much like what Dr. Huberman was saying exists with neuroscience, as our brain has these parallel circuits—the pro-social circuit that brings us closer to others, and the defensive circuit that backs us away, and is designed to keep us safe.
What’s important for us to all know is that gratitude is an important tool that leans us towards these pro-social circuits and all of the benefits associated with them so that they become dominant in our mindset and with regular practice, we will default towards this way of thinking. This is when the true power of a gratitude practice comes into play. When you are faced with a challenge in your life, where would you prefer to go with your default reaction to this challenge? To the defensive circuits that our brain has wired to keep us safe where we freeze and back away from the challenge, or to the pro-social circuit where we look for solutions to our problem that brings some sort of understanding, allowing us to move closer to others, and therefore experience the mental, psychological, and social health benefits. I’m sure you’ll agree with me with the choice to take the pro-social circuit for learning, growth and the health benefits any day, over the defensive circuit.
WHAT ELSE?
It was Antonio Damasio who we mentioned earlier, who discovered that these pro-social and gratitude circuits are activated when we feel resonance with another. This can be explained with an understanding of Theory of Mind that we covered on EPISODE #46[xiii] where we are able to experience the mind of another, knowing how another person feels, and Damasio found strong links in the Prefrontal Cortex with ToM that will lift our gratitude and pro-social circuits.
BUILDING A GRATITUDE PRACTICE WITH YOUR BRAIN IN MIND
The way I learned my gratitude practice from Jack Canfield in 2008 was missing some key ingredients and this is precisely why I host this podcast. These episodes are not just for you, the listener, but I’m learning and growing as well. If I hadn’t of chosen this topic this week, and tuned into Dr. Huberman’s podcast, I would have moved into another year of practicing gratitude without my brain in mind.  I would never have known that the old way “is not particularly effective in shifting your neuro-circuitry, neurochemistry, or the circuits in your body towards enhanced activation of your PFC, or enhanced activation of these pro-social circuits” (Huberman) and would have been missing out on the myriad of health benefits.
WHAT’S A BETTER WAY TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE?
Think of how gratitude activates your prefrontal cortex and sets the context for your experience so that you can gain access to those health benefits that Robert Emmons discovered with his research. Dr. Andrew Huberman affirmed that “a gratitude practice is not wishy washy…and that the neurochemical, anti-inflammatory and the neural circuit mechanisms that gratitude evokes are equally as important as potent forms of intervention like HIIT (high intensity interval training) and can steer your mental and physical health in positive directions, and that those effects are very long-lasting.”[xiv]
The most effective way to do this, and shift your pro-social circuits towards these health benefits is when you are able to put yourself into the mindset of another (ToM or the ability to attribute or understand the experience of another, without actually experiencing it), is one way to do this by giving gratitude to another, but we can’t just sit around and wait for others to tell us how grateful they are for us, so Dr. Huberman suggests a way that we can recreate this experience. This shift will take some thought on your part, as you shift from the old way (writing out everything that made your day) to now thinking about how someone else’s story, made THEIR day, and impacted you.  It’s a distinct shift, and will take some practice.
 
Here’s How to Do This:
To fully activate these gratitude circuits, one must be able to put themselves in the mindset of another person who is “receiving” (Dr. Huberman) gratitude, not just write out what you are randomly grateful for.  
STEP 1: THINK OF A MEANINGFUL STORY THAT INSPIRES YOU, THAT YOU REPEAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN: Think of a story that is powerful to you, or inspired you in some way, where a person overcame a struggle. The person receives genuine gratitude for the work they did in this process.  This could be you, or someone else who has received gratitude for overcoming a struggle or challenge.
STEP 2: ACTIVATE YOUR GRATITUDE AND PRO-SOCIAL CIRCUITS AS YOU JOT DOWN SOME NOTES that go along with your story. As you are doing this activity, for just 1-3 minutes/day, think about how you are activating the pro-social circuits in your brain that will tip you towards physical, psychological, and social wellbeing.  
Think of the STRUGGLE/WHAT HELP WAS RECEIVED/AND THE IMPACT THAT OVERCOMING THE STRUGGLE HAS HAD ON YOU. I took one of my GRATITUDE notepads and wrote these tips at the top of the page. STRUGGLE/HELP and IMPACT. Then I picked a story that moved me that I will repeat as I my build my gratitude practice with my brain in mind.
STEP 3: THINK ABOUT HOW THIS STORY OF STRUGGLE IMPACTED YOU EMOTIONALLY? Using ToM (feeling resonance, empathy, or even sympathy with the person). Think of how the person who experienced the struggle felt as they overcame their challenges. How does this make YOU feel? Imagine your gratitude circuits lighting up in your PFC as you are doing this.
STEP 4: REPEAT this same story again for 1-3 min/day (3x/week) and with each time you activate your neural circuits, it will become easier each time, and won’t require as much effort. Essentially you are training your brain to look for the lessons learned from overcoming struggle, and the impact that this has on you emotionally. Did it inspire you to work harder, keep going, try something new? What did you learn from watching someone else overcome their struggle?  
STEP 5: BE CONSISTENT with your gratitude practice. During my interview with Sun Sachs[xv], the CEO of Rewire Fitness, he talked about the fact that the brain training component of the app only needed 3 times a week to generate the benefits.  Keep your Gratitude Story Notes somewhere you can quickly glance at them, (either on a notepad on your desk, or on your phone) and look at them 3 times/week.
REVIEW
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday, DID YOU KNOW THAT there is a crucial component of mental, psychological, and social health that is often overlooked?[xvi]  Even with a gratitude journal on my desk for the past 13 years, I know that gratitude is a practice that could be improved, but until this week, I didn’t know exactly how to refine my gratitude practice.
I’m only on day 2 of looking at my Gratitude Story Notes, and know it will become easier with time and practice, and truly am grateful to have learned this new way of practicing gratitude from Dr. Huberman, and hope that you find it useful as well.
For those celebrating Thanksgiving this week in the US, see if you can put this new gratitude activity into practice and tell a story over the holidays using the STRUGGLE/HELP/IMPACT Model, and activate those pro-social circuits with those around you. Then, my challenge is to continue this practice, and make it a habit, so that you not only recognize the lessons learned from those who overcome struggle and adversity, but that you let others know when they have inspired you with their story, lighting up their brain, and providing them with the health benefits that research shows are possible when we offer genuine gratitude to others.
Happy Thanksgiving for those in the US, and for everyone tuning in, I’m grateful that you have taken the time to join me.
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. Published November 1, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Practicing-Gratitude-Make-Happier/dp/0547085737
[ii] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. Andrew Huberman “The Science of Gratitude and How to Build a Gratitude Practice” https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-gratitude-and-how-to-build-a-gratitude-practice/
[iii] Neural Correlates of Gratitude Published Sept. 30, 2015 by Glenn R Fox, Jonas Kaplan, Hanna Damasio, Antonio Damasio https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26483740/
[iv] Antonio Damasio https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/faculty-and-staff/faculty.cfm?pid=1008328
[v] Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. Published November 1, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Practicing-Gratitude-Make-Happier/dp/0547085737
[vi] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. Andrew Huberman “The Science of Gratitude and How to Build a Gratitude Practice” https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-gratitude-and-how-to-build-a-gratitude-practice/
[vii] Why Gratitude is Good by Robert Emmons Published November 16, 2010 https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
[viii] Gratitude Journal by Jack Canfield and D.D. Watkins Published December 4, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Gratitude-Daily-Journal-Jack-Canfield/dp/0757307108
[ix] Kelly McGonigal on Gratitude http://kellymcgonigal.com/gratitude
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #109 on “Activating the Reticular Activating System to Set Your Intent and Achieve It”[x]https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-the-reticular-activating-system-to-set-your-intent-and-achieve-it/
[xi] What is the Reticular Activating System May 2013  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCnfAzAIhVw
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 on “Expanding Your Awareness with a Deep Dive into the Most Important Concepts Learned from Bob Proctor Seminars” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/
[xiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #46 “As Close to Mind Reading as Brain Science Gets, Using Theory of Mind in Your Daily Life”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/as-close-to-mind-reading-as-brain-science-gets-developing-and-using-theory-of-mind-in-your-daily-life/
[xiv] Huberman Lab Podcast with Dr. Andrew Huberman “The Science of Gratitude and How to Build a Gratitude Practice” https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-gratitude-and-how-to-build-a-gratitude-practice/ (12:20)
[xv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #179 with Sun Sachs from Rewire Fitness https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sun-sachs-ceo-of-rewire-fitness-on-their-first-to-market-neuro-performance-mobile-app-for-athletes/
[xvi] Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D. Published November 1, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Practicing-Gratitude-Make-Happier/dp/0547085737

Brain Fact Friday on ”Monitoring and Measuring Your Health During This Global Pandemic”

Did you know that “many people experience an increase in respiratory rate prior to any other symptoms of COVID-19?”[i]
Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #180 on “Monitoring Your Health During the Global Pandemic.”
 I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. We can achieve outstanding and predictable outcomes with whatever it is we are working towards, when we act intentionally, with our brain in mind.
This week’s Brain Fact Friday hit me unexpectedly, when I woke up and saw something that caught my attention with the Whoop Fitness Tracker I’ve been wearing, since I interviewed Kristen Holmes on EPISODE #134 earlier this year.[ii]
BRAIN FACT FRIDAY: Changes to Respiratory Rate Are An Early Warning of COVID-19
Did you know that “many people experience an increase in respiratory rate prior to any other symptoms of COVID-19?”[iii] I woke up to an exclamation mark next to my daily vitals that I watch, and never having seen something like this, I clicked on it to see that my respiratory rate had risen, higher than usual.
Not thinking much about this, I clicked on the chart, and noticed it  had jumped up significantly from 15.5 to 17.6 rpm and the note at the top of the screen said my “recent RPM measurements are significantly above your typical range. This indicates that your body may be experiencing illness, anxiety, or another condition.” I felt completely normal, but remembered reading something that WHOOP had covered with a Pro Golfer who noticed his respiratory rate jumped up prior to a positive COVID test, and I searched for that article.
WHOOP measures respiratory rate [iv] during sleep using a phenomenon called Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia. Emily Capodilupo from Whoop explains that “when you breathe in your heart rate increases, and when you breathe out it decreases. Typically people average between 12 and 20 respirations per minute (RPM)” and this data set usually doesn’t change much on a daily basis. But when it does, it’s something to pay attention to.
Not feeling any symptoms at all at this point, and being double vaccinated, I didn’t think I had COVID, but seeing a jump in these numbers made me wonder.
When I read the article WHOOP posted last June about pro golfer Nick Watney, who noticed his respiratory rate increased (similar to mine) before he was to play in the second round of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament[v], and this rise in respiratory rate seemed like a “pretty consistent tell-tale sign” so like Nick, I was tested, and sure enough it was positive. This was long before any symptoms had hit, allowing me to take a proactive approach to recovery and isolation, and when the symptoms did hit (a temperature increase and the worst nausea I’ve felt since pregnancy) I was prepared for them.
So, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, did you know the science behind respiratory rate and COVID-19 and why this finding is so important?
“COVID-19 is a lower respiratory tract infection. The infected cells are the alveoli, the point of contact in your lungs to your blood. As they get damaged, your ability to get oxygen into the blood and get carbon dioxide out becomes less efficient. In order to compensate, you have to take more breaths.” (Mark Van Deusen, WHOOP.com) which explained why my respiratory rate increased. I also noticed that it was more difficult to take deep breaths, and my lungs felt like they used to feel after swimming laps of a pool (something I haven’t done in years).  
While WHOOP is not a medical device, and this Week’s Brain Fact Friday is not medical advice, but to provide additional information to help you to understand the importance of staying on top of your health numbers, to be proactive, during this global pandemic when anything can change at a moment’s notice.
IMPLICATIONS: BEING PROACTIVE WITH YOUR HEALTH
I was able to catch my positive results early, allowing for a quicker recovery, minimizing exposure to others from this reading and now that it’s all over, thought it was important enough to cover the importance of measuring our numbers during this Global Pandemic. Knowing that COVID-19 “is most contagious in the 2 days before symptom onset”[vi] is a huge eye-opener for anyone to be aware enough to catch this virus early and mitigate its impact.
Just to note, while there are times that as a podcaster, I do receive products as a gift, or at a reduced price, in exchange for a product review, but this was not the case with the WHOOP device. I actually purchased it for a gift to myself (at the regular price) when I turned 50 earlier this year, so that I could stay on top of my numbers, and I’m so glad I made that choice.
During my isolation time, I was able to watch my respiratory rate return to it’s typical range, and my see my body’s recovery return to the GREEN range, which showed it was normal, and ready to return to normal activity.
To close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I know that knowing our numbers is important, but never thought they could save your life, and others around you.  It’s fine when you wake up, consistently checking your numbers, and not seeing any change, you might think this practice would be meaningless, until that one day, like me, you notice an exclamation mark, that catches your attention, stops you in your tracks, and makes you step back, and take a closer look at what could possibly be going on with your body.
There’s nothing more important to me, than YOUR health and well-being and I wish you all well as you go into the weekend. I hope this Brain Fact Friday has been as helpful and life-changing as it was for me.
See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Leveraging WHOOP Technology to Predict COVID-19 Risk June 22, 2020 by Emily Capodilupo https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/predict-covid-19-risk/
UPDATE to this article that has now been peer reviewed and published in the journal PLOS ONE. https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/predict-covid-19-risk/
REFERENCES:
[i] Knowing Your Baseline: Case Studies in Respiratory Rate in Time of COVID-19 by Mark Van Deusen https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/case-studies-respiratory-rate-covid-19/
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com on “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
[iii] Knowing Your Baseline: Case Studies in Respiratory Rate in Time of COVID-19 by Mark Van Deusen https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/case-studies-respiratory-rate-covid-19/
[iv] Understanding Respiratory Rate: What is it, What’s Normal, and Why you Should Track It by Emily Capodilupo https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/what-is-respiratory-rate-normal/
[v] Knowing Your Baseline: Case Studies in Respiratory Rate in Time of COVID-19 by Mark Van Deusen https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/case-studies-respiratory-rate-covid-19/
[vi]Leveraging WHOOP Technology to Predict COVID-19 Risk June 22, 2020 by Emily Capodilupo  https://www.whoop.com/thelocker/predict-covid-19-risk/

Sun Sachs, CEO of Rewire Fitness on Their First-To-Market ”Neuro Performance Mobile App for Athletes”

“What if we could practice for those most difficult moments that we will face in competition, for those moments when your mind begins to unravel, and self-doubt starts to creep in? How could this type of practice change our lives? Not only for sport, but for anything that requires mental toughness?” Sun Sachs, Rewire Fitness
Watch the interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/vJf_avKW5g4
Download the Rewire Fitness App FREE TRIAL here.
www.rewirefitness.app/360  
Stay tuned for today’s episode #179 with Sun Sachs, CEO and Co-Founder of Rewire Fitness[i] who will explore this very important question with a human performance platform that he created, combining his passion with endurance sports and software development, to create an app that many of us have been looking for, providing evidence-based solutions for tracking your readiness to perform, building mental resilience, and improving your mind/body recovery.
For those new, or returning guests, welcome! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.
I can’t even tell you how excited I am to share this new platform with you. At a time when mental resilience is crucial for the entire world, not just those who know the importance of mental toughness for sport, but for every one of us, myself included, this is a skill that requires daily practice. Every athlete knows the importance of mental resilience in sport and would tell you that at least 50-90% is mental when it comes to the focus and precision needed for their performance, but if you ask them “how much time do you spend training your mind?” most will not have a solid answer for you.
I receive many emails from people around the world with different ideas and suggestions from the podcast, and I’m laser focused with the direction we are going and the speakers we are looking for, but every once in awhile, someone comes in front of me, and if I had read the email quickly, or not taken the time to understand exactly what their product is, it would have been a missed opportunity.
This was the case when I was saw the email from Rizala Carrington from Rewire Fitness that came in just a few days before the end of October.  The heading of her email said “First to Market Neuro Performance for Athletes” and in the body of the email I saw something about an app that “unlocks human performance” with major investments from Under Armour and elite athletes such as NBA All-Star Kyle Korver. 
On this episode you will learn:
- Sun Sach’s journey as an athlete and why he founded Rewire
(would love to know this!)
- Why cognitive fatigue is a blind spot for most athletes
(I wonder what solution he has?)
- Why most readiness trackers are using an incomplete data set (YES! As a fitness tracker user, I’ve noticed this and I wonder what they see is missing/the solution).
- Tips for accelerating mind/body recovery (YES! What do they suggest?)
- Why the traditional way of building mental resilience is flawed (exactly! I don’t have all the answers but know there must be a better way than just pounding the pavement).
This began my conversation with Rewire Fitness, and I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this app. I signed up right away, so that I could experience the product before creating their questions, and each day, kept emailing Rizala with how impressed I was. If you are an athlete, or a regular person like me, looking to take your performance to new heights, sit back, and listen to this interview and when it’s over, I highly recommend going to their site, Rewire Fitness,[ii] and starting your own journey with the FREE trial they offer.
Let’s meet Sun Sachs, the CEO and co-founder of Rewire Fitness, and explore this app together.
Welcome Sun Sachs, it’s incredible to see you again. Thank you for joining me today.
INTRO Q: Sun, it’s been just a couple of weeks since Rizala Carrington sent me the email introducing me to your work, and I feel like we’ve known each other for much longer. Maybe It’s because I spent the weekend listening to your podcasts,[iii] on the edge of my seat on your Alpine hike one, but it wasn’t difficult for me to see that what you have created fills a need I noticed when I started tracking HRV to measure performance, but can you start out with when you saw this need and what it took to create this app to fill it?
Q1: We don’t need to be a pro athlete to know that when it comes to sport, we all know how to train the body, but can you explain what happens if we are missing out on cognitive training? Why is cognitive fatigue a blind spot for athletes or anyone looking to improve their mental toughness?
Q2: I know you dive deep into this on your podcast, but for someone new listening, can we walk through each of the 3 PARTS of the APP? I’ll introduce each part, and then could you provide the research behind the training we are doing as we are using the app?
READINESS/MINDSET RECOVERY/NEURO TRAINING
PART ONE: READINESS ASSESSMENT: Wake up, same time every morning, before I grab my coffee and do my readiness assessment. Consistency. Tracks lapses and misses, cognitive fatigue and readiness. What’s the science behind this part of the program, that I know you mention came from the military?
PART TWO: MINDSET RECOVERY: I can do the Mindset Recovery pre workout (to put me in the right mindset) for competition mindset, or even before I have a big presentation to calm me down and reduce my stress. I love the affirmations and binaural beats (and my headphones for this part). Can you explain the science behind the Mindset Recovery, and how it reduces stress or preparing me for competition? I like hearing how you used this on your Alpine hike when you didn’t get enough sleep (or had to wake up at midnight, so how could you?) and used this part of the program to mimic the audio, calming your brain? This could be extremely useful for people in many different situations.
PART THREE: NEURO-TRAINING: That is the part of the program that builds my resilience, prepares me for those difficult times that we all must face. With daily practice, I’m working my willpower muscles and strengthening this part of my brain. Can you explain this part, and how this is a better approach than the method I told you I was using, (the hammer approach) that just takes up too much time to build resiliency and strength?
Q3: As someone who measures everything, I noticed that there was a data set that was missing, and even wearing 3 trackers consistently, I was fully aware that something was being left off the table. Can you tell me when you noticed this and was it intentional to not have something else that we wear? I was so was glad to see this skillset can be accomplished through an app that’s stand alone.
Q4: I listened to your podcast with your cyclist study, and how brain training improved their results by 120%! WOW. Can you revisit these results and any other outstanding stats like this?
Q5: What I loved the most about this app, coming from someone who worked 6 years with a motivational speaker whose focus was on training your mind to be in control of all of those outside forces that will inevitably come our way, is that not everyone has the chance to have this training, and if you have, there are still moments in life that will happen that will stop us in our tracks, and if we are not prepared for them, could catch us off guard. How does this app prepare us for life in general, and why is it not just for athletes?
Q6: Of course, I had to listen to your hike up Mount Rainier and its comparison you made to Mount Everest. I interviewed Dalip Shekhawat on EPISODE #45[iv] of our podcast and heard the preparation that went into his climb, making me think how your app could have helped him during his training and climb. Can you explain how the app helps us to deal with the mental strength we must generate to prevent something from unraveling (and causing death if you are hiking up a mountain like Ranier or Everest) or losing a game (might as well be a death if you are a pro athlete) or preventing a life situation from getting worse? Can you take us through this experience?
Q7: I’ve heard you mention a BETA program where you were already working with endurance athletes, winners of triathlons, and coaches from different sports. I know that ALL athletes are looking for new ways to improve performance, but what are you doing with this BETA program? Are you tailoring any of the exercises to certain sports and what is your vision for the future of the app?
Q8: Anything I’ve missed that’s important?
Thank you, Sun, for those who are listening who want to try out the app, I will put the link in the show notes that they can click on to access the app for a FREE Trial. I want to thank you very much for your time today, and like I mentioned to you when we first spoke, I will be a lifetime member of this app, and will continue to follow your vision. Thank you for all you are doing to help build mental toughness and resilience in those who have been looking for a new way to accomplish this. Best of luck with the future of this app, and all you are doing to prepare the world for mental and physical toughness.
FREE TRIAL OF REWIRE FITNESS APP
www.rewirefitness.app/360  
FOLLOW SUN SACHS
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunsachs/
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
Best of luck.
RESOURCES:
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #125 on “What is HRV and Why is it Important for Tracking Health, Recovery and Resilience?” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/what-is-hrv-and-why-is-it-important-for-tracking-health-recovery-and-resilience-with-andrea-samadi/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com on “Unlocking a Better You: Measuring Sleep, Recovery and Strain.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 BRAIN FACT FRIDAY on “Using Recovery to Become Resilient to Physical, Mental and Emotional Stressors.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-recovery-to-become-resilient-to-physical-mental-and-emotional-stressors/
Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda ublished April 22, 2014   https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Self-Realization-Fellowship-Paramahansa-Yogananda-ebook/dp/B00JW44IAI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
REFERENCES:
[i] EPISODE 2 https://rewirefitness.app/podcast/
[ii] www.rewirefitness.app/360  
[iii] https://rewirefitness.app/podcast/
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #45 with Dalip Shekhawat on “Lessons Learned from Summiting Mount Everest” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/manitoba-canada-educator-dalip-shekhawat-on-life-lessons-learned-from-summiting-mount-everest/

Dr. Brian Stenzler on ”DREAM Wellness: Taking Your Mental and Physical Health to New Heights.”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #178 with Dr. Brian Stenzler,[i] M.S., D.C. the CEO of Dream Wellness on his new book “DREAM Wellness: 5 Keys to Raising Kids for a Lifetime of Physical and Mental Health” where the DREAM in the title of his book stands for (Diet, Relaxation, Exercise, Adjustment and Mental Wellness).
Watch the interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/gIEnOiH1fUM 
Take the DREAM SCORE Assessment here https://dreamwellness.com/dreamscore
In this interview you will learn:
✔︎ How healthy you are, according to Dr. Stenzler’s DREAM SCORE Assessment.
✔︎ Recommendations to improve areas of weakness from the DREAM SCORE with tips from the DREAM Wellness book.
✔︎The 5 Keys for DREAM Health and why they are important for everyone.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom, a parent, or in the corporate environment. The purpose of this podcast is to take the fear out of this new discipline that backs our learning with simple neuroscience to make it applicable for us all to use right away, for immediate results.
I first met Dr. Stenzler in 2014 when I was at a conference in San Diego with brain training and business expert, John Assaraf, and I was cutting it close to making it to the airport on time on the last day of the event. Dr. Stenzler was standing next to me, and offered to give me a lift so I could stay a bit longer and not have to worry about the time. When you meet him, you will see that this is who he is. Offering to take me to the airport (when we had only just met that minute) is just a small testament to who he is. Although he had been helping thousands of people with his chiropractic work (at the time he was President of the California Chiropractic Association) when the coronavirus global pandemic hit our world in March 2020, he knew that his book was urgent, and important, and he made it a priority.
In 1996, Dr. Stenzler and his business partner Dr. Gregg Baron first trademarked the term D.R.E.A.M. to make it easy for people to remember what a wellness lifestyle entailed and in 2021 he published his book, DREAM WELLNESS to bridge the gap from the current reactive system of “healthcare” toward a proactive model of wellness by providing the tools and venue for one’s journey. To give you some history on Dr. Stenzler, by the year 2003, he had two successful DREAM Wellness locations on Long Island, New York. His unique holistic approach towards helping people express their true perfection has enabled DREAM Wellness to expand to the west coast where there are currently three thriving locations in San Diego (Del Mar, Pacific Beach and Santee). By offering a wide range of holistic and wellness services under one roof and traveling around the globe to consult with businesses and organizations, Dr. Stenzler is truly living his DREAM.
He is the picture of health that you can see for yourself in the picture of him in the show notes that was taken just last Wednesday when he was attending a conference at a hotel not far from my house. I ran out to say hello, we exchanged books, and in a short conversation, Dr. Stenzler was there to offer ideas and suggestions, saying “how can I help you” with what you are working on.  I’m honored to call him one of my friends and love the work that he is doing to inspire physical and mental health in our next generation.  Without further ado, let’s meet Dr. Brian Stenzler.
Welcome Dr. Stenzler, so good to see you again.
Brian speaks, and I ask “Hey, how was your conference? Did you meet all the people you needed to meet and accomplish what you were looking to do?”
INTRO Q: Dr. Stenzler, I like to open up with a question to get to know you better, outside of what I want to ask you about your book, and the work you are doing with DREAM Wellness and I found this question in “The Author’s Journey” section of your book where you mention that your vision for your career changed 180 degrees from wanting to be a movie producer, to finding your career in chiropractics. Can you explain how you made this shift that brought you to where you are today? Making movies does sound exciting!  
Q1: Dr. Stenzler, we first met around 7 years ago, and although we kept in touch through social media, where I can see what’s important to you in your life (raising a healthy son) with your wife, Brooke, I’ve got to ask you, are there ever times when you find it difficult to take the healthy route for your family? I’m asking because my nickname at home, given to me by my two girls, is “turmeric” because they say I put turmeric in everything. I really don’t but they are poking fun at me with the path I choose, and never veer off from. Are there any times that you give in, throw up your hands and say “eat the candy” or whatever it is?
Q2: I began reading your book this weekend, and it’s a manual, over 400 pages, so I can’t say I’ve finished it yet, but I did have a chance to complete the DREAM SCORE ASSESSMENT[ii] that you introduce in chapter 4-2. I took the test over the weekend, and knew I was going to get a high score because health is my #1 value that I make non-negotiable. I was just surprised that you mentioned you don’t often see scores like this.
What typical scores do you see?
I mentioned to you some of the things that I do to keep health at the forefront, and it’s something that I know makes me weird and something I hear jokes about because I just don’t ever bend on health because it’s really important to me.
Here’s a story for you to put this into perspective. I volunteered at my kids’ school with this other parent to order food for the class, (we had to go order it, and bring it to their school picnic) so we had to go through the drive through of 4 different fast food places. I’m not kidding, I was sweating. I’ve never ordered food this way, and there were crispy fries and all these types of fries, what on the earth happened to plain burgers and fries? The other parent laughed and said to me “I didn’t think there was such a thing as someone who’s never ordered fast food” and it was the first time I think I was embarrassed about my healthy lifestyle.
Q2B)When I hear “everything in moderation” I cringe because I think it’s a slippery slope. Is there such a thing as being too intense with health? What do you think? 
Q2C) What does DREAM stand for, why did you choose these specific staples and what do you think someone a consistent score in the 90s all the time, like you?
Q2D) What about someone who receives a low score? I know that often it’s just because health is put last on the list, ahead of other priorities that are also important. How can someone make the changes needed to put health first when their day is already packed tight? What are some easy ways to kick it up a notch and see improvements?
Q2E) How did you intend the assessment be used with the book? Why is it important to have both the book/manual with your assessment score?
Q3: I do mention these top 5 health staples[iii] on the podcast all the time and am constantly looking for what experts who can move the needle towards health. I mentioned to you the things that I do to put health first, and like you with your book, when the pandemic hit in March 2020, I grabbed my husband who needed a lifestyle change with all the travel he was doing for work, and we made a commitment to hike every morning—something we have kept up for almost 2 years now. Each of these health staples requires a commitment of time and energy. For someone who scores high on the DREAM ASSESSMENT, what do you think it is that you are doing from your DREAM staples (Diet, Relaxation, Exercise, Adjustment and Mental Wellness). that gives you this high score? What are your areas of improvement?
Q3B) If you take a quick look at the TOP 5 health staples I’ve chosen to focus on for this podcast, I think I see 3 of your staples that are missing from mine, (relaxation, adjustment and mental wellness) and I’m going to be addressing 2 them on the podcast after yours. What do you do to sharpen these 2 areas?
Q4: I loved seeing the sense of urgency you saw to release this book when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world. I also saw an urgency to speed things up at this time and see how we could take the situation and create something positive out of it. What opportunities did you create, or door that were opened for you with this book?
Q5: What are your final thoughts, or anything important that you think we might have missed? 
Q6: For people who want to get the book and take the dream score, is this the best place? https://www.dreamwellnessbook.com/booksite
I will put all of the links for people to follow you in the show notes and want to thank you for your time today to explain your DREAM Wellness book and vision for physical and mental health for our future generations. I say for those listening, just take the DREAM SCORE assessment and get the book to make the improvements that come back to you after the assessment. I did see some areas of improvement that I can make, and know there’s always room to hone in on ways to take our health to higher levels so we can experience those high levels of productivity.
Thanks for everything today, Dr. Stenzler!
FOLLOW DR. STENZLER
Website https://dreamwellness.com/ceo
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/brianstenzler
Twitter https://twitter.com/DREAMWellness
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drbrianstenzler/?hl=en
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-stenzler-1920a98/
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
The Passion Test https://www.thepassiontest.com/
Dr. Stenzler on San Diego Morning Extra News https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10159449757334038&set=a.10150090339104038
The 100 Year Lifestyle by Eric Plasker, D.C. https://www.amazon.com/100-Year-Lifestyle-2nd-Breakthrough/dp/1475084609
REFERENCES:
[i] https://dreamwellness.com/ceo
[ii] Dream Score Assessment https://dreamwellness.com/dreamscore
[iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE on “The Top 5 Health Staples” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/

Horacio Sanchez, Jon Lieff MD, Howard Rankin Ph.D, and Tom Beakbane on ”The Most Significant Insight from Neuroscience That Could Transform Education”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for our very FIRST Panel Interview and EPISODE #177.
Watch the interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/vIcdMG-a6Ag
For those new, or returning guests, welcome! I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments.
This week, I’m thrilled to welcome back 4 guests to our very first panel interview, with Horacio Sanchez, from www.resiliencyinc.com, Dr. Jon Lieff, MD from www.jonlieffmd.com, Dr. Howard Rankin, PhD. from www.hownottothink.com, and Tom Beakbane, author of How to Understand Everything. Consilience: A New Way to See the World"
This panel was actually Tom Beakbane’s idea, after his EPISODE #144[i] this summer, he mentioned that he had listened to Dr. Lieff’s episode on his book, The Secret Language of Cells, and thought it would be a good idea if we hosted a panel discussion in the near future. Not wanting to miss any opportunity to learn something new, I agreed, and wrote down the idea, thinking of late Fall for this panel discussion. When the time felt right, I emailed Horacio Sanchez, Jon Lieff, Howard Rankin and Tom Beakbane with the idea, and all agreed immediately, and it was set in stone.
Today I want to welcome back all 4 speakers to our discussion, and will give their background, so you can see where they have come from, as you listen to their thoughts and ideas on this episode.
The topic for today will be “What is the most significant insight from neuroscience that can transform the future of education” so as I read through each speaker’s bio, you can think of how their experience can contribute to this topic, with some ideas that we can all take away and think about the action steps that we can bring to our schools or workplaces. I really do believe that these ideas can transform our results, and it just takes you, the listener, to implement one idea at a time, for this change to occur.
Here’s today’s panelists.
1. Horacio Sanchez https://www.resiliencyinc.com/
We have had Horacio on the podcast twice before, so this will be his third episode. What I love about Horacio is that he was mentioned as an expert in educational neuroscience in our first interview with Ron Hall, from Valley Day School, who said what he learned from Horacio changed the trajectory of his career in education. I just remember putting an image of him in Ron Hall’s video and thought for someone making such an impact in the field I’m most interested in; I should learn more about his work. And that’s where my friendship with Horacio began. You can listen to both his episodes to learn more: EPISODE #74 we covered “How to Use Brain Science to Improve Instruction and School Climate” with a focus on his book The Education Revolution, and on EPISODE #111 we focused on his most recent book “The Poverty Solution.”
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/resiliency-expert-and-author-horacio-sanchez-on-finding-solutions-to-the-poverty-problem/
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/leading-brain-science-and-resiliency-expert-horatio-sanchez-on-how-to-apply-brain-science-to-improve-instruction-and-school-climate/
2. Jon Lieff, MD  https://jonlieffmd.com/
Our next panelist, Dr.Jon Lieff, I was introduced to last summer, with his new book, The Secret Language of Cells that we discussed on EPISODE #143. His topic was fascinating and inspired me to write EPISODE #147 on “Improving Mental Clarity by Understanding our Brian States, Brain Fog, and How It’s Created” and gave me a new understanding of how our cells communicate with each other, how T cells send messages to the neuron to stop making so many memory cells when we are stressed, creating brain fog and making me think of new ways to support brain health. I had lots of feedback from Dr. Lieff’s interview that showed how it opened up many people’s eyes to new ways to approach health and wellness. There was one point that I remember someone emailed me about—it was how they were shocked to learn that “scientists can observe immune cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that bathes and protects the entire brain. This fluid was thought to function only as protection for the brain when jostled. But now it is known to be a river of wireless communication, with signals coursing throughout the brain from all regions and all types of cells. It is now known that at most times there are 500,000 T cells in the CSF along with smaller numbers of other immune cells.” (Secret Language of Cells, Dr. Lieff, Page 35). If you think this might sound a bit advanced, it’s really not, when we take the time to understand this. Just this weekend, I was at a wedding, with 2 of our friends who were getting married after meeting a few years back at the library while they were studying to become doctors. When the conversation at the wedding took a turn towards CSF and the brain, I smiled and remembered what I had learned from Dr. Lieff. We can all understand how our brain and body functions, so we can be in charge of our health and future.
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/jon-lieff-md-on-the-secret-language-of-cells-what-biological-conversations-tell-us-about-the-brain-body-connection/
3. Howard Rankin, Ph.D. https://hownottothink.com/
Our third panelist, Dr. Rankin, appeared three times on the podcast, first, with his book, How Not to Think, and second when he interviewed me, and thirdly, with Grant Renier on their new book “Intuitive Rationality: predicting Future Events with the New Behavioral Direction of AI.” I immediately connected with Dr. Rankin, as he opened my eyes to cognitive bias, and ways that my thinking was flawed. I’m still not 100% sure how I’m supposed to think, but know that whatever it is I am thinking, it’s probably wrong and full of biases, so I will keep learning, and hopefully with time and experience, will be all the more wiser. This will be Dr. Rankin’s 4th appearance on this podcast, and I’m looking forward to the insight he will bring to the panel. I know he will share his understanding of how we shouldn’t think—with our cognitive biases running our mental programming.
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-howard-rankin-and-grant-renier-on-intuitive-rationality-predicting-future-events-with-the-new-behavioral-direction-of-ai/
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
4. Tom Beakbane https://www.beakbane.com/
Tom Beakbane, our 4th panelist, and the one who came up with the idea for this episode, opened me up to the fact that I don’t need to know everything and gave me a sense of freedom with these interviews. His book, “How to Understand Everything” stumped me, (and I admitted to not being sure what consilience was) in the first few minutes of our interview. While I think at the end of the interview, I had a new way of looking at the world, through this new lens of Consilience, which reveals how things self-organize from the bottom up, in contrast to how we think and communicate, which is top down. I’m certain that there’s much more to learn from Tom and his way of looking at the world.
I can’t wait to see all four of our guests and see what they will say about how simple neuroscience can transform the future of education.
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-marketer-tom-beakbane-on-how-to-understand-everything-consilience-a-new-way-to-look-at-the-world/
I want to welcome each of our guests to the podcast today: Horacio Sanchez, Dr. Jon Lieff, MD, Dr. Howard Rankin, Ph.D, and Tom Beakbane. Welcome! It’s incredible to see you all again. Thanks for being here.
INTRODUCTION:
I want to thank all of you for coming back on the podcast, to keep the conversation going with your books, interviews, and the work you have been doing since we spoke last. I really do feel lucky to have this chance to speak with you again. At the end of each of your interviews, I wish I could stay on longer, asking more questions, but know that the learning will continue as we revisit your episodes, and re-read your books. I really do believe in life-long learning and am grateful for this platform to share your expertise with those who tune in, around the world.  So, thank you!
Which brings us to the topic of discussion for today’s episode that Tom Beakbane’s idea.
TOPIC: “What’s gone wrong with our educational system and what’s the most significant insight from neuroscience that can transform the future of education?”
If I could begin with Horacio, whose work at www.resiliencyinc.com deals directly with educators and students in today’s classrooms, to launch this discussion. Horacio, what do you think?
Q1: What’s gone wrong with our educational system?
Horacio answers—
What’s gone wrong with our educational system?
Dr. Lieff, Dr. Rankin, and Tom I’d love to hear your perspective as well.
Q2: What’s the most significant insight from neuroscience that can transform the future of education?
I would like to begin with Dr. Lieff, because I am curious of his perspective from The Secret Language of Cells, and mental health, that is crucial for today’s students AND teachers.
Horacio, Dr. Rankin and Tom what’s your perspective?
I would like to know Horacio’s perspective with what he sees working directly with students and teachers with brain science, what he thinks could transform the future of education.
Howard and Tom, I would like to know your perspective on how our thinking can be taking us off course, and what can we do to get back on track and make an impact on our future generations.
Q3: I’m a big dreamer and really do believe in dreaming big. It’s usually what I say when I’m signing one of my books for someone because I believe in the possibilities in the world, and that each person has tremendous power within them to make a lasting impact on this world.  Let’s imagine that we were given a grant for $100 million (and I choose that amount because 5 years ago I submitted an idea to the MacArthur Foundation’s 100 and Change Grant Contest)[ii] and it involved budgeting $100 million for your idea. It was an incredible experience to even open up your mind to how you would distribute these funds to make a global impact on the future of education. I know where my idea fell short, but what would you say?
What would be YOUR plan for $100 million if we were awarded this grant to use neuroscience to change the future of education?
I would like to begin with Tom and then Dr. Rankin for their perspective on this.
Then Horacio and Dr. Lieff?
I want to thank you all for coming on our FIRST panel interview, so we can all continue to learn from you, and keep the conversation going as it relates to neuroscience making a change in our future generations.
I hope that those listening can take away some ideas to think about and implement right away to make the changes that I know are possible.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #144 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-marketer-tom-beakbane-on-how-to-understand-everything-consilience-a-new-way-to-look-at-the-world/
[ii] Andrea’s Video Pitch for the MacArthur Foundation’s 100 and Change Grant Published on YouTube October 2, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxSezrmHaVE

