Podcast appearances and mentions of mark waldman

In this episode of The Energy Blueprint, I'm speaking with neuroscientist and bestselling author Mark Waldman. Mark has been on the podcast multiple times, but I find his information so interesting that I'm excited to have him back today.  Mark is now working in a new field called network neuroscience. During our conversation, he explains the framework of this field and shares some very practical but very effective steps to reduce mind-wandering and improve psychotherapy outcomes.  

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/    

CarneyShow 12.18.23 Tenaya Darlington, Mark Waldman, Jennifer Geen, Martin Kilcoyne by

“A person's right to life means his right to have the free and unrestricted use of all the things which may be necessary to his fullest mental, spiritual and physical unfolding — in other words, his right to be rich.” Wallace D. Wattles On today's episode #314 we will cover: ✔ The hidden meaning behind Wallace D. Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich ✔ What is Prosperity Consciousness vs Poverty Consciousness, and how do YOU think? ✔ Why do Giver's Gain? ✔ How Can We Best Prepare to Learn the Timeless Principles in this book that was published in 1910?    “Wait a minute, are you telling me that we are going to cover the importance of developing a prosperity mindset on this podcast?” you ask? How is this related to neuroscience? I'm going to say “yes, we are” and I'll tie the importance of this to science with Mark Waldman and Chris Manning's Book Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success[i] that focuses on helping people create more “wealth” in their lives.  This book opens up in Chapter 1 by asking us to choose if we would pick happiness or wealth, and they said that 90% of the people they surveyed over the past decade actually picked happiness over wealth (Chapter 1, Neurowisdom) but the book goes on to explain that the newest economic research disagrees with this. They found that it's really the other way around. “Wealth predicts happiness, and the more you make, the happier you actually become.” (Chapter 1, Neurowisdom). This is not the main reason why I finally decided to cover Wallace D. Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich on this podcast, but if the research says that “our wealth predicts our happiness” I thought that there is never a better time than now, to cover the seminar I sold in the late 1990s, that transformed my thinking from poverty consciousness, to prosperity. Now this didn't happen overnight, or immediately. I'm going to share my journey over the past 25 years, along with all of the notes I took studying while this book, watching my own paradigms change slowly, and then watching how other people around me would use what they were learning for improved results in their life.  Here's the important part that I don't want any of us to miss. Once we have learned to successfully use the principles we will be studying in this book ourselves, we can then take the focus off ourselves, and look for ways to give back to others. You will see that there are many messages within the pages of this book, and this one, is what I think to be THE MOST IMPORTANT. I'm hoping that studying these timeless principles in this manner will help you the listener to connect either to my way of thinking, (someone who was raised with one parent who might have instilled poverty consciousness in your mind-or said things to you like “money doesn't grow on trees” over the years, or those people I'll use as examples who grasped prosperity thinking with ease, so that you can take the principles and fine-tune your own way of thinking, and acting, to achieve the results I know are possible for all of us. Once we have applied them in our own life, it will be time to look outside of ourselves and give back. The Shortest Summary of The Science of Getting Rich What's the message behind the Deep Dive we are going to take into Wallace D. Wattle's classic book on thinking, the book that describes how each of us shapes the events around us, creating much of the positive riches in our own lives? The book that Rhonda Byrne, creator of The Secret, said she stumbled across and has "never been the same?"  The book that was behind one of the seminars I sold in the late 1990s when I worked in the motivational speaking industry with Bob Proctor from EP #66[ii]. I did see an article written by John Rogers[iii] that summarized the book and he got it right.  He said “Here's the shortest summary of The Science of Getting Rich you'll ever read: Think and act creatively to add value to others.” I would agree, but might change it a bit to say that this book we will be covering this month is all about how to “think and act creatively in your life first, and then look outwards, and see how you can help others.” It all begins with understanding the syllabus that echoes throughout ALL the chapters in the book about how getting rich is the result of doing things in a certain way. If you look at the scroll in the show notes, of this important syllabus, this was handed out in every seminar Bob Proctor conducted of The Science of Getting Rich and I mentioned it when we covered PART 3[iv] of Dr. Joe Dispenza's work. Until this year, I would say that I had no idea what the syllabus meant.  While I read it over and over again, from 1999 to this year, 2023, I couldn't explain it to anyone, until I understood the Quantum World connecting Dr. Dispenza's work and Dr. Dan Siegel's, to the “thinking space” that Wallace Wattles describes. Isn't it amazing how we acquire wisdom? I can easily look at the syllabus now and connect it to the Quantum World (where all possibility exists), where time and space collapses and you can literally BECOME your dream. But it took me some time to gain this understanding. Stewart Edward White explains how AHA Moments of Learning can change us, in his poem where he shares: “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.” Do you know what I mean? Have you ever heard something you knew was important, but it just didn't click? (The same truth is thrust under our very noses)…until “one day some trivial experience or word or encounter stops us short.” You've got to know what I'm talking about here. Why do we see something NEW in the words we've heard over and over again, and weren't ready to hear them?  What is it that makes us “finally see…a brilliant flash…revealing truth fully formed?” What is this concept? Why does this happen? Have you ever heard “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear?” Just be OPEN as we cover this book. You might hear something you've heard over and over again in the past, but you've missed its significance somehow. Something that can CHANGE your entire world, and then those around you, once you've grasped and implemented it. I'm going to suggest it's the understanding of this syllabus that holds the “secret” to implementing the principles outlined in The Science of Getting Rich. If we can understand this syllabus, enough that we can LIVE IT in our daily life, then strange and marvelous things will begin to occur in our lives, with constant regularity. It will only be when we are LIVING these words, or “doing things in a certain way” that we will know we've got the meaning of this book. And what's crazy to me is that the meaning of this book has taken me 25 years to understand. I'm hoping that my AHA Moment will help YOU, where ever you are in the world, to “think” and “act” in this certain way, that Wallace D. Wattles wrote about in 1910. Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) 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 uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain. On today's episode #314 we launch into a Deep Dive on Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Getting Rich. This book was first published in 1910, and while you will notice some examples will date the book (like in Chapter 6 Wattles picks something he thinks we might all want in our lives) when he says “If you really want a sewing machine..” as an example. While I'm sure there is someone out there listening, who would LOVE a sewing machine, if this example from 1910 doesn't resonate with you, then just pick something else that does to go in its place. You can also scan The Table of Contents and pick out some other places his book is not with the times.  Chapter 15 is called “The Advancing Man” and can be changed by thinking of this chapter as “The Advancing Person” to show that in modern times, men and women are equally advancing in their fields of work. While some of the examples Wattles picks will date the book to 1910, the main principles he writes about are timeless. What's interesting to me is that The Science of Getting Rich preceded similar success books such like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (1937) that we covered in January of 2022[v]. In the 100 years since its publication, The Science of Getting Rich has gone through many editions, and remains in print from more than one publisher. For today's deep dive, I'm not going to cover the book chapter by chapter. You can pick up the book and read it yourself, or you can listen to the entire book on YouTube. I'll connect these tools in the resource section. You can even buy the audio program of the seminar I used to sell, which is Bob Proctor's[vi] version of the book, through his company's website. Or you can Google the book and find the audio online, or some other people's versions and summaries of what the book is about. All of these ideas will get you the main concepts of this book, but for this deep dive, I'm going to cover the book the way Bob Proctor suggested we read it because it matters “how” we read The Science of Getting Rich for the principles to jump out at us in a way that we will NOT miss them. I don't want the ideas in these pages to escape you, as they have tremendous power. Not just for you, but for everyone YOU connect with in your future once you have begun to implement these ideas, and you are operating in “this certain way.” Today I'm not going to just read through the chapters, but I'll share the notes, insights and Aha moments I learned from selling this seminar (the first one was Denver in June 1999) with ideas, thoughts and suggestions to implement the timeless concepts in this book, into ALL OUR daily lives, so that these Success Principles can have the most impact on you and those you'll interact with in your lifetime. Let's Begin Our Journey into the Pages of Wallace D. Wattles: The Science of Getting Rich. I want to begin with the title…because the title alone could deter some of you who might think I'm going to cover a book that's about creating wealth so that we can go out and buy more things that will make us happy. This isn't at all what the book is about, nor what Wattles intended, but without an explanation, I'm sure many people would bypass this book and miss his intention. Let's Go Back to Denver, CO June 5th, 1999 This was the FIRST time I ever took this seminar, and thinking back, it was just 2 months after the Columbine Tragedy that shook our schools in the US to the core. I remember at this time I had just left the classroom, and wanted to find ways to help our next generation of students to “think” and “create” so after I had helped the attendees find their seats, I joined a table, opened up the pages the notebook that I'd carry with me 25 years later, and I began to study this “little green book” called The Science of Getting Rich. What's Your Money Mindset? Prosperity or Poverty? I remember before we even got to chapter 1 of the book, or any of the words Wallace Wattles wrote about, we spent the WHOLE first evening on our Money Mindset, making sure we knew the difference between a Prosperity Consciousness, versus Poverty Consciousness.  If you go to Amazon and type “prosperity consciousness” into the search field, you will see book after book written on the importance of having a money mindset. Now remember that many of our beliefs, biases and prejudices lie underneath the water in the iceberg analogy, so you might “think” you've got a prosperity consciousness, but deep down, under the water there, you've got someone else's programming (like a well-meaning parent who told you hey, money doesn't grow on trees) and it's going to take you some time to change these paradigms before you'll be able to see the results I'm promising are possible with this book. It's here we would cover the power of understanding our paradigms with Joel Barker's famous quote. “To ignore the power of paradigms is to put yourself at risk when exploring the future. Your future will look much the same as the past until you understand the power of your paradigms and what it takes to change them.” Sitting at the table at my FIRST SGR Seminar, in 1999, I knew I had a lot of work to do with my programming and thinking. The most money I had ever earned was my teaching salary, that was great money for someone in their early 20s just starting out, but here I began speaking and networking with others who had begun to put these principles into practice. I met people from all over the world at this seminar, from all different walks of life, and I could tell that we were all at different levels of thinking when it came to our prosperity mindset. I met truck drivers, teachers like me, business owners, inventors, writers, athletes and even some well-known celebrities, and everyone I met spoke about how they had over time, learned to create multiple sources of income with their work. We will cover this more in depth later, but I started to notice my paradigms around earning money, and saw them changing with each person I met.  I talked about some of the lessons I learned from others during these seminars on EP67.[vii] Once you have thought hard about your own money mindset, you will either resonate with me (someone who knew in those early days that I didn't have a prosperity mindset) or you'll connect more to others I'll speak about who very clearly did.  We are ALL at different places, but just recognize where you are, BEFORE we read the chapters of this book. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Easily put, it's because Giver's Gain. Our goal in life is to not be good little “go-getters” but see how we can go out and “give” back to others. We can't give to others if we have nothing to give, so learning these principles for ourselves is the FIRST step towards being about to provide more for others in your life.  I remember one of the first events I attended where we were to meet as many people in the room, and we were to ask everyone we met first “how can I help YOU” before even once thinking about what I needed for myself. It was a powerful concept that Dr. Ivan Misner[viii] talks about in his book Infinite Giving. I wonder, do you have a limit to what you would give someone else? Where is your money mindset when it comes to what you would give freely and openly to someone else? I'm sure we have all been conditioned by now to buy a coffee for someone in line behind you, and might even dish out $20 or $30 to give back to someone else. But would you give someone something really big, like a car? Now I'm not talking to Oprah here, as I'm sure we have all heard that she often gives away big presents to people. What about someone regular, like you and me? Or someone who's not a celebrity as we've already determined that two people can have completely different levels of thinking here. WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE A CAR? Just think about this for a minute. There's someone I know who owns a lot of cars. It's just his thing. He has always loved cars. He loves buying them, fixing them, and just seems to have an eye for this type of thing. One day I said to him “why do you need so many cars? Would you ever consider giving one away to your good friend who I know would love one of these cars?” He didn't say no, but looked at me with a strange look. Almost like he heard me, but didn't know what to say. We talked about it for a bit and he said he would keep his eye open for something his friend might like. I know it sounds strange, hey, would you give someone you know a car? But I asked the question, and that was all I needed to do.  A few months later, he came to me and said “hey, I entered a raffle, and the Grand Prize was a black Camaro Sports car.” I looked at him, and said “Don't you already have a Camaro (in red)?” and he said “yes, it's so weird, I won the exact same car I already own in black” and he showed me a photo of the car, and explained this wasn't a scam, but he had won this car, with a cash value of $90,000. Then he said “When I entered the raffle, I said a prayer that if I won the car, I would give one of my cars that I don't need to my good friend” (the one I had said would LOVE to have one of his cars). So he won the car, and was telling me that he was going to find a way to deliver one of his cars to his friend on Thanksgiving Day as a surprise. He picked a black IROC car that had meaning to his friend, and here's a photo of his friend with his new car over Thanksgiving weekend. When you learn to “think and act” in a certain way, strange and marvelous things will occur in your life, with constant regularity. This is just one example of someone who implemented the principles of The Science of Getting Rich and was able to give back to someone else immediately. Reminding us that: “God's gift to you is more talent and ability than you will ever use in one lifetime. Your gift to God is to develop and utilize as much of that talent and ability as you can, in this lifetime.   Steve Bow” Whether you believe in God or not, I'm going to share the principles Wallace D. Wattles teaches in his book, The Science of Getting Rich to show all of us that there is tremendous value in the pages of this book, and on our next episode, we will dive into Chapters 4, 14 and 7 (in that order) as we begin to implement the concepts in this classic book of “thinking” and “acting” in a certain way, that has the potential to change your life and those around you. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION: To review and conclude Part 1 of Wallace D. Wattles The Science of Getting Rich, we have not even opened the pages of the book yet. We have started with a thorough review of our mindset. Do we have a prosperity consciousness where we could conceive of giving something (like a car) to someone else, or do we live in a world of lack and limitation where we couldn't possibility see how to do this? My goal with this review of Wattles' SGR book is to show us that we ALL have the same ability, the ability to “think” and “act” in a certain way, and that once we have learned to think and act this way for ourselves, we can then turn our focus onto others and add tremendous value and abundance to someone else's life. This is what I think is the SECRET message held within the pages of this book, and I look forward to unravelling more secrets to “thinking” and “acting” in this certain way as we make our way through this book. REMEMBER: “There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, and which is its original state, permeates, penetrates and fills the interspaces of the universe. A thought in this substance produces the thing that is imagined by the thought. A person can form things in their thought, and by impressing their thoughts upon the formless substance, can cause the thing they think about to be created.” There was no accident that person won a car, after praying about it, with the goal of giving a gift to his friend. This happened exactly as Wattles describes it would in this book. Remember: Be careful what you think about, speak about, and pray about.  Your thoughts hold more power than you might think. I'll see you next week for PART 2 of this series. RESOURCES: YouTube Version of The Science of Getting Rich Audiobook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBGQERyTPWk The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles https://www.amazon.com/Science-Getting-Rich-Wallace-Wattles/dp/1490471766 REFERENCES: [i]Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success by Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning Published Jan.17, 2017 https://www.amazon.com/NeuroWisdom-Brain-Science-Happiness-Success/dp/1682303055   [ii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #66 with Bob Proctor  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/   [iii] https://wealthcreationmastermind.com/blog/summary-the-science-of-getting-rich/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #310 PART 3 of our Review of Dr. Joe Dispenza's Work  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/decoding-our-thoughts-how-to-build-a-better-future-with-the-power-of-our-mind-part-3-review-of-dr-joe-dispenza-s-work/   [v] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #190 PART 1 Think and Grow Rich DEEP DIVE  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/think-and-grow-rich-book-review-part-1-how-to-make-2022-your-best-year-ever/   [vi] https://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/programs/science-of-getting-rich   [vii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE 67 “Expanding our Awareness with a Deep Dive into Bob Proctor's Most Powerful Seminars”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/expanding-your-awareness-with-a-deep-dive-into-bob-proctors-most-powerful-seminars/   [viii] https://ivanmisner.com/tag/givers-gain/  

