Podcasts about bosnick

Welcome to Season 13 of Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning. Join Andrea Samadi as she wraps up a year-long exploration of Grant Bosnick's book on self-leadership, diving into the final chapters focused on the neuroscience of resilience, authenticity, and bias. Discover practical strategies and insights from the latest neuroscience research to enhance your self-awareness, build authentic relationships, and overcome biases for personal growth and improved well-being. Don't miss this final installment filled with expert knowledge and actionable steps to transform your daily life. And we will now resume PART 4, the final part of our review, to sum up last year, 2024, and our entire year studying one book, Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year. We began with PART 1[ii] and the first 5 chapters of the book. PART 2[iii] we reviewed chapters 6-9 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, PART 3[iv], we reviewed chapters 10-13, and finally, today, we will finish with PART 4, Chapters 14-16.                                                                                         ((On today's EPISODE #360 PART 4 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we will cover)): ✔ EP 344 Chapter 14[v] “The Neuroscience of Resilience” ✔ EP 345 Chapter 15[vi] “Unlocking Authenticity: The Neuroscience of Relationships” ✔ EP 347 Chapter 16[vii] “The Science of Bias” If you have not yet taken the leadership self-assessment, or if you would like to re-take it to see if the results are different for you than last year, you can click the link here to find the quick test. I re-took the assessment for 2025, and did notice some similarities and some differences from last year. If you can, retake the assessment and see what you notice about yourself. I noticed that pathways 2 and 3 are my high areas of focus this year, and that I can drop pathway 6 from my focus. What about you? If you have a few minutes to spare, take this leadership self-assessment again, and see if you notice any changes in your areas of focus for 2025. This is an incredible way to remain laser focused on pathways that will move the needle of success for YOU this year. EP 344 Chapter 14 “The Neuroscience of Resilience: Building Stronger Minds and Teams” If you were to ask me which episode is my favorite out of the 16 chapters, I would have to say this topic is at the top of the list, even though this pathway came out as a 0% for me to focus on in 2025. It's not because I'll be brushing resilience under the rug this year, as it's an area of focus I work on daily, without even thinking about it. Who doesn't want to become more resilient, or understand how to build a stronger mind, and then translate this strength to others for predictable results in 2025? What drew me to this episode was learning about the fascinating new neuroscience behind the part of our brain called the anterior mid cingulate cortex that becomes bigger when we use our will power to do those things we just don't want to do. Scientists believe this ability to use our will power to do difficult things, which builds our resiliency, is what's really behind the will to live. Stop and think for a minute here. Does this resonate with you? If you enjoy doing difficult things, and you would describe yourself as being “resilient” doesn't it make your mind spin to think that you are actually building a bigger, and stronger brain with this trait? Dr. Amen from Amen Clinics does remind us that when it comes to our brain, that bigger is better and that “a larger, more active brain is associated with better cognitive performance and overall well-being.”[viii] On this episode we also covered: A review of EP 74 and 286 where we covered the Neuroscience of Resilience with Horacio Sanchez's work reminding us that our protective or risk factors in our lifetime, will determine how resilient we will be throughout our life. While 25% of the population are naturally resilient, Horacio asserts that “if you have little risk, it takes less to be resilient. But—if you have a lot of risk, it takes a lot more protective factors to offset the scale.” Horacio has dedicated his life to helping our next generation become more resilient. If you love Horacio Sanchez's work as much as I do, stay tuned, as we will be featuring him soon with his new book, Unlocking School Bias: Using Neuroscience to Improve Student Outcomes[ix]. Stay tuned for this episode that will be scheduled as soon as I finish reading his book. Next we looked at Grant Bosnick's book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership (Chapter 14) where he gave us the analogy of the donkey who fell into the well, and demonstrated resiliency when he used the dirt shoveled on him, to climb out. This example taught us that we all will have dirt shoveled on our backs in our life, and “that we can either get buried in the dirt or shake it off and take a step up. Each adversity we face is a stepping stone, and we can get out of the deepest wells by shaking off the dirt and taking a step up.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 160). Another analogy we learned was through the mother and daughter story, and that when adversity faces you, Bosnick asks us to reflect. “Are you the carrot that seems strong but with pain and adversity (wilted) and became soft, losing its strength? Are you the egg that starts with a soft heart, but hardens with the heat? Or are you like the coffee bean that actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that (brought) the pain?” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 161). I'm hoping that we all desire to experience change with the adversity we face, like the coffee bean and use our difficult experiences in life to build a better, and stronger version of ourselves. After learning about building resiliency in ourselves, we learned about building resiliency within our teams, and looked at Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Then we learned to turn this around, using the five functions of a high performing team: trust, absence of fear of conflict, commitment, accountability and attention to results.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 170). Finally, we looked at how we develop resiliency, using our Will Power from EP 294 where I shared an activity to strengthen this faculty of our mind either through meditation, or with an activity of staring at a candle flame, and with time, effort and sheer will power, blocking out everything else around you, until you and the candle flame become one. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 345 Chapter 15 on “Unlocking Authenticity: The Neuroscience of Relationships“ we covered:  ✔ Author Mo Issa's definition of authenticity from his book The Shift: How to Awaken the Aliveness from Within. We met Mo Issa on EP 346[x]) We learned that Mo believes that “true authenticity means being ourselves—not an imitation of what we think we should be or what others want us to be. We all have a unique gift, and we must find and nurture it.” (Mo Issa, The Shift). ✔ Andrea's reflection from 2021 when Mo Issa asked her “what does authenticity mean to you?” What's authentic for me—it's living life according to my values. Living who I am by design. If I'm not putting health first, (for myself and my family) or learning, growing, researching, and then disseminating/sharing what I've learned, I'm not living my true authentic self. It will hurt my productivity if I compromise who I am, at this granular level. ✔ We ask the reader to consider: What makes YOU authentic? ✔ How do you know when you are living a truly authentic life? ✔ Have you identified your unique gifts or talents that make you stand out from others? ✔ Do you know what might be holding you back from being truly authentic? ✔ The Neuroscience of Our Social Brain “We have two systems in our brain: the X-system and the C-system. The X-system (or reflexive system) is automatic, responsive, like/dislike, reward/threat. The C-system (or reflective system) is controlled, conscious, with executive function and executive control.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). Motivation and effort are required to engage this part of the brain. The story of Phineas Gage who destroyed the C-system, in his brain and was operating on X-system only. In other words he had no control over his automatic, reflexive system, and his behavior became unbearable as a result. The C-system, (that requires motivation and effort to activate) we learned, is important for self-reflection and understanding self/other. We know this part of our brain as the Default Mode Network[xvi], and the part of our brain where we take breaks for creativity, thinking and learning to occur. “When the brain is at a resting state, this specific system kicks in, which is focused around social understanding (thinking about yourself, others' thoughts, others' actions etc.).” We learned to get into this resting state by “staring out of a window and do nothing (except reflecting on what else we can do to improve our relationships) and this knowledge that we uncover will help us to build more authentic relationships. We learned to slow down the conversation with people, truly listen to them empathetically and be fully present with them. This will build the relationship to be deeper…go slow with the conversation and communication in order to go fast with the depth of the relationship.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). ✔ 4 Steps to Building More Authentic Relationships Think of a person in your business, or personal life, that you would like to build a more authentic relationship with. Get to know them on a deeper level. How would you describe them? Are they introverted/extroverted? How do they approach authenticity and relationships? Let your brain go into your Default Mode Network. Stare out of a window and think: what could you do to build a more authentic relationship with each of the people you are thinking of? How can you go slow with your conversation to go fast with the depth of the relationship? And finally, we looked at the quote from Mo Issa that suggests that once we have done the work ourselves, and know what makes us truly authentic, once we know our own unique gifts and talents, and we continue to nurture and grow them, next, we can look outward, and recognize the unique talents and gifts in others. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH Finally, we covered EP 347 Chapter 16 “The Science of Bias“  where we ✔ Reviewed past episodes where we covered this topic of cognitive biases. ✔ Chapter 16 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership on The Neuroscience of Bias. ✔ A review of our two types of thinking (X-system=reflexive/automatic and C-system=reflective/intentional). ✔ 3 Steps to Understand and Manage our Biases from Grant Bosnick's book: Accept and admit we are all biased. It's a natural part of being human. The exercise from Daniel Kahnaman's book showed me how quickly I reverted back to system x, reflexive, automatic thinking. This self-awareness has helped me to consider where else I make quick judgments, without thinking reflectively. Label the Bias. While Bosnick covered three examples, similarity bias (making quick conclusions about people similar to you), urgency bias (where we put non-urgent tasks on hold to push through to do something that requires our immediate attention), or experience bias (where we believe our perception is the truth and that others who see things differently from us are wrong, knowing there are close to 200 different biases, it's a start to be aware that our thinking could possibly be flawed. Mitigate the Bias. We aren't going to solve all of our biases at once, but once we are aware that's it's human to have them, we can begin with looking at strategies to mitigate each. I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the neuroscience of Biases with Horacio Sanchez's new book. Stay tuned for this interview coming this Spring. ✔ 4 Strategies for Mitigating our Biases SLOW DOWN: Bosnick goes into detail on how to mitigate the top three biases that he listed. The strategy that he used was to step back, slow down and access your Systems 2 reflective thinking to see what you notice. The maze exercise showed me I could benefit from slowing down my thinking and not jump to conclusions. BE MINDFUL: When talking to others, work on “engaging our System 2 (reflective) thinking…the more mindful we are, the more we can engage our mental brakes, increase self-awareness, reduce emotional impulses, and reduce our susceptibility to unconscious bias.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 212). Being mindful of others will help us to learn to appreciate different perspectives, as well, other people will connect more to us when they can sense we are thinking from their point of view. LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE: Talk to others so you can learn “how to get out of our own experience bias and appreciate other people's perspectives. This will help us to get out of our autopilot, easy route thinking of the urgency bias to have deeper, more robust and deliberate thinking.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 212). ASK FOR OUTSIDE OPINIONS: Find others you can brainstorm with to come up with fresh ideas to help you to think in a different way. Ask for feedback to gain a new perspective. This is just the beginning of this topic for us here on the podcast. While writing this episode, I had a message from our good friend Horacio Sanchez, third time returning guest from EP 111[vi] and we will have him back on for a 4th time, to dive deeper into this topic. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH REVIEW and CONCLUSION: To review and conclude this week's episode #360, PART 4, our final piece of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, where we covered a review of the final chapters of his book, with strategies that can help us to implement each concept, from chapters 14, 15, and 16. EPISODE #360 PART 4 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we covered: ✔ EP 344 Chapter 14 “The Neuroscience of Resilience” ✔ EP 345 Chapter 15 “Unlocking Authenticity: The Neuroscience of Relationships” ✔ EP 347 Chapter 16 “The Science of Bias” We will see you next time, with some returning guests, Dr. Sui Wong (coming up in April) and Horacio Sanchez. See you next time. REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #355 Mastering Self-Leadership REVIEW PART 1 (Grant Bosnick) https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-self-leadership-with-neuroscience/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #356 Mastering Self-Leadership REVIEW PART 2 (Grant Bosnick)https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-the-secrets-of-self-leadership-chapters-6-to-9-review/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #357 Mastering Self-Leadership REVIEW PART 3 (Grant Bosnick) https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-the-power-of-persuasion-time-management-and-change/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #344 “The Neuroscience of Resilience”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-resilience-building-stronger-minds-and-teams/   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #345  “ Unlocking Authenticity” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-authenticity-the-neuroscience-of-relationships/   [vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #347 “The Science of Bias”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-the-science-of-bias-mastering-self-leadership-and-cognitive-awareness/   [viii] https://www.amenclinics.com/conditions/brain-optimization-peak-performance/   [ix]Unlocking School Bias: Using Neuroscience to Improve Student Outcomes by Horacio Sanchez published Feb. 12th 2025 by Corwin Press https://www.corwin.com/books/unlocking-bias-292586   [x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #346 with “Mo Issa: The Midlife Shift: Discovering Authenticity and Vulnerability”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-midlife-shift-discovering-authenticity-and-vulnerability-with-mo-issa/  

Welcome back to Season 13 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast! In this episode, we explore Part 3 of our review of Grant Bosnick's book on self-leadership, focusing on Chapters 10 to 13. Discover how the latest neuroscience research can enhance your skills in persuasion, time management, change, and agility. Dive deep into the nuances of persuasion and influence, learn effective time management techniques, understand the brain's response to change, and enhance your mental and physical agility. Join us as we uncover insightful strategies to apply in your leadership journey. And we will now resume PART 3 of our 4-PART review, to sum up last year, 2024, and our entire year studying one book, Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year. We began with PART 1[ii] and the first 5 chapters of the book. PART 2[iii] we reviewed chapters 6-9 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, and today, PART 3, today, we will review chapters 10-13. We will finish with PART 4, Chapters 14-16 after we release our FIRST interview of 2025, coming next weekend.                                                                                  ((On today's EPISODE #357 PART 3 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we will cover)): ✔ EP 336 Chapter 10[iv]“The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence” ✔ EP 337 Chapter 11[v] “The Neuroscience of Time Management” ✔ EP 339 Chapter 12[vi] “The Neuroscience of Change” ✔ EP 342 Chapter 13[vii]    “Mastering Mental and Physical Agility” If you have not yet taken the leadership self-assessment, or if you would like to re-take it to see if the results are different for you than last year, you can click the link here to find the quick test. I re-took the assessment for 2025, and did notice some similarities and some differences. See what you notice about yourself. I noticed that pathways 2 and 3 are my high areas of focus this year, and that I can drop pathway 6 from my focus. What about you? If you have a few minutes to spare, take this leadership self-assessment again, and see if you notice any changes in your areas of focus for 2025. Did any of your pathways shift for you, since last year? This is an incredible way to be laser focused on pathways that will move the needle of success for YOU this year. ✔ EP 336 Chapter 10 “The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence” On this episode, we looked at Jack Carew's classic book from 1987 called You'll Never Get No For an Answer that was covered on EP 176.[viii] Carew looked at the unique strategies that American Author and Salesman Og Mandino encouraged us all to read to improve our communication and influence with others and I noticed that Strategy 2 was to stop looking out for number one and always look for how you can help others first. So, after noticing this, I went straight to Chapter 10 of Grant Bosnick's book, on “Persuade and Influence” to see what he had to say on this topic. Right off the bat, in the opening of this chapter, Bosnick asks us to think about how we would persuade someone else to do something, like give you a pen you would like to have, for example, or ask for a promotion, or ask someone to do something you would like them to do. Then he differentiates the word persuade that he says “we can think of as quick, more direct, more for short-term or immediate gain” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership) while influence he says “is softer, more subtle, much more for longer term and lasting gain.” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership) Persuasion Bosnick says is “more tactical, whereas influence is strategic.”  He gives us the history of persuasion, explaining its origin from the early Greek Philosophers, and that Aristotle wrote about three modes of persuasion: logos (that's about logic and reason), pathos (that's about emotion and inspiration) and ethos (that's about the speaker's own character and credibility). Thinking of Jack Carew's second tip in his book to improve our influence with others (by putting other people first) I think is a good example of a strategy that builds this concept for long-lasting gain (influence) versus persuading someone to give me something that I need for short-term, or immediate gain (like, to pass me their pen, so I can write down something important that I'll need to remember).  I want to build influence with others, that's long-term, that I think includes logic and reason (logos), emotion and inspiration (pathos) and a person's character and credibility (ethos). All 3 of the modes of persuasion, to me, make up longer term influence with someone. We learned on this episode that “There are 6 short cuts to increase the chances that someone will be persuaded or even better, influenced by us” (Robert Cialdini) We covered the first three is Robert Cialdini's book: 1. Reciprocity: We are obliged to give back, if we have been given something. Use the neuroscience of influence and persuasion, and think of ways to help others first, instead of thinking what you can gain from other people, think of what you can give to them. Always be the first to give and take the time to make sure what you are giving is actually useful to that person. This way, what you will give will have meaning to that person. 2. Scarcity. If something is scarce, we want it more. Use this by highlighting the Benefits, Uniqueness and Possible sense of Loss. Take the time to find out how what you are offering to someone else, will help them. You will need to find out what they are looking for to do this, by asking questions, and listening. Then you can “frame what you are saying/offering, so others will find it to be valuable”[ix] especially if it is something that is difficult to come by, or scarce. 3. Authority. We are more likely to comply with a request if it is coming from a perceived authority/expert. Being introduced by others FIRST is a fast way to have others learn about your expertise, making you instantly more influential and persuasive, rather than you introducing yourself. My take-away from this episode: If I want to improve my influence, it begins with understanding the wants and needs of others first (how can I help them) and then being able to say what I mean, and mean what I say. The words I speak do matter when I'm working on gaining influence.  If I'm speaking with someone, and not being completely honest, or not meaning what I say, I know that this can be felt by the other person, and it will hurt my ability to gain trust, rapport and influence. Our brains really can detect “benefits and threats”[x] and I want to be sure that I'm drawing those I want to interact with towards me, not away from me. Once I have gained influence with someone I am speaking with, then I can take my persuasion skills to the next level, and we can begin to work together on our common goals. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH ✔ EP 337 Chapter 11 “The Neuroscience Behind Effective Time Management” This topic we covered early on our podcast, with a video from author Kent Healy, who wrote Success Principles for Teens[xi] that he co-authored with Jack Canfield. Kent created a video for me (many years ago) that we used with students in the classroom, and I featured this video on EP 33[iv] of our podcast that was called “Time Management, the Greatest Asset We Have” and Kent gives a perspective to the amount of time we have, in a way that 15 years later, I've still not forgotten his words in this video recording. You can watch Kent's explanation of “time management”[xii] with the visuals that he provided, reminding us that “we all have the same amount of time” and he even breaks it down and tells us how many seconds we have every day (84,600 seconds to be exact) every day. While ALL the experts agree that we can't create more time, or change this number, some will say we can use our time to generate more of something else (like energy) but Kent's message was about using this time (these 84,600 seconds we have each day wisely) and focus on what we can control, and that's our personal growth. He gives an example of adding just 15 extra minutes a day towards learning something new, and that adds up to 3.8 full days a year, and asks us to think of what value we put on 15 minutes of time. I loved Kent's point of view, and always respect people who use their time wisely. Then we looked at the Neuroscience of Time Management and learned that our chronotype “the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time or what people understand as being an early bird versus a night owl”[xiii] should be factored into our Time Management Strategy. We learned that “For those people who go to bed around 9:30pm-11:30pm and wake in the window of 6am-8am that there tends to be an increase in (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, 0-8 hours after waking, which leads to increases in alertness, attention and focus that are great for analytical work, great for implementation of strategies that you already understand.” Dr. Andrew Huberman with Guest Dr. Adam Grant As we are thinking about the best strategies to manage our activities, projects, the extra time that Kent Healy thinks should go to self-improvement, or even the roles we have in our personal and professional lives, in order to have access to this extra energy, and creative thinking, we will want to plan our “deep” work 0-8 hours after waking (if our chronotype is the wake up early type). So, be sure you understand your own chronotype, and factor the science into your time management strategy. This made me think of Grant Bosnick's Top Energy Drainers: Procrastination Saying Yes to Everything The Perfectionist With this extra energy, and creative thinking, (from better managing our time) I suggested to put it all into creative prolific quality work (the perfectionist in me). I thought, why not use the extra energy to combat against procrastination, while protecting our time by saying no to everything, (at first). I know we can always come back to projects that you would like to do, that have meaning to you, but by truly managing our energy and activities, we are protecting this commodity that we all have in the same amounts: time. This episode also make me think that those 84,600 seconds that Kent Healy reminded me that we all have each day, and how 15 minutes a day (that adds up to 3.8 days/year) can be used even more wisely with this understanding of The Neuroscience of Time Management. Think About These Questions: Do you value your time? Do you value other people's time? Do you think 15 minutes of time really matters? I will also add, have you ever thought of the impact of counting time, down to the amount of seconds that we have each day? How important is 20 seconds of your time? OR, 20 seconds of someone else's time? REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 339 Chapter 12 “The Neuroscience of Change” On this EP we looked at two examples of what happens to our brain when we see something our brain wasn't expecting, like a breathtaking view, or when we land the promotion we worked so hard to achieve, Bosnick explains “we feel like we got a reward. It's a rush. We get a sensation in our brain and a hit of the big neurochemicals” dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, norephinephrine, adrenaline.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). However, on the other hand, when we see a bear in the woods, (or snake on the hiking trails), or we are overlooked for a promotion at work, our brain actually sees this “like it's a threat. We feel tense, stressed, pressure…our body physically feels it.” We learned that “Neuroscience has shown us, that the feeling we get from a social or emotional threat (like being passed over for the promotion) is the same as the feeling we get from a physical threat (like seeing a bear or a snake). When we see how our brain interprets “everything and everyone we meet as either a reward or a threat” we can better understand “how our body reacts, (and) our brain and mind think, (leading) to the decisions, behaviors and actions we make.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). Next on this EP, we reviewed Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that led to “Self-Determination Theory” around the year 2000 where researchers found that there were “three physiological needs: the need for Competence (feeling valued for our knowledge, skills and experience), the need for Relatedness (collaborating, connecting or serving others) and the need for Autonomy (being able to exercise self-regulation…to achieve our goals.” (Page 133, Ch 12, Bosnick). We learned that when our ACRES are being met, (our autonomy, competence, relatedness, equity, and sureness) it will put us in a toward state and we will fully embrace everything ahead of us; (but) if our ACRES are threatened, it will put us in an “away state” and will then resist or block things ahead of us. Looking at Bosnick's ACRES example, we examined a work experience in our past, that we did not enjoy, to see where it went against the ACRES Model of Needs. With brain science in mind, we can gain more understanding of why we either enjoyed, or didn't enjoy this experience. It all led back to how our brain either interprets the experience as a reward, or a threat. We also looked at triggers to be aware of to mitigate threat, during times of change. Finally, we looked at how to change our nervous system, to change our actions and behaviors, so we can leave behind a legacy (or fossil record as Dr. Huberman calls it) that we are proud of. We learned that “Agitation and strain is the entry point to neuroplasticity” Dr. Huberman This is when lasting CHANGE is happening at the brain level, and impacting our entire nervous system. So when we are working on something, (like trying to learn something new…like understanding the neuroscience of change for this episode) and that limbic friction feeling comes up, (and I'm annoyed or agitated) when something just doesn't click.  I now have a deeper understanding of what's happening at the brain level after this EP. I will now push forward, stay positive and lean into the change that I know is happening in my brain, as I embrace the change that comes with doing difficult work. The Neuroscience of Change is an exciting topic, and it's only going to be strengthened with the next two topics, Agility and Resilience.   REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 342 Chapter 13   “Mastering Mental and Physical Agility” Which leads us to the final EP of our review today. “Mastering Mental and Physical Agility” Before I even review this EP, I thought of something I saw on Twitter/X this morning that caught my attention. It was a post from Chris S Cornell whose handle is @BiggestComeback and he was talking about his first attempt to run a mile, with a kettlebell. He faced some criticism for this post, as some said it was “dangerous” but mentioned that he thought that “spending your life on the couch with a remote in one hand and a beer in the other is far more dangerous.”[xiv] (Chris Cornell) While this pathway came out as a low priority for me last year, and this year, I have to say, it's definitely NOT an area I leave off to the side. I'm always looking to see how I can push my mind or body, just a bit past where I'm comfortable, and when life is difficult, this is actually where I thrive. While I don't think I could run a mile with a kettle bell, I did run 7 miles today with a 16 pound weighted vest. I really do believe in the mind/body connection and that by doing things that are difficult, we strengthen the brain. We did dive deeper into this concept on EP 344[xv] with “The Neuroscience of Resilience” that we will review next time, but we uncovered that by doing difficult things, we increase the size of a part of our brain called the anterior midcingulate cortex. (Dr. Andrew Huberman). I do difficult things because I want to improve my mental and physical strength, and in turn, increase the size of this important part in my brain that Dr. Huberman says “is not just the seat of willpower…but scientists think it holds the secret in the will to live.” If you are like me, and enjoy doing difficult things, you will enjoy when we looked at three terms from the book Antifragile by N Taleb[xvi] where the author says there are three types of systems, organizations or people. The fragile: which is like an egg and breaks under stress. No one wants to be labeled as fragile. The robust: which is like a phoenix, when destroyed comes back exactly as it was before. This is a step in the right direction, but who wants to emerge from challenge the same as before? The antifragile: gets stronger from uncertainty—like the Hydra from the Greek myth where you cut off one head, two grows back in its place. It gets stronger from the sudden change. We learned that when we face challenges, changes and stressors, we want to become antifragile in the process so that we grow from adversity, and become stronger in the process. While we did go deep into the stressors and triggers that can stop our course of action, Bosnick suggested that we rate our stressors (from a list he provided to jog our minds), on a scale of 1-5. Then he reminds us of the three types of people, showing us how we can and most definitely will grow from adversity, sustaining our peak performance, and finally what we want to take away from this chapter is how to “train our brain to be antifragile in order to be more agile in the moment when we face challenges or stressors.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 149) I don't think that running a mile with a kettle bell is for me (even if a part of me wonders how far I could go before I would lose the grip of something that heavy), I will continue to challenge my mind, as we learned from our most downloaded series, The Silva Method that “Once we learn to use our mind (to train it) it will do some astounding things, as you will soon see.” REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH   REVIEW and CONCLUSION: To review and conclude this week's episode #357 on PART 3 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we covered a review of the strategies that can help us to implement each concept, from chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13. EPISODE #357 PART 3 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we will cover: ✔ EP 336 Chapter 10[xvii]“The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence” ✔ EP 337 Chapter 11[xviii] “The Neuroscience of Time Management” ✔ EP 339 Chapter 12[xix] “The Neuroscience of Change” ✔ EP 342 Chapter 13[xx]     “Mastering Mental and Physical Agility”   We will see you next time, with our PART 4, our final part in this review. Stay tuned as we launch our interview series, with NEW inspiring interviews with experts who are working deeply with the most current neuroscience research. See you next week!   REFERENCES:   [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #355 Mastering Self-Leadership REVIEW PART 1 (Grant Bosnick) https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-self-leadership-with-neuroscience/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #356 Mastering Self-Leadership REVIEW PART 2 (Grant Bosnick)https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-the-secrets-of-self-leadership-chapters-6-to-9-review/   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #330 “The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-the-science-of-persuasion-and-influence/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #337 “The Neuroscience of Time Management”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-time-the-neuroscience-behind-effective-time-management/   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 339 “The Neuroscience of Change”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/embracing-change-the-neuroscience-behind-thriving-in-2024/   [vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 342  “Mastering Mental and Physical Agility” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-mental-and-physical-agility-strategies-for-self-leadership/   [viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #176 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-communication-why-our-brain-doesn-t-like-the-word-no/   [ix] The Neuroscience of Influence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-5CZ2AXT1o   [x] The Neuroscience of Influence Leadership Coaching by Dean Newlund https://mfileadership.com/2021/01/27/the-neuroscience-of-influence/   [xi] Success Principles for Teens by Jack Canfield and Kent Healy April 15, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Success-Principles-Teens-Where-Want/dp/0757307272   [xii] Author Kent Healy on “Time Management: Our Greatest Asset” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_ibHzu751I   [xiii] Chronotypes Definition https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/chronotypes#:~:text=Chronotype%20is%20the%20natural%20inclination,bird%20versus%20a%20night%20owl.   [xiv] https://x.com/BiggestComeback/status/1895906308785615336   [xv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #344 “The Neuroscience of Resilience: Building Stronger Minds and Teams” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-resilience-building-stronger-minds-and-teams/   [xvi] Antifragile by Nassim Taleb Published Jan. 28, 2014 https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680   [xvii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #330 “The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-the-science-of-persuasion-and-influence/   [xviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #337 “The Neuroscience of Time Management”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-time-the-neuroscience-behind-effective-time-management/   [xix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 339 “The Neuroscience of Change”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/embracing-change-the-neuroscience-behind-thriving-in-2024/   [xx]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 342  “Mastering Mental and Physical Agility” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-mental-and-physical-agility-strategies-for-self-leadership/  

Welcome to Part 2 of our in-depth review of Grant Bosnick's 'Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership.' In this episode, we delve into the significance of hydration for brain health, discovering 'aha' moments through creative insights, and the influential power of expectations on our well-being and success. We also explore the neuroscience behind staying mentally strong and regulate emotions effectively through improved sleep patterns. Join us as we unravel these fascinating research-backed strategies to enhance your self-leadership skills. Welcome back to SEASON 13 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 6 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. And we will now resume PART 2 of our 4-PART review, to sum up last year, 2024, and our entire year studying one book, Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year.  Last week, we began with PART 1[ii] and the first 5 chapters of the book. Today we will review chapters 6-9 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership. ((On today's EPISODE #356 PART 2 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we will cover)): ✔ EP 327 Chapter 6[iii] “The Hydrated Brain” ✔ EP 330 Chapter 7[iv]“Aha Moments, Creative Insights/the Brain” ✔ EP 333 Chapter 8[v] “Exploring the Power of Expectations” ✔ EP 335 Chapter 9[vi] “The Neuroscience Behind Staying Strong and Clear-Headed” If you have not yet taken the leadership self-assessment, or if you would like to re-take it to see if the results are different for you than last year, you can click the link here to find the quick test.   Self-Assessment Results 2024 vs 2025 I re-took the assessment for 2025, and did notice some similarities and some differences. See what you notice about yourself. I noticed that pathways 2 and 3 are my high areas of focus this year, and that I can drop pathway 6 from my focus. What about you? If you have a few minutes to spare, take this leadership self-assessment again, and see if you notice any changes in yourself for 2025. Did any of your pathways of focus shift since last year? REMEMBER: We are either moving forward into growth, or backwards to safety. (Abraham Maslow). EP 327 Chapter 6 “The Hydrated Brain”   For this episode, I remember wondering how on the earth can we narrow the focus of this topic of health and wellness that Bosnick covers thoroughly in Chapter 6? Dr. Peter Attia[vii], a Canadian-American physician, known for his medical practice that focuses on the science of longevity, says that “exercise might be the most potent “drug” we have for extending the quality and perhaps quantity of our years of life.” He created a rule that he thought would help narrow this focus and it was called “Attia's Rule”[viii] where he suggests that can't even talk about this topic, unless you have reached a certain level of health yourself. I agree, as this is one area we have been focused on this podcast, and I notice that as I strengthen one area, I lose sight of another. It's an ongoing quest for balance, and I wouldn't say I've mastered the balance yet. We dove deep into Attia's Rule on our EP back in October 2022, “Using Neuroscience to Improve Fitness, Longevity and Overall Health.”[ix] Dr. Attia says that nutrition and health arguments are a waste of your time until you've completed a certain set of criteria. He says don't bother defending this topic unless you can: Dead hang for a minute (try this! I honestly thought I was going to die when I did this 2 years ago). I'm not sure I could do it today with the signs of osteoporosis showing up in my fingers (and noticeable when I type). Wall sit for two minutes. (This wasn't difficult for me the fact that I regularly hit the hiking trails). Have a VO2 max of at least 75th percentile for your age group. (Mine is showing 37 right now which was the same as it was in 2022. Interesting that I'm hiking less these days, but have kept the same VO2 max). I think it's important to notice just how vast this topic of health and wellness really is. We mentioned the Top 6 Health Staples[x] on our last episode, that we created back in 2020 when our podcast took a turn towards mental and physical health and wellness, (that we just can't escape) and I wasn't surprised to see Stanford Professor Dr. Andrew Huberman post on Twitter/X that he would like to see a Superbowl Commercial promoting healthy habits. The time for mental and physical health is here, and we cannot deny the connection between the two. We met Dr. Bruce Perry on EP 168[xi] where we dove into his famous book What Happened to You, that he co-authored with Oprah, and the last Kindle book I purchased was Gabor Mate's When the Body Says No: The Hidden Costs of Stress[xii] When I look back at why I chose to highlight “The Hydrated Brain” I honestly think it was because this topic is so vast. Hydration is something that might be emphasized with athletes, but it wasn't something anyone had emphasized with me (unless they were connected to the sports world). To narrow this topic of health and wellness down a bit, did YOU know that keeping our brain hydrated helps us with: Improving concentration and cognition Helping to balance our mood and emotions Maintaining a good memory Boosting our brain's reaction time Increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain Preventing and relieving headaches Reducing stress Grant Bosnick shared with us in this chapter: “That our brain is 75% water and when our brain is functioning on a full reserve of water, we will be able to think faster, be more focused and experience greater clarity and creativity?” (Chapter 6, Bosnick). Grant reminds us that “everyone is unique and needs different amounts of water per day (but suggests) an adequate intake for men is roughly around 3 liters (100 fluid ounces) a day, (and) for women it's about 2.2 liters (74 fluid ounces) a day. What do you think? Could you improve your water intake? Just by thinking about ways to improve our brain health, we will over time begin to move the needle in the direction of physical health and wellness, which was the concept that Grant wanted us to uncover in Chapter 6. This is just one small idea, (in this HUGE topic) but if we can tackle one idea at a time, we will move in the direction of health and wellness. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 330 Chapter 7 “Aha Moments, Creative Insights/the Brain” This pathway #3 came out as MEDIUM importance (orange score) for me, alongside mindfulness and flow last year, but this year, this is my second highest pathway of focus. Look to see where pathway 3 showed up for you last  year, and if it's different for you this year. What I loved about Grant Bosnick's book is that he opens up chapter 7 with a story of how insight was used by an organization to help solve the problem with the high number of babies that were dying within a month of their birth, specifically in developing countries.  This organization he wrote about, solved this specific problem using a thought process that took insight using “materials and human resources that could be used to address this issue” (Chapter 7, Bosnick) by building incubators made out of Toyota cars that were readily available in these developing areas. Instead of using their analytical mind and thinking “how do we get more incubators to these areas” someone on their team used insight and creativity to come up with the best solution to use the resources they had readily available to them, locally. So how do we think up these creative ideas? Grant asks us to ponder where we have our best ideas. In the shower? While exercising? At your desk while doing work? Just before falling asleep or waking up? While walking or hiking? While taking with a friend? Grant suggests that few people will come back with “at their desk while working” since this type of creativity involves breaking away from the analytical, thinking mind, and tapping into our “nonconscious” (Chapter 7, Bosnick) part of our brain. It was here I had to look deeper into how this type of thinking happens, and I found the fascinating book, The Eureka Factor: AHA Moments, Creative Insight and the Brain by John Kounios and Mark Beeman. If you want to dive deeper into the science behind insight and creativity, I highly suggest reading this book. I wanted to know HOW to create these “AHA” Moments at will, not by chance and this is what these two cognitive neuroscientists who wrote this book, set out to do. Their goal of writing this book was to “explain how these Eureka experiences happen—and how to have more of them to enrich our lives and empower personal and professional success.” (The Eureka Factor). In the very beginning pages of The Eureka Factor, we learn that “insight is creative” (Page 9, The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman) and when the authors went on to define “what creativity is” they suggest to not define it (yet) since “everyone intuitively recognizes creativity when he or she sees it” (Page 9, The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman). I thought back to when we covered “Improving Creativity” on PART 4 of The Silva Method[xiii] on ((“Improving Creativity and Innovation in our Schools, Sports and Modern Workplaces”)) and we tapped into Dr. Andrew Huberman's research on creativity here. Dr. Huberman explains that “when we see something that's truly creative, it reveals something to us about the natural world and about how our brains work….It must reveal something that surprises us” for it to be truly creative. So, going back to The Eureka Factor, John Kounios suggests that “creative insight is not an exotic type of thought reserved for the few. In fact, (he says) it's one of the few abilities that define our species….most humans—have insights. It's a basic human ability.” (Page 11, The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman). While reading further into The Eureka Factor, I came across an image that helped to explain this idea so we can ALL improve our ability to generate new and creative insights that will empower our personal and professional lives. IMAGE CREDIT: The Eureka Factor (Kounios, Beeman) Page 24 If someone were to ask me “Where do I begin to improve my ability to create NEW insights in my life?” I would say, start here: STEP 1: Go somewhere quiet and think.  We've mentioned a few times on this podcast that “Every man has the natural and inherent power to think what he wants to think, but it requires more effort to do so”[xiv] (Wallace D. Wattles). I recently heard Professor Hod Lipson[xv] from Columbia University, speaking about the future with AI, and while his whole presentation was forward-thinking, eye opening and brilliant, what caught my attention the most was when he mentioned that while working with students with AI and robotics, the hardest part for them was to come up with a name for their robot, because he said “it takes a lot of effort to be creative.” Take the time needed for this process. STEP 2: You might think you are stuck, and like the image suggests in the show notes, you might see a brick wall in front of you, metaphorically speaking, but know that there is always a solution to every problem. You just haven't figured it out yet. It's here that I share ways I've moved past where I'm stuck, and that's by using The Silva Method. I'm reminded daily that many of our current listeners found us from the first episode we did with this 4-part series that ended with an episode on “How to Be More Creative and Innovative”. When you feel stuck, take a break. STEP 3: Keeping your mood positive, break away from where you feel stuck, and do something that makes you happy. It could be going for a walk, or a hike, or playing tennis like the image from The Eureka Factor. Just break away and divert your attention away from the problem. If you are in a meditative state, just be sure to have positive, elevated emotions flowing through you. Looking at the image in the show notes from The Eureka Factor, we see a person playing tennis. You can use whatever method you want here (The Silva Method of Meditation, your own mindfulness practice, going for a walk) or whatever it is for YOU where you access those feelings of calmness and peace. STEP 4: Be open to new ideas that might pop into your head. Be prepared for ideas that might be completely opposite to how you were originally thinking of solving the problem. We are all different here. Think back to the beginning of this episode, when Grant Bosnick asked us to consider where our creative ideas flow into our minds. Mine come in that time just before I go to sleep, or just as I'm waking up. Others might come in the shower, or while exercising. Be open to NEW ideas coming into your mind, and be ready to write them down. STEP 5: Know that there is much work going on from your unconscious mind. You'll will become more self-aware in this process. Grant Bosnick lists a few inventions that were developed this way, in chapter 7 on Insight, and I found an article that lists “Great Eureka Moments in History: From Issac Netwon to Sir Paul McCartney, (where) inspiration arrived suddenly”[xvi] to help these inventors move forward with their famous AHA Moments. I personally think it's amazing how we acquire wisdom. When we suddenly “see” something that escaped us for so long. I can only imagine the room from Grant Bosnick's opening story when that one person said “why don't we make incubators out of Toyota cars?” completely shifting what EVERYONE was thinking. We ended this EP with one of my favorite poems from Stewart Edward White who explains how AHA Moments of Learning can change us forever. He writes: “Curious how we acquire wisdom! Over and over again, the same truth is thrust under our very noses. We encounter it in action; we are admonished of it; we read it in the written word. We suffer the experience; we gradually assent to the advice; we approve, intellectually, the written word. But nothing happens inside us. Then, one day, some trivial experience or word or encounter stops us short. A gleam of illumination penetrates the depth of our consciousness. We see! Usually it is but a glimpse; but on rare occasions a brilliant flash reveals truth fully formed. And we marvel that this understanding has escaped us so long.” REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 333 Chapter 8 “Exploring the Power of Expectations” where we will dive into a topic that I mark as high importance in my life, right up with breathing. When I took my self-assessment last year, the topic of expectations showed up as low priority for me to focus. Not because it's not important to me, but because I've already made this topic of high importance. Expectations came out for me in the RED category, with a low score of 8% (last year) along with goals and time management, that I also put high importance with on a daily basis.  This year, pathway 1 came out as an area of MEDIUM focus for me, and I can tell right now, that the area I need to work on is “time management.” If you've taken the self-assessment, look to see if Expectations (in pathway 1) are of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. Before looking at Grant Bosnick's thoughts about the topic of expectations, where he begins chapter 8 by asking us “what did you expect?” I had to do some research first, to see what is already out in the world, and there was a lot out there, on the science behind expectations. DID YOU KNOW: That when our expectations are met or exceeded, this “increases our dopamine levels, which leads to increased happiness and well-being, which helps maximize our performance by setting up the conditions of flow and insight, which leads to more productivity and increased confidence?” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick) Conversely, did you know that “if our expectations are not met, that it dramatically decreases our dopamine levels, we feel disappointment and stress, resulting in poor performance and decreased confidence?” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 84/85). On the EP we went deep into the Science of Expectation, and we looked at a book by David Robson called The Expectation Effect where this author showed us how “our beliefs, in themselves, shape your health and well-being in profound ways, and that learning to reset our expectations (about these issues) can have truly remarkable effects on our health, happiness and productivity.” (David Robson) SOME TIPS ON HOW TO USE THE NEUROSCIENCE OF EXPECTATIONS IN OUR DAILY LIFE: KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M EXPECTING (of myself and others): Understanding the science, helps me to keep my expectations tied to myself, and not others, to avoid disappointment and stress.  I expect to achieve my goals, (by putting in the necessary work) keep myself in good health (physical and mental) and will not just THINK about these expectations, but will do the hard work, take the action necessary to achieve them. This way, I'm not just “thinking” of what I expect to occur, I'm actually doing something with those thoughts. If I'm ever feeling “disappointed” with something in my life, a good question to ask is “what did you expect?” and see if I can backtrack to my thoughts. Was I using the science to flood my brain with dopamine, (with something within my control-that I could take action towards) or not. USE POSITIVE EXPECTATION TO BUILD RESILIENCE FOR A HEALTHIER VERSION OF MYSELF: Understanding the science behind our expectations, and especially David Robson's work, where we learned that “people with a more positive attitude towards their later years are less likely to develop (certain age-related diseases)” (David Robson, The Expectation Effect) making a strong case for expecting exceptional mental and physical health in the future. Again, it goes without saying that we can't just “think” ourselves into good health. We need to do the work here in order to expect results to occur. CONTINUE TO EXPECT GOOD THINGS (for myself and others) Knowing that “expectations and beliefs can influence—indeed are already influencing your life in many other surprising and powerful ways. (David Robson, The Expectation Effect) makes me believe in some of the rituals I've heard of over the years, like lucky charms. I learned from David Robson's The Expectation Effect, that “superstitions and rituals can boost perseverance and performance across a whole range of cognitive tasks, and (that) the advantages are often considerable.” (Page 198, The Expectation Effect). Whether you are a professional athlete, singer, public speaker, or someone like me who just wants improved results, there is a science to having a lucky charm, or something that brings you the promise of success, to help you to create a feeling of control during those high stress times we all face. Don't dismiss the power of a lucky rock with a goal written on it, or whatever it is that holds significance to you with your future goals, or something that has meaning to you, that you expect to occur in your future. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 335 Chapter 9 “The Neuroscience Behind Staying Strong and Clear-Headed” Chapter 9, covering “The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation” which showed up on my leadership self-assessment (in pathway 4 last year AND again this year) as a low, RED score, of 20%. This is not because it's not something I don't need to pay attention to, this is something I pay attention to daily, right up there with physical health that's also listed in Pathway Four of Grant's Self-Leadership Map. Look to see if Emotion Regulation (pathway 4) is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. EMOTION REGULATION AND SLEEP: In a world where we are hit daily by external stimuli, how on the earth can we be proactive to stay mentally strong and clear-headed so we have improved executive control to manage our emotions and regulate them? This took me straight to the work of Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Dr. Matthew Walker who recorded an episode called “Improve Sleep to Boost Mood and Emotion Regulation.”[xvii] It was here where I learned just how important sleep is for keeping a strong, clear mind, so we can use this strength to acknowledge and regulate our emotions, like Bosnick suggested in chapter 9 of his book. Dr. Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and the host of The Matt Walker Podcast, gave example after example that proved that when you've NOT had a good night's sleep, things that wouldn't bother you (when you've slept well), begin to aggravate, or grate on you more. Here's what I found to be remarkable on this topic, something I had not ever heard before. DID YOU KNOW THAT “the greater amount of REM sleep you are getting, (where our dreams occur) the greater amount of emotional detox you will get the next day.” Matt Walker and Dr. Andrew Huberman. Dr. Walker went on to explain that “the brain chemical noradrenaline (that's responsible for our stress reaction) completely shuts off during REM sleep, and serotonin (that plays a role with our mood) decreases, while acetyl choline (that carries messages from our brain to our body through nerve cells) increases by up to 30% in some parts of the brain (and can be even more active than when we were awake).  Dr. Walker concluded that the decrease of stress related brain chemicals is what makes “REM sleep was the perfect condition for overnight therapy.” If we want to improve our emotion regulation, the science is pointing directly to improving our sleep. On this episode, we dove deep into the 4 stages of sleep and suggestions to improve our sleep is something I've been working on for the past 5 years. There is a lot to this, and I'm still working on improving ALL the macroingredients of a good sleep (suggested by Dr. Walker), that include QQRT, or knowing the quantity (amount of sleep), quality (fragmented vs continuous), regularity (sleeping/waking around the same time) and timing (sleeping in alignment with my chronotype).  Dr. Walker explains these areas with Dr. Huberman, and if you do wonder where you can improve, I highly suggest their 6-part series on sleep. TIPS FOR IMPROVING EMOTION REGULATION BY IMPROVING OUR SLEEP: Here are three tips that I took away from the neuroscience of self-regulation, that I've been working on, to see if improving my sleep in these areas, could possibly improve emotion regulation. 1. KNOW HOW MUCH DEEP RESTORATIVE SLEEP WE ARE GETTING EACH NIGHT:  We all know the importance of knowing how much sleep we are getting to be well-rested the next day, (how many hours or the quantity) but it's also important to keep an eye on the QUALITY or amount of DEEP RESTORATIVE sleep we are getting each night. When I looked at the graphic I included when I wrote this EP back in June 2024, using the WHOOP wearable tracker, I can tell you that with focus and effort in this area, I've been able to improve the number of hours of restorative sleep I was getting last year, to this year, by 14%, hitting most nights with sufficient restorative sleep. Do you know how many hours of restorative sleep you are getting each night? 2. KNOW HOW MUCH REM SLEEP WE ARE GETTING: Keeping an eye on how much REM sleep we getting, is my next tip, since we know it's important for consolidating new memories, learning and motor skills. We also just learned that the more REM sleep we are getting, we can say we are getting some good overnight therapy, restoring ourselves mentally. You can find sleep trackers that can help you to measure and track these important ingredients of a good sleep for yourself, and see how much REM sleep you are getting each night, while keeping in mind that “the greater amount of REM sleep you are getting, the greater amount of emotional detox you will get the next day.” (Dr. Walker) Remember, we are working on ways to help with our emotion regulation, and it seems to me, that an easy way to do this, would be to see how we can improve our REM sleep.   3. APPLY THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP TO IMPROVE EMOTION REGULATION: Since “during REM sleep the stress chemicals are turned off” helping us to “strip away the emotion from the memory” we can take this understanding a step further, and see if we are able to solve any of our problems during sleep. Dr. Huberman and Dr. Walker went into great detail about this concept[xviii] that I've actually witnessed first-hand. They described what happens in REM sleep to be like “Behavior-Desensitization” and I had the opportunity to see the stages of this process, done by someone skilled and trained in trauma and the brain, working with someone I know well, who has experiences significant trauma in their life, starting at an early age. Using a series of techniques, the trained therapist took the client safely from talking about a traumatic memory from their childhood, (with extreme emotion attached) to where they could say out loud that the memory had lost its emotional load and no longer gave them an emotional reaction. This is exactly what happens to our brain during REM sleep and why it's mentally restorative. Putting these tips all together, and knowing that improving the quality, and quantity of sleep is linked to improving emotion regulation, I'm working hard to improve restorative sleep and REM sleep, each month.  It's all just a balancing act, though, and working on one part of our health at a time. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH REVIEW and CONCLUSION: To review and conclude this week's episode #356 on PART 2 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we covered a review of the strategies that can help us to implement each concept, from chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9. ✔ EP 327 Chapter 6[xix] “The Hydrated Brain” ✔ EP 330 Chapter 7[xx]“Aha Moments, Creative Insights/the Brain” ✔ EP 333 Chapter 8[xxi] “Exploring the Power of Expectations” ✔ EP 335 Chapter 9[xxii] “The Neuroscience Behind Staying Strong and Clear-Headed” While listening to each episode can be a helpful review, so can revisiting your leadership self-assessment to see what might have changed for you this year from last. I hope this review of chapters 6-9 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership have helped you to think of NEW ways of thinking and taking the necessary action, that will drive you towards whatever it is that you are working on this year. With that thought, I do want to thank you for tuning in, and we will see you next time, with a review of the next 4 chapters. See you next time. REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #355 Mastering Self-Leadership REVIEW PART 1 (Grant Bosnick) https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-self-leadership-with-neuroscience/   [iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #327 “The Hydrated Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-learning-podcast-episode-327-recap/   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #330 “AHA Moments, Creative Insights and the Brain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/understanding-self-leadership-and-the-neuroscience-of-goals/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #333 “Exploring the Power of Expectations” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/exploring-the-power-of-expectations-in-episode-333/   [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #335 “The Neuroscience Behind Being Strong and Clear Headed” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-emotion-regulation-the-neuroscience-behind-staying-strong-and-clear-headed/   [vii] Peter Attia https://peterattiamd.com/   [viii] Attia's Rule https://miloandthecalf.com/2023/02/08/the-attia-rule-some-tests-of-strength-for-longevity/#:~:text=Awhile%20back%20longevity%20expert%20Peter,a%20person%20fit%20for%20longevity.   [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast “Using Neuroscience to Improve Fitness, Longevity and Overall Health.”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-neuroscience-to-improve-fitness-longevity-and-overall-health/   [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE Recorded for Podbean's Wellness Week “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/   [xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EP 168 “Dr. Bruce Perry and Steve Graner: 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/   [xii] Gabor Mate When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection Published https://www.amazon.com/When-Body-Says-No-Hidden/dp/178504222X   [xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 264 “The Neuroscience Behind The Silva Method: Improving Creativity and Innovation in our Schools, Sports and Modern Workplaces”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-silva-method-improving-creativity-and-innovation-in-our-schools-sports-and-modern-workplaces/   [xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 315 “Thinking and Acting in This Certain Way PART 2 Review of Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Getting Rich book https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/part-2-review-of-wallace-d-wattles-the-science-of-getting-rich-on-chapter-4-thinking-and-acting-in-a-certain-way/   [xv] https://www.me.columbia.edu/faculty/hod-lipson   [xvi] “Great Eureka Moments in History: From Issac Netwon to Sir Paul McCartney, inspiration arrived suddenly” by Dan Falk, Published September 2, 2005 https://magazine.utoronto.ca/research-ideas/culture-society/great-eureka-moments-in-history-famous-inspirational-moments/   [xvii] Dr. Matt Walker: Improve Sleep to Boost Mood & Emotional Regulation | Huberman Lab Guest Series  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_SrHS8FvMM   [xviii] Dr. Matt Walker: Improve Sleep to Boost Mood & Emotional Regulation | Huberman Lab Guest Series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_SrHS8FvMM   [xix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #327 “The Hydrated Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-learning-podcast-episode-327-recap/   [xx] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #330 “AHA Moments, Creative Insights and the Brain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/understanding-self-leadership-and-the-neuroscience-of-goals/   [xxi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #333 “Exploring the Power of Expectations” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/exploring-the-power-of-expectations-in-episode-333/   [xxii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #335 “The Neuroscience Behind Being Strong and Clear Headed” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mastering-emotion-regulation-the-neuroscience-behind-staying-strong-and-clear-headed/  