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Communication: Why Our Brain Doesn‘t Like the Word, NO!”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #176 on “The Neuroscience of Communication: Why Our Brain Doesn’t Like the Word No!”
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. We can achieve outstanding and predictable outcomes with whatever it is we are working towards, when we act intentionally, with our brain in mind.
This week’s Brain Fact Friday hit me this weekend when I was handed a book and asked what I thought of it. It was Jack Carew’s You’ll Never Get No for an Answer[i] with a copyright date of 1987! I looked at the cover of the book, and it was clearly written in the 1980s. The author was on the cover, dressed in a suit and pointing at you, the reader with the intention of making a connection. My gut reaction was far from what the author intended. I thought, “oh no, I can’t see how there’s anything relevant in this book, for today’s workplace” feeling that sense of neural dissonance or conflict at the brain level, but if this book wasn’t exceptional, I don’t think large sales organizations would still be using it, around the world, over 3 decades after it was written.
I usually read books through Kindle on my iPhone, so when I have a physical copy, I love to flip through and see what I notice from the pages. We all have our styles of what we are looking for, and I noticed the interior looked “old” and I thought old-school, when I saw that the print wasn’t crisp or modern looking. And there weren’t many testimonials, just a couple, but the one on the front cover stood out. It was by Og Mandino, American author of the best-selling book, The Greatest Salesman in the World.[ii] Og is the most widely read inspirational and self-help author in the world. He was the former president of Success Unlimited magazine, the first recipient of the Napoleon Hill Gold Medal for literary achievement, a member of the International Speakers Hall of Fame and honored with the Masters of Influence by the National Speakers Association. Og Mandino sadly passed away in 1996 but his books continue to inspire thousands of people all over the world.
So if a pro like Og Mandino said this book was “one of the most powerful and helpful books on salesmanship” that he had ever read, my brain went directly to Confirmation Bias, and I thought I had better not judge a book by its cover, and read it right away!
I was shocked to see how Jack’s 10 strategies, written over 34 years ago, were timeless and relevant for anyone who wants to get their point across to someone else, not just those who are in sales. We all need to be able to persuade others whether it’s coming to a consensus in your personal life, or in the workplace, there is a power behind being able to naturally influence someone, without the use of force, which we all know negates.
As I was reading his book, I wondered how his strategies could be connected to simple neuroscience, just like The Neuroscience of Personal Change, EPISODE #68[iii] where we took Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits book and connected each habit to brain science. I thought about the 10 unique strategies that Jack used to show us how to position ourselves to never receive that dreaded “no, I’m not interested” in whatever it is you are selling, or whatever idea you are trying to convey, and this thought inspired this week’s brain fact Friday on “The Neuroscience of Communication: Why Our Brain Doesn’t Like the Word No!” and with this I mean not just with the word no,  but looking at how the words you choose, and how exactly you say them can influence someone, or not.  I know Chris Gargano mentioned this in episode #166 when he was taking about leadership in the workplace. In a world where time is money, and most of us never have enough time, what we say really matters. In personal relationships, poor listening and speaking skills are major causes of disagreements and in the business world, can ruin an entire corporation.
So for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, we will look at Jack Carew’s book through a neuroscientific lens, and I hope to prove that he was years ahead of his time with this book, that was written 24 years BEFORE the first fMRI scan machine was introduced, changing the world forever as we began to learn the power held within our brain[iv] with the words we say, and with how we say them.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday:
DID YOU KNOW: that “Words can heal, or hurt—if you were in an fMRI scanner (that can take a video of the neural changes happening in your brain) (and you were told a firm NO! for something) we could record, in less than a second, a substantial increase of activity in your amygdala and the release of dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters…that immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, especially those that are involved with logic, reason, language processing, and communication. And the more you stay focused on negative words and thoughts, the more you can damage key structures that regulate your memory, feelings, and emotions. You may disrupt your sleep, your appetite, and the way your brain regulates happiness, longevity and health.”[v]
If I were leading a sales training, using Jack Carew’s book in 2021, I would open up the session with a section that shows how important it is that we understand how our words impact our brain—for our health, well-being and productivity as well as the importance of keeping communication quick and to the point for the sake of workplace effectiveness.  Twitter really does have it right when it has you limit your characters (spaces included) to 280 characters or less. If you have something to say, see if you can say it, in 10 words or less. This is an interesting activity to try, especially if you are the type that thinks you have to explain your point (like I’ve been guilty of).  Before saying anything, use your fingers and count out 10 words, and then stop. Can you convey your ideas in 10 words or less? It takes practice, but is a good practice to learn, when communicating with the brain in mind.
“Extreme brevity keeps the emotional centers of the brain from sabotaging a conversation. Anger is averted before it begins…Neuroscience supports this premise…the moment a person expresses even the slightest degree of negativity, it increases negativity in both the speaker’s and listener’s brains. Instead of getting rid of the anger, we increase it, and this can, over time, cause irreparable damage, not only to the relationship, but to the brain as well…so any strategy that can teach a person to speak with clarity, brevity, calmness, kindness and sincerity will increase interpersonal stability in the workplace and at home.”[vi]
I’m sure you are well aware that negative words can hurt our effectiveness and health as well as the flipside where positive words and images can “decrease depression and anxiety” (Words Can Change Your Brain, page 391) but I’m not suggesting to avoid difficult situations, or shrink during adversity, as they can build mental strength, and resilience, but they can also stop you in your tracks.
Do you know how your brain responds to the word “no”, or anything negative at all?
When difficult situations come up, do you lean towards them, looking for a solution, or back away?
Or do you just completely zone out?
Try this experiential activity to find out. You’ll  actually have to do this activity to see what you notice, and each person, with a brain that’s wired differently, will have a completely different experience. I remember doing this activity a few years ago, but it was one of those things you’ll never forget. If you do try it, please do let me know the results of what was learned.
Experiential Activity: Testing Your Mental Toughness
You can try this with your class, or sales team, or in your workplace, but split everyone up into groups of 3. One person is the participant and the other 2 are either the negative chatter that surrounds them daily or the positive feedback.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Participant: listens and notices what they hear, while the negative person shouts out negative comments into their ear,(on one side)  and the positive person’s job is to combat the negative feedback with positive feedback (in the other ear). Once everyone understands their role, you say go…and the positive and negative feedback people need to go right next to the participants ear and speak loudly with either negative things like “you’re worthless, a total failure, you’re not good at anything” over and over again, while the other person combats these phrases in the other ear with positives like “you’re a Rockstar, everything you do turns to gold” something like that…and keep going giving enough time for the participant to notice what they hear.  Let this activity run for a good 2-3 minutes and then debrief.
DEBRIEF THE ACTIVITY: ASK THE PARTICIPANT:
What was more noticeable (louder, or easier to hear)—the positive or negative feedback?
Could the participant get to the point where they didn’t hear the negativity at all, showing their ability to block out the noise?
Could they remember the negative phrases?
Could they remember the positive phrases?
What did the participant notice the most?
Psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson, Ph.D. reminds us of the Negativity Bias where “the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones”[vii] so it will take practice to build our brain to be wired to hear the positives, and block out the negatives, improving our mental toughness.
Each person is different and will have a different experience with this activity because our brains are all wired differently but the purpose is to see how our brain deals with negativity.
Can we see past it, overcome it, or does it shut you down? 
This is a really good experiential activity for self-awareness. It was at least 20 years ago when I did this for the first time, but I’ll never forget my experience. In the beginning, I could hear the negative comments, and wasn’t aware of the positives at all, until I shifted, and thought of what I was working on, and something in my brain blocked out all the negative comments, and although they were shouting in my ear, I could only hear the positive person, shouting encouragement for what I was working on. It’s a good lesson for the mental strength needed to rewire our brain to pay attention to whatever it is we are working on and ignore everything else that doesn’t support this goal. This understanding can take our focus to a new level.
REVIEW and CONCLUSION:
To close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday, on “The Neuroscience of Communication” we are reminded of the importance of speaking with brevity, calmness and kindness, being mindful with the words we choose, and staying focused on our goals, by blocking out all the negative chatter and noise around us.
Before writing this conclusion, I took a quick break on Instagram and saw a post from Assistant Professor at Butler University, Dr. Lori Desautels[viii], from EPISODE #16[ix] and EPISODE #56[x] and she had posted the image of her book How May I Serve You [xi] that was published 10 years ago. The cover caught my attention, as I was thinking of how our words impact our brain and what could I possibly say that would be impactful and memorable for us all to think about at the end of this episode. When I saw the image of  her book cover, I thought, this is it! A picture says a million words.
I had no idea that her book cover, and original image, was created by Lena Reifinger at Indiana University and 10 years later, we are still looking and thinking about solutions to better serve our students or those we work for by improving our communication skills and being mindful that words really can change our brain.
Leading me back to Jack Carew’s 10 unique strategies that Og Mandino encouraged us all to read to improve our communication and influence with others. I’ve picked the first five, with some thoughts that tie back to past episodes on the podcast, and I’m sure you will agree with me, just how important these strategies are for us to think about whether we are in the classroom, or workplace. Og Mandino was right. These principles are timeless and relevant, 34 years later.
Strategy 1: Take the Lead 
It’s your job to please those you serve and how you see yourself is critical. You decide how successful you will be. If you think self-defeating thoughts about yourself, your product/what you are selling, or how you are trying to influence others, it will come through. We covered Self-Awareness[xii] in one of our very first episodes, and it’s important enough to have made it to one of Jack’s TOP STRATEGIES.
REMEMBER: With self-image (what you think about yourself and what you are selling) can be felt. When we connect with someone, it’s called neural resonance in the brain, and when something conflicts, it’s called cognitive dissonance. Take the lead with confidence and it will be noticed. Everyone loves a confident leader.
Strategy 2: Stop Looking Out for Number One 
Of course, it’s natural for us to be self-interested, but to experience long term success, we must put others ahead of our own wants and needs.  
You’ve got to know your customer or who you are serving, what’s important to them, and what they want. 
In the business world, we create avatars for our customers and it’s important that everything we do is for them. It should be in the back of our head all of the time. 
REMEMBER: What they (or those we serve) want is more important than anything, so we must align our solutions (or what we offer) to their needs (whatever they might be). Setting our own thoughts aside, we must uncover what it is that  those we serve want and need, and then solve it.
Strategy 3: Invest in the Relationship 
We covered “Building Relationships” with Greg Wolcott on EPISODE #7[xiii] and again on EPISODE #9[xiv]  and it’s important to note that when we have taken the time to invest in relationships with those we serve, we can easily overcome those difficult challenges that will come our way.
REMEMBER: Jack wrote “invest” in the relationship, as that investment is what it will take to overcome times of challenge or difficulty. A solid foundation must be built first and then anything is possible.
Strategy 4: Bring Your Energy to the Customer 
This is my favorite one of Jack’s strategies because when you’ve got this one, anything is possible.
I know you’ve seen it and felt it—that electric energy that shows up when you connect to someone at the brain level.  It’s what will make you memorable and why I think you’ll never get a no when you’ve got this level of connection with another person.
I covered the valuable lesson I learned from the Legendary Bob Proctor on episode #66[xv] where Bob taught me about the importance of generating energy from within and reminded me to never show, or say that I’m tired, even when I was. This lesson stuck with me to this day and it’s impossible to miss when you see it.
REMEMBER: This strategy takes some work on your part. Through diet, exercise, and plenty of sleep, that we talk about on the Bonus Episode “A Deep Dive into the Top 5 Health Staples”[xvi] we will be able to operate at a higher level to make this connection with those we serve. When it’s there, you’ll notice a magic that makes work more enjoyable, less stressful and fun.
Strategy 5: Get Organized 
Organization shows up, whether it’s in your home, how you keep your car, to your desk, and computer. It’s something that can be noticed right away.
I love Q4 or year end, as I have always joined my good friend Jim Bunch on his yearly calls where he walks us through a way to clean up our year and prepare to move into the next year. Listen to episode #103[xvii] for some ideas to close out this year, prepare for a new year, and get organized, with your brain in mind.
REMEMBER: Getting organized sets you ahead of the game and creates order and space for the New Year for whatever it is that you want to create. Getting organized translates to getting ahead, and can transform your workplace, with significant advantages in sales, like knowing and planning where your sales will come from, having a solid pipeline, and setting the tone for the rest of the year, much like the sports team who gets that first point early in the game, there’s a competitive advantage to this sense of organization that builds momentum.
I’ll let you read Jack’s book for the other 5 strategies, but sure you can see how an understanding of our brain can improve our communication and influence, taking our results to greater heights.
This closes out this week’s Brain Fact Friday! Will see you next week with our first Panel Interview with Dr. Howard Rankin, Dr. Jon Lieff, Horacio Sanchez and Tom Beakbane  as well as with Dr. Brian Stenzler on the importance of mental health for our next generation. We also have a fascinating interview coming up with the CEO of Rewire, a human performance company that provides evidence-based solutions for tracking athlete readiness, building mental resilience, and improving mind/body recovery. 
Wishing you a productive weekend, and see you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] You’ll Never Get No for an Answer by Jack Carew Published in 1987 https://www.amazon.com/Youll-Never-Get-No-Answer/dp/0671736493
[ii] The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino Published  https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Salesman-World-Og-Mandino-ebook/dp/B004G8PIQ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J4RPTOZXEU0I&dchild=1&keywords=the+greatest+salesman+in+the+world+og+mandino&qid=1635795564&s=books&sprefix=the+greatest+sal%2Cstripbooks%2C137&sr=1-1
[iii]  Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #68 “The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/
[iv] A History of fMRI https://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/history-fMRI
[v] Words Can Change Your Brain by Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman, Published July 30, 2013 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=words+can+change+your+brain&gclid=CjwKCAjwoP6LBhBlEiwAvCcthCiCJCWZ-n3nMbmllmxcYj7pY9p3EGBjIT1liFGTzVVBlYWdxCBg6hoC3DMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241598338504&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030091&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2910883915011355196&hvtargid=kwd-36327312367&hydadcr=15527_10340956&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_2ixec66yv3_e
[vi] Words Can Change Your Brain by Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman, Published July 30, 2013 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=words+can+change+your+brain&gclid=CjwKCAjwoP6LBhBlEiwAvCcthCiCJCWZ-n3nMbmllmxcYj7pY9p3EGBjIT1liFGTzVVBlYWdxCBg6hoC3DMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=241598338504&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030091&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2910883915011355196&hvtargid=kwd-36327312367&hydadcr=15527_10340956&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_2ixec66yv3_e
[vii] Take in the Good by Dr. Rick Hanson https://www.rickhanson.net/take-in-the-good/
[viii] www.Revelationsineducation.com  
[ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #16 with Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience in Our Schools”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lori-desautels-and-michael-mcknight-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience-in-our-schools-and-communities/
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desautels on “Connections Over Compliance” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/
[xi] How May I Serve You by Dr. Lori Desautels Published Feb. 7, 2012  https://www.amazon.com/How-May-Serve-Revelations-Education/dp/146995818X
[xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #2 on “Self-Awareness: Know Thyself” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-awareness-know-thyself/
[xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #7 “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms” with Greg Wolcott  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/greg-wolcott-on-building-relationships-in-todays-classrooms/
[xiv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #9 “Using Your Brain to Build and Sustain Effective Relationships” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-build-and-sustain-effective-relationships/
[xv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 “The Legendary Bob Proctor” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/  
[xvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE on “ A Deep Dive into the Top 5 Health Staples” and Review of Seasons 1-4  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 on “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever.[xvii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of High Performance: Improving Focus and Clarity”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #175 that was inspired by our recent interview with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens whose book that was just released this week on Amazon, Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy[i] that reminded us that we can accelerate our results, experience less stress and psychopathology (like depression and anxiety) when we can understand the emotional science (affect is the scientific word for emotion) that can be mapped and understood within the depths of the human brain.  
To access the images in the show notes, click here. 
There were many AHA Moments during our interview with psychologist Dr. Stevens this week, but with mental health at the forefront of this podcast, and the fact that we are now into the last quarter of 2021, I wanted to provide something that we could all use to give us clarity and focus to finish this year on a strong, high note.  When I thought about what Dr. Stevens taught us, and why an application of affective neuroscience could help patients with psychological disorders, I thought about that for a while and wondered how this week’s Brain Fact Friday could bring us to a heightened sense of clarity, focus and direction that would give us a razor’s edge advantage in our life, with whatever it is we are working on or moving towards, and set us up with the right footing for a solid Q1 in 2022.
In Today’s Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn:
✔︎ Why a calm brain is important to achieve ANY level of success.
✔︎ Strategies to calm our brain/regulate ourselves before we can access the thinking/decision-making parts of our brain.
✔Why a calm, regulated brain, precedes mental clarity, needed for high performance.
✔︎ How to calm or regulate ourselves before we can access knowledge, well-being and high-performance.
From Focus to Calmness
Dr. Stevens taught us some great strategies that can help us to understand our emotions, and even reconsolidate past traumatic memories, but there was something I knew I was missing that comes before we can access those higher, thinking parts of the brain that we need when thinking or making decisions. Today’s topic is not just about how we can use the understanding of our brain to focus, so we can accomplish more, Friederike Fabritius dove deep into the neuroscience behind the focused brain on episode #27.[ii] She reminded us of the recipe needed for achieving peak performance as a mix of fun, and fear along with focus”[iii]  but that’s not where I wanted to go with this episode. Then I saw it and it was as clear as ice as I thought about some of our past speakers.
I mentioned to Dr. Stevens that in order to apply any of the lessons he uses with his patients for accelerated results, and improved well-being, we had to get to a place of calmness, where we could step back from the busyness of our world and allow our thinking brain (or our Central Executive Network) to come back online. We have to be able to switch from our Thinking (Central Executive) Network to our Imagination (Default Mode Network) for this calmness to occur. I did talk about the importance of switching between our brain networks to allow for these flashes of creativity and insight to flow in episode #48 which is a good episode to review.[iv]
For this week’s brain fact Friday, I want to add a sense of calmness behind our clarity to push us forward. I remember my mentor Bob Proctor always saying to accelerate your results you need to “Speed Up and Calm Down” and he would give us examples of how he stayed focused by saying no to what’s unimportant and direct 100% of his energy and focus to what is. If you want to accelerate your results, it begins with a calm brain, that’s focused and ready for speed.
 
From Calmness to Clarity
Then we can take this calmness and laser focus to clarity. Clarity is one of the six habits that Brendon Burchard found that research shows pointed the needle towards high-performance vs those who underperform in his book, High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way[v]  and it’s something I think about every morning before I begin my day. Then I thought of you, the listener, wherever you might be in the world. Maybe you are like Bryon Carpenter[vi] from the Fresh Air at Five Podcast[vii] who listens to our episodes in the dark, in the fresh air, while exercising on his morning walks in beautiful Abbotsford, British Columbia and then posts what he learns from the episode on Twitter, along with Josh Tovar[viii], from El Paso, Texas, who does the same.  Or Leadership Coach Tivo Rojas-Cheatham[ix] who listens to the episodes and sends me his thoughts, ideas, and encouragement through LinkedIn. I can’t forget about Chris Gargano, from the New York Jets Organization, who listens to the podcast for ideas for his Leadership Class at NYU. Wherever you are listening from, my hopes are that this episode opens you up to all of the possibilities that come from a calm mind, providing clarity, an improved sense of self, maybe ideas for where else you can improve, with a longer-term vision of whatever it is that you are working on, or the legacy that you want to leave in this world. It all begins at the brain level.
So, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday: I want to remind us of the importance of a calm brain. Dr. Perry’s NeuroSequential Theory is centered around the fact that we must learn to regulate ourselves first, before we can regulate others.
There is power in calmness as you can see with Dr. Perry’s image that shows how “A regulated, calm adult can regulate a dysregulated, anxious child.” Think back to Dr. Perry’s upside-down triangle of the brain, where we had to learn to regulate (or calm ourselves down) first, before we could access our thinking or reasoning brain, and remember that in order to regulate our brain, we must go from the reptilian brain, though the limbic or emotional brain, to get to the thinking/decision-making brain with the image of The Three Brains I’ve put in the show notes.
I saw a book written called Calm Clarity: How to Use Science to Rewire Your Brain for Greater Wisdom, Fulfillment and Joy[x] where the author explains her journey through each of these parts of the brain, calling them Brain 1.0 (Brainstem) to Brain 2.0 (Limbic Emotional Brain) to Brain 3.0 (Thinking/Reasoning Brain).  
She created the Calm Clarity Program[xi]  where she teaches participants how to reach the wisdom within Brain 3.0 with what she calls a “Mind-Hacker” toolkit to help people in a way that “physiologically supports greater physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being, alignment and integration.” (Preface, Calm Clarity-Due Quach)
Only then can we take what we learned from Dr. Stevens about the importance of understanding our emotions to reduce those things in our life that cause us increased stress and anxiety and access the clarity we will need to end our year as a high performer.
As we are closing out 2021, why not kick things up a notch and see how we can increase our calmness, focus and clarity, to end the year on a high note. It will make life easier when 2022 rolls around as you will have a head start.
Two Thoughts for Improving Focus and Clarity
Improving Focus and Clarity Through Our Physical Well-Being
What areas can you work on to increase your physical well-being that will in turn give you more focus, clarity and energy?
We have covered the top 5 health staples[xii] and talk often of the importance of clean eating, exercise, nutrition and sleep, and will continue to research new areas that tip the needle forward for high performance, but it seems to always come back to these basic staples as well as continuing to find ways to improve our mental health.
Improving Focus and Clarity Through Our Mental Well-Being 
If I was to ask you the following questions, could you give me a quick and accurate answer?
Do you know what you want, and where you are going?
Do you know your daily direction?
Do you integrate your wins every week?
Do you face things that you are afraid of or do something that makes you uncomfortable daily?
Do you feel your emotions instead of shutting them off?
I know there’s a lot involved with these two questions, but if we could look at what we can do every day to improve these two areas so that we are better than we were yesterday, we will be well on our way to heightened levels of focus and clarity to end our year intentionally and on a high note. But remember, it begins when we step back, take some deep breaths from our work, and access whatever it is for us that brings us a sense of peace and calmness in our thinking brain.
I hope you have found this week’s Brain Fact Friday as helpful as I have—and that we can all take some time to live and experience this sense of calmness that must come before we can break through to new levels of achievement.
I’ll see you next week, and the following week, I’m beyond excited for our FIRST Panel Interview and welcoming back Dr. Howard Rankin, Dr. Jon Lieff, Horacio Sanchez and Tom Beakbane who will discuss how new advancements in neuroscience can help and advance our educational system.
We will also be speaking with my good friend Brian Stenzler[xiii], with his NEW book that helps parents address mental health with their children as we continue to search for new ideas and strategies to keep our next generation stay physically and mentally well.
Final Thoughts: 
Before I close out this episode, I wanted to mention it’s hard to not notice the feedback from those listening around the world and the fact that our downloads have reached an all-time high, surpassing where we were last month, with over 11,000 downloads monthly. I want to thank all of you who tune in, and download an episode, share what you are learning on social media and send me messages.   As new listeners come on board, I wanted to let you know that we do have a community that you can join and gain access to others around the world who are also listening, learning, and applying what they are learning. To join us, click on the link in the show notes, so that we can all stay connected in the Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group and continue to learn from each other in between episodes. I do look forward to seeing you there. Have an incredible weekend.
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
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REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.drfrancisstevens.com/book
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #27 with Friederike Fabritius on “The Recipe for Achieving Peak Performace”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/pioneer-in-the-field-of-neuroleadership-friederike-fabritius-on-the-recipe-for-achieving-peak-performance/
[iii] Friederike Fabritius: "Fun, Fear, and Focus: The Neurochemical Recipe for Achieving Peak Performance" | Talks at Google Published Jan.15, 2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWi-oCySuFA
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 “Brain Network Theory” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/
[v] https://brendon.com/blog/high-performancehabits/
[vi] www.BryonCarpenter.com   
[vii] https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fresh-air-at-five/id1547552441
[viii] https://twitter.com/MPA_GOJAGUARS
[ix] https://www.linkedin.com/in/tivorc/
[x] Calm Clarity: How to Use Science to Rewire Your Brain by Due Quach Published May 15, 2018 https://www.amazon.com/Calm-Clarity-Science-Greater-Fulfillment-ebook/dp/B074YLY11S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=353KXYF7OXIIB&dchild=1&keywords=calm+clarity&qid=1635443224&s=digital-text&sprefix=calm+clar%2Cdigital-text%2C138&sr=1-1
[xi] https://www.calmclarity.org/
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE “Top 5 Health Staples” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/
[xiii] Brian Stenzler on San Diego’s Morning Extra News https://www.cbs8.com/video/news/local/morning-extra/new-book-aims-to-help-parents-with-teens-address-their-kids-mental-health/509-00b0fbc9-a0fb-491f-97e7-34405db70377?jwsource=cl&fbclid=IwAR1hEoasamvrDVPixPzdLbFyggPpwfRX4kh19odkvuSr88YyIIVYt_RqDbs

Psychologist Dr. Francis Lee Stevens on ”Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy: Science-Based Interventions for Our Emotions”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #174 with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens who works as a psychologist in Worcester, MA. He has taught a variety of classes in psychology and neuroscience and his research focuses on affective neuroscience applications to psychotherapy. Today we will dive deep into his new book, coming out on November 27th,  Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy: A Clinician’s Guide for Working with Emotions and will explore how Dr. Stevens has taken the latest developments in affective neuroscience and applies these science-based interventions with a sequential approach for helping patients with psychological disorders.
Learn more about Dr. Stevens https://www.drfrancisstevens.com/ 
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/2H-g1xg6FRY
In this episode you will learn:
✔︎ What Dr. Stevens saw was missing from previous forms of psychotherapy.
✔︎ Why changing our thinking doesn't change how we feel, and what he suggests instead.
✔︎ What Affect Reconsolidation is--that changes difficult emotions and feelings.
✔︎ How an understanding of the science of the brain works together with the practice needed for a new model of intervention.
✔︎ What we should all know about our emotions, how to dig deeper into our past to unlock memories, and deal with the feelings that keep us stuck.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom, a parent, or in the corporate environment. The purpose of this podcast is to take the fear out of this new discipline that backs our learning with simple neuroscience to make it applicable for us all to use right away, for immediate results.
What I think is fascinating as we are exploring this topic together, is that education is not the only field that can benefit from the understanding of simple neuroscience and “there are equivalent fields that seek to translate neuroscience findings to law (e.g. Royal Society, 2011a)[i] economics (e.g. Glimcher & Fehr, 2013)[ii] and social policy (e.g. Royal 2011b)[iii] bringing in research in behavior regulation, decision-making, reward, empathy and moral reasoning.” (Thomas, Ansari, Knowland, 2019).  When I received an email from Dr. Stevens about his new book that he wrote to help patients with psychological disorders with science-based interventions, I was very interested in learning more.
If American psychologist Dr. Daniel Amen, whose book The End of Mental Illness we reviewed on episode #128[iv] believes that “normal” is a myth and that 51%[v] of us will have a mental health issue in our lifetime (like post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, addiction, or an eating disorder—to name a few) then it’s clear that it’s more normal than not, to have a mental health problem and we must all pay attention to the first sign of any mental health issue, for ourselves, but especially our younger generations, since it’s critical for children’s success in school and life. Research shows that “students who receive social-emotional and mental health support achieve better academically”[vi] and “mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness but also encompasses wellness promotion; social, emotional, and behavioral health; and the ability to cope with life’s challenges. Left unmet, mental health problems are linked to costly negative outcomes such as academic and behavior problems, dropping out, and delinquency. Mental and behavioral health problems not only affect students’ short-term classroom engagement, but also interfere with long-term development of positive relationships and work-related skills.”[vii]
I’ve designed my questions for Dr. Stevens so that we can all think of how we could apply his research in our lives if we are working with students/children who might have experienced trauma to see how we can use our emotional awareness, emotional validation, self-compassion, and gain a deeper understanding of specific emotions, specifically anger, abandonment, and jealousy. Let’s meet Dr. Stevens and learn the emotional science behind the brain.
Welcome Dr. Stevens, thank you very much for meeting with me today to dive deeper into your new book coming out this fall, Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy: A Clinician’s Guide for Working with Emotions I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to speak with you.
INTRO Q: Before we get to the questions, I want to ask about your background and what led you to working in the field of psychotherapy, but I’ve got to mention something I heard while I was researching your work this weekend on the Science of Psychotherapy Podcast[viii] you did last month, and I had to stop the podcast and listen a few times to be sure I heard this right. What did you learn from your time working as an Improv Comedian that you have taken to your work as a psychologist?
 Q1: Dr. Stevens, getting to the questions that tie into your book, I saw that you mention “Research supports the idea that for many people, psychotherapy remains ineffective (Driessen, Hollon, Bockting, Cuijpers, & Turner, 2015; Dragioti, Karathanos, Gerdle, & Evangelou, 2017), with little explanation as to why” and I’ve always wondered about how “talking about problems solves them” without changing your thinking (because we can still have negative ruminating thoughts about something) unless we change the emotion attached to it, so I like the idea of CBT for helping people eliminate negative thought patterns. Can you explain where previous forms of psychotherapy have failed, what you found to be “missing” and how your book offers a new way forward through your research in affective neuroscience?
Q2:  My husband does some work with our local sheriff’s office here in AZ in his spare time, while I’m at my desk researching for interviews, and I’m always curious to hear what he sees in the field as it relates to mental health and what he shares when he gets back is always eye-opening especially if we have never dealt with someone who is struggling with mental health in a serious way. I just shake my head and really do wonder, for someone who works directly with people who struggle with mental health, what have you seen with the outcome of treatment for someone getting better vs staying on the same path that will just lead to problems later in their life?
Q3:  Looking at the Table of Contents, I see PART 1 containing the science with your argument for a new approach to therapy, and PART 2 as the practice where you walk us through how we must cope with and understand our emotions. Can you explain both parts of the book and how you’ve been intentional with how you introduce topics for the reader to learn and use.
Q4: I know how important emotions are for learning. One of our early episodes was with Marc Brackett, who wrote the book Permission to Feel[ix] which was important when many of us were raised to hide our emotions, then I wrote an episode on “How Our Emotions Impact Learning and the Brain”[x] and mention Jaak Panksepp and the fact that humans have seven networks of emotion in the brain. (Curiosity, Caring, Playfulness, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Lust). What should we all know about with our emotions, how our brain processes them, why we feel the way we do, so we can better manage/control those emotions that get us stuck in life?
Q5: When we are dealing with something that gives us an emotional charge (whatever it is for us) could be when someone cuts us off on the highway, or when someone says or does something that just pushes our buttons, and we feel that surge of “I’m so angry right now”  can you explain how we should look to understand the problem behind what we are feeling, and work on reconsolidating it (Joseph LeDoux’s work)?  (I’ve only see this with Neuro-Emotional Therapy where you look back at your childhood to see what happened back then that triggers the anger you might be feeling in the present, uncovering the root cause of the emotion and feelings, to clean it up (Dr. Carolyn Leaf).  
Q6: This next question covers Brain Network Theory that we cover on episode #48[xi] with the idea of learning how to be aware of the importance of switching between our networks to experience creativity instead of working hard and burning out. I mentioned listening to a recent podcast you did on The Science of Psychotherapy[xii] and you were talking about our thinking brain vs our feeling brain, do you remember that podcast?
I tried to bring some humor to this question with your improv background,  something (let’s say you are working on something, and someone famous shows up at your door and wants to take you out for coffee—I was trying to think of someone famous that could possibly sway me to step away from my desk, and came up with Phillip Seymour Hoffman—whose no longer with us, but you get the idea) you really want to go (your feeling brain—Emotional Network) but your thinking brain (Central Executive Network) tells you to stay back and keep working, creating cognitive dissonance. We’ve all felt this and many of us could easily make the right decision for us, but what happens when our feeling brain overtakes our thinking brain? How can we learn to integrate our entire brain so that we can make better decisions? What else can you tell us about the networks in our brain (if you look at the image created by Mark Waldman, who is teaching me how to understand the basics of neuroscience)?
 
IMAGE: created by Mark Waldman on Brain Network Theory.
Q7: We have also covered Joseph LeDoux’s concept of memory reconsolidation[xiii] on this podcast, that you address in your book as Affect Reconsolidation. Can you share what you have learned with your research and what strategies you offer with this idea to help people to overcome negative emotions associated with past trauma that could be impacting/damaging their life?
Q8: Is there anything important that we have missed about your book?
Dr. Stephens, I want to thank you so much for your time, research and strategies to help us to all better manage our emotions, with science-based strategies. If anyone wants to get a copy of your book, I have put your website link in the show notes, but when does it go live on Amazon?
Follow Dr. Stevens on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrLeeStevens  
Get a copy of Affective Neuroscience on Amazon 
Thank you!
BIO:
Dr. Stevens graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from Tennessee State University and completed his internship in Clinical Psychology at the University of Rochester Counseling Center. Dr. Stevens research focuses on the anterior cingulate cortex, a unique region of the brain located between the prefrontal cortex and limbic system brain areas.
 