“As the acceptance of expanded human potential gains mainstream momentum, the question has shifted from “What is possible in our lives?” to “How do we do it? How do we awaken our extraordinary potential in everyday life?” Welcome to PART 2 of our review of Dr. Joe Dispenza's work. On today's EPISODE #310 on "Decoding Our Thoughts: How to Build a Better Future with the Power of Our Mind" and PART 2 of our Review of Dr. Joe Dispenza's work, we will cover:  ✔ 3 Important Concepts in Dr. Joe Dispenza's book,  Becoming Supernatural that have the ability to change YOUR life, when implemented. IMPORTANT CONCEPT 1:  Accessing the Present Moment IMPORTANT CONCEPT 2:  Mental Rehearsal: Priming Your Body for a New Future IMPORTANT CONCEPT 3:  Elevated Emotion ✔ What science has to say about these timeless success principles? ✔ Strategies to IMPLEMENT these principles into our daily life for improved results. ✔ How to use our emotions FOR us, rather than AGAINST us. ✔ Why we must continue to learn more about WHO WE ARE for improved results ✔ How METACOGNITION (and our awareness of how we think, act and feel) creates AHA Moments of Learning in our daily life.  Today we will continue our exploration of how exactly we live up to the full potential we all have within us, or like the name of Joe Dispenza's book, Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon. Today as we cover PART 2 of this exploration we will identify clear strategies to awaken the extraordinary potential in each of us, and these will be evidence-based strtegies, that are proven with science.  Becoming Supernatural, is the first-of-its-kind manual that does precisely this: it leads us on a step-by-step journey to achieving our greatest potential in body, health, relationships, and our life purpose and allows us to make that journey at our own pace. We only cover ideas and concepts on this podcast that have the potential to change our lives, and I'm on a mission to connect the most current brain research to concepts that have been taught successfully to students for centuries, connecting the science to these age-old success principles. This book study has taken me some time to think, and consolidate what I'm learning since we released PART 1 the end of September. I needed this time to put Dr. Dispenza's ideas and meditations into practice, and have spent the past month immersed in his teachings. As mentioned in the first part of this study, this is a shallow dive, and is just the beginning. I do hope that our review today helps us to ALL unlock more of the mysteries within the unseen world, as we learn to put these concepts into practice in our daily life. I'm sure we will return to this episode in the future, but this is where we will start our journey today. Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) 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 uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.    For those tuning into this episode, and you've not listened to EP 306[i] yet, I do encourage you to begin there. You will learn the background of where I first heard of Dr. Joe Dispenza, and how I was forbidden to cover his work on this podcast, since my neuroscience certification coach, researcher Mark Waldman, would consider his work pseudoscience. We covered how even Dr. Joe Dispenza himself used to worry about what other people in the scientific community thought of him, until he stopped. He said this himself at the start of Becoming Supernatural[ii] reminding me of the importance of always being your true, authentic self, and NEVER worry about those who criticize your work. He said: Until he saw how much of his “vital” energy he was wasting and went on to study with full force, a world that modern science hasn't been able to explain, how regular “common” people, like you and me, are actually doing the “uncommon.” Who is Dr. Dispenza? He's a doctor, a scientist, and a modern-day mystic who draws from diverse fields of rock-solid science, such as epigenetics, molecular biology, neurocardiology, and quantum physics, crossing the traditional boundaries that have separated scientific thinking and human experience in the past. In this process he opens the door to a new paradigm of empowerment—a new way of thinking and living based upon what we sense is possible in our lives, as well as what we accept as scientific fact. In PART 1 of our review of Becoming Supernatural, I shared that I had my own questions about Dr. Dispenza's work, especially after hearing about some of the results people were attaining during and after his seminars. Over the years, I would stop and listen to Joe Dispenza's work, remembering how he measured people's brains BEFORE his events, and then AFTER, and while I would say that to all the questions I had about his work, I knew the answers were a solid “YES” I just wondered what the research said. Can our current, present day thoughts impact our future? Can we impact our own health (and results for that matter) purely by what we think? Can my energy influence another person, and can someone else's energy influence mine? Can someone's energy be felt? Can our energy field be seen? “YES,  was the answer to each question, but how” I always wondered. While researching the tools that Dr. Dispenza used to measure participants' brains at his seminars, I came across one tool he called Gas Discharge Visualization, that I had heard of from someone who works in Singapore, connected to Bruce Lipton Ph.D , who is a cell biologist and leading authority in epigenetics.[iii] We'll cover Bruce Lipton's work at a later date, but it was this GDV tool that led me to the fascinating work of Dr. Konstantin Korotkov, that we covered on EP 307[iv], providing us with some answers to my questions of HOW and WHAT Dr. Dispenza was using to measure people's brains with at his events. As I said in PART 1 of this review of Dr. Dispenza's work, this is a shallow dive, not a deep one, that will just begin to scratch the surface of what it means for us to become Superhuman, and stretch ourselves beyond where our minds may never have travelled to before. Dr. Dispenza has made scientific history[v] with his findings (measuring HRV, or the energy around people's bodies) and his most recent breakthrough in scientific research includes his team's research paper that shows Meditations Impact on Immunity.[vi] I want to focus today on this particular angle with this groundbreaking research because my work with neuroscience began looking at the impact of stress on our brain as it relates to learning. You can go through some of our earlier episodes with Dr. Bruce Perry, or Dr. Lori Desautels, but what I'm most interested in today, that you can see with the direction of our podcast episodes since the Pandemic, is what we can do to mitigate the impact of stress on our health, wellbeing and longevity, in addition to creating the highest performing, 2.0 versions of ourselves. So for today's episode #310 “Decoding Our Thoughts: How to Build a Better Future with the Power of Our Mind” and PART 2 of our review of Dr. Joe Dispenza's work, we will pick up where we left off with Chapter 2 of Becoming Supernatural and look at how exactly a stressful situation can hurt us (mentally, physically and emotionally) or NOT. Chapter 2: The Present Moment We know that the way a person thinks and feels creates a person's state of well-being. We know this can be scientifically proven by Dr. Korotkov's GDV technology just by measuring the energy field of our finger tips and he can with accuracy, tell us what's going on inside that person's body (emotionally, psychologically) and then determine our relationship with this inner state to the outer world. Or in other words, what we THINK, on the inside, will show up on the outside. Dr. Korotkov explained that even animals respond to our thoughts, and know when we are approachable, or not, the minute we walk in through the front door of our homes. Why Do Our Emotions and Our Thoughts Matter? What exactly is it that our pets are sensing? This is where the iceberg model comes back into play. We could be consciously walking through the doorway, with the 5% of what's going on in our conscious mind radiating out to the world, but the 95% of what's going on under the iceberg, our unconscious habits, hardwired attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, perceptions, all functioning automatically, and that's what our pets are picking up. We dove deep into our conscious mind and our five senses on EP 293[vii] (looking the 5% of ourselves that can be seen and felt with our senses, and then what's beyond our five senses on EP #294[viii] looking into the faculties of our mind, and what's beneath the surface of the iceberg, or what's going on beyond our 5 senses. The difficult part, or the part where most of us become stuck, is HOW on the earth do we see what's happening in our subconscious mind, the part of us that's controlling 95% of who we are and what we do, if it's ALL under water, so to speak? LISTEN HERE…THIS IS THE KEY TO THIS WHOLE EPISODE Dr. Dispenza explains how an emotion hits our body (through our life situations-call whatever it may be), and causes some sort of emotional reaction. Maybe something happens to you in your personal life, and you hold negative emotions towards your ex-relationship, or it could be something in your work life, or it something random happens to you that changes your personality (puts you in a mood first, and over time changes your personality).  He says that we must learn to “shorten the refractory period of an emotional reaction” which is really where the work starts. What does this mean? So something happens to us, (and it will, no one is immune from life's situations unless we live and a cave) and we want to complain about it to everyone we know. We were wronged in some way. It feels horrible, trust me, I know! BUT resist doing this. Since we know from Dr. Korotkov's GDV tool, that our thoughts matter, we must be VERY careful about the thoughts we think. I'm not saying that we pretend something doesn't bother us, but listen to what Dr. Dispenza says. We must learn to “shorten the refractory period of our emotional reactions” because otherwise, we will repeat that same story over and over again in our head, and every time we do this, we flood our body with the same chemicals that were flooding our body when this event occurred, and since our body “is the unconscious mind, and doesn't know the difference between the experience that's creating the emotion (from the past) and the emotion you are creating through thought alone (in the present)”[ix] so in order to change our FUTURE results, we must to break this hard-wired programming. This is not easy, but it's the SECRET to changing your results in the future. If we look at the image in the show notes that I hand drew from Chapter 2 of Becoming Supernatural, you will see that if we cannot change, and break our hard-wired programming, we will re-create our past experiences into our future, and prevent us from EVER hitting that unknown event (whatever it might be-a new job, or unexpected experience) or something that could possibly take us to new heights. IMAGE CREDIT: Andrea hand drew the image from Chapter 2 Becoming Superhuman WHY IS CHANGE SO DIFFICULT? It's because it's uncomfortable and unfamiliar. It's always easy to blame someone else for your results, or a situation, but to take responsibility for it, let it go, and move forward, well that's not as easy. We are working with the 95% of us that's hidden under water here. These patterns and beliefs are hard-wired into our brain, so they are not easy to break. HOW EXACTLY DO WE STOP OUR PATTERNS AND PAST BEHAVIORS? We do this by staying in the present moment (which is the whole idea of Chapter 2) and STOP the thoughts and emotions that went along with whatever it was that happened to us. That emotional event that changed you somehow. This will stop your pattern of thinking. It's here that I bring in a diagram on Metacognition that I created in 2014 adapted from Dr. Newberg and Mark Waldman's “Spectrum of Human Consciousness Model.”  When we become consciously aware of how we think, act and feel, this is Metacognition and where we create AHA Moments of learning in our lives. Start at the bottom of the diagram: Instinctive Learning: Do you know yourself? Are you aware of the thoughts, feelings and actions you are having that might be keeping you stuck somewhere? If you've never explored this area, Hazel Gale's work from EP #308[x] is a good place to begin. Habitual Learning: Can you CHANGE the way you are used to thinking and feeling? Do something differently? Move forward instead of getting stuck? Intentional Learning: Can you set a goal to CHANGE something, and make this change stick? Instead of blaming someone for your results, take responsibility and move forward somehow? Creative Learning: Can you use meditation (which actually means to become familiar with thyself) to find some answers, learn something new, give you a new angle of outlook on your life? AHA Moment: What knowledge about yourself can you glean here? Did you see something NEW? Learn a new idea? Did you write it down and take action on it?  Jack Canfield would call this taking “inspired” action. This is METACOGNITION and is the key to peeling back the onion layers of yourself, and help you to deepen your understanding of who you are.   PUTTING THIS INTO ACTION: Chapter 2 Living in the Present Moment Remember it's not going to be easy. START WITH INSTINCTIVE LEARNING: THE FIRST STEP IN THE METACOGNTION DIAGRAM KNOW THYSELF: What happened to you? So something happened to us in our life (some sort of event) that caused an emotional reaction within us. This can be ANYTHING. If I think back to past guests, I know that my colleague Grace Reynolds[xi] experienced significant trauma in her life as a child (an event) that changed her life, until she did the hard work to heal herself from her traumatic life experiences.  This is now her life's work. I also can never forget Hans Appel[xii], a school counselor whose book, Award Winning Culture took off in schools across the country.  I remember while reading Hans' book, it was in the first few pages that he mentioned how he had a difficult childhood, and he talked about how the sound of his back door opening after school would make his skin crawl as he remembered the trauma that would occur for him in his life after school, urging him to spend more and more time at school, away from home. This is also now Hans' life's work to help others through traumatic events. These are two extreme cases an event that caused trauma, but an event could be anything that takes you from a positive, creative state of being (where our immune system functions well) to a stressful state of being, that we know scientifically down regulates certain genes and creates disease in our body. PRACTICE STAYING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT This will prevent us from unconsciously slipping back into our OLD self. Dr. Dispenza does have meditations[xiii] that can assist with staying present, and with time, helping us to automatically live in the present moment, and shortening that “refractive period” of the emotional experiences that happen to us. BEFORE I sent ANY of you to Dr. Dispenza's website, I have to say that I first found out about his meditations by chance. After our episode of HRV[xiv], someone (a male) wrote to me on social media that he had raised his HRV significantly with Dr. Dispenza's “Courageous Heart Meditation.” We will talk about the benefits of this meditation a bit later, but I have to tell you here that I looked up this meditation, and listened to it, and thought “there is NO way I could ever listen to that!” It was so far away from what I was used to with Vishen Lakiani's calm and quiet voice, or Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness. This meditation opens up like a lion roaring, with this voice, (Joe Dispenza) yelling at me to “sit down, and open my heart.” The first time I listened to it, I turned it off after probably 30 seconds. This would not relax me, but stress me out. It wasn't until I understood the purpose of the meditation and what it was actually designed for (to help men to open their hearts that I was finally open enough to begin listening to this meditation, and some others, every day, to finally see their benefits that has to do with developing a coherent heart and brain. Go to Joe Dispenza's website and check out his mediations for yourself. https://drjoedispenza.com/ Over time, and some introspection, I promise you will begin to see yourself in a whole new light which is the meaning behind the word “meditation” which means to “know thyself.” This brings us to the next concept I think is important to note with Becoming Supernatural. Chapter 2:  Mental Rehearsal: Priming Your Body for a New Future So what happens to the health of our body if we have an “event” in our life that causes us to have some sort of negative, emotional charge? Dr. Dispenza explains the need of “staying in the present moment” and recognizing when something could possibly impact our future (health or results) with his interview with Tom Bilyeu[xv]. If our thinking creates our environment (Bob Proctor would say “our thoughts, feelings and actions would determine our results or our conditions, circumstances and environments.”) then in order to change something we don't like, we have to either change our thinking, or change our environment, to get new results. Wayne Dyer would say “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” MENTAL REHEARSAL: There are many examples in Dr. Dispenza's book of people who changed their health, purely by changing their thoughts. I've heard of many people over the years who have used “mental rehearsal” to heal their bodies and keep them strong in the future. My Mom shared with me that she did this when she was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer, we talked about this in our Review of The Silva Method, and I heard woman's story[xvi] that I'll link in the show notes that's by far the most compelling story I've ever heard. She healed her body from watching Dr. Dispenza on Tom Bilyeu's interview we mentioned above. IMAGE CREDIT: Andrea hand drew the image from Chapter 2 Becoming Superhuman PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE: I asked Dr. Korotkov at the end of EP 307 what he thinks we should all be doing, every day, to raise our own vibration/consciousness as well as the collective consciousness of those around the world, and I'll never forget his answer. He said that we should find a way to balance our chakras, and said there are many meditations out there (Joe Dispenza, or search on the internet).  This is the very first step towards balancing our mind, body and spirit and move towards to the many known benefits that daily meditation provides. START WITH INSTINCTIVE LEARNING: THE FIRST STEP IN THE METACOGNTION DIAGRAM Do you know yourself? When you are meditating are you learning something about yourself? Do you notice anything happening? Can you notice ANY benefits from your practice? This was the reason why I decided to cover The Silva Method[xvii] on our podcast, because I wanted to take my meditation practice to new heights. Then learn from the work that Dr. Dispenza has done over the years. He reminds us: Protect yourself from the harmful effects of stress on your body. Imagine your energy field shrinking when you are living in survival mode, and find a way to the other side. Meditation alone can be the answer to helping you back towards health. Since Dr. Dispenza has measured so many participants with the effects of his meditations, I would have to say that I highly recommend them, especially after noticing what they have done to help me personally while listening to them. All Chapters: Elevated Emotion This last concept I noticed the most after listening to Dr. Dispenza's meditations for some time. He says that “they recorded amazing changes in HRV (heart rate variability) which is what that person told me on social media. Dispenza says “this is when we know a student is opening their heart and maintaining elevated emotions like gratitude, inspiration, joy, kindness, appreciation and compassion, which cause the heart to beat in a coherent fashion—that is with rhythm, order and balance.”  This is the important part. I think we can all say it's important to be happy, and joyful (rather than dwelling on the negative parts of our day) but it also “takes a clear intention, (a coherent brain) AND an elevated emotion (a coherent heart) to begin to change a person's biology from living in the past to living in the future.” There is clear evidence that we are “bound by an invisible field of light” (Dispenza) and have tremendous power that can influence ourselves and others. Dr. Dispenza was measuring the internal changes with his tools and this “feedback” was letting that person know they were on the right track and should keep doing what they were doing.  We learned all about neurofeedback on our last episode with Dianne Kosto. When you create heart coherence, your heart (he says) “creates a magnetic field that projects beyond your body.” What you DO with this energy is important. You can use it for yourself (whatever it is you are working on) or you can project it out in the world to help others. PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE: I wouldn't go anywhere other than the Courageous Heart Meditation[xviii] to elevate your emotions. You can find this meditation on YouTube, but if you find the ads distracting, just buy it for $25 from Dr. Dispenza's website. You'll access 37 minutes of pure bliss every day, that will help you to tune into love, joy, kindness and compassion. You'll change your world, as well as add to the collective consciousness of the rest of the world. START WITH INSTINCTIVE LEARNING: THE FIRST STEP IN THE METACOGNTION DIAGRAM Do you know yourself? As you begin to find ways to open your heart, just be open. I didn't think it would be possible to open my heart up more but I was open to what I would notice, and I know since listening to this meditation my heart has now open up to a whole new level.  Once we can get to this place, where we are in the present moment, we've mentally rehearsed the future we want to create, we've embraced emotions (like joy, peace, appreciation, and love) in our heart, our heart and brain now gain coherence, and this is where it happens, we can connect to the quantum field (where all possibility exists), where time and space collapses and you can literally BECOME your dream. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION: To review and conclude episode #310 “Decoding Our Thoughts: How to Build a Better Future with the Power of Our Mind” and PART 2 of our review of Dr. Joe Dispenza's work, we covered 3 topics and used the METACOGNITION diagram as a guide to deepen our understanding of who we are in this process. IMPORTANT CONCEPT 1: Was About Accessing the Present Moment I said that this was the most important part of this episode. We learned how an emotion hits our body (through our life situations-call it whatever it may be), and this causes some sort of emotional reaction. Maybe something happens to you in your personal life, and you hold negative emotions towards your ex-relationship, or it could be something in your work life, or something random happens to you that changes your personality (puts you in a mood first, and over time changes your personality).  We learned of the importance of shortening “the refractory period of an emotional reaction” which is really where the work starts. If we don't do this, holding in this negative emotion can impact our physical and mental health, and we know this to be scientifically true, with Dr. Korotkov's GDV technology. We learned how to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of stress on our body and imagining our energy field shrinking when we are living in survival mode. Meditation alone can be the answer to helping you back towards health and even Dr. Andrew Huberman[xix] talks about this important strategy from a purely scientific angle. We can go back to our early episode with Dr. Daniel Siegel[xx] where he talks about the healing benefits of his Wheel of Awareness Meditation that we also covered in depth on a later EP 60[xxi], The Science and Benefits Behind Dr. Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation.  Just a reminder of some of the health benefits Dr. Siegel mentioned, they are RIGHT on track with Dr. Dispenza's findings. 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 and slows aging. I'll leave it up to you with WHAT meditation tool you use, but I do highly encourage trying Dr. Dispenza's meditations, in additions to the ones I talk about often on this podcast.   IMPORTANT CONCEPT 2:  Mental Rehearsal: Priming Your Body for a New Future We learned how to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of stress on our body with the importance of being able to use mental rehearsals by imagining our energy field shrinking when we are living in survival mode, and finding a way to the other side, creating a NEW future in our mind first. We reviewed how meditation alone could be the answer to helping us back towards health, and creating a new future. We don't need to look far for the research behind this concept as it's been used for decades in the sports industry. Dr. Andrew Huberman covered it on an episode called Science-Based Mental Training and Visualization for Improved Learning[xxii] as well as his episode on How to Learn Skills Faster[xxiii] that we have covered in the past. IMPORTANT CONCEPT 3:  Elevated Emotion We learned from Dr. Dispenza, who is by far the leading expert on this concept, that a student who is opening their heart and maintaining elevated emotions like gratitude, inspiration, joy, kindness, appreciation and compassion, which causes the heart to beat in a coherent fashion creating order and balance” can take themselves to the quantum field, where ALL possibilities exist. Remember that diagram with the unforeseen event that happens in the future, it's not happening by chance or luck. I know we all know on some level that it's important to be happy, and joyful (rather than dwelling on the negative parts of our day) but it also “takes a clear intention, (a coherent brain-or the idea that if our brain is working right, then we will work right) AND an elevated emotion (a coherent heart) to begin to change a person from living in the past to living in that place where ALL possibilities exist. This is the way to create a beautiful future, and we can ALL do this, when we can learn to live these 3 important concepts on a daily basis. This last one, the only way I know how to do this, or explain this with the highest level of confidence, is through Dr. Dispenza's Courageous Heart Meditation. He explains How to Feel Elevated Emotions You've Never Felt Before[xxiv] by learning to set a clear intention (of what you want) with a heart centered emotion (gratitude, love, or joy) and know that you can CAUSE an effect in the FUTURE with the power of your intention, connected to the positive emotion you have created.  I can say that nothing I have ever experienced is like the minute I turned on the Courageous Heart Meditation. I mentioned it wasn't the first time I listened to it. It took me some time from reading Becoming Supernatural to trust that Dr. Dispenza has created something that I've never seen or felt before, and was open to trying it out.  Learning what it feels like to have a coherent heart and brain. To feel his music pulsating through me as he reminds me to “sit down” and open my heart. The love I feel while listening to this meditation is beautiful as I learn to feel with an open heart, and trust/balance my heart and brain. Only now, that I've truly started on the pathway to implementing these 3 important concepts in my daily life, am I confident that the future I envision on the screen of my mind is not only possible, but it's probable, as I watch events occur daily that most people would say are impossible, or that they are happening by chance or luck. We know this is not the case. It starts with living in the present moment (not the past) or worrying about the future but just living, mentally rehearsing the future, with elevated emotion… And then watch the magic happen.  With 100% certainty I can tell you if you can master these 3 principles on a daily basis, it will change your life, literally!  I'll close with the quote I opened up our most downloaded episode with, The Silva Method, from Jose Silva that “once we learn to use our mind to train it, it will do some astounding things for us, as you will soon see.” Jose Silva (August 11, 1914-February 7, 1999) author of The Silva Mind Control Method. RESOURCES: Being in the Present Moment Tools from Dr. Andrew Huberman https://dexa.ai/huberman?q=Present+Moment&type=example Dr. Joe Dispenza's Meditations https://drjoedispenza.com/meditations REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #306 “Decoding Our Thoughts: How to Build a Better Future with Power of Our Mind”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/decoding-our-thoughts-how-to-build-a-better-future-with-the-power-of-our-mind/ [ii] Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza published March 5, 2019 https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TKnILrcoq8owYPSSSkpNzs_NzEtXKC4tSC3KSywpLUrMUUjKz88GAEIPD3c&q=becoming+supernatural+book&oq=becooming+supernatueral+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j46i13i433i512j0i13i512l7.7875j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 [iii] Bruce Lipton https://www.brucelipton.com/ [iv]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #307 “Dr. Konstantin Korotkov on Bridging the Spiritual World with Rigorous Scientfic Method”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-konstantinkorotkov-on-bridging-thespiritualworld-with-rigorousscientific-method-methodtappingintothe-powerof-our-thoughtsenergy-fieldsandlimitless/ [v] Becoming Supernatural Dr. Joe Dispenza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ICgkDPTns [vi] Dr. Dispenza's Research Meditations Impact on Immunity Published August 2023 https://drjoedispenza.com/scientific-research [vii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISOD# #293  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-our-conscious-mind-and-the-five-senses/ [viii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISOD# #294   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/beyond-our-5-senses-understanding-and-using-the-six-higher-faculties-of-our-mind/ [ix] How to Brainwash Yourself for Success and Destroy Negative Thoughts with Dr. Joe Dispenza (Tom Bilyeu Interview) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La9oLLoI5Rc&t=6s [x] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-story-of-elite-fighter-hazel-gale-from-confident-champion-to-burnout-are-you-ready-to-rebuild-yourself-from-the-inside-out/ [xi]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISOD# #298 with Grace Reynolds  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/grace-reynolds-on-mindfulness-neurocoaching-the-quickest-and-easiest-path-to-post-traumatic-growth/ [xii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #63 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-hans-appel-on-building-award-winning-culture-in-your-school-or-organization/ [xiii] Dr. Joe Dispenza Present Moment Meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-fXn1ot51s [xiv] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast on Heart Rate Variability The Most Important Biomarker for Tracking Health and Recovery  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-review-of-heart-rate-variability-the-most-important-biomarker-for-tracking-health-recovery-and-resilience/ [xv] How to Brainwash Yourself for Success and Destroy Negative Thoughts with Dr. Joe Dispenza (Tom Bilyeu Interview) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La9oLLoI5Rc&t=6s [xvi] Case Study of Becoming Supernatural https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7wBJ7JIQKI [xvii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast on The Silva Mind Control 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/ [xviii] The Courageous Heart Meditation https://drjoedispenza.com/product-details/The%20Courageous%20Heart [xix] How to be in the moment with mindful meditation Dr. Andrew Huberman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrT17yQKhb4 [xx]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast with Dr. Daniel J 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/ [xxi]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Review of Dr. Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness Meditation  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-science-behind-a-meditation-practice-with-a-deep-dive-into-dr-dan-siegel-s-wheel-of-awareness/ [xxii]Science-Based Mental Training and Visualization for Improved Learning by Dr. Andrew Huberman  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RYyQRQFgFk [xxiii] How to Learn Skills Faster by Dr. Andrew Huberman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ0IBzCjEPk [xxiv]How to Feel Elevated Emotions You've Never Felt Before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kxmd7d6GPE  