Welcome back to Season 13 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast. In this episode, join Andrea Samadi as we delve into practical neuroscience applications for self-leadership in 2025. Discover how to balance various aspects of life through insights from Grant "Upbeat" Bosnick's book, 'Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership.' We explore strategies from four key chapters, focusing on leveraging neuroscience to level up your goals, the inspiration behind motivation, the benefits of mindfulness, and the art of achieving flow states. Learn actionable steps for overcoming obstacles and using positive forces to drive personal growth. Whether you're implementing new habits or seeking motivation, this episode serves as a guide to harnessing the full potential of your mind and achieving greater heights. Welcome back to SEASON 13 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 6 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. Now, we are well into 2025, and if you are listening today, I want to congratulate you. Not everyone chooses to do the work that is needed for self-improvement. It's something I'm dedicated to working on each year, and like you, those who tune in each week, implementing the ideas we write down in our notebooks, and even the ones we highlight in yellow, this is the hardest work in the room. I just want to recognize you for showing up here, and tuning in to grab some ideas, do this difficult work, and take the ideas that you learn from the research, and put them into action. Like you, I am doing this as well. We interviewed Kristen Holmes, the VP of Performance Science from Whoop.com back in May 2021, on EP134[i] when I had first started using the wearable device to measure my sleep, strain and daily recovery. She told me something I already knew, and that was that my sleep needed work. She said it much sterner than this, but I heard it, loud and clear, especially since my brain scan from Amen Clinics, that we reviewed on EP 84[ii] came back and showed that I was sleep deprived. Changing behaviors, habits and daily routines, and changing the trajectory of our health is all possible, but actually sustaining the change—this is what I'm looking for. This is why I am doing these podcast episodes, and sharing what I'm learning along the way. It took me 4 years to finally improve my sleep, but to do this, I had to sacrifice something else important to me, and that was my early morning workouts. I'm sure if you are listening, you would understand and know exactly what I am saying here. While making improvements with one area of our life, we tend to do this at the expense of another area. I'm determined to prove that we can have it all, and hopefully, at the end of this review, we can all find a way towards improving the balance in the important areas of our lives. REMEMBER: “Mastering others is strength; mastering oneself is true power” - Lao Tsu Now wouldn't it be great to have a tool (like a map) that tells us what is important to focus on each year, based on what we say is important to us in our work or personal lives? Now sleep is not on the map we are covering today, as we will review the 19 chapters from Grant Bosnick's book, but I would put sleep right at the top of the list, along with the Top Health Staples that we covered back on a bonus EP we did in 2022[iii] where we first covered the importance of daily exercise, good quality sleep, eating a healthy diet, understanding how to balance our gut-brain axis, how to listen to our hunger cues with intermittent fasting, and the importance of stress reduction (that I think we could cover more in depth this year). ((If you took the leadership self-assessment[iv] last year, go back and take it again, and see if any of the areas have changed for you.))  NEW ASSESSMENT LINK WILL BE HERE-Stay tuned. And now we will begin PART 1 of our 4-PART review, to sum up last year, 2024, and our entire year studying one book, Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[v] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year. Today we will review chapters 2-5 (the first chapter was an introduction to the book). ((On today's EPISODE #355 PART 1 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we will cover)): ✔ EP 323 Chapter 2[vi] “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your Goals” ✔ EP 324 Chapter 3[vii] “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” ✔ EP 325 Chapter 4[viii] “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” ✔ EP 326 Chapter 5[ix] “The Neuroscience of Flow” We will go through each of the 19 chapters, and cover the action steps in this review. EP 323 Chapter 2[x] “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your Goals” What I loved the most about this chapter on goals, was learning about Kurt Lewin's Field Theory that says “there is a force that drives us towards our goals.” (Chapter 2 on goals). The idea is that we learn to use this force to push us towards whatever it is that we want. Here's a REVIEW of 3 steps to implement Kurt Lewin's Field Theory to push us towards our goals this year. STEP 1 RECOGNIZE THE NEGATIVE FORCES THAT PUSH US AWAY FROM OUR GOALS: Know that whenever we are moving towards a goal, there will be a force that pushes us down from our current state of attaining that goal, (a negative force) and there's also a force that helps us to change (a positive force). Identify the forces that are pushing you down as you move towards your desired end result. In our schools: it could be limited time to study for a test. (as a negative force). In our sports environments: it could be our competition, or whoever is at the top of the league. Finally, in our workplaces: it could be a competitor charging lower pricing, and taking all the business in your area. STEP 2 RECOGNIZE THE POSITIVE FORCES THAT PUSH US TOWARDS OUR GOALS: Recognize that just as there is a negative force pushing us down, there are also positive forces that pushes us up, and can assist us to change. It's this force pushing us up that Grant talks about in his chapter on goals. He says that “the closer we get to our target (or perception of being closer to the target) the strength of the force increases.” (Page 20, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Leadership). STEP 3 FIND THE MOMENTUM THAT TAKES YOU TO A NEW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE:   It's here in the diagram where I drew a RED arrow, showing a person moving from their current state, leveling up to a new, heightened level of performance, when there are MORE positive forces pushing us up, than negative pushing us down. BEFORE we can get to our new heightened level of performance, we must overcome the forces against whatever it is we are moving towards, (like by overcoming our competition) and create as many positive forces to help us to move towards our NEW end result. Revisiting this concept this year, I suggest we all create a plan for how we will overcome our resistances, while building up positive forces for change (like through study, identifying ways to improve our mental and physical health so we can use these forces to push up against the negatives, or from understanding our “why” so this internal force drives us forward when times are difficult.      Another thought here, is to find ways to increase our capacity to handle stress. I recommend listening to EP 228[xi] where we reviewed “HRV (heart rate variability) The Most Important Biomarker for Tracking Health, Recovery and Resilience” as this episode gives examples of how to build more capacity to handle these day to day negative forces, and create healthy ways to push us towards our goals.          REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH EP 324 Chapter 3[xii] “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” This chapter on inspiration and motivation came up as a high level of importance for me last year, and I'm always looking to deepen my understanding on where I find inspiration from, and why, with the idea that “what we find inspiring (people or things) produces oxytocin (that facilitates trust)in the brain while also producing dopamine the neurotransmitter that's associated with motivation and reward.” There's a lot at play when we find what motivates and inspires us day to day. PUTTING THE NEUROSCIENCE OF INSPIRATION INTO PRACTICE: WRITE: Write a list of: Who inspires you, and why? Do you feel trust with this person that could be a performance multiplier? Think about this. Why, or why not? What inspires you, and why? Do you feel motivation from places that we know can rewire our brain and make new neural connections? THINK: Think of your brain being bombarded by oxytocin (the neurochemical that facilitates the feelings of trust) and then dopamine (the neurochemical associated with motivation and reward) and then the NEW neural pathways that are being rewired into your brain with whatever it is that you are drawing inspiration from. LEARN: What does this mean to you? Does it help you to make sense of your world in a new way?  Does this connection to science help to motivate you in a NEW way, perhaps pushing you past some of the obstacles that once held you back? Does this NEW understanding energize you in some new way, or give you more self-awareness towards your goals? My goal with these bite-sized chapters connecting Neuroscience and Self-Leadership to our daily practice, is that we begin to see how simple it is to connect an understanding of how our brain works, to our best practices, that we tap into daily, taking us to new heights. Applying the Neuroscience of Inspiration to my life, I can clearly see what's most important to me, why I'm drawn to certain people or places, and how important it is for me to keep learning, and applying what we uncover together on these episodes.   EP 325 Chapter 4[xiii] “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” I loved this episode because I learned something new, and made a deeper connection to our past episodes. I learned: That there is a concept called PQ Reps, coined by Positive Intelligence Founder, Shirzad Chamine who used fMRI scanners to discover that by doing these PQ Reps we can actually build our mental muscles by activating this PQ Region in the Brain.  For those who have a mindfulness practice in place, putting PQ Reps into practice helps to reaffirm the benefits that come along with building your mental muscles, and for those who have found it difficult to begin a mindfulness practice, PQ Reps is a proven way to bridge the gap for you to begin. HOW DO WE PRACTICE THESE IMPORTANT PQ REPS? By rubbing our finger and thumb together, and involving any of our 5 senses for 10 seconds. I suggest that we feel the touch of our fingers on each other. By doing this, we are shifting our attention to our body and focusing on the sensation. It is this activity, that build up the PQ Area of our brain, while the survival part goes quieter. If you next listen to Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation[xiv] you will see how Dr. Siegel's Mindfulness Practice is essentially teaching you to do PQ Reps involving every part of your body and feeling the sensations from your head to toe. Start small, practicing PQ Reps one day at a time, and eventually you will learn to focus your attention for longer periods of time, building your mental muscles and resilience in the process.   REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH   EP 326 Chapter 5[xv] “The Neuroscience of Flow” I learned that “when we are in flow, we are 5X more productive” and of course, who doesn't want to be 5X more productive? We covered this topic back on EP 27[xvi] with Friederike Fabritius who first taught me the recipe for peak performance. What I remember loving the most about Friederike's first talk that I found back in 2017 that she did for high level executives in Barcelona, Spain, was that she accurately described what the psychologist, researcher and “father of flow” (known in his work environment as Mike C) that he devoted his entire lifetime to. And that is, what constitutes a happy life. “Mike C,” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, (from Claremont Graduate University in CA) along with Professor Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania (who we've mentioned before on this podcast “set out to develop a focus on happiness, well-being, and positivity with a goal to create a field focused on human well-being and the conditions that enable people to flourish and live satisfying lives.”[xvii] Friederike explained this concept of “flow” or “peak performance” as an optimal state that occurs when our brain releases three chemicals: noradrenaline (released with a challenge), dopamine (released with anything that gives you pleasure), and acetylcholine (released when you have focused attention). She reminded us about learning to find our “optimal level” of performance by knowing thyself. Some people she says, need challenge to perform optimally (I'm like this for sure), and other people, you must take the challenge or pressure away for them to perform at their best.  One person performs better with an element of “threat” that they perceive as a “reward” and this motivates them, while another person shuts down with this “threat.” To reach peak performance levels with YOUR work, it helps to know how you reach your optimal levels best. In Chapter 5, Grant gives us tips for getting into this flow state. PICK A GOAL: Think of whatever it is you are working on a decide on the goal. Finish the presentation, or write the proposal or for me, finish writing this episode so I can record, edit and release it today. PRIME YOUR BRAIN FOR FLOW: Next he suggests bringing in mindfulness, that takes us back to our last episode where we learned about PQ reps. Use mindfulness to filter out your distractions and maintain control with your attention. I found it does help to let others around you know you've blocked off a time where you cannot be interrupted. THINK ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF THE GOAL: Why do you want to complete the thing you are working on. For me, with each podcast episode I write, record and release, it helps me to not only implement these new ideas into my own life, but I know I'm gaining skills that help me far beyond the content. Hosting this podcast, writing and recording these episodes, helps me to improve my presentation skills, communication, which improves my overall levels of confidence, let along what I'm gaining from implementing these ideas myself. I also hear from listeners like Tor Carberry from LinkedIn, who let me know he was looking forward to this episode. I don't want to let others down, so this also motivates me to do my best work. What about you? What benefits do YOU receive from whatever it is that YOU are working on? PUT YOURSELF ON THE EDGE: Ask yourself, is this challenging me? If it's not, it might not get you into the flow state. If it is, then keep working, and see how far you can get. How long can you stretch your flow state. I've stretched my flow state this morning from the minute I sat down at my desk. There's always lots of distractions, but with practice, it becomes easier to block them out, and keep moving forward, with your end goal in mind. There's nothing like the feeling of knowing you gave something your full attention, and effort. REVISIT THIS EPISODE TO REVIEW THIS CONCEPT IN DEPTH REVIEW and CONCLUSION: To review and conclude this week's episode #355 on PART 1 of our review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, we covered a review of the strategies that can help us to implement each concept, from chapter 2, 3, 4 and 5. ✔ EP 323 Chapter 2[xviii] “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your Goals” ✔ EP 324 Chapter 3[xix] “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” ✔ EP 325 Chapter 4[xx] “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” ✔ EP 326 Chapter 5[xxi] “The Neuroscience of Flow” While listening to each episode can be a helpful review, so can revisiting your leadership self-assessment to see what might have changed for you this year. I did notice the leadership self-assessment link was not working for me to retake it this year, so I have reached out to Grant Bosnick and will update it as soon as he shares it with me. In the meantime, I hope this review of the first 5 chapters of his book have helped you to think of NEW ways of thinking that will drive you towards whatever it is that you are working on this year. With that thought, I do want to thank you for tuning in, and we will see you next time, with a review of the next 5 chapters. See you next time. REFERENCES:   [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes from Whoop.com  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kristen-holmes-from-whoopcom-on-unlocking-a-better-you-measuring-sleep-recovery-and-strain/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #84 “ How a Spect Image Brain Scan Can Change your Life PART 3” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/how-a-spect-scan-can-change-your-life-part-3-with-andrea-samadi/   [iii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/bonus-episode-a-deep-dive-into-the-top-5-health-staples-and-review-of-seasons-1-4/   [iv] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/ [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #323 on “The Neuroscience of Goals”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-season-11-of-the-neuroscience-meets-sel-podcast/   [vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #324 “The Neuroscience of Inspiration”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-self-leadership-series/   [viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #325 “The Neuroscience of Flow”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-peak-performance-and-happiness/     [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #323 on “The Neuroscience of Goals”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-season-11-of-the-neuroscience-meets-sel-podcast/   [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #228 “HRV: 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/   [xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #324 “The Neuroscience of Inspiration”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-self-leadership-series/   [xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #325 “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insight-from-grant-bosnicks-tailored-approaches-to-self-leadership/       [xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/   [xv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #326 “The Neuroscience of Flow”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-peak-performance-and-happiness/   [xvi] 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/   [xvii] https://www.cgu.edu/people/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/   [xviii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #323 on “The Neuroscience of Goals”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-season-11-of-the-neuroscience-meets-sel-podcast/   [xix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #324 “The Neuroscience of Inspiration”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-self-leadership-series/   [xx]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #325 “The Neuroscience of Flow”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-peak-performance-and-happiness/      

Welcome to Episode 354 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast! Join host Andrea Samadi as she concludes the 18-week self-leadership series with Grant Bosnick's revolutionary insights into the neuroscience of presence. Discover how your internal thoughts, external behaviors, and interactions shape your presence, and learn practical strategies to enhance your mindfulness and connection with others. This episode dives into Dr. Dan Siegel's 'Wheel of Awareness' meditation, offering three actionable tips to strengthen your presence in daily life. Uncover how to elevate your relationships and productivity by integrating mindfulness practices into your routine. Whether you're striving to be the most interesting or the most interested person in the room, this episode provides valuable guidance. Prepare to close the year with heightened awareness and step into 2025 with a new perspective on leadership and personal growth. On today's episode #354 we continue with the final topic of our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year. Our final topic today, will be the neuroscience of presence, and then stay tuned for a review of the entire series to help us to move forward in 2025 with a new lens.  ((On today's EPISODE #354 “The Neuroscience of Presence” we will cover)): ✔ Chapter 19 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership with the topic of presence. ✔ Grant Bosnick's Presence Framework with examples of subtle and direct presence. ✔ The Neuroscience of Presence using Dr. Dan Siegel's book Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence ✔ Three Tips to Develop More Presence in our Day to Day Life. ✔ Reflections for using Mindfulness and Meditation to Improve Our Presence. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[ii], look to see if Presence (in Pathway 2), along with inspiration and motivation, persuade and influence, is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. I was not surprised to see this pathway is a high area of focus for me as I'm always looking for new ways to motivate, inspire and influence, and presence is something I know I need to work on daily, bringing my attention back to the present moment or you might catch me daydreaming. It made me laugh when Masati Sajady mentioned he noticed this with me, back on EP 348[iii] last year. Our presence is something that can be felt, that's for sure. Now let's take this deeper with Grant's book. Grant opens up chapter 19, his final chapter, by saying that presence “is a product of our internal thoughts, external behaviors and interactions with others. It's something (he says) that we carry with us at all times, whether we're walking into a meeting room (or walking anywhere I might add) or sitting at a bus stop.” (Ch 19, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 252). I can demonstrate this one easily because we have all been there. I'll never forget Dr. Dan Siegel, who we interviewed way back in our early days of this podcast, on EP 28[iv] talking about this topic, as he watched a mother with a young child walking, and the mother was on her cell phone, not present at all. He talked about the many opportunities for connection that were lost in this instance, and I never forgot it, as I've been guilty of doing exactly the same thing and potentially losing out on opportunities to make meaningful connections with others. Or think about this. In a conversation, someone is talking to you, and you notice the void. They've left the conversation. They are standing right in front of you, they could be looking you straight in the face, but they are no longer present mentally. You don't need to ask them where they have gone, you can just feel it, and they eventually come back, but you know they gave you half of their attention. Has this ever happened to you? Of course, it has. Bosnick says that our presence “can be direct or subtle presence; and it can be controlled or uncontrolled. With direct controlled presence, we can be the most interesting person in the room—being assertive, measured and engaging (he says). With subtle controlled presence, we can be the most interested person in the room—being observant, connected and attentive.” (Ch 19, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 252) and he says “both add value in different situations.” Whether you're striving to be the most interesting or the most interested person in the room, this episode provides valuable guidance. Prepare to close the year with heightened awareness and step into 2025 with a new perspective on leadership and personal growth. Bosnick says that our presence “can be direct or subtle presence; and it can be controlled or uncontrolled. With direct controlled presence, we can be the most interesting person in the room—being assertive, measured and engaging (he says). With subtle controlled presence, we can be the most interested person in the room—being observant, connected and attentive.” (Ch 19, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 252) and he says “both add value in different situations.” IMAGE CREDIT: Chapter 19 Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership When I think about the most interested person in the room, my mind goes to our company Zoom meetings, where there is one person, Nikki, who always has her camera on, and she is always listening to the conversation actively, showing she is truly interested. She's an incredible role model for the rest of us, and I find her attention to be motivating. This past Christmas holiday, we did a Secret Santa at our work, and Nikki was one of the organizers. I thought it would be fun to participate, so I signed up for this chance to get to know some of my work colleagues in a different way. When my box arrived at my house, and we all met on a call to open our gifts together, I was blown away with the items that were bought for me. The person who was my Secret Santa knew me well! They found out I enjoy hiking in my spare time, and bought me some items that I can really use, when I'm out on the hiking trails. This person demonstrated they were “interested” in me, with a subtle presence, by being observant, connected and attentive. Wouldn't you know it, that my Secret Santa was Nikki! And her presence made me want to do the same thing for others. What about the most interesting person in the room? We all know this one. With direct, controlled presence, they become “assertive, measured and engaging” and it's hard to take your eyes off of them. They are impossible to miss. I'm sure we can all close our eyes and think of an example of someone who uses their direct, controlled presence, really well. No one wants to be “invisible” or on the other hand “overwhelming” so this idea of presence takes practice. Bosnick says that while “some people are naturally skilled at controlling and flexing between levels of presence (like my coworker Nikki), “most of us need to consciously work at it to bring it into our control and use it to our best advantage.” (Ch 19, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 253) So how can we improve our presence?  Let's go straight to the expert on this topic, Dr. Dan Siegel, whose book, Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence,[v] dives deep into a meditation practice, called The Wheel of Awareness, that uses science and psychology to “strengthen your capacity for presence.” (Aware, Dan Siegel).   What is the Neuroscience of Presence? This is what Dr. Dan Siegel helps us to understand in his book, Aware that outlines why the meditation he created (The Wheel of Awareness) begins with helping us to become more mindful, but the byproduct of this mindfulness, is that “people seem interested in exploring how they might cultivate more presence in their lives so they can be healthier, happier and kinder to themselves and others.” (Dr. Siegel, Aware). Of course at the end of our interview, 6 year ago now, Dr. Siegel asked me what I was learning from doing his Wheel of Awareness Meditation every day. I shared what I learned in an extensive review of Dr. Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation, on EP 60[vi] “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness.”  It took me some time to uncover what I learned, but not only does this scientifically proven meditation change the structure and function of the brain in these fascinating ways: There's an integration of structure and function of the brain (integration means well-being). There's a reduction of the stress hormone cortisol. There's an enhancement of immune function. Improvement in cardiovascular risk factors. Reduction in inflammation via epigenetic changes. An optimization of telomerase—which is fascinating as it repairs and maintains the ends of chromosomes which slows aging. In addition to these brain changes, I noticed an increase of ability with my 5 senses, also, with increased sensations within my body, and most importantly, what Dr. Siegel was looking to see if I noticed, was that it helped to increase my connection to people around me, expanding my “presence” far outside of myself, and into the world around me. If you type the word “presence” into Dr. Siegel's book, Aware, you will find it's listed 85 times. Within his Wheel of Awareness Meditation he shares “is about monitoring with stability whatever is arising as it arises (when you do this practice day after day). It's this awareness that (he says) we are calling presence.” (Aware, Siegel, Page 29). How to Develop More Presence in Our Lives? “How can we become more mindful (or present) in our day-to-day living so that we are aware of what's happening?” (whatever is arising day to day)? Dr. Dan Siegel suggests that we “do a regular practice that trains the mind…That training of the mind is sometimes called meditation. (Where he says) we learn to strengthen (our) focused attention.” (Aware, Dr. Siegel, Page 14). Here are three tips to start to become more present (with whatever it is that arises) in our day to day life: MEDITATE TO STRENGTHEN OUR MIND: Find a meditation where you must be active (not just sit, listen and drift off). It could be Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness[vii] or even our most downloaded episode series of all-time, The Silva Method.[viii] Find the best time of day to practice strengthening your mind, and stay consistent. NEXT PRACTICE BEING MINDFUL: Once we have strengthened our mind, now we've got to put this mental strength into practice. Like Nikki on Zoom calls, she increased her presence by being the most interested person in the room. Or what about when we are in a conversation with someone else, and our mind wanders. Are you able to mindfully bring it back? Dr. Siegel reminds us that “mental presence is a state of being awake and receptive to what is happening, as it is happening in the moment, within us, and between the world and us.” ( Aware, Siegel, Page 14). FINALLY, NOTICE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS INCREASED PRESENCE: As we work on strengthening our own presence in the world, and as we are observant, connected and attentive to others (or present) Dr. Siegel would say that we go from the state of “I” to a more integrated self that he calls “MWE.” This is where you/me connect together and like I noticed with the Wheel of Awareness practice, it increased the importance of expanding my presence outside of myself, to include others around me, in the world. When we can be truly present in our work or personal lives, we will begin to notice the connections around us, and how important they are. It takes some time though, to put this into practice, as we are bombarded with distractions daily, that take us away from this much-needed presence. In chapter 19 of his book, Grant Bosnick asks us to reflect on his Presence Framework, image 19.1 and asks us: Have you ever felt uncontrolled, direct presence where you might be overdoing it and unintentionally overwhelming others? How to use empathy and emotional intelligence to direct yourself back to being more mindful of how you are showing up to others. Think of someone who has controlled direct presence, making them the most interesting person in the room. Think of someone who has controlled subtle presence who appears to be the most interested person, on a consistent basis. Once you know which quadrant you typically show up in with Bosnick's Presence Framework, you can begin the work to train your mind to become more present in your daily work and personal life. I guarantee this will help you to build stronger, more effective relationships with others. You will start seeing how your connections go from thinking about ME…to MWE (or you and me together). To review and conclude this week's episode #354 on “The Neuroscience of Presence” we covered: ✔ Chapter 19 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership with the topic of presence. ✔ Grant Bosnick's Presence Framework with examples of subtle and direct presence. ✔ The Neuroscience of Presence using Dr. Dan Siegel's book Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence ✔ Three Tips to Develop More Presence in our Day to Day Life. ✔ Reflections for using Mindfulness and Meditation to Improve Our Presence, and expand our connection with others in the world. I hope this episode has been as helpful to you as it was for me. Being more present in my daily life (work and personal) is something that takes effort for me, even after implementing Dr. Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation. Distractions come fiercely, every second of the day and it takes a trained mind to divert our attention to what matters the most for us. This takes practice, and effort, but the results are well worth it. With that thought, we will close out this episode, and next time, we will review ALL 19 chapters of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, in one place. See you next time.   REFERENCES:   [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #348 with Masati  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unveiling-exponential-intelligence-transform-your-life-by-shifting-frequencies/   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Dan Siegel   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/   [v] Dr. Dan Siegel, Aware: The Science and Practice and Presence (Published August 21, 2018) https://drdansiegel.com/book/aware/   [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #60 “The Science Behind a Meditation Practice with a Deep Dive into Dr. Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/   [vii] https://www.drdansiegel.com/resources/wheel_of_awareness/   [viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #322 A Deep Dive into Applying The Silva Method for Improving Creativity, and Innovation  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/transforming-minds-and-paving-the-future/  

Join Andrea Samadi in Episode 353 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast as we explore the intricacies of empathy, guided by Grant Bosnick's tailored approaches to self-leadership. Delve into the foundation of empathy as a vital leadership tool, capable of strengthening relationships and achieving better outcomes. Learn about the neuroscience behind empathy, focusing on the role of mirror neurons and the three different types of empathy: cognitive, emotional, and empathetic concern. We also reflect on personal experiences where assumptions led to misunderstandings, highlighting the importance of seeing through another's eyes. Discover practical tips for deepening empathy, cultivating empathetic concern, and applying these insights both personally and professionally to make meaningful connections. This episode calls us to consciously choose empathy, fostering trust and compassion in our interactions. Prepare for our final chapter on the Neuroscience of Presence in the upcoming episodes as we continue to enhance our understanding and application of neuroscience in our daily lives. Welcome back to SEASON 13 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 6 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. On today's episode #353 we continue with the second last topic of our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year. Our final topic will be the neuroscience of presence, and then stay tuned for a review of the entire series to help us to move forward in 2025 with a new lens.   Now we have not yet covered empathy as an entire topic on this podcast, (yet) but we did mention it on EP 340[ii] with mediation expert John Ford on “Navigating Workplace Conflicts” with his “The Empathy Set”[iii] Card Program. I also included the topic of Empathy within the Character Education program I created for schools, so I know why Grant would think this topic to be important enough to include on his “roadmap” for success. When I looked back to what I had written over 15 years ago on empathy, I found an image that said “empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another” which is right in line with how Grant Bosnick opens up Chapter 18 of his book. Grant reminds us that “empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from their frame of reference, the capacity to place ourselves in another person's position, to put ourselves in their shoes, see it from their eyes, their perspective, their way of thinking and feeling.”. ((On today's EPISODE #353 “The Neuroscience of Empathy” we will cover)): ✔ A review of previous episodes where we covered empathy. ✔ The Neuroscience of Empathy ✔ Three Kinds of Empathy (Cognitive, Emotional and Empathetic Concern). ✔ Tips for becoming more empathetic in our daily life to deepen our relationships and improve our outcomes personally and professionally. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[iv], look to see if Empathy (in Pathway 6, our final pathway in this book study) along with biases, relationships/authenticity and trust is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. I was not surprised to see this pathway is a high area of focus for me. I often think “I wonder what this person is thinking and feeling” and try to see a situation from their viewpoint. Do you do this? Think and feel from another person's point of view? That's the first step at putting empathy into action in our daily life. Now let's take this deeper with Grant's book. In Chapter 18 of Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, he asks us to remember a time we felt conflict or tension with another person, and asks us to look at the problem from the other person's perspective. I remember Dr. Maiysha Clairborne from EP 289[v] talking about the “3 Positions of Listening” where she informs us we can look at the conflict through our own eyes first, and then step out of our shoes, and into someone else's (she calls this position 2 to see what they see, hear what they hear, and feel the feelings they might be feeling. And finally, the third position, which she says is the most valuable, is the observer position where you can go above and look down at the conflict, outside of each person involved, to see the entire dynamic, or bigger picture. Grant talks about the importance of stepping into another person's shoes, the minute we sense tension or frustration coming up with another person. Feeling empathy for others is an important leadership tool Grant reminds us, as it will help us to “build trust, develop relationship(s) and achieve better outcomes” but he cautions us against making assumptions that can influence our decisions and actions. (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 235) REFLECTION QUESTION: Grant asks us to reflect on when we might have been wrong about the thoughts or motivations of another person, and what behavior did you take, intentionally, or unintentionally?  I always go back to an example that I would share in the classrooms, working with teens on this topic, as this has happened to all of us in some capacity. I'm going back now to when I was in high school, (Don Mills Collegiate in Toronto, Canada) and I was walking along a pathway, outside of my school, and saw my good friend Yolanda (real name). I waved at Yolanda, and looked forward to catching up with her on our way to our classes, but Yolanda didn't wave back to me. I went straight in my head to “hmmm…I wonder why Yolanda is angry with me” and I went another route, so we would miss each other and didn't end up walking together. I had made the assumption that Yolanda was angry with me, and the action I took, was that I avoided her. I can think of countless other times in my life where I've made assumptions like this, and missed opportunities with friends. At a later date, Yolanda asked me why I was avoiding her, ( I was surprised she noticed) and I told her about how I had waved and that she hadn't waved back, and it was then that she told me she wasn't wearing her glasses that day, and never saw me. In fact, she didn't see anything at all that day (the chalkboards included)! I was disappointed that I had made this assumption, and it was a valuable lesson to see through Yolanda's eyes, with how incorrect I was when I made this assumption. The Neuroscience of Empathy So how does empathy work in our brain? Grant reminds us of “the activation of mirror neurons in our brain which help to explain the process of empathy.” In our brain, “empathy is a spontaneous sharing of a person's feelings or thoughts by witnessing and being affected by their emotional state” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 236) and that “we mirror or mimic the emotional response that we would expect to feel ourselves if we were in that same context.” I always think of those emotional Hallmark Card commercials that get me every time, or movies where I relate to the character, and wipe away tears, reminding myself “it's just a movie.” The movie Ghost with Whoopi Goldberg, comes to mind, with a memory I'll never forget, from many years ago. As the movie ended, one of my friends wasn't ready to leave the theater, and I remember him not wanting to talk about it, as he wiped tear away from his eyes, hoping none of us would notice. The movie had triggered his mirror neurons and like Grant Bosnick mentioned in his book, movies can do this to us! Grant gives us the origin of these mirror neurons by sharing that “they evolved in the human brain to facilitate and understand the actions we need to take in response to others as, at least in human history (he says) our survival would depend on it.” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 237). My friend didn't want to “feel” what Patrick Swayze was feeling in the movie, Ghost, but his mirror neurons wouldn't give him much choice. I remember reading in National Geographic, about the origin of our “mirror neurons” and learned that “humans communicate through facial gestures. Control of these expressions lies in the brain stem and amygdala, beyond consciousness.”[vi] This makes sense to me, since when you try to control it, or not feel these emotions, (like my friend in the movie theater) it's very difficult, and almost impossible. Do you relate to mirror neurons, and feeling empathy for others in this way? Three Kinds of Empathy Bosnick goes on to share that there are three kinds of empathy: cognitive empathy, emotional empathy and empathetic concern. Cognitive Empathy is “taking another person's perspective and understanding the situation as they see it” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 237) like we learned from Maiysha Clairborne with the three positions of listening. “Through their words and body language, we process it logically, taking their perspective, without experiencing it.” The mirror neurons do not fire here. Emotional Empathy is “feeling someone's pain or emotion by seeing it in them and simulating/sensing it in ourselves.” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 237). In this case, mirror neurons fire as we experience the situation like it were our own, like my friend in the movie theater. Grant points out that “different parts of the brain are activated during emotional empathy and cognitive empathy. As a result, we process it differently within our brain. It has also shown (that we just mentioned from the quote from National Geographic) that we can control cognitive empathy much more than emotional empathy because it uses a logical part of our brain rather than an emotional center.” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 238). He does urge us to work on using both at the same time “to understand the other person's perspective AND experience their emotions” to come at the most accurate conclusion to how they are thinking and feeling. Grant pointed out that in the workplace, he usually defaults to using more cognitive empathy, and just by adding more emotional empathy, he is able to truly understand those he works with, and empathize with them on a deeper level. Empathetic Concern is “the feeling that if I can do something that can help you, I will…when I see you are in trouble, I want to help you out…It is being genuinely concerned with others and experiencing other-oriented emotions to help them.” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 240). This is “when we express care, tenderness, compassion…about another person, supporting them, showing trust, allowing them space.” Bosnick says empathetic concern takes “emotional empathy” to a deeper level. REFLECTION QUESTION: When have you experienced empathetic concern? Think of one personal and one business example where you have genuinely felt concern for another person and wanted to help them. Reflect on what how empathetic concern deepened the levels of trust, helped to develop a better relationship, with improved outcomes. Bosnick warns us that “although empathy is a natural biological process within our brains, it is not automatic” and shares that “feeling empathy is a choice we make.” (Chapter 18, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 241). His book does dive deeper into situations where people may consciously, or unconsciously choose not to be empathetic with tips on how to develop habits for effective empathy that include listening to others, standing up for others, reading more books, and even how to raise empathetic children. You can dive deeper into the topic of empathy in chapter 18 of Grant's book. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #353 on “The Neuroscience of Empathy” we covered: ✔ A review of previous episodes where we covered empathy (John Ford's episode and also with Dr. Maiysha Clairborne) that are excellent to review. ✔ The Neuroscience of Empathy, our mirror neurons, and a warning to watch making assumptions in this process. ✔ Three Kinds of Empathy (Cognitive, Emotional and Empathetic Concern). ✔ Tips for becoming more empathetic in our daily life, and practice Empathetic Concern where we can, to deepen our relationships and improve our outcomes personally and professionally.  I hope this episode has provided you with a deeper understanding of ways to practice being more empathetic in your personal and work life. I know that the world can be a better place if we all can learn to think and feel from another person's point of view, and finally, if we have solutions that can genuinely help others, to lean in and offer some ideas to support those that are close to you. It can only work to bring you closer. With that thought, we will close out this episode, and we will see you next time with our final chapter, The Neuroscience of Presence, before reviewing the entire book. Have a great week. REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #340 with John Ford  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/navigating-workplace-conflicts-insights-from-a-mediation-expert/   [iii] https://www.empathyset.com/about   [iv] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #289 with Dr. Maiysha Clairborne on “Getting to the Roots of our Doubts, Fears and Beliefs” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/maiysha-clairborne-md-on-what-holds-us-back-getting-to-the-root-of-our-doubts-fears-and-beliefs/   [vi] National Geographic “Your Brain: 100 Things You Never Knew” (4/19/19) https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Your-Brain-Things/dp/B00AO70YGO          

Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series, where we delve into the fascinating topic of trust and its underpinning neuroscience. In episode 352, we revitalize our understanding of trust by revisiting our initial interview with Greg Link from episode 206 and exploring Grant Bosnick's insightful approaches. We unpack the concept of trust as presented in Bosnick's book, emphasizing the five C's for strengthening trustworthiness: Character, Competency, Credibility, Consistency, and Care. Each of these pillars serves as a foundation for building reliable relationships both personally and professionally. Further, we examine critical factors impacting trust, like responsiveness, authenticity, and empathy, shedding light on how these elements foster an environment of trust. This exploration is pivotal for anyone aiming to enhance their self-leadership skills and boost their interpersonal effectiveness. Join us as we push the boundaries of self-leadership, preparing to soar to new heights in the upcoming year with insights that are not only transformative but also actionable. On today's episode #352 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January 2024. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights this year. It's honestly shocked me that this series took the entire year, and we still have 2 chapters left. The Neuroscience of Empathy and Presence, and then stay tuned for a review of the entire series to take us to new refined heights, in 2025. ((On today's EPISODE #352 “The Neuroscience of Trust” we will cover)): ✔ A review of our FIRST interview where we covered trust with Greg Link,EP 206[ii] ✔ Ch. 17 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership book on “The Neuroscience of Trust.” ✔ The 5 Cs to strengthen trustworthiness from Grant Bosnick's work. ✔ Critical factors that impact trust. Review of the Neuroscience of Trust We first covered The Neuroscience of Trust on EPISODE #206, as I was preparing for an interview with 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 can go back to episode #207[iii] to learn more from Greg Link's incredible experience working with Dr. Covey, and with the fascinating individuals and companies around the world he reviewed with us, where we dove into the topic of “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, SEL, Trust, and the 7 Habits.” While researching Greg Link, 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 or character trait 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.” It's the “shortest route to results” (Robert Allen, author of Multiple Streams of Income). “Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people.” (Stephen Covey). Greg Link confided in us in our interview, that it was when Dr. Stephen Covey extended trust towards him (to build his company) that his whole world shifted. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[iv], look to see if Trust (in Pathway 6, our final pathway in this book study) along with biases, relationships/authenticity and empathy is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. I was not surprised to see this pathway is a high area of focus for me. Moving on to chapter 17 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Bosnick opens the chapter by saying that “trust is like a bank account: we can increase it with deposits or reduce it with withdrawals.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 215). He elaborates by saying that “when we are kind and respectful to others, we make a deposit and increase the levels of trust; when we are unkind or disrespectful to others, by contrast, we make a withdrawal and lower the trust. When we keep promises, we make a deposit; when we break promises, we make a withdrawal. When we apologize, we make a deposit, when we are selfish, proud, or arrogant, we make a withdrawal.” Every time we interact with someone, we have the opportunity to make a deposit, or a withdrawal, and if we make deposits and build this up over time, “we can have an abundance of trust.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 215) and Bosnick reminds us that this allows for when “we might have made a withdrawal, others can forgive us for this one time and still keep a high level of trust.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 215). But he warns us that “if we make multiple withdrawals, these will accumulate and drive the level of trust down, which is harder to come back from. It can, in fact, go into a negative balance, where we may distrust that person, and then interpret all of their behavior in a negative light, from which they may never come back.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 215). Bosnick does point out that “there is a strong correlation between trust and a person's willingness to acknowledge their own mistakes, apologize for them and encourage other to acknowledge and learn from their mistakes.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 215). What is the Neuroscience of Trust? Bosnick points out that “when we trust and have trust with others, our brains release and build oxytocin: the neurochemical produced from the comfort of social trust either given or received…Oxytocin is produced in the human brain when we feel trust and trusted, and this molecule motivates reciprocation.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 219). Researchers found that this response signals that another person is safe, familiar and trustworthy, and can occur with strangers without face-to-face interactions.   In chart 17.1, Bosnick lists some behaviors that erode trust, like being inconsistent, lying or lacking transparency, lacking follow through, taking undue credit, passing blame, gossiping, not “walking the talk” or poor communication. IMAGE CREDIT: Chapter 17 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership. Have you ever met someone who eroded trust with you, using any of these examples? If you want to work on building rock-solid trust with others, (personally or professionally) here is what Bosnick suggests. How to Be Trustworthy Bosnick shares the 5 Cs to being Trustworthy. Character: To be trustworthy, we need to be a person of integrity. Integrity is when our thoughts, feelings and actions line up, and it can be felt from others. We've talked about this concept before on this podcast and have called this PRAXIS. To be sure that your thoughts, feelings and actions line up, (or that you are walking your talk) a good measure would be to look at your results. Your conditions, circumstances and environment in your life are a direct reflection of the actions that you take day to day. If you don't like the results you are attaining, (or your conditions/circumstances or your environment where you live) go back and look at your thoughts, feelings and actions, and see if you can uncover where it may be misaligned, and then correct where you are out of line. You might not think this is important, but it really is, as others will just “feel” something is off with you, until this alignment is corrected. Competency: What is your personal track record of success? Do you say what you are going to do, and then do what you say, successfully? Being honest with what we are capable of doing, increases our trustworthiness. This also goes for when we need additional help of support to complete whatever it is that we are working on. To work on strengthening this area, remember that it is not a weakness to ask for additional help when needed. Credibility: If we can “connect the dots between other people's problems or situations” Bosnick says that this adds to our credibility, and this increases our trustworthiness. He says that to do this properly, we cannot “make assumptions and predetermine the solution before fully understanding their needs. We must listen to the core issues and provide solutions that meet their specific needs.” Our ability to listen deeply to others, therefore, improves our trustworthiness. Consistency: Do you do what you say you are going to do with consistency? This creates stability, puts others at ease and builds trust. Bosnick says that “we need to create stability in the situations we face and with the people we interact with. This stability helps people to feel at ease and know what to expect” and this in turn, increases our trustworthiness. Care: Do you care about the people you interact with? Do you show them that they matter, or that you appreciate them? Doing this demonstrates emotional intelligence, Bosnick says, and this “builds human connections and enhances our trustworthiness with the people we engage with.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 222). I can think of examples in each of these areas, but the one that impacts me the most, is the first one, our character. It's how we behave when no one else is watching. When no one else is watching, are you of integrity with your thoughts, feelings and actions? Then think about the others. Are you credible? Do other people trust your abilities? Do you LISTEN deeply to others before offering solutions? What about consistency? Do those that interact with you know where you stand so they can anticipate your actions? Do you create stability? Or competency? Do we know our limits, and what we need for success to occur, and if in doubt, ask for help or support from others to hit our goals? Activity: Reflect on a person you work with where trust is important. Have you ever done something with this person that eroded the trust? How can you use the 5 Cs to build trust to a level where others trust in you without a shadow of a doubt? Remember what Greg Link taught us. For others to see us as trustworthy, it helps when we extend trust in others. The first time I realized that trusting others was not easy for me, was when I was in an experiential seminar in 2004 that showed me just how much trust I had in other people. I had to climb up high, (in this activity) and free fall backwards, and trust that my team mates (who I didn't know very well) would catch me, before I hit the ground. I remember looking at each of my teammates, and the big strong men, I trusted would catch me, (without a doubt) but the women, I wondered about. This was a huge lesson for me in self-awareness, as I've since learned to extend trust to the close women in my life, learning that strength comes in many different forms, but most importantly, it comes back to you, when it's given. Critical Factors That Impact Trust To close out this chapter, Bosnick covers critical factors that impact trust in figure 17.3 that I've added to the show notes. He explains “the most critical factor to build and maintain trust was responsiveness.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 230) and that the size of the team matters. IMAGE CREDIT: Chapter 17 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership Bosnick listed survey results that showed “having a good team makeup who work well together and are responsive in their communication engenders trust. Unresponsive, new teams need to work together to build a bit of cohesion.” Next he lists “authenticity and empathy” for building and maintaining trust which includes “showing genuine, positive regard for others, in our mind, intent and behavior.” It's PRAXIS again. Our thoughts, feelings and actions show up whether we think others can “see” it or not. This comes through with our authenticity that we covered thoroughly on EP 346[v] “Discovering Authenticity and Vulnerability with Mo Issa.” Another survey result he shared mentioned that “when people can bring their whole selves to work from a place of authenticity, while listening and providing their diverse point of views, it creates an environment of trust.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 230). He adds that “communication plays a key role in building and maintaining trust. We need to be open and honest because secretiveness and withholding information leads to distrust.” (Chapter 17, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 230). REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #352 on “The Neuroscience of Trust” we covered: ✔ A review of our FIRST interview where we covered trust with Greg Link,EP 206[vi] a were reminded that when we extend trust to others, it will be extended back to us. ✔ Ch. 17 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership book on “The Neuroscience of Trust.” The 5 Cs to strengthen trustworthiness from Grant Bosnick's work (character, competency, credibility, consistency and care) with tips for us to strengthen each area. Critical factors that impact trust with responsiveness, authenticity and empathy being at the top of the list. I hope this episode has added some insight for you as we launch a New Year, and work on closing out this 19 chapter series. Stay tuned for our final 2 chapters (empathy-chapter 18 and presence-chapter 19) before reviewing the entire series. See you next time and Happy New Year! REFERENCES [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #206 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-trust/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #207  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/co-founder-of-coveylink-greg-link-on-unleashing-greatness-with-neuroscience-sel-trust-and-the-7-habits/   [iv] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #346 Discovering Authenticity and Vulnerability with Mo Issa https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-midlife-shift-discovering-authenticity-and-vulnerability-with-mo-issa/   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #206 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-trust/      

Welcome back to Season 12 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we bridge the gap between neuroscience and emotional intelligence to enhance well-being and productivity. In this episode, host Andrea Samadhi continues the 18-week self-leadership series, focusing on the neuroscience of biases as explored in Grant Bosnick's book, "Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership." Episode 347 delves into Chapter 16, examining cognitive biases through the lens of current neuroscience research. With insights from past episodes and experts like Jenny Woo and Howard Rankin, Andrea highlights the nearly 200 cognitive biases that influence our decision-making. The episode introduces Bosnick's strategies for identifying and managing these biases using Daniel Kahneman's dual-system theory of thinking. Listeners will learn practical steps to recognize biases, categorize them, and apply thoughtful approaches to mitigate their effects. This exploration aims to enhance self-awareness and improve decision-making processes by leveraging both reflexive and reflective thinking systems. Join us on this enlightening journey to understand the intricacies of human cognition and prepare for upcoming discussions, including the neuroscience of trust. This episode is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to refine their self-leadership skills and cognitive understanding. On today's EPISODE #347 “The Neuroscience of Biases” we will cover: ✔ A review of past episodes where we covered biases. ✔ Chapter 16 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership on The Neuroscience of Bias. ✔ A review of our two types of thinking (X-system=reflexive/automatic and C-system=reflective/intentional). ✔ 3 Steps to Understand and Manage our Biases ✔ 4 Strategies for Mitigating our Biases For Today, EPISODE #347, we are moving on to Chapter 16, reviewing “The Neuroscience Biases” that we first covered on EP 17[i] with Harvard Researcher, Jenny Woo. On this early episode on our podcast, I mentioned I had just learned that there “are almost 200 known cognitive biases and distortions that cause us to think and act irrationally.” (72 Amazing Brain Facts by Deane Alban). Then we explored cognitive biases even further with EP 146 with our FIRST interview with Howard Rankin, on “How Not to Think”[ii]  where he explains why "the more we know, the more we realize we know nothing at all." (Howard Rankin). If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[iii], look to see if Biases (in Pathway 6, our final pathway in this book study) along with relationships/authenticity, trust and empathy is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. I was not surprised to see this pathway is a high area of focus for me. I remember being surprised at how many common problems occur with our human thinking process, and wondered how to be aware of all of these cognitive biases. Learning is a continual process, and awareness that our thinking contains these biases, is the first step towards improving our thinking process. So what does Grant Bosnick have to say about biases in chapter 16 of his book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership? He opens the chapter with an exercise that came from Daniel Kahneman's book, Thinking Fast, and Slow[iv] a book that sold more than 2.6 million copies.   IMAGE CREDIT: (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick). If you are listening to this episode, look at the image in the show notes, and don't forget how you went on to solve this puzzle. Read the instructions and then solve the puzzle. It says “spot the error.” We will come back to the solution at the end of this episode. Bosnick next goes on to define what cognitive biases are, reminding us they are “mental shortcuts that allow us to quickly sort, categorize and make decisions on pieces of information in order to navigate the world in an efficient way. They can be positive, negative or neutral, although most of us probably associate them with the more negative side.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick). Biases Bosnick says “can be conscious” like when you can relate to someone who is similar to you, or they can be “unconscious: we all have them and unknowingly use them to make judgements every day.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick). We did learn from Howard Rankin, that we need to be “careful about how we think” and Bosnick agrees, saying that biases can impact the quality of our thinking, judgements and decisions. (And Bosnick's advice to us is that) in order to make better judgements and reduce bias, label the biases and mitigate them using appropriate mental and behavioral processes” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick) that we will examine today. So What is the Neuroscience of Bias? Bosnick brings us back to the two systems in our brain that we first saw on EP #345[v] “The Neuroscience of Relationships and Authenticity” where we looked at the neuroscience of our social brain with the famous story of Phineas Gage, Neuroscience's Most Famous Patient.  With this example, Bosnick tells us that “we have two systems in our brain: the X-system and the C-system. The X-system (or reflexive system) is automatic, responsive, like/dislike, reward/threat. Since this part of our brain is non-thinking, it's not affected by our mental load. The C-system (or reflective system) is controlled, conscious, with executive function and executive control.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). Motivation and effort are required to engage this part of the brain, and it can be affected by our mental load. X-system (reflexive)=automatic C-system (reflective) =we need motivation and effort to activate Remember: Phineas Gage destroyed his C-system (system 2, reflective system) when the iron railroad rod went through his brain, (his controlled thinking was impacted) so he was left operating on X-system only. In other words, he had no control over his automatic, reflexive system, and his behavior became unbearable as a result. He treated everybody as an object for his own personal reward” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186) without control. So, going back to the neuroscience of bias, the X-System is where we think on auto-pilot (like Phineas Gage) and is “fast-thinking” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 193) and the C-System is “the more deliberate, slow-thinking, reflective system…and is much more demanging on our cognitive resources than the X-system.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 193). Which means, it's easy to go to automatic reflexive thinking, and much harder to think with our reflective, “high road” intentional and controlled thinking.” Bosnick reminds us that we can't operate with System 2 all of the time, or we will burn out. We need some automatic thinking to navigate our world. We all know this. We've heard of productivity hacks, like what Steve Jobs did to make life easier by wearing the same clothes all the time. He said this reduced his cognitive load by eliminating the small decisions he had to make. He was putting the load of this small task thinking on his X-reflexive system, to make more space for his C-Reflective system. Now that we know how our brain operates, going back to these two systems of thinking, Bosnick asks us to think back to the problems he listed at the start of the chapter to see how we went about solving them. I gave one of the two examples of the maze, saying to “spot the error.” How did YOU solve this puzzle? I'll tell you what I did? I started looking at the maze, and was looking for where the maze had errors. I couldn't see any, so figured there was more to what I was looking at than I was seeing. Bosnick shares that the error is in the center of the maze where the instructions say “find the the error.” So I learned that while writing this episode, I'm cognitively busy and reverted back to my X-reflexive system to scan the diagram, and see if I could find the most obvious, easy to spot error. If I thought this way with this example, where else am I reverting back either consciously, or unconsciously to automatic thinking? Bosnick's chapter goes on to explore three out of the almost 200 known biases, and concludes his chapter on ways to manage these biases. He says that “biases are a natural part of the human condition. We cannot get rid of them. Therefore we need to understand them, and manage them.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 193). He suggests these 3 Steps for Understanding and Managing our Biases: Accept and admit we are all biased. It's a natural part of being human. The exercise from Daniel Kahnaman's book showed me how quickly I reverted back to system x, reflexive, automatic thinking. This self-awareness has helped me to consider where else I make quick judgments, without thinking reflectively. Label the Bias. While Bosnick covered three examples, similarity bias (making quick conclusions about people similar to you), urgency bias (where we put non-urgent tasks on hold to push through to do something that requires our immediate attention), or experience bias (where we believe our perception is the truth and that others who see things differently from us are wrong, knowing there are close to 200 different biases, it's a start to be aware that our thinking could possibly be flawed. Mitigate the Bias. We aren't going to solve all of our biases at once, but once we are aware that's it's human to have them, we can begin with looking at strategies to mitigate each. 4 Strategies for Mitigating Biases: SLOW DOWN: Bosnick goes into detail on how to mitigate the top three biases that he listed. The strategy that he used was to step back, slow down and access your Systems 2 reflective thinking to see what you notice. The maze exercise showed me I could benefit from slowing down my thinking and not jump to conclusions. BE MINDFUL: When talking to others, work on “engaging our System 2 thinking…the more mindful we are, the more we can engage our mental brakes, increase self-awareness, reduce emotional impulses, and reduce our susceptibility to unconscious bias.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 212). Being mindful of others will help us to learn to appreciate different perspectives, as well, other people will connect more to us when they can sense we are thinking from their point of view. LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE: Talk to others so you can learn “how to get out of our own experience bias and appreciate other people's perspectives. This will help us to get out of our autopilot, easy route thinking of the urgency bias to have deeper, more robust and deliberate thinking.” (Ch 16, Biases, Bosnick, Page 212). ASK FOR OUTSIDE OPINIONS: Find others you can brainstorm with to come up with fresh ideas to help you to think in a different way. Ask for feedback to gain a new perspective. This is just the beginning of this topic for us here on the podcast. While writing this episode, I had a message from our good friend Horacio Sanchez, third time returning guest from EP 111[vi] who let me know he is releasing a book on this exact topic, coming out March, 2025. We will have him back on for a 4th time, to dive deeper into this topic. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #347 on “The Neuroscience of Bias” we covered: ✔ A review of past episodes where we first talked about biases. ✔ Chapter 16 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership on The Neuroscience of Bias. ✔ A review of our two types of thinking (X-system=reflexive/automatic and C-system=reflective/intentional). ✔ 3 Steps to Understand and Manage our Biases ✔ 4 Strategies for Mitigating our Biases This is just the beginning, knowing there are close to 200 known cognitive biases that cause us to think and act irrationally, I know that I'm looking forward to learning more on this topic from Horacio Sanchez, whose forthcoming book will cover this topic. In the mean time, I'm working on ways to slow my thinking down, and hope that you have found it helpful to take a closer look at how we think. With that thought, I'll see you next time, with the Neuroscience of Trust. Have a great week! REFERENCES:   [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #17 with Harvard Researcher, Jenny Woo  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/harvard-researcher-jenny-woo-on-the-latest-research-brain-facts-and-myths-growth-mindset-memory-and-cognitive-biases/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning 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] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iv] Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow October 25, 2011    [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #345 on “The Neuroscience of Relationships and Authenticity” #17https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/unlocking-authenticity-the-neuroscience-of-relationships/   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #111 with Horacio Sanchez https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/resiliency-expert-and-author-horacio-sanchez-on-finding-solutions-to-the-poverty-problem/    

Welcome back to Season 12 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast! In episode 345, we continue our 18-week self-leadership series based on Grant Bosnick's tailored approaches. This week, we dive into Chapter 15, exploring the neuroscience of relationships and authenticity. We revisit key insights on relationship-building from past episodes and introduce the concept of authenticity, drawing on reflections from Andrea Samadi and insights from Mohamed Issa's forthcoming book. Learn what authenticity means, how it impacts our lives, and practical steps for fostering genuine connections with others. Discover the balance between the reflexive and reflective systems in our brain, and how understanding these can enhance our social interactions. Reflect on your unique gifts and talents, and find out how to nurture them to build deeper, more authentic relationships. Join us for an enlightening episode that blends neuroscience with practical advice, helping you to live a more authentic life and improve your personal and professional relationships. On today's episode #345 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. On today's EPISODE #345 “The Neuroscience of Relationships and Authenticity” we will cover: ✔ A review of one of our FIRST interviews, with Greg Wolcott EP #7, July 2019 on his book Significant 72 ✔ Ch. 15 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership book on “Relationships and Authenticity ✔ A review of Mo Issa's definition of Authenticity from his book, The Shift: How to Awaken to the Aliveness Within ✔ The Neuroscience of Our Social Brain ✔ 4 Steps to Building More Authentic Relationships For Today, EPISODE #345, we are moving on to Chapter 15, reviewing “The Neuroscience of Relationships and Authenticity.” We've covered relationships on this podcast, right back to the beginning, with Greg Wolcott EP #7, (July 2019) with his book Significant 72: Unleashing the Power of Relationships in Today's Classrooms. Greg Wolcott, an Assistant Superintendent from Chicago, IL, has dedicated his life to this topic through his work at Signficant72.com.[iii] It's here where you can learn more about Greg's Relationship Mindset Movement, his book, tools, and resources to improve student-teacher relationships in the classroom. Relationships are also one of the six social and emotional competencies that we built our podcast framework upon, knowing how important relationship skills are for our well-being and future success. “Social relationships—both quantity and quality—affect mental health, health behavior, physical health, and (even our) mortality risk.”[iv] If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[v], look to see if Relationships and Authenticity (in Pathway 6, our final pathway in this book study) along with biases, trust and empathy is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. I was not surprised to see this pathway is a high area of focus for me. While we have covered relationship building often on this podcast, the one topic we have NOT covered yet is authenticity. This is interesting timing for me, as I'm currently reading a book by a good friend, Mohammed Issa[vi], where he covers the topic of authenticity, in depth. It's the title of chapter 8 of his forthcoming book, The Midlife Shift[vii] (Reclaiming My Authenticity). I remember years before Mo wrote this book, I could tell he was thinking deeply about this topic. In 2021 he sent me a message, and asked me “what does living an authentic life mean to you?” I take questions from Mo seriously over the years. I know he's not messing around. I can go back to my notes from 2021 and I can see that I wrote a few pages of “what authenticity means to me.” These notes are important for today's episode, and when we meet with Mo the middle of next month. I wrote: Authenticity: is being genuine or real. What's authentic for me personally—it's living life according to my values. And this takes ongoing refinement. I know what's important and what drives me daily (health is at the top of my value chart, and I'd never compromise it—it's first, what I focus on the minute I wake up, and close my eyes at the end of each day). Living life authentically for me, is putting health as my backbone of strength, which I've found helps me to skyrocket my personal and professional life. It's been this way for me, for as long as I can remember. Living an authentic original life: means living who I am by design. After health, I prioritize what unique expressions I want in my life—growth/challenge (come next) and these things that I value make me authentic/and uniquely me. I have to fight for these values in my life—to go after them, and keep them at my forefront, because only I know what's best for me here. If I'm not putting health first, (for myself and my family) or learning, growing, researching, and then disseminating/sharing what I've learned, I'm not living my true authentic self. It will hurt my productivity if I compromise who I am, at this granular level. I took some time off from producing episodes earlier this year, and while it was great to have this extra time, I ended up using this time for things that didn't truly make me happy at the soul level, like this work does. What about you? What does authenticity mean to you? How do you know when you are living a truly authentic life? It's eye-opening once we know this about ourselves, so we can course correct, when we veer off this path of authenticity. Do you know what is special about you? What are your unique gift/talent that makes you stand out from others? A talent that you know deep inside that you must keep working and perfecting, as it's this talent that awakens your aliveness? I love how Mo Issa defines authenticity, which shows up as a theme in all his books. After years of self-reflection, Mo believes that “true authenticity means being ourselves—not an imitation of what we think we should be or what others want us to be. We all have a unique gift, and we must find and nurture it.” (Mo Issa, The Shift). Getting back to Chapter 15 of Grant Bosnick's book; what does he have to say about being authentic? Bosnick says that before we can build authentic relationships with others, he has us consider what authenticity means to us first. He says that being authentic is: “being real, being honest and true with yourself, being vulnerable, letting go of your own ego, looking not only at what you like about yourself, but also the “darker part that can be improved or changed (I've heard this called our “shadow work”) and having the courage, humility, and discipline to take a hard look in the mirror at who you are.” (Chapter 15, Relationships, Bosnick). Bosnick covers what holds us back from being authentic and he lists: “fear of being vulnerable, fear of rejection, fear of judgment, fear of abandonment, competitiveness, insecurity, self-protection, jealousy, fear of not being good enough” well I pretty much resonated with the entire list. Some of his list more than others, but right up there, for me, would be “fear of not being good enough” which I've been working on for the past 25 years. When I let go, finally, of caring what other people think of me, it was probably the most freeing experience I've ever felt. Sure, it's nice to be liked by others, but also, to know that not everyone will connect with who I am, the authentic me, and to let go of caring about that, is freeing. Being Authentic: What does this mean to you? Do any of the items on Bosnick's list keep you from being truly authentic?  He asks us some reflection questions: What might be holding you back from being truly authentic? What can you do, even small steps, to help you feel more comfortable with being who you are? Being truly authentic? Being Fake or Superficial Bosnick goes on to describe why some people show up as fake or superficial. I always think of the character Eddie Haskel from the TV Show Leave it to Beaver when I'm thinking of a “fake” person. He was always trying to impress Mrs. Cleaver, and he came across as insincere. We can all spot people like this, and Bosnick reminds us of why people can come across this way. He says that “it's in our comfort zone, we want to be liked, it's easier, our ego gets in the way (and that change can be difficult) when we don't have the courage, humility and discipline needed to take a hard look in the mirror at who we are.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 177). What are some reasons for not being authentic? Bosnick thinks “insecurity, jealousy, inner competitiveness, fear, self-protection” can keep us from not showing others our true selves, and in turn, we can appear fake or superficial. Brene Brown writes about The Power of Vulnerability[viii] as the “birthplace of joy, belonging, authenticity and love” in her 2012 book, with suggestions for how to prevent us from appearing fake in this process. Her book teaches us “how to practice courage, and accept imperfection, to embrace vulnerability and acknowledge our fears.”[ix] She dives into exploring the power of authenticity, of being true to our feelings, thoughts, and actions as the backbone to living an authentic life. With this in mind, going back to Bosnick's book, he mentions that he struggled with being vulnerable, with letting others see his true authentic self, and felt he needed to protect himself, but when he “let people see the real me. It was so rewarding and felt so good (and) freeing (so he then) decided to have the courage to be authentic and real.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 177) He was fully aware that some people might not like him, but he knew that was ok, as he knew he would build the right relationships, with those who did. Reflection on Being Authentic He then asks the reader to reflect: What holds you back from truly being authentic? How can you become more comfortable with being authentic? I went back to Mo Issa's definition that we covered in the beginning of this episode that “true authenticity means being ourselves—not an imitation of what we think we should be or what others want us to be. We all have a unique gift, and we must find and nurture it.” (Mo Issa, The Shift). We will go deeper into Mo Issa's work when we meet with him next month, but I think that this is what we are supposed to discover about ourselves (FIRST) through self-awareness, and only then, (once we are clear on who we are) can we build more authentic relationships with others. To close out Bosnick's chapter 15, on relationships and authenticity, he does cover being self-focused vs other-focused, valuing differences, overcoming our own egos, and putting other people first, which was the theme of Simon Sinek's famous book, Leaders Eat Last.[x] Simon Sinek penned this book when he noticed that some teams trusted each other so deeply that 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. Why Sinek wondered? Well, the answer became clear during a conversation with a Marine Corps general who said "Officers eat last." Sinek watched as the most junior Marines ate first while the most senior Marines took their place at the back of the line. Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort--even their own survival--for the good of those in their care. Bosnick calls this “other focused” and reminds us that “in order to build truly authentic relationships, we need to overcome our own ego and put others first.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 182). Bosnick does cover the different needs of extroverts and introverts, that we have covered on EP 186[xi] as well as different behavioral styles that can help us to learn how to better interact with other people who have different “styles” than we do. The Neuroscience of Our Social Brain To close out chapter 15, Bosnick goes into the Neuroscience of Our “Social Brain” and covers the story of the famous Phineas Gage, Neuroscience's Most Famous Patient.[xii]  Without going too deep into the neuroscience, Bosnick explains that “we have two systems in our brain: the X-system and the C-system. The X-system (or reflexive system) is automatic, responsive, like/dislike, reward/threat. Since this part of our brain is non-thinking, it's not affected by our mental load. The C-system (or reflective system) is controlled, conscious, with executive function and executive control.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). Motivation and effort are required to engage this part of the brain, and it can be affected by our mental load. X-system (reflexive)=automatic C-system (reflective) =we need motivation and effort to activate The story of Phineas Gage goes like this: “in 1948 in the United States, (he) survived a blast while building a railroad, which shot a tamping iron through the front part of his brain. Remarkably, he survived. However, his behavior had changed. Where before, he was a mild-tempered, respecting person, his behavior was now to seek reward without consequences, operating only by habit, (and he turned) rude…He destroyed the C-system, (his controlled thinking) operating on X-system only. In other words, he had no control over his automatic, reflexive system, and his behavior became unbearable as a result. He treated everybody as an object for his own personal reward.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). The C-system, (that requires motivation and effort to activate) Bosnick explains, is important for self-reflection and understanding self/other relations and occurs in the front (middle) part of our brain. We know this part of our brain as the Default Mode Network[xiii], and the part of our brain where we take breaks for creativity, thinking and learning to occur. He adds to our understanding here by saying that “when the brain is at a resting state, this specific system kicks in, which is focused around social understanding (thinking about yourself, others' thoughts, others' actions etc.).” Bosnick reminds us to “stare out the window and do nothing and (says) your life will thank you, and it will help you to build more authentic relationships. This was the whole idea behind EP 48[xiv], on Using Brain Network Theory to Stay Productive During Times of Chaos. Bosnick Reminds Us to Go Slow to Go Fast I can't even tell you how many times I have heard the phrase “go slow, to go fast” this week, and here it is at the end of chapter 15. Bosnick says that “in order to build truly authentic relationships with people, we need to go slow, to go fast.” He suggests that we “slow down the conversation with people, truly listen to them empathetically and be fully present with them. This will build the relationship to be deeper…go slow with the conversation and communication in order to go fast with the depth of the relationship.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 187). Reflection Activity: Building More Authentic Relationships Bosnick suggests the following reflection activity for building more authentic relationships. Think of a person in your business, or personal life, that you would like to build a more authentic relationship with. How would you describe them? Are they introverted/extroverted? What are their behavior styles? How do they approach authenticity and relationships? Let your brain go into your Default Mode Network. Stare out of a window and think: what could you do to build a more authentic relationship with each of the people you are thinking of? How can you go slow to go fast? I will add one final step, that came from the quote from Mo Issa and suggest that once we have done the work ourselves, and know what makes us truly authentic, we know our own unique gifts and talents, and we continue to nurture and grow them, we can next look outward, and recognize the unique talents and gifts in others. We covered this practice extensively on EP 214 with Dr. Marie Gervais[xv], by learning to see the “spirit” in others. I'm confident that by practicing these steps, with each person we want to build a deeper, more authentic relationship with, (whether in our personal or professional lives) that we will notice strides of improvement, once we have identified and appreciated our own authenticity and uniqueness. Then, we can recognize it in others for the magic to occur.  REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #345 on “The Neuroscience of Relationships and Authenticity” we covered: ✔ Mo Issa's definition of authenticity from his book The Shift: How to Awaken the Aliveness from Within Mo believes that “true authenticity means being ourselves—not an imitation of what we think we should be or what others want us to be. We all have a unique gift, and we must find and nurture it.” (Mo Issa, The Shift). ✔ Andrea's reflection from 2021 when Mo Issa asked her “what does authenticity mean to you?” What's authentic for me—it's living life according to my values. Living who I am by design. If I'm not putting health first, (for myself and my family) or learning, growing, researching, and then disseminating/sharing what I've learned, I'm not living my true authentic self. It will hurt my productivity if I compromise who I am, at this granular level. ✔ We ask the reader to consider: What makes YOU authentic? ✔ How do you know when you are living a truly authentic life? ✔ Have you identified your unique gifts or talents that make you stand out from others? ✔ Do you know what might be holding you back from being truly authentic? ✔ The Neuroscience of Our Social Brain “We have two systems in our brain: the X-system and the C-system. The X-system (or reflexive system) is automatic, responsive, like/dislike, reward/threat. The C-system (or reflective system) is controlled, conscious, with executive function and executive control.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). Motivation and effort are required to engage this part of the brain. The story of Phineas Gage who destroyed the C-system, in his brain and was operating on X-system only. In other words he had no control over his automatic, reflexive system, and his behavior became unbearable as a result. The C-system, (that requires motivation and effort to activate) we learned, is important for self-reflection and understanding self/other. We know this part of our brain as the Default Mode Network[xvi], and the part of our brain where we take breaks for creativity, thinking and learning to occur. “When the brain is at a resting state, this specific system kicks in, which is focused around social understanding (thinking about yourself, others' thoughts, others' actions etc.).” We learned to get into this resting state by “staring out of a window and do nothing (except reflecting on what else we can do to improve our relationships) and this knowledge that we uncover will help us to build more authentic relationships. We learned to slow down the conversation with people, truly listen to them empathetically and be fully present with them. This will build the relationship to be deeper…go slow with the conversation and communication in order to go fast with the depth of the relationship.” (Chapter 15, Bosnick, Page 186). ✔ 4 Steps to Building More Authentic Relationships Think of a person in your business, or personal life, that you would like to build a more authentic relationship with. Get to know them on a deeper level. How would you describe them? Are they introverted/extroverted? How do they approach authenticity and relationships? Let your brain go into your Default Mode Network. Stare out of a window and think: what could you do to build a more authentic relationship with each of the people you are thinking of? How can you go slow with your conversation to go fast with the depth of the relationship? And finally, we looked at the quote from Mo Issa that suggests that once we have done the work ourselves, and know what makes us truly authentic, once we know our own unique gifts and talents, and we continue to nurture and grow them, next, we can look outward, and recognize the unique talents and gifts in others. I will close out this episode with a quote from Mo Issa's second book, The Shift that says “we all have a primal need to belong—a human urge to be part of something larger than us. We fulfill that need when we connect authentically to exchange energy and feel seen, heard and valued.” (Mo Issa) Let me know what you think. Did this episode help you to improve your authenticity, and deepen your relationships? I know this episode will take time to practice and refine. It's taken me my lifetime so far to fully embrace my unique talents and gifts, where I recognize my own authenticity. Now I've got the rest of my life to take this understanding and help me to build stronger, deeper relationships with others. And with that thought, I'll see you next time where we will cover chapter 16 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, on biases. REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/ [ii]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/ [iii] www.significant72.com [iv] Social Relationships and Health:  A Flashpoint for Health Policy Published August 4, 2011, by Debra Umberson and Jennifer Karas Montez  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150158/ [v] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/ [vi] www.mo-issa.com   [vii] The Midlife Shift by Mo Issa https://www.mo-issa.com/book (COMING SOON). [viii] The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Power-of-Vulnerability-Audiobook/ [ix] The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-power-of-vulnerability-en [x] Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek 2014, https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1591845327 [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 186 on “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Introverted vs Extroverted Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-neuroscience-to-understand-the-introverted-and-extroverted-brain/ [xii]Phineas Gage, Neuroscience's Most Famous Patient https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/phineas-gage-neurosciences-most-famous-patient-11390067/ [xiii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #48 “Brain Network Theory” https://www.achieveit360.com/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/ [xiv] IBID [xv]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #214 on “The Spirit of Work: Connecting Science and Business Practices and Sacred Texts for a Happier and Healthier 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/ [xvi] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #48 “Brain Network Theory” https://www.achieveit360.com/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/    