Dr. Stevens has taught at several colleges and universities in the Boston, MA area including Wheelock College, Boston College, and Harvard University. Dr. Stevens has a long scholarship record in clinical affective neuroscience, publishing widely in journals such as Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and International Journal of Group Psychotherapy.
Additionally, Dr. Stevens has presented his work on emotion in therapy at multiple conferences. Dr. Stevens is on the executive committee of the Boston Neuropsychoanalysis Workshop, which develops models of empirically supported psychotherapy based on neuroscience. Dr. Stevens has a private practice and is a psychologist in Worcester, MA. His practice focuses on utilizing emotion for therapeutic change.
FOLLOW DR. STEVENS:
https://www.drfrancisstevens.com/
https://twitter.com/DrLeeStevens
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
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RESOURCES:
What Oprah Learned from Jim Carrey Published Oct. 13, 2011  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPU5bjzLZX0
Leslie Greenberg’s Master Lecture on Emotion Focused Therapy by Lynn Mollick https://nj-act.org/greenberg.html
Inside Out, the Movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/
Elizabeth Loftus “How our Memories Can Be Manipulated” https://www.npr.org/transcripts/557424726
 
REFERENCES:
 
[i] Royal Society (2011a). Brain Waves Module 4: Neuroscience and the law. London: Royal Society. [Google Scholar]
[ii] Glimcher, P.W. , & Fehr, E. (2013). Neuroeconomics: Decision making and the brain (2nd edn). London: Elsevier. [Google Scholar]
[iii] Royal Society (2011b). Brain Waves Module 1: Neuroscience, society and policy. London: Royal Society. [Google Scholar]
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE # 128 with “ A Review of Dr. Daniel Amen’s End of Mental Illness Book” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/review-of-dr-daniel-amens-the-end-of-mental-illness-6-steps-for-improved-brain-and-mental-health/
[v] Dr. Amen, Brain Thrive by 25 Online Course http://brainthriveby25.com/
[vi] Comprehensive School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Services and School Psychologists https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/mental-health/school-psychology-and-mental-health/comprehensive-school-based-mental-and-behavioral-health-services-and-school-psychologists#:~:text=Research%20demonstrates%20that%20students%20who,being%20all%20improve%20as%20well.
[vii] IBID
[viii] Dr. Stevens Talks Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy Sept. 6, 2021  https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/francis-lee-stevens-talks-affective-neuroscience-in-psychotherapy/
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #22 Marc Brackett on his book “Permission to Feel” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-of-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/
[x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE # 127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/
[xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 on “Brain Network Theory”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/
[xii]Dr. Stevens Talks Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy Sept. 6, 2021  https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/francis-lee-stevens-talks-affective-neuroscience-in-psychotherapy/
[xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE # 127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Belief”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #173 on “The Neuroscience of our Beliefs” where we will take a deeper dive into what are beliefs are, how they impact our day-to-day life, habits, successes, and failures, and how we must pay attention to them “because they can make the difference between life and death, health and illness” (Larry Dossey, MD)[i] and increased clarity in our life.
In Today’s Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn:
✔︎ What are beliefs from the perspective of neuroscience?
✔︎ What's the problem with what we believe?
✔︎ Understanding our Cognitive Biases.
✔︎ Becoming a Better Believer in 3 Steps.
For those who are new here, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. The purpose of this podcast is to take the fear out of this new discipline that backs our learning with simple neuroscience to make it applicable for us all to use right away, for immediate results.
This week’s Brain Fact Friday comes to you as I am in the final stages of writing a research paper, or an abstract to complete a year-long neuroscience certification course I have been taking with Mark Robert Waldman, who began teaching me how to understand the impacts of neuroscience on the brain and learning, back in 2014. I know that I was one of his very first students who began working with him years before he launched his training program that is rigorous, and not everyone who joins, completes it. Learning anything new requires consistent focus and effort, and my hopes are to continue to translate the most current and accurate neuroscience research, to be useful in your daily life through this podcast.
Once this abstract is graded, I will share it with you for a more in depth look at the future of educational neuroscience, with a look back at where it began, some of the criticism it’s faced, while sharing the impact I see it having on our future generations of teachers and learners. Stay tuned for this, and for more interviews coming next week, but until then, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, we will examine how beliefs show up in our brain and what we should all know about what we believe and how to sharpen and even challenge our beliefs, for improved results.
If I asked you right now to define what a belief is, I am sure we would all come up with a different definition.
But did you know that from the perspective of neuroscience that all beliefs (factual beliefs, self-beliefs, social beliefs, monetary beliefs, health beliefs) just to name a few- are “incomplete predictions, formed in the Default Mode Network (Imagination Network—the yellow and orange areas in the brain in the image below). These predictions (whatever it is that we believe) combine subjective feelings (that are mostly imaginary and a product of the DMN-our Imagination Center) with factual observations, forming an emotional cognitive bias which is embedded into our long-term memory.  
IMAGE SOURCE: Mark Waldman “Beliefs and the Brain” showing what our beliefs look like in our brain in the Default Mode (Imagination) Network.
Remember that “all beliefs have limitations, and every one of them contains assumptions and inaccuracies concerning the true nature of the world.”  
(Born to Believe, Mark Waldman and Dr. Andrew Newberg)[ii]
SUMMARY:
“Our beliefs are incomplete predictions about the future, formed as a part of our imagination network, combining current feelings with factual observations, with bits and pieces of old memories, forming a cognitive bias (whether you are right or wrong—this is how your brain sees the world). Your brain doesn’t care if it’s true or false, right, or wrong.  It will create what you need to help you to go after the rewards that are important to you in your life.” (Waldman)
Wait a minute, I’m thinking, and I know YOU are thinking, stop for a minute! You mean our deepest beliefs, or what we strongly believe, are false, or imaginary, or have inaccuracies?
Simon Sinek launched his career with his first book, Starts with Why that’s all about how great leaders inspire action[iii] by saying what they believe, and I know that when I worked for Pearson Education in the publishing field, I believed in their mission statement of “Doing the Right Thing Every Day” that was behind the high level of work ethic that governed what I did from the minute I woke up, until I went to sleep at night.  So how on the earth can what we believe be inaccurate?
Tom Beakbane got us started on this train of thought on EPISODE #144[iv] with his topic “Consilience: A New Way to Look at the World” and expert in psychology, Dr. Howard Rankin kept our thinking going on episode #146[v] with “How Not to Think” when he reminded us that “our thinking is illogical.” Then this week, I joined a discussion with my neuroscience class where we looked at how our beliefs can be irrational, and how important it is to recognize that “the memories and beliefs we have about ourselves are the most untrustworthy of all.” (p127, Born to Believe). 
I know that these past episodes resonated with you, the listener, as they remain in the top performing list of this podcast the past couple of months, so I think that you, like me, are willing to challenge some of our beliefs, and in turn, increase our self-awareness. John Harmon reminded us of the importance of believing in our students, or the self-belief we must have while doing math on episode #170 and I know that my Mom’s personal story of how she thinks she beat uterine cancer in the late 1990s, stemmed from her belief in her wellness, so I’m not ready to cross all beliefs off our list yet, but am open-minded enough to take a closer look at what I believe and why.
ANDREW NEWBERG, MD, AND MARK ROBERT WALDMAN remind us in their book Born to Believe that “The human brain is really a believing machine, and every experience we have affects the depth and quality of those beliefs. The beliefs may hold only a glimmer of truth, but they always guide us toward our ideals. Without them, we cannot live, let alone change the world. They are our creed, they give us faith, and they make us who we are. Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” But viewed through the lens of neuroscience, it might be better stated as “I believe, therefore I am.”
Cognitive Bias:
So what is the problem with our beliefs when it comes to looking at them through the lens of neuroscience? There is no such thing as “truth” from a neuroscientific perspective. Just look at the list of cognitive biases, reminding us that our beliefs are an illusion. We have beliefs that help us to avoid mistakes, beliefs for staying focused and beliefs for confirming our existing beliefs. Looking at this list, can you pick out what you believe, and then look at the cognitive biases associated with your belief?  
What Exactly Are Beliefs?
We listed a few of them at the start of this episode, like factual beliefs, or self-beliefs, and we’ve talked about beliefs on other episodes, specifically #66 where I did a deep dive into the lessons learned when I worked with Bob Proctor in the motivational speaking industry. Proctor’s work was centered around changing people’s self-limiting beliefs (that we should know never to trust) specifically with regards to someone’s ability to earn money. If you go back and listen to episode #66 you’ll see where I had an AHA moment around my original belief of earning money, changing the belief that we have to trade our time to earn income, when I saw how many people earned money through multiple sources. Some sold products and services online, others earned commission through sales, but this changed my belief and opened up the keyhole and level of awareness. Changing our beliefs can be known as changing our paradigms which are a multitude of habits that guide every move we make.
I learned so much from those early days working with self-limiting beliefs when Proctor said to me “Andrea, what do you really want?” and I remember quietly answering him, not at all believing what I was saying, stating something about wanting to make an impact with the education and youth. I knew I had a lot to learn before I experienced what he called praxis, which is when we integrate our beliefs with our behaviors. What I believed and the actions I was taking hadn’t yet lined up. With time and experience, I began to integrate my beliefs with my behavior and actions. The stronger our belief, the more steadfast you will be with your actions, changing your thoughts and feelings, and eventually your conditions, circumstances, and environment. This is when the true magic associated with belief occurs.
This is the magic that Waldman and Newberg talked about when they said that our belief “gave us our faith and made us who we are.”  
IMAGE SOURCE: Mark Waldman “Beliefs and the Brain” showing what our beliefs look like in our brain in the Default Mode (Imagination) Network.
How Do We Become Better Believers in 3 STEPS?
BELIEVE WITH YOUR BRAIN IN MIND: The belief system that you have that feels the most true or important to you “is a combination of the salience network that puts a value on what you think is the most important and meaningful in your life, from your DMN or Imagination Center.” (Waldman). Think about what you value. What is true to you? This will help you to get closer to seeing how you believe with your brain in mind. For example—have you ever changed an old belief based on something new you have learned? How did this happen? It happened when you changed what you valued, and your brain (your Salience Network) was involved in this process. I think about the fact I would NEVER grab a stick of butter, and even consider eating it, let alone put in my coffee, when I was in my late 20s. Butter was full of fat, and something I believed we should avoid. Fast forward to 2016 when I found Jason Whittrock from EPSIODE #94[vi] on YouTube and along with the Availability Heuristic Bias (since I saw it on YouTube, and this trainer was in good shape, so I believed him) and changed my belief that eating fats won’t make me fat and this belief changed the way that I eat. Think about the beliefs that you used to hold that might have changed, and then look at the list of cognitive biases to see why they might have changed, based on the value that your brain put on this belief.
INTEGRATE YOUR BELIEFS WITH YOUR BEHAVIOR WITH PRAXIS: by Celebrating Small Wins with Your Goals. Brendon Burchard, the author of High Performance Habits[vii], talks about the importance of “celebrating small wins into your weekly schedule so that you integrate these wins into your identity.”[viii] He often coaches people who forget to do this, as they are so focused in pursuit of a large goal, that in the process of being laser focused on the end result, they forget to integrate or even feel the small wins along the way. This is much like what Proctor was talking about with the concept of Praxis where someone never does integrate their beliefs with their behavior. Without Praxis, or integrating/feeling small wins, you never gain the belief needed for the realization of the end goal. To do this, make sure you carve out time in your schedule to look at, and celebrate your small wins.
CHALLENGE YOUR BELIEFS: If our beliefs really are inaccurate, why not be open to the fact that “We think, therefore we are wrong?” and look at the world with a scientific lens where we see our beliefs as cognitive biases and challenge them.
The more we can challenge what we believe, think about how our thinking is flawed, the happier we can be, the less conflict we will have in our personal and professional lives, and we will in turn become better believers. I hope these ideas have added clarity to your perception of beliefs, not confusion, and of course, this is because I operate with the need to please everyone bias!
Would love to hear your thoughts on this episode, as it still has me thinking. In the meantime, I will see you next week with an interview with Dr. Lee Stevens on his new book that’s coming out this fall, Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy that will take us deeper into understanding our emotions at the brain level, and their influence on our behavior, memory, and judgements.
Have a good weekend!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
REFERENCES:
[i] Larry Dossey, MD testimonial on the book “Born to Believe”
[ii] Born to Believe: God, Science, and the Origin of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefs  by Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman Published October 2, 2007  https://www.amazon.com/Born-Believe-Science-Ordinary-Extraordinary/dp/0743274989
[iii] Simon Sinek “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” TEDx Puget Sound   https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action/up-next?language=en
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #144 with Tom Beakbane on “How to Understand Everything”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-marketer-tom-beakbane-on-how-to-understand-everything-consilience-a-new-way-to-look-at-the-world/
[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #146 with Dr. Howard Rankin on “How Not to Think” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #94 with Jason Wittrock on “Health, Nutrition, Intermittent Fasting and the Ketogenic Diet” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-trainer-and-fitness-model-jason-wittrock-on-health-nutrition-intermittent-fasting-and-the-ketogenic-diet/
[vii] High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard Published Sept. 19, 2017  https://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-Habits-Extraordinary-People/dp/1401952852
[viii] Celebrate the Small Wins with Brendon Burchard https://brendon.com/blog/celebrate-wins/

Dr. Michael Gaskell on ”Leading Schools Through Trauma: A Data-Driven Approach to Helping Children Heal”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #172 with a veteran principal from New Jersey, USA, who has actively been writing about highly relevant solutions to problems in educational leadership since 2018, Michael Gaskell.  Michael’s second book, Leading Schools Through Trauma[i], was just published this September, and his first book, Microstrategy Magic[ii], last fall.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/V7sJTeFi-1c
Learn more about Dr. Gaskell here https://www.facebook.com/Mikesmicrominute/ 
See past Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
On Today's Episode You Will Learn:
✔︎  Why we must NEVER give up on a struggling student.
✔︎  What we should ALL know about being trauma-informed in today's schools.
✔︎ What Dr. Gaskell's 3-STEP Process says about the importance of educator well-being.
✔︎ How to recognize trauma, and next steps for working with our students in the classroom.
✔︎ The Pygmalion Effect and why our belief in our students matters.
✔︎ What Dr. Gaskell would say to a new, first year teacher, who is struggling in the classroom.
✔︎ Putting Together a Trauma-Informed Plan in your school.
✔︎ The importance of surveys for Teacher Training and Implementation.
✔︎ Actionable Ideas That You Can Implement Immediately.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or in the corporate environment.
When I first began presenting on the topic of stress, learning and the brain in 2016, in those early days of learning about how the brain works and responds to stress, I started to receive messages from teachers around the country (and the world) with questions about how to handle students suffering from the damaging effects of trauma. Educators would attend the webinar presentations I was offering, and their emails requesting help at the end of these presentations were urgent. Since starting this work, I have always replied personally to every single email that comes in, but the ones about trauma I know I didn’t have the best answers for, and I remember not knowing exactly how to answer these questions. I only knew from my viewpoint or experience working with behavioral students in my first-year teaching what worked for me back then, but I definitely lacked the strategies that are needed more than ever in our schools today, and understand now why being trauma-informed is so important.
I’m grateful that this podcast has not only given us a platform to what’s new and relevant, timely and important as it relates to educational neuroscience and leadership, but where else would we all gain access to the leaders around the world, working directly with the most innovative ideas in educational reform, productivity, and results. I want to thank you again, for all who tune in, and offer interview ideas and suggestions. The reach goes beyond those early days when we would host those webinars, now into over 154 countries, and we remain in the TOP 100 charts for iTunes in the category of education/how-to) in many of these countries around the world. This is only the beginning of our vision for this work so we can answer the questions that I know we all have, with the leading experts in this field.
Which brings us to our next guest, Michael Gaskell, who has a unique story, because he’s not only writing from his experience working in schools, and offering trauma-informed solutions from what he has seen working in his day to day world,  but Michael takes it a step deeper, BEING a former student who was labelled himself as “anxious, low-performing, hostile and other terms that pointed to the characteristics of trauma.” (xi, Leading Schools Through Trauma). We spoke in episode #170 with John Harmon[iii] just how important belief was for students learning their academics, (like math) and for someone who failed math not once, but twice in high school, this belief was not there. Something helped Michael to overcome his early academic challenges,  helping him to reach levels that most educators envision in their mind, but few attain—when he was presented with his dissertation for his educational doctorate.
Let’s meet Dr. Michael Gaskell and learn from his vast experience about how to be trauma-informed in today’s schools.
Welcome Dr. Gaskell, I really enjoyed getting to know you through email before this interview and know that we are all just one person away from knowing someone in this small world with you being from the town where my husband grew up in New Jersey. So good to meet you in this very small world.
INTRO Q: Dr. Gaskell, the story you tell at the beginning of your most recent book about your personal experience of struggle that many children are dealing with today, especially the past few years. What was it, do you think, that made a difference for you? Was there something that sticks out in your mind as a turning point where you did something, anything different, putting you on a new trajectory? You mention maybe accidental fortune, but was there anything that you think helped you to make a shift? The shift we know our students are capable of, but they just don’t know how?
INTRODUCTION TO TRAUMA:
Q1: Since many of us who were trained to work in today’s classroom were not trained in the importance of understanding simple neuroscience, many of us also don’t have a background in abnormal psychology, yet alone trauma. I like how you have taken the important research, and tied it into your book, right from the beginning with the study from Werner and Smith (2001) where they tracked individuals from childhood to middle age demonstrating how they responded to trauma in their life, and the finding that stuck out to be important was that among the high risk group (who we would expect to have challenges later in life) about “1/3 of the high-risk individuals displayed resilience and beat the odds.” (Page 2) We talked in depth with Horacio Sanchez about protective factors in episode #74[iv] but what do you think would be something we should all know about, if we have a student who appears to be going nowhere, what would you tell the teachers you are working with about the importance of understanding these protective factors to make an impact that we might not see right away? 1B) What change can really be expected in a year?
Q2: What is different with your 3-step approach than some of the earlier books written to help save our students, like Ross Green’s Lost at School[v] where they look they say that “kids with social, emotional, and behavior challenges lack important thinking skills” (Page 329 Lost at School) or Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar[vi] that I think builds the character of an educator from the inside out, beginning with “self-awareness, knowing your emotions, social identities, core values and personality” ((page 816) to help you to see your purpose in life, or why you get out of bed every day. What comes first, the student’s well-being, or the educators’ well-being?
RECOGNIZING TRAUMA:
Q3: In the training I’m receiving now, we just covered some sessions to help us to understand how trauma impacts people in different ways and that strategies that might help one student, might push another’s buttons and set them off. Where do we even begin to be “trauma-informed” in today’s classrooms?
Q3B) How do you assess a student’s progress?
Q4: I know how important our mindset is, or what we believe about those we are teaching, or coaching, but you have a study that backs this up with science. Can you explain the Pygmalion effect, and why what we think about our students matters so much?
TREATING THE TRAUMA: RESOURCES/TOOLS/TEACHER SENSITIVITY:
Q4B) I think back to my first year of teaching, with an assignment of 30 behavioral students, and not know how to control them (without any training in behavior management, and Dr. Bruce Perry hadn’t released his Tree of Regulation where we learn that we need to be regulated ourselves, before we can regulate our students, but if I came to you after school and told you that my class was “out of control” what kind of plan would you put in place to  help me as a new or experienced teacher to recognize what’s behind the behavior and help me to better connect with these students?
Q5) What should we keep in mind when teaching children who’ve been exposed to trauma?
Q6) Can you tell me about the “I Am More Than That Program?” I have seen similar programs within education, but reading it in the book, was different, especially when it comes from a student, uncovering their identity, increasing their self-awareness. Can you explain this progam, and why it’s important for all of us to know who we are, to our very core?
Q7) How can curiosity be used as a success tool in a school?
IMPLEMENTATION and TRAINING:
Q8) In a world that’s forever changing, it’s crucial to not overlook trauma like you identify at the macro level (everything we all went through during the Pandemic) to micro (like the unexpected death of a family member). How do you use surveys to identify your faculties concerns, while also giving them a voice for what training they will be receiving?
Q9) How are you using EdCamps for your faculty meetings?
ACTIONABLE IDEAS TO IMPLEMENT RIGHT NOW!
Q10) What are some important takeaways that we can use right away?
John Gottman’s research/other ideas?
Michael, I want to thank you very much for taking this deep dive with me into your most recent book, Leading Schools Through Trauma. For those who want to get a copy to further explore the tools, resources and ideas that we haven’t had time to discuss, I will put a link in the show notes. Are there any other places people can follow you?
FOLLOW MICHAEL GASKELL, EdD
Neuroscience and the Brain Conference coming this NOVEMBER https://www.learningandthebrain.com/education-speakers/Michael-Gaskell
https://twitter.com/GaskellMgaskell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gaskell-922711100/
https://www.facebook.com/Mikesmicrominute/
www.mikesmicrominute.com
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Anxiety vs Relaxation: Relabeling Anxiety as Excitement by Svetlana Whitener April 7, 2021 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/04/07/anxiety-vs-relaxationrelabeling-anxiety-as-excitement/?sh=4cd2f56d7afd
https://educationpost.org/network/michael-gaskell/
 REFERENCES:
[i] Leading Schools Through Trauma, by Michael Gaskell, Published September 15, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0367755629/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_F6D3RBYCYKP8F9QW5JPW_nodl#immersive-view_1628594830538
[ii] Microstrategy Magic by Dr. Michael Gaskell Sept.23, 2020 https://www.amazon.com/Microstrategy-Magic-Confronting-Classroom-Challenges/dp/1475855311
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #170 with John Harmon on “Our Brain and Mind Under Pressure” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/cognitive-neuroscience-researcher-john-harmon-on-our-brain-and-mind-under-pressure/
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #74 with Horacio Sanchez on “How to Apply Brain Science to Improve Instruction and School Climate”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/leading-brain-science-and-resiliency-expert-horatio-sanchez-on-how-to-apply-brain-science-to-improve-instruction-and-school-climate/
[v] Lost at School by Ross W Greene, Ph.D. Published October 14, 2008  https://www.amazon.com/Lost-School-Behavioral-Challenges-Falling-ebook/dp/B001FA0IN8
[vi]Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar Published May 8, 2018  https://www.amazon.com/Onward-Cultivating-Emotional-Resilience-Educators/dp/1119364892

Robin Hills on ”Practicing Emotional Intelligence and Resilience for Business: During Times of Change”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #170 with Robin Hills,[i] the director of Ei4Change, a company specializing in educational training, coaching and personal development, focused around emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xBhcVYj7No 
Learn more about Robin Hills here https://ei4change.com/ 
See past Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
On Today's Episode You Will Learn:
✔︎  What is Emotional Intelligence and Why is it Critical for Future Workplace Success?
✔︎  How can we Learn, Measure, Practice and Assess Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace?
✔︎ What is Resilience and how can we strengthen this skill in ourselves and others?
✔︎ During Difficult Times, What Should We Keep in Mind That Guarantees Happiness and Future Success?
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or in the corporate environment
This week’s guest, Robin Hills, who I found out is well connected with some of our past guests, Dan Hill from EPISODE #163[ii], who taught us how to “Read the Emotions in Others” and the author of The Leading Brain, Friederike Fabritius from EPISODE #27[iii] joining us all the way England this week. Robin has taught over 250,000 people in 185 countries how to build resilience, increase their self-awareness and understanding of others.
After my interview with Dr. Perry this week, I have been thinking about the upside-down triangle, or Dr. Perry’s “Sequence of Engagement” where he mentioned that ALL information comes in through the brainstem, and we have been programmed to REACT to what we take in from our 5 senses, instead of take a few minutes to PAUSE, and RESPOND. I’m hoping that our conversation with Robin will give us some practical ideas that we can all take away, to make ourselves better teachers, leaders, and parents, looking at emotional intelligence through his lens, and make us better supervisor/leaders in our workplaces, parents, teachers, and coaches.
 
If you want to learn more about Robin’s programs, you can see books, courses, and audio programs through his website[iv] that cover the most comprehensive and detailed education of any emotional intelligence organization and are today used in educational establishments in different parts of the world.
Let’s meet Robin Hills and see if we can Sharpen Our Saw with our EI skills.
Welcome Robin!
Q1: Robin, thank you for joining me today, all the way from the UK, where I was born (Worthing, Sussex). Welcome!
Intro Story: Robin, I was watching another podcast you did[v] recently to learn more about you as I was thinking up some questions on your work and saw some of the English Countryside behind you. I haven’t been back to England since 8th grade when I went on this school exchange program. Seeing the trees behind you, and thinking of my questions, I remember this experience I had that is relevant to what we are going to talk about today. Can I share this story with you, with the idea that you give me some EI insight into what you see?
So, I was back in 8th grade and there was a school exchange program where I would go to England for 3 weeks, and someone would come stay with me for 3 weeks. Since I came into the program late, I was partnered up with a boy for this exchange, and we were very different personality wise. I arrived from the big city of Toronto to this small town in Bristol, called Hallatrow, and it was a cottage-type house that they had made up beautifully for me coming. I was comfortable in this home with a neat loft to sleep in, but I just didn’t connect with my exchange partner, James, socially, at all. I remember looking at him and feeling this awkward silence, not knowing what to say, so said nothing at all. I’m sure we can all think of times when we were younger, and lacked these important social skills, but this memory stuck out to me, because now I look for people who are different from me, to learn from.
I just didn’t have the social skills back then to try to make things work or find a common ground (I’m sure there was one) so I spent my evenings doing what I enjoyed and would go running in the forest till the sun went down, mostly so I could avoid having to get to know my exchange partner.
INTRO QUESTION: I know that a lot of these Emotional Intelligence Skills we develop with life experience. And if I was to see James today, I would work hard to find some sort of common ground that we could have a conversation and how we could have learned something from each other to make us better, stronger people in the future, which is behind why I began doing this work with young people in the first place.
Can you share what drew you to choosing this field for your work, and if you could go back to when I was a guest at James’ house, what would you have done to help us to connect better?
Q1: Since these skills are so important for success in life and the workplace, after we leave school, but we know that learning is ongoing, and these skills must be practiced. Can you share how you would first pinpoint areas of improvement for someone (what assessment you use/what you look for) and then how do you create an action plan for that person to practice these skills?
1B) Have you ever wondered why some people appear to remain calm in the face of disaster or some sort of difficult situation, while others fail to cope? I took this from your book on resilience in the workplace where you say--
People that are able to handle themselves well and remain calm in a crisis have, what psychologists call, resilience – an ability to cope with problems and setbacks. I know there is a lot behind this question, since we all have different life experiences that shape us, but what makes someone more resilient to setbacks than another person and how could we strengthen resilience in ourselves?
Q2: What are some strategies for managing stress in the workplace, especially these days when there is already so much turmoil that came along with the Pandemic and I was talking with some friends this morning on the hiking trails, before our day began. There seems to be an unsettling feeling in the air, still so much uncertainty in the world. What have you seen working well?
Q3: What about leading others, especially when they might be emerging from a setback to a comeback?
Q4: Since we know that emotional intelligence are skills that need to be practiced, what are some ways to advance these skills to have more impact on your future results?
Thank you, Robin, for speaking with me today. I know that if we revisit Dr. Perry’s Sequence of Engagement, and look at the ways that REGULATE ourselves before we can “get to the CORTEX” or our decision-making, thinking brain, we now have many new ideas and strategies that can make us more creative and effective in the workplace.
If we think back to my story with James, I think it’s clear that I have always used exercise as a way to regulate, and calm down my brain when under stress. If only I had learned the importance of learning how to form diverse friendships when I was younger, with my story with James, there was more to that story, with tons of adventure that I uncovered running in the forests in this small town in Bristol that would have been fun to have shared with someone else. While deep in these woods, I came across a clearing, and within these trees, I discovered a movie set, with cameras, lights, and people running around yelling directions to each other. I had run into the filming of Robin Hood, and they had used the forest I had discovered to recreate Sherwood Forest, and I ran into this guy, obviously dressed as Robin, played by Jason Connery, Sean Connery’s son, after watching some of the filming, was given a signed copy of his photo to remember him by. It was something I’ve never forgotten, but looking back with an EI lens, the sad point of my story is that I missed the chance to connect with James if we had discovered this movie set together. It would have been much more fun to have discovered a movie set in the woods with someone else, but everything looks different in hindsight.
Q6: To close out James, what’s next in this field of emotional intelligence? What do you know, immersed in this field, what we might not know?
Thank you for your time today. For people who want to learn more about your books, courses and speaking topics, is the best place your website?
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator Assessment https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/
DiSC https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc
REFERENCES:
[i] https://ei4change.com/about/
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #163 with Dan Hill on “How to Read the Emotions in Others”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dan-hill-phd-the-faces-guy-on-how-to-read-the-emotions-in-others-for-schools-sports-and-the-workplace/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #27 with Friederike Fabritius on “The Recipe for Peak Performance” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/pioneer-in-the-field-of-neuroleadership-friederike-fabritius-on-the-recipe-for-achieving-peak-performance/
[iv] https://ei4change.com/
[v]Emotional Intelligence with Robin Hill Published on YouTube  Sept. 7, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8wQ9Q3VeRA

Cognitive Neuroscience Researcher John Harmon on ”Our Brain and Mind Under Pressure”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #170 with John Harmon, an independent researcher who's developed a new way to define the mind and map it to the brain, called the MA (Memory Activation) Method. This cognitive neuroscience tool enhances CNS (Central Nervous System) medicine, natural language processing, cognitive computing and most of applied neuroscience.  John’s goal aligns directly with ours on the podcast—to enhance humanity’s understanding, appreciation and use of the human mind, and its manifestation in the brain.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCjPIikAISU 
Learn more about John Harmon here https://www.neuralnetworkbiomarkers.com/ 
See past Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
On Today's Episode You Will Learn:
✔︎ How to get comfortable with not knowing everything when it comes to neuroscience, the brain, and learning.
✔︎ John's Core Research translated so we can all understand how our brain maps to learning something new.
✔︎ The importance of belief with our goals, and with anything we want to accomplish, like health, or eliminating pain.
✔︎ What we need to know about how our brain works under pressure (throwing a football in a game) or taking a test.
For those who are new here, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision for this podcast is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, and take the fear out of this new field of educational neuroscience. My hope is that this podcast will bridge the gap between the science, theory and application.
I picked the perfect guest to do this today, because he will agree with me that this topic is not easy to explain conceptually. This is the reason why I record these podcasts using video so that I can add images to explain the concepts discussed that we might at first glance think of as difficult and dismiss them. But they are important and I hope that we can learn them together.
It’s been a few years that I have followed John Harmon’s research through LinkedIn, where we connected, and I noticed that he often comments and what I call “plusses” an idea or takes it to the next level with his understanding. I started to read his comments in my early days of learning this field, because it helped me to see things through a new lens, from someone more immersed in the field than me, but when learning anything new, it takes effort. This is when you know that true learning is taking place. Whatever John would write, I would have to stop and really think about what he was saying.
Here’s an Example:
Neuroscience News Posted an article recently called Single Neurons Might Behave as Networks[i] and someone commented on their LinkedIn post[ii] “Why wouldn’t they behave as networks?” and I could agree with his train of thought as I have done a few episodes talking about Brain Network Theory[iii] and how we need to now think of the neural networks in the brain versus single parts of the brain, or neurons operating individually.
Someone else chimed in to give their thoughts saying “isn’t the discovery here that a single neuron can function as its own self-contained network?” and John Harmon plussed this comment by providing his thoughts of his take-away of the article where he offers “the article as I read it talks about individual neurons and their function in the context of a larger network activity” and that “if a neuron doesn’t function as part of a network, then it’s a noisy neuron—ie. It doesn’t contribute, or is a part of, any stored mental process (perception, recognition, meaning, executive control, goals, language, attention, intention etc.) and he guessed that “99% of neurons are part of at least one network” bringing the article into perspective for me because with each new idea we learn, “it helps us to better understand our brain and ourselves”[iv]  but it also opens up the door for more questions that I will get to in the interview. This is where it really helps to have experts in this field to bounce ideas with.
I was drawn to John’s posts as he helped me to understand this new area of educational neuroscience right from those beginning days when I was first learning this topic, and finally after years of interacting on social media, I asked if he would come on the podcast to share the research he has uncovered in this field.
Let’s meet John Harmon and learn more about how he is using this understanding of neuroscience in his consulting business, as an independent researcher and to enhance humanity’s understanding, appreciation and use of the human mind, and its manifestation in the brain.
Welcome John. It’s great to meet you after following your work for so long. Thank you for coming on the podcast.
Intro Q: Before we get into your work, I was reading your website, and thought your story is important to share since many people I have interviewed have talked about how they began in this field and met with some controversy or had to go back and refine their ideas. This was certainly the case for how I began in this field. Where did the idea to start your company Mind Brian Insights[v] begin for you and what exactly do you do?
Q1: I mention in the back story how I love that you often add insight into posts on LinkedIn, which is how I first found your work.  I call it “plussing” someone’s idea where you take the neuroscience understanding one step deeper. I’m not sure if I have this right, but I’m also not afraid of being wrong either, so we can learn together. Can you explain what your core idea is-active mind (perception, meaning, belief, attitude, state of emotion, intention etc.)  which creates a set of active general memories (which we know can be inaccurate since memories change each time we remember them) and this third part I think I’m off with and could use your direction, but this all creates a set of active FNN (functional neural network) ranges which I imagine is the activity in the brain that increases or decreases depending on the cognitive task while our mind is at work? How did I do there?
Q1B) Can you give an example of how this core idea relates to learning something new?
Q2: What is the functional neural networks, structural neural networks, the FNN[vi]/SNN[vii] and the relationship between the two of them?
Q3: What about the placebo effect (that drives home the point thoughts/belief states/emotions are manifested PHYSICALLY in the brain). Can you give some examples of this?
3 B) How can we use our mind to rid ourselves of pain, like with hypnotherapy?
3C) How important is what we believe in our schools/workplaces?
Q4: What about the mind's role in relation to the brain: mind as "captain" not brain (is it our higher self that’s in charge of the mind, at least some of the time? If our mind is in charge, not our brain, what are some ways that you think we can better manage our mind and not lose it, or improve self-regulation skills?
Q5: For those looking to apply this understanding to playing sports in these high pressure, high stakes time, what are some common sources of mind/brain signal noise when throwing a football in a stressful situation? What kind of errors happen while playing sports under stress? How can we train someone to overcome these errors at the brain level?
Q6: Since many of our listeners are educators in the classroom, or people looking to apply neuroscience to their work/daily life, can you give some practical examples of mapping learning in the brain. What is the mechanism of learning something new, for all of us listening so that can we use this understanding to improve or accelerate learning?
Q7: Final thoughts?
Thank you very much John, for taking the time to speak with me today on a topic that is not the easiest to explain.  For people who want to learn more about your work, and services, is the best place your website?
Follow John Harmon:
https://www.neuralnetworkbiomarkers.com/ Website
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-harmon-75523384/ LinkedIn Profile
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Mapping the Human Brain to Understand the Human Mind by Jaimie Oh January 8, 2014 http://thinktank.uchicago.edu/blog/2014/1/8/mapping-the-human-brain-to-understand-the-human-mind
The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 with Dr. John Dunlosky on “Improving Student Success with Some Principles from Cognitive Science” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/
The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #100 with Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang on “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-mary-helen-immordino-yang-on-the-neuroscience-of-social-and-emotional-learning/
Functional Neural Networks by Barinder Thind May 25, 2020 https://b-thi.github.io/Posts/FNNs.html
The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #138 with Dr. Daniel Ansari on “The Future of Educational Neuroscience” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-and-canada-research-chair-in-developmental-cognitive-neuroscience-and-learning-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience/
The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 on Brain Network Theory “Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive During Times of Change” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience News Single Neurons Might Respond as Networks Sept. 6th, 2021 https://neurosciencenews.com/single-neuron-deep-learning-19264/
[ii] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/neuroscience-news_single-neurons-might-behave-as-networks-activity-6840757071160446976-Ktb-
[iii]The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 on “Brain Network Theory: Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive During Times of Chaos and Change”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/
[iv] Neuroscience News Single Neurons Might Respond as Networks Sept. 6th, 2021 https://neurosciencenews.com/single-neuron-deep-learning-19264/
[v] https://www.neuralnetworkbiomarkers.com/my-story/
[vi] Understanding Functional Neural Networks https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-26921-0_3
[vii] Understanding the Structure of Neural Networks by Savannah Logan Nov. 27, 2017  https://becominghuman.ai/understanding-the-structure-of-neural-networks-1fa5bd17fef0