“As the acceptance of expanded human potential gains mainstream momentum, the question has shifted from “What is possible in our lives?” to “How do we do it? How do we awaken our extraordinary potential in everyday life?” (Dr. Joe Dispenza). Today we will look at these questions and take a shallow dive, not a deep one, as there are many layers to how exactly we live up to the full potential we all have within us, or like the name of Joe Dispenza's book, Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon. Today we will begin this exploration and identify clear strategies to awaken the extraordinary potential in each of us.Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) 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 uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.    For today's episode #306, we are going to look closely at the work of someone I have been forbidden by my mentor and neuroscience certification trainer, Mark Waldman, to EVER interview. When I first launched this podcast back in 2019, there were many reasons for WHY I wanted to bridge the gaps I saw in the field of education and the workplace, with practical neuroscience. To do this, I knew I needed training and obtained an Advanced Certification in Mindfulness-based Neurocoaching, where one of the MANY requirements for this Certification was that I had to show an application of practical neuroscience in the world, or just show that I was using what I was learning to help others. I told Mark Waldman about my podcast, and had him of for one of our early EP #30[i] in December of 2019 and shared with him my vision of who I would interview, and where I wanted to take this podcast. He told me he liked this idea, but since I was going to use this for his Certification requirement, he said “You must never interview anyone who covers pseudoscience” and said I must keep true evidence-based science (proven from articles on Pubmed) at the forefront. I thought, of course, why would I want to cover fake science and spread that into the world, and then he said it. “You must never interview Joe Dispenza!” And I thought “Oh no!”  I love that guy. His name was written on my wall as a potential future guest and while I agreed at the time to keep the podcast focused on science, I never did cross Dr. Dispenza off my list. I first heard about Joe Dispenza when I worked in the motivational speaking industry and while I knew about his seminars, how crazy the results were that people obtained, and some of the advanced technologies he used like epigenetics testing, brain mapping with EEGs and gas discharge visualization technology (GDV). I also knew that some people, including Mark Waldman, would consider Joe Dispenza's work to be pseudoscience, but I always put the results first in my mind, and hoped that one day, science could help prove what he has been teaching for years. Joe Dispenza says it himself in the first few pages of his book, Becoming Supernatural. He writes: Dr. Dispenza let go of his critics and decided to move forward with wanting to share his message with the world. He believes in a world where possibility exists, and he will challenge our thinking using his own personal experience of transformation, through meditation and his ability to change his health (which really could be applied to any area of your life-change your results, finances, whatever it is you want to change) purely by changing our thoughts. This was one of the first concepts Bob Proctor from EP 66[ii] taught in his seminars. We had to change our thinking first in order to change our future results. We had Adele Spraggon on EP #184[iii] where she teaches about the importance of paying attention to our feelings before we think and act with her concept she writes about in her Shift book, so we can begin to make our habits work for us, instead of against us. So here are some questions I've been looking for an answer to since I launched this podcast 5 years ago. I wonder: Can our current, present day thoughts impact our future? Can we impact our own health (and results for that matter) purely by what we think? Can my energy influence another person, and can someone else's energy influence mine? Can someone's energy be felt? Can our energy field be seen? This is what Joe Dispenza has been working on proving for years, and he's been using the most forward thinking tools to do this, and one of them, GDV (gas discharge visualization) was developed by a brilliant Russian man, Konstantin Korotkov.[iv] I put a video explanation from Physics Professor, Konstantin Korotkov in the show notes, where he explains the history of his invention (GDV) that began with what we know to be called Kurlian Photography, that was not embraced by the scientific community. I know this well, as this was one of the reasons my first book, The Secret for Teens Revealed[v] couldn't be taught in our schools when I first began working with students. Jeff Kleck from EP 246[vi] circled Kirlian Photography in the second chapter of my book, and wrote “science can't prove that!” Well, with all due respect to those who think that are thoughts cannot influence our future, they can with GDV technology that we can find all over Pubmed articles, showing that we all have an energy field and we are all connected and “can influence each other.”  Konstantin Korotkov calls this electrophonics and explains it's origin that goes back to 1777 in Brazil and then Russia. I typed Gas Discharge Photography into Pubmed, and found hundreds of articles, including one that showed “Applications of GDV Imaging in Health and Disease”[vii] and in the Journal of Education, Health and Sport, found an article “The Parameters of GDV (biophotonics) correlated with parameters of acupuncture points, EEG, HRV and hormones.”[viii] This advanced GDV Technology shows “that we have energy fields…it can show physical energy distribution, emotional energy distribution, psychological energy distribution, and our relationship of our inner state to the outer world.”[ix] Of course, I jumped at the chance to find Dr. Korotkov, and asked if he would come on the podcast, so I could ask him some questions, and dive deeper into understanding how our thoughts, and energy fields can influence ourselves, others, our mental and physical health, and our futures. Stay tuned, he has agreed to an interview. In the meantime, he did let me know that he will be hosting the Bio-Well Congress in Orlando, Florida November 10-12th at the Orlando Hilton Hotel. So it looks like the answers to all the questions that I asked above, that I've wondered over the years, would be a solid, scientifically proven YES, to all of them, and Dr. Joe Dispenza has been teaching this for years. Before I share why I wanted to cover this topic today, I've got to begin with the fact that we are all connected, and have an energy field. Dr. Korotkov has been searching for ways to bridge the gap from the unseen world of energy, with scientific principles, and says “there is clear evidence that we influence each other.”[x] This is something I always felt, but never really understood. I noticed certain things when I was in my late 20s, and thought they would be too “woo woo” to share on the podcast, and this is definitely one of them. I began to notice some people would have brighter lights around them, and appeared to me to be Supernatural like Dr. Dispenza would say. I could pick out people in the seminar room when I worked with Bob Proctor who I could see had this bright light around them, and when this light was paired with a belief for what they were doing, was the recipe for them to achieve outstanding results in the world. It happened time and time again. I remember the first person I saw shining brighter than all of us sitting at a table, and it just made me wonder What's different about that person than the rest of us? How are they thinking and feeling? Why do I see and feel their energy? When I went to work with Proctor in the seminar industry, I had the opportunity to put these questions into practice, and became highly developed with this superpower. When I see or feel this heightened sense of energy in people today, (this is not a common occurrence) but when I notice it, I'll share it with them, at the risk of them thinking I'm completely crazy. The other day, my husband and I were out for dinner, and I saw it with the young woman who was serving us. She looked like she was in her 20s, or maybe early 30s, and she was hustling like I've never seen. Then I noticed this young woman was pregnant! When she was took our order she sat down next to me to catch her breath, and it was here that I told her “You know you're special, right?” She said “what do you mean?” And I told her what I could see. She looked at me with some level of disbelief, but also another level that she knew what I was talking about. I told her to find my podcast, and listen to episode 66 so she could see where my path began, and she wrote it down, thanked me, and then told me to look up the book Becoming Supernatural.[xi] While driving home that night I did, and discovered where Dr. Joe Dispenza's path began. So for today's episode #306 “Decoding Our Thoughts: How to Build a Better Future with the Power of Our Mind” I dedicate this to the young woman who hustles every night. She knows who she is. When most of us were pregnant, we could barely stand on our feet. Not this woman. She knows how to create her future, and it starts with the belief she has in herself, and her dreams, that is strong enough that I could see it and feel it just merely by her sitting next to me. I hope she finds the path that's meant for her, and lives every moment of peace, joy and abundance that she deserves for herself and her baby who's on the way.   Then I also wish this for you, the listener. I hope you'll look at Dr. Dispenza's work, that's backed by Dr. Korotkov's GDV technology, and recognize how far they both have come to share these evidence-based ideas into the world and then see how YOU can use them to improve your own health, results and future, keeping in mind that: Our current, present day thoughts can impact our future. We can impact our own health (and results for that matter) purely by what we think. Our energy can influence another person, and someone else's energy can influence ours. Our energy be felt, and it also can be seen with devices that measure this information scientifically. Just like some other books we have looked at, I want to break down Dr. Dispenza's Becoming Supernatural into a few episodes. On today's episode, we will cover: Chapter 1: Opening the Door to the Supernatural and Chapter 2 The Present Moment. At the end we will look at specific strategies of where we can begin, so that we can build a solid belief in ourselves, and our future potential. Chapter 1: Opening the Door to the Supernatural This book opens up with a Foreword from Dr. Dawson Church, who we interviewed on EP #98[xii] who covered “The Science Behind Using Meditation.” Dr. Church's interview[xiii] has now become our MOST watched YouTube interview, showing me that the world wants to understand how meditation can take us to new heights. I've also mentioned often that The Silva Method Series[xiv] is our most listened to podcast episode, all focused on using the power of our mind, to take us to new heights. Dr. Church writes in his Foreword that “Joe stretches the horizons of possibility by extending the boundaries of the unknown.” (Becoming Supernatural) Joe Dispenza opens up this book with a fascinating story of how he knew he was wasting his time, energy and talent worrying about what other people thought of him, and how he took an accident he had on his bike, where he was told he would never walk again, and used the power of his own mind, through a guided meditation, to heal his body.  “9.5 weeks after the accident, (he) got up, and walked back into (his) life—without having any body cast or surgeries” (Becoming Superhuman Ch 1). What I noticed with this first chapter was that Dr. Dispenza took us back to when he didn't have the belief in himself, or his own ideas. He was still worried about what other people thought of him. His belief happened over time, when he let go (surrendered) to what others thought of him, and moved forward, full force, with the belief in his own future potential. He had to let go, or break free. I remember Proctor would say, “Make a committed decision” when doing something. Don't ask others, “what do you think” and go in half way, you must DECIDE to move forward, with everything you've got. Then he'd remind us of the Latin Root of the word decide which a combination of two words.  De=off and caedere= cut and he'd remind us when we decide something that we cut off all ties to any other option. Decide and move forward, never looking back. When I was reading this chapter, it was very clear that Dr. Dispenza didn't find it easy to heal his body. He explained how pain-stakingly difficult it was to replicate this meditative experience he had where he was able to “see” and “feel” things in this special state called hypnogogic sleep, in between sleep and wakefulness. I'm not sure where those of you who are listening are with your meditation practice as we are all at different levels, but I understood what Dr. Dispenza was saying. Sometimes you want to sit down and force something to happen, but that's never how it works. You have to be completely relaxed, your body in a state of let go or surrender, and then the magic happens… That's exactly what Joe Dispenza did to open up the door to becoming Supernatural. Once he broke free and made a committed decision to teach this work, he described how he would live into his future potential by healing his own body first, and then showing others how to do the same with his seminars and workshops. He explained how he: “selected that intentional future and married it with the elevated emotion of what it would be like to be there in that future, in the present moment (his) body began to believe it was actually in that future experience. As (his) ability to observe (his) desired destiny (with intention) got sharper and sharper, (his) cells began to reorganize themselves. I began to signal new genes in new ways, and then (his) body really started getting better faster.” (Ch 1, Becoming Superhuman). TO PUT THIS INTO ACTION: MAKE A COMMITTED DECISION Have you made a committed decision to whatever it is that you want to do? Not one foot in, the other out, testing the ground? Are you fully committed like Dr. Dispenza was when he let go of worrying about what others thought of him? REMEMBER: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness… the moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred… boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Chapter 2: The Present Moment The way a person thinks and feels creates a person's state of well-being. We know this can be scientifically proven by Dr. Korotkov's GDV technology just by measuring the energy field from our finger tips, he can with accuracy, tell us what's going on inside that person's body (emotionally, psychologically) and then determine our relationship with this inner state to the outer world. Or in other words, what we THINK, on the inside, will show up on the outside. Dr. Dispenza says it this way explaining that “the familiar past will sooner or later become the predictable future.” (Ch 2, Becoming Supernatural). I heard Proctor explain it another way by explaining that “our results were a compilation of our thoughts, feelings and actions” and he could look at someone, and determine their level of thinking, purely based on the results they were obtaining. Now the funny part about this, is that many teachers explain the same thing, just a slightly different way. To determine a person's level of thinking, Proctor would ask them “what's the most amount of money you've ever made in one year” because he would quickly be able to see that person's level of awareness. He would say that there's no difference in ability of someone who earns $50K/year to someone who earns $50 Million/year, except the level of awareness of how to do it. Our thoughts, in the present moment, determine our current reality. If we don't like the reality we are in, it starts with changing our thoughts. To do this, we've often got to get out of our own way, and start to study and understand how our thoughts, feelings and actions create the world we live in. We've all heard that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. The same idea with our results. “If we keep the same routine as yesterday, it makes sense that your tomorrow is going to be a lot like your yesterday. Your future is just a rerun of your past. That's because your yesterday is creating your tomorrow.” (Ch 2 Becoming Superhuman). Whatever way we describe it, we will not be able to change our results in the future, unless we do something different in the NOW. We must be able to choose different thoughts (towards a new goal), feelings, and actions, to create a NEW, unknown event in our future. I've drawn out Dr. Dispenza's Predictable Timeline from Chapter 2, that shows us how “the familiar past will sooner or later become the predictable future” (Dispenza) or that we will never be able to suddenly jump to a new salary for example, without first of all thinking/feeling/acting in an entirely NEW way in the present moment. A NEW, unknown event, requires NEW thoughts/feelings/actions in the present moment. The ONLY way to change our future, is to change our current state of being. IMAGE CREDIT: Andrea hand drew the image from Chapter 2 Becoming Superhuman   TO PUT THIS INTO ACTION: DO YOU KNOW WHAT ENERGY YOU ARE BROADCASING OUT TO THE WORLD? This is where the hustling pregnant server comes to mind. She was working hard, doing her thing, and doing everything she knew how to do to change her future in some way. I'm not sure what her vision for her future really is, but I could clearly see and feel she was hustling to get somewhere, and I had no doubt in my mind that she would arrive, exactly where she wanted to go. She was broadcasting it out loudly and clearly to the world, and I know I'm not the only one who could see it. What about you? Are you doing everything you can in the present moment to create an unknown event in your future? Are you keeping your thoughts positive, doing everything you know how to do, with your vision held on the screen of your mind? If you've asked others for feedback on the actions you are taking, what do they say? Is there anything else you can do to improve? In your heart you will know if you are giving your all from the minute you wake up, to the moment you close your eyes and go to sleep. This is the daily grind we talked about on EP 38[xv] that's well known in the sports world. While working on a daily basis, and keeping our energy levels high, over time, with this effort, and being focused on what we are broadcasting out into the world, (making sure we are thinking/feeling/acting in a positive way) we will eventually create the space for an unknown, or unpredictable event that will take us to new heights of achievement. It happens in the sales industry when you work really hard and get what we sometimes call a “blue-bird sale” where someone calls you and says “I have money to spend, and must spend it by the end of the day” and you never could have predicted this occurring, but you had the space for it, and you're ready for it. Or you run into someone unexpectedly who connects you to someone else, who advances you in some way, to where you want to go. It's an unknown event that many people would say “woah, how on the earth did that happen?” Dr. Dispenza and other teachers would say that it was created, predictably, by doing certain things, a certain way. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION: To review and conclude today's EP #306 on “Decoding Our Thoughts: How to Build a Better Future with the Power of Our Mind” we looked at the following questions: Can our current, present day thoughts impact our future? Can we impact our own health (and results for that matter) purely by what we think? Can my energy influence another person, and can someone else's energy influence mine? Can someone's energy be felt? Can our energy field be seen? Then we: ✔ Were introduced to Dr. Joe Dispenza and his book Becoming Supernatural with a brief introduction to how I was forbidden to ever cover Dr. Dispenza's work, and why I'm covering it today. ✔ Learned about the Russian Scientist Dr. Konstantin Korotkov, and his GDV invention (that he calls elecrophonic imaging) that measures our physical, emotional and psychological energy distribution that provides “clear evidence that we influence each other.” We will learn more about how this device maps our inner state of mind with our outer world and much more from Dr. Korotkov on our NEXT episode (first week in October). ✔ Looked at Becoming Supernatural Chapter 1: Opening the Door to the Supernatural with some thoughts for you to put this chapter into practice in your daily life. Do you know what you REALLY want? Have you made a committed DECISION towards your goals? Have you let go of what others think of you, and surrendered to doing what it takes to achieve your goals? ✔ Looked at Becoming Supernatural Chapter 2: The Present Moment, with some thoughts for you to put this chapter into practice in your daily life. Are we aware of the energy that you broadcast out into the world? (If not, have you asked others for feedback on how you show up in the workplace or family life?) Are we doing everything possible to move the needle towards your goals (or whatever it is that you are working on)? Have we made space for unknown events to occur in your life to move you forward? And with this introduction to Dr. Dispenza's work, we will learn how the tools he has been using to gather the scientific evidence he needed to prove that our thoughts REALLY do matter for our health, results and future, were invented. I'm hoping to have interviewed Dr. Korotkov by the first week in October, so we will miss a week while I'm traveling, next week, but looking forward to what we will uncover, and see you in October.   REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #30 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/neuroscience-researcher-mark-robert-waldman-on-brain-network-theory-and-the-12-brain-based-experiential-living-principles/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #66 with Bob Proctor  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #184 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/adele-spraggon-on-using-science-to-break-up-with-your-bad-habits-in-4-simple-steps/   [iv] What is Gas Discharge Visualization? Konstantin Korotkov Published in 2012 in YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhBYqkos-Xk   [v] The Secret for Teens Revealed Published by Andrea Samadi 2009 https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Teens-Revealed-Teenagers-Leadership/dp/1604940336   [vi] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #246 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/jeff-kleck-on-using-neuroscience-to-inspire-thinkers-in-schools-sport-and-the-workplace/   [vii] Applications of GDV Imaging in Health and Disease Published by Suman Bista et al Sept. 26, 2023 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35648690/   [viii]The Parameters of GDV (biophotonics) correlated with parameters of acupuncture points, EEG, HRV and hormones Published by Valeriy Babelyuk et al Dec. 31, 2021  https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/36914 [ix] IBID [x] IBID [xi] Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon by Dr. Joe Dispenza published March 5, 2019 https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TKnILrcoq8owYPSSSkpNzs_NzEtXKC4tSC3KSywpLUrMUUjKz88GAEIPD3c&q=becoming+supernatural+book&oq=becooming+supernatueral+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j46i13i433i512j0i13i512l7.7875j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 [xii]Neuroscience Meets SEL 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/   [xiii] YouTube interview with Andrea Samadi and Dr. Dawson Church  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH8yVKHjFN4   [xiv] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast on The Silva Mind Control 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/   [xv]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #38 with Todd Woodcroft https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/assistant-coach-to-the-winnipeg-jets-todd-woodcroft-on-the-daily-grind-in-the-nhl/  

"Neuroplasticity knows no bounds; it is a lifelong journey of growth, learning, and personal transformation." – Dr. Andrew Huberman whose quote we ended our last EPISODE on a “Deeper Diver into Neuroplasticity.” On today's episode we will review: ✔ Tips for regrowing our brain cells (neurogenesis) ✔ A reminder of what prevents neurogenesis and hurts our brain and what we can do to help increase neurogenesis in our brain. ✔ What's the Difference Between Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis? ✔ What's the Controversy with Neurogenesis? What's the difference between Neuroplasticity, that we covered on EPISODE #302[i] (that knows no bounds) that's defined as “the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways and change how it's circuits are wired; (as shown so well in the Sentis YouTube video that gives us a representation of these pathways visually, and what they look like in our brain when we create NEW pathways).[ii] This we KNOW we can do throughout our lifetime, (while) neurogenesis is the even more amazing ability for the brain to grow new neurons (Bergland, 2017).[iii]  And on today's episode #303, we will take a closer look at “What Exactly IS Neurogenesis and Why is it Controversial Among Neuroscientists.”[iv] Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) 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 uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.    For today's episode #303, and in keeping with our Season Theme of Going Back to the Basics, to take our learning to new heights, I'm going back to EPISODE #141[v] on “Neurogenesis: What Helps or Hurts our Brain Cells” because it became clear to me that while researching for our last episode that Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis are closely connected, but the former is widely accepted, while the latter holds some controversy. In our first episode on neurogenesis, we looked at: ✔ Tips for regrowing our brain cells (neurogenesis) ✔ A reminder of what prevents neurogenesis and hurts our brain and what we can do to help increase neurogenesis in our brain. Dr. Andrew Huberman on Neurogenesis While researching Dr. Huberman's work last week on neuroplasticity, he mentioned that there was “bad news” with “neurogenesis” and that many people think that they can exercise and add “new neurons” in the brain and “that after age 14, the human nervous system adds few new neurons.”[vi] He said that “in rodents neurogenesis could occur but in humans it was less obvious” and “that while we can't add new neurons, we can change our nervous system”[vii] and dives deeper into the definition of neuroplasticity and why this holds no bounds. Now I'm starting to see the controversy in this topic, as I went back to my first look at Neurogenesis. Dr. David Perlmutter (a board-certified neurologist) on Neurogenesis and Dr. John Ratey, the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain To open up EP 141 from June 2021, I quoted Dr. David Perlmutter, a board-certified neurologist and six-time New York Times bestselling author who said “the best way to increase neurogenesis (regrow your brain cells) is “when your body produces more BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (Dr. David Perlmutter) and we covered this topic deeply on EP 274[viii] “What New With BDNF: Building a Faster, Stronger and More Resilient Brain.” I even remember Dr. John Ratey[ix] the author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain said that BDNF was like “Miracle-Gro for the brain” (you can't forget some of the things some people say over the years and he cites a paper where he talked about how brain cells “do grow back in the hippocampus (and that in the study he sited), they saw while looking at the brains of terminally ill patients who had donated their body to science (Cancer patients who had been injected with a dye that shows up in proliferating cells so that the spread of the disease could be tracked) found their hippocampi were packed with dye marker, proof that the neurons were dividing and propagating—a process called neurogenesis.”[x] (Page 48, Spark) Dr. Ratey's book Spark, talks about “how to kick-start neurogenesis” and where the research began, causing me to think back to Dr. Perlmutter's website where he mentioned that BDNF causes neurogenesis or new cells to form in our brain. He cites the studies that show how “exercise training increases the size of the hippocampus and improves memory” exactly what Dr. Ratey saw that made such a huge difference with those students he worked with at Naperville High School. Dr. Perlmutter's video talks about the study that showed that after 1 year of aerobic exercise, “exercisers had a marked increase in BDNF, and they showed substantial improvement in memory function.”[xi]    Then I found another video I watched in our last episode from Sandrine Thuret called “It's Possible to Grow New Brain Cells” where she said that “we produce 700 new neurons a day in the hippocampus”[xii] Sandrine Thuret's TED TALK lists many ways you can grow new brain cells (the highlighted words) with intermittent fasting, flavonoids (found in dark chocolate) and caffeine being a few evidence-based strategies. Conversely, she mentions a diet high in saturated fat, sugar or ethanol, will have a negative impact on neurogenesis. She even showed a study (from Praag, Kepermann and Gage) where rats who were runners shows an increase in neurogenesis vs the control group who were non-runners that Dr. Ratey talks about in his book Spark. What Does This All Mean? Where's the Controversy? Neuroplasticity vs Neurogenesis To review and conclude this episode on “Diving Deeper into Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis” I think we've got a clear picture of how neuroplasticity works from our last episode, (by making a conscious effort to build new neural pathways in our brain when we learn something new) but the topic of how we can grow new neurons seems to be where the controversy exists. It seems like this is only possible in the hippocampus but I still do wonder why a neurologist like Dr. Perlmutter says neurogenesis is possible through exercise[xiii], while another respected neuroscientist's stance is that “in humans this is less obvious.”[xiv]  This is where the deep learning comes into our study, and being open to what we might uncover here. If we aren't continually questioning what we are learning, then we aren't thinking at all. Mark Waldman's AHA Moment: What Neuroplasticity Is and Isn't While thinking about why neurogenesis is “less obvious” in humans, as it might be in rodents, like Sandrine Thuret's TED TALK covered, and even Dr. Ratey took the same rodent study and made a comparison to the students at Naperville whose test scores improved after running. Then I remembered my mentor Mark Waldman made me think deeply about this when he wrote about “What Neuroplasticity Is and Isn't”[xv] where he explained an article “Adult Neurogenesis in Humans”[xvi] that ended up being my AHA Moment of learning here. He said to “imagine the brain as a city map, and instead of there being 214 streets in Manhattan, imagine that it had a million streets! No room for buildings, just streets winding and weaving east to west, north to south, up and down and diagonal, all woven together like a giant hairball. Each city is a brain function – vision, movement, memory, imagination, feelings, etc. – and the entire state of New York would have cities upon cities woven together on top and alongside each other. Those billions of roads have trillions of cul-de-sacs which are the synapses. Can you visualize that? Below is an actual slice of a thousandth of a millimeter of mouse brain: Everything is jam packed but you the traveler can decide which road or neural pathway to take in order to reach a specific destination to help you perform some action of achieve a particular goal. The fastest your brain can process information is about 60 bits per second, and he guesses that any cognitive function would be traveling around 2,000 miles per hour down those roadways in your brain! Now we can ACCURATELY visualize what plasticity looks like in the adult human brain a bit deeper than what we first looked at the Sentis YouTube with the connections in our brain this way. This was my FIRST look at neuroplasticity, and this video came out 10 years ago. Look at the difference with this image that came from the research paper Mark Waldman read on “Adult Neurogenesis in Humans” that changed his thinking about neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. He said “the roads/neurons don't change but the tiny exits that lead you to another neuron can slowly move to a different synapse, similar to how switch-ways work on a railroad track. That's where synaptic plasticity takes place and that's what happens when you learn something new: You're beginning to find new pathways that create different decisions and behaviors. Waldman went on to point out some main take-aways from this Paper on Neuroplasticity but the ones I want to mention are that   “This kind of plasticity does not add or replace neurons.” “the exception is a process called “adult neurogenesis” conferred by active stem cell niches…in restricted regions [olfactory bulb & hippocampus]” (Confirmed by Dr. Huberman's research)[xvii] “After 60 years of intense research and more than 10,000 peer-reviewed publications, we still do not know if our brain maintains such capability.” Synaptic changes are very slow, involved with learning and brain repair. Stem cell-driven “adult neurogenesis” is still far in the future. ------------ La Rosa C, Parolisi R, Bonfanti L. Brain Structural Plasticity: From Adult Neurogenesis to Immature Neurons. Front Neurosci. 2020 Feb 4;14:75. Review and Conclusion: Neuroplasticity vs Neurogenesis: Uncovering the Controversy So now I've opened up a bit more as to “WHY” this topic holds controversy among neuroscientists, and I think while this is a good start at explaining how Neuroplasticity is different than Neurogenesis, I do want to leave this topic open, to come back to at a later date, and see what else we can add to our understanding In the meantime, I'll continue to read, learn and think of how this learning can apply to our daily life.  While researching this topic, I found an article I like called What is Neuroplasticity[xviii] written just this past April 2023. It explains neuroplasticity thoroughly, and how it applies to learning, a growth mindset, and how it changes as we age. It covers neuroplasticity and how it can help with anxiety, which made me think back to when we changed our brain with Dr. Caroline Leaf's 5 Step Process for Cleaning Up Our Mental Mess on EP #299.[xix] It even covers neuroplasticity exercises for treating chronic pain that took me back to our interview with Ashok Gupta[xx] a well-known brain-training neuroplasticity expert who taught us how to use our brain and mind to manage chronic pain and illness. At the end of this article there are YouTube videos from many of the experts we've covered on this podcast like Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Joe Dispenza, and books from Dr. Caroline Leaf, and Norman Doidge. But what was missing, was more about Neurogenesis and how we can change actually change our brain, not just re-wire the pathways in it, there were a bunch of quotes at the end of this article but they were all about neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity Quotes Among other things, neuroplasticity means that emotions such as happiness and compassion can be cultivated in much the same way that a person can learn through repetition to play golf and basketball or master a musical instrument, and that such practice changes the activity and physical aspects of specific brain areas.--Andrew Weil Because of the power of neuroplasticity, you can, in fact, reframe your world and rewire your brain so that you are more objective. You have the power to see things as they are so that you can respond thoughtfully, deliberately, and effectively to everything you experience.--Elizabeth Thornton Any man could, if he were so inclined, be the sculptor of his own brain.--Santiago Ramón y Cajal Meditation invokes that which is known in neuroscience as neuroplasticity; which is the loosening of the old nerve cells or hardwiring in the brain, to make space for the new to emerge.--Craig Krishna Everything having to do with human training and education has to be re-examined in light of neuroplasticity.--Norman Doidge Neurons that fire together wire together.--Donald O. Hebb (Dr. Huberman would say this came from Carla Shatz) Brains are tricky and adaptable organs. For all the ‘neuroplasticity' allowing our brains to reconfigure themselves to the biases of our computers, we are just as neuroplastic in our ability to eventually recover and adapt.--Douglas Rushkoff Our brains renew themselves throughout life to an extent previously thought not possible.--Michael S. Gazzaniga Our minds have the incredible capacity to both alter the strength of connections among neurons, essentially rewiring them, and create entirely new pathways. (It makes a computer, which cannot create new hardware when its system crashes, seem fixed and helpless).--Susannah Cahalan Where are the quotes for Neurogenesis? Like the quote I found from Dr. Perlmutter who said “We can regrow brain cells and retain this ability throughout our entire lifetime.” Is this only possible in our hippocampus? Or will science someday reveal that adult neurogenesis is possible like what Mark Walman mentioned with stem-cell adult neurogenesis that he thinks is far in the future? Until we know for sure, I'm going to stick with doing what I know helps my brain according to Dr. Perlmutter's work, and Sandrine Thuret's TEDTALK where she says by doing certain things like the words she's highlighted in her graphic, we can create neurogenesis that's important for learning and memory, and I'll avoid the non-highlighted words that she says prevents neurogenesis. And I'll come back to this episode at a future date to see what else we can add to accelerate our understanding of “Neuroplasticity vs Neurogenesis.” With that thought, I hope this episode has made you think deeper about your brain, especially when it comes to making choices that we know can improve our ability to build a stronger, more resilient brain by doing what helps it (and our brain cells) instead of what hurts it, and I'll see you next week.   REFERENCES:   [i] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-and-a-deeper-dive-into-applying-neuroplasticity-to-learn-something-new/ [ii] Neuroplasticity Published on YouTube November 6, 2012  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g [iii] What is Neuroplasticity: A Psychologist Explains [14+ Tools] by Courtney E Ackerman, MA, Published July 25, 2018, Scientifically reviewed by Melissa Madeson, Ph.D. https://positivepsychology.com/neuroplasticity/#google_vignette [iv] Adult Neurogenesis in Human: A Review of Basic Concepts, History, Current Research, and Clinical Implications Published May 1, 2019 by Ashutosh Kumar, MD. et al.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6659986/ [v] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-neurogenesis-what-hurts-or-helps-your-brain-cells/ [vi] Dr. Andrew Huberman Lab Podcast EPISODE #6 “How to Focus to Change Your Brain” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG53Vxum0as [vii] IBID [viii] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-what-s-new-with-bdnf-building-a-faster-stronger-more-resilient-brain/ [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#116 with Dr. John Ratey on “The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/best-selling-author-john-j-ratey-md-on-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain/ [x] Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey, MD (January 10, 2008) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D7GQ887/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 [xi] https://www.drperlmutter.com/neurogenesis-re-grow-new-brain-cells-exercise/ [xii]Is It Possible to Grow New Brain Cells by Sandrine Thuret published Dec. 8th, 2017  https://capture.dropbox.com/W0af55YnE3LhDb0M [xiii] https://www.drperlmutter.com/neurogenesis-re-grow-new-brain-cells-exercise/ [xiv] Dr. Andrew Huberman Lab Podcast EPISODE #6 “How to Focus to Change Your Brain” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG53Vxum0as [xv] Mark Waldman “What Neuroplasticity is and isn't” Published on Facebook Nov. 10, 2020 https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1300824310263746&set=a.112516002427922 [xvi] Adult Neurogenesis in Human: A Review of Basic Concepts, History, Current Research, and Clinical Implications Published May 1, 2019 by Ashutosh Kumar, MD. et al.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6659986/ [xvii] Dr. Andrew Huberman Lab Podcast EPISODE #6 “How to Focus to Change Your Brain” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG53Vxum0as [xviii] What is Neuroplasticity: A Psychologist Explains [14+ Tools] by Courtney E Ackerman, MA, Published July 25, 2018, Scientifically reviewed by Melissa Madeson, Ph.D. https://positivepsychology.com/neuroplasticity/#google_vignette [xix] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-a-deep-dive-into-dr-carolyn-leaf-s-5-scientifically-proven-steps-to-clean-up-our-mental-mess-so-we-can-help-our-children/ [xx] https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/ashok-gupta-on-heath-and-happiness-getting-to-the-root-of-chronic-pain-and-illness-long-covid-fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-and-others/  