Welcome back to Season 12 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity, and results using practical neuroscience. In Episode 344, we continue with our 18-week self-leadership series, diving into Chapter 14 of Grant Bosnick's book to explore the neuroscience of resiliency. We revisit past episodes with Horacio Sanchez to understand the factors that contribute to resilience and discuss the intriguing analogies presented by Bosnick, including the donkey in the well and the carrot, egg, and coffee bean story. Learn how to build resilience within yourself and your teams by focusing on Patrick Lencioni's five functions of a high-performing team. Discover how developing willpower, a crucial faculty of the mind, can enhance your ability to overcome adversity. We also delve into new research on the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, a brain region associated with willpower and resilience. Join us as we uncover strategies to harness resilience, strengthen our brains, and emerge stronger from life's challenges. Don't miss this insightful episode that equips you with the tools to face adversity head-on and lead with resilience. On today's EPISODE #344 “The Neuroscience of Resilience: Building Stronger Minds and Teams” we will cover: ✔ A review of past EP 74 and EP 286 on “Building Resiliency, Grit and Mental Toughness” ✔ A review of Horacio Sanchez's work on resiliency: protective vs risk factors. ✔ Ch. 14 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership book with 2 intriguing analogies presented by Bosnick, including the donkey in the well and the carrot, egg, and coffee bean story. ✔ Learn how to build resilience within yourself and your teams by focusing on Patrick Lencioni's five functions of a high-performing team. Discover how developing willpower, a crucial faculty of the mind, can enhance your ability to overcome adversity. ✔ Discover how developing willpower, a crucial faculty of the mind, can enhance your ability to overcome adversity. ✔ We also delve into new research on the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, a brain region associated with willpower and resilience. For Today, EPISODE #344, we are moving on to Chapter 14, reviewing “The Neuroscience of Resiliency,” a topic we have covered a few times on this podcast, way back with Horacio Sanchez, who named his Educational Consulting Business Resiliency Inc. back on EP #74[i] and then we did a deep dive Brain Fact Friday on EP #286 “Building Resiliency, Grit and Mental Toughness.”[ii] On this episode we reviewed Horacio Sanchez's definition of resiliency as “a collection of protective risk factors that you have in your life” and that there are some factors we are born with, and others come in through childhood, family, school, life events and social experiences. Horacio reminds us that “if you have little risk, it takes less to be resilient. But—if you have a lot of risk, it takes a lot more protective factors to offset the scale.”  This is why two people can possibly respond in two completely different ways after a traumatic experience. One person walks away, dusts themselves off, and recovers quickly, (they had more reservoirs of resilience to tap into) while the other has a completely different outcome, and needs more assistance to get back on track. With resiliency, we can overcome adversity or difficulty and have good outcomes in our life, but you can see why not everyone is born with exactly the same protective factors needed, so we don't all have the same levels of resiliency. Horacio mentioned that “25% of the population are naturally resilient” and his work focuses on instilling this trait in those who are not naturally resilient due to the number of risk factors associated to them. To this day, he continues with his mission, flying around the country, helping our next generation of students to become more resilient. Resiliency came out as a low priority for me with the with 0% (Pathway 5) along with Change and Agility, and it makes more sense to me now that I understand the protective and risk factors that I faced growing up as a child, from my family, from school, life and social events. When I review the list, I can see that I was fortunate to have more protective factors, than risk.   IMAGE FROM EP 74 with Horacio Sanchez. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[iii], look to see if Resilience (in Pathway 5) along with change and agility, is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. If you haven't listened to EP 74, or 286, where we dove deeper into the building resiliency, grit and mental toughness, I highly encourage that you listen to both of these episodes, in addition to what we will uncover today on resiliency.   So what does Grant Bosnick have to say about building resilience in ourselves, and our teams in chapter 14 of his book? He opens up the chapter with a situation with a farmer and his donkey, who had fallen into a hole in the ground, (a well) and couldn't get out. Finally, after trying to get the donkey out, he gave up, and decided to shovel dirt into the well, since the donkey was old, and not worth saving. At first Grant writes that the donkey cried with the dirt being shoveled onto him, until he eventually stopped and was quiet. When the farmer looked into the hole he was amazed at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt, the donkey would shake it off his back, and use the dirt to climb up higher, until he was able to easily step out of the hole and trot off happily. What Grant is showing us at the start of this chapter is that we all will have dirt shoveled on our backs in our life, and “that we can either get buried in the dirt or shake it off and take a step up. Each adversity we face is a stepping stone, and we can get out of the deepest wells by shaking off the dirt and taking a step up.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 160). There was another analogy in Grant's book that I liked, about a carrot, an egg and a cup of coffee.  The story went like this. There was a young woman who went to her mother one day, complaining the things were difficult for her with her life. Her mother took her into the kitchen and filled three pots with water, and placed them on the elements, bringing each one to a boil. One pot she placed carrots in, the second, an egg and the third one, coffee beans. After 20 minutes, she asked her daughter what she saw. Her mother's explanation was eye-opening. She explained to her daughter that “each of these objects faced the same adversity—boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it was softer and became weak. The egg was fragile…but after being in the boiling water, it's inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. (Bosnick writes that) after being in the boiling water, they changed the water…(and the mother asked her daughter) when adversity faces you, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 161). Grant asks the reader of his book to think about this question. Which one would you pick? “Are you the carrot that seems strong but with pain and adversity (wilted) and became soft, losing its strength? Are you the egg that starts with a soft heart, but hardens with the heat? Or are you like the coffee bean that actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that (brought) the pain?” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 161). I'm hoping that we all desire to experience change with the adversity we face. Bosnick gives two real-life examples of famous people who took their pain, and changed for the better, because of it. Terry Fox, a distance runner from British Columbia, Canada was his first example and Kawhi (Ka-why) Leonard, a professional basketball player from the NBA. You can look up these stories, if you don't know them already. Growing up in Canada, I remember Terry Fox's story well. Terry Fox took the pain of a cancer diagnosis that led to one of his legs being amputated and replaced with an artificial leg, and rather than giving up, or becoming hard or soft, he changed the situation with his Marathon of Hope.  It was “first held in 1981, and has now grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research, with over $750 million Canadian dollars raised in his name.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 162). Bosnick reminds us that “resilience is not only about bouncing back from adversity, but rather it is about surviving and thriving through the stress caused by the adversity, and changing our situation to make it better.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 162). Building Resilience in Ourselves and Then with Our Teams After Bosnick focused on building resilience in ourselves, he went on to show how to build resilience in our teams, and he mentioned a book, that we have recently talked about with mediation expert John Ford, from EP 340.[iv]   I love making connections with past episodes, and when I read Bosnick mention The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni[v], I went straight back to that episode with John Ford. In chapter 14, Bosnick outlines “the five dysfunctions of teams: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. (Next he outlines) the five functions of a high performing team: trust, absence of fear of conflict, commitment, accountability and attention to results.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 170). Bosnick writes that “when we feel accountable and have attention to results, we adopt a mindset or attitude of control, which enables us to take direct, hands-on action to transform changes, adversities and the problems that they may cause…If we believe that we can influence the outcome of an adverse situation, we are more apt to push ourselves to deal with it. If the opposite is true, we may question our ability to turn adversity around and stop trying.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 171). When I think of a recent time that I faced adversity, and had to be resilient in the process, if I didn't think it would be possible for me to be successful, there is no way I would have persevered. Each individual on a team must have this mindset, as they go through change and adversity. The focus must be on Lencioni's work: “building a high functioning team—with trust, absence of fear of conflict, commitment, accountability and attention to results—(that) will lead to proactive behaviors and increase our own (personal) resilience and the resilience in our team.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 171). Bosnick offers a reflection activity in Chapter 14 where he asks the reader to: Think of an adverse situation that you are facing at the moment (could be in your work or personal life). Consider how this situation is making you feel. I'm going to add that if you feel like the situation is in control of you, then you are not going to win. You' ve got to be confident that YOU are in control of whatever it is that you are going through. How can you adopt a more prosocial mindset to see the adversity as opportunity to make things better for yourself and others? Thinking of the carrots, the egg and the coffee bean. What will it take to get you to become the coffee bean? How can you help yourself and your team to be more high functioning? Thinking of Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, how will you help your team to move towards trust, absence of fear of conflict, commitment, accountability and attention to results? Developing Our Will to Overcome Adversity:  What will it REALLY take for you to become more resilient and overcome adversity? It will take a highly developed Will Power. We have talked about how to develop this faculty of our mind on EP #294[vi] where we dove deep into the 6 Faculties of our Mind, with our Will Power being one of them. I do highly recommend listening to this episode if you want to review these important faculties. Since I can always use a refresher myself, I'll highlight what we covered on this important faculty that we will need to develop, to overcome adversity. YOUR WILL: This is one of my favorite faculties. (out of the 6: along with our ability to reason, use our intuition, perception, memory and imagination). This one (The use of the Will) gives you the ability to concentrate. While sitting down to write this episode, I've gotten up from my desk a few times, but I'm determined to finish writing this, so I can record and release this today. That's the will at work. You can also use the will to hold a thought on the screen of your mind, or choose thoughts of success, over thoughts of failure. OR-use the power of your Will to overcome the adversity you face, like Terry Fox, or Kawhi (Ka-why) Leonard. If you have a highly evolved will, you'll lock into doing something, block out all distractions, and accomplish what you set out to do. HOW TO DEVELOP THIS FACULTY TO OVERCOME CHALLENGE OR ADVERSITY? Developing the will takes practice. Meditation can strengthen your will, but so can staring at a candle flame until you and the flame become one. I tried this activity in my late 20s, and remember it was a few hours of staring at this candle flame, before I was able to block out the distractions of the outside world, and the flame extended towards me.  This faculty, like the others, takes time and practice, but once you've developed this faculty, you'll know you have the ability to sit, focus, and do anything. An extension of this activity would be that once you and the flame have become one, try to change the color of the flame. In your head say “blue, blue, blue” and watch the color of the flame turn to blue. Pick a different color and see if you can quickly change the color of the flame from blue, to red, to orange, to whatever color you think of.” This activity will strengthen your will. BRINGING IN THE NEUROSCIENCE: It was here that I wondered what neuroscience has to say about this topic. We have covered The Neuroscience of Resiliency on past episodes, but we have not yet covered some new research that Dr. Andrew Huberman discovered this past year about what happens to our brain when we have a highly developed Will Power, that we will need to overcome adversity and challenge. This new research actually made famous scientist jump out of his chair. DID YOU KNOW that there is a part of the brain called “the Anterior mid cingulate cortex. This area is not just one of the seats of willpower but scientists think it holds the secret in “the will to live?”[vii] When I first heard about this part of the brain, I knew it was important for overcoming adversity, and helping us to become more resilient. Scientists discovered that this part in the brain increases in size when we do something we don't want do, like exercising when we would rather not, or diet or resist eating something we know is bad for us, when we would rather eat the old way. Dr. Huberman shared on this eye-opening episode with his guest, David Goggins that “when people do anything that they don't want to do, it's not about adding more work, it's about adding more work that you don't want to do, this brain area gets bigger.” This part of the brain is larger in athletes, larger in people who overcome challenge, and as long as people continue to “do difficult things” this area of the brain keeps its size. To me, this shows that building resilience in ourselves and our teams is not just good for whatever challenge we are looking to overcome, but we are building stronger, more resilient brains: specifically, stronger anterior mid cingulate cortexes. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #344 on “The Neuroscience Behind Building Resilience in Yourself and Your Teams” we covered: A review of EP 74 and 286 where we covered the Neuroscience of Resilience with Horacio Sanchez's work reminding us that our protective or risk factors in our lifetime, will determine how resilient we will be in our life. While 25% of the population are naturally resilient, Horacio asserts that “if you have little risk, it takes less to be resilient. But—if you have a lot of risk, it takes a lot more protective factors to offset the scale.” Horacio has dedicated his life to helping our next generation become more resilient. Next we looked at Grant Bosnick's book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership (Chapter 14) where he gave us the analogy of the donkey who fell into the well, and demonstrated resiliency when he used the dirt shoveled on him, to climb out. This example taught us that we all will have dirt shoveled on our backs in our life, and “that we can either get buried in the dirt or shake it off and take a step up. Each adversity we face is a stepping stone, and we can get out of the deepest wells by shaking off the dirt and taking a step up.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 160). Another analogy we learned was through the mother and daughter story, and that when adversity faces you, Bosnick asks us to reflect. “Are you the carrot that seems strong but with pain and adversity (wilted) and became soft, losing its strength? Are you the egg that starts with a soft heart, but hardens with the heat? Or are you like the coffee bean that actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that (brought) the pain?” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 161). I'm hoping that we all desire to experience change with the adversity we face, like the coffee bean. After learning about building resiliency in ourselves, we learned about building resiliency within our teams, and looked at Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Then we learned to turn this around, using the five functions of a high performing team: trust, absence of fear of conflict, commitment, accountability and attention to results.” (Chapter 14, Resilience, Bosnick, Page 170). Then we looked at how we develop resiliency, using our Will Power from EP 294 where I shared an activity to strengthen this faculty of our mind either through meditation, or with an activity of staring at a candle flame, and with time, effort and sheer will power, blocking out everything else around you, until you and the candle flame become one. Finally, we looked at the fascinating new neuroscience behind the part of our brain (the anterior mid cingulate cortex) that becomes bigger when we use our will power to do those things we don't want to do. Scientists believe this ability to use our will power to do difficult things, which builds our resiliency, is what's really behind the will to live. I hope you've found this episode on building resilience in yourself and your teams as valuable as I have, and that when challenge comes our way in the future, that we continue to lean into it, using every ounce of our will power, and become a coffee bean, emerging stronger than the challenge we faced, and knowing that this process is building a part of our brain (our anterior mid cingulate cortex) to be bigger, helping us to continue to do difficult things in our future. With that thought, I'll close out this episode and see you next time, with two interviews coming, to help us to continue to build stronger versions of ourselves this year. I'll see you next week. REFERENCES:   [i] 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/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #286 on “Building Resiliency, Grit and Mental Toughness”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-building-resiliency-grit-and-mental-toughness/   [iii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #340 “Navigating Workplace Conflicts: Insights from a Mediation Expert, John Ford”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/navigating-workplace-conflicts-insights-from-a-mediation-expert/   [v] The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Published April 11, 2002 https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756   [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #294 “Beyond Our 5 Senses: Using the 6 Faculties of our Mind” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/beyond-our-5-senses-understanding-and-using-the-six-higher-faculties-of-our-mind/   [vii] How to Build Will Power Dr. Andrew Huberman with David Goggins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84dYijIpWjQ        

Welcome back to Season 12 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast! In episode 342, we continue our 18-week self-leadership series inspired by Grant Bosnick's book, diving deep into Chapter 13, which focuses on the neuroscience of agility. Join Andrea Samadi as she explores how physical and mental agility play critical roles in our ability to handle sudden changes and stressors. Discover practical strategies to enhance your mental agility, build resilience, and thrive in the face of adversity. This episode not only highlights the importance of maintaining physical fitness but also delves into the science behind mental flexibility. Learn how to identify and manage your stressors, strengthen your neural pathways, and become anti-fragile in both your personal and professional life. Stay tuned for insights from neuroscientist Tara Swart and actionable tips to improve your brain's agility, ensuring you are better prepared to navigate life's challenges. Don't miss this enlightening episode and the upcoming interview with Dr. Sui Wong on resilience! On today's episode #342 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January. The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. So far, it's taken us 8 months to cover the first 13 chapters thoroughly, and we still have 6 chapters to go.  After this week on agility, we have chapter 14 on resilience, 15 on relationships and authenticity, 16 on biases, 17 on trust, 18 on empathy and the final chapter 19 (and one of my target areas to focus on this year), the topic of presence. When we finish each of these chapters, we will put them all together, with a review of each one, in one place. It really has surprised me that a thorough study of this book will take the entire year to complete. On today's EPISODE #342 we will cover: ✔ The Neuroscience of Mental and Physical Agility ✔ An overview of our personal and professional stressors ✔ Why being antifragile can help us overcome life's obstacles and challenges ✔ Characteristics of an Agile Brain ✔ 6 Pathways of an Agile Brain ✔ 4 STEPS to Developing an Agile Brain for Future Problem Solving Success For Today, EPISODE #342, we are moving on to Chapter 13, covering “The Neuroscience of Agility” which came out as a low priority for me with the with 0% (Pathway 5) along with Change and Resilience. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[ii], look to see if Agility (in Pathway 5) along with change and resilience, is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. I was surprised to see this topic showing up with a low priority, not because this topic is something that I don't think about daily, but it was when I read the first few paragraphs of Grant Bosnick's chapter 13, on Agility, where I was reminded that we are talking about physical agility, in addition to mental agility, and as I'm getting older, I notice this area requires extra effort to stay on top of. While the self-assessment says this is not an area of focus for me, it's one of my TOP priorities at the moment. Grant Bosnick opens up this chapter by talking about a basketball player who pivots by “maintaining one foot having contact with the ground without changing its position on the floor and utilizes the other foot to rotate their body to improve position while in possession of the basketball. In life and business, when we are faced with a change or challenge immediately in front of us (Bosnick says) it is the same.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). He reminds us that “in basketball, to be agile and pivot, a player needs to be physically fit and have strong ankles, otherwise they may injure themselves in the moment of stopping suddenly. Reading this paragraph took me back to my 20s when I was a teacher in Toronto. I loved basketball. So much so that I spent some of my weekends being trained as a basketball coach where I learned drills directly from one of the Toronto Raptor's coaches themselves. I remember taking these drills to a boy's PE class, and watched in amazement at the skill of these young men, playing a sport, where I honestly thought there were players in that PE class who should have gone pro. I watched them pivot, and move in ways that I knew I never could. One student worked with me after class, trying to teach me to walk and pass the ball through my legs at the same time, and after an hour, I just gave up. It took these young athletes many years of practice outside of their gym time to develop these skills. Thinking back now, to those days, a few decades later, I know that while I don't have the same physical agility as I did years ago, and I definitely can't walk and pass a basketball through my legs at the same time, I still put exercise at the top of my list, and know that when I put in the time here, this helps (not hurts) my ability to pivot maybe not like those basketball players, but enough to be prepared physically, to handle sudden change that inevitably will come my way in life. And while I know that we can't all be at the same level physically, (depending on the amount of time we can dedicate here) we ALL have the same advantage when it comes to the ability to strengthen our mental agility. This is where Grant Bosnick takes us in his book, reminding us that “in business or life, when we are faced with a challenge or a change that makes us stop suddenly in our course of action. At that moment, we need to have mental agility to be strong in that moment… (reminding us that) we all face stressors and challenges in life. We need to push through, adapt and thrive in the moment, so that we can pivot, see the opportunities and come out even stronger on the other side.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 145) Stressors and Triggers Bosnick covers “various stressors or triggers that may cause us to stop our course of action (with) ways to improve our mental agility and ability to pivot.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 145). On Table 13.1 Bosnick lists common stressors in the workplace, in our personal lives and I think he's got ALL of the stressors covered. I looked at what is currently stressing me out (in my work and personal life) and they are ALL on Bosnick's list in some form. I think that it's easy to get overwhelmed with work and personal stressors, that I even forgot about daily stressors like traffic, or road closures, not having enough time for the daily exercise, or things that are important to us, or those days where I fall short on sleep, and know I'll pay for it somehow. Bosnick does tie chapter 9 on emotion regulation into this chapter, with strategies to overcome our daily life stress, and when we look at the Neuroscience of Mental Agility next, we will connect emotion regulation with a strategy from Tara Swart, MD, PhD, a neuroscientist and author of The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain for improving and strengthening our neural pathways, to improve our brain agility (or mental agility). Before we can strengthen our mental agility, it helps to know what is stressing us out. I was actually talking about this during the week with one of my good friends from high school. We throw ideas back and forth, and I mentioned that as certain stressors were piling up in my daily life, I was getting to the “end of my rope with them.” She gave me a good analogy, and shared that we can pile up all of our stressors on a book shelf, until we reach our breaking point, and the book shelf breaks. I think it's good to be aware of our breaking points, and how much we can handle at once.  Bosnick suggests an activity where we identify all of our stressors. IDENTIFYING OUR STRESSORS First, look at the stressors on Bosnick's list, (Table 13.1) and see if you can identify what is stressing you out. I think these days we can also circle workload, and lack of time in our work day, and I've circled injury with my girls who are both facing injuries from competitive gymnastics at the moment. Look and see what your stressors are. Bosnick suggests next to uncover the magnitude of these stressors by rating them on a scale of 1-5. Here's where our mental agility comes into play. Bosnick introduces three terms from the book Antifragile by N Taleb[iii] where there are three types of systems, organizations or people.  The fragile: which is like an egg and breaks under stress. No one wants to be labeled as fragile. The robust: which is like a phoenix, when destroyed comes back exactly as it was before. This is a step in the right direction, but who wants to emerge from challenge the same as before? The antifragile: gets stronger from uncertainty—like the Hydra from the Greek myth where you cut off one head, two grows back in its place. It gets stronger from the sudden change. When we face challenges, changes and stressors, we need to become antifragile in the process according to Grant Bosnick. He also mentions resilience that we will cover next in chapter 14, and have covered this topic often on this podcast[iv] with EP 135 “Using Recovery to Become Resilient to Physical, Mental and Emotional Stressors.” This episode came from some of the biggest AHA moment from EPISODE #134[v] with Kristen Holmes, the VP of Performance Science of WHOOP[i], a wearable personal fitness and health coach that measures sleep, strain, and recovery. Bosnick, in chapter 13 cover specifically how to grow from adversity, sustaining our peak performance, and that what we want to take away from this chapter is how to “train our brain to be antifragile in order to be more agile in the moment when we face challenges or stressors.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 149) HOW DO WE IMPROVE OUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL AGILITY? Bosnick does talk about the importance of maintaining “a healthy lifestyle, with proper amounts of sleep, food, water and physical fitness. This will increase your energy and mental alertness” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 151) so that when something comes our way, unexpectedly, we can be better prepared, or more agile which will help us to be “prepared to withstand the shock.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 150). He also talks about the importance of taking the time to rest and recover by going for a walk, practicing yoga, or meditating. We've gone deep into the Top 6 Health Staples Scientifically Proven to Boost Our Physical and Mental Health[vi] that will provide us with the mental strength “to withstand our stressors in the first place, just like a basketball player needs to have physical strength to withstand the sudden stop.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 150). Bosnick also suggests “yet another way to improve our mental well-being and strength is to find meaning in what we do (and that) by aligning personal meaning and doing what matters most, we will create a focus and a source of energy that can help us cut through a lot of the chaos. We did cover this topic with Chapter 2 on Goals[vii] and Chapter 3 Inspiration and Motivation[viii]. Bosnick does cover more strategies in Chapter 13 including overshooting, mental self-talk, and the importance of anticipating the future with examples that I know we've mentioned before on this podcast, with neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius, who wrote about Wayne Gretsky's ability to think ahead of the hockey puck. Bosnick shares that “Wayne Gretsky, the greatest ice hockey player in history, once said “I don't go where the puck is; I go where the puck will be.” And this, Bosnick reminds us “is what we need to think in order to get through these stressors or obstacles and find the opportunities on the other side.” (Chapter 13, Bosnick, Page 156) anticipating and directing ourselves to where we want to be. Bosnick has us think of ways that we can adapt and manage ourselves through change, urging us to overshoot to strengthen our mental muscles which can endure more than we think, with strategies that include learning to become more optimistic. It was here that I wondered what else could we learn about the neuroscience of agility (specifically mental agility where we all have the same ability, since we all have a brain) and I wondered if there was a way that would allow us to use our brain to work FOR us, rather than against us, and the answer came when I found Tara Swart MD, PhD, a neuroscientist and author of The Source: The Secrets of the Universe, the Science of the Brain. The answer came to me with her definition of “Mental Agility.” What Is Mental Agility? Tara Swart opens up her book, The Source, with a paragraph written by Charles Haanel, from 1919, (you can tell from the language that this was written over 100 years ago) in her Epigraph that reads: “Some men seem to attract success, power, wealth, attainment with very little conscious effort; while others conquer with great difficulty; still others fail altogether to reach their ambitions, desires and ideals. Why is this so? The cause cannot be physical…hence mind must be the creative force, must constitute the sole difference between men. It is mind which overcomes environment and every other obstacle...” Tara Swart says that “Mental agility is the ability to switch between tasks and between different ways of thinking, such as logical, emotional, creative, intuitive, physical, or motivational.” She says that mental agility “also enhances the way you respond to stress and your capacity to keep multiple options open, allowing you to make your thoughts and emotions work for you during challenging tactical or physical events.” In many ways, mental agility boils down to being flexible and not so hard on yourself, whether life gets in the way of your goals (like with any of the stressors from Bosnick's list) or you encounter personal slip-ups in your day to day life. We've all been there, but how we persevere through all of this is a sign of mental agility.  Tara Swart wrote this book to offer an up-to-date, scientifically backed method for retraining the brain to direct our actions and emotions to lead us towards our deepest dreams and goals. She shows us how to take control of our own brain, and this powerful understanding took her nine years of college, seven years of practicing psychiatry and ten years of being an executive coach to get to this point. In chapter 5 of The Source, Swart lists an activity to help us to improve our Mental (Brain) Agility by learning to “nimbly switch between different ways of thinking.” (Chapter 5, The Source, Page 109). Swart reminds us that we are all “perfectly capable to assessing more of our brain power more of the time. We don't because we don't realize how brilliant, flexible, and agile our brain can be.” (Chapter 5, The Source, Page 109). DID YOU KNOW THAT “an agile brain is one where each of our neural pathways is adequately developed?” An agile brain Swart says can: Focus intensely and efficiently on one task at a time Think in many different ways about the same situation or problem Switch gradually between these different ways of thinking Fuse ideas from differing cognitive pathways to create integrated solutions Think in a balanced way, rather than thinking rigidly (or logical) for example. What is Swart's Whole-Brain Approach to Brain Agility? (IMAGE CREDIT: Credit by Andrea Samadi from Chapter 3, Brain Agility, The Source, Tara Swart). Swart lists 6 ways of thinking that correlate with a simplified version of that neural pathway in the brain. HOW AGILE IS YOUR BRAIN? Swart next suggests that we try this activity to see how agile (or balanced) our brain is to see where our strengths are, as well as areas for improvement. STEP 1: Draw a circle in a notebook, and give yourself 100% to start of with in the center with “Your Source” STEP 2: Draw the arms for each of the 6 areas that correlate with brain agility. Emotions, Physicality, Intuition, Motivation, Logic and Creativity. STEP 3: Call to mind one of your stressors (personal, or work) and rate how much of your brain power went towards each area. STEP 4: Look to see how effectively you draw from your brain's resources during times of stress. Did you allocate more energy to certain areas, and less to others? Swart reminds us that we don't need to have balance in all areas, but it's important to “feel strong enough in all the pathways, as well as knowing what your key strengths are.” (Ch 3, The Source, Page 115). EXAMPLE: From Andrea: You can see my example in the show notes with a sports injury with both my children that is definitely one of my stressors. INTUITION 50% While dealing with anything stressful, I notice that I go straight to my intuition first. Before was even told about each of my daughter's injuries, I could tell by looking at their facial expressions, and body language that the injuries were important for me to take seriously. PHYSICALITY 20% Once I have the intuitive feeling, next I'll feel something in the pit of my stomach that tells me (to go straight to the ER) or whether we can wait the injury out with some time. EMOTIONS 10% While I'm always working on mastering my emotions, it's impossible for me to hide what I'm feeling. When I'm serious, you will see it on my face. CREATIVITY 10% Next I'm thinking of ways to solve the problem, (the injury) and what we will need to do for a speedy recovery. MOTIVATION 5% This pathways keeps me focused on the end result LOGIC 5% I don't need to get x-rays or wait for a doctor to tell me the results. While I know that my husband would lean this way first, I rely on different pathways in the brain while under pressure. If you can take ONE of your stressors, and do this activity, you will learn what pathways in your brain are your strengths. Most people, Swart says have 2 or 3 pathways that they favor, 2 they draw on while under pressure and 2 they don't use much, if at all. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #342 on “The Neuroscience of Agility” we looked at Chapter 13 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership uncovering our top work, personal and everyday life stressors. Next, we rated our stressors on a scale of 1-5 to uncover the magnitude of what stresses us out on a daily basis. We looked at three terms from the book Antifragile by N Taleb[ix] where there are three types of systems, organizations or people. The fragile: which is like an egg and breaks under stress. No one wants to be labeled as fragile. The robust: which is like a phoenix, when destroyed comes back exactly as it was before. This is a step in the right direction, but who wants to emerge from challenge the same as before? The antifragile: gets stronger from uncertainty—like the Hydra from the Greek myth where you cut off one head, two grows back in its place. It gets stronger from the sudden change. We learned that when we face challenges, changes and stressors, we want to become antifragile in the process so that we grow from adversity, and become stronger in the process. Finally, we looked at Mental Agility, with Tara Swart's whole-brain approach from her book, The Source, by taking one of our stressors, and rating how much of our brain power we use while problem solving. I highly encourage this activity to notice which pathways you favor during problem solving, which ones you go to while under pressure and which ones you don't use at all. The goal with this episode was to show us that while physical agility is important, it's our mental agility that some, like Charles Haanel, from 1919, believe “overcomes environment and every other obstacle.” While I will always keep the TOP 6 health staples at the top of my mind to improve my physical agility, I'll end this episode with a quote from our ALL-TIME most listened to episode from November 2022 on “Applying the Silva Method for Improved Creativity, Intuition and Focus”[x] that has now over 9K downloads. I hope you have found some valuable insights in this episode, and we will see you next week, with an interview with neuroscientist Dr. Sui Wong, and then chapter 14 on resilience. See you next week. REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii] Antifragile by Nassim Taleb Published Jan. 28, 2014 https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #135 “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/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #134 with Kristen Holmes, VP of Performance Science of 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/   [vi] 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/   [vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #323 “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Our 2024 Goals”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-season-11-of-the-neuroscience-meets-sel-podcast/   [viii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #324 on “The Neuroscience of Inspiration and Motivation”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-self-leadership-series/   [ix] Antifragile by Nassim Taleb Published Jan. 28, 2014 https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680   [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast PART 1 “Applying the Silva Method for Improved Intuition, Creativity and Focus” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-deep-dive-with-andrea-samadi-into-applying-the-silva-method-for-improved-intuition-creativity-and-focus-part-1/        

In episode 339, we delve into Chapter 12 of Grant's latest book, exploring the cutting-edge neuroscience of change. Building on seven months of in-depth discussions, this episode aims to equip you with the knowledge to thrive in 2024 by understanding how our brain interprets change as either a reward or a threat. We'll revisit key episodes that have previously tackled the concept of change, including insights from futurist Chris Marshall and renowned neuroscientists. Discover how your brain's response to social and emotional threats can be as powerful as its response to physical dangers, and learn practical strategies to navigate these challenges. Gain a deeper understanding of Maslow's hierarchy of needs and its evolution into self-determination theory. Explore Bosnick's ACRES model—Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness, Equity, and Sureness—to see how meeting these needs can help you embrace change and achieve your goals. Join us as we unpack Dr. Huberman's insights on how to harness neuroplasticity to create lasting behavioral changes. Learn how to manage the agitation and strain that come with pushing past your comfort zone, and find out how to build a positive change network to support your journey. Whether you're looking to enhance your agility, resilience, or overall well-being, this episode offers valuable tools and reflections to help you navigate and embrace change with confidence. Welcome back to SEASON 12 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 6 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. On today's episode #339 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January.  The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) tied to the most current neuroscience research, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. So far, it's taken us 7 months to cover the first 12 chapters thoroughly, and we still have 7 chapters to go.  After this week on change, we have chapter 13 on agility, 14 on resilience, 15 on relationships and authenticity, 16 on biases, 17 on trust, 18 on empathy and the final chapter 19 (and one of my target areas to focus on this year), the topic of presence. When we finish each of these chapters, we will put them all together, with a review of each one, in one place. On today's EPISODE #339 we will cover: ✔ The Neuroscience of Change ✔ How our brains sense rewards versus threats ✔ How social and emotional threats are the same as physical threats ✔ Review of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ✔ Review of Self Determination Theory ✔ Triggers to watch for during times of change. ✔ How to Change Our Nervous System to change our actions and behaviors, and leave behind a legacy we are proud of. For Today, EPISODE #339, we are moving on to Chapter 12, covering “The Neuroscience of Change” which came out as a low priority with 0% (Pathway 5) along with Agility and Resilience. I wasn't surprised to see this topic showing up with a low priority for me this year, mostly because I love change, and am constantly looking for new ways to do things. If I am doing the same things over and over again, I can tend to get bored, so it's important to find new angles, and challenges, daily to inspire the most creativity. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[ii], look to see if Change  (in Pathway 5) along with agility and resilience, is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. We've covered the topic of “change” in many different places on this podcast, most recently on EP 296,[iii] with Futurist Chris Marshall on his book “Decoding Change”, EP 244 “Using Neuroscience to Change our Perceptions”[iv], or EP 209 on “Using Neuroscience to Impact Change”[v] where we looked at a quote from the great, late Sir Ken's famous TED TALK, Do Schools Kill Creativity, where he reminded us that “If you're not prepared to be wrong, (by not fearing change and making mistakes along the way) you'll never come up with anything original.” Think about this for a moment. Think of the times in your life where you embraced change. Would you agree with me that embracing change helps us to have more guts and perhaps stretch more in the future? It helps us to build our future confidence levels. There are many different ways to change our brain, like we found out with Dr. Michael Rousell on EP 159[vi] who taught us “How the Power of Surprise Can Secretly Change the Brain.” So what does Grant Bosnick say about The Neuroscience of Change in Chapter 12 of his book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership? He opens up the chapter with examples of change, asking how we feel when: Example 1: We are in nature and come across a “breathtaking view” (how do we feel) I love seeing water (rivers, lakes or waterfalls in nature). How about you? What do you enjoy seeing/feeling in nature? Or, think of this—we are in nature, and we see a large bear in front of us (how do we feel seeing a large bear compared to the first example of the beautiful river or waterfall)? I've never seen a bear, but we do see rattlesnakes often on the hiking trails with the same effect as a bear! If a rattlesnake doesn't kill you with their venom, they could very possibly bankrupt you, due to the high cost associated with treating snake bites.[vii] Think about how seeing a bear or a snake in nature, makes you feel now? The first example is obviously peaceful, and the second quite stressful. Example 2: We are working hard, and go for our dream position at work, and we are thrilled that we actually land the promotion! (How do we feel) This feels incredible! Or, you don't get the promotion, someone else gets it (how do we feel then)? Deflated is a word that comes to mind. With both of these examples, the breathtaking view, or when we land the promotion we worked so hard to achieve, Bosnick explains “we feel like we got a reward. It's a rush. We get a sensation in our brain and a hit of the big neurochemicals” dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, norephinephrine, adrenaline.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). But with the bear in the woods, (or snake on the hiking trails), or being overlooked for the promotion our brain actually sees this “like it's a threat. We feel tense, stressed, pressure…our body physically feels it.” Then Bosnick said something that caught my attention that showed me the difference between these two examples. Bosnick says that “Neuroscience has shown us, that the feeling we get from a social or emotional threat (like being passed over for the promotion) is the same as the feeling we get from a physical threat, (like seeing the bear of the snake) and that the negative (threat) response is stronger than the positive (reward) response.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). This explains to me why social and emotional threats can have a long-lasting impact on us and deflated just doesn't cover it. If we let these threats impact us, they do have the ability to zap our future confidence levels. When we see how our brain interprets “everything and everyone we meet as either a reward or a threat” we can better understand “how our body reacts, (and) our brain and mind think, (leading) to the decisions, behaviors and actions we make.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). It's here that Bosnick reviews the five levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, where the bottom two are our physiological needs (food, water, shelter) then safety needs (health, emotional security, financial security) that we need first for survival. The top three are our psychological needs, social belonging (friendships and love), the need for self-esteem (confidence, recognition and respect) that leads us to the top, with self-actualization (where we pursue our goals and seek happiness).  Bosnick talks about how Maslow's model evolved into “Self-Determination Theory” around the year 2000 where researchers found that there were “three physiological needs: the need for Competence (feeling valued for our knowledge, skills and experience), the need for Relatedness (collaborating, connecting or serving others) and the need for Autonomy (being able to exercise self-regulation…to achieve our goals.” (Page 133, Ch 12, Bosnick). Bosnick expands on this, calling it ACRES, A=autonomy or the feeling of control or choice), C=competence (feeling valued and respected for our contribution), R=relatedness (a need to belong and be accepted, to also have social connections), E=equity (perceiving actions as fair) and S=sureness (the ability to predict what's going to happen moment to moment).  (Page 133, Ch 12, Bosnick). Bosnick tells us that “if all of our ACRES are being met, it will put us in a toward state and we will fully embrace everything ahead of us; (but) if our ACRES are threatened, it will put us in an “away state” and will then resist or block things ahead of us. IMAGE CREDIT: Figure 12.1 ACRES Example Grant Bosnick Bosnick shows us the ACRES example in his life, showing the reward and threats he felt with a work situation. Understanding our basic human needs, and how they have evolved over the years, helps us to understand why we resist change, whether it's intentional, or from a subconscious point of view. Remembering that Our brain is tied into “everything that we do, and everything that we are.” (Dr. Daniel Amen) I can look at Bosnick's ACRES example, and clearly think of a work experience I did not enjoy, as it went against the ACRES Model of Needs. With brain science in mind, I can gain more understanding of why I didn't enjoy this experience, helping me to seek out a NEW work experience, where the ACRES were all met. When I think of that work experience I did not enjoy, ALL five of the ACRES examples were not met, so I felt the negative threat response in my brain, activated daily, didn't notice any positive reward responses, and even though I felt like I was consciously making an effort, my brain kicked into the “fight of flight response” just like my body was preparing for a threat (like the bear in the woods, or snake on the hiking trail).  At the end of each day, I felt threatened and not rewarded. Can you think of when you have felt the ACRES Model working for you (where you feel rewarded) or against you (where you feel threat) while going through change? Bosnick next explains how open-minded or close-minded we are to change, in his figure 12.2 with an image that was created by Michael Mahoney[viii] the author of The Human Change Process book, who addresses why change is so difficult for people, and how to lean into change, and maximize your chances for success. “The open-minded/closed minded dimension relates to the degree of mental openness to the environment and our level of curiosity. Open- minded represents the level of reward that we perceive and close-minded represents the level of threat that we perceive. With a passive mindset, we will either subtly support or oppose the change; with an active mindset, we will either overtly support or overtly reject the change.” (Page 137, Ch 12, Bosnick). We did dive into the emotion of curiosity on our interview with the co-author of the famous book The Archeology of Mind, Lucy Biven on EP 270[ix] where we looked at Jaak Panksepp's research, and again with Gabrielle Usatynski on EP #282[x] “How to Use Jaak Panksepp's 7 Core Emotions to Transform Your Family, Career and Life.” With this look at effective neuroscience, it makes sense to set out with a “seeking” or curious mindset, while approaching change, to be as open as we all can to what we might learn in the process, while being mindful of what makes you close-minded. Bosnick points out that it's normal to go back and forth between these two states, but just to be mindful of what shuts you down, or puts you in the threat response. We want to be in the “Bring Change On” quadrant from figure 12.2 but what do we do if something is “triggering” us as a threat response? Bosnick lists a few triggers we can be mindful of watching during times of change. Some included: History of this particular type of change: Think about how have you been in the past with the change you are experiencing now? Remember that past behavior can help you to predict future behavior. Beware of the fear of loss that Bosnick says creates insecurity and unsureness. Beware of the fear of the unknown. Lacking a plan. Fear of giving up our freedom. If you are going through a change right now, look at the change response quadrant figure 12.2 and see where you would place yourself. Are you clearly in the Bring it On Quadrant, or are you going back and forth between being open-minded (and ready for change) or close-minded (and unsure of yourself). Look at the list of triggers and see if any of these are causing you to experience a threat response in your brain. What I love about Bosnick's book, is how many reflection activities he has, in addition to the Companion Workbook that goes along with this text. Bosnick suggests to “build a positive change network” so you don't need to face change on your own. He suggests adding in new social connections to increase the positive rewards in your life, and minimize the threat responses you might face. What Else Does Neuroscience Say About Change? Can we really change our nervous system—specifically our actions and behaviors that will lead us to NEW conditions, circumstances and environments in our life? Can we with focus, and with the use of our will, become more open-minded to change in our life? After learning about how our brain either feels threatened or rewarded during times of change, I wondered what Dr. Andrew Huberman would suggest and I found an episode he did back in 2021 on “How Your Brain Works and Changes”[xi] that gave me some insight into how I can change my actions and behaviors to be more open-minded, getting me to that “Bring it on” Quadrant, so that I'll see the change I'm experiencing as a reward, instead of a threat. I think this is brilliant! Using our understanding of practical Neuroscience to actually change our brain, and lean into change, with an open-minded, active mindset, keeping our brain primed for rewards, and aware of how to mitigate threats. Dr. Huberman suggests that in order to change our actions and behavior towards something, we must first of all understand how this part of our brain works in our nervous system. He dives into an hour long explanation you can watch, but I will give you the short-cut version. He explains that our nervous system consists of these five things: We experience sensation (we have neurons that see color, feel sensations, taste, smell). We can't change our sensory receptors. We experience perception (our ability to take what we are sensing or paying attention to) and focus on it. He says we can put a spotlight on something we want to pay attention to, for example. Then we have our feelings/emotions (like happiness, sadness, boredom, frustration) and he reviews how neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers argue (like crazy) about this topic, and how emotions/feelings work. Dr. Huberman says that it all goes back to understanding that there are certain neuromodulators that have a profound impact on our emotional state. Dopamine (involved with motivation and reward, and important with things outside of ourselves, things we want to pursue) and serotonin tends to help us to feel good with what we have. Dr. Huberman reminds us that “feelings and emotions are contextual” and that while showing joy/sadness can be appropriate in some cultures, it can also be inappropriate in others. While he says, there are no “happiness” or “sadness” circuits in our brain, but it is fair to say that “certain chemicals, and certain brain circuits tend to be active when we are in a happy/focused state, certain brain circuits tend to be active when we are also in a non-focused, or lazy state” (Dr. Huberman) It makes sense to me here to do our best to lean into the happy focused state as often as we can, knowing we could use the happiness brain chemicals in our pursuit of new things. Then our thoughts: that are like our perceptions, but they draw on “not just what's happening in the present, but also things we remember from the past, and things we anticipate in the future…and our thoughts can be controlled in a deliberate way” (Dr. Huberman). We have spent a considerable amount of time on this podcast talking about how important our thoughts are, with ways to lean into positive thinking, and put a hard STOP on the negative thoughts that come our way. Then finally our actions and behaviors that Dr. Huberman considers to be the most important part to our nervous system. Our actions and behaviors he says are the only things that will create any “fossil record” of our existence. Or I say, they will be what will determine our legacy, or the impact we want to have on the outside world. When we die, our body disintegrates. The sensations, perceptions, feelings and emotions, or thoughts we had in our lifetime “none of these are carried forward” except the ones that we convert into actions (like writing, or actually doing something with the things we THINK about. Our legacy, or “fossil record” is through the ACTION we take in our life. IMAGE CREDIT: Hand drawn from Andrea's notes from Dr. Andrew Huberman's Solo SP Jan 3, 2001 "How Your Brain Works"  At this point, I can draw back on MANY episodes where we have focused on taking action (rather than just thinking of what we want to do) but we are focused on the Neuroscience of Change right now. How can we stay open-minded to bring on change in 2024 and keep moving forward? Dr. Huberman has us reflect back on what builds our Nervous System (our sensations, our perceptions, feelings and emotions, our thoughts) and they ALL lead to this one last part, our ability to TAKE ACTION. He says that we do “have the ability to change our nervous system” and this is when we “deliberately put our focus on something that we want to do.” This is where the work comes in here. When we want to “learn something new, CHANGE something (like a behavior) and he gives the example of learning to resist speaking, or force yourself to be quiet where we want to actively suppress our behavior and CHANGE our BEHAVIOR or ACTIONS. When are suppressing a circuit in our brain, (using our forebrain that is fully developed by age 22) to do something different (that's challenging to us) norepinephrine (adrenaline) is released and it will create a feeling of challenge or agitation as you engage these neurocircuits to push yourself past this threshold of where you normally don't go. In the situation where we are learning to not speak, and withhold something we really want to say, we are putting self-regulation into action. “You will feel limbic friction that comes from this top-down processing.” (Dr. Huberman). Think about any time you have tried to take a new action or behavior. You'll feel annoyed (which is really the adrenaline that's released from your brain). “Agitation and strain is the entry point to neuroplasticity” Dr. Huberman If we can push past this agitation and strain, we will be changing our brain, our actual nervous system, as we create a NEW change of behavior in our life. This brings me to a quote by Peter Senge where he says that “people don't resist change. They resist being changed.” That feeling of agitation will come up during change, and when the change is your choice…or something that you really want to do, you will push past the threshold to overcome the change. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #339 on “The Neuroscience of Change” we looked at two examples of what happens to our brain when we see something our brain wasn't expecting, like the breathtaking view, or when we land the promotion we worked so hard to achieve, Bosnick explains “we feel like we got a reward. It's a rush. We get a sensation in our brain and a hit of the big neurochemicals” dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, norephinephrine, adrenaline.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). But when we see a bear in the woods, (or snake on the hiking trails), or we are overlooked for a promotion at work, our brain actually sees this “like it's a threat. We feel tense, stressed, pressure…our body physically feels it.” We learned that “Neuroscience has shown us, that the feeling we get from a social or emotional threat (like being passed over for the promotion) is the same as the feeling we get from a physical threat (like seeing a bear or a snake). When we see how our brain interprets “everything and everyone we meet as either a reward or a threat” we can better understand “how our body reacts, (and) our brain and mind think, (leading) to the decisions, behaviors and actions we make.” (Page 132, Ch 12, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). Next we reviewed Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that led to “Self-Determination Theory” around the year 2000 where researchers found that there were “three physiological needs: the need for Competence (feeling valued for our knowledge, skills and experience), the need for Relatedness (collaborating, connecting or serving others) and the need for Autonomy (being able to exercise self-regulation…to achieve our goals.” (Page 133, Ch 12, Bosnick). We learned that when our ACRES are being met, (our autonomy, competence, relatedness, equity, and sureness) it will put us in a toward state and we will fully embrace everything ahead of us; (but) if our ACRES are threatened, it will put us in an “away state” and will then resist or block things ahead of us. Looking at Bosnick's ACRES example, we thought about work experience we did not enjoy, to see where it went against the ACRES Model of Needs. With brain science in mind, we can gain more understanding of why we either enjoyed, or didn't enjoy this experience. It all led back to how our brain either interprets the experience as a reward, or a threat. We looked at triggers to be aware of to mitigate threat, during times of change. Finally, we looked at how to change our nervous system, to change our actions and behaviors, so we can leave behind a legacy (or fossil record as Dr. Huberman calls it) that we are proud of. We learned that “Agitation and strain is the entry point to neuroplasticity” Dr. Huberman This is when lasting CHANGE is happening at the brain level, and impacting our entire nervous system. So when I'm working on something, (like trying to learn something new…like understanding the neuroscience of change for this episode) and that limbic friction feeling comes up, (and I'm annoyed or agitated) I now have a deeper understanding of what's happening at the brain level. I will now push forward, stay positive and lean into the change that I know is happening in my brain, as I embrace the change and say “Bring it on!” The Neuroscience of Change is an exciting topic, and it's only going to be strengthened with the next two topics, Agility and Resilience. To close, I'll revisit the quote from the great Sir Ken[xii], who's vision for creativity in our schools and workplaces of the future, is something that left a lasting impression on me. If we are afraid of change, of failing and doing something wrong, we will never come up with anything original.   I hope this episode has inspired you, like it has me, to lean into change, with brain science in mind, and keep working on the legacy or fossil record that you want to leave on the world. I'll see you next time. REVIEW OF OUR MAP (This is chapter 12/19) In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, (after I was inspired to cover Grant's book after our interview the end of January) we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #296 with Chris Marshall on “Decoding Change”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/futurist-and-behavioral-scientist-chris-marshall-on-decoding-change/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #244  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-using-neuroscience-to-change-our-perception/   [v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #209 “Using Neuroscience to Impact Change”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/using-neuroscience-to-impact-change/   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #159 “Using the Power of Surprise to Change Your Beliefs” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-michael-rousell-on-the-power-of-surprise-how-your-brain-secretly-changes-your-beliefs/   [vii] Rattlesnake Bites in Pima County Pose Costly Consequences Bri Pacelli April 2, 2024 https://www.kgun9.com/news/community-inspired-journalism/midtown-news/rattlesnake-bites-in-pima-county-pose-costly-consequences   [viii] Human Change Processes by Michael Mahoney https://www.amazon.com/Human-Change-Processes-Foundations-Psychotherapy/dp/0465031188   [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #270 “A short-Cut to Understanding Affective Neuroscience” with Lucy Biven https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lucy-biven/   [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #282 “How to Use Jaak Panksepp's 7 Core Emotions to Transform Your Family, Career and Life” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/gabrielle-usatynski-on-how-to-use-jaak-panksepp-s-7-core-emotions-to-transform-your-relationships-family-career-and-life/   [xi] How Your Brain Works and Changes by Dr. Andrew Huberman 2021 https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wuY0R571xaBTbNOX4yuqY   [xii] Do Schools Kill Creativity? Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY        