Brain Fact Friday on ”Improving Self and Social-Awareness” After Reading Dr. Perry‘s ”What Happened to You”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #169 on “Improving Your Self and Social-Awareness” through Dr. Perry’s What Happened to You[i] book and our insightful interview with Dr. Perry and Steve Graner on EPISODE #168.
In Today’s Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn:
✔︎ How to improve your self and social-awareness after reading this book by thinking about the areas that hit you on an emotional level.✔︎ Tips for cleaning up your emotions, so that we can be more resilient in the face of adversity.✔︎ Strategies that you can use right away to apply The Neurosequential Model in your classroom, sports, or other work environments.
After speaking with Dr. Perry and Steve Graner this week on a deep dive of the book he wrote with Oprah Winfrey What Happened to You, I could pick out many important lessons to focus on for this week’s brain fact Friday, and will revisit this interview in future episodes, but if I had to pick just one, it would be to see if you can use the lessons in his book to improve your self and social awareness.
Dr. Perry reminded us that “there’s motor, cognitive, social and emotional capabilities that remain unexpressed in many people” and the purpose of this podcast is to help us as parents, teachers and coaches to understand these SEL competencies in ourselves, and others, with strategies that we can all use to further develop these skills that are not automatic. They require practice. I picked out 6 SEL competencies to focus on in this podcast, and you can go back and listen to the Lessons Learned from our TOP 100 Episodes[ii] that ties in these 6 SEL Competencies as a review.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SELF-AWARENESS:
As you’re reading Dr. Perry’s book, whether it’s your first read, or 21st read, I encourage you to think about what parts give you an emotional charge. Dr. Perry mentioned that he went back and forth from Oprah’s difficult emotional stories, to challenging neuroscientific topics on purpose, to provide a regulating back and forth pace, just like we do with athletics, and high intensity interval training,  There was an intentionality to the way the book was written to help us to not become overwhelmed with the content and they do remind us in the beginning, that if we do, to just put the book down, and come back to it. The end of the book powerfully ties in Oprah’s story where she makes sense of her life and relationship with her mother.
With this lesson in mind, can you make sense of your own life by looking for themes of what happened you? What themes came up for you while reading the book? If you haven’t read the book yet, it’s not difficult to think about things that push your buttons, whether at home or in the workplace. Think about your interactions with others and whether these themes show up in your life. Dr. Dan Siegel[iii] talks about being able to “Name it to Tame it” and Marc Brackett from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence reminds us that we can unlock the power of our emotions with the “Permission to Feel.”[iv]
Write them down and when you are ready, you can pick the one that stands out the most to you and clean it up. Self-awareness goes a long way here. Go back and listen to Dr. Carolyn Leaf’s BONUS EPISODE[v] on Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess to help you to make sense of whatever it is that comes up for you when reading this book.  She has a simple 5-step process that can be used to help you to unpack and make sense of these emotions that we all have, (Dr. Leaf herself uses this process to keep her mind operating optimally) so that emotions are expressed and healed, instead of turned inwards into toxic thoughts that will impact our mental health and well-being. This does take some time to first of all identify emotions that are bothering us, and then making sense of where they came from, to clean them up, but there’s nothing like the feeling of having a clear mind when we are able to do this.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR AWARENESS OF OTHERS?
You can also understand others better with this new awareness. Whether you are a teacher in the classroom, a parent, or a coach, being able to have conversations around trauma, and being trauma informed will help you to handle these types of situations, leading to healing and resiliency. I came across an article the day after we recorded this interview with Dr. Perry, written by Allison Cooke Douglas, called “Meeting Children Where They Are”[vi] that will help you with specific ideas to apply the Neurosequential Model if you work with children and youth. Click on the link in the show notes and you can access a 10 Page PDF that will walk you step by step through Dr. Perry’s Model with tips for healing trauma that you can apply to improve the well-being of those children, students or even athletes in your life.
Can you make sense of what happened to you with this new understanding of our brain to bring you clarity for yourself, or how you parent, or teach your students to bring you some peace, like Oprah found at the of the book? I hope this new understanding that Dr Perry’s Neurosequential model offers can help you to better understand yourself and others, bringing you to higher levels of communication, resilience and peace. 
The next time you are working, and stress comes your way, think of Dr. Perry’s Neurosequential Model and remember:
STEP 1: All information comes into the brain through the brainstem through our 5 senses, as well as through interoception or “your brain’s perception of your body state.”[vii]
STEP 2: We must remember that our brain was designed to react to the information that comes into our body first, and we must find ways to REGULATE ourselves, or we won’t be able to “reach the cortex” or our REASONING decision-making part of our brain.
STEP 3: Do you have strategies to REGULATE yourself when under stress or pressure at work? If you don’t have time to get outside for a walk when the pressure is too high, can you take some deep breaths and stretch for a minute at your desk?
STEP 4: Only then can we REASON and access the SMART part of our brain.
Dr. Perry also reminded us that creative insights are just not possible when we are under pressure and stressed on a day-to-day basis like when Oprah was recording her television shows. She came up with the idea to write this book when she was not under so much pressure, and her creative mind opened up.
Nothing beats being able to step away from your work, and finding a peaceful place to clear your mind, and access those higher parts of your brain, where we can experience those flashes of creativity and insight that are squashed while under pressure.
I hope you’ve had some AHA Moments with this Brain Fact Friday, improving the way you see yourself and others with a new way of looking a life, through the lens of our powerful brain, where we have the ability to reach incredible heights, and help others to do the same.
I’ll see you next week, with 2 interviews that will tie in our recent learning.
John Harmon will show us how we can map our experiences in the brain (like learning, or playing sports) and how to use this understanding to improve performance while under pressure, and Robin Hills will give us some ideas on how to lead and encourage others to be their best, with strategies for improving our emotional intelligence, with our brain in mind.
See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-You-Understanding-Resilience/dp/1250223180
[ii] Top Lessons Learned from our FIRST 100 Episodes https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lessons-learned-from-our-first-100-episodes/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis of Social and Emotional Intelligence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #22 Mark Brackett on his book “permission to Feel” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-of-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning BONUS EPISODE with Dr. Carolyn Leaf on “Cleaning Up your Mental Mess”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/worldrenownedneuroscientistdr-caroline-leaf-oncleaningup-your-mentalmess5-simplescientifically-proven-stepsto-reduceanxiety-and-toxic-thinking/
[vi] Meeting Children Where They Are: The Neuroseqential Model of Therapeutics October 1, 2021 by Allison Cooke Douglas, MS https://adoptioncouncil.org/publications/meeting-children-where-they-are-the-neurosequential-model-of-therapeutics/
[vii] Interoception: the hidden sense that shapes well-being Sunday August 15, 2021 by David Robson https://amp.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/15/the-hidden-sense-shaping-your-wellbeing-interoception

Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner on What We Should ALL Know About ”What Happened to You” and Writing a Book with Oprah Winfrey

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #168 with a much-awaited conversation with someone I have been quoting since we launched this podcast, after getting to know his work on a deeper level when I tuned into a video training series[i] he conducted during the beginning of the Pandemic to help people around the world to better understand how the brain works while under stress. I learned specific ideas on how to reach those who were most affected during and after those very difficult days from this video series that he created for educational purposes for people to view and share.  I learned so much from this series that connected the dots for me with trauma and the brain, while inspiring our episode #52[ii] on "Igniting Your Personal Leadership to Build Resiliency.”
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/ixOZFwTAtCQ
Learn more about The Neurosequential Network here https://www.neurosequential.com/ 
See past Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episodes here. https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
On This Episode You Will Learn:
✔︎ What drew Steve Graner to work with The Neurosequential Network, and how he used his background in sports to create the Neurosequential Model for Education. 
✔︎ What Dr. Perry learned from writing a book with his good friend, Oprah Winfrey.
✔︎ Why we must all understand our genes and past to understand why we behave the way that we do.
✔︎ Dr. Perry's vision to help others in many sectors like sports, education, caregiving, and supervision to become "brain-aware"
✔︎ What we should all know about the brain and how to regulate, relate and reason with others at home and in our workplaces.
✔︎ What is the power differential and why it is so important for our students in the classroom and our workplaces--especially if you are in a position of leadership. 
Last summer, I reached out to American psychiatrist, Dr. Bruce Perry, who is currently the senior fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in Houston, Texas and an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, with the hopes he could come on the podcast and help us to dive deeper with an understanding of how traumatic events impact the brain. I was specifically concerned with the impacts of the Pandemic generationally, because one of his trainings explained the research from families from the Katrina Disaster in 2005 showed how the offspring of those families exposed to this level of stress response had an increase of substance abuse issues. I thought about the Pandemic and how I was hearing about the increase in depression, anxiety and substance use increasing, and wondered if Dr. Perry could provide some ideas on how to reduce the impact that the Pandemic was having on the world, our future generations, educational systems and he let me know that he would come on the podcast, as soon as his next book that he was writing was complete. I understood, as writing a book takes intense focus, so I went back to work, and knew we would have a conversation in the future. This spring, I watched the release of that book he was writing and realized it was with Oprah Winfrey called What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing[iii], and knew that when the timing felt right, I would reach out, to have that discussion on this new book that I knew would answer all of the questions I had.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or in the corporate environment
Sometimes there is no such thing as timely, as the minute this book came out, the buzz hit social media, and everyone was posting about how important and timely the content was and I couldn’t miss the impact it was having on people from all different sectors, around the world. I knew it! I had so many questions after that video series and thank goodness Dr. Perry wrote this book that I knew would take that deeper dive into understanding the impact of trauma on the brain.  I finally knew it was time to reach out to Dr. Perry when my good friend Ruthie, an educator, held up her phone as she passed me on the hiking trails, and showed me she was listening to his audiobook, shouting back to me as she ran by “You had better interview Dr. Perry because EVERY educator must read, understand and implement this book!” It was the right time, so I reached out to Dr. Perry’s office that morning and booked the interview and knew Dr. Perry would keep his word, and he did.
I just didn’t realize how difficult this topic was going to be as I dove into the book. I know that the Pandemic has shown us that we need change moving forward in our schools, raising our own children at home and for our future generations we are leading to thrive in their workplaces. So with this interview, I will take many deep breaths, as the stories that illuminate this needed change are difficult, from the first few pages, right to the very end of the book.
This book is for “anyone with a mother, father, partner, or child who may have experienced trauma. And, if you’ve ever had labels like “people pleaser,” “self-sabotager,” “disruptive,” “argumentative,” “checked out,” “can’t hold a job,” or “bad at relationships” used to describe you or your loved ones, this book is for you. Or if you simply want to better understand yourself and others, this book is for you, too.” (What Happened to You)
Let’s meet Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner, Project Director from the Neurosequential Network, and uncover the power of asking “What Happened to You?” instead of “What’s Wrong with You?”
Welcome Dr. Perry and Steve Graner! Thank you so very much for taking the time to speak with me and help others to learn more about the work you are both focused on at the Neurosequential Network your most recent book, Dr. Perry,  that you wrote with Oprah Winfrey, What Happened to You, that gave me what I was looking for—a deep dive into understanding the impact that trauma has on our brain, specifically, for our future generations.
Before we get to the questions (and I had to narrow them down) there were many, but I would like to orient our listeners to how you both began this work, if I could begin with Steve because your background with sports resonated with a lot of the posts I see connected to Dr. Perry/ Megan Bartlett and her work at the Center For Healing and Justice Through Sport. With all we hear in the media with regards to abuse/trauma in the field of sport these days, I wonder what drew you to your work with the Neurosequential Network as a Project Director with Dr. Perry?
Dr. Perry, the first thing I wondered has to do with your friendship with Oprah that began when she reached out to you in 1989 while you were working in your lab and when someone said “Oprah’s calling” you said “Yeah right, take a message” thinking he was joking.
You say that back when you began this work, you were always trying to make connections with how trauma impacts the brain and behavior, and never quite getting it right.  I wondered what have you learned from your time with Oprah, her reflections back to you, and the impact that her point of view had on this connection between trauma and the brain that you’ve been focused on for your whole career?
MAKING SENSE OF THE WORLD (Q1-4)
I picked the beginning of the book as the main focus of interview today, because many of us reading your book have not had any training on the brain/neuroscience and trauma, with one question to help us to connect the dots to help us make sense of how our brain works, and some final thoughts on what we should all know to heal and make change moving forward.  Does that sound like a good plan if each of you can chime in with your thoughts?
Q1: Steve and Dr. Perry, Oprah opens up the book with saying that she believes that “the acorn contains the oak. And through her work with you she says that “If we want to understand the oak, it’s back to the acorn we must go.” This question we could spend the whole interview with, I heard my mentor, speaker Bob Proctor[iv] talking a about how an oak tree develops from the gene that lies within the acorn when I was in my late 20s and I could think about what that meant for a lifetime.  Why is it so important for us to think back to our genes, and maybe even generations of our genes to understand why people behave the way that they do and understand “this patterned plan” in each acorn or ourselves?
 
Q2: 20 years ago, trauma was never considered a factor in a person’s health, let alone something we should consider as an educator in the classroom, a coach on the field, or a parent looking to break generational habits/beliefs.  When writing this book, what was your vision to help others become “brain-aware” something that is important for all of us to understand in EVERY sector of work? (In medicine, like with your example of Tyra/diabetic), and especially in the classroom with our students as teachers must deal with behavior before they can get to “teaching” the curriculum and Steve, with your thoughts of why this is so important in the sports world?
Q3: To understand why people behave the way they do, with the brain in mind, you start put with Mike trying to help his wife understand his PTSD and why he acts the way he does.
You explain it with (your famous upside down triangle) with the brain in mind, or the example in the classroom with the student, Sam, who connected the smell of Old Spice of his teacher to his alcoholic father, or Tyra later in the book with her connection to the sirens and her friend’s death. Or your co-worker Mike, who jumped when the door slammed. There are many examples throughout the book, all teaching us “what happened to you?”
For those of us who want to be “brain-aware” and have not taken a course in neuroscience, can you explain what we should all know about the brain, stress and trauma and the 4 interconnected parts of the brain (brain stem, diencephalon, limbic and cortex)?
Q4: I first came across your work through Dr Lori Desautels who would often quote you, and when the pandemic began, you began doing trainings to help those working with people with trauma and I joined many of those meetings[v], learning so much that I shared on the podcast to help others who might be struggling.
I always wondered what is the meaning behind the name of your company that’s on all of your slides, and the link I clicked on to access your trainings? What is neuro sequential? Then Oprah asked why it’s so important to understand the sequence of our brain in chapter 5—and I had an Aha Moment!
“Everything sequential happens in a sequence and the way our brain processes experiences is sequential” and in order to get to the reasoning part of the brain, or the cortex, we must get through the lower parts of the brain.
I think this is the most important concept to understand in the book since “effective communication, teaching, coaching, parenting—all require awareness of this sequence of engagement”
Can you explain what gets in the way of “getting to the cortex” or the challenges we have with reasoning with someone when they are dysregulated, and how we can recognize this dysregulation to do something about it?
This will give us an understanding of The Neurosequential Network and how it applies to our everyday life.
Q5: As we are all learning this new information, and becoming “brain-aware” for those in positions of leadership, can you explain the importance of the “Power Differential” on how to be aware of this cognitive disadvantage that is felt by our students in the classroom, or those we are leading in our work environments so we can truly be leading with our brain in mind?
Q6: I know that we have only scratched the surface of this topic with these questions, but I know that I can’t have you for an entire day, so could you give us what would be your final thoughts that we should know about when connecting the dots on “What Happened to You” that we haven’t talked about today to help us to be better leaders, educators, parents, and members in our communities?
Dr. Perry, and Steve Graner, I wish we could stay on the line all day, but know that with each time we read your book and make connections to the training you have at the Neurosequential Network, and other leaders in this new field of educational neuroscience, that we will gain more clarity to make sense of the world, become more “brain-aware” and connect the dots, helping ourselves and others to heal. Thank you both for the time you have taken to help me to share this information for those listening around the world to make shifts in their own life, that will have generational shifts for the future that my children and their children will benefit from. You’ve given us hope and a new vision at a time when we all needed it the most.
Thank you!
BIO DR. PERRY
Dr. Perry is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy and a Professor (Adjunct) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria  Australia.
Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Dr. Perry's most recent book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, was released in 2021.
BIO STEVE GRANER:
Steve Graner is the Neurosequential Networks' NME Project Director as well as a ChildTrauma Academy Fellow.  Mr. Graner grew up in Bismarck, ND, received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Sioux Falls, and completed his Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Minnesota State University Mankato. With thirty-three years teaching English at Erik Ramstad Middle School in Minot, North Dakota, Mr. Graner has also coached cross country and track and field, receiving Coach of the Year honors in ND for both high school and middle school cross country. Mr. Graner is best known for his creative approaches to teaching and coaching and combines a love of the arts and sports with the passion for pedagogy.
FOLLOW THE NEUROSEQUENTIAL NETWORK:
https://twitter.com/NeuroSequential
Neurosequential Model in Education https://www.neurosequential.com/nme
Neurosequential Model in Sport https://www.neurosequential.com/nm-sport
FOLLOW DR. BRUCE PERRY
https://twitter.com/BDPerry 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
30 Quotes from What Happened to You by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey by Kenneth Wong May 30th, 2021 https://millennial-grind.com/30-quotes-from-what-happened-to-you-by-bruce-d-perry-and-oprah-winfrey/
 
What Happened to You Visual Synopsis by Dani Saveker https://www.visualsynopsis.com/full-collection/what-happened-to-you-oprah-winfrey-amp-bruce-perry-visual-synopsis-by-dani-saveker
 
Meeting Children Where They Are: The Neuroseqential Model of Therapeutics October 1, 2021 by Allison Cooke Douglas, MS https://adoptioncouncil.org/publications/meeting-children-where-they-are-the-neurosequential-model-of-therapeutics/
 
Neurosequential Model in Education https://www.neurosequential.com/nme
 
Neurosequential Model in Sport https://www.neurosequential.com/nm-sport
 
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #53 Inspired by Dr. Bruce Perry on “Self-Regulation and Your Brain: How to Bounce Back Towards Resiliency” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-regulation-and-your-brain-how-to-bounce-back-towards-resilience/
 
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #56 with Educational Neuroscience Pioneer Dr. Lori Desautels on her NEW Book “Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/
 
REFERENCES:
[i] COVID 19 Stress, Distress and Trauma Series https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #52 inspired by Dr. Bruce Perry on “Igniting Your Personal Leadership That Builds Resiliency” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/igniting-your-personal-leadership-that-builds-resiliency-inspired-by-dr-bruce-perry/
[iii] What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-You-Understanding-Resilience/dp/1250223180
[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 on The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it All Started” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/
[v] COVID 19 Stress, Distress and Trauma Series https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources

Vice President, Executive Producer, The New York Jets, Chris Gargano on ”Accelerating Leadership for Maximum Impact and Results”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #166 with Chris Gargano, who is now in his sixth year with the New York Jets as vice president, executive producer where he oversees JETS 360, which is responsible for all Jets produced content – including video production, social media and editorial – with a goal of providing football fans an all-access pass to unique, engaging, quality content over a variety of platforms. Chris has also just started his fourth year teaching leading leadership at NYU, which is what led him to this podcast.
Watch this interview on YouTube here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM1i-YEAIzA  
Follow the New York Jets here https://www.newyorkjets.com/video/jets360-live 
Follow Chris Gargano:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-gargano/ 
On This Episode You Will Learn:
✔︎ How Chris knew that a career in sports broadcasting was the right path for him, right from childhood. 
✔︎ How an injury caused him to pivot towards broadcasting, and then later, pivoted towards lifelong learning again.
✔︎ What led Chris to our podcast for his leadership students at NYU.
✔︎ The characteristics of a championship head coach, and team.
✔︎ How he prioritizes a work/life balance with a busy schedule.
✔︎ The future of leadership--building self-awareness in our future generations. 
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or in the corporate environment.
I first met Chris Gargano just a couple of weeks ago when we connected on LinkedIn and his background immediately caught my attention aside from the fact he works for the New York Jets. I will let Chris tell you his story, with the hopes that it will inspire you to reach new heights and I can tell you that from someone who has led some of the best “teams behind the teams” that he will empower you to take a closer look at how he sees top performers reach those high ranks, and it all begins with the topic of leadership.
Let’s meet Chris Gargano, and see if we can leverage his life story, to push us closer to where we are all going.
Welcome Chris Gargano! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy season that has just begun, and I know there is never a slow time with your work, so thank you for taking the time to be here today.
Chris, before I get to the questions I have for you, I mention in the show notes that you run JETS 360 that’s responsible for all JETS related content, and as someone who also produces content, without a production team like you have over there, I wonder if you can give us any tips for what you do to catch people’s attention with the graphics/videos/content that you create to connect you’re your fans?
I was sorry to see the results of your game on Sunday but know that mindset is a huge part of the game here, and I know you are going to give us some new ways of looking at life and how you deal with wins/losses through the lens of someone behind the scenes of the top performers you get to work with every day. I’m looking forward to what we can all learn from your experiences.
Q1: Chris, can you take us back to where your vision for your career began, when you were a student in the classroom, before your college days, before you had this incredible opportunity to work in broadcasting and media production with teams like the NY Jets and the previous teams you worked with (Oakland Raiders and San Francisco Giants) was there any defining moment that you can recall when you thought “aha” this is what I am meant to do?
Q2: What happened to that vision/dream in your college years that led you to your career in Broadcasting/Sports?
2B) I think this is what caught my attention the most when we connected on LinkedIn. What made you decide to go back to school to continue your education with your MA in Leadership Studies?
Q3: When we first spoke on the phone, you mentioned that you found our podcast through our episode #68[i] “The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” that was the most downloaded episode until I checked and realized it was beat out significantly (with 3x the downloads) earlier this year with a Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device[ii] Can you explain what your vision is for your leadership students you are teaching at NYU, what you liked about that episode?
Q4: I have to ask a question about Head Coach Saleh because I think it ties into your story.  I mentioned him at the start of this year on EPISODE #103 The Neuroscience of Leadership[iii]  when I found an article talking about his powerful story that launched his coaching career when he traded his “cubicle for his coaching dream after his brother’s 9/11 close call”[iv]   and I am certain that his passion for the sport is the foundation for the success he will experience as a head coach, in addition to the emotional intelligence that he has developed. What have you learned from your interaction with phenomenal HC that you think sets him apart from other coaches you have seen?
Q5: Using your experience with the Jets (and other pro level teams/organizations, what do you think is the best mindset for championship teams, that we can take away from your experience and apply towards our own ingredients for success?
Q6: Our podcast took a turn towards health and wellness in the past year, so I always want to emphasize the importance of the top health staples (sleep/exercise/nutrition). With an extremely busy work schedule, how do you create the balance that you need for your own mental health and well-being?
Q7: What are your final thoughts on the future of leadership, how you see yourself fitting into this vision and how do you want to encourage leaders (like those you are teaching at NYU) to step up, find their passion, true talent, voice, confidence, to attain their own individual and team success?
Chris, I want to thank you so very much for connecting with me  and first of all for validating the work I am doing here. It really did make me feel good to know that someone at your level was looking at the work that was created months ago, showing me that we can all have a significant impact on the world with whatever it is we want to do and for those listening to hear this example, to not be afraid to put their voice out into the world.
Secondly, thank you for adding to this vision, and sharing with our listeners your valuable experience working with some of the best players in the industry.
Finally, thank you for all you have shared with us here on the podcast that are all transferable skills that can be used across all industries, not just in sports. I will put a link to the NY JETS in the show notes for those who want to follow the team and your content, and I’m confident that with the talent, strong culture/community and leadership you have behind your team, that these are all the winning ingredients for success.
Follow JETS360 and the NY JETS https://www.newyorkjets.com/video/jets360-live
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Robert Saleh Becomes Jets’ 20th Head Coach in Franchise History by Randy Lange and Eric Allen January 19, 2021 https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/robert-saleh-named-head-coach-of-the-jets
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant, Published Feb. 2, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Think-Again-Power-Knowing-What/dp/1984878107
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #68 “The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #130 “Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device for Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Management” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 “ The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/
[iv]  Robert Saleh traded cubicle for coaching dream after brother’s 9/11 close call by Ryan Dunleavy Jan. 12, 2021 https://nypost.com/2021/01/15/robert-saleh-wouldnt-be-jets-coach-without-brothers-9-11-close-call/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=mail_app

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Learning”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #167 on “The Neuroscience of Learning” that was inspired with an upcoming interview with cognitive neuroscience researcher John Harmon, who will take us through how learning happens in the brain as well as understanding what happens when performing a task (like throwing a football) while under stress.
In Today’s Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn:
✔︎ The two most important ingredients required for learning and how they relate to your brain.
✔︎ Why being a know-it-all will get you nowhere when it comes to teaching and learning.
✔︎ How to use self-reflection to become more self-aware of your own learning process.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
This week, while preparing for our upcoming interviews, I had the opportunity to stop and think before writing this week’s Brain Fact Friday. Sometimes life is so busy, that we miss this opportunity to reflect on where we began, and where we are going, and just peddle forward without this reflection, missing some powerful moments of learning. Whatever it is that you are working on, take a minute to look back to where you started. It will help you to see how far you have come, and give you boost that I’m sure you could use at this moment. This will create momentum to help propel you forward, while increasing your own self-confidence with this self-reflection. This is actually a question in Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Planner[i] that was written based on the world’s largest study of high performers and how they increase productivity and win.
When looking at where we started with this podcast, June 2019, I thought back to some of the earlier episodes and remember before I was 100% comfortable with this topic, I would spend a lot of time preparing for interviews, reading EVERY book the person had written and carefully crafting their questions. Looking back now, I know it was because I wanted to be prepared, but I also didn’t want to appear like I didn’t know what I was talking about. Listening to these old episodes is another story, and not easy to do because we can easily pick up many areas that needed to be improved, (content as well as technical) but we must all start somewhere, and progress happens when we do. We can all benefit from looking back to day 1 of whatever we are working on- what can you LEARN from this?
Once you have looked at where you began, look at where you are now, so I fast-forwarded to episode #144 that was recorded this past summer with Tom Beakbane,[ii] on “How to Understand Everything” and episode #146 with expert in psychology, cognitive neuroscience and neurotechnology, Dr. Howard Rankin, Ph.D.[iii] on “How Not to Think” I started to realize that it was ok that I didn’t understand everything and saying so was freeing. I stopped reading every single book written by the person to be interviewed and stuck to their most recent and relevant book. While being prepared is important to me, I still practice interview questions, but stopped overdoing it, and think that this new awareness made me more relaxed with this whole process.  Self-awareness goes a long way and anything we can learn to help us to improve is something we should take note of.  I wonder if anything stuck out for you when looking back at where you first began to where you are now?
With this new awareness, I was finally comfortable enough to invite someone on the podcast whose work in this new field of neuroscience still puzzles me. It’s not like I could even explain what he does with his work, without reading his BIO but John Harmon said it best himself while preparing for his interview, when he mentioned to me that “understanding a subject and explaining it are two different things.” This lit up a whole bunch of lights for me.
I remember recently talking about this same concept with Chey and Pav[iv] on their podcast[v] this summer about teaching, learning and leadership when they were talking about how a math teacher can practice problems they know how to solve over and over again with students, and get caught up in forgetting how to “teach” a new concept because they are using rote memory.  This math teacher began trying to solve problems with the class that they had not yet practiced. This is effortful, with some risk involved, especially if we fail. We risk “not knowing the answer” or “looking less than intelligent in front of others.”
So with these learning lessons in mind, for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to focus on how we learn.
We did cover a whole episode #161[vi] with John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on their new book How Learning Works[vii] that unpacks the science of how students learn and translates that knowledge into promising principles or practices that can be implemented in the classroom or utilized by students on their own learning journey that I do recommend this episode and their book.
But for this Week’s Brain Fact Friday—Did You Know That “Learning Changes the Brain?” and that “Moderate Stress is Beneficial for Learning?”[viii]
So when I was reflecting back on the podcast, with what we have learned over the past couple of years, it was actually changing my brain. When I asked you to think about what you have learned since day 1 of whatever it is you are working on, it created a new neural pathway in your brain, and changed it as well.
Learning Changes the Brain: From the point of view of neurobiology, learning involves changing the brain. We have mentioned on previous episodes that neuroplasticity, or how the brain “changes in response to a stimuli”[ix] happens when we are able to create an environment for learning that is free of distractions, allowing for breaks where we can have those Aha! Moments where we know and understand what we are learning and this actually produces new neurons which is called neurogenesis.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, from episode #100[x] who covered “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning” reminds us that “Learning is a very active process—not one of investigating and retaining like a squirrel ingests nuts or a file drawer stores information.”  Immordino-Yang, a professor of education, psychology and neuroscience at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education explains that “life exposes a brain to a limitless ocean of information. Even if a person manages to memorize a portion of it—to squirrel it away—it does them little good unless they can access it at the right moment and apply it to real-world contexts. Which is what I did when I realized that saying I didn’t understand everything really made an impact on how I’m preparing for future interviews, and whatever you uncovered should have an impact on what you do moving forward. That’s learning in action.
The task of learning is to transform some of that information into knowledge that can be used and acted upon”[xi]  and this is what creates new neural pathways in the brain, that causes the brain to change with each new experience or pathway built.
Moderate Stress is Beneficial for Learning: We also must understand that moderate stress is beneficial for learning, while mild and extreme stress are detrimental to learning. When I first began presenting on the impacts of stress on learning and the brain, all too often we would talk about stress reduction techniques, since it’s true that too much stress can cause brain shrinkage, but the right amount of stress can promote learning. Since we are all different, what could be considered to be moderate stress for one person, could be severe for another, so each person needs to find their own balance of stress that in turn motivates them.
You can see the infographic in the show notes with 12 ways to combat stress that came from my presentation with educators on Stress, Learning and the Brain[xii] but this week’s Brain Fact Friday made me think about how it’s important to find the right level of challenge or stress to motivate each person towards improved performance.
If we know that learning changes the brain, and that moderate stress is beneficial for learning, what else can we do to facilitate learning?
Two Key Ingredients for Learning: While researching, I found two key ingredients for learning: motivation or a willingness to learn, and the importance of a cognitively stimulating environment.
Motivation or Willingness to Learn[xiii] is the starting point to learning anything new. “One way to motivate the brain is to expose it to anything new and unfamiliar.” (Page 13, The Science of Learning, How We Learn).
When I think about some of the articles I read on the topic of neuroscience that go over my head, there is something inside me that causes me to stop and figure out the meaning one step at a time. When you have a clear “why” behind what you are learning, it’s easier to put in the time and effort needed. “The ability to learn new things, whether that’s calculus, or hitting a fast ball, or studying neuroscience, requires stretching the brain past the point of what’s familiar or comfortable.” (Page 12, The Science of Learning, The Ways We Learn).  I remember students always asking me “why do I need to know this? How does this apply to the real world” and while the real-world application is important, I think that understanding how we are learning is the key to future success. Once we know how we learn best as individuals, we can learn anything and the opportunities we can create for ourselves are limitless.
Raising Our Next Generation in a Cognitively Stimulating Environment[xiv] is another key ingredient for learning where we ask our children/students challenging questions that make them think instead of just sitting them down in front of the television, video games or computers. “Children who grow up in cognitively stimulating and linguistically rich environments tend to be more sophisticated in their knowledge of the world and their ability to grasp things.”[xv] As a parent, this one always catches me off guard, as there are many times that my children make a mess of the house creating forts to play in, and I have to remember to let them create these stimulating environments (for them) and suspend my need order in the home. When I sit back, watch and ask questions about their forts, there is always a story behind them, that goes much deeper than what I could ever imagine. It’s also those times when we don’t have access to WIFI that this type of creativity flows. When we spend more time in nature, walking together, laughing, and playing, we learn so much about each other away from our usual school or work environments. It’s just being aware of how to create these stimulating environments to be sure that we are always encouraging learning to take place.
Immordino-Yang reminds us that “education is not about hammering facts, procedures, and information into a person’s memory; it’s about building mental skills and dispositions that will help people learn and succeed throughout life.”[xvi] While practicing math skills certainly has its place, so does walking through a forest and letting the imagination and creativity flow.
Immordino-Yang’s work with students in Montessori schools also revealed many differences versus traditional schools, specifically that “Montessori students were more effective at directing their own learning” and that “they seemed more comfortable with not knowing things--which are characteristics that seem to correlate with improved learning at any age.”[xvii]
Which brings this week’s brain fact Friday into a close.  It’s ok to not know all of the answers but when presented with something new and unfamiliar, we now have 2 new strategies to increase our own motivation (as well as for our students/children) and hold our attention, stretch our brain past the point of what’s familiar, to the unfamiliar—which is how learning takes place. It is not easy, it takes time and effort, but we all have the ability to use an understanding of our brain, to improve our ability to learn.
See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
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REFERENCES:
[i] Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Planner November 2, 2018 https://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-Planner-Yellow/dp/1401957331/ref=asc_df_1401957331/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312674808447&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12785229814380293351&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-570847548926&psc=1
[ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #144 with Tom Beakbane on “How to Understand Everything” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-marketer-tom-beakbane-on-how-to-understand-everything-consilience-a-new-way-to-look-at-the-world/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #146 with Dr. Howard Rankin on “How Not to Think” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
[iv] https://www.cheyandpav.com/
[v] Chey and Pav Summer Series with Andrea Samadi https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-summer-series-with-andrea-samadi/id1479094332?i=1000530611931
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey “How Learning Works” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/johnalmarodedouglas-fisherand-nancyfreyon-how-learning-works-translatingthescience-oflearningintostrategiesformaximum-learning-inyourclassroom/
[vii] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description
[viii] Neuroscience and How Students Learn article based on a talk by Daniela Kaufer Berkeley  https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/neuroscience/
[ix] IBID
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #100 on “The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-mary-helen-immordino-yang-on-the-neuroscience-of-social-and-emotional-learning/
[xi] Time Magazine Special Edition The Science of Learning Page 12
[xii] https://www.achieveit360.com/level-up-for-educators-neuroscience-meets-sel/
[xiii] Time Magazine Special Edition The Science of Learning Page 13
[xiv] Time Magazine Special Edition The Science of Learning Page 14
[xv] IBID
[xvi] IBID
[xvii] IBID