"Self-regulation will always be a challenge, but if somebody's going to be in charge, it might as well be me." Daniel Akst Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/xjPY1-gmuNk On Today's EPISODE #298 we will cover:  ✔ What exactly is trauma and what does it look like in our brain? ✔ How do we become “traumatized”? (as an adult or child)? ✔ How can we recognize “traumatic” experiences in our life, so we can address them, (trauma-informed strategies) heal from them, and prevent them from holding us back? ✔ If our Primal Emotions are hard-wired into our brain, then how do we overcome them? (FEARS, ANGER etc)?  ✔ How can we eliminate things that are worrying us? Our CRAP (conflicts, resistances, anxieties, and problems)?  Welcome back to Season 10 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) 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 uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.    For today's episode #298, we will be speaking with someone I got to know well, as we both took and became certified with a neuroscience certification course, through Mark Waldman[i], learning the basics of neuroscience and a unique technique called neurocoaching that we can both use to help individuals, schools or organizations. Grace Reynolds, who lives in Tasmania, Australia, (near Antarctica) went on to achieve a deeper level of certification as an advanced certified trauma centered neurocoach. We've been friends and colleagues for years studying and learning brain-based coaching strategies, and she recently asked me “have you covered neuroscience and trauma yet?” I knew that we've touched on it, but hadn't covered it thoroughly yet. We have covered trauma and the brain in pieces with Dr. Bruce Perry's[ii] What Happened to You book, Sarah Peyton[iii] and her work on anxiety and self-regulation, or Dr. Lori Desautels'[iv] work on rewiring our perceptions of discipline in our schools, and it was even a part of our interview with Hans Appel[v], a school counselor whose book, Award Winning Culture took off in schools across the country.  I remember while reading Hans' book, it was in the first few pages that he mentioned how he had a difficult childhood, and he talked about how the sound of his back door opening after school would make his skin crawl as he remembered the trauma that would occur for him in his life after school, urging him to spend more and more time at school, away from home. I wonder how many of our students have stories like this. I remember in the first few pages of Dr. Bruce Perry's What Happened to You book, he talked about a student who would act out in class. It turned out that the teacher's cologne was triggering him to a bad memory of a past experience, showing us that triggers can occur and set us off when we least expect it. I wonder: How do past traumas show up and do they impact our life?  What Can They Teach Us About How We Might Respond to Certain Situations? What strategies can we use to help us to maintain balance in our life? While I didn't have an experience as painful as Hans Appel's, or the student with the cologne, these stories made me remember something from over 20 years ago that made my skin crawl, and still does. Psychological trauma impacts our brain, and can trigger us to feel threatened even when we are not in a threatening situation. When I hear the sound of ice hitting a glass from a refrigerator ice machine, this sound takes me back to a time when I remember someone pouring themselves another drink, at night, and I just didn't understand it. I can see the memory and feel the unhappiness from that time period, clearly each time I hear that sound. This traumatic memory shows me that trauma once it hits our brain, embeds itself deeply in there, until we can uncover it, identify it, and then figure out what we will do with it (forgive it) so it loses its power over us, or doesn't interfere with our future results. Trauma is something that we have recently begun to train our teachers with. Our episode with Dr. Michael Gaskell[vi] on leading schools through trauma remains one of our top most listened to episodes, and I have communicated with Mathew Portell, whose work and podcast covers Trauma Informed Education[vii]. We just haven't been able to connect to set up a time to speak but will find a way to connect his work, since there is no better time than NOW to become trauma informed. I say this at a time where it's become important to understand in my own personal life, since the world sometimes throws us curveballs, and we are forced to STOP and figure this all out. I'm sure my personal story will resonate with many of you listening, if you have children, going back to school this fall. Our girls (ages 11 and 13) have just gone back to school, (AZ students get out in May, and go back the end of July). Both are in new schools, the youngest transitioned to middle school, and the oldest in high school, and life as it was for them has changed suddenly. Life with this new transition just seemed to be a lot for both our girls, and I hear this is not uncommon. Trauma informed expert Mathew Portell, reached back to me about our interview this week, and let me know what we are experiencing with these new transitions is “becoming the norm with pre-teens and teens.” When a breakdown happens, or a situation that overtakes a child, or even an adult for that matter, we are left with trying to figure out the pieces of what to do next. In our situation, we are still working through the pieces, reading books, and looking for the best direction. I was referred to the New York Times Best Seller The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour[viii] to help us with some understanding of what might be happening to our girls as they are moving to new schools, entirely new friend groups, and new lives, and ways that we can help them to cope with these new experiences, with some understanding that goes beyond what our parents would have done for us—kicked us out the door and said “get to school” as the door slammed shut behind us.  Times are different now, and I know that when we know better, we can do better. So today I'm going to be asking our guest, Grace Reynolds for some strategies that could help all of us move forward in our lives, an understand what happens to our brain, during times of trauma and high stress. This is a topic we now teach in our schools, as you will know if you've been learning Dr. Bruce Perry's work, and his book, What Happened to You is a quick reminder of the fact that our students could possibly be misbehaving in class, because they are being triggered in some way from a past memory that has set them off.  Intro: Grace, we've known each other over the years, and I know that you've spent 45 years (or more) helping people come out of trauma. Can you share a bit about your background, and why you've been so successful in helping people in acute psychiatric hospitals, high security prisons, refugees, and schools, to understand and overcome trauma? Grace is from Tasmania, Australia! From our statistics, we can see all the listeners from Australia. Thanks for tuning in from down under.    Q1: What is different from the Mindfulness Neurocoaching we were certified with from Mark Waldman, versus other therapies and counseling? Q2: What is trauma and what does it look like in our brain? Q3: How do we help someone who has been “traumatized”? (as an adult or child)? Q4: How can we recognize “traumatic” experiences in our life and then what are some strategies you have to help someone heal from them? Q4B: What about our primal emotions (Panksepp) that are hard wired into our brain. I know you know these emotions well.  How do you teach people to overcome their FEARS (me jumping off the boat), or the FEAR of the unknown (like my daughter being afraid of her future because school is new) or ANGER? Q5: What other questions should I ask about trauma/brain? Q6: How do our core emotions/values tie in? Q7: How do we use our 7 Primal Emotions (Panksepp-Curiosity, Caring, Playfulness, Sadness, Fear, Rage/Anger, Lust) for our benefit? Q8: How do you use/teach the CRAP BOARD (to eliminate conflicts, resistances, anxieties and problems)? Q9: Final thoughts, and how can people work with you? CONNECT WITH GRACE REYNOLDS Mobile:  +61 477744767 https://www.facebook.com/mindfulneurocoaching https://twitter.com/mindfulneurocch https://www.instagram.com/mindfulneurocoaching/ FINAL THOUGHTS This interview with my good friend Grace helped me to see that no matter who we are (a parent struggling with something at work, or home) or a child struggling with life, and their new transitions, there is current brain-research and mindfulness based strategies we can all use, immediately to self-regulate, and move forward. I had forgotten about some of them, but will begin to use Grace's suggestions myself and with my family, and hope that her ideas have helped you to look a bit closer at your own life, and perhaps why certain things might make you feel uneasy. It is just the way our brain is wired to keep us safe.   How can we all use this new understanding of our brain to move us forward?   I'll let you explore how you will do this, but I'm going to update my CRAP board, and see what conflicts, resistances, anxieties and problems I have TODAY vs the one I did in 2018 to see which ones are REAL and VALID and if I can cross any of them off my list, and get them all out of my head.   I'm also going to attempt a CRAP BOARD with my girls, to see if it helps them to get their worries out of their head, and onto paper for us to look at and solve together.   And with that, I'll close out this episode and will see you next week and we go back to PART 2 of Going Back to the Basics. See you next week. RESOURCES Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #273 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-self-regulation-using-neuroscience-to-regulate-automatic-negative-thoughts-emotions-and-behaviors/ Thermoregulatory Theory of Yawning: What we Know From Over 5 Years of Research Jan. 2013  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2012.00188/full Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #287 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-neuroscience-to-understand-our-emotions-feelings-and-life/   REFERENCES:  [i]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #30  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/neuroscience-researcher-mark-robert-waldman-on-brain-network-theory-and-the-12-brain-based-experiential-living-principles/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #168 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/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #92 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-and-neuroscience-educator-sarah-peyton-on-brain-network-theory-default-mode-network-anxiety-and-emotion-regulation/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #56 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/   [v]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #63 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/author-hans-appel-on-building-award-winning-culture-in-your-school-or-organization/   [vi]Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EP #172 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-michael-gaskell-on-leading-schools-through-trauma-a-data-driven-approach-to-helping-children-heal/   [vii] Matthew Portell https://www.tienetwork.org/   [viii] The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+emotional+lives+of+teenagers&hvadid=630690198419&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9030068&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10597122911661210593&hvtargid=kwd-1871630612096&hydadcr=7635_13469277&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_olg1febz5_e  

Welcome back to Season 10 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) 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 uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.    Today we're going to go back to where we left off with EPISODE #291 “Unleashing the Power of Our Subconscious Mind” where we covered: ✔ A review of where our podcast began, and where we are going. Each episode we create, it becomes clearer to me that social and emotional skills are important for understanding who we are, and are crucial for propelling us forward. Social and emotional competencies form the backbone of who we are (our identity), along with our character, and I'd like to continue to uncover how science can strengthen this understanding, (with the topics I chosen listed in the diagram in the show notes) expanding our awareness as we move towards our goals, or whatever it is we are working on.     I remember professor of psychology, Maurice Elias summed it up well when he spoke about where SEL began for him in the mid 1970s. He saw a need for these SEL skills back then, (decades before they were infused into our classrooms) saying these skills “could propel someone forward” but he mentioned the importance of “character to steer our direction.” I've not forgotten about Character, it's an important topic that I've been writing about in my spare time. We'll cover the basic character traits in the future, showing were character fits into this equation. I know there's a lot to the formula for success, and I don't want to leave any stones unturned. For today's episode #293, we are going back to the basics, with the Fundamentals that started for me with those 12 teenagers all those years ago. When I was speaking with Brian Proctor, on our last episode, #292,[i] it hit me that some concepts we had both heard over and over again (like the hour glass that Brian put on the cover of his book that represented staying in the present moment- I had forgotten that's what it meant. I would have told a story about it representing the fact we only have a certain amount of time to live our life, and to live each moment to the fullest) reminding me of the importance of reviewing these lessons. Or some of the phrases we used to hear over and over again like “you don't need to know HOW you are going to do something, just figure out what it is that you want, and the how will show up.”  All of the concepts that we heard, that yielded results for anyone who studied and applied them, were ideas that were simple enough to understand, yet most people never followed through with them. This is what Brian Proctor wrote about in his book, and there were many lessons he learned that went much deeper than the usual topics like goal-setting, or confidence building, but there was a foundational level that everyone started with, and I'd say it was with those Fundamental lessons that we taught to the teens. We recently covered “Diving Deeper into Our Subconscious Mind”[ii] (which was the 4th tape the teens learned). Today we will cover some of the important concepts of “Using the Conscious Mind and Our Senses” and in a couple of days (when I've written the next episode, we'll cover)  “Going Beyond Our Senses: Using the Faculties of Our Mind.” This will provide us all with the solid background of these success principles that I saw working for so many people over the years. I even heard from Ryan O'Neill, from EPISODE 203[iii] recently. He's the paranormal researcher I worked with years ago, who took these ideas and used them for his family, as well as for his own results, where he skyrocketed to high levels of achievement with his work, but I would say his results were predictable. He did things a certain way. Would you know he's still reading the book I sent him in the mail (from Arizona to Scotland) in 2013, and tabbed 3 specific chapters, explaining the importance of reading Wallace Wattles “The Science of Getting Rich” book, chapters 4/14/7 in that order. I'll cover this book, (that inspired Rhonda Byrnes to create the movie, The Secret) on my next deep dive at the end of the year, but if you look at Ryan's book, from the photo is the show notes, you can tell that he actually READS it! And I don't need to see the book to know this, as his results tell me what's happening in his mind. It's all begins with this picture where you use your imagination factor to create whatever it is you want, in your mind. I didn't cover the part where we think in pictures, because I think I've covered this enough on the podcast with our review of The Silva Method.[iv]   WHAT SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT OUR CONSCIOUS MIND, so we can be sure we are using it to achieve results like Ryan O'Neill and thousands of others?   1: LEARN TO USE OUR 5 SENSES, BUT KEEP IN MIND THEY ARE LIMITED: Imagine your mind with your conscious mind as the top part of your head, the subconscious is the bottom, and your body is below this circle. Attached to your conscious mind is your 5 senses, that you use to see, hear, smell, taste and touch the outside world with. We also have the higher faculties of the mind (our ability to reason, our intuition, perception, will, memory and imagination) that help us to go beyond our 5 senses. Why would we want to think beyond our five senses? This is where David Eagleman's book, The Brain, or his podcast, Inner Cosmos, ties the science to something I had heard often over the years, but the way that Eagleman describes it, completely made sense to me.  He explains that our biology allows us to “see” certain wavelengths but we actually only see “a tenth of a trillionth of the light waves out there”[v] meaning there is much more than our human eyes can see. He expands this idea and dives into an explanation of how “radio waves, x-rays, gamma rays all have different frequencies, and we are completely unaware of them because our biology wasn't designed that way.” (Inner Cosmos Podcast). He says that “our brains are sampling just a little bit of the world” so I translated this back to what we taught those teens. We told them “don't look at what you can see with your eyes (whether it be poor grades, sports results, money in your bank account), just be open to the fact that you can change what you see, by doing things a certain way, completely changing your results. 2: REMEMBER WE HAVE THE AMAZING ABILITY TO THINK and it's the conscious mind that we call the thinking mind.  It hit me while listening to Brian Proctor's interview, that when his Dad was asking us “what do you really want” he wanted to see if we had the ability to answer him. Could we think new and original thoughts, or would we just look at him and say “I don't know.” This ability to think is what will determine our results in life, and like I said with Ryan O'Neill, his ability to think made it easy to predict the results he would have in television, by the fact he is still studying, learning, reading and applying what he is learning for these new results. It's in our conscious mind that we have the ability to THINK new thoughts, or take ideas and IMAGINE them on the screen of our minds. But how many of us create NEW ideas? Look around you right now, and notice what others are doing. Ask them questions, and see what's on their mind? I remember while studying the basics of Neuroscience with Mark Waldman, he would often say, “please interrupt me, and challenge things that I'm teaching you” as this would show that his students are thinking critically, and not just taking notes. 3: USE YOUR 5 SENSES TO GATHER INFORMATION, AND THEN GET CREATIVE taking your thoughts or ideas to a new level, using your 6 higher faculties. Imagine an idea coming into your mind. You can sense the idea, and then think about it. Do you like the idea? Does it make sense to you? You have the ability to reject an idea (using your reasoning faculty), but if you like the idea, and you accept it, maybe you even love this idea, you now send it over to your subconscious mind, that we went deep into on EP 291[vi]. This is the creative process where you take an idea (a thought), spend some time in thought about it, decide you like the idea, and with emotion, you turn it over to your subconscious mind where the magic begins. This is how Proctor taught the teens to turn their C grades into A grades (by teaching them to see an A grade with their imagination FIRST). Once they could see the new grade, they started taking the actions needed to actually earn this A grade, but it started with their ability to put this conscious idea in their mind first. They had to THINK! We heard so many stories like this over the years, especially in sports. A golfer described how he would picture the golf ball going into the cup in his imagination first, and evening hearing it spinning around. PUTTING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONSCIOUS MIND INTO PRACTICE: Take out a notepad and sketch out the diagram of the conscious mind, subconscious mind and the body (that was created by Dr. Thurman Fleet in 1934). Here's my sketch below. Now start to THINK. What do you really want? Write out YOUR IDEA, circle it, and if you resonate with what you have written, add emotion to it, and see what comes to mind when you READ what you've written. If it's a goal that stretches you, like we've mentioned before, you might read it and think “this is too far off from where I am right now” but it's here we will take the higher faculties of the mind (next episode) to help change this discord. But for now, just notice how you feel. Use your conscious mind to either accept the new idea, or reject it. When I first wrote on my notepad that I wanted to make neuroscience simple for educators and students, I remember almost wanting to hide my notebook, and not tell anyone this is what I wanted to do. It just seemed so far off from where I was, and I wasn't sure how I would ever do this. Now, I receive emails from leaders around the world, looking to see how they can add simple neuroscience into their curriculum. It just boggles my mind that it started with writing out an idea, and then taking action on the idea, until finally, one day, you look up, and you are living what you wrote. To review and close out this episode on “Using the Conscious Mind and the 5 Senses” we covered: ✔ 3 concepts about our conscious mind and our senses to help us to THINK. ✔ An activity encouraging us to write out something we REALLY want, and see how we feel about this NEW goal or idea. This will prepare us for our next episode, where we will then look at the 6 faculties of our mind (our reason, intuition, perception, our will, memory and imagination) to help us to see beyond our senses. I hope this lesson has helped you to see some of the fundamentals that I've seen take people to incredible heights. Brian Proctor outlined some other lessons learned on our last interview, and I wasn't surprised at the reaction to his episode. I always love hearing how these episodes are helping you, and Brian's interview was one I'll never forget. I'll see you in a few days for a look into the faculties of our mind, and will close with a quote reminding us to THINK. If you don't like what you see in your world, (whether you're a student, and want to change your grades, or an athlete or a salesperson who wants to change their results, it all begins with the conscious mind, and our ability to THINK, and CREATE the results we really want in our life. REFERENCES: [i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #292 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-proctor-on-my-father-knew-the-secretgrowing-up-with-bob-proctor/   [ii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #291 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-unleashing-the-power-of-our-subconscious-mind/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #203 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/case-study-with-paranormal-researcher-ryan-o-neill-on-making-your-vision-a-reality/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #261 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/a-deep-dive-with-andrea-samadi-into-applying-the-silva-method-for-improved-intuition-creativity-and-focus-part-1/   [v] David Eagleman Inner Cosmos Podcast “Can We Create New Senses for Humans?” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-we-create-new-senses-for-humans/id1677842672?i=1000616626191   [vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #291 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-unleashing-the-power-of-our-subconscious-mind/  