Welcome back to Season 12 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, where we connect science-based evidence with practical applications for improved well-being, achievement, and productivity. I'm Andrea Samadi, your host, and today we're diving into episode number 337, continuing our 18-week self-leadership series based on Grant Bosnick's tailored approaches to self-leadership. In this episode, we explore chapter 11 of Grant's book, focusing on the neuroscience of time management. Discover how understanding your chronotypes and managing your energy can lead to better productivity and creativity. We'll share insights from Kent Healy's perspective on time management and highlight practical strategies from renowned experts like Stephen Covey and Brendon Burchard. Learn how to prioritize tasks, avoid common time traps, and use your peak energy periods for deep work. Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, this episode provides valuable tips to make the most out of your 84,600 seconds each day. Join us as we uncover the science behind effective time management and how it can transform your personal and professional life. Don't miss out on these powerful insights to help you reach greater heights in 2024. Welcome back to SEASON 12 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 6 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. On today's episode #337 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January.  The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. On today's EPISODE #337 we will cover: ✔ How did Kent Healy, Bob Proctor and Earl Nightingale change Andrea's thinking on how to manage time? ✔ What is Grant Bosnick's view on how to manage time? ✔ What is The Neuroscience of Time Management? ✔ How will YOU manage your time, with brain science in mind? For Today, EPISODE #337, we are moving on to Chapter 11, covering “The Neuroscience of Time Management” which came out as a low, or RED priority for me at 8%, and again, not because this topic isn't important for me, but I've already put strategies for time management into place, so this is not an area I need to focus on this year. It's interesting to see how each of these lessons play out in our daily life, putting theory into practice. This morning I had to chance to see why this topic showed up as low importance for me to work on this year. I had slotted on my calendar to write this episode, (a Saturday), I started my day at 4am (with early meditation, then some time in the sauna) before hitting the hiking trails for what I call a long 7-mile hike, that I do only if I am fully rested, to guarantee a good day of focused writing. While driving back from this this hike, I had a call from a good friend I had not seen in quite a few years, who wanted to see if we could meet for coffee. I know the time required to write, record and edit this episode, so I told her this was my priority for the weekend, and that I could let her know if I finish earlier. Otherwise, we could plan to meet another time, even though I know it would be great to see this friend. This weekend was not the right time. So before we even start looking into the Neuroscience Behind Time Management that this topic is important to me. Vitally important. Not just for managing my own time, but also valuing the time of others as well. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[ii], look to see if Time Management is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. We covered this topic on the podcast in our early days, with someone I came across about 15 years ago, before publishing my first book, on success strategies for teenagers. I wanted to find other success books were out there, and I came across Kent Healy's Success Principles for Teens[iii] that he co-authored with Jack Canfield. At that time, I was working with success principals (character and leadership) with students in the classroom and reached out to Kent for some thoughts on something to help inspire our next generation to think bigger, (like I knew he did) and reach for greater heights. Kent created a video for me that we used with students and I featured this video on EP 33[iv] of our podcast that was called “Time Management, the Greatest Asset We Have.” Kent gives a perspective to the amount of time we have, in a way that 15 years later, I've still not forgotten his words in this video recording. You can watch Kent's explanation of “time management”[v] here, with the visuals that he provided, reminding us that “we all have the same amount of time” and he even breaks it down and tells us how many seconds we have every day (84,600 seconds to be exact). While ALL the experts agree that we can't create more time, or change this number, some will say we can use our time to generate more of something else (like energy) but Kent's message was about using this time (these 84,600 seconds we have each day wisely) and focus on what we can control, and that's our personal growth. He gives an example of adding just 15 extra minutes a day towards learning something new, and that adds up to 3.8 full days a year, and asks us to think of what value we put on 15 minutes of time. After thinking about Kent Healy's message on time, my mind went back to when I heard over and over again, the words from Earl Nightingale, through Bob Proctor, who often would quote Earl's thoughts on time management. Proctor would quote Earl and say “Time cannot be managed! Nobody masters time management. I merely manage activity.”[vi] Which led me to think about the blocks of time (my activity) that I have on my calendar, and the early morning blocks are non-negotiable. Also, my work hours (whether it's working on the podcast on the weekend), or my full time work (weekdays) my calendar is blocked off, and the time here in non-negotiable. Kent Healy's message about paying attention to what I do with even 15 minutes of time, mixed with Earl Nightingale's message of managing activities (or blocking out what's important for us to accomplish each day) is engrained so deeply into my daily habits that I have a deep respect for my time, and other people's. Think About These Questions: Do you value your time? Do you value other people's time? Do you think 15 minutes of time really matters? Let's see what Grant Bosnick thinks about Time Management in Chapter 11 of his book. He opens up the chapter by asking us to define what it means to “manage time” and says “it's more about managing our energy through time.” (Ch 11, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). HOW GRANT BOSNICK MANAGES HIS TIME: Bosnick does mention Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People that we looked at on EP #207 with our interview with Greg Link, who took The 7 Habits Book to incredible heights, saying that Covey's work influenced his approach to thinking about time. Bosnick created something he calls his 7 Roles Planning Sheet where breaks down his task list into several different roles we might have in our life (like competent salesperson, collaborative team member, parent, etc). I like how his planner breaks down the different roles we all have, so we can separate our work roles and personal life roles, with the next steps (or goals) to move each of these roles forward. IMAGE CREDIT: Grant Bosnick Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership Chapter 11 I've seen the author of the book, High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard[vii], create something that also helps break down our long task lists, using different projects with his 1- Page Productivity Planner that I've put a link to in the show notes. I've personally used this planner for years to keep track of the steps in certain projects, keeping them all separate. Like writing a new book, or building a new website, with the steps needed in order to move each project forward. IMAGE CREDIT: Brendon Burchard's 1 Page Productivity Planner[viii] The part I liked the most on this planner, was the PEOPLE section, where you keep track of important people you reached out to (helping you move each project forward) to those who you were waiting to hear back from. EVERY important person I have ever met with (over the years) was written on this list, until I crossed them off and had finished what I needed to accomplish with them. Bosnick also covered a concept that Stephen Covey is known for creating where we pinpoint on a graph what is urgent and important to cover immediately.  We covered this graph, and Stephen Covey's 7 Habits on EP 68[ix] “The Neuroscience of Personal Change.” The urgent and important quadrant, or quadrant 1, is for tasks and responsibilities that are critical and require immediate attention. These activities are often time-sensitive and necessary for your existence, such as pressing problems, deadline-driven projects, or last-minute preparations. This concept came from Covey's Habit #3 Put First Things First: Plan Weekly and Act Daily. Stephen Covey built his whole career around the 4-quadrant chart called the Urgent and Important Matrix[x] where our attention goes to Quadrant 1 with Urgent and Important Tasks completed first and Quadrant 4, Distractions last. I've put the chart in the show notes for anyone who wants to see all of the quadrants. Quadrant 1 - Crises - URGENT and IMPORTANT Quadrant 2 - Goals and Planning - NON-URGENT and IMPORTANT Quadrant 3 - Interruptions - URGENT and NOT IMPORTANT Quadrant 4 - Distractions - NOT URGENT and NOT IMPORTANT  Whatever method you use to manage your long task list, Bosnick mentions it helps to “see all of the tasks and micro-tasks that need to be done” in one place, and I'd have to agree that it helps to have something printed off where you can see everything that's important for you to accomplish, in one view. Bosnick does cover our Circadian Rhythms of Life, and “when we are at our peak energy and peak mental alertness: early morning, late morning, after lunch, evening, nighttime.” (Ch 11, Bosnick) so that we schedule our tasks that require the most cognitive function, in the times we are the most alert, and administrative tasks where less cognitive function in required, around this. This is something I know we are all aware of, but here's the kicker. What if you had a call from someone you wanted to see, to go meet them for coffee, during the time of day that you know you were the most productive. Would you meet them, or get your work done first, and then find the time to meet with them? I think the answer to this question is obvious, that high performers, who value their most productive time blocks of their day, would always complete their work first. I love the section in Bosnick's book about “Time Traps and How to Overcome Them” as we all could use a refresher on ways to avoid those things that “drain our energy and time.” (Bosnick, Ch 11) Bosnick's Top Energy Drainers: Procrastination Saying Yes to Everything The Perfectionist There are more, but these ones just made me smile. They've come up in ALL of the time management courses I've done over the years. It's funny because over the years, I've learned to be a bit more flexible with life in general, but with time management, I refuse the bend the rules. For procrastination: I say “do it now, or it will never be completed.” For Saying Yes to everything: I say “no to everything FIRST with the contingency that I can get back to the person if something changes. For the Perfectionist: I understand this one. When I'm interviewing someone, I want what I put out to the world to be perfect, as it usually represents that person's life's work. I will put the time needed to be sure I'm proud of the work I'm doing. Brendon Burchard calls this “Prolific Quality Output”[xi] and this is a High-Performance Habit that helps you to focus on the outputs that matter. Ask yourself: What are the outputs that matter the most for your personal or professional career? For me and this podcast, it's producing high quality, well-researched episodes, that make a difference for others who listen.  In my professional life, everything I say during a presentation matters. I don't want anything less than perfection, so I'd put the time in to make sure I'm always delivering Prolific Quality Output. Bosnick suggests “setting your highest priority and focus around this” (Ch 11) and I don't think there is anything wrong with reaching for the highest standard you can, without burning yourself out. What does Neuroscience Say About Time Management? I tuned into Dr. Andrew Huberman's Episode on “Tools for Better Productivity and Time Management”[xii] and this episode was in agreement with Grant Bosnick's idea of being aware of our chronotypes. Dr. Huberman mentioned that “For those people who go to bed around 9:30pm-11:30pm and wake in the window of 6am-8am that there tends to be an increase in catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, 0-8 hours after waking, which generally speaking leads to increases in alertness, attention and focus that are great for analytical work, great for implementation of strategies that you already understand.” Dr. Huberman and his guest, Dr. Adam Grant discussed how many people do not take advantage of these brain chemicals that they also said “provides extra energy and leads to more divergent thinking” as many people will use this important block of time to knock out their emails, or have non-productive conversations with their coworkers-and miss this opportunity. The Neuroscience of Time Management shows me that understanding my chronotype is a crucial component to whether I will be making use of my time and brain chemistry at the specific time of day when I will have access to extra energy and more divergent thinking that involves creativity that generates new and original solutions to problems. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #337 on “The Neuroscience of Time Management” DID YOU KNOW: That our chronotype “the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time or what people understand as being an early bird versus a night owl”[xiii] should be factored into our Time Management Strategy? “For those people who go to bed around 9:30pm-11:30pm and wake in the window of 6am-8am that there tends to be an increase in (dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, 0-8 hours after waking, which leads to increases in alertness, attention and focus that are great for analytical work, great for implementation of strategies that you already understand.” Dr. Andrew Huberman with Guest Dr. Adam Grant As we are thinking about the best strategies to manage our activities, projects, or even the roles we have in our personal and professional lives, in order to have access to this extra energy, and divergent, creative thinking, we will want to plan our “deep” work 0-8 hours after waking. This made me think of Grant Bosnick's Top Energy Drainers: Procrastination Saying Yes to Everything The Perfectionist With this extra energy, and creative thinking, I would put it all into creative prolific quality work (the perfectionist in me) and use the extra energy to combat against procrastination, while protecting my time by saying no to everything, (at first). I know I can always come back to projects that I would like to do, that have meaning to me, but by truly managing my energy and activities, I am protecting this commodity that we all have: time. What about you? Will you change anything you are doing now, with this understanding of WHEN you might be the most alert, creative and have the most energy in your day? This did make me think that the 84,600 seconds that Kent Healy reminded me that we all have each day, and how 15 minutes a day (that adds up to 3.8 days/year) can be used even more wisely with this understanding of The Neuroscience of Time Management. IMAGE CREDIT: KENT HEALY on Time Management I'll close out this episode with a quote from Benjamin Franklin where he reminds us that “lost time is never found again.” I hope this episode has helped you to see the questions we asked at the start of this episode with a new light: Do you value your time? Do you value other people's time? Do you think 15 minutes of time really matters? I will definitely continue to be mindful of other people's time, and keep working on using my blocks of time in the early morning hours, when I'm most productive and creative. With that thought, we will close out this episode, and I'll see you next time for Chapter 12 of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership on The Neuroscience of Change. REVIEW In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, (after I was inspired to cover Grant's book after our interview the end of January) we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. RESOURCES: Are you a morning lark, or a night owl? https://www.sleepwatchapp.com/blog/on-the-nature-of-larks-owls-in-their-modern-habitat/ REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii] Success Principles for Teens by Jack Canfield and Kent Healy April 15, 2008 https://www.amazon.com/Success-Principles-Teens-Where-Want/dp/0757307272   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #33 with Kent Healy on “Managing Our Time, Our Greatest Asset”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-kent-healy-on-managing-time-our-greatest-asset/   [v] Author Kent Healy on “Time Management: Our Greatest Asset” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_ibHzu751I   [vi] How to Master Time Management by Bob Proctor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yey59NOFNFY   [vii] https://brendon.com/   [viii] http://www.experimentswithsuccess.com/2014/09/darren-hardy-interviews-brendon-burchard/1-page-productivity-planner/   [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #68 The Neuroscience of Personal Change https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-personal-change/   [x] The Urgent and Important Matrix https://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com/coaching-tools-101-what-is-the-urgent-important-matrix/   [xi] https://wakeupitsdayone.com/2018/07/16/increase-productivity-habit-4-of-high-performers/   [xii]“Tools for Better Productivity and Time Management” Dr. Andrew Huberman with Dr. Adam Grant  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8B0KWmv_-Q   [xiii] Chronotypes Definition https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/chronotypes#:~:text=Chronotype%20is%20the%20natural%20inclination,bird%20versus%20a%20night%20owl.    

In this episode of Partnering Leadership, Mahan Tavakoli welcomes Grant 'Upbeat' Bosnick, an expert in leadership development and the author of Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership. Grant shares his journey from Toronto, Canada, to his extensive experience in Asia, where he has spent over two decades honing his leadership skills. Drawing on his diverse background, including a fascinating stint in the entertainment industry, Grant provides deep insights into the nuances of effective leadership.Grant's book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, serves as the cornerstone of the conversation. He elaborates on the importance of self-leadership, emphasizing that true leadership starts from within. His unique perspective is influenced by the concept of 'choose your own adventure,' allowing leaders to tailor their development journey to their specific needs and contexts. This episode is packed with Grant's compelling anecdotes and practical advice, making it a must-listen for anyone serious about elevating their leadership game.One of the key themes explored is the distinction between intention and impact. Grant discusses how leaders often have good intentions but may unintentionally create negative impacts. He shares personal stories and examples to illustrate how self-awareness and feedback can bridge this gap, ultimately leading to more effective and empathetic leadership. The conversation also goes into the psychological needs that drive internal motivation, offering a fresh perspective on how leaders can foster a motivating and supportive environment.Actionable Takeaways:You will learn how Grant's early leadership experiences shaped his approach to developing effective leadership skills.Hear how to distinguish between intention and impact and why understanding this difference is crucial for successful leadership.Discover the tailored approach to self-leadership inspired by the 'choose your own adventure' concept, allowing leaders to customize their growth journeys.Understand the ACRES model and how it can be used to assess and enhance team dynamics during organizational changes.Learn why internal motivation, driven by psychological needs, is more sustainable than external rewards and how to cultivate it within your team.Find out how empathy and trust are foundational to leadership and what happens when leaders operate under stress.Get insights on creating an environment where team members feel heard, valued, and motivated to contribute their best.Explore the balance between achieving goals and maintaining empathy to ensure sustainable and positive outcomes.Gain perspective on the importance of taking a step back to see the bigger picture, especially when under pressure.Discover practical techniques for enhancing focus and productivity through mental exercises and creative practices.Connect with Grant 'Upbeat' BosnickGrant 'Upbeat' Bosnick Website  Grant 'Upbeat' Bosnick LinkedIn Connect with Mahan Tavakoli: Mahan Tavakoli Website Mahan Tavakoli on LinkedIn Partnering Leadership Website

In this episode of the Psych in Business podcast, Dr. Ernest Wayde hosts a conversation with Grant 'Upbeat' Bosnick, a consultant, former pro drummer, and the managing director of Your Empowering Solutions. Grant shares his unique journey from being a professional musician to using psychology and neuroscience to help leaders develop effective behaviors, collaborative high-performing teams, and a people-driven organization.Grant's story is filled with pivotal moments, including his experiences with different leadership styles and his transition from the entertainment industry to executive coaching and keynote speaking. His encounters with diverse leaders and his personal challenges led him to focus on becoming a better leader himself. Now based in Singapore, Grant has spent over two decades in Asia, working with organizations across six continents.The episode delves into the integration of music, psychology, and neuroscience in leadership development. Grant discusses the importance of creating an environment where team members feel valued, the impact of psychological needs on motivation and performance, and how he uses drumming to help leaders achieve flow states and higher cognitive functioning.Key Takeaways:Psychological Needs: Understanding and addressing the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, relatedness, equity, and sureness to create a motivating work environment. Flow State: Using techniques like drumming to help leaders achieve flow states, boosting productivity, reducing stress, and enhancing mental health. Human-Centered Leadership: Recognizing the importance of relationships and tailoring leadership approaches to different cultural contexts, especially in diverse regions like Asia.Authenticity: Embracing personal interests and traits, such as Grant's background in drumming, to build authentic connections and improve leadership effectiveness. Adapting Leadership Styles: Listening to team members and adjusting recognition methods to suit individual preferences, fostering a sense of belonging and value.To learn more about Grant Bosnick and connect with him by visiting his website: http://grantbosnick.com/

Welcome back to Season 11 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity, and results using practical neuroscience. In today's episode, number 336, we continue our 18-week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's tailored approaches to self-leadership. We delve into Chapter 10, exploring the neural science of persuasion and influence. This topic emerged as a key focus area for 2024, providing insights into why understanding persuasion and influence is essential for long-term success. We revisit past episodes and notable works like Jack Carew's You'll Never Get No for an Answer and Mark Waldman's Words Can Change Your Brain. Learn about the three modes of persuasion—logos, pathos, and ethos—as well as practical strategies for improving your persuasive approach. Discover how to apply six scientifically validated principles of persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini, focusing on reciprocity, scarcity, and authority. These principles can help you build lasting influence and effectively communicate your ideas. Join us as we explore the difference between persuasion and influence and how to use these skills to achieve your goals while helping others. This episode is dedicated to Monica Gilfillan, a highly influential figure in education, whose support and inspiration remind us of the power of helping others first. Don't miss out on these valuable insights to enhance your self-leadership journey. Subscribe, review, and rate our podcast to stay updated with new episodes! On today's EPISODE #336 we will cover: ✔ The difference between persuasion and influence. ✔ Strategies to improve our persuasion muscles and ways to become more influential for longer lasting relationships and impact. ✔ 3 Tips to Put the Science of Persuasion and Influence into Practice in our Daily Lives. ✔ Dedicated to Monica Gilliflan, a highly influential figure in education, whose support and inspiration remind us of the power of helping others first. On today's episode #336 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January.  The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. For Today, EPISODE #336, we are moving on to Chapter 10, covering “The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence” which came as a surprise to me that Pathway Two, showed up as my highest area of focus for 2024. When I looked at the topics that are listed in this pathway, I can see why this area is a work in progress for me, and this self-assessment picked up that I need to make these 3 areas listed in this pathway, a priority in 2024. I'm paying attention to what neuroscience says about persuade and influence, in addition to inspiration, motivation that we covered on EP 324[ii] and presence, that's the last chapter in this book, and I think the most important. (at least for me). If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[iii], look to see if Persuade and Influence is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. Thinking back on past episodes, I know we have not yet covered this topic entirely, except for the time I was asked to review Jack Carew's classic book from 1987 called You'll Never Get No For an Answer that was covered on EP176.[iv] We explored “Why Our Brains Don't Like the Word No” and revisited Mark Waldman's book from 2013 Words Can Change Your Brain where we were reminded 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. This may disrupt your sleep, your appetite, and the way your brain regulates happiness, longevity and health.”[v] In this episode, we looked at 5/10 of Jack Carew's unique strategies that American Author and Salesman Og Mandino encouraged us all to read to improve our communication and influence with others and I noticed that Strategy 2 was to stop looking out for number one and always look for how you can help others first. So, after noticing this, I went straight to Chapter 10 of Grant Bosnick's book, on “Persuade and Influence” to see what he had to say on this topic. Right off the bat, in the opening of this chapter, Bosnick asks us to think about how we would persuade someone else to do something, like give you a pen you would like to have, for example, or ask for a promotion, or ask someone to buy something you are selling. Then he differentiates the word persuade that he says “we can think of as quick, more direct, more for short-term or immediate gain” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership) while influence he says “is softer, more subtle, much more for longer term and lasting gain.” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership) Persuasion Bosnick says is “more tactical, whereas influence is strategic.”  He gives us the history of persuasion, explaining its origin from the early Greek Philosophers, and that Aristotle wrote about three modes of persuasion: logos (that's about logic and reason), pathos (that's about emotion and inspiration) and ethos (that's about the speaker's own character and credibility). Thinking of Jack Carew's second tip in his book to improve our influence with others (by putting other people first) I think is a good example of a strategy that builds this concept for long-lasting gain (influence) versus persuading someone to give me something that I need for short-term, or immediate gain (like, to pass me their pen, so I can write down something important that I'll need to remember). Bosnick provides a list of strategies to improve our persuasive approach, that includes giving people a sense of ownership, or automony to persuade them to take action with something, or by praising them, and making them feel good for taking action. He offers an exercise to further build our persuasive skills by asking us to complete a sentence: I would like to persuade x to do the following. Then he brings in Jack Carew's strategy for becoming more influential and asks us to think about “what's important to them: their goals, concerns, passions and values.” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 109). Bosnick goes on to explain how to build influence and his exercise reminded me of a networking event I attended in 2014 called Ceospace.[vi] This was an organization where many leaders came up with an idea, and took their idea out into the world, with the help of a larger, more influential network. Author Adam Markel wrote that “it was one of the most magnificent places for entrepreneurs and business owners to come together to seek guidance, insights, inspiration, collaboration, and support.” It's where Jack Canfield[vii] came up with the idea for his Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, where Lisa Nichols[viii] first began public speaking, and where countless thousands of others launched their ideas into the world. The CEO of this organization passed away in 2020, and from what I can see, this organization didn't thrive without his presence. This CEO, Berny Dohrman, had quite a life story. I felt a connection to Berny because of his passion to make an impact on our educational system. He wrote a book called Super Change[ix]  that was about the tools and strategies needed to survive and thrive in an uncertain future. What I think Berny Dohrmann had that was special, was that he used his influence, to create long lasting change in others. He did not persuade anyone to come to his events for short term results, but was able to influence others easily, with a vision for a better future. It all stemmed around his networking event, where participants would do speed rounds, to meet as many people as possible, asking the other person “What are you working on, and how can I help you.” At the end of the event, participants would have access to high level connections, all who were willing to share the strategies for success that worked for them. It was a brilliant idea, and I know this event took many leaders to new heights. The Science of Persuasion and Influence What was so special about how Berny Dohrmann influenced others? Why was Jack Carew's book from the 1980s still being taught in sales training classes today? I had to look up the Science of Persuasion and Influence and found “6 Scientifically Validated Principles of Persuasion and Influence” that came from Dr. Robert Cialdini.[x] (Chald-ini) I picked the first three to highlight here. Reciprocity. We are obliged to give if we have been given something. This was the whole idea behind Berny's networking events. Participants didn't ask for what they wanted FIRST, they offered to help someone else first, and after you had helped them, they would be more open to helping you. This was also Jack Carew's second strategy. Stop looking out for number one. Always think of how you can help others first, and you will naturally draw them to want to help you back. Scarcity. If it's scarce, we want it more. Use this by highlighting the Benefits, Uniqueness and Possible Loss. Berny did this with his networking events by holding them twice a year. If you missed the event, you missed the chance to network with these brilliant minds. Jack Carew picked this as his 10th strategy for becoming more influential. He called his last chapter in the book “Become the Only Choice.” What if you missed the event that would change your future? Carew explains this concept like “the fear of loss.” No one want to miss an opportunity. There is a science to persuading and influencing others and it's all about showing others how you (or what you offer) is unique and something that no one else (other than you) can offer. Authority. We are more likely to comply with a request if it is coming from a perceived authority/expert. Dr. Cialdini explains this one on the home page of his website, Influence at Work: Proven Science for Business Success. He says that “it's important to signal to others what makes you credible before you attempt to influence them.”[xi] It's better if you don't do this yourself, and have someone else introduce you, with your credentials, first. This is what made Berny Dohrmann's networking events successful as each participant was introduced to another person with their credentials and experience, that gave that person instant authority to help, or influence others. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #336 on Chapter 10 on “The Neuroscience of Persuading and Influencing” DID YOU KNOW: “There are 6 short cuts to increase the chances that someone will be persuaded?” (Robert Cialdini) We covered the first three: Reciprocity. We are obliged to give if we have been given something. Use the neuroscience of influence and persuasion, and think of ways to help others first, (just like Berny Dohrmann's networking events), instead of thinking what you can gain from other people, think of what you can give to them. Always be the first to give and take the time to make sure what you are giving is personalized and useful to that person. This way, what you will give will have more meaning to that person. Scarcity. If it's scarce, we want it more. Use this by highlighting the Benefits, Uniqueness and Possible Loss. Take the time to find out how what you are offering to someone else, will help them. You will need to find out what they are looking for to do this, by asking questions, and listening. Then you can “frame what you are saying/offering, so others will find it to be valuable.”[xii] Authority. We are more likely to comply with a request if it is coming from a perceived authority/expert. Being introduced by others is a fast way to have others learn about your expertise, making you instantly more influential and persuasive. We looked at Chapter 10 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership where Bosnick explained the difference between the word persuade that he says “we can think of as quick, more direct, more for short-term or immediate gain” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership) while influence he says “is softer, more subtle, much more for longer term and lasting gain.” (Chapter 10, Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). We looked at a past episode on this topic, taking us back to Mark Waldman's book from 2013 Words Can Change Your Brain reminding us to be careful of the words we choose to speak to others. My take-away from this chapter: If I want to improve my influence, it begins with understanding the wants and needs of my audience first (how can I help them) and then being able to say what I mean, and mean what I say. The words I speak do matter when I'm working on gaining influence.  If I'm speaking with someone, and not being completely honest, or not meaning what I say, I know that this can be felt by the other person, and it will hurt my ability to gain trust, rapport and influence. Our brains can detect “benefits and threats”[xiii] and I want to be sure that I'm drawing those I want to interact with towards me, not away from me. Once I have gained influence with someone I am speaking with, then I can take my persuasion skills to the next level, and we can begin to work together on our common goals. For example, if someone is asking me in a sales situation if I can offer them a discount. When I've build rapport and trust with this person, I can say “yes, I can give you 5% off this order, if you would be able to guarantee the order will come in by the end of this month.” We can begin to use our persuasion and influencing skills to not only give others what they need, but also negotiate with them, for what we need. I hope this episode has helped to give you some ideas on ways to practice the neuroscience of persuading and influencing, to help others with their goals first, and then in turn, allow you to move yourself forward in this process, with these skills. I also want to end this episode, with a mention to someone I ran into recently, who I had not seen about 10 years. I ran into Monica Gilfillan[xiv] an avid listener of this podcast, and I had no idea, until we spoke recently and she shared how these episodes were helping her with new ideas. This made me feel proud and grateful (coming from a peer) and did infuse me with some extra energy to keep going with these episodes. If there is someone I would list as highly influential, who knows how to persuade others, it's Monica Gilfillan. Over the years, I noticed as I connected with a new person in the field of education, they were always connected to her. After she shared how the podcast was helping her, she went straight to ask me how she could help, and what I needed. We all need people in our network who are wired to help others, and I highly suggest connecting with Monica, especially if you are in the field of education. She is an influencer who everyone can benefit from knowing. I thought it was fitting to dedicate The Neuroscience of Persuasion and Influence to Monica Gilfillan and to thank her (and all of you who tune in) for listening. CONNECT with Monica Gilfillan https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicagilfillan/ And with that, we will close out this episode. We'll see you next with Chapter 11 on Time Management. REVIEW In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, (after I was inspired to cover Grant's book after our interview the end of January) we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #324 on “The Neuroscience of Inspiration and Motivation”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-self-leadership-series/   [iii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #176 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-communication-why-our-brain-doesn-t-like-the-word-no/   [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] https://ceospacemembers.com/   [vii] https://jackcanfield.com/   [viii] https://motivatingthemasses.com/   [ix] Super Change by Berny Dohrmann October 31, 2019  https://www.amazon.com/Super-Change-Survive-Thrive-Uncertain/dp/1949003906   [x] https://www.influenceatwork.com/7-principles-of-persuasion/   [xi] The Science of Persuasion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFdCzN7RYbw   [xii] The Neuroscience of Influence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-5CZ2AXT1o   [xiii] The Neuroscience of Influence Leadership Coaching by Dean Newlund https://mfileadership.com/2021/01/27/the-neuroscience-of-influence/   [xiv] Monica Gilfillan https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicagilfillan/    

Welcome back to Season 11 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast! In episode 335, we delve into the neuroscience of emotion regulation, a crucial skill for personal and professional success. Host Andrea Samadi continues the 18-week self-leadership series inspired by Grant Bosnick's book, focusing on strategies to enhance our ability to manage emotions effectively. We explore practical tips from Bosnick, such as labeling emotions, creating distance from them, and reframing situations to view them more positively. Additionally, we highlight the importance of sleep for emotion regulation, drawing insights from experts like Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Matthew Walker. Discover how improving your sleep quality can lead to better emotional control and overall well-being. Join us as we connect the dots between neuroscience, sleep, and emotional intelligence to help you achieve greater heights in 2024 and beyond. On today's episode #335 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January.  The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024.   For Today, EPISODE #335, we are moving on to Chapter 9, covering “The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation” which showed up on my leadership self-assessment as a low, RED score, of 20%, but again, not because it's not something I don't need to pay attention to, this is something I pay attention to daily, right up there with physical health that is listed in Pathway Four of Grant's Self-Leadership Map. If you've taken the leadership self-assessment[ii], look to see if Emotion Regulation is of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. Before looking at what Grant Bosnick has to say about Emotion Regulation in Chapter 9 of his book, I looked around to see what else I could find on this topic. We actually have already covered this topic as one of the six social emotional learning competencies that we launched this podcast with, back in August, 2019[iii] and we called that episode “Self-Regulation: The Foundational Learning Skill for Future Success.”  In this early episode, we defined self-regulation as “the ability to manage your emotions and behavior in accordance of the situation. It includes being able to resist highly emotional reactions to upsetting stimuli, to calm yourself down when you get upset, adjust to a change in expectations and (the ability) to handle frustration”[iv] In other words, it's the ability to bounce back after a setback or disappointment, and the ability to stay in congruence with your inner value system.  HOW TO HELP OUR CHILDREN WITH EMOTION REGULATION: We covered some tips on this early episode to help our children to practice this skill, and strengthen their “self-regulation” muscles, beginning with: Naming the emotion they are experiencing at a given moment, with a strategy (like stopping to take some deep breaths when something frustrates or overwhelms them) so they can keep working, and move forward. Uncovering what motivates each of us to develop intrinsic motivation that can help propel us forward. Taking brain breaks, or “unfocused moments” that allow for the brain to solve problems during these resting states. WHAT GRANT BOSNICK SUGGESTS FOR EMOTION REGULATION: Then we covered some tips to help us to continue to strengthen these self-regulation skills in the workplace, and I wondered what Grant Bosnick had to say in chapter 9 of his book on this topic. Within the second paragraph of this chapter, he explains the science behind emotion regulation when he outlines that “neuroscience has shown us that the exact same feelings we get from a physical threat also occur as social and emotional threats.” (Page 91, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick).  This took me back to working with children with this foundational learning skill, that determines future success, and the whole idea that “social and emotional threats” can impact us (stop us in our tracks) exactly as if there was a actual physical threat (like coming face to face with a bear in the forest). In Chapter 9, Grant explains some different ways to regulate our emotions, and he uses a graphic to demonstrate how to move forward, while regulating our emotions, instead of spiraling out of control, downwards, and it begins with where we focus our attention. If we focus on the emotional aspects, he tells us “it will drive us into a downward spiral” but if we learn to “focus on the nonemotional aspects, or distance ourselves (from whatever it is that is bothering us) this is the start to creating an upward spiral.” (Page 94, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick).    IMAGE CREDIT: Image 9.2 from Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership TIP 1: LEARN TO LABEL OUR EMOTIONS: Bosnick agrees with the steps we created to build emotion regulation in our children, as he also mentions the importance of being able to name or label the emotion that you are having first. TIP 2: DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM EMOTIONS THAT ARE BOTHERING YOU TO PROVIDE TEMPORARY RELIEF: Then he suggests to find ways to distance yourself from the emotion (he calls this attentional deployment) to give you temporary relief from the situation. He mentions seeing the issue through someone else's eyes, and I remember Dr. Maiysha Clairborne sharing this strategy back on EP 289[v] when she explained the importance of stepping into someone else's shoes when you are in conflict with them, to feel what they feel, and even stepping back and looking at the entire problem from above (outside of anyone's shoes) to gain a new perspective. TIP 3: REFRAME THE CONFLICT: Next Bosnick suggests “reappraisal or reframing” the conflict, by looking at it in a more positive way. He mentions that mindfulness can help us to “take a step back, lower anxiety, bring attention to the moment, become less judgmental about what is happening, help the brain to not attach meaning to the emotions and be open to new meaning and new connections.” (Page 97, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). He suggests looking at the situation from someone else's point of view to reframe it. TIP 4: LEARN TO REGULATE OUR EMOTIONS BY FINDING STRATEGIES THAT KEEP US STRONG, AND CLEAR HEADED: It's his last technique of “response modulation” that caught my attention the most, because we've all experienced this. Once we are hit with an emotion about something, he asks “is it better to suppress it, or acknowledge it?” (Page 99, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). He says “when we feel strong, clear-headed and have executive control, it is better to acknowledge the emotion so we can regulate it.” (Page 100, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). EMOTION REGULATION AND SLEEP: So in a world where we are hit daily by external stimuli, how on the earth can we be proactive to stay mentally strong and clear-headed so we have improved executive control to manage our emotions and regulate them? This took me straight to the work of Dr. Andrew Huberman, and Dr. Matthew Walker who recently recorded an episode called “Improve Sleep to Boost Mood and Emotion Regulation.” [vi] It was here where I learned just how important sleep is for keeping a strong, clear mind, so we can use this strength to acknowledge and regulate our emotions, like Bosnick suggested. Dr. Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and the host of The Matt Walker Podcast, gave example after example that proved that when you've NOT had a good night's sleep, things that wouldn't bother you (when you've slept well), begin to aggravate, or grate on you more. Here's what I found to be remarkable on this topic, something I had not ever heard before. DID YOU KNOW that "The greater amount of REM sleep you are getting (where our dreams occur), the greater amount of emotional detox you will get the next day?" (Dr. Matthew Walker). Dr. Walker went on to explain that “the brain chemical noradrenaline (that's responsible for our stress reaction) completely shuts off during REM sleep, and serotonin (that plays a role with our mood) decreases, while acetyl choline (that carries messages from our brain to our body through nerve cells) increases by up to 30% in some parts of the brain (and can be even more active than when we were awake).  Dr. Walker concluded that the decrease of stress related brain chemicals is what makes “REM sleep was the perfect condition for overnight therapy.” If we want to improve our emotion regulation, the science is pointing directly to improving our sleep. Diving deep into the 4 stages of sleep and suggestions to improve our sleep is something I've been working on for the past 5 years. There is a lot to this, and I'm still working on improving ALL the macroingredients of a good sleep (suggested by Dr. Walker), that include QQRT, or knowing the quantity (amount of sleep), quality (fragmented vs continuous), regularity (sleeping/waking around the same time) and timing (sleeping in alignment with my chronotype).  Dr. Walker dives deep into all these areas with Dr. Huberman, and if you do wonder where you can improve, I highly suggest their 6-part series on sleep.  TIPS FOR IMPROVING EMOTION REGULATION BY IMPROVING OUR SLEEP: Here are three tips that I took away from the neuroscience of self-regulation, that I've been working on, to see if improving my sleep in these areas, could possibly improve emotion regulation. KNOW HOW MUCH DEEP SLEEP WE ARE GETTING EACH NIGHT: We all know the importance of knowing how much sleep we are getting to be well-rested the next day, (how many hours or the quantity) but it's also important to keep an eye on the QUALITY or amount of DEEP RESTORATIVE sleep we are getting each night.   Most of us could all sleep a bit longer (or I'll speak for myself here) because this is one area that's hard to do living in Arizona. If I want to beat the summer heat, we need to wake up early to exercise before the heat advisory warnings go off around 8am, and this means that to get one benefit, (daily exercise) it comes at the cost of losing some sleep.  In addition to knowing I need to improve how long I'm sleeping, (and ways to offset waking up early for exercise) it's also being sure that I'm getting quality sleep each night. This is my current area of focus that I've been tracking the past few months. You can see from the diagram in the show notes that there are some nights I went above my average of 2 hours 22 minutes of restorative sleep, measuring this using the Whoop wearable tracker, and other nights I was far below. When I looked at what was happening in my life on those days where restorative sleep was low, there wasn't anything that stood out, other than when I began to pay attention to ALL areas of sleep (QQRT-quality, quantity, regularity and timing), restorative sleep improved. There are many type of trackers you can use to track restorative sleep. The tracker I use tells me how much deep sleep I'm getting (that's physically restorative) and how much REM sleep (that's mentally restorative). KNOW HOW MUCH REM SLEEP WE ARE GETTING: Keeping an eye on how much REM sleep we getting, is my next tip, since we know it's important for consolidating new memories, learning and motor skills. We also just learned that the more REM sleep we are getting, we can say we are getting some good overnight therapy, restoring ourselves mentally. You can find sleep trackers that can help you to measure and track these important ingredients of a good sleep for yourself, and see how much REM sleep you are getting each night, while keeping in mind that “the greater amount of REM sleep you are getting, the greater amount of emotional detox you will get the next day.” (Dr. Walker) I noticed this number improved just by forcing myself to stay in bed a little bit longer, even if it was only waking up, and saying “try to go back to sleep for another 15 or 20 minutes” and this improved REM sleep, since the REM sleep rich phase is at the end of the night. You can see the purple areas on the graph of my REM sleep in the show notes, right at the end of my sleep. If I had not pushed to stay asleep till after 5:00am (my internal clock would have me getting up at 4am) then I would have missed out on some valuable REM sleep here. If you can measure this for yourself, you can find ways to increase this valuable sleep stage for yourself. I'll also add that if you can remember your dreams, especially the ones just before you wake up, you can learn a lot about yourself, increasing your self-awareness. Remember, we are working on ways to help with our emotion regulation, and it seems to me, that an easy way to do this, would be to see how we can improve our REM sleep.   APPLY THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP TO IMPROVE EMOTION REGULATION: Since “during REM sleep the stress chemicals are turned off” helping us to “strip away the emotion from the memory” we can take this understanding a step further, and see if we are able to solve any of our problems during sleep. Dr. Huberman and Dr. Walker went into great detail about this concept[vii] that I've actually witnessed it first-hand. They described what happens in REM sleep to be like “Behavior-Desensitization” and I had the opportunity to see the stages of this process, done by someone skilled and trained in trauma and the brain, working with someone I know well, who has experiences significant trauma in their life, starting at an early age. Using a series of techniques, the trained therapist took the client safely from talking about a traumatic memory from their childhood, (with exteme emotion attached) to where they could say out loud that the memory had lost its emotional load and no longer gave them an emotional reaction. This is exactly what happens to our brain during REM sleep and why it's mentally restorative. Putting these tips all together, and knowing that improving the quality, and quantity of sleep is linked to improving emotion regulation, I'm working hard to improve restorative sleep and REM sleep, each month.  I hope these tips have given you some insight on NEW ways that sleep can improve our emotion regulation. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #335 on Chapter 9 on “The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation” We looked at where we covered self-regulation in our early days of this podcast back in August of 2019, with some tips for teaching this skill to our children or students. This skill is one of 6 social and emotional skills that are finally being taught in our schools today. This is a foundational skill for future success. We looked at Grant Bosnick's suggestion to regulate emotions in his book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership with his chart that suggests: TIP 1: Labelling our emotions, and looking for a way to distract/create distance from them to provide temporary relief. If we focus on the emotional aspects, he tells us “it will drive us into a downward spiral” TIP 2: If we learn to “focus on the non-emotional aspects, or distance ourselves (from whatever it is that is bothering us) this is the start to creating an upward spiral.” TIP 3: Reframing the emotion, or changing the way we think about it, by looking at the problem from a different perspective, can help to see it in a more positive way. TIP 4: In Bosnick's last technique of “response modulation” he mentioned that once we are hit with an emotion about something, he asks “is it better to suppress it, or acknowledge it?” (Page 99, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). He says “when we feel strong, clear-headed and have executive control, it is better to acknowledge the emotion so we can regulate it.” (Page 100, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). CONNECTING THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP TO IMPROVE EMOTION REGULATION: This led us to dive deeper into the neuroscience of emotion regulation with the work of Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Matthew Walker, known as The Sleep Diplomat. “Sleep moves the needle on almost every aspect of brain and body health” Matt Walker Before listening to Dr. Walker's most recent episode with Dr. Huberman, I had no idea that the research would point to a direct correlation with a good night's sleep and our emotion regulation. DID YOU KNOW that “The greater amount of REM sleep we are getting, the greater amount of emotional detox we will get the next day?” (Dr. Matthew Walker).   Grant Bosnick said that “when we feel strong, clear-headed and have executive control, it is better to acknowledge the emotion so we can regulate it.” (Page 100, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). It therefore makes sense to me that in order to strengthen emotion regulation, then we must therefore strengthen our sleep. 3 TIPS FOR IMPROVING EMOTION REGULATION BY MEASURING OUR SLEEP: KNOW HOW MUCH DEEP SLEEP WE ARE GETTING EACH NIGHT KNOW HOW MUCH REM SLEEP WE ARE GETTING KNOW THAT INCREASING REM SLEEP= OVERNIGHT THERAPY  Finally, how will we know if we are improving our emotion regulation by improving our sleep? Ask yourself how well you are doing with this. Remember: When we feel strong, clear-headed and have executive control, (it is better to acknowledge the emotion so) we will be able to better manage our emotions.  (Page 100, Chapter 9, Emotional Regulation, Bosnick). This is a work in progress for me, but without asking anyone else, I know that the research is accurate when it shows that “sleep deprivation increases reactivity in the amygdala by 60%.”[viii] To best way to improve reactivity in the amygdala, is by getting sufficient sleep. Improving all the ingredients of sleep (quality, quantity, regularity and timing). I also know that when I'm getting a good night sleep, my senses are more activated, and I can see more beauty in the world, especially with others around me. I'm more accepting of myself, and know that I'm stronger and more peaceful, which is what Grant Bosnick suggested for being able to improve this foundational success skill. This translates to the work I'm doing, looking at the world through a different lens where life becomes more joyful, creating hope that anything is possible (for myself and others). And all of this came from connecting the science behind a good night's sleep to emotion regulation. I hope this episode has given you some helpful ideas, and we will see you next time, as we move to chapter 10 of Grant Boswick's book on the Science Behind Persuading and Influencing. REVIEW In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, (after I was inspired to cover Grant's book after our interview the end of January) we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #14 “Self-Regulation: The Foundational Skill for Future Success” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-regulation-the-foundational-learning-skill-for-future-success/   [iv] How Can We Help Our Kids with Self-Regulation https://childmind.org/article/can-help-kids-self-regulation/amp/   [v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #289 with Dr. Maiysha Clairborne on “What Hold Us Back: Getting to the Roots of Our Doubts, Fears and Beliefs”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/maiysha-clairborne-md-on-what-holds-us-back-getting-to-the-root-of-our-doubts-fears-and-beliefs/   [vi] Dr. Matt Walker: Improve Sleep to Boost Mood & Emotional Regulation | Huberman Lab Guest Series  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_SrHS8FvMM   [vii] Dr. Matt Walker: Improve Sleep to Boost Mood & Emotional Regulation | Huberman Lab Guest Series  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_SrHS8FvMM   [viii] IBID      