Brain Fact Friday on ”The Neuroscience of Leadership: Using Your Brain to Lead Others More Effectively”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #165 on “The Neuroscience of Leadership: Using Your Brain to Lead Others More Effectively” that was inspired by a conversation I had on the phone with our next guest, whose interview will be recorded today, and released over the weekend.  You will need to tune into our next episode to hear who he is, but I can say that he is with his 6th season with the NY Jets (football) and his 4th year teaching leadership at NYU which led him to our podcast. When speaking with him, he mentioned had found our episode #68[i] “The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” when he was looking for ideas for his leadership class at NYU and liked how we had added the brain science to Covey’s best-seller that has sold more than 25 million copies since its first publication. When we hung up, I thought about the fact that Covey’s book impacted so many people around the world, but since it was first published in 1989 he was missing something critical to our next generation of leaders: an understanding of the Leading Brain, which let me to think about our good friend Friederike Fabritius all the way back to EPISODE #27[ii] who wrote The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier for this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
In Today’s Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn:
✔︎ Why Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is WRONG when it comes to Neuroscience.
✔︎ What IS the Neuroscience of Leadership?
✔︎ The Best Ways to Lead with the Brain in Mind in our Schools and Workplaces.
✔︎ How to Reach Peak Performance or Flow with our Work.
✔︎ What Too Much, or Too Little Stress Does to the Brain.
For those who are new here, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision for this podcast is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, and take the fear out of this new field of educational neuroscience. My hope is that this podcast will bridge the gap between the science, theory, and application of these ideas for improved results in your life.
Our next few interviews coming up are exciting for me, as they all demonstrate just how important and timely this understanding of the brain is for all of us to learn and apply whether we are a teacher in the classroom or using these ideas in a corporate environment, as an employee, or CEO in a leadership role, an understanding of how our brain works is critical these days. With each episode we release, connections are made to past episodes and the learning builds just like we were taking a course together. If you are new here, go back through the episodes and see if there are ones that catch your eye. Take notes and think about how you could best apply the strategies suggested in each episode. I promise you this will be life changing when we begin to live our lives with our brain in mind.
For this Week’s Brain Fact Friday, I’m going back to the first lesson I saw on The Leading Brain, by Friederike Fabritius that was published on YouTube Dec.11th, 2016[iii] where she explains why an understanding of the brain is important for a group of business leaders. She begins her presentation by quizzing the group to see what they know about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs[iv] to see what they can remember about this model that is “a motivational theory in psychology comprising of a five-tier model of human needs”[v]  that begins with the need of food, water, sex, and sleep. Once these needs are met, we desire safety (and you can think about how important it is for our students to feel safe in our schools, or employees in the workplaces-without this safety, learning or new ideas cannot take place), and once we feel this safety, we start to form friendships/relationships, leading to our self-esteem and confidence to increase, which in turn leads to self-actualization, or the attainment of whatever our goals are.
But looking at how we operate through the lens of neuroscience, Maslow’s Model is completely incorrect.
For this week's Brain Fact Friday, did you know that there’s a new model in Neuroscience, that replaces Maslow’s Model, explaining Social Cognitive Neuroscience where “without relationships, we cannot survive” (Friederike Fabritius) and that “connectedness regulates and rewards us.” (Dr. Bruce Perry).
Friederike explains that Maslow’s tier of Love/Belonging or friendship, family, and sexual intimacy are 3rd in his chosen ranks,  but when we look at how the brain operates, this is the #1 most important tier, that’s more important than food and water and she offers a new model of Social Cognitive Neuroscience that explains how without relationships, we cannot survive.
I thought about our upcoming interview with Dr. Bruce Perry (next month) on his book written with Oprah What Happened to You and he talks about how “connectedness regulates and rewards us” with his Filling our Rewards Bucket concept where he noted that “many people found it harder to fill up during the COVID-19 pandemic; people reported more anxiety and depression, and many people used some of the less healthy forms of reward (like drugs/alcohol) to fill that void”[vi] so understanding this new model of Social Cognitive Neuroscience can help us all to lead more effectively in our schools and workplaces.  We will dive deeper into Dr. Bruce Perry’s model with our interview, but you can see from the image in the show notes that explains how the brain processes information from the bottom up, and that regulation must occur before any reasoning or reflecting can take place in the upper regions of the brain (or prefrontal cortex).
IMAGE SOURCE: Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Network.
So why is this so important for us to understand as leaders (in our workplaces or schools?) It’s because if we are not regulated, it will shut down our executive functions in our prefrontal cortex and we won’t be operating at our highest levels.
How to Lead with the Brain in Mind?
It Begins with Putting Relationships First: Scrap Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and start thinking of Dr. Bruce Perry’s upside-down triangle where he puts regulation at the bottom. Everything should begin with building relationships to make our students feel safe/regulated in the classroom, or our employees feel safe/regulated in our corporate spaces. If you are working in the classroom, go back to the very beginning of this podcast and visit the episode with Greg Wolcott,[vii] the author of Significant 72: Unleashing the Power of Relationship’s in Today’s Schools for ideas and resources that you can use right away. You can also access many free ideas and resources directly from his website https://www.significant72.com/
If you are working in the corporate environment, there is no one better than Simon Sinek to inspire leadership, starting with his book Start With Why, which challenges assumptions about how great leaders and great companies inspire people, but also his book Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. I met Simon in 2014 where we traded books and I keep my signed copy of Leaders Eat Last on my desk to remind me of this ancient yet powerful principle.
After Simon Sinek wrote his first book, and began travelling the world, he noticed that very few people said “I love my job” and he wanted to do something to inspire this in organizations around the world since he was able to inspire millions with his Start With Why book. When he travelled around the globe, he noticed that “some teams were able to trust each other so deeply, they would literally put their lives on the line for each other. Other teams, no matter what incentives were offered, were doomed to infighting, fragmentation and failure” (Leaders Eat Last Front Cover Flap) and the answer became clear to him with a discussion of a Marine Corps General who said “Officers eat last” and Sinek witnessed the most junior Marines eating first, while Senior Marines waited at the back of the line. Think about this from Maslow’s point of view, that biologically, we need food and shelter first, but when we operate with the brain in mind, we suspend our need for this urge, and put relationships first, stepping back and modeling “Leaders Eat Last.”
Andrea Samadi with Simon Sinek in 2014 (Infusionsoft Conference). 
Putting it into Action
Have you ever noticed this principle in play? I have, and I will never forget it. It was back when I was working at a school in the West End of Toronto (Emery CI) and the PE teacher organized a canoe trip up North for students. I went on the trip as a chaperone, not realizing how cold it was to sleep outside in the spring time, I remember almost dying in my tent at night and in the morning when the group began cooking meals, I sat back, and watched the students, wondering if anyone else was frozen to death like I was, and I noticed one young boy from Vietnam, who sat back from the group when food was being served. He let everyone pass him in line, and I asked him why he didn’t grab a plate and some food, and he shook his head and said, “I eat last” and I remember it being profound to me that he sat back, and waited, while all others rushed forward to eat.  He had learned in his culture the importance of not giving in to his immediate needs, which we all know leads to future success in life with the famous Stanford Marshmallow experiment. I wish I could find this young man and see where he ended up, but I don’t really need to. I know he’s leading somewhere.
To review this week’s Brain Fact Friday, that explains a new model in Neuroscience, that replaces Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, explaining that “without relationships, we cannot survive” (Friederike Fabritius) and that “connectedness regulates and rewards us.” (Dr. Bruce Perry) I hope we can all begin to think with our brain in mind, on the ways we can help others in our schools or workplaces to feel more connected. Only then can we begin to work towards our goals, or self-actualization.
Next Steps:
Only once our basic needs of building and maintaining strong relationships are met, can we move towards your goals with this safety net in place.
In our podcast #27 with Friederike Fabritius, we covered the DNA of success or peak performance which is that brain state where we lose the presence of time and are the most productive. She mentioned the importance of having fun with your work, releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, having just enough fear or a challenge to release the neurotransmitter noradrenaline and that with these two factors, focus will occur, and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine will be released. These three factors must be in place for peak performance to occur and when we hit this level of performance, it’s important that we are able to manage our distractions so that we can stay here for as long as possible for those higher levels of productivity.
We must be careful on our quest towards our goals that we keep the right balance with our stress levels. Too little stress, we go into a state of under-arousal where we are under challenged and could be bored with our work, and too much stress leads us to over-arousal where we are prone to work burn-out and depression. This state depletes the serotonin in the brain and we begin to see threats where there are none. The more you go into work burn-out, the more negative you become, so keeping the balance of peak performance where you experience flow (lose track of time with your work) and alternate this time with rest/recovery is important for your mental and physical well-being.
To conclude this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I hope that you can see how old models like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs have become outdated when we begin to operate with our brain in mind, and that we can apply the most current brain science to anything we are doing, like I did with Covey’s 7 Habits book. Once we know how our brain works, we can then work backwards and change what we are doing so that it works with our brain in mind.
Do you see how can you use this NEW Social Cognitive Model in your school or workplace? How can you put relationships first to regulate your students and co-workers? Go back and look at Greg Wolcott’s episode for those working in the classroom, and for those in the corporate world, read Simon Sinek’s Leaders Eat Last for some new ideas.
I will see you over the weekend with our episode #166 that will take our understanding of leadership into the pro sports world and then next week, will speak with independent researcher John Harmon on how our actions, thoughts and intentions all map out in the brain, especially while under pressure.
Have a good weekend!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
https://simonsinek.com/
https://www.significant72.com/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #68 “The Neuroscience of Personal Change with Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/
[ii] The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #27 with Friederike Fabritius on “The Recipe for Achieving Peak Performance”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/pioneer-in-the-field-of-neuroleadership-friederike-fabritius-on-the-recipe-for-achieving-peak-performance/
[iii] Friederike Fabritius “Neuroleadership: A New Approach” YouTube Published Dec. 11th, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g4XhlLZ5ak
[iv] Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
[v] Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
[vi] What Happened to You by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Published April 27, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-You-Understanding-Resilience/dp/1250223180
[vii]The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #7 with Greg Wolcott on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/greg-wolcott-on-building-relationships-in-todays-classrooms/

Brain Fact Friday on ”How to Read the Emotions of Others in Our Schools, Sports and Classroom Environments”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and EPISODE #164 that ties back into our interview released this week, episode #163 with Dr. Dan Hill on “Facial Coding: How to Read the Emotions in Others” since there was so much he explained in that interview that I think is important for all of us to think about, and dig deeper with, whether we are using these ideas in our schools, sports environments or workplaces.
For those who are new here, I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of you listening, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately. My vision for this podcast is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t hear from someone who has found this information to be important and useful in their life. Thank you for the feedback. We can all use motivation at times.
If you take a quick look through our episodes that began in June 2019, you will notice this podcast draws many high-level guests who have spearheaded the understanding of how our brains works, tied to social and emotional learning (in our schools or sports environments) or emotional intelligence (as it’s called in our workplaces) to help us to all improve our results.  This has always been the goal of the podcast that was originally going to be a course for an educational publisher, until a turn of events caused me to decide to release my best work with the hopes it would help those who are looking to implement the most current brain research into their work. This is just the beginning of the vision I have but can clearly see that this is a topic that holds an international interest, so I will continue to create content to help us to all understand and implement this research in the new field of educational neuroscience.
In Today’s Brain Fact Friday, You Will Learn:
✔︎ The Top Emotions Dr. Hill Looks for when using his Facial Coding System to Read Others.
✔︎ How to Apply Facial Coding in Your Classroom, Workplace or Sports Teams.
✔︎ What We Should All Know, Understand and Look for With Other People’s Emotions.
 
Which Leads us to This Week’s Brain Fact Friday:
After editing and re-listening to Dr. Dan Hill, from episode #163, I had 2 major takeaways.
 
THE PIVOT: The first takeaway I had was that Dr. Hill pioneered a successful career using facial coding, when he had to pivot his career focus in his early years. Many of us listening would recognize and understand this pivot, as we have done it in our own careers ourselves. Back in my early days as a teacher (I was trained by the Raptor’s Coach as a Level 1 Technical Coach) and the pivot is something you never forget. If you remember it on a basketball court, it’s a hard turn, where you stop and shift directions quickly and suddenly, turning your back to your original direction. This is exactly what Dr. Hill had to with his career and reminded me of mine. I had to learn how the brain works in 2014 when an educator sat me down and gave me the most valuable feedback I have ever received, and I know that the pandemic caused many of my friends and colleagues to also make some sort of shift with their work. Have you ever had to make a pivot?
Last week I heard from someone I am working on bringing on the podcast who works in the field of professional sports, with a well-known sports team that I hear about daily, since it’s my husband’s favorite team and this person also made a noticeable pivot in their career towards leadership when he recognized that lifelong learning was his ticket for future success, bringing him to this podcast to see what else he could learn. We connected on LinkedIn, and when we spoke on the phone, immediately connected. I was honored that he was listening, and he was honored that I had asked him if he would be a guest on the show to share how he made his pivot towards lifelong learning and the impact that had on his life. Stay tuned, as I’m hoping we can make this interview happen quickly.
 
USING FACIAL CODING: Dan Hill’s episode also taught me a lot about how we can all use an understanding of facial coding or reading the emotions in others in our life that originated from the work of Dr. Paul Ekman,[i] an American psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of California who was ranked 59th out of 100 most cited psychologists of the 20th century, whose work was behind the popular TV Series Lie to Me.[ii]
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.paulekman.com/amp/
If you have not listened to episode #163, go back and listen to it before you go on with this one.
This week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to share the tips that Dr. Hill noted were helpful when reading the emotions of someone he is looking to recruit for a sports team, or to think about how this could be used in the classroom to identify a student who might be lost or what emotions would make someone a valuable team player in the workplace. If we can learn to recognize the emotions in others, the result will be that we can also recognize emotions in ourselves, which was the idea behind the work of the Founder of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Marc Brackett and his book, Permission to Feel[iii] who was one of our early interviews.
For this week’s Brain Fact Friday---
Did you know that it’s possible to increase your emotional awareness to help you to be more successful in life, happier in your marriage, be an expert at handling your kids, a better manager at work, a more effective coach in sports, a better hiring manager, close more sales, or negotiate a better deal for yourself just by understanding how to read someone else’s facial expressions? You can learn more from Dr. Dan Hill on this topic through his books and website[iv],  but for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I will summarize what Dr. Hill looks for whether he is picking a player for a pro sports team or looking for a student who is lost in the classroom, or someone feeling isolated and alone in the corporate environment.
Tips for Using Facial Coding in Sports, the Classroom and Modern Workplaces:
When Dr. Hill was asked to help the Milwaukee Bucks to recruit players that would be a good fit for their team, he mentioned there were some key emotions he was looking for.
1. Happiness: This emotion was easy to spot with a Duchenne Smile[v], which is an expression that signals true enjoyment. This type is smile is contagious and lights up a room. You can’t miss that twinkle in someone’s eye. Dr. Hill looks for this sign when recruiting players because it correlates to someone who is coachable, solutions oriented, embraces others, is embraced by them, could connect to others, and build a sense of community.
BE AWARE OF: A fake smile that lingers too long, or comes and goes too quickly, or an asymmetrical smile that some people would say shows insincerity but could also signify this person has complicated thoughts going on.
2. Anger: Hill looks for someone to have a degree of anger. Not crazy anger, but enough that suggests they are driven and could be in control of their own destiny, making progress towards their goals. Michael Jordan shows anger which Dr. Hill says shows his focus and determination.
BE AWARE OF: Those who are unable to calm themselves down when their blood starts to boil. Anger can be a good thing, especially when its expressed, but be careful not to hold anger inwards as this can impact our health.[vi] Learn stress relieving strategies like deep breathing and meditation to calm the amygdala and bring balance back to the prefrontal cortex, or our decision-making part of our brain.
3. Contempt: Hill says there is a fine line with this emotion that can often point towards confidence/swagger, but it can also suggest that you think you are above others, which wouldn’t make you the best teammate, or someone who would take the advice of a coach.
BE AWARE OF: This emotion is according to John Gottman[vii], is the #1 predictor why a marriage will fail. That smirk means I don’t respect or trust you. In a sports environment, you can see it in Jay Cutler’s image that could show his confidence (first picture) but added to dislike, can also show that mediocrity is beneath him.
4. Disgust: Correlates well with someone who has a drive to succeed, like in Jay Cutler’s example above, that mediocrity is below them or disgusts them and he wants to get to that next level.
BE AWARE OF: That a player like this might not make the best teammate, but they do make excellent CEOS with that drive for success.
5. Sadness: Worries Dr. Hill and he sees an inverse correlation with sadness in sports because it slows you down mentally and physically. This emotion he says is a liability.
BE AWARE OF: The fact that this emotion is a sign that you have lost connection, and whether on a sports team, in a classroom or workplace, needs intervention.
6. Confusion Mixed with Fear: Hill warns this emotional mix is cause for concern in the classroom as this student is lost and would need immediate intervention.
7. Inability to Feel Empathy: When working on murder trials, this emotion was something he noticed. For someone who can read faces, usually you can pick up micro expressions, but these were notably missing with a murderer.
BE AWARE OF: With the lack of empathy, he noted that these types of people had inappropriate smiles or the wrong emotion for the situation (laughing at the wrong time). You will feel something is not quite right, and won’t want to be in this person’s presence.
Dr. Hill reminds us that using Facial Coding, or even Theory of Mind to read the emotions in someone else might be able to point us towards what someone is feeling, but we can’t know why they are feeling this way, without asking them. When you notice a blend of emotions, like confusion mixed with fear in your student, or pride that can show a mix of emotions like happiness (that I succeeded) with anger (but look at the work it took to get here) you can get in the ballpark of the emotions someone feels, but a conversation goes a long way to going deeper into learning more, and uncovering what might be going on with that person.
To close out this week’s brain fact Friday, I think it’s important to note that we aren’t always looking for the positive emotions when looking to move towards our goals and make progress. Recognizing the negative feelings of being lost or unsure of your direction can cause for significant change like Dr. Hill noted when his friend turned him towards the direction of Facial Coding, or the Pro Sports Connection I spoke about who turned towards leadership, or when I had to quickly add an understanding of the brain to my work. This leads us to fear that Dr. Hill mentioned could be a strong motivator as long as it doesn’t lead you to freeze up in the process.
When you start looking closer at the emotions of others, it will give you more insight as you learn that “actions or facial coding, speaks louder than words” and this practice will get you closer to what someone is thinking and feeling, but nothing beats a face-to-face conversation to know with 100% certainty.
Have an incredible weekend! See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.paulekman.com/amp/
[ii] The Truth Behind Lie to Me https://www.paulekman.com/blog/truth-behind-lie/amp/
[iii] The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast with Marc Bracket on his book “Permission to Feel” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-of-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/
[iv] https://emotionswizard.com/about-the-emotions/
[v] https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Duchenne-smile-left-versus-the-social-smile-right-Social-smiles-use-only-the_fig4_337322714
[vi] How the Brain Works with Anger Published on YouTube October 9, 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fSzTiOzdA
[vii] https://www.gottman.com/about/research/couples

Dan Hill, Ph.D. ”The Faces Guy” on ”How to Read the Emotions in Others” for Schools, Sports and the Workplace

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #163 with Dr. Dan Hill, Ph.D. an internationally recognized expert on the role of emotions in politics, business, sports and pop culture, who has spoken to audiences in over 25 countries. There are two currencies in life, he says, “There’s dollars and emotions.” For over 20 years now, Dan has specialized in the latter – often in terms of business applications, and often by analyzing facial expressions because he asserts “the most valuable 25 square inches of visual territory on earth runs from the eyebrows to the mouth.” There, people best reveal and communicate the affective responses that so often drive their behavior, whether in the marketplace, the workplace, their personal lives, or in realms like politics, and sports.
Watch the interview on YouTube here.https://youtu.be/fT_SNrZM6rA
Learn more about Dr. Dan Hill https://www.sensorylogic.com/ 
See past Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episodes https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/  
Back story 0-6:10
Interview with Dan Hill 6:10-1:10:25
In Today's Episode, you will learn:
✔︎ How to use facial coding to improve your results in your personal and professional life.
✔︎ Examples of how Dr. Hill used this skill in professional sports and in the classroom.
✔︎ The origins of facial coding beginning with Leonardo da Vinci, Darwin, Duchenne and Dr. Ekman.
✔︎ How Dr. Hill discovered this tool and how he has used it to build a successful career.
✔︎ Theory of Mind and Facial Coding--what emotion he stays away from.
✔︎ Our future leaders--What emotions will make them successful.
If you want to be more successful in life, happier in your marriage, be an expert at handling your kids, a better manager at work, a more effective coach in sports, a better hiring manager, close more sales, or negotiate a better deal for yourself, an understanding of how to read someone else’s facial expressions is imperative.
To capture and quantify emotions, Dan pioneered the use of facial coding (the analysis of facial expressions) in market research starting in 1998 and his company, Sensory Logic, Inc[i]., has done work for over half of the world’s top 100 consumer oriented, B2C companies. Dan has received seven U.S. patents related to facial coding and is also a certified Facial Action Coding System (FACS) practitioner[ii], which is a popular course, offered by someone I have studied in depth, Paul Ekman[iii] who’s a well-known psychologist and co-discoverer of micro expressions. Dr. Ekman was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine[iv] in 2009, has worked with many government agencies, domestic and abroad and has compiled over 50 years of his research to create comprehensive training tools to read the hidden emotions of those around you and believes we can all improve our ability to do this, with training[v] and Dan Hill has this training.
IMAGE SOURCE: The New York Times November 18, 2014 https://nyti.ms/3nCE7co  
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or parent working in the corporate space.
Our guest for this week’s podcast, Dan Hill, whose latest books consist of Famous Faces Decoded: A Guidebook for Reading Others;[vi] Two Cheers for Democracy: How Emotions Drive Leadership Style[vii]; and First Blush: People’s Intuitive Reactions to Famous Art[viii] will help us to take a deep dive into understanding why we need to be able to read the emotions in others. His earlier, business books include: About Face: The Secrets of Emotionally Effective Advertising[ix]; and Emotionomics: Leveraging Emotions for Business Success, which features a foreword by Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons. He has a NEW book that was just released on AMAZON yesterday, Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo[x] that is a humorous take on how the workplace really operates and the fact that there’s a little truth in every joke. Dan Hill is also the host of the EQ Spotlight Podcast[xi] where he has discussions with thought leaders about the importance of emotions in politics, culture and life.
​In 2014, Dan received front-page coverage in The New York Times for his work with professional and NCAA Division 1 sports teams. Other media coverage has ranged from TV appearances on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Bloomberg TV, CNBC, CNN, C-Span, ESPN, Fox, “The Today Show,” PBS, and so many others that I will link in the show notes.
The Tennis Channel, to print and digital coverage in Allure, China Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Fast Company, The Financial Times, The Los Angeles Times,  Politico, Time, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. Dan was educated at St. Olaf College, Oxford University, Brown University, and Rutgers University. Along with his wife, Karen Bernthal, he nowadays splits his time between St. Paul, Minnesota and Palm Desert, California.
I am very grateful for the fact that this podcast allows me to learn from some of the top leaders in the world on improving productivity and results. Sometimes, while preparing for interviews, I step back and just notice how lucky I am to be able to speak directly with these world leaders, that I have the chance to learn from them, and share their knowledge with you. As I am researching, and meeting new people, you had better believe I’m also applying what I’m learning to my own life. This way, it’s like we are learning together. I will never take this learning opportunity for granted. I met Dan Hill, through Twitter, where he reached out to me, sharing his work and as I read his BIO I knew immediately that had to have him on the podcast to share his work with facing coding to help us to all understand how to read the emotions of others in our schools, sports environments and workplaces. This is a valuable skill that Dr. Paul Ekman believes we can all develop to help us to deal with what’s important in our life, without having to take the time to “think” about it. With practice, we should all be able to use this skill to just “know” the best way to proceed.  
Let’s meet Dan Hill and learn more about facial coding—what is it, and how can we use it in our own lives!
Welcome Dan Hill, thank you for joining me on the podcast today.
I have many questions for you but have to say that when we first met on Twitter, I recognized immediately that we needed to speak and it was a mix between the fact that I have been studying Dr. Eckman’s work on understanding emotions, and the fact that you have been applying this for the past 20 years, successfully in many different sectors. I’m beyond excited to learn more from you on this topic.
INTRO QUESTION: In your BIO, it mentions your front-page coverage in the New York Times for your work with professional and NCAA Division 1 sports teams and I had to look it up. I found the article “What Expressions Can Say About a Player”[xii] (Dec. 25, 2014) and Team’s Turn to a Face Reader Looking for That Winning Smile (Dec. 25, 2014)[xiii] and wonder how did you use this skill to analyze sports players to profile a successful vs problem or non-coachable player? I know there are entire courses on this subject, but what should we all know about this skill, and how we can use it to improve how we interact, teach or coach others?
IMAGE SOURCE: The New York Times December 25, 2014 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/26/sports/NBA-faces-data.html  
I first heard about this idea of facing coding or reading emotions through facial expressions through Dr. Ekman’s work, and then through Dr. John Medina where he mentioned Theory of Mind in our interview. What are the origins of facial coding (Da Vinci, Darwin, Duchenne, Ekman)
How did you discover this tool? Would you say you have a particular aptitude for facial coding? How hard is it for people to learn this skill? I know that intuition must play a role here, but how accurate is this process?
I first mentioned Theory of Mind (where we can analyze and infer other people’s behaviors) on this podcast on episode #46[xiv]. Is facial coding like Theory of Mind?
For educators in the classroom, can you suggest a couple of tips for helping them to understand their students better? (as you’ve taught college and also given many speeches)?
What final thoughts do you think would be important for us all to take away with using facial coding in our schools, sports and workplaces?
Thank you very much Dan for your time, research, and strategies for us to all use and implement to become better at recognizing emotions in others, as well as ourselves. I know that American psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman would agree with you that this is a skill that we should all understand so that we can deal with what’s important in our life, quickly, with confidence, with this new understanding. For people who want to learn more about you, is the best place your website? What is your new book that you have coming out this week?
Thank you Dan!!
FOLLOW DR. DAN HILL
https://emotionswizard.com/
https://twitter.com/EmotionsWizard
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-hill-emotionswizard/
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Famous Faces Decoded Book Synopsis https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2271229932979186
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wiggins
Bucks, Young and Rebuilding, Look to Jabari Parker to Lead the Way Back Nov. 18, 2014 by Ben Strauss  https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/sports/basketball/bucks-young-and-rebuilding-look-to-jabari-parker-to-lead-the-way-back.html?.?mc=aud_dev&ad-keywords=auddevgate&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkIGKBhCxARIsAINMioIUDGbdwkIAhb0IkjA2e2h35wD1swCkBjWjZlUScglN6Hmt3iipwiMaAln_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Dr. Paul Ekman’s FACS Training
https://www.paulekman.com/facial-action-coding-system/
Paul Ekman Image Reference https://www.pinterest.com/pin/455074737331481340/ and Research https://www.ekmaninternational.com/a-brief-history-into-paul-ekmans-early-research/
Early Origins of Facial Coding
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchenne_de_Boulogne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin
https://www.paulekman.com/about/paul-ekman/
 
Mona Lisa’s Smile is Not Genuine June 3, 2019 by St. George’s University of London https://neurosciencenews.com/mona-lisa-smile-14150/
The Science of Genuine Smiles December 6th, 2017 by Alina Lukashevsky https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-science-behind-smiles_b_9448650
The Duchenne Smile https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Duchenne-smile-left-versus-the-social-smile-right-Social-smiles-use-only-the_fig4_337322714
https://www.gottman.com/about/research/couples/
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.sensorylogic.com/
[ii] https://www.paulekman.com/facial-action-coding-system/
[iii] https://www.paulekman.com/amp/
[iv] http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1894410,00.html
[v] Paul Ekman: useful Things to Know About Emotions Published on YouTube Feb. 23, 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdUZQmZfMzY
[vi]Famous Faces Decoded by Dan Hill  https://www.sensorylogic.com/famous-faces
[vii] Two Cheers for Democracy: How Emotions Drive Leadership Style by Dan Hill June 18, 2019 https://www.amazon.com/Two-Cheers-Democracy-Emotions-Leadership/dp/0999741624
[viii] First Blush: People’s Intuitive Reactions to Famous Art by Dan Hill October 1, 2019 https://www.amazon.com/First-Blush-Peoples-Intuitive-Reactions/dp/0999741632/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=first+blush&qid=1631455388&s=books&sr=1-1
[ix] About Face: The Secrets of Emotionally Effective Advertising by Dan Hill October 1, 2010 https://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Emotionally-Effective-Advertising/dp/0749457570/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=about+face+dan+hill&qid=1631455553&s=books&sr=1-3
[x] Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo by Dan Hill and Howard Moskowitz September 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Blah-Snarky-Guide-Office-Lingo-ebook/dp/B09BWPQGGJ
[xi] Dan Hill’s EQ Spotlight Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dan-hills-eq-spotlight/id1519669707
[xii] The New York Times “What Expressions Can Say About a Player” December 25, 2014 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/26/sports/NBA-faces-data.html
[xiii] Teams Turn to a Face Reader, Looking for That Winning Smile by Kevin Randall Dec. 25, 2014 https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/sports/nba-bucks-looking-for-an-edge-hire-expert-in-face-time.html
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #46 “As Close to Mind Reading as Brain Science Gets: Developing and Using Theory of Mind in Your Daily Life” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/as-close-to-mind-reading-as-brain-science-gets-developing-and-using-theory-of-mind-in-your-daily-life/