“Who you are depends on where you've been. Your brain is a relentless shape-shifter, constantly rewriting its own circuitry—and because your experiences are unique, so are the vast, detailed patterns in your neural networks. Because they continue to change your whole life, your identity is a moving target: it never reaches an endpoint. That's From Neuroscientist and Stanford Professor, David Eagleman's, The Brain: The Story of You. Now that REALLY made me STOP and THINK as I am about to write this next episode. I wonder: What's my identity-or what makes me-me, especially if it's a moving target. I'm not just Andrea, the host of the Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast (imagining my brain, and all its neural networks that consist of ALL the years of experience that make me, who I am today) and each day, my experiences change who I am right down to the books I'm reading, what I'm studying and learning, the people around the world I interact with, making me the person I am today. Then I wonder, who are YOU listening to this podcast? What's YOUR identity, wherever you are tuning in from around the world (and I imagine YOUR brain, and the neural networks you've created with YOUR own specific and unique life experiences. And if our identity (who we are at this point in time) is a moving target that never reaches an endpoint, can we then, create our own reality and future by continuing to re-wire our own circuitry with NEW information, and NEW ideas, that create NEW experiences that change who we could be in the future? Thus, changing our conditions, our circumstances, and our environment? That is the goal of this podcast, (to help all of us to re-wire our brains (with new information) that we'll put into action (using the most current, evidence based research) taking our results to new heights.  This is what keeps ME coming back time and time again to write new episodes.  I've put an image in the show notes that came from my study with Mark Waldman on the Default Mode Network, showing exactly what our brain looks like when we are using our imagination network to take this information we are learning, and use it in a creative way. Our whole brain lights up, connecting all of our brain regions in this process. With that thought, I want to welcome you back to our final episode of Season 9 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.  I'm Andrea Samadi, (and while we know I'm not just) an author, or an educator with a passion for learning (I think after today's episode, we will see that we are much more than our work and life experiences) and it's this understanding that will encourage us all to continue re-wiring our brains, taking us to new, and often unimaginable heights.     I'm recording this episode the end of May 2023, and plan to take some time away from the recording studio (my office) this summer. We'll be back with the start of Season 10 the end of June, as we move into the 5th year of this podcast, and our second half of “Going Back the Basics” where we'll continue through our past episodes, to see what we can add to them, with new research and ideas to take our personal and professional results to these new heights. As I started writing this episode that tied back into some of our Brain Fact Fridays on Learning, I couldn't think of what to cover specifically, because learning is behind EVERY episode we produce. I wonder, as we move towards our 5th year, and a new season when we return, what else can we uncover when it comes to “learning” with our brain in mind. Or in other words, how can we take our “learning” to new heights, or look at learning through a new lens? I glanced through some of the episodes we covered on how we learn (procedural vs declarative learning) on EP 131[i], neuroplasticity on EP 133[ii], spaced repetition, distance learning, the neuroscience of learning EP #167[iii], learning and how our emotions impact our memory EP #127[iv] , even the importance of learning skills with our non-dominant hand. While all of these topics are fascinating, I wondered what could we cover today that would take us deeper into the circuitry of our brain, and guarantee a shift of thinking for all of us, causing a lasting change with our results. Then I remembered a documentary I watched YEARS ago, from a Neuroscientist at Stanford University, and Internationally best-selling author, David Eagleman, called The Brain: The Story of You[v]. I know it was in the early days of when I was trying to make sense of why this understanding of the brain would be important for us (specifically as it related to education) so I took clear and detailed notes, and found his documentary to be interesting because it was applicable to our daily life, and I remember it changed my way of thinking. You can see the options for how to watch this documentary today, and also buy his book, The Brain: The Story of You[vi] on Amazon, which I did, even though I had detailed notes on each chapter. What caught my attention with this documentary is that David Eagleman wanted to get away from a textbook inquiry of the brain, (which we all know can be confusing at times with the terminology, and also sometimes boring). Eagleman wanted to “illuminate a deeper level of inquiry” that dives into the question of “who am I” which he says “depends on where you've been” or the experiences we've had and that “because our experiences are unique, so are the vast, detailed patterns in our neural networks.” He goes on to say that “they continue to change your whole life (and that) your identity is a moving target: it never reaches an endpoint.” So to close out Season 9 of our podcast, on “Diving Deeper into The Neuroscience of Learning: Unlocking the Mystery of Individuality and Uniqueness” we will look at our content, through David Eagleman's lens, and see how we can rewire our brain, with new experiences, taking our identity to new heights, in this episode and beyond.  I'm looking for sustainable, long-lasting change to occur for all of us. On today's episode #290 on “Diving Deeper into The Neuroscience of Learning” we will sharpen our focus of what our understanding of the brain REALLY means to us as we cover: ✔ Who Are We (Self-Awareness) as we move through life as an infant, teenager and into adulthood. ✔ Understanding our Identity (What Makes YOU-YOU) By Looking at Our Unique Experiences ✔ What Neuroplasticity Really Means for Us: How Can We Shape Our Brain for a Better Future? ✔ 3 Tips for Re-Wiring Our Brain to Change Our Identity   Who Am I? Chapter 1 of The Brain: The Story of You We started this podcast covering self-awareness: know thyself, on EP #2[vii] where we covered six tips for being self-aware, and then I remember when we dove deeper with a graphic on the levels of consciousness, from EP 251[viii] where we looked at our levels of consciousness from low awareness, like when we are in a coma, under general anesthesia, moving up towards drowsiness or that state called hypnagogia (between wakefulness and sleep), right into our actual sleep, REM state, and dreams and finally into full consciousness.  We explored full-consciousness and the question of “who am I” with Chantel Prat and her book, The Neuroscience of You, on EP #255.[ix]   But what does David Eagleman have to say about our consciousness and who we are? He says,  “It turns out your conscious mind-the part you think of as you—is really the smallest part of what's happening in your brain, and usually the last one to find out any information.” Which made me stop and think for a minute. I thought “wait, should I REALLY be using my conscious mind—the part I think is me-- to write this episode, “the smallest part of what's happening in my brain?” according to Neuroscientist David Eagleman. I thought back to that image of our conscious mind as an iceberg, showing me that logical and critical thinking (that I'm using to write) consist of only 10% of my mental capacity, and that the other 90% that holds my beliefs, emotions, habits, values, long term memory, imagination and intuition are all in my subconscious mind. What else can we do to tap into this other part of our brain to take our results to new heights? I have just started reading David Eagleman's book, and he's already started to challenge my thinking.  He takes us back to when we were babies and born with a brain that “allows itself to be shaped by the details of life experience.” (Eagleman, The Brain, Ch. 1). What's the secret behind “the flexibility of young brains” he asks us? He says, “it's not about growing new cells, the secret lies in how those cells are connected.” (Eagleman, The Brain, Ch 1). So now I'm thinking that who we are really IS based on our life experiences, that create these neural connections in our brain, and if we don't like where we've ended up in life, or the circumstances we've created, then we can change our environment by doing something new. But REMEMBER: To truly discover WHO we ARE, we've got to dive into the depths of our subconscious mind. Eagleman reminds us that “your actions, your beliefs and your biases are all driven by networks in your brain to which you have no conscious access.” That's why it takes some time to peel back the layers of who we are, in our efforts to become the best version of ourselves. PUT THIS INTO ACTION: LEARN NEW THINGS AND YOU WILL RE-WIRE YOUR BRAIN If the adult brain can change (neuroplasticity) then we can change our brain, and create improved versions of ourselves with our life experiences that does take time.  Eagleman noted that when Albert Einstein's brain was examined, it didn't reveal why he was a genius, but it did show that “the brain area devoted to his left fingers had expanded—forming a giant fold in his cortex called the Omega sign, shaped like the Greek symbol” (Eagleman, The Brain, Ch 1). This Omega sign was also found in violin players, showing clearly how detailed movement can in fact change the brain.   LONDON CAB DRIVER'S PROVED THIS TO BE TRUE: We've also mentioned on this podcast about how London Cab drivers changed their brains but David Eagleman went into detail of how these cabbies had to memorize London's extensive roadways that “covers 25,000 individual streets, and 20,000 landmarks of interest (hotels, theaters, restaurants, embassies, police stations, sports facilities, and anywhere a passenger wants to go.” (Eagleman, The Brain, Ch 1). When the brains of these cab drivers were studied, they found “visible differences:  the posterior (back) part of the hippocampus had grown physically larger than those in the control group—presumably causing their increased spatial memory.” (Eagleman, The Brain, Ch 1). Eagleman mentioned that “the longer the cabbie had been doing their job, the bigger the change in the brain region” suggesting the result came from the practice. Now I'm thinking back to some early episodes where we covered the importance of “spaced repetition” or “daily practice” to yield new results over time. So, if we want to re-wire our brain, or create a stronger 2.0 version of ourselves, here are 3 TIPS for implementing this concept. IDEAS FOR IMPLEMENTING SOMETHING NEW INTO OUR LIFE TO RE-WIRE OUR BRAIN: LISTEN: To new podcasts, take notes, and implement what you learn. I'm always discovering new podcasts, and just need to find the time for all of this new learning. I'm sure if you are listening to us here, that you have also found the benefit to learning through this medium. TRAVEL: Go somewhere you've never been before. This summer we are traveling to somewhere we've never been before. Instead of planning the same old summer vacation, this year, we will be going somewhere where the internet doesn't work well, to create new life experiences for all of us. Pick a place you've never been before to open yourself and your brain to NEW life experiences. BE OPEN TO LEARNING SOMETHING NEW, EVEN SOMETHING WEIRD: Like with a new meditation or something. I can't say enough about how much I learned from my review of Jose Silva's The Silva Mind Control Method[x] that we covered earlier in the year. It looks like this episode was also a hit for those listening, with over 4K downloads the last time I looked. The book was eye-opening, but the online course completely blew my mind open with new ideas that I could spend the rest of my life practicing and implementing. As I read through some of the topics, I definitely can say they stretched my mind beyond where I have ever gone before. REVIEW AND CONCLUDE To review and conclude this final episode of Season 9 on taking a “Diving Deeper into The Neuroscience of Learning” we covered: ✔ Who Are We (Self-Awareness) as we move through life as an infant, teenager and into adulthood. ✔ Understanding our Identity (What Makes YOU-YOU) By Looking at Our Unique Experiences ✔ What Neuroplasticity Really Means for Us: How Can We Shape Our Brain for a Better Future. ✔ 3 Tips for Re-Wiring Our Brain to Change Our Identity As we looked into changing our identity, diving into our subconscious mind, we know that consciousness is something that neuroscientists continue to debate over, and this is a topic that you can see from the graphic I created, that I'm interested in studying, learning more here, and sharing what I learn with you on the podcast. As we continue to study, we will become more consciously aware of WHO WE ARE. Here is something profound that David Eagleman shared. He said: Have you ever looked at someone's work written on a wall like David Eagleman is recalling with Francis Crick's work? I absolutely love seeing ideas written on walls, and my office is always full of thoughts, ideas and plans. We can gain inspiration from each other's ideas and plans. I think back to the movie “Good Will Hunting” where Matt Damon was solving math problems on the wall, while he was working as a caretaker at MIT, inspiring more than just the students who saw his work, but the teachers who wondered who this student was. Our experiences can change our brain, and then when we share them with others, we can then go on to inspire others with our thoughts, ideas and knowledge.   But what has meaning for YOU, might mean something completely different to ME, and so the search for what we find “meaningful” continues. To close out this episode I'll end with the SAME quote we opened up with. “Who you are depends on where you've been. Your brain is a relentless shape-shifter, constantly rewriting its own circuitry—and because your experiences are unique, so are the vast, detailed patterns in your neural networks. Because they continue to change your whole life, your identity is a moving target: it never reaches an endpoint. Neuroscientist and Stanford Professor, David Eagleman's, The Brain: The Story of You. With that final thought, I encourage all of us to keep learning, and improving WHO we are as individuals, because this is only the beginning. When we next look at the impact we can have on others, bringing our unique neural networks together, we open up an entire new universe to explore. I'll see you the END of June for SEASON 10 of the podcast, and our 5th YEAR of The Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast. . We will continue with our Theme of Going Back to The Basics with: ✔ What Can We Really Learn from Looking at Someone Else's Brain? (Einstein, Walt Whitman, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's). ✔ Continue This NEW Learning to Build the Best 2.0 Version of Ourselves REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #131 on “understanding How We Learn: Declarative vs Procedural Systems”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-understanding-how-we-learn-declarative-vs-procedural-systems/ [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #133 on “Applying Neuroplasticity in Your School or Workplace”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-applying-neuroplasticity-to-your-school-or-workplace/ [iii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #167 on “The Neuroscience of Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-learning/ [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/ [v] David Eagleman The Brain https://www.pbs.org/show/brain-david-eagleman/ [vi] The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman Published October 6, 2015 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Story-You-David-Eagleman-ebook/dp/B0104EOGQ0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1684456595&sr=8-1 [vii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #2 “Self-Awareness: Know Thyself”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-awareness-know-thyself/ [viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #251 on “Exploring Consciousness Using Neuroscience” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-exploring-consciousness-using-neuroscience-to-expand-our-awareness/ [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #255 with Chantel Prat on “The Neuroscience of You.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/chantel-prat-phd-on-the-neuroscience-of-you-how-every-brain-is-wired-differently-and-how-to-understand-yours/ [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #261 on PART 1 of The Silva Mind Control 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/  