In the episode 195 of IDEAS+LEADERS podcast I am speaking with Grant “Upbeat” Bosnick about leadership and self-leadership that we should always start with. Grant Bosnick is an author, leadership and team expert and a musician. His book “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership” shows a unique approach to develop awareness of self, others and one's environment of self-leadership through real behavioral change.  You can contact Grant here https://grantbosnick.com/ Thank you for joining me on this episode of IDEAS+LEADERS. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review so that more people can enjoy the podcast on Apple https://apple.co/3fKv9IH or Spotify https://sptfy.com/Nrtq

Join us on episode 333 in the 11th season of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast. Our mission, as always, is to equip you with actionable, scientifically supported methods to hone social-emotional learning skills, boost productivity and promote overall well-being. This episode continues our 18-week self-leadership series informed by Grant Bosnick's proven strategies. In this installment, we turn our attention to the crucial role of expectations in our lives. Starting off the discussion in the engaging world of Grant Bosnick's book, we dissect the meaning and importance of expectations. We then explore the crucial aspects of emotion regulation, persuasive traits, effective time management, and the vast concept of change. This episode revisits key moments from our previous chapters, ranging from the neuroscience of goals to the significance of hydration on brain performance, AHA moments, creative insights, and more. The highlight of the episode is an in-depth exploration of the science of expectations, underpinned by Grant Bosnick and David Robson's book, 'The Expectation Effect.' Here, we probe the profound influence of positive and negative expectations on our daily life, mindset, goal achievement, and even health. Inspired by teachings from luminary mentors like Bob Proctor, this illuminating exploration of expectations is designed to leave you with a fresh perspective. Stories from an unforgettable seminar 20 years ago bring to life the immense power of expectations. Understanding the neuroscience connections, we further explore dopamine and its correlation with our level of expectations. Practical tips to apply these psychological insights in day-to-day life are provided as we take you on an intellectual journey from theory to practice. Throughout the episode, you will discover how to better regulate your expectations to boost your happiness, productivity, and confidence. This intellectual journey will equip you with the tools to tap into the power of expectation and unlock a better version of yourself. Expect the best and join us to uncover the enormous potential within you. Stay tuned for our next episode, 'The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation', as we continue our intellectual journey. Welcome back to SEASON 11 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 5 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. On today's episode #333 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] the end of January.  The goal was that each week, we focused on learning something new, (from Grant's book) that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. Today we cover Chapter 8, “The Neuroscience of Expectations” and l look at what Grant Bosnick covers on this topic, as well as a deeper dive into David Robson's book, The Expectation Effect.   We will cover:  ✔  What is the meaning and importance of expectations? ✔  An unforgettable moment when Andrea first encountered the power behind our expectations.  ✔  We will explore the science of expectations to boost your happiness, productivity, and confidence. ✔  3 TIPS for applying The Neuroscience of Expectation to your daily life. ✔  Ideas to trouble-shoot applying this concept, along with belief, to achieve your goals and dreams.  I did need to take a short break from writing and recording since we last covered this book, the end of March, with new responsibilities in my work world. I've got my footing now, and missed researching, recording, and producing these episodes. The benefits that I personally receive from gathering this information, and sharing with it you, the listener, wherever you might be tuning in around the world, helps me in many different ways, but mostly, this work keeps me thinking, and making connections, neural connections, which we all know is important for cognition and learning. I did appreciate the notes from listeners of past episodes they have found helpful, and will continue to provide my best work here. We will resume the final 5 chapters of Grant's book, based on Self-Leadership strategies, covering the topic of expectations today, then emotion regulation, persuade and influence, time management and ending the series with change. Just a reminder that we left off with Chapter 7 on “AHA Moments and Creative Insight.[ii]” There is great power and immense self-awareness that comes along with mapping out a plan designed specifically for YOU and I do encourage everyone to take Grant Bosnick's Leadership Self-Assessment[iii] so you can see the areas for you that score a high, medium or low level of importance for you to focus on this year. REVIEW Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Before we cover Chapter 8 today on Expectations, let's review where we left off, since this is a good reminder for me, to make the connections from these prior episodes. It's here I'm hoping we will take the information we are learning, (from Grant Bosnick's book) connect the dots to form knowledge and then apply this knowledge to our daily life. This is where we go from theory to practice with this podcast and it's the application of what we are learning that contains the magic. REFLECT Back to Chapter 2 on The Neuroscience of Goals (and Kurt Lewin's Force Field Theory): What are we doing to gain the momentum needed to reach NEW and HEIGHTENED levels of performance this year? How are we improving our mental and physical health to gain the momentum we talked about in this chapter? Just the fact that you are here listening to this episode, and I'm writing it, is a good indication we are all building this skill. What have you noticed with the momentum you've built with your goals this year? Are you on track? How can you narrow your focus more? REFLECT Back to Chapter 3 on The Neuroscience of Inspiration: How are we using people or places that inspire us, to take our results to greater heights? Think about this as it relates to our physical and mental health. What else can we all do to take more action in this area? I recently connected with someone who caught my attention over 20 years ago, when I worked with athletes at ASU. I remember sitting in front of this one athlete, and just knew he was going somewhere. We are working on the details to have him on the podcast right now, but stay tuned for a future episode on “Diving into the Mindset of a D1 College Athlete, Turned Pro” with Nigerian-American professional basketball player, Ike Diogu. Who are what is inspiring you these days? REFLECT Back to Chapter 4 on The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: Think about where we are in our Mindfulness Journey? Mindfulness, and breathing was listed often in Chapter 4 of Grant Bosnick's book.  How is mindfulness helping us with our physical health? What's interesting to me with this topic, is that the more I continue to study, and look to improve my own areas of weakness (right now I'm looking at how to optimize sleep which is currently my weakest link) and am diving deep into this topic with Dr. Matthew Walker's most recent 6 PART podcast series with Dr. Andrew Huberman.[iv] Mindfulness is a topic that Dr. Walker lists as integral for improving sleep. I'm curious how you are implementing this skill to improve daily results. REFLECT Back to Chapter 5 on The Neuroscience Behind Peak Performance: How are we practicing “getting into our flow?” When do we notice we are in flow the most?  Is it during physical exercise, or meditation? Are we practicing this state to gain 5x more productivity this year? This is a hard one, as getting into this flow state requires practice for me. A month and a half away from this podcast, really did take me out of my flow state here. After recording an interview, and editing, I made many mistakes, or flat out forgot what to do next on the production side. I was rusty, and not in flow. I'd been producing episodes for 5 years, without taking a break, and this break revealed that the skills I'd developed need to be practiced. Use them, or lose them type of idea. This is exactly how my daughters explain what happens to them when they take time away from their sport with an injury. I learned that when we lose this flow, the best way to get it back is to get back to work, as best as we can. One step at a time. What about you? How are you using flow in your daily life? REFLECT BACK to Chapter 6 on The Science Behind our Physical Health: Where we narrowed our focus from a wide and complex field, to something we can implement immediately with “The Hydrated Brain for Improving Our Cognitive Performance.” Midway through the year, I'm thinking “How am I keeping my brain hydrated?” Do I know how much water I'm drinking every day? This is something I've put more emphasis on recently, as we have now introduced an Infrared Sauna to our daily routine, and this requires more water to help eliminate toxins. They recommend drinking 20 ounces of water before using the sauna, since sweating can cause dehydration, and drinking at least a liter (or four 8 ounce glasses of water) afterwards. I did think it was interesting that one of the products I've also been wearing since our interview last year with Dmitri Leonov, who taught us about the Taopatch[v] nanotechnology that also requires an increase in water intake to eliminate toxins. Do you know about how much water you are drinking every day? REFLECT BACK to Chapter 7 on “AHA Moments, Creative Insight and The Brain” where we looked at the book, The Eureka Factor: AHA Moments, Creative Insight and the Brain by John Kounios and Mark Beeman. They wrote this book to “explain how these Eureka experiences happen—and how to have more of them to enrich our lives and empower personal and professional success.” (The Eureka Factor).  We also went back to PART 4 of The Silva Method[vi] on “Improving Creativity and Innovation in our Schools, Sports and Modern Workplaces” where we tapped into (once again) to Dr. Andrew Huberman's research on creativity here, thinking about how we can have more insight to solve problems in our personal and work lives. It's definitely a balancing act, working on implementing ALL of these strategies for an improved 2024. Some of these I've got the hang of, and others (like sleep) are continual works of progress for me. For Today, EPISODE #333, we are moving on to Chapter 8, covering “The Neuroscience Behind Expectations” where we will dive into a topic that I mark as high importance in my life, right up with breathing. When I took my self-assessment, the topic of expectations showed up as low priority for me to focus on this year. Not because it's not important to me, but because I've already made this topic of high importance. Expectations came out for me in the RED category, with a low score of 8% along with goals and time management, that I also put high importance with on a daily basis.  If you've taken the self-assessment, look to see if Expectations are of a low, medium or high priority for you to focus on this year. Before looking at Grant Bosnick's thoughts about the topic of expectations, where he begins chapter 8 by asking us “what did you expect?” I had to do some research first, to see what is already out in the world, and there was a lot out there, on the science behind expectations. I first looked at the definition. What does it mean when someone has expectations? Collins Dictionary defined this term to mean “your strong hopes or beliefs that something will happen or that you will get something that you want.”[vii] When I typed “expectations” into Pubmed.gov (a free database of more than 37 million research articles) I saw over 95,000 entries for how expectations can help a person to improve their health and behavioral outcomes, and noticed topics like “unmet expectations[viii]” or even “how expectations modulate pain.”[ix] Before going down the rabbit hole looking to understand the science behind expectations, I found a book called The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World[x] by David Robson that I highly recommend. He covers a “journey through cutting-edge science of how our mindset shapes every facet of our lives, revealing how your brain holds the keys to unlocking a better version of you.” It was in the first few pages of Robson's Expectation Effect where I began to piece together past podcast episodes where we've talked about how “expectation hooks us up to what we want.” I saw the word “expectation” then BOOM, I could hear my mentor, Bob Proctor talking about this exact topic, back in the late 1990s. Who knew there was a science to this! We will get there, but here's what I remembered learning on this topic, 20 years ago. When Proctor talked about the importance of “expecting” what it is that we want, I remember highlighting it at the top of my notebook with an ORANGE highlighter, and never thought I would years later share these notes with anyone, (sorry they aren't neater) but look what I wrote. “Expectation hooks you up to what you want, and brings it to you.” Then further down the page, wrote “you can be hooked up to what you want (you've read Think and Grow Rich a billion times, and even listened to our 6 PART Series Think and Grow Rich Series,[xi] and you know EXACTLY what you want) but you DON'T EXPECT to ever get it, for some reason, that only you would be aware of. If you don't expect it, you won't bring it to you. I remember Proctor explaining this concept with goals, and he said it could also work with something we expect that we don't want, like a winter cold when we say something like, “Oh, I usually get a cold right before Thanksgiving, so let's not meet up until after this time.” Have you ever had someone tell you they were expecting to become ill? My mind goes straight back to the orange highlighter, and how I knew it was important to highlight that what we “expect” to happen, is brought right to us. Robson writes in his book that: Now I really did believe in these concepts I learned back in those seminar days, (because I saw first-hand how many people achieved results from this way of thinking) but I'm sure many others thought these ideas were superstitious or something. Fast forward 20 years, and now, I see this exact concept written in the 2022 book by David Robson, called The Expectation Effect, illustrating that what scientists are learning about the connections between the human brain and performance, are nothing short of amazing! Many of us have heard of these concepts, we might have even written them down, and highlighted them in orange, but now, science reveals something new about how our brain responds to the things we “expect” to happen. David Robson shows us in his book exactly “how those beliefs, in themselves, shape your health and well-being in profound ways, and that learning to reset our expectations (about these issues) can have truly remarkable effects on our health, happiness and productivity.” (David Robson, The Expectation Effect). So, I'm reading David Robson's book, excited to make a scientific connection to the word I highlighted in ORANGE in those seminar days, and here I come across the author warning us about New Age self-help books, like Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, that Bob Proctor starred in, saying these concepts to be pseudoscience. I will say that many people misunderstand The Secret and Proctor[xii] himself said “You can't just THINK and GROW RICH, you've got to DO SOMETHING with those thoughts.” So with an open mind, let's see what Grant Bosnick has to say about The Neuroscience of Expectations. I did mention that Grant opens up chapter 8 by saying “What did you expect?” and he gives examples in the beginning of this chapter ways that expectations are created in our minds whether it's with an expensive glass of wine we taste, that we “expect” to taste good based on its price, or even the credibility that we “expect” from doctors verses the doctor's assistant. What Grant Bosnich Says About The Science of Expectations: Grants explains that “in neuroscience, dopamine is the neurochemical in our brain that makes us feel good and is associated with feelings of euphoria, bliss, motivation, concentration and reward. If we meet our expectations, then it generates a slight increase in dopamine, and a slight reward response. If we exceed our expectations, it generates a strong increase in dopamine, and a strong reward response. And if our expectations are unmet, it generates a large drop in dopamine, and a strong threat response.” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 84/85). Grant explains that when our expectations are met or exceeded, this “increases our dopamine levels, which leads to increased happiness and well-being, which helps maximize our performance by setting up the conditions of flow and insight, which leads to more productivity and increased confidence.” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 84/85). But here's the kicker! Grant shares that “if our expectations are not met, (however) that it dramatically decreases our dopamine levels, we feel disappointment and stress, resulting in poor performance and decreased confidence.” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 84/85). Grant asks us some questions around what we expect of ourselves and others, and it's here that I thought about how I have high expectations for myself, and the goals I'm working on, but I've noticed that in order to avoid disappointment, I work on not having expectations of others. Except of when I go to the doctor for something important, I except that he will look after whatever it is that I'm there for to the best of their ability. There is this one doctor that I drive over an hour to see him, because his services exceeded my expectations. His office experience was not the best, but when I get to see him, I have a high level of care, that I expect, and I'll look past the poor experience in his offices, to get to the high level of care when I reach him. Grant addresses this by saying that we can influence our own, and other people's expectations by “delivering higher than expected” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 87) which is exactly what happened to me with that doctor. Grant explains the importance of “setting the expectation low, then delivering high” to avoid disappointment. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #333 on Chapter 8 on “The Neuroscience of Expectations” DID YOU KNOW: That when our expectations are met or exceeded, this “increases our dopamine levels, which leads to increased happiness and well-being, which helps maximize our performance by setting up the conditions of flow and insight, which leads to more productivity and increased confidence?” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick) Conversely, did you know that “if our expectations are not met, that it dramatically decreases our dopamine levels, we feel disappointment and stress, resulting in poor performance and decreased confidence?” (Chapter 8, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, Page 84/85). I go right back to Grant's opening statement “What did you expect” and then my ORANGE highlighted notes from 20 years ago where I learned that “expectation hooks us up to what we want.” HOW TO USE THE NEUROSCIENCE OF EXPECTATIONS IN OUR DAILY LIFE: KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M EXPECTING (of myself and others): Understanding the science, helps me to keep my expectations tied to myself, and not others, to avoid disappointment and stress.  I expect to achieve my goals, (by putting in the necessary work) keep myself in good health (physical and mental) and will not just THINK about these expectations, but will do the hard work, take the action necessary to achieve them. This way, I'm not just “thinking” of what I expect to occur, I'm actually doing something with those thoughts, like the quote from Bob Proctor from the beginning of this episode. If I'm ever feeling “disappointed” with something in my life, a good question to ask is “what did you expect?” and see if I can backtrack to my thoughts. Was I using the science to flood my brain with dopamine, (with something within my control-that I could take action towards) or not. USE A POSITIVE EXPECTATION TO BUILD RESILIENCE FOR A HEALTHIER VERSION OF ME: Understanding the science behind our expectations, and especially David Robson's work, where I learned that “people with a more positive attitude towards their later years are less likely to develop hearing loss, frailty, and illness—and even Alzheimer's disease—than people who associate aging with senility and disability” (David Robson, The Expectation Effect) marks a strong case for expecting exceptional mental and physical health in the future. Again, it goes without saying that we can't just “think” ourselves into good health. We need to do the work here in order to expect results to occur. CONTINUE TO EXPECT GOOD THINGS (for myself and others) AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS LIKE CREATING MY OWN LUCKY CHARM. Knowing that “expectations and beliefs can influence—indeed are already influencing your life in many other surprising and powerful ways. (David Robson, The Expectation Effect) makes me believe in some of the rituals I've heard of over the years, like lucky charms. I learned from David Robson's The Expectation Effect, that “superstitions and rituals can boost perseverance and performance across a whole range of cognitive tasks, and (that) the advantages are often considerable.” (Page 198, The Expectation Effect). Whether you are a professional athlete, singer, public speaker, or someone like me who just wants improved results in your life, there is a science to having a lucky charm, or something that brings you the promise of success, to help you to create a feeling of control during high stress. Don't dismiss the power of a lucky rock with a goal written on it, or whatever it is that holds significance to you with your future goals, or something that has meaning to you, that you expect to occur in your future. FINAL THOUGHTS ON OUR EXPECTATIONS: Some final thoughts, before closing out this episode, when we are working on our expectations, it's highly important to be honest with whether you believe them to be possible, or not. This is an important part of this. David Robson mentioned in his book, The Expectation Effect that: THINK ABOUT HOW YOU RESPOND TO DIFFICULT LIFE CHALLENGES: Imagine yourself going for a new position at work, and you are talking to your close family members about where you are in the interview process. They say to you “this sounds good, it looks like you are in the lead for this new position” and you reply “I'll let know IF I get the job.” How you speak about your expectations (or as Robson said “our responses to difficult situations” (internally in your mind), or out loud to others, is extremely important. Keeping brain science in mind, the best way to talk about your expectations is with certainty and our reply with this brain science in mind could be along the lines of “I'll let you know WHEN I get the new position” to keep the dopamine flowing to your brain. This response will help you to “feel good (and is associated) with feelings of euphoria, bliss, motivation, concentration and reward.” (Grant Bosnick). If for some reason, you don't believe what you are expecting, or that the leap might be too far of a jump for you, you will feel what's called cognitive dissonance, and you'll need to do more internal work to get yourself to the place where you can think “truth rather than appearances”[xiii] and speak what you expect out loud, (or think it internally) and feel the alignment of this expectation in your life. Only then will we get to this place where our expectations and beliefs can influence our life in many astonishing and powerful ways, leaving us mind-blown by our own potential for personal change. We'll see you next episode for The Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation.  REVIEW In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, (after I was inspired to cover Grant's book after our interview the end of January) we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #330 “Aha Moments and Creative Insight”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/understanding-self-leadership-and-the-neuroscience-of-goals/   [iii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iv] 6 PART Series on Improving Sleep with Dr. Walker and Dr. Huberman https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-matthew-walker-the-biology-of-sleep-your-unique-sleep-needs   [v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #318 with Dmitri Leonov on “Understanding Nanotechnology for Health and Wellness of the Future”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dmitri-leonov-on-taopatch-understanding-nanotechnology-for-health-and-wellness-of-the-future/   [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 264 “The Neuroscience Behind The Silva Method: Improving Creativity and Innovation in our Schools, Sports and Modern Workplaces”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-silva-method-improving-creativity-and-innovation-in-our-schools-sports-and-modern-workplaces/   [vii] Expectations Definition https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/expectation#:~:text=Your%20expectations%20are%20your%20strong,get%20something%20that%20you%20want.   [viii] Unmet Expectations at Work at Age 62 and Depressive Symptioms https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34173825/   [ix] How Do Expectations Modulate Pain? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37369088/   [x]The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World by David Robson Feb. 15, 2022  https://www.amazon.com/Expectation-Effect-Mindset-Change-World-ebook [xi] 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/   [xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #196 PART 6 of our Think and Grow Rich Book Series https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-15-success-principles-of-napoleon-hill-s-classic-boo-think-and-grow-rich/   [xiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #315 and PART 2 of our REVIEW of Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Getting Rich  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/part-2-review-of-wallace-d-wattles-the-science-of-getting-rich-on-chapter-4-thinking-and-acting-in-a-certain-way/        

This episode was recorded at the Global Fitness Center in Alexandria, Louisiana. Climb into the octagon with Joe, Darrian, and David as they navigate though multiple topics. Darrain elaborates on his recent win at AKA 35 to claim the Flyweight championship belt. He gives us insight into multiple elements from training, conditioning, and to film studying. David breakdowns his title defense victory to retain the Featherweight Championship belt. The group discuss an array of topics ranging from family, personal goals, favorite cheat foods and much more.

Time for for heroes to level up. Thanks to our dungeon master level patrons for contributing stuff to the house of stuff. We think your MORE than just okay Music by anna Bosnick and Morgan Clarke. Doodly doo provided by freesound dot org

In this episode, Sameer and Ismail had a fantastic conversation with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick!  Grant definitely lived up to his name by bringing an infectious energy and a ton of useful insights to share with our audience.  ‘Upbeat', as he commonly goes by, is an author, leadership & team expert, professional musician, keynote speaker, and Managing Director of YES (Your Empowering Solutions), a boutique HR consultancy.  Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick has been a resident of Singapore and Asia for over 25 years and has consulted and spoke at 100+ Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 clients spanning 45 countries and 6 continents. The episode centers on the topic of Auto-Pilot thinking traps many leaders face, but hits on a number of relevant adjacent topics, including: Blending Music and LeadershipUnderstanding Auto-Pilot ThinkingOvercoming Auto-Pilot ThinkingCommon Traps in Auto-Pilot ThinkingBalancing Auto-Pilot Thinking and Conscious Decision Making Using Six Thinking Hats to Mitigate Negative ThinkingThe Role of Age and Diversity Across Cultures in Auto-Pilot ThinkingUsing Drumming to Sharpen the MindFind Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick: Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick Website: https://grantbosnick.com/about/Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-upbeat-bosnick/Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grantbosnick/Link to Book Authored by Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tailored-Approaches-Self-Leadership-Psychology-Neuroscience-ebook/dp/B0B8379FF6/Feel free to send us an email at info@emotionalintelligents.com and share your thoughts or visit us at https://linktr.ee/emotionalintelligents. 

Welcome to Episode 330 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, a part of our 18-week series on self-leadership. Join host Andrea Samadi and author Grant Bosnick as they explore the neuroscience theory behind creating solid health habits, establishing goals, and increasing productivity for greater achievement and well-being. Tap into the power of the AHA moment, and learn how to foster these spontaneous occurrences for instant performance improvement. Bosnick shares insights from his book "Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership" and offers strategies for organizations to solve problems creatively using innovative thought processes. Uncover the crucial role physical and mental health play, particularly the significance of adequate hydration for brain health and daily water intake recommendations. Learn about the concept of neuroplasticity and see examples of creative problem solving applied in real-life situations. Listen as we bring to light interesting perspectives from Professor Hod Lipson from Columbia University on AI and innovation, discuss the Silva Method, and recall our first series on creativity and innovation. Take inspiration from figures like Albert Einstein and learn about hypnosis from the work of Dr. David Spiegel. Cultivate self-awareness and personally tailored plans using our practical five-step method to foster more 'aha' moments. Experience the magic of wisdom acquisitions drawn from a poignant poem by Stuart Edward White. Ready to supercharge your personal and professional growth? Listen to our exciting and educational podcast that delves deep into the interaction of neuroscience and social and emotional learning. Don't forget to subscribe for more insightful episodes. On today's episode #330 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] a few weeks ago.  Now that we have started this series, I hope you can see how practicing and strengthening the skills we are learning each week, is cumulative. Each week, we are learning something new, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. We can even map out our “Journey of the Mind” as we go along the way. REVIEW Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 It's here I'm hoping we will take the information we are learning, connect the dots to form knowledge and then apply this knowledge to our daily life. This is where we go from theory to practice with this podcast and it's the application of what we are learning that contains the magic. REFLECT Back to Chapter 2 on The Neuroscience of Goals (and Kurt Lewin's Force Field Theory): What are you doing today to gain the momentum needed to reach NEW and HEIGHTENED levels of performance this year? How are you improving your mental and physical health to gain the momentum we talked about in this chapter? REFLECT Back to Chapter 3 on The Neuroscience of Inspiration: How are you using people or places that inspire you, to take your results to greater heights? Think about this as it relates to your physical and mental health. What else can you do to take more action in this area? REFLECT Back to Chapter 4 on The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: Where are you in your Mindfulness Journey? Mindfulness, and breathing was listed often in Chapter 4.  How is mindfulness helping you with your physical health? REFLECT Back to Chapter 5 on The Neuroscience Behind Peak Performance: How are you practicing “getting into flow?” When do you notice it the most?  Is it during physical exercise, or meditation? Are you practicing this state to gain 5x more productivity in this state? REFLECT BACK to Chapter 6 on The Science Behind our Physical Health: Where we narrowed our focus from a wide and complex field, to something we can implement immediately with “The Hydrated Brain for Improving Our Cognitive Performance.” Are you keeping your brain hydrated? Do you know how much water you are drinking every day? Grant reminds us that “everyone is unique and needs different amounts of water per day (but suggests) an adequate intake for men is roughly around 3 liters (100 fluid ounces) a day, (and) for women it's about 2.2 liters (74 fluid ounces) a day. This is one area I know I can do better with, especially living in the desert, I know I can improve this one with some focused effort. We will cover the remaining 6 chapters (Agility, Resilience, Relationships and Authenticity, Biases, Trust and Presence) after we take a break for me to navigate a new work schedule in my personal life. As soon as I have my footing here, and Dr. Shane Creado from EP 72[ii] reminded me the other day of our brain's neuroplasticity, so I should be able to find the balance in a few weeks, and once I'm in the groove, and I'll be back to finish this series. In the meantime, this will be a perfect time to put some serious thought into where we began this year, and where we are going. Think about the areas where we know we can improve, and get to work on these areas. I'll be using this time to strengthen my own mindset and be sure I'm applying each of these episodes that guarantees the strongest version of myself this year. REMINDER: In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. There is great power and self-awareness that comes along with mapping out a plan designed specifically for YOU and I do encourage everyone to take Grant Bosnick's Leadership Self-Assessment[iii] so you can see the areas for you that score a high, medium of low level of importance for you to focus on this year. For Today, EPISODE #330, we cover Chapter 7, “AHA Moments, Creative Insight and the Brain” we will look at what Grant Bosnick covers on this topic, as well as a deeper dive into John Kounios and Mark Beeman's fascinating book The Eureka Factor[iv] so we can all have a clear understanding of how these AHA Moments occur in the brain, and how exactly we can foster our own creative insights for unique and immediate improved performance. ✔ Tap into the power of the AHA moment, and learn how to foster these spontaneous occurrences for instant performance improvement. ✔ 5 Simple Steps for Illuminating our Personal and Professional Life with AHA Moments of Creativity. ✔ What Does Neuroscience Say About These AHA Moments of Creativity? Today we dive into Chapter 7 of Grant Bosnick's book as we cover “The Science Behind Insight” which came out as MEDIUM importance (orange score) for me, alongside mindfulness and flow.  If you have taken the self-assessment, you'll know it's how you answer the questions, based on what's of high priority for you, that determines the lessons that are important to begin now, or ones that you might think you have a handle on, so they show up as lower priority, or medium,  like this topic did for for me. I do block out time every day for mindfulness, and am working on getting into “flow” with my work, but insight is a new skill for me. I've never sat down to see “what insight” will come into my mind today, as these types of moments happen spontaneously, like Alexis Samuels mentioned on EP 328[v] when he made the connection with financial literacy and gamification, in the shower. What I loved about Grant Bosnick's book Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership is that he opens up chapter 7 with a story of how insight was used by an organization to help solve the problem with the high number of babies that die within a month of their birth, specifically in developing countries.  This organization solved this specific problem using a thought process that took insight using “materials and human resources that could be used to address this issue” (Chapter 7, Bosnick) by building incubators made out of Toyota cars that were readily available in these developing areas. Instead of using their analytical mind and thinking “how do we get more incubators to these areas” someone on their team used insight and creativity to come up with the best solution. So how do we think up these creative ideas? Grant asks us to ponder where we have our best ideas. In the shower (like Alexis Samuels)? While exercising? At your desk while doing work? Just before falling asleep or waking up? While walking or hiking? While taking with a friend? Grant suggests that few people will come back with “at their desk while working” since this type of creativity involves breaking away from the analytical, thinking mind, and tapping into our “nonconscious” (Chapter 7, Bosnick) part of our brain. It was here I had to look deeper into how this type of thinking happens, and I found the fascinating book, The Eureka Factor: AHA Moments, Creative Insight and the Brain by John Kounios and Mark Beeman that Alexis Samuels mentioned during our interview, and I mentioned I had just started to read it. If you want to dive deeper into the science behind insight and creativity, I highly recommend this book. I wanted to know HOW to create these “AHA” Moments at will, not by chance and this is what these two cognitive neuroscientists who wrote this book, set out to do. Their goal of writing this book was to “explain how these Eureka experiences happen—and how to have more of them to enrich our lives and empower personal and professional success.” (The Eureka Factor). In the very beginning pages of The Eureka Factor, we learn that “insight is creative” (Page 9, The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman) and when the authors went on to define “what creativity is” they suggest to not define it (yet) since “everyone intuitively recognizes creativity when he or she sees it” (Page 9, The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman). I thought back to when we covered “Improving Creativity” on PART 4 of The Silva Method[vi] on “Improving Creativity and Innovation in our Schools, Sports and Modern Workplaces” and we tapped into Dr. Andrew Huberman's research on creativity here. Dr. Huberman explains that “when we see something that's truly creative, it reveals something to us about the natural world and about how our brains work….It must reveal something that surprises us” for it to be truly creative. So, going back to The Eureka Factor, John Kounios suggests that “creative insight is not an exotic type of thought reserved for the few. In fact, (he says) it's one of the few abilities that define our species….most humans—have insights. It's a basic human ability.” (Page 11, The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman). HOW CAN WE BE MORE CREATIVE TO HAVE MORE INSIGHT? So now I want to know how we can we all have MORE insight to solve problems in our personal and work lives? How can we be more creative on purpose? Grant Bosnick has an exercise in his book to help foster this ability, and it begins with quieting the mind, and letting it drift.  Next, he suggests having a positive mood, and then be open to pattern completion, allowing new connections to form. Finally, he reminds us to NOT directly focus on the problem. In The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman cover this concept of “pattern completion” and explained that we be open to unique solutions to our problems, letting the brain do what it was designed to do. They reminded us with a few fascinating discoveries in health, as well as an Oscar Winning Character that was created while the film writer was at a baseball game, that sometimes the answer we are looking for is opposite to what we commonly think to be true. I remember the advice that the Legendary speaker Bob Proctor[vii] would give to people every time they would have a problem they were looking to solve. He would say “go somewhere quiet and think” which covers Grant Bosnick's first suggestion. I remember people coming to me when I worked with Proctor, saying “OK, I did that” I went somewhere quiet, and I'm still stuck” and I always wondered what else I could suggest to someone who really was stuck in this process. After reading Grant's book, I can now connect the understanding of neuroscience to this equation. Having a positive mood is important, while you are quietly thinking, and also understanding that the brain doesn't like incompleteness. When you are quiet, thinking of a solution, your brain will do the work to make the connections where you might never have thought before.   While reading The Eureka Factor, I came across an image that helped to explain this idea so we can ALL improve our ability to generate new and creative insights that will empower our personal and professional lives. IMAGE CREDIT: The Eureka Factor (Kounios, Beeman) Page 24 If someone were to ask me “Where do I begin to improve my ability to create NEW insights in my life?” I would say, start here: STEP 1: Go somewhere quiet and think.  We've mentioned a few times on this podcast that “Every man has the natural and inherent power to think what he wants to think, but it requires more effort to do so”[viii] (Wallace D. Wattles). I recently heard Professor Hod Lipson[ix] from Columbia University, speaking about the future with AI, and while his whole presentation was forward-thinking, eye opening and brilliant, what caught my attention the most was when he mentioned that while working with students with AI and robotics, the hardest part for them was to come up with a name for their robot, because he said “it takes a lot of effort to be creative.” Take the time needed for this process. STEP 2: You might think you are stuck, and might see a brick wall in front of you, metaphorically speaking, but know that there is always a solution to every problem. You just haven't figured it out yet. It's here that I share ways I've moved past where I'm stuck, and that's by using The Silva Method. I'm reminded daily that many of our current listeners found us from the first episode we did in this 4-part series[x] that ended with an episode on “How to Be More Creative and Innovative”. I just heard from Fatima Kahedi this weekend that she found our podcast through Spotify, just by searching for The Silva Method. Then, this weekend, I was listening to a recent episode Dr. Andrew Huberman did an “Ask Me Anything[xi]” Episode from Melbourne, Australia. On this episode he reminded us of the work of Dr. David Spiegl on Hypnosis[xii] saying that there is a simple way to tell if someone is hypnotizable or not. It has to do with what Dr. Spiegl called an “eye roll” at the beginning of the test where he asked Dr. Huberman to look up, and then close his eyes. If the whites of his eyes showed for a certain amount of time, as his eyes were closing, (which they did) he would score a 4/4 on this test and be highly hypnotizable. I heard this and thought “That's the Silva Method!” Jose Silva gets us to relax somewhere quiet by going to the alpha state (by counting backwards) and then by rolling our eyes upwards in our head while relaxed. It's here he asks us to practice seeing things on the screen of our mind. Now that I've heard the science connected to this practice, I can see that by using The Silva Method, we are relaxing ourselves deeply enough to begin to “see” things more clearly. Or in essence, we are practicing self-hypnosis. STEP 3: Keeping your mood positive, break away, and do something that makes you happy. It could be going for a walk, or a hike, or playing tennis like the image from The Eureka Factor. Just break away and divert your attention away from the problem. If you are in a meditative state, just be sure to have positive, elevated emotions flowing through you. Looking at the image in the show notes from The Eureka Factor, we see a person playing tennis. You can use whatever method you want here (The Silva Method of Meditation, your own mindfulness practice, going for a walk or hike) whatever it is for YOU where you feel calm, rested and at peace. STEP 4: Be open to new ideas that might pop into your head. Be prepared for ideas that might be completely opposite to how you were originally thinking of solving the problem. We are all different here. Think back to the beginning of this episode, when Grant Bosnick asked us to consider where our creative ideas flow into our minds. Mine come in that time just before I go to sleep, or just before I wake up. Others might come in the shower, or while exercising. Be open to NEW ideas coming into your mind, and be ready to write them down. STEP 5: Know that there is much work going on from your unconscious mind. You'll will become more self-aware in this process. Grant Bosnick lists a few inventions that were developed this way, in chapter 7 on Insight, and I found an article that lists “Great Eureka Moments in History: From Issac Netwon to Sir Paul McCartney, (where) inspiration arrived suddenly”[xiii] to help them with their famous AHA Moments. DID YOU KNOW that when Albert Einstein created his masterwork on the theory of relativity that he was “taken aback” when his breakthrough came suddenly? His mind kept wandering as he pondered the thought “if a man falls freely, he would not feel his weight.” It was “by linking accelerated motion and gravity (where) Einstein eventually created his theory of relativity.” (Dan Falk) John Kounios also lists some “concrete examples that illustrate the steps and features of the insight experience itself—in particular, their expanded perspective, sudden occurrence, reinterpretation of the familiar, awareness of the unforeseen relationships, subjective certainty, and emotional thrill.” (Page 18, The Eureka Factor). REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #330 on “The Neuroscience of Insight” DID YOU KNOW that “the moment a solution pops into someone's awareness as an insight, a sudden burst of high-frequency EEG activity known as “gamma waves” can be picked up by (EEG) electrodes just above the right ear?” (Page 70, The Eureka Factor). “Gamma waves represent cognitive processing in the brain, such as paying attention to something or linking together different pieces of information.” (Page 70, The Eureka Factor). John Kounios recalled in Chapter 5 of The Eureka Factor with excitement after years of work that they “had found a neural signature of the aha moment: a burst of activity in the brain's right hemisphere. Almost literally (he says) this is the spark of insight” but he did add to this conclusion that “in the world outside the lab, insights may need to be evaluated, verified, refined and applied, and this requires contributions from the more analytic left hemisphere” (Page 82, The Eureka Factor). Just like when Einstein came up with his famous AHA Moment of The Theory of Relativity, “it took him 8 years (using the analytical left hemisphere of his brain) to work through the mathematical details.”[xiv] So while we need both the left and right hemispheres of our brain to come up with these insightful AHA moments, there was another important key finding that they discovered with a patient who had a stroke that damaged the right part of his brain more than the left. The stroke didn't interfere with this particular patient's ability to speak and understand the spoken language, but the patient himself knew he was missing something important. This discovery led to an important finding that takes place in the right hemisphere of the brain, and is important “for filling in the gaps to make sense of things” (page 75) and that is the ability to “read between the lines” (Page 76, The Eureka Factor). Which is essentially what the brain is doing when it's “filling in the gaps” and solving our problems with our AHA Moments. We covered 5 STEPS for How to Have MORE AHA Moments to Enrich our Personal and Professional Lives: STEP 1: RELAX: Go somewhere quiet and think.  STEP 2: LOOK PAST THE BRICK WALL: You might think you are stuck, and might see a brick wall in front of you, but know that there is always a solution to every problem. You just haven't figured it out yet. STEP 3: KEEP POSITIVE: Keeping your mood positive, break away, and do something that makes you happy. It could be going for a walk, or a hike, sit somewhere quiet and meditate, or play tennis like the image in the show notes illustrates from The Eureka Factor. Just break away and divert your attention away from the problem. STEP 4: THE MAGIC HAPPENS HERE! Be open to new ideas that might pop into your head. Be prepared for NEW ideas that might be completely opposite to how you were originally thinking. If you decide to read The Eureka Factor, on top of the suggestions that Grant Bosnick suggests, you will learn how the left hemisphere of your brain and right must work together to “fill in the gaps.” This is where we open up our minds to NEW creative ideas. This concept is exactly like when someone tells you a joke, or uses sarcasm, or irony. Our brain that doesn't like “gaps or incompleteness” taps into the right hemisphere to interpret language in this way. This is a prime example that demonstrates just as our “ability to use language requires two intact hemispheres, so does effective, practical, creative performance” (Page 82, The Eureka Factor) and it's within “the right hemisphere (of our brain that) where the spark that ignites the creative fire” begins.  (Page 82, The Eureka Factor).  The magic happens when we can relax, with a positive mindset, close our eyes, and see what messages come “in-between” the lines. STEP 5: Know that there is much work going on from your unconscious mind. EPISODE #295 on “Unleashing the Power of our Subconscious Mind” is a good place to revisit as we peel back the layers and uncover who we truly are. Self-awareness is at the root of this process. To close out this episode, I'll end with a poem that reminds me of how the AHA Moment is formed that we covered recently.[xv]   Isn't it amazing how we acquire wisdom? When we suddenly “see” something that escaped us for so long. Stewart Edward White explains how AHA Moments of Learning can change us, in his poem where he writes: “Curious how we acquire wisdom! Over and over again, the same truth is thrust under our very noses. We encounter it in action; we are admonished of it; we read it in the written word. We suffer the experience; we gradually assent to the advice; we approve, intellectually, the written word. But nothing happens inside us. Then, one day, some trivial experience or word or encounter stops us short. A gleam of illumination penetrates the depth of our consciousness. We see! Usually it is but a glimpse; but on rare occasions a brilliant flash reveals truth fully formed. And we marvel that this understanding has escaped us so long.”   I hope you've enjoyed a deeper dive into the Neuroscience of Insights. We have one last interview to release this weekend, and we'll see you in a few weeks (once I've got my footing) when we return to finish our review of the final chapters of Grants Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership.         REFERENCES:   [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #72 with De. 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/   [iii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iv] The Eureka Factor: AHA Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain by John Kounios and Mark Beeman Published April 14, 2015 https://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Factor-Moments-Creative-Insight/dp/1400068541   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #328 with D. Alexis Samuels  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/exploring-neuroscience-and-gamification-in-financial-literacy-education-with-d-alexis-samuels/     [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 264 “The Neuroscience Behind The Silva Method: Improving Creativity and Innovation in our Schools, Sports and Modern Workplaces”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-silva-method-improving-creativity-and-innovation-in-our-schools-sports-and-modern-workplaces/   [vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 66 with The Legendary Bob Proctor https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/   [viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 315 “Thinking and Acting in This Certain Way PART 2 Review of Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Getting Rich book https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/part-2-review-of-wallace-d-wattles-the-science-of-getting-rich-on-chapter-4-thinking-and-acting-in-a-certain-way/   [ix] https://www.me.columbia.edu/faculty/hod-lipson   [x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 261 PART 1 of our Deep Dive into Applying The Silva Method https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-deep-dive-with-andrea-samadi-into-applying-the-silva-method-for-improved-intuition-creativity-and-focus-part-1/   [xi] Dr. Andrew Huberman “Ask Me Anything” Melbourne, Australia  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-event-q-a-dr-andrew-huberman-question-answer/id1545953110?i=1000650096634   [xii] Dr. Andrew Huberman is Hynpotized by Dr. Spiegl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlTzVB6TGT0   [xiii] “Great Eureka Moments in History: From Issac Netwon to Sir Paul McCartney, inspiration arrived suddenly” by Dan Falk, Published September 2, 2005 https://magazine.utoronto.ca/research-ideas/culture-society/great-eureka-moments-in-history-famous-inspirational-moments/ [xiv] IBID [xv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 314 PART 1 of our Review of The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D Wattles https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/part-1-review-of-wallace-d-wattles-the-science-of-getting-rich-on-prosperity-consciousness/    