Medical Director of Addictive Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Anna Lembke on ”Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #162 with Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. Anna Lembke.[i]
Visit the episode website here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pu82wZRZwo
Watch the interview with visuals on YouTube here.
Backstory and Introduction 0-13:00 minutes
Interview with Dr. Lembke 13:00-49:45
Follow Dr. Lembke https://profiles.stanford.edu/anna-lembke
To See Past Episodes of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/
In Today's Episode, you will learn:✔︎ About the addictive nature of social media, as well as why people become addicted to certain behaviors and substances.
✔︎About her 30 Day Dopamine Fast: An 8 step process that she suggests to help us to reset our brains if we have had a surplus of dopamine in our brain due to over-indulgence that helps many people "kick their bad habits" to the curb. 
✔︎ What is happening in the brain when we experience withdrawals when we try to stop a habit or behavior and how to overcome this uncomfortable feeling for increased happiness, mental health and awareness.
✔︎What exactly is the pleasure/pain balance and why we should all be able to recognize when we are getting too much of a good thing.
✔︎How to return to whatever it is that you enjoyed in moderation.
You may have seen her in the Netflix Documentary The Social Dilemma [ii] where she discusses the addictive nature of social media, explaining that it taps into “our basic biological imperative to connect with other people—that directly affects the release of dopamine and the reward pathway” (32:35 The Social Dilemma) and she warns us that “there’s no doubt that a vehicle like social media which optimizes this connection between people is going to have the potential for addiction.” Dr. Lembke is more concerned with our children and her children (who appear in the documentary with her) and on today’s podcast, she will arm us with the knowledge that she shares with her own children daily.  Her book Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop[iii] (2016) is a good overview of what addiction is, and the dangers of prescription drugs. Her NEW book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence[iv] that was just released last month, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain…and what to do about it.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or parent working in the corporate space.
This week’s interview with Dr. Anna Lembke on her NEW book Dopamine Nation is based on true stories of her patients falling prey to addiction and finding their way out again with stories that many of us might find to be shocking, but she explains that “they are just extreme versions of what we are all capable of.” (Dopamine Nation)
When reading this book, or listening to this interview, I encourage you to think about your own life, your behaviors and what you might be running from since we are all running from something and like we have mentioned many times before on the podcast, awareness is the key to making any behavior change that can have a lasting impact on our productivity and results. My hope is that we can all take an honest look and find places where we might be leaking energy, to close those gaps, and redirect that energy towards our goals.
We covered the topic of addiction at the start of this year with Aneesh Chaudhry (EPISODE 102)[v] on “Mental Health, Well-Being and Meditation: Overcoming Addiction Using Your Brain” and I first mentioned Dr. Lembke on episode #157[vi] “Overcoming Digital Addiction Using Neuroscience” after a discussion with our friends about technology use led me to Dr. Lembke. This episode was a popular one, with over 700 downloads in the first few days of release. Then when I posted that I was working on this episode, over Labor Day weekend, I had many messages from friends and colleagues who shared with me that they were very interested in this topic. I think this is something that we should all be aware of, since most of us also have not ever had any training on the topic of addiction, yet we all know someone who struggles in some way. We can also learn so much about ourselves with this information. Understanding how chemical, behavioral, and even digital addictions are formed/broken can help us all to navigate our lives, with a deeper level of awareness that can close up those gaps where we waste energy, to improve our productivity.
Medical Disclaimer: Just a reminder—I would consider myself a researcher, sharing preventative and supplemental ideas and strategies related to the most current research on the brain, health and wellness education. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your health and remember that you should never disregard medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you learn through this podcast. Keep in mind, Dr. Lembke recommends her 30 day dopamine fast for people with less severe addictions and anyone who is struggling with a serious drug or alcohol addiction should seek further treatment from their medical provider.
Back to the episode…
Dr. Lembke’s book, Dopamine Nation shows us what happens when we get too much of a good thing, but we can use this understanding to counteract the effects of this neurotransmitter in our brain, bringing us back to balance, and productivity. 
PART I The Pursuit of Pleasure 
In part 1 of the book, called The Pursuit of Pleasure, Dr. Lembke gives some examples of “how we are constantly trying to distract ourselves from the present moment to be entertained” and “that we’re all running from pain—we’ll do almost anything to distract ourselves from ourselves” and that “we’ve lost the ability to tolerate even minor forms of discomfort.”  When I thought about this part of the book, I couldn’t agree more thinking of all the times I grab my phone to distract myself from something, anything difficult that comes my way, instead of staying in the present moment. Chapter three goes deeper into the  science of brain chemistry, discussing two key features of the effects of dopamine: the brain's tendency to seek homeostasis, and the development of tolerance
PART 2 Self Binding: Dr Lembke describes some encounters with her patients, and how to keep addictive behaviors under control. She covers Dopamine Fasting with an ACRONYM to help us learn how to use her 30-day Dopamine Fast to reset our brains. Dr. Lembke will explain her 30-day Dopamine Fasting Plan for people with less severe addictions, where she often sees people return to their “drug of choice” in a controlled way.  
30 Day Dopamine Fast 
Data: what are  you using, how much, how often?
Objectives: what does it do for you?
Problems: or downsides does it cause? 
Abstinence: stop using it for a month and see what happens
Mindfulness: be prepared to feel worse before you feel better 
Insight: abstaining from our drug of choice gives us incredible insight that we cannot see without stopping. What did you learn?
Next Steps: moving forward without the drug/behavior even when you miss it. Can you do that?
Experiment: Go back out into the world, experiment and see what works and what doesn’t.  
If there is something that you want to change in your life, try going without it for 30 days, and see what happens. Only you will know if this will work for you or not. Dr. Lembke noted that “even when moderation is achievable, many of her patients report it’s too exhausting to continue, and they ultimately opt for abstinence in the long haul” (Dopamine Nation).
PART 3 The Pursuit of Pain: Dr. Lembke explores the opposite side of the equation: seeking out things that are painful, in order for the brain to tend to increase feelings of pleasure immediately afterward in an attempt to regain homeostasis. Explains the “pain” side of addiction and the importance of finding balance, radical honesty and self-awareness because “people who lean too hard and too long on the pain side of the balance can also end up in a persistent dopamine deficit state.” (Dopamine Nation)
After releasing EPISODE 157 that explained Dr. Lembke’s work and her 30 day dopamine fast, I almost wanted to move on past this topic, as I say often, there are entire podcasts dedicated to addiction[vii], and they do a much better job than I ever could. But there is another reason I would rather skip it, and that’s because it’s a difficult topic. It’s much easier to move on past it than talk about something I’m still trying to learn and understand myself, because we weren’t taught this topic in school for us to know how it to handle it when it shows up in our life.
I remember the extent of my education on this topic was in 9th grade, when our PE teacher said, “don’t drink alcohol to cover up your problems.” I remember she appeared to be uncomfortable with the topic, but it’s an important one. If you ask anyone, we all know someone who suffers with a chemical addiction (alcohol or drugs) and since this topic was never a part of our schooling, it’s easy to criticize what we don’t understand, let alone recognize it in our own behaviors.
When I first encountered someone with an addiction, around 20 years ago, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t just have one or two drinks and call it a night. Why did they have to keep going? What’s going on in the addicted brain?  This was years before we could type our questions into Google and get hundreds of articles to help us (like Dr. Lembke’s work, or even Dr. Amen’s work on the addicted brain), so I would go to our local library and find books that explained addiction to gain some understanding. I wish Dr. Lembke’s first book was there, as it wasn’t easy to navigate this topic. Not being the type to sweep anything under a rug, I found some ideas and solutions for this person to enter into a local rehab program[viii] to get further help, but this opened up a can of worms with a problem that was never discussed and made me really popular in that family, but this understanding gave me a new level of awareness that would help someone else years later.
This awareness helped my husband with one of his best friends from high school who called one day to confide in him that he had a heroin addiction, and was entering a faith-based rehabilitation program, but wanted one of his friends to know what was really going on with him. His initial reaction would have been to say “what the heck is wrong with you? Heroin addiction? Are you an idiot? How did this happen?” but because of all that time I spent researching at the library, I explained to him how addictions happen, often beginning innocently (using pain killers after a surgery) or in his friend’s case, using uppers to help him through his busy days). This explanation helped him to talk with his friend with more understanding and his friend did well in recovery, helping many others for a few years, until one day, it beat him, and he was gone.
I know this is a complex topic, often resulting in death like we saw with my husband’s high school friend, or we see with celebrities who have been unable to break the cycle, and the pandemic has magnified this issue for those who were stuck in their homes for all of this time, but with the understanding of our brain in mind, my hope is that this topic no longer is swept under the rug, but talked about openly to find solutions with our brain in mind.
Let’s meet Dr. Anna Lembke and explore her new book, Dopamine Nation, together to gain a deeper understanding for those who struggle with serious addiction, to those with less severe, and see if her 30 day Dopamine Fast could be a solution to tighten up the gaps and improve our productivity.
Welcome Dr. Lembke, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with me on the podcast today. I’ve got to tell you that before I hit send on your email to invite you on the show as a guest, I thought twice, a bit nervous about you actually replying and saying yes because I knew I needed to talk about a topic that I have avoided going deeper into, but at this point, It was obvious that I couldn’t  avoid it any longer, so thank you for agreeing to speak with me so quickly, allowing me to be more authentic and open.
Dr. Lembke, before we get to the questions I have on your most recent book, Dopamine Nation, I wanted to
ask a question that ties into where I first saw you, in the movie The Social Dilemma (which scared the living daylights out of me) where you talk about how “social media is a drug—that directly affects the release of dopamine and the reward pathway”[ix] and you talk about how with all of your knowledge and experience, you are still worried about your own kids and their time spent using these apps. I know your kids are a bit older now since that film was released, but what did you tell your kids DAILY about how our brains respond to certain apps on our cell phones?
NOTE: This question sums up everything I want to ask you in this interview, and that at the end, we can come back to your answer here, and I know it will sum everything up perfectly. I launched this podcast helping educators and those in the workplace to understand how to apply the most current neuroscience research into the classroom and workplace because it’s so important, and many of us need this information, but it wasn’t taught to us in school. Either was the topic of addiction, and this is why I thought it was so important to reach out to you, because your first book on this topic, Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (2016)[x] explains what is addiction and who is at risk, Dopamine Nation goes beyond chemical addiction (drugs and alcohol) to understanding the Social Dilemma you spoke about in the Netflix movie and beyond that with how our brains respond to anything we do to escape “even minor forms of discomfort.”
Q1: So diving into your book, Dopamine Nation, I thought I’d seen it all, but I’m sure there’s a lot you see in your practice that shows to what extent we distract ourselves from whatever it is that’s painful in our present moment. You give some good examples that drill down this point, and I thought about how often I use my phone to distract me from difficult times in life (From serious life challenges to minor things). I know we can all think of what we do to escape from life, but can you explain why not being In the present moment and dealing with life’s challenges as they come up (whether we are using our phones as an escape/drugs/alcohol, romance novels, binge watching Netflix, whatever it is we do) only make our challenges worse? 
Q2: I think I’ve got an understanding of what happens to our brain when we are in a dopamine deficit. Would it be accurate to say this is what happens when we cut something out that we liked, and experience withdrawals?
2B) What happens to our brain when we overindulge?
I had never heard of the idea that you mention in the article one of my friends put on the windshield of my car[xi] about how too much pleasure (with our phones, or video games or whatever it is) can tips us towards feeling pain. I’m not sure I have ever felt this, or I’m not aware of it. What is the pleasure /pain balance and how do we know we have had too much of a good thing?
Q3: But you say there’s good news, and that our brains can reset if we do what you call a dopamine fast (30 days away from whatever we were doing) and our brains can go back to balance or baseline. With the young man who was playing video games, he went back to doing what he enjoyed by modifying his behavior and making sure he kept his work and gaming separate. You talk about after the 30 days, that you experiment and see what works and what doesn’t. I know an alcoholic can’t after a month of abstinence go back to “controlled” drinking (as much as they would like to). How does the dopamine fast work and is there something we should watch out for to make sure our brains don’t get flooded with dopamine again? 
Dopamine is not the only neurotransmitter involved in reward processing, but most neuroscientists agree it is among the most important. Dopamine may play a bigger role in the motivation to get a reward than the pleasure of the reward itself. Wanting more than liking.
The more dopamine a drug releases in the brain’s reward pathway (a brain circuit that links the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus accumbens, and the prefrontal cortex), and the faster it releases dopamine, the more addictive the drug.
Q4: When I saw your rewards and dopamine chart that show how much dopamine is released with chocolate vs sex vs drugs, and you say that learning “also increases dopamine firing in the brain.”
Where would learning or other healthy habits fit on your rewards/dopamine release chart?
How can we be sure we are not being “indulgent” with healthier habits like learning/exercise?
In your article[xii], the young man who played video games was able to go back to playing video games with a modified schedule. Then I read about how the brain changes with high dopamine rewards. (Experience dependent plasticity). Does this mean that high reward behaviors you can’t limit, and you can never go back to them? Don’t we eventually experience tolerance with all behaviors, and over time would find them boring anyway? (Your example reading your novels they were never as exciting as the first read, or when we rewatch a Netflix series we loved, it’s never as good as the first time). Where does tolerance fit into the equation?
Experience Dependent Plasticity
The brain encodes long-term memories of reward and their associated cues by changing the shape and size of dopamine-producing neurons. For example, the dendrites, the branches off the neuron, become longer and more numerous in response to high-dopamine rewards. This process is called experience-dependent plasticity. These brain changes can last a lifetime and persist long after the drug is no longer available
PART II Self-Binding chapter four: Dopamine Fasting chapter five: Space, Time, and Meaning chapter six: A Broken Balance?
Q5: Can you explain your ACRONYM for DOPAMINE and what happens to our brain when we take a month off of using our drug of choice? Dr Huberman[xiii] said it really well in his recent interview with you, the first 10 days suck. Why does this dopamine deficit feel so bad?
“A week would be good, but in my experience, a month is usually the minimum amount of time it takes to reset the brain’s reward pathway. If you don’t feel better after four weeks of abstaining, that’s also useful data. That means the cannabis isn’t driving this, and we need to think about what else is. So what do you think? Do you think you would be able and willing to stop cannabis for a month?”
Younger people recalibrate faster than older people, their brains being more plastic. Furthermore, physical withdrawal varies drug to drug. It can be minor for some drugs like video games but potentially life-threatening for others, like alcohol and benzodiazepines.
Mindfulness practices are especially important in the early days of abstinence. Many of us use high-dopamine substances and behaviors to distract ourselves from our own thoughts. When we first stop using dopamine to escape, those painful thoughts, emotions, and sensations come crashing down on us.
Q5B) Why does tolerance occur?
Dr. Lembke, I could spend the next week asking you more questions, but know I’ve got to wrap up this interview.
Q6: To close out our questions, I wanted to give something for our listeners to be able to apply on this topic. I know that you openly talk about something you stopped doing in the book that you enjoyed, and I was on the tail end of letting go of a habit that I loved when someone put the article on my car about your 30 day dopamine fast, showing me how important it was to understanding this at the brain level.  Going back to the first question I asked you, “what do you tell your kids daily about dopamine/the pleasure/pain balance and dopamine deficit and the risk of addiction” what should we all know dopamine, and breaking free of its hold over us?
Q7: Final thoughts? What should we all know about Dopamine Nation?
Thank you very much for your time today. I will put the links to Dopamine Nation in the show notes, and for anyone who wants to reach you, is the best way through your Stanford website?
Thank you Dr. Lembke.
BIO:
PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (GENERAL PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOLOGY-ADULT)
Dr. Anna Lembke received her undergraduate degree in Humanities from Yale University and her medical degree from Stanford University. She is currently Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine. She is also Program Director of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine.Dr. Lembke was one of the first in the medical community to sound the alarm regarding opioid overprescribing and the opioid epidemic. In 2016, she published her best-selling book on the prescription drug epidemic, "Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016). Her book was highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018)."Drug Dealer, MD" combines case studies with public policy, cultural anthropology, and neuroscience, to explore the complex relationship between doctors and patients around prescribing controlled drugs. It has had an impact on policy makers and legislators across the nation. Dr. Lembke has testified before Congress and consulted with governors and senators from Kentucky to Missouri to Nevada. She was a featured guest on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, MSNBC with Chris Hayes, and numerous other media broadcasts.Using her public platform and her faculty position at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Lembke has developed multiple teaching programs on addiction and safe prescribing, as well as opioid tapering. She has held multiple leadership and mentorship positions and received the Stanford’s Chairman’s Award for Clinical Innovation, and the Stanford Departmental Award for Outstanding Teaching. Dr. Lembke continues to educate policymakers and the public about causes of and solutions for the problem of addiction.Look for her new book, "Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence" (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021).
FOLLOW DR. ANNA LEMBKE: 
https://profiles.stanford.edu/anna-lembke
https://tedx.stanford.edu/lineup/anna-lembke
https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/drug-dealer-md
 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
https://tedx.stanford.edu/lineup/anna-lembke
Reward Pathway in the Brain Khan Academy Lesson https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/processing-the-environment/drug-dependence/v/reward-pathway-in-the-brain
A guide to recognizing and controlling internet addiction by Sean Jackson, Oct 12, 2021 https://www.allconnect.com/blog/how-to-stop-internet-addiction 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://profiles.stanford.edu/anna-lembke
[ii] The Social Dilemma Full Feature Netflix Movie Published on YouTube August 17, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mqR_e2seeM
[iii] Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked and Why It’s So Hard to Stop https://www.amazon.com/Drug-Dealer-MD-Doctors-Patients/dp/1421421402
[iv] Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke August 24, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Dopamine-Nation-Finding-Balance-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B08KPKHVXQ
[v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #102  “Mental Health, Well-Being and Meditation: Overcoming Addiction Using Your Brain”
https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/aneesh-choudhry-on-mental-health-well-being-and-meditation-overcoming-addictionusing-your-brain/
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #157 on “Overcoming Digital Addiction Using Neuroscience” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-overcoming-digital-addiction-using-neuroscience/
[vii] 15 Best Addiction Podcasts for 2021 https://www.choosingtherapy.com/addiction-podcasts/
[viii] https://www.bannerhealth.com/es/services/behavioral-health/treatment-programs
[ix] The Social Dilemma Full Feature Netflix Movie Published on YouTube August 17, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mqR_e2seeM
[x] Drug Dealer MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Nov.15, 2016) https://www.amazon.com/Drug-Dealer-MD-Doctors-Patients/dp/1421421402
[xi] Digital Addictions are Drowning Us in Dopamine by Dr. Anna Lembke. (Saturday August 14/Sunday August 15, 2021) https://www.wsj.com/articles/digital-addictions-are-drowning-us-in-dopamine-11628861572
[xii] IBID
[xiii] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Huberman Lab Podcast https://hubermanlab.com/dr-anna-lembke-understanding-and-treating-addiction/

John Almarode, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on ”How Learning Works: Translating the Science of Learning in Your Classroom”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #161 with 2 returning guests, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey from EPISODE #77[i] from last August 2020 on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students” that became our most watched YouTube interview and we also have the co-author of their new book that we are diving into today, How Learning Works, John Almarode.
Watch this video on YouTube.
To Learn More About How Learning Works https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description
To Learn More About Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey https://fisherandfrey.com/
To See Past Episodes of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/
 
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments so this podcast was created to share ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom or online, a student, or parent working in the corporate space.
Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode Background and Short Bio:
Just to view our speakers for today, our returning guests Doug and Nancy are also both teacher leaders at Health Sciences High & Middle College[ii], an award-winning open-enrollment public school in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego that they co-founded in 2007. For over 2 decades, they have dedicated their work to the knowledge and skills teachers and school leaders need to help students attain their goals. Their shared interests include instructional design, curriculum development, and professional learning. Doug and Nancy have co-authored numerous articles and books on literacy, and leadership that I’ve included links to in the show notes, including: This is Balanced Literacy,[iii] The Teacher Clarity Playbook, PLC+,[iv] All Learning is Social & Emotional,[v] The Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy Playbook,[vi] and most recently The Distance Learning Playbook[vii] with co-author John Hattie[viii].
Dr. John Almarode has worked with schools, classrooms, and teachers all over the world.  John began his career teaching mathematics and science in Augusta County to a wide range of students.  Since then, he has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on the application of the science of learning to the classroom, school, and home environments.  He has worked with hundreds of school districts and thousands of teachers.  In addition to his time in PreK – 12 schools and classrooms, he is an Associate Professor and Executive Director of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at James Madison University.  When you view some of the teacher resources and videos on the Companion Website, you will meet John in the Intro and Purpose Behind this new Playbook.
I’m excited to welcome back University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, with John Almarode, to dive deeper into their new book, How Learning Works: A Playbook[ix] that unpacks the science of how students learn and translates that knowledge into promising principles or practices that can be implemented in the classroom or utilized by students on their own learning journey. Designed to help educators create learning experiences that better align with how learning works, each module in this playbook is grounded in research and features prompts, tools, practice exercises, and discussion strategies that help teachers to
Describe what is meant by learning in the local context of your classroom, including identifying any barriers to learning.
Adapt promising principles and practices to meet the specific needs of your students—particularly regarding motivation, attention, encoding, retrieval and practice, cognitive load and memory, productive struggle, and feedback.
Translate research on learning into learning strategies that accelerate learning and build students’ capacity to take ownership of their own learning—such as summarizing, spaced practice, interleaved practice, elaborate interrogation, and transfer strategies.
Generate and gather evidence of impact by engaging students in reciprocal teaching and effective feedback on learning.
Rich with resources that support the process of parlaying scientific findings into classroom practice, this playbook offers all the moves teachers need to design learning experiences that work for all students!
Let’s meet Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode and uncover the science behind How Learning Works.
Welcome back Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and welcome John Almarode to the podcast! It’s so good to see you again after such a successful launch of your BESTSELLING Distance Learning Playbook[x] last year. How have you been and wonderful to meet you John!  
Q1: I was excited to see your new book How Learning Works for so many reasons, but to start off with, something you say about your playbook is the reason why I tied Neuroscience, or an understanding to the brain to this podcast. You say that this playbook is about “how learning works—not by chance, but by design.” (Introduction) Can you explain what you had in mind when writing this book, that unpacks the science of how we learn so that educators can design a learning experience in their classroom based on the research and principles you have found to be effective?
Q2: I love how the book has an interactive component where you can click through each of the 4 sections, watch videos for further exploration, and access the many resources, research articles and downloads available for each of the 4 parts of the book. Can you give an overview for the reader to be sure they don’t miss anything that’s important as they navigate through the online resources and what we should learn in each section?
Q3: This book is full of the science and most current research behind learning and features so many valuable resources that point educators back to the research. Of course, I enjoy seeing well-known researchers who I have met along this podcast journey, one of them being Kent State’s Dr. John Dunlosky, from EPISODE #37[xi] who covered with us “Improving Student Success with Principles from Cognitive Neuroscience” whose research I saw included in your resource section under resources related to learning.[xii]  I also saw a video series from Samford University on “Cognitive Principles of Effective Teaching” that we should all know as educators, and I can’t miss my all-time favorite interview (besides you three of course) #42[xiii] with Dr. John Medina, whose research you’ve referenced from his Brain Rules series under your section of elaborate encoding in Part II under the Motivation Chapter. How did you choose the resources to back up the science behind How Learning Works and are there others that are important to you who I haven’t mentioned?
Q4: I think we have a good idea about what we can learn from How Learning Works:
THE INTRODUCTION: covers the purpose of the playbook
PART 1: covers what learning looks like in your classroom and different ways to think about learning.
PART 2: Looks at barriers to learning with Promising Principles (Motivation, Attention, Elaborate Encoding, Retrieval and Practice, Cognitive Load, Productive Struggle and Feedback). Can you pick one of the promising principles (Motivation? Or one you want to talk about) and dive a bit deeper into mastering these principles?
Q5:PART 3: I think this section is exactly what educators are looking for as it explicitly teaches skills to students to help them to self-regulate, and how to master these skills long after they have left the classroom (using explicit strategy instruction, goal setting, integrating prior knowledge, summarizing, mapping, self-testing, and elaborative interrogation). Can you pick one topic to expand on?
Q6: For this final part of the Playbook, generating and gathering evidence, can you explain the goal so that this Playbook uncovers what worked well, what needs more work and what are the best next steps to follow?
Q7: Final thoughts or anything we have missed that’s important for us to all understand about How Learning Works?
Doug, Nancy and John, thank you very much for coming on the podcast to share this new Playbook, that you can see I find immense value with. Thank you for your time speaking with me today, and for the work you have put into this resource to help educators to uncover How Learning Works, and create a plan for continued improvement in their schools, classrooms and Districts.
To access the book  https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description
There is also a 20% discount code POD20 that can be used for ALL books on Corwin.com
To contact Nancy Frey or Doug Fisher https://www.fisherandfrey.com/ and they can find you both on twitter Nancy is https://twitter.com/NancyFrey and Douglas is https://twitter.com/DFISHERSDSU 
To connect with John Almarode:  https://twitter.com/jtalmarode on Twitter and www.johnalmarode.com
Thank you and have an incredible Friday!
FREE WEBINAR To Learn More:
John and Nancy are presenting a free webinar on Sept 13 at 3:30pm PT A Look at How Learning Works 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
 
Companion resources for the How Learning Works Playbook https://resources.corwin.com/howlearningworks
John Hattie’s Visible Learning https://visible-learning.org/
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/
[ii] https://www.facebook.com/hshmc.inc/ give
[iii] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/this-is-balanced-literacy-grades-k-6/book266872
[iv] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/plc/book266974
[v] http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/All-Learning-Is-Social-and-Emotional.aspx
[vi] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/the-teacher-credibility-and-collective-efficacy-playbook-grades-k-12/book271561
[vii] https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/thedistancelearningplaybook
[viii] John Hattie https://visible-learning.org/
[ix] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description
[x] Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/the-distance-learning-playbook-grades-k-12/book275865
[xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 on “Improving Student Success with Principles from Cognitive Neuroscience”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/
[xii] https://pcl.sitehost.iu.edu/rgoldsto/courses/dunloskyimprovinglearning.pdf
 

Functional Sports Registered Dietician Chrissy Barth on ”High Performance Fuel for Athletes”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #160 with Chrissy Barth, MS, RDN, RYT, an integrative and functional sports registered dietician and mind-body expert in the field of nutrition who is passionate about teaching others about optimal health and performance by taking the confusion out of nutrition.
Episode website. 
Watch this interview on YouTube here. 
Learn more about Chrissy Barth https://livebreathenutrition.com/ 
Past Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episodes https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/  
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
I first met Chrissy Barth a couple of weeks ago, when she was asked to speak at our daughter’s gym, to help a team of aspiring gymnasts, improve their nutrition, and be sure they are fueling their bodies efficiently. I was blown away with her presentation, as I always have in the back of my head, what else can I learn to help my family and others when it comes to the Top 5 Health Staples that we have been talking about on this podcast, so I immediately asked Chrissy to join us.
A bit more about Chrissy—she is the founder and CEO of Live Breathe Nutrition, LLC and Nutrition Lifestyle Education – nutrition coaching and consulting practices in Phoenix, Arizona where she serves as a nutrition consultant to sports teams, spas, behavioral health programs, medical and training facilities, corporations, and local and national media outlets serving as a media spokesperson. Chrissy is also a Lecturer at Arizona State University where she teaches sports nutrition, complementary health care, human nutrition and entrepreneurship and serves as a mentor to many aspiring future RDs.
Chrissy has received many awards but the single highest mark of achievement as a dietitian she has received recognition as Arizona’s Young Dietitian of the Year. Chrissy enjoys giving back to her community and volunteers her time educating youth athletes on the benefits of sports nutrition.
Let’s meet Chrissy Barth and sharpen our saw with regards to high performance fuel!
Welcome Chrissy! Thank you so much for speaking with me today—I know it’s busy times with back to school and sports in full swing.
Intro Q: So I picked up in your presentation the other Friday night where we first met that you worked in MLB. Did you consult with the AZ Diamondbacks or was it another team?
I wonder, besides the comment you made about all the Red Bull drinks on the bench, what did you learn from working with a pro sports team?
Q1: I picked up so much from your “High Performance Fuel Presentation” and wanted to give our listeners an overview of this presentation, since this is one of the Top 5 health staples that we are focused on with the podcast. And who doesn’t want to learn the tips you would offer to a pro sports team! Can you share what you think are the 6 Keys to Optimal Performance and for those who have athletes in their home, what do you think is crucial for the athlete to be aware of with regards to using food as fuel?
Q2: This next question is powerful because you know you can learn something and what’s the point if you don’t implement it in your life to reap the rewards. This next question is where my 2 girls (ages 11 and 9) who were in your presentation the other night, payed attention and implemented what you taught them. I was so proud of them, because nutrition is an area that we have some weaknesses in. Can you break down what should be on an athlete’s plate? What was powerful about what you taught us was that now, on training days, my girls show me their meal plates and break down what you suggested they eat (grains/carbs vs fruits/veggies vs lean protein).
Q3: What about fats? What’s crazy to me is that if you are to ask someone to name off the items they eat that are proteins or carbs, I know they will be able to give a long list. But I notice that there is still this stigma behind eating fats (that I know was a huge paradigm for me to change a few years ago). What do you notice with fats, are people starting to see their benefits? What are some good fats vs bad fats?
Q4: This next one hit home for our household and it’s a crazy one, because I’m not the one training at the gym every night like my girls, but I’d say of everyone in my household, I eat the most “fuel” I call it. I’ve consumed more calories than anyone by 9am because I know I need it. What happens to an athlete when they under fuel? Where does it show up?
Q5: Can you explain what happens to our muscles after we work out? How do we prime them for performance the next day?
Q6: Can you give an example of the best breakfast for an athlete?
Q7: What about examples of good lunches or dinners?
Q8: We have been talking about inflammation a lot on this podcast, as it is often found in the body as a precursor to some of the major diseases.  Can you name some natural anti-inflammatory foods?
Q9: I know we mentioned the Red Bull drinks in the beginning that shocked you behind the bench when you worked in pro sports, but what about Gatorade? Isn’t that drink just a whole bunch of sugar ang dye? What other foods should we be aware of as dangerous for our health?
Chrissy, I have learned so much from the time we spent together when you spoke at Aspire Gym, and now the additional time on the podcast. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. For those who want to learn more about your work, is the best place your website?[i]
FOLLOW CHRISSY BARTH:
https://www.facebook.com/chrissy.barth
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-barth-ms-rdn-ryt-b6273a4/?originalSubdomain=de
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
Dr. Dale Bredesen https://www.apollohealthco.com/dr-bredesen/
Sheena’s Place Eating Disorder Clinic in Toronto https://sheenasplace.org/
REFERENCES:
[i] https://livebreathenutrition.com/

100,000 Download Episode Dedicated to Listeners ”What‘s Your Vision? Using the Queen Mary Ship as a Symbol to What you Are Building”

Welcome back, to a BONUS Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning episode that I want to dedicate to YOU, the listener. It took this podcast a bit over 2 years to hit the 100k download milestone, and like any goal we have (whether a sales goal or something you want to do, it might seem so far off, you wonder how you’ll ever get there).
If you are reading these notes on iTunes, click here to see all images.
In February of this year, when we hit the 50k mark, it wasn’t hard to project the download numbers and guess when we would hit this milestone, but it still seemed like a moonshot goal, difficult to imagine, and August (when we projected, we would hit this goal) seemed so far away. Do you know what I mean? Do you have something you are working on where the gap from you are now and where you are going seems like an impossible goal?
Even when you have the belief?  Even when the evidence is there? I could hear how the episodes were helping people around the world thanks to the messages you sent me, but a part of me had just an ounce of disbelief, and I thought “is this really happening?” wondering if the momentum would continue to build. But the numbers never lie. They kept going up, and each month, we would surpass our monthly goal target.
This weekend, while away with the family in Long Beach, CA, I look out of the window and can see the Legendary Queen Mary Ship[i] in the port as I watch our statistics graph project upwards (see image in the show notes) as we break records with our monthly downloads since launching, and surpass the 100k download mark, with the next milestone on our list to hit 1 million downloads which seems much more difficult but yet not impossible as we break this down into smaller targets.
The Queen Mary ship is a symbolic metaphor to look at this weekend as “This iconic ship is now a floating museum, and tourist attraction.”[ii]  Sadly, the hotel is currently closed but my husband had an opportunity to stay on the ship on one of his work trips, and he took me on a tour on FaceTime, where I asked him to show me all of the rooms that had mystery and intrigue surrounding them. If you are like me, and love a good ghost story, look up the history of The Queen Mary that was named one of the “Top 10 most haunted places on earth”[iii] and look up the story of Stateroom 340B. The scariest thing we noticed was that there was no room 340B. Where it should have been, it was boarded up and no longer accessible for the public, unless things have changed, but we might not ever know this, as we mentioned this spooky hotel is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19.
The Queen Mary's Stateroom 340B was boarded up. 
The Queen Mary Hotel Rooms, just no 340B Stateroom. 
Andrea Samadi standing in front of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. 
This retired British ocean liner sailed on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 from Southampton, a port city on England’s south coast, just 2 hours from where I lived in England before my parents immigrated to Canada. 
On the Queen Mary Ship’s website, I saw a quote written by King George V that made me think about anything new that goes out into the world. When you’re create something out of nothing, like The Queen Mary before it was named, was known only as “Hull #534”[iv] which was the yard number where it was being built. Whatever it is that you are creating, the hope is that it makes an impact within your local community, rippling that impact throughout your state, country, nation, and eventually throughout the world. Listen to this quote and think about whatever it is that you are creating and I hope it energizes you, like it did for me.
"Today we come to the happy task of sending on her way the stateliest ship now in being. It has been the nation’s will that she should be completed, and today we can send her forth no longer a number on the books, but a ship with a name in the world, alive with beauty, energy and strength! May her life among great waters spread friendship among the nations!"[v]
– King George V on the Queen Mary launch
The Queen Mary Heritage Foundation is now developing a museum and educational facility to preserve and enhance the ship’s remarkable story” and is an incredible reminder for all of us building our own Queen Mary Vision. This weekend, as I was walking around Long Beach, where we were staying for our daughter’s gymnastics training, I was speaking with Julianne, another gymnastics Mom, who shared with me that Winston Churchill was on board the Queen Mary, 3 times, and along with this new knowledge that I just love learning, I also thought about how the Queen Mary spread “friendships” across the nations, and as I walked with my new friend in Long Beach,  thought about how new ideas really do bring people together, and make the world a smaller place.
Winston Churchill on the Queen Mary Reference: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/420453315192219227/ 
My vision for this podcast has always been to make some sort of lasting shift with education (with the implementation of simple neuroscience connected to social and emotional learning) and the history of The Queen Mary Ship reminds me that nothing happens overnight, without hard work and dedication. Looking out of the window at the ship was nothing compared to standing right next to it. I’ll post the images in the show notes but had to include this metaphor to show you that whatever you are working on can have a global impact, and it just takes one person (like you) to begin and create something.  As long as the numbers continue to trend upwards on this podcast,  I’ll keep putting in the effort behind each episode and really am grateful for the opportunity to host this show and share everything I’m learning in this new field of educational neuroscience with you. 
So, this 100,000th download episode is dedicated to you, the listener. I want to thank you for tuning in and sharing with me how you are using this understanding of simple neuroscience in your schools, workplaces, and personal lives. It does help when you send me messages on social media or tag me when an episode is useful. Also, a sincere thank you to all the incredible guests who gave up their time to share their knowledge, ideas, and strategies with us, giving back in such a generous manner. 
Sleep scientist Antonio Zadra from episode #104[vi] said it best as he mentioned “of course it’s the listeners who decide such things” when we hit the 90k mark, and that’s when I realized that the key to long-term success in anything is to “find a need and fill it” as Norman Vincent Peale quoted and I think of the entrepreneurs I’ve met over the years who have used this motto to guide them. 
Here’s The Top 4 Lessons Learned from Launching This Podcast to See if These Ideas Can Help You With Your Goals
“Where There is No Vision, The People Will Perish”[vii] (Proverbs 29:18)
Even if your vision is shaky in the beginning, keep going! When we launched the podcast in June 2019, with a need in mind, I wasn’t sure if this idea would take off. With any goal, being able to see where you are going is important and following the tips of those who’ve already achieved what you want to do is important. On our 50k milestone episode[viii] I talk about Lewis Howes from the School of Greatness Podcast[ix] who said ‘I built up my podcast through consistently providing quality valuable content and constantly being open to my own growth without being attached to the end result.” So we use this model of providing quality valuable content, keeping an eye on the downloads, remembering to not be “attached to the end result” but to just keep moving forward and applying what we are learning.
There Will Be Problems and Challenges 
I remind myself with other great stories, not to forget that with any worthwhile goal, there will be challenges. Presidential historian Doug Wead[x] said it often. “When you get up and do something, there will be problems” and this comes with the territory of taking action with big goals. The history of the Queen Mary reinforced this idea as although the Queen Mary attracted elite passengers, it was the government that kept her afloat. 
“With the onset of the worldwide Great Depression, construction on the Queen Mary came to an abrupt halt. Eager to spur on the sluggish economy, the British government agreed to give a loan that would allow construction on ship #534 to continue, but only if Cunard and White Star would merge. (Like Cunard, White Star—famous as the owner of the ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic—had fallen on hard times.) In 1934, the new Cunard-White Star Line was born, and construction on the ship immediately resumed.”[xi]
Nothing worthwhile comes without problems.
Anticipate problems and challenges. I remember my first interview for the podcast with Ron Hall[xii] from Valley Day school where for some reason we couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t hear each other. After trying every possible setting on his end, we found the problem on my end, and thank goodness we didn’t give up on that interview. It was a powerful one connecting me to many other speakers in the future.
Problems will be unexpected, and they will keep coming---I think to see how dedicated you are to your vision. Will you give up at the slightest challenge, or find a way forward?
Be Consistent and Relevant to Your Listeners. 
I’ve mentioned that as long as the interest in these episodes continues, I’ll continue to research, learn new ideas in this field, and produce content, with the hopes that it can help you to sharpen your saw with the understanding of how our brain impacts our learning, results and productivity, with this understanding of neuroscience made simple. I watch the numbers for each episode and know what parts of the world are listening. Thank you for keeping me in the top 100 iTunes Charts in the US, Great Britain, Canada, Finland, Australia, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Ireland and many others where we come in and out of the charts.
 
Being Transparent with My Own Learning 
This year, I noticed that as I’m diving deeper into this content, that the more I’m learning, the more I realize just how little I know. But with each interview, each strategy can be gleaned and applied for an improved life. I know that the topic of neuroscience could seem intimidating especially when most of us have not studied this at school, but I hope that by being open with places it overwhelmed me, helps you to be patient with your own learning. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and some ideas and concepts might take a few listens to sink in. I still go back and listen to some episodes on topics I’m struggling with and learn something new, and I hope this transparency reassures you that we can all learn anything, I really believe that, if we take the time to learn and apply it. Life really is about pushing ourselves to grow and learn from the lessons we experience along the way.
If you look in the show notes, I have a METACOGNITION graphic that I created (adapted Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman’s Spectrum of Human Consciousness Model) that shows how learning takes place in the brain, and we will dive deeper into How Learning Works[xiii] this week with Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode’s new book but understanding how our brain adapts to learning something new, until we hit those Aha! Moments is important.
When we learn something new, we go through different stages on the way to metacognition, where we are aware and in control of our knowledge. It begins with Instinctive Learning, where we study and learn with curiosity and desire. We experience positive emotions when we attain success. Next, we move to Habitual Learning, where we form study habits. It is very important we develop proper study habits or else we will only get by until the work becomes challenging. Intentional Learning is where we will spend most of our logic, reason, and attention when solving mental problems. The challenge here is that we are working with our short-term working memory, which contains limited information. It is easy to get distracted at this level of awareness. Worries, fears, and doubts also operate at this level and can interfere with decision-making strategies. We must learn strategies to move forward in spite of fear and focus on the positive side of situations, taking a proactive approach to learning, instead of giving up at the first signs of a challenge. Finally, we arrive at Creative Learning, where all of the magic happens for decision making and goal setting. This process is strenuous on the brain and requires frequent brain breaks to reset our neurochemistry. We must have strategies for practice, study, and learning and be able to find a way to relax their brain and body. During these resting states, remarkable activity takes place, allowing the brain to creatively solve problems. When creativity is integrated with logic and reason, research shows we can solve conflicts and improve academic success. Metacognition occurs when we are aware and in control of the knowledge we are learning. When we reach this level, we begin to have “Aha!” experiences, where we gain insight what we are learning. This is the true magic of the learning process and proves that with the right strategy in place, but eliminating all distractions, we can all learn anything.
Thank you again and stay tuned for our new episodes this week. We have Chrissy Barth on High Performance Fuel for Athletes and as I mentioned, 2 returning guests, Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, with John Almarode on their new book How Learning Works, that explains the science behind how we learn.
Next month we are looking forward to diving deeper with American psychologist and Chief of Stanford’s Addiction and Medicine Clinic, Dr. Anna Lembke on her new book Dopamine Nation, and the following month, will finally get to speak with Dr. Bruce Perry on his new book with Oprah, What Happened to You that discusses conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing.
Stay tuned and thank you for helping us to achieve this milestone! 
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
See past episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
11 Facts About the RMS Queen Mary by Kim O’Connell June 8, 2018  https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/544591/facts-about-rms-queen-mary
REFERENCES:
[i] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary
[ii] https://www.queenmary.com/history/
[iii] https://www.queenmary.com/hotel/rooms/b340/
[iv] "Four-Leaf Clover Propeller to Drive Giant Liner 534".
[v] https://www.queenmary.com/history/
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #104 with Sleep Scientist Antonio Zadra on “When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/sleep-scientist-antonio-zadra-on-when-brains-dream-exploring-the-science-and-mystery-of-sleep/
[vii] The Bible King James Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2029%3A18&version=KJV
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #109 “Achieving Quantum Leap Results Using Price Pritchett’s You Squared Book” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/achieving-quantum-leap-results-using-price-pritchetts-you-squared-principles/
[ix] https://lewishowes.com/sogpodcast/
[x] www.dougwead.com
[xi] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary
[xii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/interview-with-ron-hall-valley-day-school-on-launching-your-neuroeducational-program/
[xiii] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description
 

Dr. Michael Rousell on ”The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #159 with Dr. Michael A. Rousell, PhD[i] a teacher, psychologist, and professor emeritus at Southern Oregon University who has studied how random events transform us. After studying formative events, which are moments that define us, or strongly influence us, for over three decades, Michael Rousell discovered that most of them took place during a spark of surprise and serve as a mechanism to instantly change our beliefs.
Watch the interview on YouTube here.
Learn more about Michael Rousell and The Power of Surprise Book (coming out Sept.15) 
 
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
 
In today’s episode, we will speak with Michael Rousell about his new book, The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs.[ii] Michael will show us how surprising events produce invisible influence because they open a window to spontaneous belief change with no warning or conscious awareness. You’ll see how a seemingly minor feature of surprise can be devised to strategically enrich someone’s life (personally or in the workplace) and create positive mindsets, for students or employees while maximizing your influence for those in leadership roles.
 