“There is no separation of mind and emotions: emotions, thinking and learning are all linked.” Eric Jensen[i] But what about our feelings? What's the difference between our emotions and feelings? Have you ever thought about this? And with that introduction, I want to welcome you back to Season 9 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace) with tools, ideas and strategies that we can all use for immediate results, with our brain in mind.  I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast to share how the understanding of our complex brain transfers into our everyday life and results. Each concept we cover here I'm hoping will help you, wherever you might be listening to this podcast in the world, just as much as these ideas are helping me personally and professionally. In keeping with our Season theme of “Going Back to the Basics” we look back to EP #127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain.”[ii] It was on this episode, exactly 2 years ago where we first looked at the impact of our emotions on our daily life with the work of neuroscientist Mary Helen Immordino Yang from the University of Southern California. We first met Mary Helen on our 100th EPISODE[iii] and she shared with us that “it is literally neurologically impossible to build memories, engage complex thoughts, or make meaningful decision without emotion.” She further explained that “30 years ago, we had no idea that one could study human emotions that emerge slowly over time—such as admiration and awe—and compare them psychologically and neurobiologically with emotions that emerge more quickly like surprise or fear.” (page 80. Emotions, Learning and the Brain). Before writing this episode, I had to stop, and think deeply about something I've often quoted. I learned this back in my days working in the speaking industry (in the late 1990s) to be careful what you think about because “it's our thoughts that determine our feelings, that cause us to take certain actions that in turn cause our conditions, circumstances and our environment.”  If we are going to look at our emotions today, we need to understand the difference between our emotions, our feelings, and the actions that we end up taking because of them. Let's Start with How Emotions Are Different Than Feelings. I found a clear explanation of “Emotions vs Feelings”[iv] from Dr. David Matsumoto, the founder of Humintell, who explains that emotions “are quick reactions to certain events that may impact our survival. They are unconscious, immediate, involuntary, automatic reactions to things that are important to us” which is right in line with what we learned from Jaak Panksepp's 7 primal emotions that he mapped out in our brain, and taught us they aren't something that we can control. They are automatic responses.  Dr. Matsumoto further explains that “these reactions include cognitive and physiological changes that help prime our body in a certain way and create sensations in us that we can perceive” which he calls feelings. You can see a diagram of these differences in the show notes that outlines emotions as “quick reactions to certain events that are automatic and unconscious” and feelings “are perceptions in the body that aren't necessarily related to the emotion.”[v] IMAGE SOURCE www.humintell.com Dr. David Matsumoto Since I'm always looking to connect the most current neuroscience research to improve our best practices, I wonder what can I add to this understanding of our feelings vs our emotions, to see if we can gain a deeper self-awareness into why we feel the way we do, and what this might mean for us, individually, in pursuit of our goals. Or to put this simply, what should we all understand about our emotions, our feelings, and how they translate into our life, and results. On today's episode #287 we will explore: What are our emotions. How are our emotions different from our feelings? The debate about emotions in neuroscientific circles looking at Paul Ekman[vi], Carroll Izard[vii], Jaak Panksepp[viii] and Robert Levenson's[ix] Theory of Emotions Using Brain Network Theory to Understand Our Emotions from an early EPISODE #48[x]. Other tools, ideas and strategies available to help us to understand our emotions, and feelings. Examine: How this understanding can help us take better control of our emotions and feelings, to change the actions that we will take, (so we can stay in better control in difficult situations) thus changing our conditions, circumstances and environment (or our results). 3 STEPS for applying this understanding of our emotions and feelings into our daily life. What Are Our Emotions? We've talked about our emotions with our recent episode with Lucy Biven from EP #270[xi] and Gabrielle Usatynski from EP #282[xii] who both dove deep into the work of Jaak Panksepp who mapped out 7 neurological circuits found in all mammals, and then we made the connection with our emotions and our childhood with an understanding of Bowlby and Ainsworth's Attachment Theory[xiii]. While I do think we've covered Panksepp's work thoroughly, who's to say his ideas are correct when philosophers, psychologists, and scientists have been arguing and disagreeing with each other for several thousands of years on this topic. I had to go back to my notes from the neuroscience certification course I took with Mark Waldman, where he taught us that “even today the debate continues in neuroscientific circles. Paul Ekman[xiv], that you might know as the deception detection expert, or co-discoverer of the micro expression, and the inspiration behind the TV series, Lie to Me[xv], showed evidence that there are 6 universal emotions (fear, anger, joy, sadness, disgust, and surprise). Ekman demonstrated how emotions can all be seen in a person's brief facial expression, and we covered this fascinating topic on EPISODE #163 with Dan Hill, “The Faces Guy” on “How to read the Emotions in Others”[xvi] but Jaak Panksepp labelled some of Ekman's universal emotions as secondary emotions, calling them feelings. Before I get bogged down in terminology, deciphering these arguments, and lost reading this research paper I found on Four Models of Basic Emotions[xvii] I thought an easy way to simplify this concept is to put an image in the show notes that explains the similarities between four models of emotions and make up our own minds with which theory of emotion we resonate with the most. While one will disagree with each another, “all four list a positive emotion labelled happiness (Ekman and Cordaro; Izard), enjoyment (Levenson) or Play (Panksepp and Watt) and three distinct negative emotions, sadness (labeled grief by Panksepp and Watt), fear, (they all agreed on this label) and anger.”[xviii] Putting Our Emotions into Action If we want to understand our emotions, we can now begin by thinking about how everyone will respond to these emotions in a different way, since we've all had different experiences from childhood and beyond. (Keeping Attachment Theory in mind). Suppose we were walking through a forest and something jumps out from behind a tree and we instinctively jump (the core emotion of fear that all 4 models agreed with). Then we see it's a harmless dog, wagging his tail and wanting to play with us. Each person will process this situation in an entirely different way. One person will laugh, another will reach out to play with the dog, while another person will remain upset about the scare for the rest of the night. Everyone will have a different feeling (which is another model we will cover another time, a theory of emotion from neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett)[xix]  who says that our feelings change as we think about our past experiences, (maybe we saw that dog this morning and we quickly realize he's harmless). Also, each person will nonverbally express their feelings through their facial expressions, allowing others to “read” what they felt with the experience. (Ekman's work).  Finally, if we can regulate the reaction that we had, and take it a step further and recognize the emotions in the person next to us, we are demonstrating Robert Levenson's Theory[xx], that focuses on the fact that our emotions either improve with age, or they decline, like we see with neurodegenerative diseases. IMAGE SOURCE: Four Models of Basic Emotions: A Review of Ekman and Cordaro, Izard, Levenson, and Panksepp and Watt Published by Jessica Tracy and Daniel Randles October 2011 https://ubc-emotionlab.ca/wp-content/files_mf/emotionreview2011tracyandrandles.pdf How can understanding our emotions and feelings help us? Mark Waldman's Brain Network Theory for Overcoming Our Fears While analyzing this situation of walking through a forest, neuroscience researcher Mark Waldman would say that “while the emotional experience often lasts for a few seconds, some people might ruminate on the negative feelings that came with this experience, to the point that they are diagnosed with depression or an anxiety disorder.”[xxi]  This was the person who remained upset about the scare for the rest of the night. He explains that understanding brain network theory model comes in handy here because he says that “feelings are nothing more than a combination of our imagination mixed with past memories.” Knowing that feelings are not real makes it easier to shift our attention away from the feeling (whatever it might be-fear, anxiety or whatever) and return to being more engaged in the present moment” where he suggests to focus on the positive emotional experiences that are also in our life. Waldman explains that this is the neuroscience of transforming emotions into feelings and feelings into valuable insights, and it has the power to transform our current models of psychotherapy and healing. You can review this powerful concept of Brain Network Theory all the way back on EP #48[xxii] with tips on using this model to increase positivity, reduce stress and anxiety and increase our work productivity and results by learning to consciously shift between your imagination, (DMN) awareness (Salience Network) and thinking (CEN). IMAGE SOURCE: Mark Robert Waldman REVIEW AND CONCLUSION To conclude and review this episode on a deeper dive into “Using Neuroscience to Understand our Feelings and Emotions” here are three concepts to help us to put these ideas into action in our daily life.   REMEMBER: OUR EMOTIONS ARE AUTOMATIC HARDWIRED NEURAL RESPONSES THAT WE CAN'T CONTROL: And many philosophers, psychologists, and scientists have been arguing and disagreeing with each other for several thousands of years on this topic. Some argue where they originate, and the terminology, but we found 4 researchers who could agree on one positive emotion (happiness) and three negative emotions of sadness, fear and anger. But don't forget that while “we cannot control what emotions or circumstances we will experience next, we can choose how we will respond to them.” Gary Zukav PUT THIS INTO ACTION: The next time you feel an emotion, notice what it is. See if you can take this understanding and apply it to learn more about yourself. What makes you happy? Do you savor happy moments? What about the negative emotions? Do you have a strategy to overcome your fears, sadness or anger? Or a way to feel them, and not respond to them? YOU CAN TRAIN YOU BRAIN TO RECOGNIZE AND OVERCOME FEAR: This example is a bit close to the heart as it just happened, but it's a good example of why recognizing and overcoming fear is important, so I'm going to include my recent experience here. This week I was waiting for my oldest daughter to finish her gymnastics practice. Both my girls train most nights, and I pick them up at the end of the night. The other night I was waiting in the car, and I could see the coach coming outside to speak to me, and this coach wouldn't be coming outside after a long night to chit chat. I knew something was up the minute I saw him walking to my car. Then it hit me. FEAR. I felt it because I had left my desk writing this episode to pick her up, and here I was with my heart racing, as I wondered “what happened” and wanted the coach to spit it out quickly. I couldn't see her behind him, so now I'm wondering “can she walk, is she bleeding, does she have broken bones?” trying to figure out in my head what the situation was. Then I noticed the feelings come into play. The stomach drops, next, the physical sensation of feeling sick as my imagination went back to all the other injuries we see often, and boy our minds can take us on a trip if we don't learn to focus, think and stay in the present moment, or use the understanding of Brain Network Theory to STOP our Default Mode (Imagination) Network and switch it to our Central Executive Network to stop those ruminating thoughts from taking over our mind. This is all happening in seconds, but when it's happening, it feels like a long time. I finally snapped out of it, and asked questions that brought my thinking (CEN) brain back on track like “what happened, where did it happen, and how does she seem to you?” and the fear started to go off into a corner as soon as I figured out that her coach thought she might have a concussion. Did you know that the opposite of fear is understanding? When we understand something, the fear goes away because the thinking brain allows you to take the action needed to resolve your situation. Life experiences like this will happen and it's crucial to be able to focus and think clearly, and to move from fear to understanding. Can you think of something that happened to YOU this week where one of your emotions took over YOUR mind? Where do certain theories of emotion become evident? With my example, I could feel the fear (all 4 theories), I could also “read” the emotion in the coach's face (Ekman and Levenson), and even more specifically could see the pain on my daughters face that helped me to take certain actions while under stress. USING BRAIN NETWORK THEORY TO BYPASS OUR FEARS by shifting our attention away from the feeling or emotion we are experiencing (whatever it might be-fear, anxiety or whatever) and return to being more engaged in the present moment” and focus on the positive emotional experiences that are also in our life. We have the Default Mode Network, (imagination processes like daydreaming, creative problem solving, and mind wandering). This network is important to tap into, as it also contains our ability for creative problem solving, so it doesn't just contain our worries and fears, but our ability to move past them. We just need to be mindful of what we are thinking about, to prevent the negativity bias from taking over our mind (when we get stuck ruminating on negative thoughts instead of positive creative thoughts).  Be sure that we are thinking positive thoughts, so we don't default into this negative cycle of thinking. This takes practice, but with time, does become a habit and can be very useful during times of intense pressure or stress.   OUR DEFAULT MODE NETWORK:  Is the highest during daydreaming (using our imagination) Decreases slightly during mind-wandering Decreases more during creative thinking Is WEAKEST during goal-directed thought PUT THIS INTO ACTION: See if you can notice yourself “switching” your mind from the imagination, DMN, to the CEN (thinking network) like I did when I had to stop my imagination from running wild when my daughter was injured and actually THINK. THINK ABOUT THIS!    What strategy do you have in place to STOP your Default Mode (Imagination) Network from taking over your mind? The next time you are in a situation where your emotions are flooding you, whether it be FEAR like I felt, or maybe ANGER with difficult situation at work, see if you can use your CEN to bring those Executive Functions (like decision-making) back online. This can be done simply by STOPPPING the automatic negative thoughts (say STOP) and then begin to use your mind to think. Ask questions, and then notice your salience network come into play will create the balance in your brain that's needed in times of stress.   OUR FEELINGS ARE OUR REACTIONS TO OUR EMOTIONS AND WE CAN CONTROL THEM: How do you feel right now? Does this question make you stop and think for a minute? If your feelings don't come to your mind immediately and you've got to think for a second, that's because “our feelings are a complex semi-conscious reaction towards our emotions” (Mark Waldman) or maybe like we learned from Dr. Matsumoto, they might have nothing at all to do with the emotion (like when we feel tired or cold).  This is fascinating area of Marc Brackett's work and his book Permission to Feel that we covered on EP #22.[xxiii] The important part of diving deeper into our feelings is to remember is that they are “shaped by intuitive processes, memories, beliefs, fantasies and thoughts.” (Waldman) and these feelings are “then assigned a private, personal meaning” that's unique to us. PUT THIS INTO ACTION: Ask someone to explain how they feel about something and you might be surprised with the answer they come up with. You will learn something about this person from this question, as they dig deep to answer you.  Watch them closely to see if they have a difficult time putting their feelings into words because they are complex reactions about their own individual experience. THINK ABOUT THIS: What story did they tell you? What did you learn about the person from their story? Could you see their intuitive process, memories, and beliefs at work? We started this episode by saying “There is no separation of mind and emotions: emotions, thinking and learning are all linked.” Eric Jenson, but I think we went much deeper than that proving that our thoughts, feelings and emotions are all connected. It doesn't matter what we call our emotions, just that we recognize the ones that make us happy, and for the negative ones, how we respond to them really does determine the conditions, circumstances and environment we'll create in our life. I learned this week that when the emotion of fear came up, I had to overcome it quickly, bringing those executive functions back online to stay on track by not letting my imagination take over my mind. The more we learn to understand these things called emotions, and the feelings attached to them (or not), the better prepared we can be to deal with life's difficult situations that will come up whether we like them or not. With time and practice, we really can train our brain to move past difficult emotions like fear, worry and doubt, through to understanding, and this will have a significant impact on the outcome of our daily results. I hope you find these concepts to be as helpful and useful in your life as I'm finding them in mine. I'll see you next week. FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/    REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #79 with Eric Jensen on “Strategies for Reversing the Impact of Poverty and Stress on Student Learning”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-based-leaning-author-eric-jensen-on-strategies-or-reversing-the-impact-of-poverty-and-stress-on-student-learning/   [ii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/   [iii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episode #100 with Mary Helen Immordino-Yang https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-mary-helen-immordino-yang-on-the-neuroscience-of-social-and-emotional-learning/   [iv] Emotions Vs Feelings Published by Dr. David Matsumoto May, 2022  https://www.humintell.com/2022/05/whats-the-difference-between-emotions-and-feelings/   [v] IBID [vi] https://www.paulekman.com/   [vii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Izard   [viii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaak_Panksepp   [ix] https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/robert-w-levenson   [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 on “Using Brain Network Theory to Stay Productive During Times of Chaos and Change” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/   [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #270 with Lucy Biven on “A Short-Cut for Understanding Affective Neuroscience” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lucy-biven/   [xii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #282 with Gabrielle Usatynski on “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/   [xiii] What is Attachment Theory by Kendra Cherry Feb. 22, 2023 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-attachment-theory-2795337   [xiv] https://www.paulekman.com/   [xv] Lie to Me TV Series https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235099/   [xvi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #163 with Dan Hill, The Faces Guy on “How to Read the Emotions in Others: For Schools, Sports and the Wrokplace”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dan-hill-phd-the-faces-guy-on-how-to-read-the-emotions-in-others-for-schools-sports-and-the-workplace/   [xvii] Four Models of Basic Emotions: A Review of Ekman and Cordaro, Izard, Levenson, and Panksepp and Watt Published by Jessica Tracy and Daniel Randles October 2011 https://ubc-emotionlab.ca/wp-content/files_mf/emotionreview2011tracyandrandles.pdf [xviii] IBID [xix] Lisa Feldman Barrett https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/   [xx] Understanding the Role of Emotion and Aging with Robert Levenson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehqzhj9f8Y8   [xxi] www.MarkRobertWaldman.com   [xxii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  #48 on “Brain Network Theory: Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive During Times of Change and Chaos” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/   [xxiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE  #22 with Marc Brackett, Founding Director of the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence on “Permission to Feel” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-of-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/  

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

Links from the show:* The Enemy Harassed: Washington's New Jersey Campaign of 1777* Connect with Jim* Leave a 5-Star ReviewAbout my guest:Jim Stempel is a speaker, novelist, and author of numerous articles and nine books regarding history, spirituality, and warfare. For over thirty years he has had the good fortune of living with his family at a country location in Western Maryland overlooking the Blue Ridge. His wife, Sandie, is on staff at nearby McDaniel College where she is a professor of astronomy and physics, while his three children—a daughter and two sons—have moved on to professional careers.An avid athlete for most of his life, Stempel helped coach his children in basketball and baseball while they were young, while active as a runner and handball player himself. He was born and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, and is a graduate of The Citadel, Charleston, S.C.Jim is considered an authority on the Eastern campaigns of the American Civil War, as well as the politics and engagements of the American Revolution. His book, The Nature of War: Origins and Evolution of Violent Conflict, has been well received by an international audience for its wide grasp of human conflict, its willingness to delve into the basic motivations of human warfare, and the true prospects for peace those motivations suggest.Stempel's other published works reflect a wide range of interests, with numerous articles appearing in such varied journals as Concepts in Human Development, New Times, North & South, History Net, History News Network, War History Online, The Edge, and New Dawn Magazine, among others. Many of his historical pieces have been selected to reappear on the highly respected, Real Clear History.When Beliefs Fail, Jim's nonfiction analysis of science, psychology, and modern spirituality, brought high praise from fellow authors Ken Wilber, Dr. Larry Dossey, and Mark Waldman. His novel Albemarle was nominated for the James Fenimore Cooper Prize in Historical Fiction. The West Coast Review of Books wrote of his novel American Rain, “Lovers of political satire may consider this book a masterpiece because of Stempel's sly wit and insight.”Jim's historical novel, Windmill Point – a Chanticleer Awards Finalist – brings to life one of the most exciting and critical periods of the American Civil War. Of American Hannibal, his nonfiction account of the Battle of Cowpens during the Revolutionary War, one critic wrote: “As one who reviewed Jim Stempel's Windmill Point, I was again drawn into a fascinating story, told by a master historian, writer, and a man with the painter's palette that left me with a most wonderful read.”Stempel has now followed-up the success of American Hannibal with a new nonfiction work, Valley Forge to Monmouth: Six Transformative Months of the American Revolution, due out in October 2020. Pre-Release reviews have to date been excellent. John McElroy, for instance, historian, author, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, writes “Anyone interested in knowing what America's independence from Britain required should read this book.”Jim's focus for over thirty years has been to present thoughtful literature, along with historical accounts – accurately and enjoyably – to the widest range of readers possible; a mission he intends to continue. Get full access to Dispatches from the War Room at dispatchesfromthewarroom.substack.com/subscribe

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we bridge the gap between theory and practice, with strategies, tools and ideas we can all use immediately, applied to the most current brain research to heighten productivity in our schools, sports environments and modern workplaces. I'm Andrea Samadi and launched this podcast to share how important an understanding of our brain is for our everyday life and results. Like you, I'm interested in learning and applying the research, to our everyday life. On this episode we will cover: How can being “mindfully aware in the present moment” benefit us? An overview of the Levels of Consciousness that take us from coma, unaware, to full wakefulness and awareness. How to expand our level of awareness through effective study (using the most current neuroscience research). Break down this complex idea of consciousness, so we can all improve an area on the map, moving us towards full awareness. Use this understanding to better understand ourselves and others. This week's Brain Fact Friday came to me this week while on a training call with Mark Waldman, in his neurocoaching program, that consists of all of the students he has worked with over the years[i] all over the world. Some students have been certified, and share their knowledge with others, like Michael Kirton, an Australian clinical psychologist and author who specializes in child development, mental health issues and trauma, and he often joins the calls to share how he is making an impact in his community with the understanding of mindfulness based coaching, training or therapy. I tune into these calls as I'm always looking for something new to share on the podcast, that we could all use to improve our results. This week, were talking about what it means to be “mindfully aware in the present moment” that Jon Kabat-Zinn coined in his definition of mindfulness to be the “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally”[ii] which Waldman says is a key secret for experiencing optimal health and wellbeing.  We covered an overview of Brain Network theory on EP #48 and the importance of being able to mindfully shift between our imagination, (DMN) awareness (SN) and thinking (EN) to increase our creativity and results, while reducing stress.  The funny thing I've noticed with writing these episodes, and implementing what I'm writing, I've got to say that when I'm in a high stress situation, the last thing I'm thinking about is being “mindfully aware” in the present moment. But with time, small things like learning to breathe properly while experiencing stress, that we learned from Rohan Dixit, on EP #228[iii] is putting me miles ahead of where I used to be without a mindfulness-based stress reduction strategy. While I wish I had the opportunity to study and learn directly with monks deep in the Himalayas, like Rohan Dixit did before he founded Lief Therapeutics, and invented a wearable device that tracks HRV in real-time to help us to learn how to breathe when we are stressed, interviewing those who've taken the time to do the research, and then sharing this research on the podcast, is my next best option. We've all heard of the research that backs up how important these brief moments of mindfulness can be, whether it's in our everyday life, or even in the classroom, during learning, as Professor Kimberly Shonert-Reichl's research (from The University of British Columbia) shows that these brief moments “promote curiosity, creativity and pro social behavior.”[iv] The key to being mindfully aware is to focus on the present moment, instead of what's happened in the past, or what we think might happen in the future, and learn to breathe, or focus on our breath, which brings our mind into this present moment. While on this training call with Mark Waldman, a new student asked “what about when I'm dreaming” where's my level of awareness here?” and we could go down many rabbit holes for hours, on this topic and while Waldman refocused the new student on this complex question, I glanced at the September issue of National Geographic on my desk,  on “The Brain” that covers “the complex neural networks that make the brain so unique” and Chapter 4 of this series, covers “The Easy Problems of Consciousness” which was obvious from our call, that many of us, including this new student, finds this topic anything BUT easy, as we wonder how our conscious awareness works, what it is, and how an understanding of this awareness can benefit us in some way. Which brings us to this week's Brain Fact Friday. DID YOU KNOW THAT “consciousness is the most astonishing act our big, complex, interconnected brains pull off when working properly and scientists are only just beginning to understand it?”[v] (National Geographic, The Brain). I thought about the new student in our group asking about our awareness level when we are dreaming, and of what we have been covering on this podcast, and it became clear to me that this was a very important question and topic. It didn't take me long to find some research that covered this question with an article called “Are There Levels of Consciousness”[vi] published by Tim Bayne in 2016 that are in line with what I was reading in the most recent National Geographic publication from September 2022. What Are the Different Levels of Consciousness? To bring light to this complex question, (what are the different levels of conscious awareness that our brain experiences) the only way I know how to break it down, is by mapping it out. Drawing something out helps me to see the bigger picture, especially when ideas are complex, or even noted to be “a mystery that some of the greatest minds have been unable to solve.”[vii] This idea of being consciously aware, or thinking in the present moment, is complex, (because consciousness studies are still trying to find answers to the hard problems, like “where does my inner experience come from” (Page 74, National Geographic) but I'm hoping that this visual will give us all a new perspective of the different levels of consciousness we can experience, and provide us all with a frame of reference to “think” about. If you look at the diagram in the show notes, that came from my interpretation of “The Easy Problems of Consciousness” from National Geographic's article on the Brain, you can see how our levels of consciousness can go from low awareness, like when we are in a coma, under general anesthesia, that we have not investigated at all on this podcast. (YET). This is a fascinating area to explore, and I will on a later episode, since I do wonder how on the earth can we stay awake for brain surgery. The next level of consciousness, is that time just before sleep, where we experience drowsiness, called a hypnagogic state of consciousness.[viii] We've covered sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming on the podcast with our interview with Dr. Baland Jalal[ix], bringing us into the next level of consciousness: sleep, that is one of the top 5 health staples we've covered often, beginning with Dr. Shane Creado, from EP #72[x] on “Sleep Strategies That Will Guarantee Us a Competitive Advantage.” We've also quoted English scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology, Matt Walker and his research from his best selling book, Why We Sleep, on a Brain Fact Friday earlier this year on “Science Based Tricks to Improve Productivity.”[xi]   The final stage of consciousness is full wakefulness or awareness, that Chantel Pratt's book, The Neuroscience of You dives into, as well as this whole idea of Mindful Awareness that we opened this episode with. I think you can see from the topics that we cover on this podcast, that besides understanding our sleep, or messages in our dreams, or health tips to improve our productivity, I'm most interested in ways we can all expand our conscious awareness, and become a better version of ourselves, with an understanding of our brain and how it works. How about you? Have you ever wondered, Who am I? Why am I here? What's my purpose? These are all deep questions but Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of mindfulness would say that these questions (like who are you) are “more important than the answer.”[xii] The key here, is that expanding our level of awareness is a crucial component of our work in this thing we call life, so that we can better understand ourselves, and others, and provide the best service we can in our lifetime. It's the message in Chantel Pratt's recent book, The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours[xiii], where she says that even after writing this book, she's still trying to expand her awareness of who she is. Even my mentor, the late Bob Proctor, would say that “awareness is everything” and he could talk for hours about the importance of our conscious awareness or our ability to sit, think and expand our awareness even a dot, saying that this small shift could change the world—or at least your world to start with. He'd often say that our “results are an expression of our awareness” reminding us to open up the keyhole, and expand our level of awareness when we are stuck, or to keep “thinking” to move us forward. Never stop thinking, learning and expanding. Invest the time to develop YOU, (your awareness) and this could take our entire lifetime. So, the question (“Who am I?”)  is more important than the answer. It requires our conscious thought and thinking is the highest function we are capable of, and it's very difficult. Most people think the same thoughts over and over again, which isn't thinking at all, but like a hamster spinning on a wheel, or playing old movies in our head. How to Expand our Awareness and Break Through to New Levels: Have you ever been stuck and you can't seem to find the answer to your problem? I know we all have. The fastest way to expand our thinking, and find new solutions, is to ask someone who has achieved what you want to do, (because it's easy for them to connect the dots looking backwards) as they can give you thousands of ideas, showing you that there's not just one way to get to where you are going. Thinking new thoughts, opens up our awareness (even if it's just a dot) to new ideas, and possibilities, but how do we do this? How Do We Expand Our Level of Awareness? On Today's episode, I have just one strategy, and that's to expand our awareness through study. If you look at the diagram I drew, look and see where your area of interest is.  You can see where mine is from the episodes we are covering. STUDY: Find the podcasts that you connect with (for those listening, thank you for choosing mine), read books, study people who are winning, and glean whatever you can from what you are learning to expand your conscious awareness. What I love seeing is people who break through what seems to be impossible, or where most people would give up.   For a minute, let's review this week's Brain Fact Friday. On today's episode we covered: How being “mindfully aware in the present moment” can benefit us? An overview of the Levels of Consciousness that take us from coma, unaware, to full wakefulness and awareness. How to expand our level of awareness through effective study (using the most current neuroscience research). Break down this complex idea of consciousness, so we can all improve an area on the map, moving us towards full awareness. Use this understanding to better understand ourselves and others. Reminder—for this week's brain fact Friday DID YOU KNOW THAT “consciousness is the most astonishing act our big, complex, interconnected brains pull off and scientists are only just beginning to understand it?”[xiv] (National Geographic, The Brain). After looking into this a bit, I learned that “some scholars reckon the puzzle of consciousness is something the human mind is incapable of solving” but Daniel Dennett, Philospher and Cognitive Scientist from Tufts University (MA) says that this line of thinking is “culpably wrong. It isn't impossible at all. It's just that we have to buckle down and do it.”[xv] Imagine going back to 1973 (I was only 2) but let's go back in time and I'm going to explain to you that there's this thing called the internet, that's in the ether. I send you something, and you get it pretty much at the same time as I sent it to you. You'd think I was crazy. But not now that our level of awareness has been expanded, and we use the internet every day to function in this society. While we might never understand why we have consciousness, we can continue to study, learn and expand our conscious awareness, (on this topic and others)  and like Cognitive Scientist Daniel Dennett suggests, “buckle down” and do whatever it is we are working on. Whether it's something as difficult as breaking down something so complex as our consciousness, or something less complex, it just takes our effort, and continual study to blast through to new levels of awareness, and results. Wishing you success in whatever it is you are working on. Like that new student in our neuroscience course, keep asking questions, and searching for answers, and I'll see you next week. REFERENCES: [i] Certified Neurocoaches with Mark Robert Waldman https://www.markrobertwaldman.com/students-2/ [ii] Jon Kabat-Zinn defining Mindfulness by Mindful Staff Jan 11, 2017 https://www.mindful.org/jon-kabat-zinn-defining-mindfulness/ [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #228 with Rohan Dixit, Founder of Lief Therapeutics on “Meaasuring HRV in Real-Time for Stress Releif From the Inside Out.” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/rohan-dixit-founder-of-lief-therapeutics-on-measuring-hrv-in-real-time-for-stress-relief-from-the-inside-out/ [iv] Enhancing cognitive and social-emotional development through a simple to administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children by Kimberly Schonert-Reichl Published 2015 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-56463-002 [v] Page 74, Chapter 4, The Brain by Julia Sklar, National Geographic https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Brain-Editors/dp/1547859121/ref=asc_df_1547859121/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598244665656&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9016464077537371621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-1672909059785&psc=1 [vi] Are There Levels of Consciousness? Published by Tim Bayne June 2016 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136466131630002X [vii] What is Consciousness Published on YouTube Sept. 10, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir8XITVmeY4 [viii] What is Hypnagogia, the State Between Wakefulness and Sleep? By Raj Dasgupta,MD Published Oct. 26, 2020 https://www.healthline.com/health/hypnagogia [ix]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #224 with Dr. Baland Jalal on “Sleep Paralysis, Lucid Dreaming, and Premonitions: Expanding our Awareness into the Mysteries of the Brain”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/harvard-neuroscientist-drbaland-jalalexplainssleepparalysislucid-dreaming-andpremonitionsexpandingour-awareness-into-the-mysteries-ofourbrainduring-sl/ [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #72 with Dr. Shane Creado on “Sleep Strategies That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-shane-creado-on-sleep-strategies-that-will-guarantee-a-competitive-advantage/ [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #217 on “Science-Based Tricks to Improve Productivity and Never Forget Anything” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-science-based-tricks-to-improve-productivity-and-never-forget-anything/ [xii] Jon Kabat-Zinn defining Mindfulness by Mindful Staff Jan 11, 2017 https://www.mindful.org/jon-kabat-zinn-defining-mindfulness/ [xiii] https://www.amazon.com/Neuroscience-You-Every-Different-Understand/dp/1524746606 [xiv] Page 74, Chapter 4, The Brain by Julia Sklar, National Geographic https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Brain-Editors/dp/1547859121/ref=asc_df_1547859121/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598244665656&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9016464077537371621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030091&hvtargid=pla-1672909059785&psc=1 [xv] What is Consciousness Published on YouTube Sept. 10, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir8XITVmeY4 TIME STAMP 1:31/12:42

MetaSpiritual Podcast- Part 5 of a series based on the book by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman entitled, How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain. We have shared some things we liked, in this episode we share something we disagreed with … consciousness vs awareness! The post 2022-27: Enlightenment and the Brain-Part 5; Absolute Word-Generosity first appeared on Metaphysical Romp 2 Podcast.