Join us as we revisit episode 327 of the "Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast", where we hone in on the critical relationship between hydration and brain health. Host Andrea Samadi delves into the sixth chapter of Grant Bosnick's book during an 18-week self-leadership series, elucidating how focusing on our physical health can sharpen our cognitive performance. This episode is a paradigm shift, captivating listeners with the powerful impacts of nutrition and hydration on the brain. Andrea explores the benefits of water for our brain health and productivity, explaining how adequate hydration can improve concentration, cognition, mood and memory. The episode also explores other aspects of physical health like exercise, sleep and mindfulness, and how they contribute to overall wellness, well-being, achievement and productivity. Welcome back to SEASON 11 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 5 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. On today's episode #327 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] just a few weeks ago.  Now that we have started this series, I hope you can see how practicing and strengthening the skills we are learning each week, is cumulative. Each week, we are learning something new, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. There is great power and self-awareness that comes along with mapping out a plan designed specifically for YOU and I do encourage everyone to take Grant Bosnick's Leadership Self-Assessment[ii] so you can see the areas for you that score a high, medium of low level of importance for you to focus on this year. For Today, EPISODE #327, Chapter 6, “The Science Behind our Physical Health” we narrow our focus from a wide and complex topic to something we can implement immediately: Today we will consider “The Hydrated Brain for Improving Our Cognitive Performance” ✔ A Review of the Top Health Staples that we have covered on this podcast over the years, specifically since the Pandemic. ✔ How Dehydration Affects Our Cognitive Performance ✔ Tips Grant Bosnick Suggests for Keeping Our Brain Hydrated ✔ Focusing on One Area of Your Physical Health at a Time Today we dive into Chapter 6 of Grant Bosnick's book as we cover “The Science Behind Our Physical Health” which came out as LOW importance (red score) for me, alongside emotion regulation.  If you have taken the self-assessment, you'll know it's how you answer the questions, based on what's of high priority for you, that determines the lessons that are important to begin now, or ones that you might think you have a handle on, so they show up as lower priority like this topic did for for me. Not that physical health, or emotion regulation is of low priority for me, it's quite the opposite, but I block out time in the day for both of these topics, and this time is non-negotiable. I will say that while the broad term of physical health (that Grant covers in Pathway 4 of his book) is extremely important to me, it is a very complex topic and one we've been focused on since the pandemic geared us into looking closer at our physical and mental health. We created the Top Health Staples[iii] That Are Scientifically Proven to Boost Our Physical and Mental Health where we've now added a 6th with stress reduction, for Podbean's Wellness Week back in 2020, when I was asked to cover this topic. It was here where we shifted our attention to be equally as focused on the health of our mind (our mental health) in addition to our physical health. You can't have one without the other. When guests have approached me over the years to join us on the podcast, if they fall into these health staples with an angle I've not yet covered, it's easy to say yes, so we can keep moving our physical and mental health forward. We are always looking for WHAT'S NEW and INNOVATIVE in this area. How many times have we seen Dr. Gregory Kelly[iv] from Neurohacker.com who is focused on pioneering systems for human optimization and longevity? Twice so far and he's on the schedule the middle of April to cover Qualia NAD+ where we will learn more about NAD+ that is often called the “aging” molecule due to its profound influence on how well (or how poorly) we will age. We recently met Dimitri Leonov[v] with a new nanotechnology I've been wearing since our interview the end of this year, that's been spotted on celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. We are always looking for what's new to take us to new heights with our physical and mental health, with some exciting and NEW innovators who we will be covering in the next few months. So what does Grant Bosnick say about physical health is his book “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership?” He begins with the importance of looking at what we eat and asks “what is it doing to your brain?” (Chapter 6, Bosnick). What I like about Grant's book, and why I wanted to cover EACH chapter over the next 18 weeks, is because it's a paradigm shift for us to think about how ANYTHING we do impacts our brain. THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MINUTE: 25 years ago, when I was setting goals for my future, no one said to me “Hey Andrea, think about how your brain will tie into the goals you are setting” or “what foods are you eating for your brain health” or even “Did you know that exercise will build a stronger, more resilient brain?” I didn't even begin to consider my brain until 2014 when Jeff Kleck, an Arizona School Administrator that we met on EP 246[vi] shared all his notes, books and resources with me, urging me that understanding how our brain operates, will be of critical importance in our future. Boy was he ever right. I still keep in touch with him, and let him know all the time just how grateful I was for the time he spent explaining what he had learned about the brain with me.   Grants goes over foods that are important for our brain health and productivity, specifically foods that have a low glycemic index “which means they release energy slowly into the bloodstream.” (Chapter 6, Bosnick). We've covered this topic on various episodes, specifically with “The Damaging Impacts of Sugar on the Brain and Body”[vii] and we've even used a glucose monitor to test what happens to our body with too much sugar, and how it can tank our overall health and productivity. While reading this chapter, Grant echoed many of the experts I'm sure you've heard us mention, like Dr. Daniel and Tana Amen, from their Brain Warrior's Way Podcast who reminded us to always make decisions with our brain in mind by thinking or saying out loud with everything that we do “Is this decision GOOD for my brain, or NOT” Dr. Amen said many things that caught my attention while listening to his podcast years ago, and I often took his words of wisdom and created graphics to keep his thoughts close. While talking about our daily habits and aging (which I know we all want to do gracefully) he reminded us that “your everyday habits and decisions are either boosting or stealing your brain's reserve and are either accelerating the aging the process (which none of us want to do on purpose) or rejuvenating your brain.” It was Dr. Amen[viii] who first caught my attention with the importance of loving my brain, this organ that controls everything that I am and everything that I do. Finally, it was when Dr. Amen mentioned that “Your competitive advantage or disadvantage is the actual physical functioning of your brain.” (Dr. Amen from The Brain Warrior's Way Podcast) This statement made me take a good look at whether I was boosting my brain reserve and rejuvenating the aging process, or accelerating it. Grant covers many of the Top Health Staples in chapter 6, highlighting what many experts have been hitting home for us over the past few years, like the importance of sleep, taking power naps and adding in ideas for relaxation with mindfulness, and massage, but it was his focus on breathing that “helps with emotion regulation and memory recall” (Chapter 6, Bosnick) that caught my attention in Chapter 6. I remember watching Stanford Professor Dr. Andrew Huberman demonstrate how to “Self-Regulate Your Brain in Less Than a Minute”[ix] on one of his podcast episodes and it was so impactful to me that I use his method all the time now. I love how Grant covers how to use pranayama breathing for “emotional recognition and memory” (Chapter 6, Bosnick) as well as for “increasing concentration.” This topic of Physical Health is complex, and we can go into many different directions, which is why we created the Top 6 Health Staples to stay focused on moving the needle towards physical health with one idea at a time. I noticed that I would work on one area, like sleep for instance, and could see improvements here, but another area would suffer. It's a balancing act for sure, requiring focused attention. So today, to keep it simple, I want to focus on something that we might forget about our brain, and our physical health and that is that “our brain is 75% water. (And) When our brain is functioning on a full reserve of water, we will be able to think faster and be more focused and experience greater clarity and creativity.” (Chapter 6, Bosnick). Grant reminds us in Chapter 6 of the importance of hydration, and says that “water is essential for delivering nutrients to our brain and for removing toxins. When our brain is fully hydrated, the exchange of nutrients and toxins will be more efficient—thus ensuring better concentration and mental alertness.” Grant mentions that our brain is “75% water” (Chapter 6, Bosnick) and of the importance of hydration, and I remembered learning that “90 minutes of sweating can temporarily shrink the brain as much as one year of aging does.” From Deane Alban's 72 Amazing Brain Facts. This brain fact brought home for me, just how important hydration is for our brain health. You will need to read Chapter 6 of Grant's book to receive all of his tips, but he does cover the many BENEFITS of drinking water. He says that keeping our brain hydrated helps us with: Improving concentration and cognition Helping to balance our mood and emotions Maintaining a good memory Boosting our brain's reaction time Increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain Preventing and relieving headaches Reducing stress REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #327 on Chapter 6 on Physcial Health, we narrow our focus to “Our Hydrated Brain.” DID YOU KNOW: “That our brain is 75% water and when our brain is functioning on a full reserve of water, we will be able to think faster, be more focused and experience greater clarity and creativity?” (Chapter 6, Bosnick). Grant reminds us that “everyone is unique and needs different amounts of water per day (but suggests) an adequate intake for men is roughly around 3 liters (100 fluid ounces) a day, (and) for women it's about 2.2 liters (74 fluid ounces) a day. THINK ABOUT THIS? Knowing how important water is for the brain, do you know how much water you drink?  I've definitely started paying more attention to this, especially knowing how “sweating can temporarily shrink the brain.” I've been using an infrared sauna, and another health device that calls for an increase in water intake, and I can tell with 100% certainty that when I'm not drinking enough water, it shows up with my ability to think with clarity. What do you think? Could you improve your water intake? Just by thinking about ways to improve our brain health, we will over time begin to move the needle in the direction of physical health and wellness, which was the concept that Grant wanted us to uncover in Chapter 6. I hope you learned something new, perhaps a new angle for your physical health, as you think about ways to stay hydrated as we all look for new ideas to improve our health in 2024. REVIEW Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 It's here I'm hoping we will take the information we are learning, connect the dots to form knowledge and then apply this knowledge to become wise. This is where we go from theory to practice with this podcast. REFLECT Back to Chapter 2 on The Neuroscience of Goals (and Kurt Lewin's Force Field Theory): What are you doing today to gain the momentum needed to reach NEW and HEIGHTENED levels of performance this year? How are you improving your mental and physical health to gain the momentum we talked about in this chapter? REFLECT Back to Chapter 3 on The Neuroscience of Inspiration: How are you using people or places that inspire you, to take your results to greater heights? Think about this as it relates to your physical and mental health. What inspiration do you need to take more action in this area? REFLECT Back to Chapter 4 on The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: Where are you in your Mindfulness Journey? Mindfulness, and breathing was listed often in Chapter 6.  How is mindfulness helping you with your physical health? REFLECT Back to Chapter 5 on The Neuroscience Behind Peak Performance: How are you practicing “getting into flow?” When do you notice it the most?  Is it during physical exercise, or meditation? Are you practicing this state to gain 5x more productivity in this state? I'll close out this episode with a quote that I'm hoping will urge all of us to grab a glass of water as we THINK about how we will implement this powerful concept into our week. Loren Eisley said “If there is Magic on this planet, it is contained in water” and I'll have to agree.  Grant taught us how drinking water helps us, improving our concentration, cognition, mood, emotions, memory, reaction time, increasing oxygen to our brain, preventing head aches and reducing stress. So go grab a glass of water, and I'll see you next week with Chapter 7 on Insight.  REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast BONUS EPISODE Recorded for Podbean's Wellness Week “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/   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #285 with Dr. Gregory Kelly on “How to Beat Aging and Stress with Qualia Senolytics”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-gregory-kelly-from-neurohacker-collective-on-how-to-beat-aging-and-stress-with-qualia-senolytics/   Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #305 with Dr. Gregory Kelly on Qualia Synbiotics https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/returning-guest-dr-gregory-kelly-on-qualia-synbiotic-optimizing-digestion-and-mood-with-prebiotics-probiotics-and-postbiotics/   [v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #318 with Dmitri Leonov on Taopatch, Nanotechnology for Health and Wellness of the Future https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dmitri-leonov-on-taopatch-understanding-nanotechnology-for-health-and-wellness-of-the-future/   [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #246 with Jeff Kleck on “Using Neuroscience to Inspire Thinkers in our Schools, Sports and the Workplace”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/jeff-kleck-on-using-neuroscience-to-inspire-thinkers-in-schools-sport-and-the-workplace/   [vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #275 “The Damaging Impacts of Sugar on the Brain and Body” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-the-damaging-impacts-of-sugar-on-the-brain-and-body/   [viii] The Daniel Plan by Dr. Amen https://www.danielplan.com/change-your-brain-change-your-life-2/   [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #273 On Self-Regulation  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-self-regulation-using-neuroscience-to-regulate-automatic-negative-thoughts-emotions-and-behaviors/   Click here for more episodes of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast

Welcome back to the 11th season of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast. In today's enlightening episode, we unfold the phenomenon of 'flow'—a state of profound immersion leading to peak performance. Our exploration is rooted in the teachings of Grant Bosnick and psychologist Mike Csikszentmihalyi, as we look at how strategies like rigorous self-awareness, customized planning, and potential improvement assessment contribute to achieving this state of blissful productivity. We delve deeper into the neuroscience of flow by understanding the brain changes that occur during this state. This discussion is enriched with insights from neuroscientist Arne Dietrich. We learn about the shift from conscious to subconscious intrinsic system that results in heightened creativity and enhanced mood—making tasks appear effortless and enjoyable. The episode also sheds light on the key neurochemicals responsible for inducing and sustaining the flow state - dopamine, noradrenaline, serotonin, and endorphins. This understanding paves the way to comprehend the ecstasy felt during flow, accompanied by an absence of pain and hunger, resulting in a beautifully enhanced mood. Flow is reported to multiply productivity and happiness. It accelerates learning and creativity while improving problem-solving skills. We conclude the episode with practical tips to help you understand better, induce and maintain flow and thus multiply productivity, reach your goals, and experience profound joy in your efforts. On today's episode #326 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321[i] just a few weeks ago.  Now that we have started this series, I hope you can see how practicing and strengthening the skills we are learning each week, is cumulative. Each week, we are learning something new, that builds off the prior week, to help take us to greater heights in 2024. In this 18-week Series that we began in the beginning of February, we are covering: ✔ Powerful tactics from this Grant Bosnick's award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success by applying the neuroscience Grant has uncovered in each chapter. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels while we map out our journey over this 18-week course. There is great power and self-awareness that comes along with mapping out a plan designed specifically for YOU and I encourage everyone to take Grant Bosnick's Leadership Self-Assessment[ii] so you can see the areas for you that score a high, medium of low level of importance for you to focus on this year. EPISODE #326, Chapter 5, “The Neuroscience of Flow” we will cover: ✔ A Review of Peak Performance and Using Flow for Increased Productivity in the Workplace with EP 27 with Friederike Fabritius. ✔ What is the Flow State? ✔ How to prepare for the Flow State. ✔ What does the Flow State feel like? ✔ Getting into Flow ✔ The Neuroscience of Flow ✔ The Benefits of Flow in the Workplace and Beyond ✔ 4 TIPS for Getting into the Flow State to Increase Productivity     Today we dive into Chapter 5 of Grant Bosnick's book as we cover “The Neuroscience of Flow” which came out as MEDIUM importance (orange score) alongside the topics of Mindfulness[iii] that we covered last week. Flashback to Friederike Fabritius on Peak Performance What I loved about seeing this topic included in Grant's 18 chapters was that I remember watching Pioneer in Neuorleadership, Friederike Fabritius presenting on “The Recipe of Peak Performance and Flow” that I shared on our first interview together back on EPISODE #27[iv] in October 2019.  When I watch some of these earlier interviews I remember what life what like before I had invested in a high-tech recording system. You will hear some bugs that today, AI can erase, taking our peak performance to new heights. Talking about Peak Performance, these days, I record as usual, (using a Rodecaster Pro Recording System) and then after production, AI cleans up every recorded for me. It's new, and still ironing out some bugs with it, but mind-boggling to see where we started out, and where we are today. We can always strive forward and improve where we were yesterday. What I remember loving the most about Friederike's first talk that I found back in 2017 that she did for high level executives in Barcelona, Spain, was that she accurately described what the psychologist, researcher and “father of flow”[v] (known in his work environment as Mike C) that he devoted his entire lifetime to. And that is, what constitutes a happy life. “Mike C,” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, (from Claremont Graduate University in CA) along with Professor Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania (who we've mentioned before on this podcast “set out to develop a focus on happiness, well-being, and positivity with a goal to create a field focused on human well-being and the conditions that enable people to flourish and live satisfying lives.”[vi] Friederike explained this concept of “flow” or “peak performance” as an optimal state that occurs when our brain releases three chemicals: noradrenaline (released with a challenge), dopamine (released with anything that gives you pleasure), and acetylcholine (released when you have focused attention). She reminded us about learning to find our “optimal level” of performance by knowing thyself. Some people she says, need challenge to perform optimally (I'm like this for sure), and other people, you must take the challenge or pressure away for them to perform at their best.  One person performs better with an element of “threat” that they perceive as a “reward” and this motivates them, while another person shuts down with this “threat.” To reach peak performance levels with YOUR work, it helps to know how you reach your optimal levels best. Take This Understanding to Create Flow in the Workplace How can we create this “flow state” with our work? If you are working in an environment that's too easy, or not challenging, you will be under challenged, and reaching peak performance in this scenario is difficult as you will be bored. Or, be careful if you are in a workplace with too much challenge, where you are over aroused, constantly putting out fires, and under high stress or pressure, all the time. Over time, without balance, this person will burn out. At the brain level, their amygdala grows bigger, and they will begin to see threats where there are none. Friederike reminds us to find a workplace where we can reach optimal levels of challenge, (if you look at the image in the show notes, it's at the peak of the curve). Boredom or too easy on the left of the curve, and stress/anxiety at the right of the curve, with optimal levels, or our sweet spot for peak performance at the top.  It's working here where we can access peak performance or flow where we are able to get into the zone with our work, and lose track of time. [vii] (Image credit: Achieving a flow state) You can see why it's important to find your optimal level of performance for this magical brain state to occur. THINK ABOUT THIS! When have YOU accessed flow? What were you doing? Maybe you've lost track of time reading an enjoyable novel, or while writing, or running? There are two activities where I've experienced this state: hiking in the mountains, or writing these podcast episodes. I can be running through the mountains, and hours can go by before I look at my watch and decide to turn back before darkness hits, or I run out of time, or I can sit down at my desk in the early morning, to write one of these episodes, and find myself still there, and the whole day has gone by. I can easily lose track of time in both these scenarios, and feel exactly what the research supports, that this state of mind “is accompanied with a sense of accomplishment, meaningfulness, and positive mood.”[viii] So what does Grant Bosnick say about flow in his book “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership?” He mentions the “father of flow” in the second paragraph, and defines flow as “the mental state of being fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of an activity we are doing. In essence, it is characterized by complete absorption in what we do, performing at the edge of our capabilities, peak performance. In this state, it feels effortless, as if things are flowing together.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick).  Grant mentions that “we are in micro flow all the time. When we look for it, we can ride it into jacked flow. We can train ourselves into flow. And heighten our performance.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick). Now we are talking. I've only noticed flow AFTER it has occurred, and have not been in the habit of training myself into flow, so this is going to be a new practice for me this year. PREPARING FOR THE FLOW STATE: Grant prepares us for flow, just like Friederike, who suggests that we find the right amount of challenge, and then says that “it's something that we make happen; it is not something that happens to us.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick). “Flow depends on our ability to control what happens in our consciousness moment by moment. Each of us has to achieve it on the basis of our own individual efforts and creativity. We are in control of consciousness when we have the ability to focus attention at will, to be oblivious to distractions, and to concentrate for as long as it takes to achieve a goal, and not longer.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick). We have talked about ways to develop our higher faculties of our mind[ix], like our will, on recent episodes, which is one way to help us to focus our attention, moment by moment and block out distractions, and Grant brings us back to chapter 4 on Mindfulness that he mentions helps us to control our attention at will. See how all of these chapters work together? Developing Mindfulness, will help us to strengthen our ability to access the flow state. HOW DOES THIS STATE FEEL? Grant gives some examples from a dancer who describes flow as “your concentration is complete” or a rock climber who says “you are so involved in what you are doing that you aren't thinking of yourself as separate from the immediate activity.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick).  Grant shares that he feels this state while drumming, or designing a presentation saying that “his body and mind are one, working together.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick. When I'm running in the mountains, in this state, it's like me and the mountains are one. I don't see what's around me, just the small area of pathway right in front of me.  Or when I'm writing at my desk, it's just me, the keyboard and the computer screen. All sounds are blocked out, and it's difficult to break me away from the desk, mid-thought. I have to finish writing, or the flow is gone, and my family knows when I'm in this state, and not to knock on the door, which will break this state of deep focused concentration. GETTING INTO FLOW: Grant has a reflection activity to help us to practice getting into this flow state.  He suggests: THINK: When have hours passed by without you realizing it? THINK: When did things just click into place and felt effortless? OBSERVE: Once you know what flow feels like for you, notice the type of activities you were doing to obtain this state in other areas of your life. The Neuroscience of Flow DID YOU KNOW that in flow “as our attention heightens, the slower and energy-intensive extrinsic system (conscious processing) is traded off for the far faster and more efficient processing of the subconscious, intrinsic system?” (Chapter 5, Bosnick). Grant quotes Arne Dietrich, a neuroscientist from the American University of Beirut who says “It's an efficiency exchange of the energy in our brain—trading the energy we normally use for resource-intensive conscious thinking activity for (resource-efficient) heightened attention and awareness. The technical term for this exchange is transient hypofrontality.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick). Grant also explains the changes in our brain waves. “When we are in flow, we transition from the faster-moving beta waves of normal waking consciousness to the slower, deeper alpha waves and even borderline theta waves. Alpha waves are like a day-dreaming mode…theta waves are the ones we experience during REM or just before we fall asleep, where ideas combine in amazing and unique ways.” (Chapter 5, Bosnick). When I got to the part of this chapter where Grant wrote about the neurochemistry of flow, I stopped and remembered Friederike's presentation from 2014 and the graphic I created with the three brain chemicals she listed that were important for getting into flow; noradrenaline, dopamine and aceylcholine. Grant sited the research from Neuroscientists at Bonn University who determined 5 neurochemicals present during this flow state. They found that endorphins (that help with pain and stress relief), norepinephrine which is the same neurochemical Friederike mentioned, noradrenaline (not sure why scientists have two words that mean the same neurochemical…maybe they couldn't agree on this name and so now we've got two words for the same thing (that's released with a challenge), anandamide (that regulates pain, anxiety and hunger) and serotonin (that plays a key role in our mood) that are all present during the flow state. Understanding the functions of these neurochemicals helps me to understand why during this state of flow I don't notice aches and pains I have, hunger and thirst disappears, and I'm happy for hours at a time.  WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FLOW? When you are in flow, I'd say it feels almost dream-like, or trance-like as our brain waves slow down, allowing us to access higher levels of creativity. In Chapter 5, Grant points out that “In a ten-year study at McKinsey, top executives reported being five times more productive in flow.” “Flow helps us to learn faster. Recent research says somewhere between 400% and 500% faster according to research by Advanced Brain Monitoring and DARPA, subjects had a 490% increase in skill acquisition in the state of flow.” “Flow enhances creativity and problem solving. The University of Sydney tested flows impact on creative problem-solving abilities…in a flow state, creative problem-solving increases by 430%” The father of flow, Mike C “Csikszentmihalyi also found, through his research, that the people on earth who have the most flow in their lives are the happiest people on Earth.” “When we are in flow we forget the unpleasant aspects of life.”   I knew that the flow state was powerful, but until reading the research that Grant put into this chapter, I didn't realize just how powerful the flow state really is. Now I'm thinking I want to use this state to make life more enjoyable and help me to develop new skills at a faster rate. HOW TO GET INTO FLOW You'll have to read chapter 5 for all of Grant's tips. I liked his tips on Getting into Flow Through Mental Stimulation, since this is what I'm doing while writing this episode. I've been sitting at my desk, writing this episode since early this morning, and I just looked at the time and it's well into the afternoon. I've been in flow, writing for at least five hours. How can I use Grant's Tips to ride myself into what he calls “jacked flow” that will help me to 5x my productivity and accomplish more with less effort? Grant suggests: PICK A GOAL: Think of whatever it is you are working on a decide on the goal. Finish the presentation, or write the proposal or for me, finish writing this episode so I can record it tomorrow. PRIME YOUR BRAIN FOR FLOW: Next he suggests bringing in mindfulness, that takes us back to our last episode where we learned about PQ reps. Use mindfulness to filter out your distractions and maintain control with your attention. I found it does help to let others around you know you've blocked off a time where you cannot be interrupted. THINK ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF THE GOAL: Why do you want to complete the thing you are working on. For me, with each podcast episode I write, record and release, it helps me to not only implement these new ideas into my own life, but I know I'm gaining skills that help me far beyond the content. Hosting this podcast, writing and recording these episodes, helps me to improve my presentation skills, communication, which improves my overall levels of confidence, let along what I'm gaining from implementing these ideas myself. What benefits do YOU receive from whatever it is that YOU are working on? PUT YOURSELF ON THE EDGE: Ask yourself, is this challenging me? If it's not, it might not get you into the flow state. If it is, then keep working, and see how far you can get. How long can you stretch your flow state. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #326 on “The Neuroscience of Flow” we asked the question: DID YOU KNOW THAT “When we are in flow, we transition from the faster-moving beta waves of normal waking consciousness to the slower, deeper alpha waves and even borderline theta waves” and “we are five times more productive in this state.” (Bosnick, Chapter 5).  We reviewed an early episode with Friederike Fabritius where she taught us about Peak Performance and How to Create Flow in the Workplace. We dove deep into how to prepare for the flow state, what it feels like, urging us all to think about WHEN we access this state ourselves. We looked into The Neuroscience of Flow, the neurochemicals that are present in our brain during flow, with some additional ones that were new for me. We covered the benefits of flow, that opened my eyes to how important this brain state is for workplace productivity, creativity and innovation. The research from McKinsey mentioned productivity soared by 5x while using the flow state, making me decide it was time to work on inducing flow more often in my work week. We ended with 4 STEPS to getting into “jacked flow” as Grant calls it, to give ourselves 5x more productivity, with less effort. Grant tells us to: PICK A GOAL: With what we want to accomplish is this state. PRIME YOUR BRAIN FOR FLOW: By using PQ reps from our episode on Mindfulness, and blocking out all distractions. KNOW THE BENEFIT OF THE GOAL: Which takes us back to the deeper meaning of “why” we do what we do. PUT YOURSELF ON THE EDGE: You must be challenging yourself. This made me think of something my mentor Bob Proctor would say all the time. He'd say “If you aren't sitting on the edge, you're taking up too much space” and I used to think about this. What exactly does he mean? Don't slouch in our chairs? He meant always lean in, take on difficult, challenging work, or you are wasting valuable time.  It's here I want us to think back to where we began on the map of Grant's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership.  REVIEW Chapters 2, 3, 4 EPISODE #323, Chapter 2, “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your 2024 Goals” ✔ What is Kurt Lewin's “Field Theory” and how can we use it to improve our performance towards our goals in 2024? REFLECT: What are you doing today to gain the momentum needed to reach NEW and HEIGHTENED levels of performance? EPISODE #324, Chapter 3, “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” ✔ Uncover WHO or WHAT inspires you. ✔ Learn what happens to our brain when we are inspired (by a person or a thing). ✔ Apply the Neuroscience of Inspiration to our life in 3 steps: WRITE, THINK and LEARN to Level Up Our Results in 2024. REFLECT: How are you using people or places that inspire you, to take your results to greater heights? EPISODE #325 Chapter 4 “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” ✔ A review of our past episodes where we covered the topic of Mindfulness. ✔ Defining Mindfulness and where many people begin their practice. ✔ Putting Mindfulness into practice using PQ Reps, coined by Positive Intelligence Founder, Shirzad Chamine, to build our mental muscles over time. ✔ My challenge to you to keep working on Mindfulness for improved productivity in our personal and work lives. REFLECT: Where are you in your Mindfulness Journey? Which leads us to connect the dots to chapter 5 on The Neuroscience of Flow. REFLECT: When do you experience this brain state, and how can you use it intentionally to reach 5x your usual levels of productivity in your work life? With that thought, I'll close out this episode, with a quote from the “Father of Flow” Mike C, who reminds us The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. No one is going to do this work for us. I'll see you next week for our review of Chapter 6 on Physical Health. See you next time. REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #325 on “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insight-from-grant-bosnicks-tailored-approaches-to-self-leadership/   [iv]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/   [v] https://www.cgu.edu/people/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/   [vi] IBID [vii] Achieving a flow state by Allaya Cooks-Campbell March 7, 2022 https://www.betterup.com/blog/flow-state   [viii] The Neuroscience of Flow: Involvement of the Locus Coeruleus Norepinephrine System by Dimitr van der Linden et al Published April 14, 2021 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.645498/full   [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #294 “Beyond our 5 Senses and Using the Six Higher Faculties of the Mind”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/beyond-our-5-senses-understanding-and-using-the-six-higher-faculties-of-our-mind/  

Dive into the deep corners of mindfulness and neuroscience in this captivating episode of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast. Join us as we delve into Grant Bosnick's insightful book, 'Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership' while exploring the neuroscience of mindfulness. In episode 325, we introduce you to PQ Reps, a robust method to build mental muscles for better mental resilience and executive control over daily distractions. Unpack how to effectively apply neuroscience to amp up your mindfulness practice and make noticeable progress over time. Learn about the impressive benefits of incorporating PQ Reps into your routine, from the perspective of Positive Intelligence founder Shirzad Chamine. Enhance your understanding of concepts such as Lewin's field theory, the practice of setting concrete goals, and the neuroscience of inspiration. You will find out how to effectively use your mind to create your future by design instead of letting it happen by default. Whether you're seeking to deepen your existing mindfulness practice or exploring ways to kick-start one, this episode offers practical guidance backed by science. Remember, every giant leap begins with a small step. Start today with the PQ Reps and set yourself up for a more mindful 2024. In this 18-week Series, we will cover: ✔ Powerful tactics from this NEW award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels. EPISODE #325 Chapter 4 “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” ✔ A review of our past episodes where we covered the topic of Mindfulness. ✔ Defining Mindfulness and where many people begin their practice. ✔ Putting Mindfulness into practice using PQ Reps, coined by Positive Intelligence Founder, Shirzad Chamine, to build our mental muscles over time. ✔ My challenge to you to keep working on Mindfulness for improved productivity in our personal and work lives. On today's episode #325 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321.[i]  During this interview, I told Grant that his book contained a thorough and deep overview of the Neuroscience of Self-Leadership, and I felt like each of the 18 chapters could be covered in 18 weeks, for all of us to gain a better understanding of the application of the science he picked out for each chapter. So I decided to cover EACH chapter here, with a map towards our progress over the next 18 weeks, and to set our season theme to the Neuroscience of Self-Leadership that will be our focus until June of this year. Today we will be looking at Chapter 4 of this book on “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness.” This is a topic that scored on the MEDIUM side of urgency for me, (ORANGE) on the Leadership Self-Assessment.[ii]  I hope that you have taken your self-assessment[iii], so you can follow along with your most urgent to least urgent areas of importance with your year. This area surprised me a bit, because I think Mindfulness is a huge part of my day. It's something that I spend time doing every morning, or else it's noticeable to me that I've missed it. Then I looked back over all the episodes we covered starting with some of our early episodes when I was just learning the ropes with interviewing guests. We started covering mindfulness on EP #25[iv] with Mick Neustadt, a mindfulness expert, to EP #28[v] with Dr. Dan Siegel, the well-known clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine, on his concept of Mindsight that he said was the basis for social and emotional intelligence.  Then on EP #60[vi], we covered Dr. Siegel's' Wheel of Awareness Meditation, and the insights I gained from practicing the 3 segments he has created over a two-month period, and then into Dr. Dawson Church's Bliss Brain Meditations[vii] that still sits as our MOST watched YouTube interview[viii] from December 2020 on The Science Behind Using a Meditation Practice. It feels like yesterday, but it was 2 years ago that we met with psychologist Darshan Pindoria for EP 266 on “Bringing Mindfulness and Meditation to Our Daily Lives.” So what does Grant Bosnick say about mindfulness in his book “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership?” He opens up chapter four by talking about the benefits of mindfulness to help us to gain more “executive control” over our daily distractions. I like how he asks “What is Mindfulness?” and lists the many definitions on the topic that talk about this practice as a “mental state achieved by concentrating in the present moment” to “creating a feeling of calm” to “a moment-to-moment awareness of one's experience without judgement.” Then he did not miss the father of mindfulness, who we've quoted often on this podcast, especially after I took his Masterclass, Jon Kabat-Zinn who gently reminds us that mindfulness is “an awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” Bosnick shares that “it seems to be a mental state AND the practice of reaching that state” and he likens it to the Jedi's Mind from the movie series Star Wars. He says “It's like the force.” Now I think I saw Star Wars when I was a kid, and knew about “the force” but had to look up the meaning as it's been a few years. Bosnick reminds us that in the original Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker “Well, the force is what gives a Jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us: it binds the galaxy together.” (Ch 4, Bosnick). Now for someone who hasn't watched Star Wars since childhood, this sounds a lot to me like content we cover on this podcast, specifically our Science of Getting Rich Series[ix] where we talk about the fact that “there is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which, in its original state, permeates, penetrates and fills the interspaces of the universe.” (Wallace D. Wattles, SGR, The Syllabus). Or, our interview with Dr. Konstantin Korotkov, from EP 307[x] where we learned about the energy field that surrounds our body. Bosnick reminds us that the movie warned us to “Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware: Anger, fear, aggression—the Dark Side, are there” so we learn to keep our emotions in check, by practicing mindfulness. PUTTING MINDFULNESS INTO PRACTICE: BUILDING OUR MENTAL RESILIENCE OVER TIME Bosnick tells us that “in order for us to be mindful, to focus and keep focus, we need to have “executive control” over our attention.” (Ch 4, Bosnick) and I'll add that we will all be at different levels of being able to “block out” our distractions. I remember the first time I laid down, and tried to listen to a guided meditation in the early days of learning this practice, and is all I could hear was my kids running around, when they were little. There was no chance I was going to be able to focus back then, but I just kept trying. I can say that one day, I noticed, that I could be sitting somewhere busy, like an airport, and am now able to block all outside distractions in order to go within. Wearing certain headphones has definitely helped with this. But this didn't come easily to me. I hear many people say “yeah, I gave up trying to meditate, it just doesn't work for me.” Other than telling you to sit there and listen to whatever meditation program you connect with, and keep trying, I don't have a strategy for HOW to build your mental muscles either, or how to build the resilience that comes over time, or how to take your meditation practice from the comfort of your home, where you begin, to your busy work day, when you need it the most. But Grant Bosnick does and he introduces us to New York Times Best Selling Author, Shirzad Chamine's strategy[xi] that guarantees we will quiet our mind over time. Bringing in the science to Mindfulness, DID YOU KNOW there is a concept called PQ Reps, coined by Positive Intelligence Founder, Shirzad Chamine[xii] that builds our mental muscles over time? PQ Reps stand for “positive intelligence quotient repetitions” (Ch 4, Bosnick) “and they are small, laser-focused exercises that consciously and purposely deploy our attention to one specific sensation.” These exercises are a way to train your brain in the same way that you would if you were meditating, giving you all of the benefits we are talking about with this practice. Shirzad Chamine discovered PQ Reps when he was looking for a way to build mental resilience for people who struggled to begin a mediation practice. Through fMRI scans, he could see that by activating a certain part of the brain, the PQ Area, in 10 second intervals, by taking your index finger and rubbing it on your thumb, while focusing on the sensation of this feeling, they could see that this PQ area in the brain was slightly activated, while the survival part of the brain was slightly quieter.[xiii] HOW DO WE PRACTICE PQ REPS? By rubbing your finger and your thumb together, involving your any of your 5 senses for 10 seconds. I suggest involve the sensation of touch, and notice what it feels like to touch the top of one finger on the ridges of the other. By doing this, you are shifting your attention to your body and focusing on the sensation. It's a lot like Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness practice that has you focused on one body part at a time (from head to toe) and feeling the sensation of your thoughts as it goes from one body part to the next. Who knew I was practicing PQ Reps while doing Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation and improving my mental fitness? It really does help to understand the science behind developing a mindfulness practice, so you can continue to strengthen yours. Shrizad Chamine recommends that if we want to use PQ Reps to build up this part of our brain, that we should do this practice for 12 minutes/day or 136 reps/day. To put this into perspective, Dan Siegel's Full Wheel of Awareness practice[xiv], is 37 minutes in length. Visiting his website that I've linked in the show notes, you can see this one, as well as a shorter one, and a NEW one on the Plane of Possibility. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #325 on “The Neuroscience of Mindfulness” we asked the question: DID YOU KNOW there is a concept called PQ Reps, coined by Positive Intelligence Founder, Shirzad Chamine[xv] who used fMRI scanners to discover that by doing these PQ Reps we can actually build our mental muscles by activating this PQ Region in the Brain?  For those who have a mindfulness practice in place, putting PQ Reps into practice helps to reaffirm the benefits that comes along with building your mental muscles, and for those who have found it difficult to begin a mindfulness practice, PQ Reps is a proven way to bridge the gap for you to begin. HOW DO WE PRACTICE PQ REPS? By rubbing our finger and thumb together, and involving any of our 5 senses for 10 seconds. I suggest that we feel the touch of our fingers on each other. By doing this, we are shifting our attention to our body and focusing on the sensation. It is this activity, that build us the PQ Area of our brain, while the survival part goes quieter. If you next listen to Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation you will see how Dr. Siegel's Mindfulness Practice is essentially teaching you to do PQ Reps involving every part of your body and feeling the sensations from your head to toe. Start small, practicing PQ Reps one day at a time, and eventually you will learn to focus your attention for longer periods of time, building your mental muscles and resilience in the process.   With each lesson we cover in this review of Grant Bosnick's Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, I'm hoping to show us how we can gain the momentum needed to activate Lewin's Field Theory, (remember from Chapter 2 on goals, EP 323[xvi] that place where we gain momentum and suddenly, life becomes easier. The resistances fades away, and our goals or whatever it is we are working on, are not far off in the distance, but they are within our reach. Then I'm hoping that we have a clear understanding of Chapter 3, EP 324[xvii] on The Neuroscience of Inspiration where we became clear with WHO or WHAT inspires us. This is when we know we can use our MINDS and understanding of our BRAIN, to turn MIND into MATTER, and create our own futures by design, rather than let them happen by default. I suggest using the MAP that Bosnick created to check off when you think you have integrated each skills into your daily life. In Chapter 2 on Goals, do you see how to gain the momentum needed for your success this year? In Chapter 3 on Inspiration, do you know WHO or WHAT inspires you, and are you using this knowledge for motivation? And now in Chapter 4 on Mindfulness, where are YOU in your mindfulness practice? Does this understanding of PQ Reps help you to build up the PQ area of your brain? Can you do a few reps in the day, until you build up to 12 minutes a day like recommended for this part of the brain to see the changes we all seek? I hope you have found this episode on Mindfulness helpful for sharpening your mindfulness practice, if you have one, or looking for alternative ways to build one, if you have found the process to be difficult. I can't forget that I wondered how I could improve my own meditation practice early last year, so we dove deep into The Silva Method, covered in 4 PARTS, that we just reviewed on EP #322[xviii] as our most downloaded series in 2023. The point of this episode today is that we learn to improve Mindfulness in our day to day life, not just for more “executive control” but to think beyond this. Jose Silva reminds us that “Once we learn to use our minds to train it, it will do some astounding things for us, as you will soon see.” Remember that some of the leading experts in the world have used Mindfulness (from The Silva Method) for outstanding results.   ✔ A marketing company used it to create 18 new products. ✔ 14 Chicago White Socks players used it to boost their scores. ✔  Celebrities have used it and credit Jose Silva for improving their focus and creativity. ✔  Colleges and universities have used it to help students study less, but learn more. If you are not using your mind to its fullest potential, don't worry, awareness is the first step. Start small today, and you'll be miles ahead in 2024, than you've ever been! I'll end with a quote to highlight the self-awareness we will build once we've implemented this lesson into our daily life, since our goal with this 18-week series is to help each of us to become more self-aware. “To know yourself, you must sacrifice the illusion that you already do.” — Vironika Tugaleva And I'll see you next week for an interview, and the week after that with Chapter 5 on Flow. REVIEW Chapters 2, 3 EPISODE #323, Chapter 2, “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your 2024 Goals” ✔ What is Kurt Lewin's “Field Theory” and how can we use it to improve our performance towards our goals in 2024? ✔ 3 STEPS for Applying Field Theory into our Daily Life to Reach Heightened Levels of Achievement in 2024. EPISODE #324, Chapter 3, “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” ✔ Uncover WHO or WHAT inspires you. ✔ Learn what happens to our brain when we are inspired (by a person or a thing). ✔ Apply the Neuroscience of Inspiration to our life in 3 steps: WRITE, THINK and LEARN to Level Up Our Results in 2024. RESOURCES and OTHER EPSIODES ON MINDFULNESS Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #154 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-film-producer-tom-cronin-on-the-portal-book-and-movie-how-meditation-can-save-the-world/   Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #170 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/cognitive-neuroscience-researcher-john-harmon-on-our-brain-and-mind-under-pressure/ REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iii] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/   [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #25 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mindfulness-and-meditation-expert-mick-neustadt-on-how-meditation-and-mindfulness-changes-your-life-results-and-potential/   [v]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #28 with Dr. Dan Siegel   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] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #60 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/   [vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #98 with Dr. Dawson Church  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-dawson-church-on-the-science-behind-using-meditation-rewiring-your-brain-for-happiness-resilience-and-joy/   [viii] Dr. Dawsom Church on “The Science Behind Using Meditation” https://youtu.be/bH8yVKHjFN4   [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #314 PART 1 The Science of Getting Rich Book Review on Prosperity Consciousness  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/part-1-review-of-wallace-d-wattles-the-science-of-getting-rich-on-prosperity-consciousness/   [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #307 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-konstantinkorotkov-on-bridging-thespiritualworld-with-rigorousscientific-method-methodtappingintothe-powerof-our-thoughtsenergy-fieldsandlimitless/ [xi] Shirzad Chamine Quieting the Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDOqPrfNaq0 [xii] Shirzad Chamine https://www.positiveintelligence.com/about/   [xiii] Shirzad Chamine Quieting the Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDOqPrfNaq0   [xiv] https://drdansiegel.com/wheel-of-awareness/   [xv] Shirzad Chamine https://www.positiveintelligence.com/about/   [xvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #323  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-season-11-of-the-neuroscience-meets-sel-podcast/   [xvii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #324 on “The Neuroscience of Inspiration”   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-self-leadership-series/   [xviii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #322 with “Transforming Minds and Paving the Future: A Review of The Silva Method” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/transforming-minds-and-paving-the-future/      