You can dive deeper into The Power of Surprise by watching Michael’s TED TALK.[iii]
30% DISCOUNT ON The Power of Surprise BOOK https://rowman.com/ use CODE RLFANDF30 (by Sept. 30, 2021)
 
Here’s what people are saying about Michael Rousell’s new book: 
 
“Fascinating read chock full of lots of truly novel information and ideas. A must-read for anyone interested in enriching their lives and finding new ways to expand their mind.”—Andrew Newberg, MD, best-selling author of Why We Believe What We Believe.
“A fascinating book. The Power of Surprise shows what most of us miss about moments that change us.”—Jonah Berger, New York Times best-selling author of 3 Books, The Catalyst, Contagious, and Invisible Influence
In today’s episode you will learn:
What happens in the brain when we experience surprise?
Why random events transform us, and how they secretly change our beliefs.
How to use this understanding of surprise at the brain level to enrich/transform someone else’s life dramatically and instantly (in the workplace or classroom environment).
As you are listening to this episode I encourage you to think about where surprise has shown up in your life. Has someone ever said something to you that caught your attention, and made you think? What did you do with this new information? Did you use it? Did that moment change or transform you in some way, like Jonah Berger’s testimonial offered or did you just dismiss it, never to think about it again? And finally, have you ever wondered “what just happened there?”
I hope that we can dive a bit deeper and see if we can uncover some meaning behind the element of surprise in your life and offer you a framework to intentionally impact those around you, on a deeper level, with the Power of Surprise.
Let’s meet Michael Rousell.
Welcome Michael, it’s wonderful to see you again--thank you so much for speaking with me today. We set this interview up months ago, and August seemed so far away at the time! Doesn’t time fly!
Q1: I know that if we all think about it, we can come up with a time in our life where we experienced a surprise that had a profound impact on us, but most of us don’t think that deeply about something like this. We plan surprise parties, love surprise gifts, but what makes a surprise so special?
Q2: What drew your attention to study the impact that surprise has on someone’s life and belief system? Was there an experience that surprised and changed you? When did you first notice The Power of Surprise?
Q3: What can we learn from The Power of Surprise? Are there Aha Moments of learning that can be revealed to us if we are self-aware, or paying attention? Are surprises like epiphanies?
Q4: What does emotion have to do with surprise? (Positive or negative emotion?)
Q5: We all know how powerful the neurotransmitter dopamine is, and its connection to the motivation centers in the brain, but when did science discover the role of dopamine when we experience surprise?
Q6: Can you give an example of how to use the element of surprise in the workplace to transform one of your team members who you notice might be having a difficult time. Can we really transform someone’s life with surprise, and will we notice the impact immediately?
Q7: Can you give an example of how an educator could use surprise to change a student’s mindset in the classroom and how surprise can impact a student’s ability to learn?
Q8: What’s the difference between being startled and surprised?
Q9: Can I surprise someone and impact change if they have a strong belief?
Q10: Have I missed anything about the Power of Surprise? Any final thoughts?
Today’s listeners will receive a 30% discount on the purchase of Mike’s book, The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs. Just hit the link for the discount that you’ll find it in the show notes.
For those who want to learn more about Mike and the Power of Surprise, go to michaelrousell.com, or find him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.a.rousell
https://twitter.com/rousellm
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rousell-92839580/
http://michaelrousell.com/books
 
FOR A FREE EBOOK on The Power of Surprise in the Practical NeuroWisdom series, click the link below.
Surprise: The Neurological Spark to Personal Transformation
http://hgd.go2jump.org/aff_c?offer_id=129&aff_id=3518&url_id=797
 
Thank you very much for speaking to me today, and sharing your decades of research of formative events to help us to all impact change, and transform those around us, whether we are a teacher in the classroom, looking to impact our students, or those in the workplace, the understanding of how we can use the element of surprise to influence others is something I know could positively influence others, as we watch those around us flourish, with an understanding of the unexpected. Thank you!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
 
RESOURCES:
Wolfram Schultz https://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?Schultz
2017 Brain Prize Award Winner Wolfram Schultz https://speakingofresearch.com/2017/03/06/winners-of-2017-brain-prize-announced-peter-dayan-ray-dolan-and-wolfram-schultz/
REFERENCES:
[i] http://michaelrousell.com/
[ii] http://michaelrousell.com/books/power-of-surprise
[iii]Surprise! How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs| Michael Rousell TEDxSalem Published on YouTube March 18, 2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5O6mFWpgZo

Dr. Howard Rankin and Grant Renier on ”Intuitive Rationality: Predicting Future Events with the New Behavioral Direction of AI”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #158 with a return of our popular guest, expert in psychology, cognitive neuroscience and neurotechnology, Dr. Howard Rankin from episodes #146[i] and #152[ii] with Grant Renier, who started his venture into ‘Intuitive Rationality’[iii] 30 years before Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman published his groundbreaking book, Thinking, Fast and Slow[iv] creating a company that uses Intuitive General Intelligence (a knock off term like Artificial Intelligence)  to predict near and future events, while taking into account the fundamentals of human behavior. So basically, he has created a predictive technology that can peer into the future of sports predictions, health and medicine.
Watch the interview on YouTube here. 
Learn more about Grant Renier and Dr. Howard Rankin's artificial intelligence system https://intualityai.com/ 
See past episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
In Today's Episode, you will learn:✔︎ How to Improve Our Strategic Decision-Making Process with the Most Common Cognitive Biases in Mind.
✔︎ How Grant's AI System (that can be used by anyone) can predict sports wins, medicine and financial markets.
✔︎ How Howard and Grant wrote their book, Intuitive Rationality to explain the future of decision-making, through the lens of Artificial Intelligence.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
Dr. Rankin and Grant Renier will discuss their new book, Intuitive Rationality, that brings to light the fact that humans are not entirely rational but instead are influenced by several factors in arriving at decisions, like subconscious and environmental processes, and a need for emotional comfort and ideological consistency. These are “heuristics” which are defined as “mental shortcuts” designed to reduce the energy involved in critical thinking and complex processing, showing that pure rationality is almost never practical or possible for human beings and that even the most seemingly rational conclusions are at best probabilities based on the currently known data, which would almost certainly change over time.
While these notions are not new, they have appeared in a new context, the 21st century where technology is prevalent and social connection has never been greater. These contemporary processes mean that the various ways that people think have never been more important. Understanding cognitive biases is now critical for anyone in being more aware and efficient in not just their own thinking but also that of others. I know that local police departments now train their employees on cognitive bias, so officers are aware of how their thinking impacts their decision-making on the job, and cognitive bias is an important concept for educators to think about in the classroom, as well in any workplace environment for that matter.
Which biases and heuristics are programmed into Intuitive Rationality and how are they incorporated? This new book  and our interview  will answer these questions, as well as demonstrating the proven success of such a system that is a new direction in artificial intelligence logic. Grant and Howard will introduce this fascinating and paradoxical[v] connection between Intuition and Rationality to help us better understand the strategic decision-making process, to understand how and why we make the decisions that we do, how our world is defined by them, and show how this new approach to artificial intelligence can shift its development to a more human behavior-based logic, leading to a new field of AI-Intuitive General Intelligence.
I like the sounds of this! Who doesn’t want to figure out new ways to improve their thinking, and strategic decision-making with this new understanding while also getting a glimpse of the future? I think this concept could help us to stay one step ahead of the crowd.
Let’s welcome Dr. Rankin back for a third time to the podcast, and meet the co-author of their new book, Grant Renier and let’s see if we can learn the concept of Intuitive Rationality together.
Welcome Dr. Rankin and wonderful to meet you, Grant.
Q1: For Grant: I’m fascinated with the system you created years before Daniel Kahneman’s groundbreaking book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, for many reasons, but mostly because I’ve always wondered about incorporating “gut feelings” or intuition into our decision-making process. Now that I’m studying practical neuroscience and have spoken to Howard a couple of times now, he’s convinced me that there’s a problem with the way humans think.
Can you explain what is Intuitive Rationality, your intuitive General intelligence system, and how it works (financial markets, sports. Elections and medicine?)  taking into the account of human decision-making?
1B: Howard, taking Grant’s work into account, and the idea that you have a podcast called How Not to Think[vi], What should we all know about “how we think and make decisions?”
Q2: Can you share some of the insights you write about in Chapter 1 about your visit to Walmart that are metaphors to help us to understand “how we think?” Can we talk through each of the examples of human thinking?
Dan— “According to Aristotle, all human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire.” You mention in your example that you had chosen the long life 100-watt light bulbs with a combination of chance, nature and habit as per Aristotle via Dan. In my studies so far, I have come across Jaak Panksepp[vii], an American neuroscientist who says we have seven networks of emotion in the brain that begin with seeking—we are always looking for something new, and the brain releases dopamine when it finds it. How do we make decisions here? Looking for something new, or choosing what we are used to and like?
Maria— “As Buddha says, we are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” I understand this one, probably from my work with the speaker Bob Proctor who taught me the importance of guarding my thoughts, since our thoughts, feelings and actions control our results/conditions, circumstances, and environment.  How important are our thoughts in your opinion and how does our thinking tie into decision-making?
Aloysius—As Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, “One may say anything about the history of the world--anything that might enter the most disordered imagination. The only thing one can't say is that it's rational.” What role does our imagination play with decision making? 
Crystal —Sigmund Freud said “unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” We could talk about this one for a week!! A month…maybe a year!! Before I start this one, I wonder, when making decisions, how can we keep emotions out of this process?
Andrea’s Thoughts: I’ve uncovered that Research shows that “emotion has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans including perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning and problem solving.”[viii] This happens because our amygdala “is activated by emotional events. The amygdala boosts memory encoding by enhancing attention and perception and can help memory retention by triggering the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, to boost arousal.”[ix] How can we keep our emotions out of decision-making, or when can we become aware of how they are impacting our decisions?
Q2B: How can you predict sports wins? What data is pulled?
Maggie—“as Daniel Kahneman says, ‘We are very influenced by completely automatic things that we have no control over, and we don't know we're doing it.’” Dr. Carolyn Leaf on our interview in March of this year told me that our emotions show up in our behavior, and often times when we have a behavior we don’t like, we can just take some time to identify the emotion attached to the behavior (or the root cause) that remains unforgotten in the non-conscious mind from something that happened to you in your childhood and making the connection between the emotion and the behavior explain why you are doing something “without control.” Is that what this means?
Q3: It wasn’t even 2 seconds into chapter 3 (A Starbucks Encounter) where you meet Sherlock Holmes for coffee (which sounded like an incredible idea) where he introduces risk aversion bias, confirmation bias, and availability bias. I have seen a list of the top 50 cognitive biases[x] but how many are you aware of, and how is it possible that we check ourselves against these biases during decision-making?
Q4: Can you explain a few of the most important of the 12 core cognitive biases in Intuitive Rationality? (Availability, anchoring, confirmation, symmetry, risk-avoidance, memory decay)?
Q5: How do these cognitive biases fit into AI and how would a system like what Grant has developed take into consideration Theory of Mind, or respond to different human cues like emotions?
Q6: What should we all take away from Intuitive Rationality?
I want to thank you both for your time today, and for explaining Intuitive Rationality to me and the listeners. I know these lessons and ideas will help us all to think clearly, and take a bit more time with our decision-making process.
For anyone who wants to learn more about you, Grant, what is the best place?
Intuality AI Website https://intualityai.com/
Grant Renier grant.renier@intualityai.com 
Dr. Howard Rankin Howard.Rankin@intualityai.com  and www.IthinkthereforeIamwrong.com 
To read the book? https://intualityai.com/the-book/
Thank you!
Join the Intuitive Rationality Facebook Group to Learn More and Stay in Touch with Grant and Howard. https://www.facebook.com/groups/603274067316015
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
REFERENCES:
[i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #146 with Dr. Howard Rankin on “How Not to Think” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phd-on-how-not-to-think/
[ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #152 with Dr. Howard Rankin Interviewing Andrea Samadi https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phdinterviews-andrea-samadi/
[iii] https://intualityai.com/the-book/
[iv] Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Published Dec. 19, 2012 https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Daniel-Kahneman-Minute-Summary/dp/1623150604
[v] The Interplay between Intuition and Rationality in Strategies Decision-Making: A Paradox Perspective Published July 29, 2016 by Guilia Calabretta, Gerda Gemser, Nachoem M. Wijnberg https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0170840616655483
[vi] Dr. Rankin’s How Not to Think Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-not-to-think/id1488982079
[vii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaak_Panksepp
[viii] The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory Published August 24, 2017 Chai M Tyng, Hafeez U Amin, Mohammed N M Saad, Aamir S Malik  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573739/
[ix] What Makes Memories Stronger? https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/memory/what-makes-memories-stronger
[x] 50 Cognitive Biases in the Modern World https://www.visualcapitalist.com/50-cognitive-biases-in-the-modern-world/

Brain Fact Friday ”Overcoming Digital Addiction Using Neuroscience”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and episode #157 on a topic that I think we should be aware of: Digital Addictions: Do You Know What’s Happening to Your Brain When You are Using Certain Apps on Your Smartphone, or Using Your Smartphone at All?
EXCITING UPDATE: Stay tuned (early September) for an exclusive interview with Dr. Anna Lembke, Professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine who inspired this episode.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
This week’s Brain Fact Friday kind of snuck its way into my schedule, as I wasn’t planning on writing this topic and think there are many other podcasts that cover the subject of addiction[i] more thoroughly than I ever could, but it all started last Friday night when I was out at dinner with my husband and our two friends that we met on the hiking trails, Scott and Ruth. Scott, a business consultant who travels for his work, was home for a change, so we met up at a local restaurant and chatted about life, and what was on our minds that day. The conversation took a turn towards our phones, that we never have out at the table, and social media, and how addictive some of the apps are for the human brain. Scott mentioned he rarely uses social media, and I think I said something along the lines of “That’s really smart” remembering the Netflix Documentary Social Dilemma[ii] that scared the living daylights out of me. I wrote this down (on my phone) while watching the movie that “Magicians were like the first neuroscientists” What do magicians and neuroscientists have in common? Both are concerned with how the brain works. In magic, people try to fool the brain and in neuroscience, they are trying to understand the brain and this documentary will show you how the creators of technology apps have designed their software to trick or fool the human brain, just like magic, into addiction.
When we can use an understanding of neuroscience, or how our brains work in these situations, we can take a powerful stance towards being in control, instead of being controlled by these apps. I was blown away when I heard one of the app developers in this movie, say that he had to develop a code to break his addiction to Reddit. I don’t use Reddit, but completely understood what he was saying.
The next morning, we hit the hiking trails as usual, and we ran into Scott and Ruth along the way. Scott told me that he saw an article in the newspaper that might interest me about our conversation last night, and he had put it on the windshield of my car. “Sounds good” I said, forgetting what we were even talking about the night before, and then at the end of the hike, sure enough, he had pinned The Wall Street Journal on my windshield with an article called “Digital Addictions Are Drowning Us in Dopamine[iii]” by Dr. Anna Lembke (who also appeared in the Netflix Documentary Social Dilemma) with a headline that would catch anyone’s attention these days “Rising rates of depression and anxiety in wealthy countries like the US may be the results of our brains getting hooked on the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure.”
I read the article written by Dr. Lembke, a psychiatrist and professor at Stanford University and saw that this article was an essay from her forthcoming book (coming out next week-August 24th) called Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence[iv] that was about a young patient of hers who came to her with debilitating anxiety and depression and what was interesting is that instead of prescribing him antidepressants like she would have done 20 years ago, she uncovered that he was playing videogames every day, and prescribed him with a 30 day dopamine fast. She explains that the problems she is seeing in the world today is because of “too much dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter associated with the feelings of pleasure and reward” (Lembke) and that “when we do something that we enjoy—like playing video games,—the brain releases a little bit of dopamine, and we feel good. But one of the most important discoveries in the field of neuroscience in the past 75 years is that pleasure and pain are processed in the same parts of the brain and the that the brain tries to keep them in balance. Whenever it tips in one direction, it will try hard to restore the balance, which neuroscience calls homeostasis, by tipping in the other.” (Lembke)
This is the part that caught my attention because I know we’ve all heard of the fact that dopamine is the pleasure neurotransmitter, and too much of it is not good for the brain, but for this week’s Brain Fact Friday, did you know that “as soon as dopamine is released, the brain adapts to it by reducing or downregulating the number of dopamine receptors that are stimulated. This causes the brain to level out by tipping to the side of pain, which is why pleasure is followed by a feeling of hangover of comedown” Lembke explains. “If we can wait long enough, that feeling passes and neutrality is restored. But there’s a natural tendency to counteract it by going back to the source of pleasure for another dose.” (Lembke)
When it comes to addiction, I have always wondered, why on the earth would someone do something that they know is not good for them? I finally understood addiction, with brain science in mind. When you do something over and over again (whatever it is—video games, drugs, alcohol, or a certain behavior) dopamine is released until you keep the pattern going and “The brain’s setpoint for pleasure changes” (Lembke) and you have to keep doing the thing that once brought you pleasure, just to feel normal.  The minute you stop whatever it is you are doing, you feel the withdrawal symptoms that make you crave for that addictive thing. Dr. Amen has a graphic that explains the “Cycle of Addiction[v]” to help us to recognize the process and feelings at each stage.
IMAGE REFERENCE:The Cycle of Addiction Graphic by Dr. Daniel Amen https://mk0amenclinicsg0ovs5.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FBF-The-Cycle-of-Addiction-A.jpg
Just try to take away someone’s smartphone and watch what happens to them. “The smartphone is the equivalent of the hypodermic needle for a wired generation.” (Lembke)
In some of the past episodes, I have spoken about ways to break bad habits you don’t like by replacing the bad habit with a new, healthier habit, but this crosses a line that is much deeper than just wanting to replace a cup of coffee with some lemon water, like I suggest in EPISODE #35 (Jan. 2020) How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits.[vi] Dr. Lembke explains that “it’s hard to see cause and effect when we are chasing dopamine. It’s only after we have taken a break from our drug of choice that we are able to see the true impact of our consumption on our daily lives.”
Dr. Lembke suggests taking a break from whatever it is that you think is taking up too much of your mental real estate. Self-awareness is important here. I couldn’t tell you what this might be in your life, but I surely can see it in my own. Dr. Lembke’s 30 day detox idea “gives enough time to allow the brain to reset its dopamine balance” and she is seeing people feel better than they have in years with this reset. She even suggests that after the 30-day reset, that you can go back to whatever it was like you enjoyed (videogames being an example) if you are able to limit the time and be sure that it’s not interfering with your day-to-day life. “Not everyone plays video games, but just about all of us have a digital drug of choice, and it probably involves using a smartphone-(Like we’ve mentioned before) the equivalent of the hypodermic needle for a wired generation.” (Lembke).
To Review This Week’s Brain Fact Friday
Remember that whatever your digital drug of choice is, that the minute you use it, that  you will become “drowned in dopamine” like Lembke explained in her article, “causing the brain to level out by tipping towards the side of pain—which is followed by a feeling of hangover or comedown” and if we want to avoid this feeling, the most effective way is to reset the brain with a 30 day digital detox “to reset the brain’s dopamine balance.” (Lembke).
What makes this week’s episode more interesting, is that after I had started writing this episode, I looked at some of the podcasts I follow at the start of the week, and I was just referred to Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Podcast by Greg Wolcott, and his Monday’s episode was surprisingly with Dr. Anna Lembke on “Understanding and Treating Addiction”[vii] that I highly recommend. This episode takes a deeper dive into addiction, how to beat it, resetting dopamine, and many other fascinating associated topics.
If you have never taken a good look at areas of your life you could improve with this dopamine fast, I highly suggest trying it, as it builds mental strength, autonomy and like Dr. Lembke mentioned, her patients were never happier after this type of detox. Dr. Huberman says it really well on his podcast, “Be prepared, because the first 10 days will suck”[viii] and I couldn’t have said it better myself, until you are able to reach the end of the detox and look back and learn some valuable lessons that you could never have seen while your brain was flooded with dopamine.
To close out this week’s Brain Fact Friday, I want to encourage anyone who wants to learn more on this topic to visit Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast with Dr. Anna Lembke and to take a look at her book coming out next week, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.
I’ll end with two thought-provoking Quotes from the Social Dilemma Movie[ix]
Think about this:
”If you’re not paying for the product, then you’re the product.” (thinking about the data collected from you while using an online product and how little attention we pay to the keystrokes we make on our computers).
”There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software.” This one has new meaning to me after seeing the close correlation with drug and tech addictions.
See you next week where we have more interviews than I was ready for, but let’s see how many we will be able to release to help us to all sharpen the saw with our thinking, nutrition, and teaching, all with a deeper understanding of how our brain works.
UPCOMING INTERVIEWS:
Howard Rankin and Grant Renier on their new book Intuitive Rationality[x] where we will look into an Intuitive General Intelligence system that predicts near and future events, while taking into account the fundamentals of human behavior.
Michael Rousell on his new book “The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs[xi]” with the powerful effects that surprise has on the human brain.
Chrissy Barth, the Brainy Dietician on High Performance Fuel for Athletes.
Returning guests (from our successful interview on High Quality Distance Learning[xii] Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Almarode on their NEW book How Learning Works[xiii] that unpacks the science of how students learn and translates this knowledge into principles and practices for the classroom.
See you next week!
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Dopamine, Smartphones and You: A Battle for Your Time May 1, 2018 by Trevor Haynes https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/?web=1&wdLOR=c8834920B-429F-774A-AAFC-C88B7456E3C5  
Social Dilemma Netflix Documentary featuring Dr. Anna Lembke https://www.netflix.com/title/81254224  
REFERENCES:
[i] 15 Best Addiction Podcasts for 2021 https://www.choosingtherapy.com/addiction-podcasts/
[ii] Why The Social Dilemma is a Must Watch by Harleen Kalsi Sept. 15, 2020 https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/netflix-documentary-movie-the-social-dilemma-quotes-cast-direction/
[iii] Digital Addictions are Drowning Us in Dopamine by Dr. Anna Lembke. (Saturday August 14/Sunday August 15, 2021) https://www.wsj.com/articles/digital-addictions-are-drowning-us-in-dopamine-11628861572
[iv] Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Dr. Anna Lembke August 24, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Dopamine-Nation-Finding-Balance-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B08KPKHVXQ
[v] The Cycle of Addiction Graphic by Dr. Daniel Amen https://mk0amenclinicsg0ovs5.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FBF-The-Cycle-of-Addiction-A.jpg
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #35 “How to Use Your Brain to Break Bad Habits”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-to-use-your-brain-to-break-bad-habits-in-2020/
[vii] Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Huberman Lab Podcast https://hubermanlab.com/dr-anna-lembke-understanding-and-treating-addiction/
[viii] IBID
[ix] https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/netflix-documentary-movie-the-social-dilemma-quotes-cast-direction/
[x] Intuitive Rationality by Grant Renier and Howard Rankin PhD https://intualityai.com/the-book/
[xi] The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs by Michael Rousell  Sept. 15, 2021 https://www.amazon.com/Power-Surprise-Secretly-Changes-Beliefs/dp/153815241X
[xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/university-professors-and-authors-doug-fisher-and-nancy-frey-on-developing-and-delivering-high-quality-distance-learning-for-students/
[xiii] How Learning Works: A Playbook by John Almarode, (James Madison University, Douglas Fisher (San Diego State University) and Nancy Frey (San Diego State University). https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/how-learning-works/book279410#description

Brain Fact Friday on ”Boosting Your Immunity by Optimizing The Gut Microbiome”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for Brain Fact Friday and episode #156 that takes us back to the Top 5 health staples that we introduced at the end of 2020[i] when I was asked to speak at Podbean’s Wellness Week[ii]  with Dr. Carolyn Leaf. I’ve listed a reminder to these 5 health staples in the show notes and think it’s important to revisit them using the principle of “spaced repetition” since “where our attention goes, energy flows” (James Redfield) with the idea that as we move in the direction of our goals this next year, that we do so with our physical and mental health in mind.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
Medical Disclaimer: Just a reminder—I would consider myself a researcher, sharing preventative and supplemental ideas and strategies related to the most current research on the brain, health and wellness education. In addition to studying directly with Mark Robert Waldman, a leading neuroscience researcher and expert on communication learning and the brain, I spend my evenings, weekends and spare time making connections with our past speakers, so that I can share these ideas to help bring more awareness to the advancements made in this fast moving field.  Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your health and remember that you should never disregard medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you learn through this podcast.
Back to our episode—You may have noticed the shift towards health and wellbeing at the end of 2020 as we were a good year into the Pandemic, and who wasn’t looking for ways to improve their mental and physical health to improve cognition, productivity, and results. When I look at the top 5 health staples, I know that some of them I can put a check next to, and say “making progress here” and some areas I know I have completely forgotten about, and if these 5 health staples are important for future brain health, mental health and Alzheimer’s prevention, I know it’s important to keep learning as much as possible to further optimize these areas. As I am researching and learning, I will share anything important and relevant on our future Brain Fact Friday episodes.
This week I wanted to focus on Health Staple #4 “Optimizing our Microbiome” because I still have questions myself about best practices in this area and making a stronger case for the gut-brain connection as we figure out the best ways to fix, repair and rebuild our body so that we can be the best possible versions of ourselves. To do this, I wanted to share some key findings from Jonathan Otto’s recent documentary Autoimmune Answers[iii] with some ideas that he brings to light to help everyone understand that strengthening our immune system is the key to disease prevention and health, and how understanding Autoimmune Diseases (like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis or Type 1 Diabetes) all begins with an understanding of the gut-brain connection.
We all know the toll that the Pandemic took on our mental health, and I was reminded today with a post on Instagram from Amen Clinics[iv] that “suicide hotlines have seen a significant increase in calls due to (the) Coronavirus” and that “we must continue navigating the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.” I think back to my interview with Dr. Carolyn Leaf[v] who I hosted Podbean’s Wellness week with last December, and her most recent book that we covered on a bonus episode this past March reminds us that we must “Clean Up Our Mental Mess” since “unmanaged toxic stress puts our body into low-grade inflammation which can accelerate the aging process”[vi] among other things we will take a closer look at on this episode. Dr. Jon Lieff on episode #143[vii] reminded me that “inflammation is the precursor for chronic disease.”
Which brings me to this week’s Brain Fact Friday.
I mentioned I wanted to focus on health staple #4 this week (optimizing the microbiome) and this week, I came across a documentary created by Jonathan Otto called Autoimmune Answers[viii]  that caught my attention because someone I know has been struggling with health issues for some time now, and every time he visits the doctor, he is told—your blood work looks fine, so it’s got to be an auto immune disease. 
I started hearing about automated immune diseases from Ari Whitten from his Energy Blueprint: New Science of Energy Class[ix] where he went deeper into the causes behind common illnesses that he would say showed brain-related symptoms like chronic fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and loss of resilience that he attributed to “neuroinflammation” or chronic inflammation in the brain. He said that some of these illness were caused by a leaky blood-brain barrier (that should let in glucose, amino acids, and hormones, but keep out toxins and pathogens) and this is similar to a leaky gut.  His course explains how the powerhouse of the cells, the mitochondria go into defense-mode when stressed (lack of sleep, poor inflammatory diet, toxin exposure) which is at the root of inflammation. I will put the link to his course in the show notes, as I have learned so much from Ari, but it was here that I decided I had better watch Jonathan Otto’s documentary if I wanted to get a better understanding of Autoimmune Disease and the gut-brain connection.
REVIEW OF THE TOP 5 HEALTH STAPLES THAT ARE ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION STRATEGIES
I wasn’t even 5 minutes into episode 1 of Jonathan’s Autoimmune Answers and guess who appears as a doctor giving advice? Dr. David Perlmutter who taught me the top 5 health staples with his Alzheimer’s Science of Prevention Documentary[x]. I know that we all know that when we feel “off” we can usually look at the top 5 health staples and see if there’s a starting point to make improvements.  We have covered these staples extensively, but here’s a quick review.
How is your aerobic exercise? John Ratey on EPISODE #116[xi] made a clear case for the connection with aerobic exercise and improved brain structure and function along with fitness expert Luke DePron on EPISODE #90.[xii]
How is your sleep? If you need help here, visit EPISODE #72[xiii] with Dr. Shane Creado on “Sleep Strategies That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage” or EPISODE #120[xiv] where I share how the Fisher Wallace Medical Device Improve My Sleep.
What about eating a healthy diet? We all can sway towards eating a certain diet, but Dr. Daniel Stickler took diet, nutrition, and our future to a whole new level on EPISODE #96[xv] and Dr. Perlmutter says it loud and clear in EPISODE 1 of Autoimmune Answers that “making good food choices will help us to make better decisions”[xvi] in our everyday lives.
Are you optimizing your microbiome? We will dive into this one today, but Dr. Vuyisich was the first to talk with me about the importance of optimizing our microbiome for reversing chronic disease on EPISODE #93.[xvii]
Have you tried Intermittent Fasting? Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent Fasting Expert Jason Wittrock covers this topic on EPISODE #94.[xviii]
Other than taking probiotics at night, or making sure I’m eating a healthy diet, I don’t pay much attention to optimizing my gut microbiome. Do you? Let me know if there are other ideas that you know of, that can help others.
This brings me to this week’s Brain Fact Friday:
DID YOU KNOW THAT “70-80% of your immune system is found in your gut tissues?” (Dr. Gerenger and Dr. Kan from Autoimmune Answers, explain this in detail saying that many people who feel “off” visit their doctor only to be told that their labs are normal because “the inflammation that began in the gut, has not attacked the glands yet” (Autoimmune Answers, EPISODE 1)[xix] Dr. Daniel Amen (America’s leading psychiatrist and brain health experts) calls our gastrointestinal tract our “second brain”[xx]  that is “lined with about 100 million neurons—more neurons than you have in your spinal cord” and he believes that “when you have problems with your gut, you’re more likely to have mental health issues.”[xxi]
We have also heard before that there does appear to be a hidden relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and the microbiome in our gut and that “an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis) could lead to Alzheimer’s disease and wider neuroinflammation through the gut-brain-axis. Promoting ‘good bacteria’ relative to ‘bad bacteria’ in the gut may be important in maintaining good digestive, immune and neurological health.”[xxii] This is still a developing field but taking prebiotics and probiotics[xxiii] are the best way to promote a healthy gut/brain balance.
If 70-80% of my immune system is found in my gut tissues, I think it makes sense that I learn as much as I can about optimizing my gut microbiome. I do recommend watching the Autoimmune Answers documentary by Jonathan Otto, but in the meantime, here are my main take-aways from this documentary.
3 Tips for Optimizing the Gut Microbiome to Improve Your Immune System
Know what helps your gut microbiome: Did you know that our gut is made up of trillions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes? This microbiome plays an important role in our health by helping to control digestion and benefitting our immune system. Taking a probiotic daily, remaining active, eating a healthy diet and avoiding foods that disrupt our microbiome[xxiv] (processed fried foods, sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners), are important for our gut/brain health. This makes sense to me, but I still sometimes forget to take my probiotic at night.  I did learn that taking digestive enzymes were a good idea to help break down your food so that the nutrients could be better absorbed. I’ve been taking digestive enzymes for over 20 years after a trainer said it would be a good idea, but now they have a new purpose. I did learn about the importance of taking fulvic acid to fight inflammation and improve my body’s ability to be resistant to disease, but I haven’t started this one yet.
Know what hurts your gut microbiome: Antibiotics were designed to kill bacteria but they also “kill good bacteria in the gut” (Autoimmune Answers EPISODE 1) but so do oral contraceptives, NSAIDS, stress, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and toxins”[xxv] I always think really hard before taking something that I know will have a damaging effect on the health of my body, even if I think it will help me in the short term. I’m not perfect in this area, probably because I can’t see the damage I’m doing so it’s not always easy to make the best decisions here. Even though we sometimes know better, we still do things that we know are not good for us. What I learned from Autoimmune Answers that changed my thought process here a bit was that the stomach lining is “one-cell thick” from Dr. Vincent Pedre from EPSIODE 4[xxvi] so it’s not difficult to damage the lining of our stomach, making it permeable to pathogens that come in and create what is called “leaky gut.”
Add Aerobic Exercise: It Fixes Everything. Dr. Perlmutter reminded us that “aerobic exercise increases gut bacterial diversity”[xxvii] Researchers say “they noticed changes in the gut microbiome after six weeks of exercise. The gut makeup returned to normal after the exercise was dropped.”[xxviii] There are so many cases for adding aerobic exercise to your daily routine and now we can add gut health to our list. 
FINAL THOUGHTS TO CLOSE OUT THIS WEEK’S BRAIN FACT FRIDAY
When our podcast took the turn towards Health and Wellness at the end of 2020, in addition to the focusing on the science behind social and emotional learning, I decided to launch Brain Fact Fridays—with a goal to provide a brain tip that ties back to how our brain works. If I can also tie this Brain Fact to one of the Top 5 health staples, I think this reinforced, spaced repetition of ideas will be helpful, for all of us. Let me know what you think of this episode. Send me an email to andrea@achieveit360.com or connect with me through social media.
At the end of last year, we learned how important the top 5 health staples were from Dr. Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s Science of Prevention Documentary[xxix] but what about Autoimmune Disease? Have you or someone you know just felt “off’ for some reason, and you’ve gone to the doctor, taken some blood tests, and they all come back fine, yet you intuitively know something wasn’t right? This has got to be the most frustrating situation. If you’ve ever had this happen, you will know what I mean, and if you want to watch Jonathan Otto’s Autoimmune Answers, be sure to click the link in the show notes.  https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/ I am not affiliated to Jonathan Otto in any way, nor is this an affiliate link, I just think his documentary could help someone who is struggling with their health to find some answers.
I’m sure you can see that the implementation of these ideas is important, and what I love about hosting these podcasts (in addition to how much I am learning personally) is hearing that some of these high-level performers, like Dr. Carolyn Leaf, mentions she doesn’t have it all together, all of the time either, and often uses the principles she teaches to help calm her brain and mind down during her work day. When I see these ideas being implemented in this way, I think it makes them more relatable for others who can see that no one is immune from life’s challenges. We will all face challenges, but the key will be—to think—do you have the tools that you need to suffer the inevitable adversity and challenge less, and get back on track so that you get to where you are going in one piece with your physical and mental health intact?
As we are interviewing high-level speakers, working on ways to improve productivity and results in our life, whether we are a teacher in the classroom, or someone looking to take their results to the next level in their workplace, I want to make sure that we all get to where we are going that we have exceptional health when we get there. When I’m sitting at my desk, and look up on my wall, I see a list of values that drive me on a day-to-day basis, and Health is at the top of this list. What would be the point of doing these podcasts, getting excited about the new strategies we are learning and implementing from all these powerful speakers, and hearing about how people around the world are implementing these ideas in their schools, classrooms and workplaces, without addressing the importance of our physical and mental health along the way of this journey.
And with that, I wish you a wonderful weekend! See you next week.
FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  
Website https://www.achieveit360.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  
Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 
RESOURCES:
Therapeutic Potential of Fulvic Acid in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases and Diabetes by John Winkler and Sanjay Ghosh Published Sept.10, 2018
Dr. Peter Kan, DC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6151376/https://askdrkan.com/about-drkan-in-gilbert-az/
Dr. Cathleen Gerenger, DC https://www.healthgrades.com/providers/cathleen-gerenger-2vgrd 
REFERENCES:
[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE December 2020 with Andrea Samadi on “The Top 5 Health Staples”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/
[ii] Podbean’s Wellness Week https://www.podbean.com/podcastwellnessweek
[iii] https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/
[iv] https://www.amenclinics.com/
[v] BONUS EPISODE with Dr. Carolyn Leaf on “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/worldrenownedneuroscientistdr-caroline-leaf-oncleaningup-your-mentalmess5-simplescientifically-proven-stepsto-reduceanxiety-and-toxic-thinking/
[vi] https://neurocycle.app/ (Day 10)
[vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #143 on “The Secret Language of Cells”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/jon-lieff-md-on-the-secret-language-of-cells-what-biological-conversations-tell-us-about-the-brain-body-connection/
[viii] https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/
[ix]  https://theenergyblueprint.com/new-science-of-energy1/
[x] https://www.drperlmutter.com/alzheimers-the-science-of-prevention-2020-air-dates/
[xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #90 with Luke DePron on “Neuroscience, Fitness and Growth”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/host-of-the-live-great-lifestyle-podcast-luke-depron-on-neuroscience-health-fitness-and-growth/
[xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE #72 with Dr. Shane Creado on “Sleep Strategies That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-shane-creado-on-sleep-strategies-that-will-guarantee-a-competitive-advantage/
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #120 with Andrea Samadi on a “Personal Review of the Fisher Wallace Wearable Medical Device” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-review-of-the-fisher-wallace-wearable-medical-device-for-anxiety-depression-and-sleepstress-management/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast  EPISODE #96 with Dr. Daniel Stickler on “Expanding Awareness for Limitless Potential” [xv]https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-daniel-stickler-on-expanding-awareness-for-limitless-peak-performance-health-longevity-and-intelligence/
[xvi] https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/ (EPISODE 1 Dr. Perlmutter)
[xvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #93 with Dr. Vuyisich on “Improving the Health of Your Microbiome: Reversing Chronic Disease” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-momo-vuyisich-on-improving-the-health-of-your-microbiome-preventing-and-reversing-chronic-disease/
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #94 with Jason Wittrock on “Health, Nutrition, Intermittent Fasting and the Ketogenic Diet[xviii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/personal-trainer-and-fitness-model-jason-wittrock-on-health-nutrition-intermittent-fasting-and-the-ketogenic-diet/
[xix] https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/ (EPISODE 1 with Dr. Cathleen Gerenger, DC and Dr. Peter Kan).
[xx] Does My Gut Affect My Mental Stability? Dr. Daniel Amen October 1, 2019 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/does-my-gut-health-affect-my-mental-stability/
[xxi] ibid
[xxii] Alzheimer’s Disease and the Microbiome by Oman Shabir  https://www.news-medical.net/health/Alzheimers-Disease-and-the-Microbiome.aspx
[xxiii] What is the Difference Between a Prebiotic and a Probiotic https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323490
[xxiv] 11 Ways Your Life Can Disrupt the Gut Microbiome https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/11-ways-your-life-can-disrupt-the-gut-microbiome/
[xxv] Does My Gut Affect My Mental Stability? Dr. Daniel Amen October 1, 2019 https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/does-my-gut-health-affect-my-mental-stability/
[xxvi] https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/lifetime-access-2021/ Autoimmune Answers EPISODE 4 Dr. Vincent Pedre
[xxvii] https://theautoimmuneanswers.com/lifetime-access-2021/ Autoimmune Answers EPISODE 4 Dr/ Perlmutter
[xxviii] Researchers Say Exercise Also Improves Your Gut Bacteria Written by Elizabeth Pratt, September 24, 2018 https://www.healthline.com/health-news/exercise-improves-your-gut-bacteria#:~:text=Research%20Says%20Exercise%20Also%20Improves%20Your%20Gut%20Bacteria&text=Researchers%20say%20they%20noticed%20changes,reason%20to%20exercise%2C%20try%20this.
[xxix] https://www.drperlmutter.com/alzheimers-the-science-of-prevention-2020-air-dates/