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

MetaSpiritual Podcast- Part 4 of a series based on the book by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman entitled, How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain. In this episode we continue sharing about the 5 basic steps that speed up the process of enlightenment: Desire – Prepare – Engage – Surrender – Reflect. The post 2022-26: Enlightenment and the Brain-Part 4; Absolute Word-Free first appeared on Metaphysical Romp 2 Podcast.

Words can build or destroy and now we have the neuroscience to prove it. During this Diamond Mentor Moment, I'll bring in the work of Dr. Andew Newburg, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barret and Dr. Mark Waldman to show how words, microaggressions and negative phrasing can hurt our ability to thrive, create and connect with one another.   Intercultural Creativity® and Intercultural NeuroCreativity® at its best!   Enjoy!   Genein Letford, Keynote Speaker, Author, Educator

MetaSpiritual Podcast- Part 3 of a series based on the book by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman entitled, How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain. In this episode we share about the 5 basic elements that lead to enlightenment followed by the 5 steps that speed up the process of enlightenment. The post 2022-25: Enlightenment and the Brain-Part 3; Absolute Word-Kindness first appeared on Metaphysical Romp 2 Podcast.

MetaSpiritual Podcast- Part 2 of a series based on the book by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman entitled, How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain. In this episode we share about various religions and enlightenment. We review the benefits of “e” enlightenment and wrap up with the benefits of “E” Enlightenment. The post 2022-24: Enlightenment and the Brain-Part 2; Absolute Word-Blessing Fathers first appeared on Metaphysical Romp 2 Podcast.

MetaSpiritual Podcast- Part 1 of a series based on the book by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman entitled, How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain. In this episode we introduce the top The post 2022-23: Enlightenment and the Brain-Part 1; Absolute Word-Pray with Others first appeared on Metaphysical Romp 2 Podcast.

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

REFLEXIÓN GUIADA - tipo meditación - Pregunta típica: si tuvieses que elegir entre el dinero y la felicidad, ¿cuál elegirías?  En la siguiente reflexión guiada, vas a contestar a esa pregunta desde una nueva perspectiva, conectando con tu sabiduría interior. Esta reflexión guiada está inspirada del libro NeuroWisdom (que se podría traducir por Neuro Sabiduría) de Mark Waldman y Chris Manning. ☑️Conecta conmigo en Facebook ☑️Conecta conmigo en Instagram

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

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #174 with Dr. Francis Lee Stevens who works as a psychologist in Worcester, MA. He has taught a variety of classes in psychology and neuroscience and his research focuses on affective neuroscience applications to psychotherapy. Today we will dive deep into his new book, coming out on November 27th,  Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy: A Clinician's Guide for Working with Emotions and will explore how Dr. Stevens has taken the latest developments in affective neuroscience and applies these science-based interventions with a sequential approach for helping patients with psychological disorders. Learn more about Dr. Stevens https://www.drfrancisstevens.com/  Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/2H-g1xg6FRY In this episode you will learn: ✔︎ What Dr. Stevens saw was missing from previous forms of psychotherapy. ✔︎ Why changing our thinking doesn't change how we feel, and what he suggests instead. ✔︎ What Affect Reconsolidation is--that changes difficult emotions and feelings. ✔︎ How an understanding of the science of the brain works together with the practice needed for a new model of intervention. ✔︎ What we should all know about our emotions, how to dig deeper into our past to unlock memories, and deal with the feelings that keep us stuck. I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies that we can use to improve our own productivity in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments. My vision is to bring the experts to you, share their books, resources, and ideas to help you to implement their proven strategies, whether you are a teacher working in the classroom, a parent, or in the corporate environment. The purpose of this podcast is to take the fear out of this new discipline that backs our learning with simple neuroscience to make it applicable for us all to use right away, for immediate results. What I think is fascinating as we are exploring this topic together, is that education is not the only field that can benefit from the understanding of simple neuroscience and “there are equivalent fields that seek to translate neuroscience findings to law (e.g. Royal Society, 2011a)[i] economics (e.g. Glimcher & Fehr, 2013)[ii] and social policy (e.g. Royal 2011b)[iii] bringing in research in behavior regulation, decision-making, reward, empathy and moral reasoning.” (Thomas, Ansari, Knowland, 2019).  When I received an email from Dr. Stevens about his new book that he wrote to help patients with psychological disorders with science-based interventions, I was very interested in learning more. If American psychologist Dr. Daniel Amen, whose book The End of Mental Illness we reviewed on episode #128[iv] believes that “normal” is a myth and that 51%[v] of us will have a mental health issue in our lifetime (like post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, addiction, or an eating disorder—to name a few) then it's clear that it's more normal than not, to have a mental health problem and we must all pay attention to the first sign of any mental health issue, for ourselves, but especially our younger generations, since it's critical for children's success in school and life. Research shows that “students who receive social-emotional and mental health support achieve better academically”[vi] and “mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness but also encompasses wellness promotion; social, emotional, and behavioral health; and the ability to cope with life's challenges. Left unmet, mental health problems are linked to costly negative outcomes such as academic and behavior problems, dropping out, and delinquency. Mental and behavioral health problems not only affect students' short-term classroom engagement, but also interfere with long-term development of positive relationships and work-related skills.”[vii] I've designed my questions for Dr. Stevens so that we can all think of how we could apply his research in our lives if we are working with students/children who might have experienced trauma to see how we can use our emotional awareness, emotional validation, self-compassion, and gain a deeper understanding of specific emotions, specifically anger, abandonment, and jealousy. Let's meet Dr. Stevens and learn the emotional science behind the brain. Welcome Dr. Stevens, thank you very much for meeting with me today to dive deeper into your new book coming out this fall, Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy: A Clinician's Guide for Working with Emotions I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to speak with you. INTRO Q: Before we get to the questions, I want to ask about your background and what led you to working in the field of psychotherapy, but I've got to mention something I heard while I was researching your work this weekend on the Science of Psychotherapy Podcast[viii] you did last month, and I had to stop the podcast and listen a few times to be sure I heard this right. What did you learn from your time working as an Improv Comedian that you have taken to your work as a psychologist?  Q1: Dr. Stevens, getting to the questions that tie into your book, I saw that you mention “Research supports the idea that for many people, psychotherapy remains ineffective (Driessen, Hollon, Bockting, Cuijpers, & Turner, 2015; Dragioti, Karathanos, Gerdle, & Evangelou, 2017), with little explanation as to why” and I've always wondered about how “talking about problems solves them” without changing your thinking (because we can still have negative ruminating thoughts about something) unless we change the emotion attached to it, so I like the idea of CBT for helping people eliminate negative thought patterns. Can you explain where previous forms of psychotherapy have failed, what you found to be “missing” and how your book offers a new way forward through your research in affective neuroscience? Q2:  My husband does some work with our local sheriff's office here in AZ in his spare time, while I'm at my desk researching for interviews, and I'm always curious to hear what he sees in the field as it relates to mental health and what he shares when he gets back is always eye-opening especially if we have never dealt with someone who is struggling with mental health in a serious way. I just shake my head and really do wonder, for someone who works directly with people who struggle with mental health, what have you seen with the outcome of treatment for someone getting better vs staying on the same path that will just lead to problems later in their life? Q3:  Looking at the Table of Contents, I see PART 1 containing the science with your argument for a new approach to therapy, and PART 2 as the practice where you walk us through how we must cope with and understand our emotions. Can you explain both parts of the book and how you've been intentional with how you introduce topics for the reader to learn and use. Q4: I know how important emotions are for learning. One of our early episodes was with Marc Brackett, who wrote the book Permission to Feel[ix] which was important when many of us were raised to hide our emotions, then I wrote an episode on “How Our Emotions Impact Learning and the Brain”[x] and mention Jaak Panksepp and the fact that humans have seven networks of emotion in the brain. (Curiosity, Caring, Playfulness, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Lust). What should we all know about with our emotions, how our brain processes them, why we feel the way we do, so we can better manage/control those emotions that get us stuck in life? Q5: When we are dealing with something that gives us an emotional charge (whatever it is for us) could be when someone cuts us off on the highway, or when someone says or does something that just pushes our buttons, and we feel that surge of “I'm so angry right now”  can you explain how we should look to understand the problem behind what we are feeling, and work on reconsolidating it (Joseph LeDoux's work)?  (I've only see this with Neuro-Emotional Therapy where you look back at your childhood to see what happened back then that triggers the anger you might be feeling in the present, uncovering the root cause of the emotion and feelings, to clean it up (Dr. Carolyn Leaf).   Q6: This next question covers Brain Network Theory that we cover on episode #48[xi] with the idea of learning how to be aware of the importance of switching between our networks to experience creativity instead of working hard and burning out. I mentioned listening to a recent podcast you did on The Science of Psychotherapy[xii] and you were talking about our thinking brain vs our feeling brain, do you remember that podcast? I tried to bring some humor to this question with your improv background,  something (let's say you are working on something, and someone famous shows up at your door and wants to take you out for coffee—I was trying to think of someone famous that could possibly sway me to step away from my desk, and came up with Phillip Seymour Hoffman—whose no longer with us, but you get the idea) you really want to go (your feeling brain—Emotional Network) but your thinking brain (Central Executive Network) tells you to stay back and keep working, creating cognitive dissonance. We've all felt this and many of us could easily make the right decision for us, but what happens when our feeling brain overtakes our thinking brain? How can we learn to integrate our entire brain so that we can make better decisions? What else can you tell us about the networks in our brain (if you look at the image created by Mark Waldman, who is teaching me how to understand the basics of neuroscience)?   IMAGE: created by Mark Waldman on Brain Network Theory. Q7: We have also covered Joseph LeDoux's concept of memory reconsolidation[xiii] on this podcast, that you address in your book as Affect Reconsolidation. Can you share what you have learned with your research and what strategies you offer with this idea to help people to overcome negative emotions associated with past trauma that could be impacting/damaging their life? Q8: Is there anything important that we have missed about your book? Dr. Stephens, I want to thank you so much for your time, research and strategies to help us to all better manage our emotions, with science-based strategies. If anyone wants to get a copy of your book, I have put your website link in the show notes, but when does it go live on Amazon? Follow Dr. Stevens on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrLeeStevens   Get a copy of Affective Neuroscience on Amazon  Thank you! BIO: Dr. Stevens graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from Tennessee State University and completed his internship in Clinical Psychology at the University of Rochester Counseling Center. Dr. Stevens research focuses on the anterior cingulate cortex, a unique region of the brain located between the prefrontal cortex and limbic system brain areas.   Dr. Stevens has taught at several colleges and universities in the Boston, MA area including Wheelock College, Boston College, and Harvard University. Dr. Stevens has a long scholarship record in clinical affective neuroscience, publishing widely in journals such as Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, and International Journal of Group Psychotherapy. Additionally, Dr. Stevens has presented his work on emotion in therapy at multiple conferences. Dr. Stevens is on the executive committee of the Boston Neuropsychoanalysis Workshop, which develops models of empirically supported psychotherapy based on neuroscience. Dr. Stevens has a private practice and is a psychologist in Worcester, MA. His practice focuses on utilizing emotion for therapeutic change. FOLLOW DR. STEVENS: https://www.drfrancisstevens.com/ https://twitter.com/DrLeeStevens FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi   Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com   Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697   Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/    RESOURCES: What Oprah Learned from Jim Carrey Published Oct. 13, 2011  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPU5bjzLZX0 Leslie Greenberg's Master Lecture on Emotion Focused Therapy by Lynn Mollick https://nj-act.org/greenberg.html Inside Out, the Movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/ Elizabeth Loftus “How our Memories Can Be Manipulated” https://www.npr.org/transcripts/557424726   REFERENCES:   [i] Royal Society (2011a). Brain Waves Module 4: Neuroscience and the law. London: Royal Society. [Google Scholar] [ii] Glimcher, P.W. , & Fehr, E. (2013). Neuroeconomics: Decision making and the brain (2nd edn). London: Elsevier. [Google Scholar] [iii] Royal Society (2011b). Brain Waves Module 1: Neuroscience, society and policy. London: Royal Society. [Google Scholar] [iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE # 128 with “ A Review of Dr. Daniel Amen's End of Mental Illness Book” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/review-of-dr-daniel-amens-the-end-of-mental-illness-6-steps-for-improved-brain-and-mental-health/ [v] Dr. Amen, Brain Thrive by 25 Online Course http://brainthriveby25.com/ [vi] Comprehensive School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Services and School Psychologists https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/mental-health/school-psychology-and-mental-health/comprehensive-school-based-mental-and-behavioral-health-services-and-school-psychologists#:~:text=Research%20demonstrates%20that%20students%20who,being%20all%20improve%20as%20well. [vii] IBID [viii] Dr. Stevens Talks Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy Sept. 6, 2021  https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/francis-lee-stevens-talks-affective-neuroscience-in-psychotherapy/ [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #22 Marc Brackett on his book “Permission to Feel” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-of-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/ [x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE # 127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/ [xi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 on “Brain Network Theory”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/ [xii]Dr. Stevens Talks Affective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy Sept. 6, 2021  https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/francis-lee-stevens-talks-affective-neuroscience-in-psychotherapy/ [xiii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE # 127 on “How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory and the Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-how-emotions-impact-learning-memory-and-the-brain/

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

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

Learn How to improve your productivity using mindfulness techniques from a Leading Neuroscience Researcher. Mark Waldman has authored 14 books, including the bestseller How God Changes Your Brain, an Oprah pick in 2012. His book is called NeuroWisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness, and Success. He teaches at Loyola Marymount University and is a world-leading expert on spirituality, communication, consciousness and the brain. He has an international practice as a NeuroCoach and he trains students and business leaders in this unique evidence-based strategy for enhancing personal and professional development. For more information, go to www.MarkRobertWaldman.com. Use the code Melody to get 50% Off Mark Waldman's Enhanced NeuroWisdom program through this link: https://markrobertwaldman.com/neurowisdom-enhanced-edition/

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, EPISODE #138 with Dr. Daniel Ansari[i], a professor and Canada Research Chair[ii] in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning in the Department of Psychology and the Brain in Mind Institute[iii] at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario where he heads the Numerical Cognition Laboratory.[iv] His name is well-known in the field of educational neuroscience with a focus on numeracy and math which I know our listeners will find fascinating as we make connections with how children acquire math and numeracy, with brain science in mind. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.  I'm Andrea Samadi, an educator who has been fascinated with understanding the science behind high performance strategies in schools, sports, and the workplace for the past 20 years. If you have been listening to our podcast, you will know that we've uncovered that if we want to improve our social and emotional skills, and experience success in our work and personal lives, it all begins with an understanding of our brain. Our goal with this podcast is to bring the most current neuroscience research to you and make it applicable in your life whether you are a teacher in the classroom or using these ideas to improve productivity and results in your workplace. As I am researching and learning new ideas, I'm also implementing them myself, and making connections to past speakers, so that we can all benefit from the research that is emerging in this new field of educational neuroscience. Which brings me to our next guest, who I came across a few months ago while researching neuroscientists who specialize in the field of education. Dr. Daniel Ansari's name came up as a speaker at the Dropping Out, What Neuroscience Can Teach Us[v] International Symposium on the long-held paradigms of dropout prevention with his session on “The Best Way for Children to Learn Math” and my attention was caught. When I worked at Pearson Education, (2004-2010) I was on a sales team that had a focus on one product, for dropout prevention at the high school level (NovaNET)[vi] and I spent years promoting this program with the hopes of saving students who were at risk of dropping out. This conference was happening just as I had begun to study the brain and learning in 2015, and I only wish I had found it sooner. I wrote down Dr. Ansari's name on my desk, with the idea that I would look him up, and see if he would come on the podcast as a guest. Then went back to work on researching in the field of educational neuroscience and the researcher I am working with, Mark Waldman, sent me an article that he thought would be of interest to me with a project I am working on. I opened the article called “Annual Research Review: Educational neuroscience: progress and prospects”[vii] by Michael S.C Thomas, Daniel Ansari, and Victoria C.P. Knowland and immediately contacted Daniel Ansari. I don't believe in accidents and when someone's name continues to come to my attention as someone I need to learn from, I don't waste any time. Without further ado, let's meet Professor and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Dr. Daniel Ansari. Welcome Daniel! I was so happy when you wrote back after I contacted you after reading your research abstract on educational neuroscience, thank you so much for being here. Daniel, you let me know when I first contacted you that you were in lockdown in London, Ontario, Canada, that your son was doing his schooling in your office and as I am writing these questions, I saw that schools in Ontario (where I grew up, got my teaching degree, and was a teacher) have according to Professor Prachi Srivastava, a professor at Western University “the longest school closures in Canada. As of today (June 3rd), 23 weeks since March 2020).” What is going on with the schools in Ontario, and how do you think this is impacting student learning?   Q1: Dr. Ansari, when I first began to research this field of educational neuroscience, it was in 2014 when an educator urged me to go in this direction with the leadership/SEL program[viii] I created for middle and high schools, and there wasn't a lot of resources to follow. There were books to read on learning and the brain and I have interviewed many of these leaders on the podcast (David Sousa, How the Brain Learns Series[ix], John Medina's Brain Rules[x]) but I certainly had no idea there were undergraduate programs in this field. ((The term educational neuroscience came to me a few years later as I began to learn from Dr. Lori Desautels[xi], who runs the educational neuroscience graduate program at Butler University, but aside from her program, or taking a certification course like I am doing now from a leading researcher, I didn't know of any pathway that an educator could take to learn more about the brain and how it impacts learning.)) Can you share how you came on this path, that took you from your work in England, to Dartmouth College's first undergraduate program in neuroscience and perhaps your vision for where this field is going?[xii] Q2: I'd love to dive into the work you are doing at Western University's Numerical Cognition Lab where you are studying how children develop numerical skills. I'm sure that you hear this often, and it was the first thing that came across my mind when I began researching your work. Why did you put your focus on numeracy and math? What are the scientific and societal implications that you've uncovered to build a case for everyone to look mathematical skills with a new lens? Q3: Now that you've built the case for the importance of numeracy and math for our students/children, and many students have been homeschooled for the past year, so this is information is important for parents, not just for those teaching in the classroom. What are some of the foundational numerical skills that our children/students should be proficient with by 3rd grade (since 3rd grade is such an important marker for literacy) and how can we be sure to not put our fear of math (if we have it) onto our students or children? Q4: I watched the video on your website[xiii] that gives an overview of the work you are doing in your lab, and it caught my attention with the brain imaging you are doing to see how the brain's structure and function impact our mathematical abilities. The only research I have come across so far on the brain and mathematics is David Sousa's “How the Brain Learns Mathematics”[xiv] and in this book he says that with brain imaging they came across an interesting finding that he wasn't sure was coincidental. They found “that the region of the brain that controls finger movement is the same region associated with counting”[xv]  and he thought it was interesting that finger movement and counting are closely associated in the brain. Do you have any interesting findings like this (linking brain functions) that would be interesting and helpful for teachers learning to integrate brain science into their lessons, or parents homeschooling? What are you seeing with your brain scans? Q5: We just released a podcast on a fascinating story of a child who had a developmental reading disorder, who failed 1st grade in 1994, yet went on to graduate with his Ph.D. from Oxford in 2018 with brain-based learning strategies. Can you explain a brief overview of Developmental Dyscalculia, how we can recognize it with our children/students and some strategies we could all use to help those who show the signs of this brain-based disorder, so it doesn't dictate their future? Q6: What is your vision for the future of education, and how educational neuroscience can advance our understanding of best practices to accelerate learning, social/emotional and academic?   Thank you for your time, research and strategies linking neuroscience to the future of learning. If people want to learn more about your work, I will put your website in the show notes numericalcognition.org and social media links Twitter @NumCog. Is there anything else we should know about that I have missed or any final thoughts?   Thank you, Dr. Ansari. Dr. Daniel Ansari Website http://www.numericalcognition.org/ Twitter https://twitter.com/NumCog RESOURCES: Dartmouth College Educational Neuroscience Undergraduate Program https://pbs.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/neuroscience Donna Coch Faculty of Education https://educ.dartmouth.edu/ Bridges over troubled waters: education and cognitive neuroscience by Daniel Ansari, Donna Coch March 10, 2006 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16530462/ Casel's SEL State Initiative https://casel.org/collaborative-state-initiative/ Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #77 with University Professors and Authors Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey on “Developing and Delivering High Quality Distance Learning for Students” Published on YouTube August 4, 2020 H https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nLe3P50j4Q The British Psychological Society https://www.bps.org.uk/ What is Number Sense? https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/math-issues/number-sense-what-you-need-to-know How number-spaced relationships are assessed by Katarzyna Patro, Hans-Christopher Nuerk, Ulrike Cress, and Maciej Haman May 14, 2014. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030170/ David Sousa's “How the Brain Learns Mathematics” Sept. 19, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Mathematics-David-Sousa/dp/1412953065 The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics by Stanislas Dehaene April 29, 2011  https://www.amazon.com/Number-Sense-Creates-Mathematics-Revised/dp/0199753873/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=the+number+sense&qid=1623114414&s=books&sr=1-3 What explains the relationship between spatial and mathematical skills? A review of evidence from brain and behavior by Zachary Hawes and Daniel Ansari January 2020 https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-019-01694-7 Hand 2 Mind Math Tool Kits https://www.amazon.com/hand2mind-Manipulative-Toolkit-Grade-Hands/dp/B07S259K8N https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-stanislas-dehaene/presentation.htm The relationship between finger gnosis and mathematical ability by Marcie Penner-Wilger and Michael Anderson December 5, 2013 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3851991/ The role of fingers in number processing in young children by Anne LaFay, Catherine Thevenot, Caroline Castel, and Michael Fayol July 30, 2013  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00488/full Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades March 2021 Institute of Education Sciences with Lynn S. Fuchs https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/WWC2021006-Math-PG.pdf https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/what-is-dyscalculia REFERENCES:   [i] Daniel Ansari  https://www.edu.uwo.ca/faculty-profiles/daniel-ansari.html [ii] https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/about_us/achievements.html [iii] Brain in Mind Institute https://www.uwo.ca/bmi/ [iv] http://www.numericalcognition.org/ [v] Dropping Out, What Neuroscience Can Teach Us International Symposium, Quebec, Canada, 2015. https://www.edcan.ca/event/dropping-out-what-neuroscience-can-teach-us/ [vi] Pearson's NovaNET https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/ped-blogs/wp-content/pdfs/dc1-pearsondigitallearning-novanet-research-based.pdf [vii] Annual Research Review: Educational neuroscience: progress and prospects by Michael S.C. Thomas, Daniel Ansari and Victoria C.P. Knowland (April 2019)  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487963/ [viii] Andrea Samadi's Level Up Program, Books and Tools for the Classroom https://www.achieveit360.com/courses/ [ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #78 with David Sousa on “How the Brain Learns” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/award-winning-author-david-a-sousa-on-how-the-brain-learns/ [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #42 with Dr. John Medina on “Implementing Brain Rules in our Schools and Workplaces of the Future” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-john-medina-on-implementing-brain-rules-in-the-schools-and-workplaces-of-the-future/ [xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #56 with Dr. Lori Desautels “Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/ [xii] https://pbs.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/neuroscience [xiii] http://www.numericalcognition.org/ [xiv] How the Brain Learns Mathematics by David A Sousa Sept. 19, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Mathematics-David-Sousa/dp/1412953065 [xv] How the Brain Learns Mathematics by David A Sousa Sept. 19, 2007 https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Mathematics-David-Sousa/dp/1412953065 Page 15