Welcome back to Season 11 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast! Today we are diving into episode 324, where we continue our transformative 18-week Self-Leadership series. We explore the riveting application of practical neuroscience and uncover how it influences our daily life, productivity, and overall well-being. In this episode, we delve into the third chapter of Grant 'Upbeat' Bosnick's book, focusing on the Neuroscience of Inspiration and Motivation – a topic that scored highest in my self-assessment. Grant emphasizes the importance of self-motivation and inspiration in propelling us towards our goals, and we explore how these elements chemically affect our brains. Discover the powerful role inspiring stories and images play in our lives, producing neurochemical oxytocin (facilitating feelings of trust) and dopamine (associated with motivation and reward). Learn how the individuals, places, or things that inspire us can connect, rewire our brains and form new ideas through the process of neuroplasticity. This episode aims to provide listeners with practical steps to integrate the neuroscience of inspiration into their lives. Identify the individuals and factors that inspire and motivate you, visualize the chemical reactions occurring in your brain during moments of inspiration, and finally, understand the implication of this knowledge on a deeper level. Join us as we continue our journey of self-discovery, blending neuroscience with everyday practices to reach unparalleled heights in productivity and performance, creating a future by design, not default. EPISODE #323, Chapter 2, “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your 2024 Goals” ✔ What is Kurt Lewin's “Field Theory” and how can we use it to improve our performance towards our goals in 2024? ✔ 3 STEPS for Applying Field Theory into our Daily Life to Reach Heightened Levels of Achievement in 2024. EPISODE #324, Chapter 3, “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” ✔ Uncover WHO or WHAT inspires you. ✔ Learn what happens to our brain when we are inspired (by a person or a thing). ✔ Apply the Neuroscience of Inspiration to our life in 3 steps: WRITE, THINK and LEARN to Level Up Our Results in 2024. On today's episode #324 we continue with our 18-Week Self-Leadership Series based on Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321.[i] During this interview, I told Grant that his book contained a thorough and deep overview of the Neuroscience of Self-Leadership, and I felt like each of the 18 chapters could be covered in 18 weeks, so I decided to set our season theme to the Neuroscience of Self-Leadership that will be our focus until June of this year. My goal with EACH of these next episodes, covered over the next 18 weeks, is that the application of the neuroscience within each lesson, will change us in some way, create new meaning, giving us NEW AHA Moments, open up NEW portals of creativity, that we can use to accelerate our results in 2024. Before we do this, I highly encourage you to take your own Leadership Self-Assessment so you can see which chapters of Grant's book come out for you as GREEN or important to focus on now, which chapters are ORANGE and not as important, and which ones for you, came out as RED, and lower priority. As we go through these lessons, just keep an open mind to what it is that you might learn from these three areas. Take note of AHA Moments of learning- from each lesson. Did something jump out at you as important in an area that was of lower priority? (RED) Be sure to circle, or write out the NEW learnings from these lessons that you will put into action to improve your results this year. Remembering that it's not just thinking in a certain way that will change our results, but we've also got to take action with what we learn. Whatever concepts we learn within each chapter, I hope that the science gives you something NEW to help you to THINK DIFFERENTLY this year, and move you to greater heights with more momentum like we learned from Kurt Lewin's Field Theory last week. For today's episode #324, we will be looking at Chapter 3, “The Neuroscience of Inspiration and Motivation” which came out as my highest scoring area on the Self-Assessment Quiz. Grant opens up Chapter 3 by saying “we cannot motivate others; we can only inspire them. Motivation comes from within. Inspiration can come from anywhere—within us, around us and through us.” (Ch 3, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). Next, he says that “inspiration is moving people, or being moved ourselves, to be excited about achieving something. It's about seeing or doing things differently, or changing our thinking, feeling or who we are, now and for the future.” Ch 3, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). I'm looking at this chapter, as one of the positive forces that can help us to gain momentum towards our goals, thinking about Kurt Lewin's Field Theory from our last EP 233.[ii] Using motivation (that comes from within) and inspiration to drive us towards our goals, I'm hoping this chapter will help us to uncover some new ideas that we can use to push us forward, and help us to gain that feeling of momentum as we are in pursuit of our goals. Grant asks us to think about what inspires you? People or things? I find inspiration in both and use ideas from other people to help me to write these episodes, while also can gain inspiration from nature, or being near beautiful places, and buildings. Who inspires you? What inspires you? Next, think about why this person or thing inspires you. Does it give you more hope for the future, or help you to see things differently? What else comes to your mind when you think about people or places that inspire you? The Neuroscience of Inspiration DID YOU KNOW “that inspiring stories and images produce oxytocin in our brain? Oxytocin is the neurochemical that facilitates feelings of trust. Inspiration also produces dopamine in our brains (Ashby et al., 1999, Depue and Collings, 1999) which is a neurochemical associated with motivation and reward.” Ch 3, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). Think about this for a minute. Those people who inspire us, we will tend to trust more, because of the neurochemical oxytocin that was released into our brain. We covered the Neuroscience of Trust on EP #206[iii] right before our interview with Greg Link, who wrote a book on this topic with Stephen M.R. Covey (the son of the late Dr. Stephen R. Covey) called Smart Trust: The Defining Skill That Transforms Managers into Leaders.[iv] Dr. Stephen Covey would say that “Trust in the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best in people. But it takes time and patience.” We also learned that trust “frees up the brain for other activities like creativity, planning and decision-making”[v] which to me shows on a brain level why “the act of extending trust is an act of leadership.” (Stephen M.R. Covey). Then we can look at inspiration that produces dopamine in our brain, and is associated with motivation and reward, so people and places that inspire us, can also motivate us, magnifying the trust we feel, and lead us forward. AHA Moment of Learning! Does the Neuroscience of Inspiration give you a whole new outlook on certain people and places in your life? Does it help you to understand yourself on a deeper level? Maybe you wondered “what about this person or place motivates me?” or “Why do I feel trust towards one person, and not another?” I do believe that trust is a feeling that can be felt, since everything going on inside is expressed on the outside. You can see and feel these vibrations and frequencies that we covered in depth with David Wong[vi], and frequencies don't lie. I agree with Dr. Stephen Covey that this trust we feel through inspiration is “a performance multiplier which takes your trajectory upwards, for every action you engage in, from strategy to execution.” I think it's interesting to see how the chemicals in our brain draw us towards certain people or places, connected to whatever it is that inspires us. Wait there's more! Grant goes on to explain that “the concept of neuroplasticity underpins inspiration” and that “Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to form new connections and reorganize itself as a result. Through inspiration, our brain is literally restructuring itself as we connect ideas together to form new ideas. The process of inspiration carves our new pathways inside the brain.” Ch 3, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). Our brains are literally being changed by people or places that inspire us. They are not only motivating us, but these people and things (like places, or artwork, or nature) rewire our brain, helping us to form new ideas.  If you ask me, this is a key piece of information for us to understand if we want to be more innovative and creative this year, and take our results to new heights. Grant's book, and chapter 3, dives deeper into motivation and inspiration, and crosses into later chapters of the book, but for now, we will end here, as we take The Neuroscience of Inspiration, and see how we can apply it in our own life, to help us to overcome negative challenges, and create the momentum needed to reach heightened levels of performance towards our goals this year. PUTTING THE NEUROSCIENCE OF INSPIRATION INTO PRACTICE: WRITE: Write a list of: Who inspires you, and why? Do you feel trust with this person that could be a performance multiplier? Think about this. Why, or why not? What inspires you, and why? Do you feel motivation from places that we know can rewire our brain and make new neural connections? THINK: Think of your brain being bombarded by oxytocin (the neurochemical that facilitates the feelings of trust) and then dopamine (the neurochemical associated with motivation and reward) and then the NEW neural pathways that are being rewired into your brain with whatever it is that you are drawing inspiration from. LEARN: What does this mean to you? Does it help you to make sense of your world in a new way?  Does this connection to science help to motivate you in a NEW way, perhaps pushing you past some of the obstacles that once held you back? Does this NEW understanding energize you in some way, or give you more self-awareness towards your goals? My goal with these bite-sized chapters connecting Neuroscience and Self-Leadership to our daily practice, is that we begin to see how simple it is to connect an understanding of how our brain works, to our best practices, that we tap into daily, taking us to new heights. Applying the Neuroscience of Inspiration to my life, I can clearly see what's most important to me, why I'm drawn to certain people or places, and how important it is for me to keep learning, and applying what we uncover together on these episodes. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #324 on “The Neuroscience of Inspiration” we asked the question: DID YOU KNOW: “that inspiring stories and images produce oxytocin in our brain? Oxytocin is the neurochemical that facilitates feelings of trust. Inspiration also produces dopamine in our brains which is a neurochemical associated with motivation and reward.” Ch 3, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership). Next, we put The Neuroscience of Inspiration into action in our daily life with 3 steps: STEP 1 WRITE: A list of who or what inspires you, and why. STEP 2 THINK: Of what is happening to your brain when it's being inspired (by a person or thing). It's being bombarded by oxytocin, which is why you will feel trust, and dopamine is released which will motivate you in a new way. STEP 3 LEARN: What does the Neuroscience of Inspiration mean to you? How can you use this understanding to help you to gain momentum towards your 2024 goals, and push you towards higher levels of achievement? Once we have our list of who or what inspires us, and we can imagine the neural pathways in our brain making NEW connections, we just keep learning, growing and moving forward, with NEW momentum, in the direction of our goals. With each lesson we cover, I'm hoping to show us how we can gain the momentum needed to activate Lewin's Field Theory, and suddenly, life becomes easy. The resistances fade away, and our goals or whatever it is we are working on, are not far off in the distance, but they are within our reach. This is when we know we can use our MINDS and understanding of our BRAIN, to turn MIND into MATTER, and create our own futures by design, rather than let them happen by default. I'll end with a quote to highlight the self-awareness we will build once we've implemented this lesson into our daily life, since our goal with this 18-week series is to help each of us to become more self-aware. “The first and best victory is to conquer self” – Plato I hope the Neuroscience of Inspiration has helped you in some way, to move closer to whatever it is you are working on this year. I'll see you next week with Chapter 4 on Mindfulness.     REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #321 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #323 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-season-11-of-the-neuroscience-meets-sel-podcast/   [iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #207 Brain Fact Friday on The Neuroscience of Trust  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-trust/   [iv] 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   [v] The Neuroscience of Trust https://headheartbrain.com/brain-savvy-hr/the-neuroscience-oftrust/#:~:text=High%20levels%20of%20trust%20are,amygdala%20and%20trust%20decreases%20activation.   [vi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #312 with David Wong on Mastering Your Frequency  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-frequency-expert-david-wong-on-master-your-frequency-and-take-control-of-your-personal-professional-life-and-health/  

Welcome back to Season 11 of the "Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning" podcast. Our host, Andrea Samadi, an author and an educator, introduces a compelling 18-week series devoted to self-leadership, drawing on insights from Grant Bosnick's book on the subject. The series, framed through the lens of neuroscience and psychology, aims to empower listeners onto individual pathways of self-discovery. By building stronger and more resilient versions of oneself, we anticipate a transformation in well-being, achievement, productivity, and success. We lay the foundation of this self-discovery journey by looking within – nurturing self-awareness. It is a revisiting of ancient wisdom, as we echo Aristotle's words, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." In conversation with Grant Bosnick, we ponder upon multiple facets of neuroscience and self-leadership. We hope this series evokes new revelations about our neural circuits, catalyzed by the application of neuroscience embedded in each lesson. Being self-aware, acknowledging and overcoming obstacles, and utilizing the forces that propel us, can transform our performance towards our goals in 2024. To fully grasp these concepts and apply them meaningfully, we highly recommend taking your own leadership self-assessment. Equipped with a nuanced understanding of personal strengths and areas of improvement, we hope to inspire a fresh, empowered approach to thinking and leading in 2024. Concluding with a powerful sentiment from Peter Drucker, "Being a self-leader is to serve as chief, captain, president, or CEO of one's own life"—we welcome you to join us in this journey of self-discovery and self-leadership, underpinned by the magnificent world of neuroscience. On today's episode #323 we will begin our Self-Leadership Series based on Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick's “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” that we first dove into with our interview on EP #321.[i] During this interview, I told Grant that his book contained a thorough and deep overview of the Neuroscience of Self-Leadership, that I felt like each of the 18 chapters could be covered in 18 weeks, so I decided to set our season theme to the Neuroscience of Self-Leadership that will be our focus until June of this year. This series will help each of us on our pathways of self-discovery….to get to know ourselves on a deeper level as we build stronger more resilient versions of ourselves in 2024. Since we know that “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” Aristotle This is where our podcast began back on episode #2[ii] on Self-Awareness: Know Thyself where we covered 6 Steps for Becoming More Self-Aware back in July of 2019. Remember: Mastering others is strength; mastering oneself is true power” - Lao Tsu While speaking with Grant Bosnick on our recent interview, I let him know that I took his Self-Assessment to leadership that I've linked in the resource section below, and that when I was given my results, I scored very low on some areas where I think I might have answered the questions thinking “I've got this” (in my head) until I actually read his book, and realized there was much more to some of these areas than I thought. So, for the next 18 weeks, we are going to work through the science in Grant's book, and see if we can together, apply the research he's uncovered in his timeless self-leadership principles, to learn something NEW with ourselves, building stronger, more improved 2.0 versions of ourselves with whatever it is we are working on this year. I'm hoping that the science reveals something NEW that you might not have thought of in the past, like we mentioned on PART 4[iii] of our Review of The Silva Method, Dr. Andrew Huberman's research taught us that “when we see something that's truly creative, it reveals something to us about the natural world and about how our brains work. It must reveal something that surprises us” for it to be truly creative. Dr. Huberman explains that “something pops out at us…we see something, feel, or experience something...this reveals something about our brain/our auditory system, creating NEW meaning for us.” AND “when we see, hear, feel or experience something that's truly creative, the way our neural circuits function is changed. When our neural circuits are changed simply by what comes into our eyes, ears, or the way we experience our feelings, there's a release of chemicals like dopamine that make us feel surprised, delighted or excited in anticipation that we will see it again.” (Dr. Huberman) This is my goal with EACH of these next episodes, covered over the next 18 weeks, with the goal that the application of the neuroscience in each lesson, will change us in some way, create new meaning, giving us NEW AHA Moments, that we can use to accelerate our results in 2024. Before we do this, I highly encourage you to take your own Leadership Self-Assessment so you can see which chapters of Grant's book come out for you as GREEN or important to focus on now, which chapters are ORANGE and not as important, and which ones for you, came out as RED, and low priority. Whatever concepts we learn with each chapter, I hope that the science gives you something NEW to help you to THINK DIFFERENTLY in 2024, and move you to greater heights this year. I'm currently in the middle of studying Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich book, with Paul Martinelli who I've be studying this book every year with since 2019, and he is reminding us on a daily basis that in order to change our results, we must learn to think differently. We opened up our review of our 6 PART Series on Think and Grow Rich back in 2022[iv] with a quote from author Grant Cardone that 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. 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[v] This reminds me of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, the World's #1 Leadership Thinker, who wrote the foreword to Grant's book, of his best-selling book, What Got You Here, Won't Get You There.[vi]  I hope this 18-week series will help us to all THINK and ACT differently in 2024, so we can all break through to new heights this year. In this 18-week Series, we will cover: ✔ Powerful tactics from this NEW award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation and the impact of a self-assessment system. ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels. For today's episode #323, we will be looking at Chapter 2, “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your 2024 Goals” ✔ What is Kurt Lewin's “Field Theory” and how can we use it to improve our performance towards our goals in 2024? ✔ 3 STEPS for Applying Field Theory into our Daily Life to Reach Heightened Levels of Achievement in 2024. DID YOU KNOW: there is a force that drives us towards our goals? On page 20 of Grant's book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, he mentions that “according to Kurt Lewin's Field Theory[vii], a goal is embedded not only in the individual but also exists within the field around the individual. Between us and the target, there is a “drive force” or “drive field” and as we get closer to the target (or the perception of being closer), the strength of the force increases.” When I read this part of the book, I almost fell off my chair. I'm always looking for ways to connect science to age-old principles, and Grant explained something we've been looking at the past year.  We know that our energy field matters whether by the thoughts we are thinking, or the actions that we are taking. We covered this in depth with Dr. Konstantin Korotkov's EP 307[viii] where we bridged the spiritual world with rigorous scientific method. So how can we improve our performance towards a goal, using German-born American social psychologist, Kurt Lewin's Field Theory[ix] that Grant Boswick wrote about in his chapter on Goals? IMAGE: Hand drawn from Kurt Lewin's Force Field Change Explanation[x] I've got 3 STEPS to do this, that go along with an image I hand drew in the show notes. STEP 1 RECOGNIZE THE NEGATIVE FORCES THAT PUSH US AWAY FROM OUR GOALS: Know that whenever we are moving towards a goal, there will be a force that pushes us down from our current state of attaining our goal, (a negative force) and there's also a force that helps us to change (a positive force). Identify the forces that are pushing you down as you move towards your desired end result. In our schools: it could be limited time to study for a test. In our sports environments: it could be our competition, or whoever is at the top of the league. Finally, in our workplaces: it could be a competitor charging lower pricing, and taking all the business in your area. STEP 2 RECOGNIZE THE POSITIVE FORCES THAT PUSH US TOWARDS OUR GOALS: Recognize that just as there is a negative force pushing us down, there are also positive forces that pushes us up, and can assist us to change. It's this force pushing us up that Grant talks about in his chapter on goals. He says that “the closer we get to our target (or perception of being closer to the target) the strength of the force increases.” (Page 20, Grant Bosnick, Tailored Approaches to Leadership). STEP 3 FIND THE MOMENTUM THAT TAKES YOU TO A NEW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE:   It's here in the diagram where I drew a RED arrow, showing a person moving from their current state, leveling up to a new, heightened level of performance, when there are MORE positive forces pushing us up, than negative pushing us down. BEFORE we can get to our new heightened level of performance, we must overcome the forces against whatever it is we are moving towards, (like by overcoming our competition) and create as many positive forces to help us to move towards our NEW end result. Create a plan for how you will overcome your resistances, while building up positive forces for change (like through study, identifying ways you can improve your mental and physical health so you can use these forces to push up against the negatives, or from understanding your “why” so this internal force drives you when times are difficult.                                                                                           PUT KURT LEWIN'S FIELD THEORY INTO ACTION INTO YOUR LIFE: So how can we use Kurt Lewin's Field Theory to improve our level of performance towards our goals in 2024? We can create our own, built in weapons that will reduce our known resistances (negative forces) and create new habits that will strengthen the positive forces. Grant had us thinking about this “driving force” as we move towards our goals in Chapter 2 of his book. But right now, we are starting a new year, and many of us will be feeling the resistances that comes along with a New Year. What can we do to get to the point where Grant mentions this “powerful feeling” or excitement as our goals can be seen and felt on the horizon? How can we level ourselves up to the RED arrow I drew in the diagram? If we want to DRIVE change in our organization, (in our schools, sports environments, or workplaces) then our driving force for change will need to be stronger than the resistance to change.   IMAGE CREDIT: Force Field Examples[xi] TO APPLY KURT LEWIN'S FORCE FIELD THEORY: Write out the negative forces that impact your work on a daily basis. Write out the positive forces you have in place. Are there MORE positive driving forces than negative? Where can YOU or YOUR organization improve? REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To review and conclude this week's episode #323 on “Using Neuroscience to Level Up Your 2024 Goals” we asked the question “DID YOU KNOW: there is a force that drives us towards our goals?” With this understanding we also looked at the forces that drive us away from our goals. We broke down Kurt Lewin's Field Theory into 3 steps. STEP 1 RECOGNIZE THE NEGATIVE FORCES THAT PUSH US AWAY FROM OUR GOALS Like our competition or whatever it is that's causing us grief on a daily basis as we are working on our goals. Use the diagram in the show notes to list out what forces hold you back from your goals on a daily basis, so you can see them clearly. STEP 2 RECOGNIZE THE POSITIVE FORCES THAT PUSH US TOWARDS OUR GOALS Like knowing our “why” that Simon Sinek[xii] is famous for teaching, that will help us through difficult times, and then think about the weapons we will build into our day to improve our mental and physical health, giving us more capacity towards our goals. We created our TOP 5 Health Staples[xiii] to move us to heightened levels of performance on a Bonus Episode in 2022, and I'm always looking to improve these. While speaking with Dr. Gregory Kelly, I added a 6th Health Staple for Stress Reduction, and am always looking at what else I can add to build a stronger, more resilient version of myself. STEP 3 FIND THE MOMENTUM THAT TAKES YOU TO A NEW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE:   Once we are clear on the forces that are pushing against us, we can create our own WEAPONS to combat these resistances, helping us to gain that momentum that Grant Bosnick mentioned in his 2nd chapter on Goals. Grant asks us in Chapter 2 to “think about a big goal that you had from the past. When you first started it, how much pull did you feel towards it? Then, as you got closer to achieving it, how much pull did you feel toward it? We can use this pull of “drive force” to propel us as we get (or perceive ourselves getting) closer to our goals. It's a powerful feeling” Grant tells us. I hope that by breaking down Kurt Lewin's Field Theory, it helped to reveal something NEW for all of us that can help all of us to find that RED arrow of heightened achievement, that once we have arrived there, it will be easier for us to keep the momentum going with our 2024 goals. I'll end with a quote to highlight the self-awareness we will build with this lesson. “Being a self-leader is to serve as chief, captain, president, or CEO of one's own life” – Peter Drucker an Austrian American consultant and educator. See you next week for Chapter 3 on Inspiration and Motivation. RESOURCES: Self-Assessment http://www.selfleadershipassessment.com CONTACT grant@grantbosnick.com Website: https://grantbosnick.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantbosnick/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrantBosnick Learn more about The Tailored Approach to Leadership Book https://grantbosnick.com/books/ Signature Keynotes and Solutions https://grantbosnick.com/signature-solutions/ 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 #323 with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/insights-from-grant-upbeat-bosnick/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #2 Self-Awareness: Know Thyself https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-awareness-know-thyself/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast PART 4 of Apply the Silva Method for Improved Intuition, Creativity and Focus https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-silva-method-improving-creativity-and-innovation-in-our-schools-sports-and-modern-workplaces/     [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast PART 1 of our Think and Grow Rich Book Study https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/   [v] Grant Cardone, The 10XRule https://www.amazon.com/10X-Rule-Difference-Between-Success/dp/0470627603   [vi] Marshall Goldsmith https://marshallgoldsmith.com/book-page-what-got-you-here/   [vii]  German American Psychologist Kurt Lewin's Field Theory “Field theory and experiment in social psychology” American Journal of Sociology, 44 (6), 858-96, May 1939   [viii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-konstantinkorotkov-on-bridging-thespiritualworld-with-rigorousscientific-method-methodtappingintothe-powerof-our-thoughtsenergy-fieldsandlimitless/   [ix] Kurt Lewin's Field Theory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HERRi8SktJo   [x] IBID   [xi] https://www.edrawsoft.com/force-field-analysis-examples.html   [xii] Simon Sinek https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/   [xiii] 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/    

Don't miss this comprehensive episode of the "Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning" podcast, where leadership guru and bestselling author, Grant 'Upbeat' Bosnick, discusses powerful tactics from his latest book for mastering self-awareness and personal transformation. Bosnick, recognized by reputable figures such as Scott Friedman and Marshall Goldsmith, presents his unique combination of neuroscience research and practical wisdom with a focus on self-improvement and growth. Watch on YouTube here https://youtu.be/vGweJ0sCJ14 The episode dissects the concepts of his award-winning book "Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership," illustrating how change and improvement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success. Explore practical strategies for habit formation, the significance of sequentially reading chapters, and the impact of a self-assessment system. Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals. Dive into the information-rich conversation that uncovers the art of learning and the fascinating intricacies of engaging the mind with real-time applications of knowledge. Ultimately, embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels. Round-off this enlightening experience with the rich resources that Grant provides, from beautifully illustrated maps to enhance tracking of personal growth, to video series and companion workbooks designed for tailoring self-leadership strategies. So, ready yourself for a transformative journey of the mind into the world of self-leadership with this gripping episode. On today's episode #321 with Guest: Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” we will cover: ✔ Powerful tactics from this NEW award-winning book that illustrates how change and achievement are truly achievable both from internal ('inside out') and external ('outside in') perspectives. ✔Listeners will grasp the immense power of self-leadership and its transformative effect on personal growth and success. ✔Explore practical strategies for habit formation, the significance of sequentially reading chapters, and the impact of a self-assessment system ✔Gain insights from Grant's expert advice on maintaining a balance between strengths and weaknesses while chasing after your goals ✔Embark on an intellectual journey that has the power to elevate personal achievement and self-awareness to uncharted levels. ✔Round-off this enlightening experience with the rich resources that Grant provides, from beautifully illustrated maps to enhance tracking of personal growth, to video series and companion workbooks designed for tailoring self-leadership strategies. Another example that shows us that failure is not an option. Here's what Scott Friedman, the author of Celebrate! Lessons Learned from the World's Most Admired Organizations has to say about the book we are going to cover today: Today's episode really is going to be a journey of the mind… Welcome back to SEASON 11 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 5 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to help us to APPLY this research in our daily lives. On today's episode #321, we will be speaking with Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick[i], the Managing Director of YES (Your Empowering Solutions), author, consultant, keynote speaker and executive coach. He has worked with 100+ Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies to co-create people strategies to help organizations build a trusting, collaborative culture and develop leaders to transform their behavior to lead themselves, others and perform at a higher level. Originally from Toronto (where I grew up) and now based in Singapore, he has lived in Asia Pacific for over 20 years. When Grant reached out to me, earlier this month, it was not WHAT he said to me that caught my eye, but HOW he said it. Maybe because I was in the middle of writing the final part of our Science of Getting Rich book study, that's all about Thinking AND Acting in This Certain Way. Grant said that he uses “psychology and neuroscience, (and works) with Leaders and Teams in great organizations to go from human to superhuman, by tapping into the more resource-efficient parts of their brains, achieving more and being happier.” This sounds exactly like what I am trying to do for our listeners on this podcast, helping us to build stronger 2.0 versions of ourselves, and if Grant has some knowledge about how to do this, I want to know what he suggests, especially after all the high-level companies he has been working with over the past 20 years. I kept on reading what he had written in an email to me, and next I learned about his award-winning book, Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership, that was published last year by Routledge, with a Foreword by Marshall Goldsmith.  “Marshall Goldsmith[ii] wrote the Foreword to his book?” I'm reading with a different lens now.  I don't know anyone in the field of leadership/coaching who doesn't know Marshall Goldsmith. He's known as the “World's #1 Leadership Thinker” with an unusual ability to help other people succeed. His mission in life to help successful leaders to get even better, so now I know the level that Grant Upbeat Bosnick has attained, before I've even read his book! Let's meet the author of Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership and see if we can learn how to use this book as our guide in 2024, to apply neuroscience and psychology is a whole NEW way, taking us to the high levels of achievement expected by those who work with him, and those who work with those who he learned from like Marshall Goldsmith and the late Dr. Covey. Welcome Grant 'Upbeat' Bosnick! I'm looking forward to speaking with you today, and learning Intro Q: A book on leadership with a foreword written by Marshall Goldsmith! Before I ask you about your book, that's masterfully written, I wonder how did you cross paths with Marshall Goldsmith, “World's #1 Leadership Thinker” and how did he influence your work? The Foreword itself tells me about you before I've even read your book!  Q1: Then I read on to see all the others who have influenced you along the way, a couple of your influencers are mine (Dr. Stephen Covey) who we spoke about when we interviewed Greg Link, the co-founder of Covey Link, and Dr. Covey's long-time business partner from EP 207[iii] Can you share how Dr. Covey and others you mention have influenced your leadership journey?  ((This book is dedicated to all those who have influenced me to navigate my self-leadership journey: Marshall Goldsmith, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Ken Blanchard, people close to me, among others; and to all of you reading this, to chart and navigate your personal self-leadership journey. May you choose your own leadership venture and transform your self.)) Q2: There's 18 chapters in the book, with each one exploring a different theme related to self-leadership and are written in such a way that we can read them in any order.  Q3: Can you explain how you picked the 18 leadership principles, and how do we now create change from the inside-out (using neuroscience/how our brain works) and outside-in (how we understand others and how others see us)?  How do you use practical activities, reflective questions personal anecdotes and Illustrations to help us to create change? Q3B: How did you create a map for this self-leadership journey? Q4: I think I'm answering my own questions here, but with the choose your own adventure theme, does it begin with the Self-Assessment[iv]? Q4A: Before we look at the tailored approach that was designed for me, I wonder if you can tell me off the top of your head, what areas YOU are focused on this year, and why? Q4B: Can we look at my Tailored Approach to Leadership to help others who listen, to know where they begin with their journey? Based on how I filled out the self-assessment, it pinpointed to me that Pathways 1 (goals/time management), 4 (physical health/emotion regulation) and 5 (change/resilience) are my lowest priorities.  I can tell you for sure these are carved into my daily habits (the highest importance for me with time management, health and pathway 5 seems to be hardwired into me, but these 3, I think I've got, so probably why they are showing up low. Pathway 2 (inspiration/motivation/influence/presence) is a high priority (100%) especially with the podcast, always looking for WHAT'S NEW and innovative that I can share/learn from and help others with, and Pathway 6 (relationships/authenticity, biases, trust, empathy) I know is also a high priority for me, with wanting to keep learning, interviewing high level guests, and helping us to take our results to the highest levels possible. Pathway 3, Mindfulness, Flow and Insight is of MEDIUM priority for me from the assessment. Like my low priority areas, I do think this one is important, and I also have time carved out daily for these, but I think the more interviews I'm doing, the more this leads to enhancing this area. Q4C: Once someone completes the self-assessment, how do they know which of the 18 chapters they should begin with? Just from lining up the chapters? For me, I skip Ch 2 (goals), and go straight to Ch 3 (inspiration and motivation?) Q4D: Before I even get to the book, how would you suggest I use this beautiful map you've drawn for me? It looks like the map outlines the book from Ch 1-18 starting with goals, and ending with resilience?  I like checking off things I've worked on…how do YOU use this colorful map? Q4E: I know I'm going to be focused on Pathway 2 (Motivation and Inspiration) but as I read Chapter 1 on goals, that was low priority for me, the science revealed something I've always wondered about. It was about the Force Field Driving Us according to Kurt Lewins Field Theory you mention in Chapter 2 on Goals. I'm always looking to connect science to some of the well-known books we've grown up studying (like Wallace D Wattles The Science of Getting Rich) who talks about taking action in our present environment.  As you take this action, you begin to change and will outgrow your present environment, preparing you for the NEW environment you will be moving towards.  Can you explain the science in the chapter on goals? How do we now create change from the inside-out (using neuroscience/how our brain works) and outside-in (how we understand others and how others see us) within each chapter? Do you think it's because you are making us think with the questions you ask us, and then point us in the direction of neuroscience? How do I know I've met with the change I set out to attain? Q5: For those out there who want to discover their own tailored approaches to leadership, (for themselves or their teams) what is the best route for them to take? Q6: Is there anything important Grant, that I've missed today? This book was much deeper than I realized when I started to see the neuroscience you've included, along with the activities included. For those who want to reach you, is the best place your website? I've listed your email, website, LinkedIn and YouTube below for people to find you. I want to thank you for the time you've taken to walk me through a very thorough Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership that you've created in your book. I'm going to take the time to learn and implement each chapter, and am grateful to have had this opportunity to learn directly from you. Grant ‘Upbeat' Bosnick CONTACT grant@grantbosnick.com Website: https://grantbosnick.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantbosnick/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrantBosnick Learn more about The Tailored Approach to Leadership Book https://grantbosnick.com/books/ Signature Keynotes and Solutions https://grantbosnick.com/signature-solutions/ RESOURCES: Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/ 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/ REFERENCES:   [i] http://grantbosnick.com/   [ii] https://marshallgoldsmith.com/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP 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/   [iv] Self-Assessment for Grant Bosnick's book https://www.selfleadershipassessment.com/          

On this week's episode: The Disney gay agenda comes from INSIDE the classroom ... Russia offers asylum to the downtrodden Christians of America ... And the talented Bosnick returns to class up the joint. --- To make a per episode donation at Patreon.com, click here: http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheist To buy our book, click there: https://www.amazon.com/Outbreak-Crisis-Religion-Ruined-Pandemic/dp/B08L2HSVS8/ To check out our sister show, The Skepticrat, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/the-skepticrat To check out our sister show's hot friend, God Awful Movies, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/god-awful-movies To check out our half-sister show, Citation Needed, click here: http://citationpod.com/ To check out our sister show's sister show, D and D minus, click here: https://danddminus.libsyn.com/ To hear more from our intrepid audio engineer Morgan Clarke, click here: https://www.morganclarkemusic.com/ --- Headlines: A Missouri agency tried to classify a fetus as an employee: https://www.kcur.org/health/2023-05-09/a-missouri-agency-tried-to-classify-a-fetus-as-an-employee-raising-concerns-about-personhood-laws Florida teacher under investigation for showing a Disney film where a gay character...exists: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/florida-teacher-investigation-showing-disney-film-gay-character-rcna84446 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/15/desantis-defunds-dei-programs-florida-colleges/ The IRS just hiked taxes on private jet flights and pastors are not excluded: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2023/05/11/irs-just-hiked-taxes-private-jet-flights-pastors-are-not-excluded/ Mormons are super sketch about their secret money on 60 Minutes: https://www.axios.com/2023/05/15/mormon-whistleblower-60-minutes-church-finances Russia planning a village for conservative Americans who want to move to a 'Christian country': https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-is-floating-a-plan-to-build-a-village-for-conservative-americans-who-want-to-move-to-a-christian-country-and-are-tired-of-liberal-ideology-in-the-us/ The Pope's Exorcist used video game symbol instead of the real one: https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/05/russell-crowe-movie-mistakes-dragon-age-icon-for-spanish-inquisition-symbol/

Host Glenn van Zutphen and award-winning author Neil Humphreys talk to Grant Bosnick, Author, Speaker about his new book “Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership: A Bite-Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience” and how his change assessment helps leaders make mindset changes that lead to positive leaps in their leadership style.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Know Show. Our screens are full of football (or soccer) mayhem, however, there has been a lot of news beyond the upsets, especially in regard to human rights. Whether it's focusing on the treatment of migrant workers who built the World Cup venue or LGBTQIA+ rights, there has also been a big focus on the leadership failures at FIFA, as well as questions on the decision to hold the event in Qatar in the first place. On our show, we like to look at all the layers and angles to news stories, because nothing is ever straight forward, and there is a point of view we are not getting outside the Middle East, and that, of course, is the perspective of its citizens. Regardless, it leaves us wondering – are human rights negotiable?We are thrilled that Bavani Periasamy has agreed to join us this week, hot off the back of the Malaysian Elections. Bavani is a gratitude advocate, who helps leaders build an appreciative work culture to improve productivity.We're also happy that Grant 'The Beat' Bosnick will be joining us again in Tim Wade's absence, as Tim is enjoying a long overdue family reunion in the UK.  Lots going on, lots to discuss, come and join us. The Know Show is a Livestream held every fortnight on Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Tim Wade and Joe Augustin, and at least one special guest, review the news that's getting everyone's attention, as well as perhaps what requires our attention. We'll talk about what it means to us, the world and we hope to inspire great conversations on the news that matters in the world today. The Know Show is based on Andrea T Edwards Weekend Reads, which are published every Saturday on andreatedwards.com, and covers the climate crisis, topical moments in the world, global politics, business, social issues, and passion/humor/history. Join us. #TheKnowShow #UncommonCourage

Welcome to the Know Show. The US mid-term elections are over, and the expected ‘red wave' did not happen - why? Is it something to do with the global demographic shift we are seeing across the world, a shift that started in Australia in early 2022 and one we're now seeing ripple out? Is this a cause for hope?We will discuss this very interesting topic in our longer section after we run through the major news events happening around the globe. From the economy to politics, health to climate, as well as some funny stuff in the mix to keep things light, we attempt to capture the biggest news happening in our world right now. This week, we are thrilled to be joined by Grant 'The Beat' Bosnick, who has just published his book ‘Tailored Approaches to Self-Leadership – A Bite-Size Approach Using Psychology and Neuroscience.” Grant is a team productivity coach, the chief executive thinker at YES, he's an author, keynote speaker, consultant and founder of Upbeat®.The Know Show is a Livestream held every fortnight on Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Tim Wade and Joe Augustin, and at least one special guest, review the news that's getting everyone's attention, as well as perhaps what requires our attention. We'll talk about what it means to us, the world and we hope to inspire great conversations on the news that matters in the world today. The Know Show is based on Andrea T Edwards Weekend Reads, which are published every Saturday on andreatedwards.com, and covers the climate crisis, topical moments in the world, global politics, business, social issues, and passion/humor/history. Join us. #TheKnowShow #UncommonCourage

Krit and Joe Venture to Alexandria, Louisiana to sit down with David Bosnick, the AKA Featherweight Champion. The Guys bombard David with questions like "How did you get your nickname?" and "Who inspired you to get into MMA?"

In this week’s episode, Steve King applies for a job with the Minneapolis Police Department, Donald Trump tries really hard to hold a book, and the world will get a bonus Bosnick. --- To make a per episode donation at Patreon.com, click here: http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheist To buy our book, click there: http://www.amazon.com/Diatribes-Godless-Misanthrope-Scathing-Presents-ebook/dp/B00J53FZFI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396141562&sr=8-1 To check out our sister show, The Skepticrat, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/the-skepticrat To check out our sister show’s hot friend, God Awful Movies, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/god-awful-movies To check out our half-sister show, Citation Needed, click here: http://citationpod.com/ To check out our sister show’s sister show, D and D minus, click here: https://danddminus.libsyn.com/ To hear more from our intrepid audio engineer Morgan Clarke, click here: https://www.morganclarkemusic.com/ --- Guest Links: Check out the Good, Better, Quest podcast here: http://gbqpod.com/ --- Headlines: Mad About George Floyd?...Then Protest Planned Parenthood: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/30/right-wing-activists-mad-about-george-floyd-then-protest-planned-parenthood/ https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/gordon-klingenschmitt-and-josh-bernstein-wonder-why-george-floyd-protesters-are-not-protesting-planned-parenthood/ Trump holds bible, pisses off church: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/06/02/trump-catholic-shrine-church-bible-protesters/ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/06/02/trump-catholic-shrine-church-bible-protesters/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_shrine-12p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans&itid=hp_hp-top-table-high_shrine-12p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans) and https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/06/01/trump-holds-up-bible-for-photo-op-after-peaceful-protesters-are-tear-gassed/ Conservative Christians Can’t Handle Pixar’s “Out,” a Short Film With a Gay Lead: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/27/conservative-christians-cant-handle-pixars-out-a-short-film-with-a-gay-lead/ Christian Moms Say Pixar’s “Out,” a Same-Sex Love Story, Is “Promoting Sin”: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/28/christian-moms-say-pixars-out-a-same-sex-love-story-is-promoting-sin/ Supreme Court Rejects Challenge from CA Church Trying to Override Attendance Cap: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/30/supreme-court-rejects-challenge-from-ca-church-trying-to-override-attendance-cap/ U.S. Priest May Become a Saint After Posthumously “Curing” an Unborn Child: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/30/u-s-priest-may-become-a-saint-after-posthumously-curing-an-unborn-child/ --- This Week in Misogyny: In the U.K., Domestic Abuse Has Soared, Not Least Among Believers: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/27/in-the-u-k-domestic-abuse-has-soared-not-least-among-believers/ Catholic Chaplain blames COVID-19 on abortion: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/06/02/chaplain-covid-19-is-punishment-for-speaking-boastfully-proudly-of-abortions/ NJ Judge Who Advised Sexual Assault Victim to “Close Your Legs” Kicked Off Bench: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/05/27/nj-judge-who-advised-sexual-assault-victim-to-close-your-legs-kicked-off-bench/

We finally got Eli on the show to do more than the Soup Creed! We talk about why men are so terrible at podcasting, if Tom & Cecil are actually that terrible in real life, and why we can’t say all of the naughty words we feel like saying. As always, this episode contains (a lot of) salty language. Consider yourself warned. Help us get to Skepticon in August!! Eli stuff: https://scathingatheist.com/ https://twitter.com/PiatPod https://www.patreon.com/GodAwful The Alt-Right Playbook on YouTube Recent episode of Serious Inquiries Only Please consider giving us all (or some) of your moneyz on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/secularsoup You can find everything at www.delightfulbitchcraft.com Facebook - Facebook.com/secularsoup Twitter - @secularsoup Email - secularsouppodcast@gmail.com Instagram - @secularsoup Check out our YouTube Channel! Buy our delightfully bitchy crafts! https://www.etsy.com/shop/delightfulbitchcraft There’s merch here: https://www.cafepress.com/secularsoup You should really check out our amazing editor Rich on Living After Faith! http://livingafterfaith.com/

In July, Danielle Bosnick joined a nationwide movement against sexual violence on school campuses when she made a Facebook page for her daughter. “Justice for Francesca,” is meant to raise awareness about the 15-year-old, who was sexually assaulted last summer by a classmate she didn't know. For weeks, Bosnick used the page to share articles about Francesca's case and those of other students in similar circumstances.

Stories from the Week   Video   Scathing Atheist | Citation Needed | Skepticrat | God Awful Movies |

Stories from the Week   Video   Scathing Atheist | Citation Needed | Skepticrat | God Awful Movies |

On this episode of Man Yells At News Ollie Scath and Hertzey Hertz drop by to tell us some stories about how Taylor Swift's crazy fans leave her breathless and why she should always keep her Eyes Open. Satan also makes some appearances. Ollie's Podcast Page: https://www.facebook.com/This-Is-Neccessary-561108717597286/?ref=bookmarksMinnesota Atheists: https://atheisttalk.libsyn.com/Hertzey Talks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hpUbqg3rIzlTgZy31qu6g?view_as=subscriberStories Used: http://www.wwl.com/articles/louisiana-law-ban-sex-animals-wins-senate-vote-25-10https://patch.com/texas/southaustin/woman-bites-boyfriends-ear-during-south-austin-roughhousinghttp://wtkr.com/2018/04/19/suspect-hospitalized-after-stealing-crashing-ambulance-from-virginia-beach-hospital/

On this episode of Man Yells At News Ollie Scath and Hertzey Hertz drop by to tell us some stories about how Taylor Swift's crazy fans leave her breathless and why she should always keep her Eyes Open. Satan also makes some appearances. Ollie's Podcast Page: https://www.facebook.com/This-Is-Neccessary-561108717597286/?ref=bookmarksMinnesota Atheists: https://atheisttalk.libsyn.com/Hertzey Talks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hpUbqg3rIzlTgZy31qu6g?view_as=subscriberStories Used: http://www.wwl.com/articles/louisiana-law-ban-sex-animals-wins-senate-vote-25-10https://patch.com/texas/southaustin/woman-bites-boyfriends-ear-during-south-austin-roughhousinghttp://wtkr.com/2018/04/19/suspect-hospitalized-after-stealing-crashing-ambulance-from-virginia-beach-hospital/

This week! We ask you what your sign is and then tell you it's actually not, we book our next vacation on the Bay of Bengal, and the mighty Eli Bosnick joins us to talk about his journey from the Torah to the horror of a life as a Christian movie reviewer. Look for Eli and his band of merry men + Lucinda at: The Scathing Atheist podcast / God Awful Movies podcast The Skepitcrat podcast / Citation Needed podcast