NEW REPORT "How to Sell SEL: Parents and the Politics of Social-Emotional Learning" by Adam Tyner, The Fordham Institute

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for episode #155 with Adam Tyner from the Thomas Fordham Institute[i] (an organization that promotes educational excellence for every child in America via quality research, analysis, and commentary) on his newly released report How to Sell SEL: Parents and the Politics of Social and Emotional Learning.
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/BWe04ByXOpk
Access the Online Report here https://sel.fordhaminstitute.org/
Access past episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
On this episode, you will learn:
The TOP 5 Findings from Adam Tyner's NEW REPORT "Parents and the Politics of Social-Emotional Learning"
 
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
We do this by covering the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace). Our podcast provides tools, resources and ideas for parents, teachers, and employees to improve well-being, achievement and productivity using simple neuroscience as it relates to our cognitive (the skills our brain uses to think, read, remember, pay attention), social and interpersonal relationships (with ourselves and others) and emotional learning (where we recognize and manage our emotions, demonstrate empathy and cope with frustration and stress).
This past week, as I was researching and learning new ideas for upcoming episodes, I saw a notification come through my phone from Twitter that caught my attention. It was from Victoria McDougald, from the Fordham Institute in Washington DC and she let me know that they were about to release a new report that explores how parents view SEL and how they want it taught in schools. We have all seen how the mental-health challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have made it more urgent to better support students’ social and emotional learning needs while also advancing their academic learning, so I put down what I was doing and wrote her back immediately. This topic is urgent, timely and important. Every day I see emails about trainings in our schools to support our students SEL needs and the challenges we have all faced are not going away, they are changing and persisting in a way I don’t think any of us imagined. The challenge that I have seen from the very beginning of watching SEL being implemented in schools across the US (starting in 2014 with just 8 States to our present day where all 50 States have some sort of SEL implementation plan) is that educators saw the importance of SEL, but didn’t know where to begin, they weren’t sure which program to use, how to integrate the SEL competencies into the curriculum. Following many of the early SEL webinars, I noticed this was a common theme. This is why we launched The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast in June 2019 to gather ideas, strategies and best practices for those interested in learning more about this topic, with easy-to-understand implementation strategies and ideas for our schools and workplaces. The topics we cover on this podcast were going to be an Introduction to SEL Course with a well-known educational publisher, but when this direction changed, I decided to put this content out into the world, for free, to help support educators and those in the workplace.
I had no idea that this podcast would gain a global following, going into 153 countries and approaching 100,000 downloads (over 8K downloads/month) as we noticed that educators and those in the workplace were looking for new ways to sharpen their saw—with these skills that are not new, but are newly important. If this is how educators were feeling as these skills were being implemented into our schools, or employees in their workplaces, I wondered what parents would be thinking and feeling? Does the everyday modern parent know what social and emotional skills are? Since launching the podcast, I have had constant feedback from people around the world how these topics are helping people, whether it’s from Superintendents in our schools running their District, Principals running their school sites, teachers running their classrooms, or parents looking to find new ideas to inspire themselves at work, or with their own children.
As you can see from the topics we cover, these skills (that we have tied the most current brain research) are not just about teaching our next generation to be responsible citizens, or to be respectful. There are 6 competencies that we focus on, based on the research from Casel.org[ii] and implementing these competencies is an important task not only for our students, but also for our teachers. I saw this emerge as a clear hot topic with my interview with Chey and Pav on their Staffroom Podcast[iii] (they are 2 phenomenal educators from Toronto who cover educational topics to improve our next generation of teachers/students) and it became clear that teachers can see the importance of modeling these skills in our classrooms of the future, integrating them into core subject areas, but what do parents think?
That’s what we will explore on today’s episode.
I looked closer at Victoria’s message to me on Twitter, and she reminded me that “as we enter another pandemic year, the results of this first-of-its kind survey will help educators, policymakers and philanthropists gain stronger parental support and better help students navigate this exceptionally challenging time” and my response to her was “how soon can we speak?”
The report, written Adam Tyner, and the Foreword and Executive Summary by Amber Northern and Michael J. Petrill shows 5 key findings that we will dive deep into with our questions starting with the premise that “America’s hard nosed focus on academic achievement in recent decades has not improved schools nearly enough” (page 1 How to Sell SEL” and that the Common Core wars taught us that “mishandling communication about education reforms can derail good intentions.” (page 1 How to Sell SEL) so the Fordham Institute partnered with YouGov, a global public-opinion firm to develop a nationally representative survey of 2,000 parents “to gain greater clarity on what parents of K-12 students think about SEL, how they understand it, whether they see it as more help or hindrance, and whether they have concerns about its implementation.” (page 1, How to Sell SEL)
**** Since there is a political angle to the report, I wanted to mention that I am a new US Citizen (September 2018) and have only voted once (born in Great Britain, grew up in Toronto, Canada, and moved to  AZ, USA a few months before 9/11/01—with a vision to make an impact with education after the Columbine Tragedy—with SEL skills as my motivator).
I’m really interested to dive deep with the report author, data analyst and project manager, Adam Tyner, on the results and findings, to see if we can bring more clarity for educators and parents on the future of SEL in our schools, and demystify these “social and emotional skills” that I have dedicated my life’s work towards, with the hopes that some change occurs in our schools, and communities of the future.
Welcome Adam Tyner, thank you for meeting with me so quickly after the release of this report. I’m sure you can see that I recognize how timely and important this topic is.
Before we get to the questions, and the top findings of your report, I have to ask you “How was your honeymoon?” as I know you’ve just returned!  Congratulations on this new milestone in your life. Life isn’t all about work, or we would all burn out fast, so I think it’s important to recognize and celebrate this time.
Adam, let’s dive into your “How to Sell SEL” Report. I wanted to go through each of the 5 key findings of the report and discuss each one to perhaps bring more clarity around each of the areas you have uncovered as important for parents of K-12 students. How does that sound?
Q1: For Finding #1: There is broad support among parents teaching SEL-related skills in schools, although the term “social and emotional learning” is relatively unpopular. (Page 1)
I looked at figure-1 and see the SEL skills that were measured in the survey, and my first thought was. Are parents clear what social and emotional skills REALLY mean? I looked at the survey questions and the term social and emotional learning was defined as “The process of developing self-awareness, self-control, interpersonal skills, responsible or ethical decision-making and civic awareness.” (page 34)
I mentioned in the backstory that SEL is not just about teaching our next generation how to hold open doors for each other, or to be responsible citizens. These are character traits that I agree need to be taught (and I saw one character trait being measured)—prepare students to be an active and informed citizen. When conducting this survey, I think there were still some grey areas that could use some clarity for parents to grasp the importance of these skills, that Casel.org has proven with their research[iv] to provide an 11-percentile point gain for students who learn and implement these SEL skills.  With this first finding, I wanted to break down the skills that you measured so that parents, educators, and policymakers can see which skills are social and interpersonal, which ones are emotional and the skills that are cognitive. This way, it takes the emphasis off the term “social and emotional skills” that people might have their own cognitive bias with--and look at these skills broken down into these 3 categories, so that we can then see which categories parents place more value on.
 
To break these skills into 3 clear categories, I’ve used a report developed by Hank Resnik for The Aspen Institute called Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: [v] where he  brings clarity to the term “social and emotional learning.” From looking at the 3 categories in Hank Resnik’s report, it looks like parents in your survey
Valued Setting Goals and Working Towards Achieving Them (93%) which is listed as a Cognitive Skill
Approaching Challenges in a Positive Way (91%) which I think would fall under Social and Interpersonal Skills.
Parents next valued students Believe in Themselves and Their Abilities (91%) which I would put under the Emotional category.
Navigate Social Situations (Social-Awareness-Social and Interpersonal)
Respond Ethically (Social-Awareness-Social and Interpersonal)
Prepare to be an Active, Informed Citizen (Social-Awareness-Social and Interpersonal)
Understand, Express and Control Their Emotions (Self-Management-Emotional)
Empathize with the Feelings of Others (Social-Awareness-Social and Interpersonal).
Question 1: To me, when we break down the competencies into these 3 sections (cognitive, social and interpersonal and emotional) it seems like parents put the most value on setting goals and working towards them, which is a cognitive skill, Social and Interpersonal Skills (Mindset, Social Awareness) next, and emotional skills last (empathize with others/stand up for people of different backgrounds). What do you think about these findings? When we put the competencies into clear categories, what do you think about the fact that parents value setting and achieving goals over standing up for people with different backgrounds and empathizing with the feelings of others? If page 11 of the report noted a quote about the importance of our citizens to empathize with others, why did empathy show up last in the first findings, do you think?
Horacio Sanchez, the author of the Poverty Problem--Empathy plays a critical role in reading comprehension. Low empathy, low comprehension.
COGNITIVE SKILLS FIRST 
Setting/Achieving Goals (93%)
SOCIAL AND INTERPERSONAL
MINDSET
SOCIAL-AWARENESS
CHARACTER TRAIT of CITIZENSHIP
SELF-MANAGEMENT-Understand and Manage Emotions (82%)
SOCIAL-AWARENESS-Empathize with the Feelings of Others (81%)
Figure 2: Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development (page 3)
Social and Interpersonal Skills like:
How to navigate social situations
Resolving conflicts
Showing respect towards others
Emotional Skills like:
Recognizing and managing one’s emotions
Empathy: the ability to understand the emotions and perspectives of others
The ability to cope with frustration, disappointments and stress
Finally, there’s Academic or Cognitive Skills, the core skills our brain uses to think, read, remember, reason and pay attention. Skills like:
Focus
Setting goals
Planning and organizing
Perseverance
Problem solving
I have followed Stephanie Jones from Harvard[vi] over the years and her work on SEL Frameworks defines the domains with the three we mentioned (cognitive, social and emotional) in addition to values, perspectives and identity which I think are important to note as well.  
Do you think that values that include character skills, virtues and habits were clear where they fit into the realm of social and emotional learning instruction for parents? I think Values and Character are separate from SEL skills, and Identity/Mindset/Self-efficacy is important, just like your survey shows with the next findings.
Q2: For findings #2: Democratic parents favor schools allocating additional resources to SEL more than Republican parents do. 
Students should be given honest feedback for them to learn from mistakes/grown (which both parties agree on). When I see the discrepancy with students’ SEL needs must be met for them to reach their academic potential (89% for D and 75% for R) it makes me think that R are unclear of what exactly these SEL skills are. If they knew about how CASEL’s research shows that students who studied these SEL competencies show an 11-percentile academic gain, wouldn’t they all agree that students’ SEL needs must be met for them to reach their full potential?
Q3: Across the political spectrum, parents regard families as the most important entities for cultivating SEL yet there are partisan differences regarding how and where to emphasize SEL instruction.
Q3: I wasn’t surprised that the term “Social and Emotional Learning” is less popular than life skills, because going back to our question #1, I don’t think there is clarity around what these skills are.  Every single SEL webinar I attended began with someone giving a framework or clear definition of these skills so that educators began to see them in terms of SEL competencies.
Stephanie Jones from Harvard’s Easel Lab[vii] and her work on SEL Frameworks clearly defines the domains with the three we mentioned (cognitive, social and emotional) in addition to values, perspectives and identity which I think are important to note as well.  
For those who answered the survey and have their own assumption of what these skills are, will choose a term that fits what they think they are, and the problem I see, is that the survey leaves out the research behind these important skills. If we go back to Hank Resnik’s report from the Aspen Institute, life skills correlate closer to cognitive skills, but they leave out the skills that I’ve uncovered in this podcast that 58% of Employers Say Students Aren’t Learning in College.[viii]
with communication being one of them, which is a social and interpersonal skill. Adam, do you think that if Social and Emotional Learning was better defined with your survey, that all 2,000 respondents saw them divided how Hank divided them, with the research attached, and the survey that follows the importance of these skills in the workplace, that the label or term “Social and Emotional Learning” would have a wider acceptance?
Q4: Republicans are somewhat more wary than Democrats that SEL might divert schools away from academics or conflict with their own values.  This has been something I have heard for years, from students, teachers, parents, and from our publishers who wonder how important these SEL competencies are. Do these skills really make an impact on our next generation of students? 
Casel.org’s research says it does. I dive deep into the 5 SEL Competencies and why they are so important on a recent podcast episode #152[ix] with an expert in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Howard Rankin, since the research is clear and shows us that students with strong SEL health “demonstrate self-control, communicate well, problem solve, are empathetic, respectful, grateful, gritty and optimistic.”[x]
“Success in life, and in college and career specifically, relies on student’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. (Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams[xi]) page 4
“Research shows that teaching these skills result in immediate and long-term improvement in academic achievements and are a better predictor of success than academic ability alone.” (Perspectives of Youth on High School and SEL Webinar, Dec. 11/18).[xii]
Were the parents surveyed aware of the research behind SEL impacting academic achievement? What do think of these findings? Saying they are important and instilling them in your own children are 2 completely different things.
Have they ever tried teaching these skills to their own children? I ask this because I’ve been aware of these skills since I saw them impacting a group of teens in the late 1990s, so of course, when my kids were old enough, I had them setting goals until they hit a certain age, and they started rolling their eyes at me when I would say “ok, what do you want to accomplish this year?” The yellow chart paper that used to hang up on their bedroom walls have been replaced with gymnastics trophies, and my girls don’t listen to me anymore…but they listen to their coaches at the gym. I saw that these skills were taught more effectively outside of the home. I can only reinforce these skills, like I do with healthy eating, but they stopped goal setting with me, and would prefer to do that with their coach at the gym.
Q5: Differences by parents’ race, class and religion are rarely as pronounced as differences by political affiliation and parents of different races prefer varying SEL related program names (Developing Grit/Emotional Intelligence/Positive Youth Development/Character Education).
For thing angle, I consulted with my good friend Horacio Sanchez, the author of The Poverty Problem, since our conversation on the podcast covered race and religion, and when I don’t know something, I like to ask others to gain a different perspective and he said to me “When non-political issues are politicized, it often stems from how its being portrayed and being informed” and asked “do you think the political debate concerning SEL is related to the lack of understanding of what it is?”
What do you think?
DIVING DEEPER INTO WHAT PARENTS THINK AND FEEL ABOUT SEL:
Andrea and Adams discuss these comments about the view of parents/SEL.
“Confidence is built by doing”  Andrea discusses with Adam that these skills can translate cross-curricular (math/confidence) blasting through a math problem, building confidence, but have a discussion about it so that it’s not missed that it was perseverance and persistence that helped the student to solve the problem.
Parents need to teach and reinforce SEL with their kids. Yes, we all must teach and reinforce these skills. Home/schools/sports. There are many skills I cannot teach my children (even though I have tried) but they learn them through their coaches through sport. It’s takes a village.
We must know how these skills translate back towards our academics, and think deeper about what improves our mathematical skills. (Dr. Ratey’s[xiii] work- Naperville’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) where they scored #1 in science and #6 in math, in the world, proving that there was something unique that Naperville had discovered with correlation of exercise and academic achievement).
Navigating relationships is important (which is why it’s one of Casel’s 5 competencies) and being mindful of behavior and consequences (brings us back to neuroscience and the brain with executive functions/thinking).
This is why teachers must be trained in trauma-informed practices and understand how the brain works. Horacio Sanchez[xiv] Dr. Bruce Perry (What Happened to You Book) and Dr. Lori Desautels[xv] all teach how the brain impacts learning.
Adam, I want to thank you very much for your time today, discussing something that I know we both agree is important to unpack a bit more.
What are your final thoughts?
For those who want to learn more about the report, what is the best way to access it? https://sel.fordhaminstitute.org/ 
Thank you!
 
REFERENCES:
[i] https://fordhaminstitute.org/tags/washington-dc
[ii] https://casel.org/sel-framework/
[iii] Chey and Pav Speak to Andrea Samadi about Social and Emotional Learning in our Schools https://open.spotify.com/episode/0IaXGeegsY2d3Y23WmCgRa?go=1&utm_source=embed_v3&t=0&nd=1
[iv] https://casel.org/research/
[v]Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams by Hank Resnik March 2019  https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/UPDATED-FINAL-Aspen_Integrating-Report_4_Single.pdf
[vi] https://easel.gse.harvard.edu/people/stephanie-m-jones
[vii] https://easel.gse.harvard.edu/people/stephanie-m-jones
[viii]Employers Say Students Aren’t Learning Soft Skills in College by Dana Wilkie October 21, 2019 https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/employers-say-students-arent-learning-soft-skills-in-college.aspx
[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #152 with Dr. Howard Rankin and Andrea Samadi  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expert-in-psychology-cognitive-neuroscience-and-neurotechnology-howard-rankin-phdinterviews-andrea-samadi/
[x] SEL: The Why and Hows of Implementation in a School District (Edweb) https://home.edweb.net/webinar/sel20190404/  (April 4, 2019)
[xi] Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development: An Action Guide for School Leadership Teams by Hank Resnik (March 2019) https://education-first.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/UPDATED-FINAL-Aspen_Integrating-Report_4_Single.pdf
[xii] Report By Civic with Hart Research Associates Jennifer L. DePaoli, Matthew N. Atwell, John M. Bridgeland & Timothy P. Shriver
Respected: Perspectives of Youth on High School & Social and Emotional Learning  https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Respected.pdf  CASEL WEBINAR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Nsr7ELsNQ
[xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #116 with Dr. John Ratey  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/
[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  #74 with Horacio Sanchez https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/leading-brain-science-and-resiliency-expert-horatio-sanchez-on-how-to-apply-brain-science-to-improve-instruction-and-school-climate/
[xv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desautels  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/

Author and Film Producer Tom Cronin on "The Portal Book and Movie: How Meditation Can Save The World"

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for episode #154 with someone who travels globally presenting about something we all need to learn how to experience in today’s world--- author of 6 books and the co-creator of the Portal Film/book experience, where he teaches about the power in the stillness and the science behind the stillness—Tom Cronin, also known as The King of Calm.[i]
Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/veUZ-C5REl4
Learn more about Tom Cronin here https://www.tomcronin.com/
See past episodes of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
On this episode, you will learn:
✔︎ How Tom Cronin, from Australia, overcame a nervous breakdown by starting a meditation practice, inspiring him to share his story others with The Portal Film and Book.
✔︎ A Deep Dive into the Top 4 Meditation Styles (Concentration, Contemplation, Chanting and Transcendental).
✔︎ Tom’s thoughts on The Plane of Possibility and How to Create Something Out of Nothing.
✔︎ Why meditation is an important and timely topic to change the world during these high-stress and anxiety times.
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
Our guest this week, Tom Cronin[ii] spent 26 years in finance, as one of Sydney Australia’s leading bond and swap brokers. He discovered meditation in the early stages of his career when anxiety and chaos he was experiencing due to stress and poor lifestyle choices led him to a breakdown. He came across meditation, and it completely transformed his life—both personally and professionally.
Today Tom is passionate about reducing stress and chaos in people’s lives and his mission is to inspire 7 billion people to meditate daily through his Stillness Project that aims to transform and teach people the power of stillness and calm through the power of deep meditation and coaching. His work in transformational leadership and cultivating inner peace takes him around the world as a speaker, presenting keynotes, hosting retreats and teaching.
Tom has appeared on national TV, and featured in Vogue, Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, Business Review and many other media outlets.
When I first was introduced to Tom Cronin, and looked up his work with The Stillness Project, I knew he was someone I needed to speak with and immediately recognized how important and powerful his mission is. Especially in today’s times. We have featured some speakers on the podcast who have explained meditation, and how to begin, with episode #25[iii] with Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Changes Your Life” and episode #28[iv] with Dr. Daniel J Siegel took us a bit deeper with his episode on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence.” I’m excited to dive even deeper into the power of meditation, exploring what we can all expect with our practice, and where and how to begin, at a time when we could all use stillness, calm and peace in our lives.
“When life is built on the stillness of being, it becomes an effortless flow.” –Tom Cronin
Let’s meet Tom Cronin!
Welcome Tom Cronin, thank you for meeting with me today—all the way from Australia! It’s incredible to speak directly with The King of Calm-just what I need today.
INTRO: Tom, before we get to the questions to dive deeper into The Stillness Project, and your Movie and Book The Portal, can you share what even brought you to start looking at meditation in the first place? Especially since it’s been challenging times for many people all over the world, and times where stress is at an all-time high, along with anxiety and depression. Can you share what happened to you that made you decide there has to be a better way, leading you to the work you are doing today and a healthier outlook on life?
Q1: I watched a few of your podcast interviews and will link them in the show notes, so listeners can go back and listen to you dive deep into the best way to begin a meditation practice, that you cover on your interview with Brian Scott[v] but I did love how took a deeper dive into the Top 4 meditation styles for people who might want to begin, and they aren’t sure of the best entry point? For these Top 4 meditation styles, can we start with what I think I know about them, and you expand them a bit?
Concentration: I was looking for ideas to improve my focus and concentration in the late 1990s when I first began studying with Bob Proctor. I came across an exercise with a candle to improve meditation, focus, concentration, and even use the mind to change colors.
Contemplation: Guided Meditation- I began using these types of meditation with John Assaraf’s Winning the Game of Money (wealth consciousness) and Business Programs (business mindset). These types of guided meditation are to help us to improve our mindset in a certain area?
Chanting: Andrew Newburg (professor and director of research from the from the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health) EPISODE #88[vi] talked about the power of the Kirtan Kriya Meditation[vii] (that I have not done, but his books swear by this technique for even the toughest guys he’s ever seen) and when I worked with Bob Proctor in the seminar industry, I was given a card with a Buddhist chant written on it from someone I would consider to be highly influential, who shanded me this card and said “Say this every day and watch your life change in front of your eyes.” That card has gone everywhere I go for over 20 years now. I didn’t have any training on what this chant was supposed to do, but I said it for years…what is the purpose behind chanting to improve focus/mindset or our results?
Transcendental: I think Dawson Church’s Bliss Brain Meditations from EPISODE #98[viii] fall into this category but I would like to learn more from you on this. I know you talk about this style of meditation leading someone to pure joy and bliss. I haven’t stopped listening to Dawson Church’s[ix] meditations since I interviewed him last December. They are all focused on finding peace, joy and happiness. How would you describe this type of meditation?
Q2: After I interviewed Dr. Daniel Siegel, when we first launched this podcast, I did a deep dive into the Science Behind the Benefits of a Meditation Practice, since Dr. Siegel highlighted so many of the proven health, wellness, and even anti-aging benefits of meditating on episode #60.[x] There is one concept that I think I’m still learning, and you covered it on the podcast I listened to with you and Brian Scott, but I wonder if you can go a bit deeper into explaining this. I have put an image in the show notes of what Dr. Siegel would call the “3 P Diagram with State of Mind” that I think is that plane of possibility that we enter during meditation where all possibilities open up. Not to say that everyone gets to this place on day 1 of meditating, but for those looking to solve problems, or gather insight about their life, can you explain some things you have learned about accessing this plane of possibility and what some people might have discovered here?
Q3: I loved hearing that you were inspired by the movie, The Secret[xi], to produce your own movie on meditation. I mention that I did begin my journey with Bob Proctor[xii] in the late 1990s and many of the Secret teachers over the years have inspired the work that I am doing today. From what I have seen with The Portal Movie[xiii] and Book with the trailer is that what you have created is equally as inspiring and life changing as the movie The Secret. How do you see this moving changing the world, helping people to find more happiness and joy and calm their minds in these challenging times?
Q3B: How can someone watch The Portal Movie? https://entertheportal.com/
Q4: What are some of the other programs and services you offer through your website?
Q5: Is there anything important that you think I have missed?
Thank you very much for speaking with me today, Tom. If someone wants to learn more about Tom Cronin, visit his website  https://www.tomcronin.com/  or https://entertheportal.com/ 
Thank you!
 
RESOURCES:
Andrea Samadi’s First Book The Secret for Teens Revealed was also inspired by the movie, The Secret, published in 2008.  https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1604940336
https://awakeandmindful.com/how-to-do-a-candle-gazing-meditation-trataka/
REFERENCES:
[i] https://stillnessproject.com/about/
[ii] https://www.tomcronin.com/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #25 with Mick Neustadt on “How Meditation and Mindfulness Changes Your Life” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mindfulness-and-meditation-expert-mick-neustadt-on-how-meditation-and-mindfulness-changes-your-life-results-and-potential/
[iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence.”
https://www.achieveit360.com/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/
[v] Brian Scott Interviews Tom Cronin, The Founder of The Stillness Project on “How Meditation Can Save the World” Published August 13th, 2020 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYT8-mcBFoc
[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #88 with Dr. Andrew Newberg on “Neurotheology, Spect Scans and the Aging Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/neuroscientist-andrew-newberg-md-on-neurotheology-spect-scans-and-the-aging-brain/
[vii] Kirtan Kriya Meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKEAiwrgeY
[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #98 with Dawson Church on “The Science Behind Using Meditation: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-dawson-church-on-the-science-behind-using-meditation-rewiring-your-brain-for-happiness-resilience-and-joy/
[ix] https://blissbrainbook.com/
[x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice: Daniel Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/
[xi] The Secret by Rhonda Byrne https://www.netflix.com/title/70063484
Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #66 with Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it All Began”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/
[xiii] https://entertheportal.com/

Mark Herschberg on "The Career Toolkit Book: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You"

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for episode #153 with Mark Herschberg[i], the author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You.
Watch this interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/ifPsPNT36WE
Learn more about Mark Herschberg and his Career Toolkit Book here https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/ 
See past episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/ 
I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, sports, and the workplace with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.
Our guest for this week, Mark Herschberg, who has spent his career identifying and studying the skill gap that exists for what he calls firm skills, including networking, negotiating, communicating, leading, and career planning. We tend to think of many of these as situational skills, but Herschberg says they are really life skills — none of which are formally taught in school. We have been talking about these skills since the launch of this podcast 2 years ago. We call them social and emotional skills as they are known in our schools emotional intelligence skills in the workplace.
I’m extremely interested in speaking to Mark about the gaps that he sees with these skills since a recent survey that I saw and mention often showed that 58% of employers say college graduates aren’t adequately prepared for today’s workforce, and those employers noted a particular gap in social and emotional skills. Students who learn to master these important skills will get ahead faster with less effort and frustration than those who lack these skills.
We have spoken a lot about the social and interpersonal skills, emotional and cognitive skills where there is a clear gap on this podcast. These skills do translate into the workplace to help students prepare for life after high school, into college, career and beyond.
Just to recap, there are five distinct components of Emotional Intelligence that are important in the workplace:
Self-awareness: This is important in the workplace because you need to know yourself first before you can help others with your product or service.
Self-regulation: There will be many times in the day where you will be tested and to be able to manage your emotions under pressure is very important.
Internal (or intrinsic) motivation: What is motivating you to get up and serve each day?
Empathy: is an important skill to have to connect with others. You must be able to see the world through someone else’s eyes.
Social skills: are important from ordering your lunch in a restaurant, to picking up your rental car and dealing with the front desk employees in the hotel you are staying at.
If students do not learn these skills at an early age, they will struggle with their life and future career. Whatever model or SEL competency a school uses, whether it’s the Casel 5 competencies[ii] that we have modelled our work after, or something similar that Renee Adams explained in EPISODE #151[iii] with the Goleman Emotional Intelligence Training Model, the idea is that we prepare our next generation of students to thrive in this ever-changing world and that we as adults are modelling these skills.
Before we meet Mark, I want to share a bit more about the work he has been doing the past few decades, as there is always so much more to someone than meets the eye with the books they write, or their career path.
Mark is the author of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. Educated at MIT, Mark has spent his career launching and fixing new ventures at startups, Fortune 500s, and academia. He’s developed new software languages, online marketplaces, new authentication systems, and tracked criminals and terrorists on the dark web. I must ask him something about what he learned here, since my husband spends a lot of his spare time with his volunteer work with our local Sheriff’s Posse. Mark helped create the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, MIT’s “Career Success Accelerator”, where he’s taught for twenty years.
Let’s meet Mark Herschberg!
Welcome Mark, I was so grateful that Howard Rankin introduced us after he interviewed you on his podcast. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about what you have been focused on for the past few decades, that really is what my podcast has been centered around. Welcome!
Intro Question: Mark, as much as I want to go straight to asking you questions about The Career Toolkit, I can’t ignore one part of your BIO, especially as my husband spends so much of his time working in law enforcement with the volunteer work he does with AZ’s Maricopa Sheriff’s Posse Program. What did you learn from tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web that you have applied to helping people with their career? Maybe how to stay busy and away from criminal activity?
Q1: We launched this podcast with the goal of helping educators to understand and implement social and emotional learning skills in our schools, with a focus on emotional intelligence skills for those in the workplace and I have been quoting a study that said 58% of employers say college graduates aren’t adequately prepared for today’s workforce, and those employers noted a particular gap in social and emotional skills and that “3 out of 4 employers say they have a hard time finding graduates with the soft skills their companies need.”[iv] What did you hear when you were at MIT[v] about these “missing skills” across the US and Internationally that inspired you to write The Career Toolkit Book?
Q2: As I am researching the top soft skills that are missing in the corporate world, (since I do get asked this all the time—why are the SEL skills that are being taught in our schools not transferring to our corporate space). I did see a PDF that Shrm.org released mentioning the Top 3 soft skills that are lacking are problem solving, critical thinking, innovation, and creativity (which I would agree to be lacking everywhere I have ever worked which is why I left the corporate world, tired of having a vision that no one else could see), the ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity (since the brain doesn’t like incompleteness or conflict)[vi] and communication. After 20 years of working directly with these missing skills, how would you list them, what other skills are missing, and let’s even pinpoint this down more, what would you say people are missing with something as important as Networking that will not set them up for the life-long ability to ask someone for help with whatever it is they might need, 3, 5 or 10 years down the line? I ask this with the vision to continue to produce content that reinforces the needed skills in the K-12 school market.
Image Source: The Global Skills Shortage PDF[vii]
Q3: As I was reading through your website, I saw an incredible number of FREE resources[viii] that I think are valuable and important for anyone to download in addition to The Career Toolkit Book. When I’m looking through social media these days, I can’t escape posts that are focused on “Finding Your Purpose” or even thinking about Simon Sinek’s Start With Why[ix] because this really should be the starting place when thinking about our Career Path (pick a career with meaning so you don’t mind waking up every day and spending all day working in this field. It might seem like going back to the basics, but as you say, this isn’t taught anywhere, and no one wants to wake up one day and realize they are on the wrong path with their career, and if they do, they need to pivot.  For companies who have bought your book to improve their team’s personal and professional effectiveness, what are some examples or case studies of those who have had outstanding results? Have you ever heard of people studying your work and it wakes them up to switching to an entirely new career?
Q4: Everyone loves the “Cliff Notes” version of a book to simplify the ideas you teach. I saw you have a SYNOPSIS[x] page on your website that takes someone through the 3 sections of the book (Career, Leadership and Management, and Interpersonal Dynamics) after some important chapters—Career Plan, Working Effectively and Interviewing. I have so many questions that would dig deep into each area but wanted to ask you to drill down more on Interviewing Skills, since anyone in a management position must interview candidates to fill their empty slots, but it can be extremely difficulty finding the right candidate. What are some tips/strategies that you think are crucial for a “trained” interviewer to consider when looking for their ideal candidate, so they avoid that dreaded experience of getting to the end of the hiring process and they must start over again because they weren’t able to identify the right candidate?
Q4B: What services do you offer?
Q5: I love The Career Toolkit App[xi] because it’s always fun to have tips and ideas on your phone, to put the new strategies we are working on at the forefront of our mind.  I downloaded the app and wonder what do you want users to think about, learn and take away from using this app?
5B: Can you explain the 3 parts of the book? (Career, Leadership and Management, and Interpersonal Dynamics)
Q6: Something that has come up a few times on the podcast as I’m talking to people about the post-pandemic workplace, many companies have gone through some sort of change (either in management) or even a whole new restructuring. During times of change, what would you suggest people focus on to keep moving forward, rather than get stuck in resistance of thinking they liked the old way better, or their old manager did things this way?
Q7: I know that you see how we’ve arrived at this place where these skills were missing in the corporate place, since they have not been important in our schools in the past, but they are gaining importance and making their way into the Corporate World. What would you say would be a model Corporate Workplace, using the skills and strategies in your book, and preparing the next generation of employees for a successful future career?
Q8: Is there anything important that I have missed?
Thank you very much Mark for your time today, to share these important resources with listeners.  I will put the links to connect with you in the show notes, but other than buying the book, what other programs and training do you offer?
Thank you!
Social Media and Follow Mark
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hershey/
https://twitter.com/CareerToolkitBk                                     @CareerToolkitBk
https://www.facebook.com/TheCareerToolkitBook              @TheCareerToolkitBook
https://www.instagram.com/thecareertoolkit/                       @thecareertoolkit
RESOURCES:
https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/resources
Career Toolkit App https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/app
Paul Ekman’s Work Inspired a TV Series https://www.paulekman.com/projects/lie-to-me/
Deborah Tannen Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work   http://www.deborahtannen.com/talking-from-9-to-5
REFERENCES:
[i] https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/
[ii] https://casel.org/core-competencies/
[iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #151 with Renee Adams on “Developing Emotional Intelligence Skills Early to Guarantee Future Success” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/goleman-certified-emotional-intelligence-coach-renee-adams-on-developing-ei-skills-early-to-guarantee-future-success/
[iv] Employers Say Students Aren’t Learning Soft Skills in College by Dana Wilkie October 21, 2019 https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/employers-say-students-arent-learning-soft-skills-in-college.aspx
[v] https://www.mit.edu/
[vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #44 12 Mind-Boggling Discoveries About the Brain  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/andrea-samadis-12-mind-boggling-discoveries-about-the-brain/
[vii] The Global Skills Shortage: Bridging the Talent Gap with Education, Training and Sourcing  PDF by Shrm.org  https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/documents/shrm%20skills%20gap%202019.pdf
[viii] https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/resources#guides
[ix] Simon Sinek “Start With Why” https://simonsinek.com/product/start-with-why/
[x] https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/synopsis
[xi] https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/app