“Experiences are the best teachers ….”  We often want to know how to discover more about ourselves, who we are, what drives us, what motivates us, and what makes us happy. But how do we do this? Do we read books, listen to podcasts (yes, please!), go to workshops, go on trips, go on retreats…maybe we do all or none of those things. The key is to have an open curiosity about your own experience every day.  We all want safety, to feel loved, understood, and to thrive.  In this episode of THE GO REFLECT YOURSELF PODCAST, we will explore with Chris Manning, The Coauthor of NeuroWisdom, the power of your experiences and how having curiosity can enhance your life. The Go Reflect Yourself Podcast ——- To truly have the life you want; the career, house, family, relationships, car, lifestyle, wealth, freedom, you name it….you must learn what success is and where it comes from, starting with how you think. Welcome to The Go Reflect Yourself Podcast, where we provide 60-second brain-based strategies for your success; in all key areas of your life, including wealth, health, business, relationships, etc.  Go Reflect Yourself was created after years of being a corporate employee and an independent business owner. Throughout all of those years, I learned that no matter what level of success people had achieved, and specifically financial success, typically, they were still missing something, missing true joy, well-being, and fulfillment.  I’ve spent a career helping business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs learn the skills needed to discover their inner brilliance.   That’s how Go Reflect Yourself was born. My goal is to help as many as possible learn the necessary skills to achieve ultimate fulfillment and well-being. Your host, Heather J. Crider, CEO of Digital Architect Media, A High-performance strategist, neurocoach, author, and speaker talks today with author, entrepreneur and professor, and Chris Manning Ph.D. What you will learn from today’s episode.    Having a basic understanding of your brain networks can help you have clarity.  How to discover who you are by being a student. Why experiences will lead to your growth. Developing curiosity in all you do will set you free. Listen to your awareness and your peak experiences to learn. Developing your awareness. Curiosity gives us the raw material to think better. Emotional intelligence comes from listening to our experiences. The only sin in the world is not living. Take the risk to continue to learn and explore. Learning leads us to enjoy ourselves and serving others. How to learn the concept of Do what you love, the money will follow    Tune in and as you watch or listen to this special episode. Pause every 5-10 minutes and mindfully reflect on what you just heard. Write down your thoughts, then yawn and stretch before proceeding.               —————————   More About Chris Manning, Ph.D., . A first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, an owner of a Venture Capital firm, he has excelled as a distinguished clinical professor of finance, real estate and entrepreneurship at many different universities, and also teaching Executive MBAs, MBAs and undergrads as a Professor of Finance and Associate Professor.    Coauthored the neuro-leadership book “NeuroWisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success” with Mark Waldman. With more than 50 years of professional excellence to his credit, Chris Manning, Ph.D., excelled as a distinguished clinical professor of finance, real estate and entrepreneurship at Loyola Marymount University since 2016, after previously teaching Executive MBAs, MBAs and undergrads as a Professor of Finance and Associate Professor from 1986 to 2016. Earlier in his career, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970 before founding and managing Manning and Company, a venture capital firm (1971-1986), and Sequoia Spa Company (1979-1983) as their president and CEO. Between 1975 – 1978, he worked with the investment bank Houlihan Lokey’s founding partners to redevelop the Solitude Ski Resort just outside Salt Lake City, UT, serving both as a Director and its VP of Finance & Administration. While continuing to manage his venture capital firm, Manning and Company, and prior to joining the College of Business faculty at Loyola Marymount University, he began his education career, teaching first for Pepperdine University in Malibu (1979-1983) and later for California State University, Long Beach, (1983-1986) as an MBA and undergrad instructor of corporate finance and real estate. Seven years later, while on sabbatical from Loyola Marymount University (1993-1994), he moved to Colorado and taught finance part time for the University of Colorado while opening the Denver, CO, office of Houlihan Valuation Advisors as its Managing Partner (1993-1994). A past president of the American Real Estate Society (ARES)(2002-2003), Dr. Manning is currently an Associate Executive Director of ARES and a member of the James R. Webb American Real Estate Society Foundation, where he has been sitting on both their boards of directors for more than 15 years. Dr. Manning was admitted to Phi Eta Sigma as a freshman at San Diego State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in 1967, and was admitted to Beta Gamma Sigma in his first year at Northwestern University where he earned his Master of Business Administration in Finance (1971). Following a 12-year career as a financial executive and entrepreneur, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1983. To remain abreast of changes in his fields, Dr. Manning continues to organize panels and present manuscripts at the American Real Estate Society’s Annual Meetings. After providing his wealth of knowledge by authoring and co-authoring more than 30 articles published in both academic and professional journals (to include the Harvard Business Review), he continues to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Real Estate Research (1988-1999, 2003 – present) and in 2017 co-authored the neuro-leadership book “NeuroWisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success” with Mark Waldman. Prior to launching his professional career, Dr. Manning served the U.S. Army as a 1st lieutenant in Vietnam (1969-1970) for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in 1970. He is the proud father of one daughter and grandfather of two grandsons. Looking toward to the future, Dr. Manning intends to continue sharing his knowledge with colleagues, friends and mentor his students at Loyola Marymount University, past and present. In addition, Dr. Manning looks forward to teaching NeuroLeadership, helping to certify Mark Waldman’s NeuroCoach Training Program students, and providing NeuroLeadership consulting and coaching thru MarkRobertWaldman.com       To get YOUR copy of The Go Reflect Yourself: 2021 Self-Reflection To Success Workbook Visit www.goreflectyourself.com/selfreflectionworkbook or heathercrider.com/selfreflectionworkbook To learn more about me, visit heathercrider.com  What You THINK Matters.  If there is something you hear in this episode that inspires you, please leave a comment or submit a contact us form and tell me all about it, I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you are struck by something, please feel free to share, and rate, and review! Visit Me On Social Media @Heatherjcrider

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, for Brain Fact Friday and episode #127 on Using Brain Network Theory to Understand How Emotions Impact Learning, Memory, and the Brain. To see the images for this episode, click on this link, if you are listening on iTunes. In this episode, you will learn: ✔︎ The how our emotions drive learning. ✔︎ How our memories form, and how to erase unwanted memories. ✔︎ The old way of looking at our brain (The Three Brains) vs (Brain Network Theory). ✔︎ Strategies to create balance in our brain in our classrooms and workplaces. Welcome back, I'm Andrea Samadi, a former educator who has been fascinated with understanding the science behind high performance strategies in schools, sports and the workplace for the past 20 years. If you have been listening to our podcast for some time, you will know that we’ve uncovered that if we want to improve our social and emotional skills, and experience success in our work and personal lives, it all begins with an understanding of our brain. We started Brain Fact Fridays last month to dive a bit deeper into some of top brain strategies we uncover in our interviews, or weekly episodes and from the feedback I have heard, these short episodes are helpful for learning about the brain in quick, easy to digest lessons, so we will continue with Brain Fact Fridays and I do appreciate the feedback! This past weekend, I was asked to be interviewed by Ti-Fen Pan, the host of the Compass Teachers Podcast,[i] from Taiwan. She interviews people around the globe on the most current educational topics, tactics, and resources, and she sent me a list of incredible questions that really made me think.  I love taking a break from being the person doing the interviews, and tune into other people’s shows, since I always want to learn something new, that I can share, and Ti-Fen really got me thinking with her podcast questions. How Do Our Emotions Drive Learning? Her first question to me was “what has neuroscience discovered about the relationship with our emotions and learning” and I had to think back to episode #100[ii] with Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, who is a Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Southern California and Director of the USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE Center).[iii]  Mary Helen is an expert on learning and the brain, especially when it comes to emotions and learning. She wrote the book Emotions, Learning and the Brain,[iv] where she talks about how “We feel, therefore we learn”[v] in Part 1 of her book and this topic is one of her most powerful YouTube publications.  She is someone who I know I could spend the rest of my life following and I would learn something new from her every day. She studies the psychological and neurobiological development of emotion and self-awareness, and connections to social, cognitive, and moral development in educational settings. I opened up her book, and if you have come from the field of education, you will recognize Howard Gardner, an American psychologist best known for his theory of multiple intelligences who wrote her foreword reminding us that “30 years ago, we had no idea that one could study human emotions that emerge slowly over time—such as admiration and awe—and compare them psychologically and neurobiologically with emotions that emerge more quickly like surprise or fear.” (page 80. Emotions, Learning and the Brain) This is a whole other topic, and I will be interviewing Mike Rousell[vi] on what the element of surprise does to our brain this summer when his book The Power of Surprise comes out, but Gardner explains that even if we are not scientists ourselves, most of us are intrigued to learn these new scientific findings.  I couldn’t agree more, and with the interest that these episodes are creating, I think you would agree with me also. This thought from Howard Gardner, along with Ti- Fen’s podcast questions, made me want to put some serious thought into what exactly it is that motivates us to learn something new, and what is it that helps us to remember what we’ve learned. For this week’s Brain Fact Friday BRAIN FACT 1: Did you know that emotions help memories form and stick? I could spend the next year diving deep into this brain fact, and we can learn from Jaak Panksepp[vii]  a neuroscientist who concluded that humans have seven networks of emotion in the brain that begin with seeking—we are always looking for something new, the brain releases dopamine when it finds it, which awakens our perception of strong positive and negative emotions. “Emotions form a critical piece of how, what, when, and why people think, remember and learn Mary Helen reminds us (page 146 Emotions, Learning and the Brain) she says “it is literally neurobiologically impossible to build memories, engage complex thoughts, or make meaningful decision without emotion.” We know that humans are emotional and social beings, (hence the name of this podcast, Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning) and these skills are finally being recognized as crucial in our schools and workplaces, in addition to academic and cognitive development, or the core skills your brain uses to think, read, remember, reason, and pay attention. Research shows that “emotion has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans including perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning and problem solving.”[viii] This happens because our amygdala “is activated by emotional events. The amygdala boosts memory encoding by enhancing attention and perception and can help memory retention by triggering the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, to boost arousal.”[ix] A New Way of Looking at Our Brain vs The Old Way When I think about the first few years I began to learn how the brain learns, from my first few sessions with my mentor, Mark Waldman, everyone was talking about the 3 parts of the brain, and how they interact with each other. I still think it’s important to understand these 3 parts of the brain, (especially the Limbic System, the emotional part of our brain where our amygdala sits) but it’s important to change how we think about our brain from this old way, where we would maybe draw the amygdala in the limbic area of the brain, and point to it in our presentations, saying, this is the part of our brain that activated while we are under stress and we experience “fight, flight or freeze.” You might have heard that when under stress, our executive functions (in the neocortex of our brain) begin to shut down, and students cannot learn and it’s difficult to complete meaningful work. You might have even heard this being called the amygdala hi-jack or that the amygdala was responsible for the “fight or flight” response, but there’s much more involved with this part of the brain than to just keep us safe and alive. Brain Network Theory: Creating Balance in Our Brain Instead of thinking about just one part of our brain, or our amygdala and how it responds to stress and impacts our learning, or memory, or ability to work, I want to use Brain Network Theory to explore this a bit deeper. I did cover Brain Network Theory on episode #48[x] but here’s a review. When looking at the brain, some people use fMRI scans, others use SPECT image scans, but I am sure you have seen these images that show how different parts of our brain light up when we are doing different things. You will no longer see studies that talk only about the individual parts of the brain—like the amygdala, or hippocampus, you will now see images that describe brain networks, nodes and connectivity. This is a fascinating discovery that comes to life with these images. When thinking about our brain, learning, and memory, think about how our networks are all working together. You can see an image in the show notes created by Mark Waldman that shows the key networks in our brain.   Our Default Mode Network is the largest network in our brain--remember this image is just a map or metaphor to simplify the explanation of our brain networks to give you something to picture as you image your brain—not just the 3 parts of the brain in the first image, but how these networks interact with each other.  How these networks are all connected to our awareness with the star in the middle of the image and how these networks overlap each other. The DMN (or the I in the diagram for imagination)  contains our imagination processes like daydreaming, creative problem solving, and mind wandering and involves those thought processes that can include worry, doubts and fears that can stimulate our amygdala by sending a message to other parts of our brain that something important is going on that we should pay attention to. Our emotional state is governed by our amygdala which is “responsible for processing positive emotions like happiness, and negative ones like fear and anxiety”[xi]  and it’s important to find the equilibrium between our Amygdala, our Default Mode (Imagination) Network, and Salience (Stabilizing)  Network that is like the balancing part of our brain that thinks, weighs what’s important, and helps us to create the balance that we need. Balancing Our Emotional Brain: To Help Memories Stick Using Brain Network Theory as a tool to bring balance back to our brain, let’s imagine that our amygdala, Default Mode Network and Salience Network are playing a game of basketball. They all need to work together to create balance, to get the ball in the basket (a metaphor for whatever we are working on in our daily life).  When the amygdala suddenly trips,(like it would if it was telling you there’s something you need to pay attention to—good or bad) and the ball goes out of bounds, it can be like our amygdala processing our emotions and the rest of our brain needs to step in to bring the balance back. We’ve got to learn how to interrupt the emotion (it can be good or bad emotion) so you can bring the balance and focus back to your brain to continue learning. The more rapidly we can change between these 3 networks in our day, (imagine the amygdala, Default Mode Network and Salience Network passing a basketball back and forth to each other smoothly, and quickly that you can hear the ball snapping on each networks fingers) creating more well-being and productivity with this balancing act. This is exactly what Cognitive Behavioral Therapy does, but there are some simple ways to quickly bring balance back to your brain so you can gain control of your Central Execute Network and continue learning and make those memories stick. The Brain in the Classroom If emotions help memories form and stick, and the amygdala is the part of the brain that tells you to pay attention to something, and remember it, whether it’s good or bad, we want to do what we can to bring balance to our student’s brains in the classroom, or our brains in the workplace. Mindfulness in the Classroom: We have covered mindfulness on a few different episodes, starting with episode #25[xii] but this strategy is the most effective way to stimulate the insula and anterior cingulate in the brain (where our awareness lies) and brings back balance and well-being that have been documented in over 4,000 research studies. Mindfulness can be taught through breath work like box breathing[xiii] that’s a technique that’s a powerful tool for anyone to use to reduce stress. It’s used from “athletes to U.S. Navy Seals, police officers and nurses” and is simple for students to learn in the classroom, and hopefully take with them as a lifelong coping strategy. Taking Brain Breaks for Improved Creativity: when we are asking our students to give their focused attention, think about Brain Network Theory. Focus will cause brain fatigue, and too much of it depletes your brain of glucose and depletes you. Be sure to allow your students the time to shift between their Default Mode/ Imagination network, Central Executive (Thinking) Network and Salience (Stabilizing) Network so they can gain insights that are impossible during focused only times.  Allow them time to get up, rest their brain, walk around, go outside (if possible) and take short breaks every hour to keep students as productive as they can be.   The Amygdala First Aid Station[xiv]: I first saw this idea with Dr. Lori Desautels[xv], who suggested an area for students to go in the classroom when they feel overwhelmed. Instead of causing a fight in the classroom, students get up and go to a designated area that has calming lotion or something like that to allow students to reset their brain. I’ve put a link to some ideas in the show notes like cups to have students share their mood for the day, stress balls, popsicle stick coping strategies and many other creative ideas to calm a stressed student.[xvi] I noticed when my children were home from school during the pandemic that my youngest daughter enjoyed getting up from her desk, to go and pet the cat, before going back to do her work. These short breaks gave her a brain break and reset her focus for her next work session. I know we can’t have cats in our classrooms, but I have seen fluffy pillows work just as well for students like my daughter who can tend to get overwhelmed with her work. Dr. Lori Desautels, an Assistant Professor at Butler University (whose been on our podcast a few times) mentioned that students enjoy learning about their brain and how they can use this knowledge to improve their behavior and focus. She said “when we teach students about the amygdala, the hippocampus, neuroplasticity, and prefrontal cortex, it gives the brain science. It objectifies their behavior.” Many of her undergraduate students said “they wish they would’ve known neuroscience in middle school because students think something is wrong with them when they exhibit negative behavior. When students understand the science behind it, it intrigues them and they’re challenged to change those hard-wired circuits.” If you really want to capture a student’s attention in the classroom, teaching them the basics of how their brain works, especially to help them to achieve their goals, this information will fascinate them. Using the Brain in the Workplace for Improved Results Find Your Balance and Allow Creativity to Flow: The way to experience optimal health and well-being, that’s crucial for success in the workplace, is to create balance with your Default Mode (Imagination) Network, Central Executive (Thinking) Network and Salience (Stabilizing) Network. Notice when you are out of balance, or overly anxious--your Default Mode Network may be overly active, with worry, so learn to switch to a different brain network (since spending too much time with imagination can lead to ruminating thoughts) so switch to your Central Executive (thinking) Network, (get to work on something and notice there’s no time to worry). Work as long as you can, and then switch to your (stabilizing/values/social awareness) Network to bring back the give yourself a break. When we can give our brain breaks, it will allow for creative insights to flow during our imagination/resting states where we can have breakthroughs like the “20% time policy at Google, where the company’s engineers get a day a week to work on whatever they want”[xvii] to keep their creativity flowing.  See how you can replicate this process with your work. Tap into Your Motivation Network: Your motivation network is what gets you out of bed in the morning and pushes you to seek out anything that has a pleasurable reward. This circuit is located in the nucleus accumbens[xviii] of the brain and is driven by your instinct and curiosity that’s one of Jaak Panksepp’s Core Emotions (Panksepp was an Estonian neuroscientist who mapped out 7 emotional circuits in the mammalian brain (the hindbrain) with play being one of them. We went deep into the importance of having fun with our work on episode #27 with Friederike Fabritius[xix] on Achieving Peak Performance where she spoke about the importance of having fun with our work, bringing us to those higher levels of peak performance. Panksepp identified another emotion called SEEKING that keeps us moving forward, engaged in new and interesting activities and work throughout our lifetime. If you have lost motivation for your work, it’s time to look or like Panksepp would say, SEEK something that your brain will find new, and interesting, that will bring you JOY. This will engage you at the brain level. Listen to Your Second Brain: Your Gut Instinct Have you ever made a decision based upon your gut instinct? Neuroscience tells us “that this mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical. Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress” [xx] and many other important signals. You can strengthen your second brain with mindfulness, opening the door to one of the most powerful tools you can use to help you to become more self-aware and socially aware as you’ll begin to sense what others need and want. I once asked a business executive who was the last step in my interview process for this job I really wanted, after she offered me to position, I asked her “What made you choose me for the job?” I wanted to know what she would say, and the answer that came from this seasoned executive was not what I expected. She said “I went with my gut instinct” showing me of the power of using our second brain, or our gut, when making decisions in the workplace. Now That Our Brain is Primed for Learning, How Do We Make Our Memories or Learning Stick? We remember John Dunlosky focused on the importance of spaced repetition for memory formation on episode #37[xxi], (practicing a skill over and over again) and we know that memories aren’t reliable from episode #44[xxii] (that each time we recall something from our past, it changes) but what exactly is happening in the brain when we remember something? Neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux explains memory consolidation: “Consolidation is what happens when a memory persists. When you have a memory, it goes into short term memory and If for some reason the memory isn’t consolidated, long term memory doesn’t occur. The conversion of short-term memory to long term memory is called consolidation. This process involves that the neurons in the brain that are forming the memory undergo protein synthesis. These proteins basically glue the memory together. Reconsolidation occurs when the memory that is fully consolidated is reactivated or retrieved, has to go through another phase of protein synthesis in order for that memory to persist into the future. If you block protein synthesis after retrieval, you prevent that storage process and disrupt the memory. This is important because each time we retrieve a memory, we have to update it.”[xxiii] He simplifies this by saying—when we first meet someone, we have a memory of that experience.  When we meet that person again, we retrieve the first memory and whatever else we’ve learned about the person in the meantime are added to form the new memory. To not forget this memory, it has to be stored, and updated with what we remember from the past, with what we add to it in the present moment. It’s not like watching a video of exactly what occurred the first time, which is the old view of how our memory works. What really happens is that “every time you take a new memory out, you must put it back in and this forms a new memory.”[xxiv] Can We Forget Certain Memories? LeDoux explains it is possible for people who had had a traumatic experience that they would like to forget to be given a substance that would “block the protein synthesis and prevent memories from forming which is called Reconsolidation Blocking and it doesn’t erase the memory, but just dampens the impact of the memory so it’s less troubling or arousing or troubling when it’s remembered later.”[xxv] REVIEW OF THIS WEEK’S BRAIN FACT BRAIN FACT 1: Did you know that emotions help memories form and stick? This episode we went deep into where our emotions begin in our brain, with strategies to balance our brains using Brain Network Theory, in our classrooms and workplaces, so we can easily take in new information, and understand how we can retain it.  We know that “memories linked with strong emotions often become seared in the brain”[xxvi]  and we can even test this theory ourselves by thinking back to certain memories you might have in your life and see what you can remember about that event. What do you remember about September 11th, 2001? Do you remember anything about September 10th, 2001? I couldn’t tell you a thing about Sept. 10th. Not what I ate for breakfast that day, or even much about the house I was living in at the time. But the day after, for some reason, everything seems crystal clear to me. I can see the television that I turned on while getting ready to watch the planes crash into the twin towers, can remember the sun coming in the windows, and even the shade the sunlight made on the ground in front of the television. The rest of that day is pretty clear as well, proving that emotions really do make memories stick. I hope this episode has helped you to imagine our brains in a new light using Brain Network Theory, how we prime them for optimal learning, to ensure what we learn goes into our long-term memory, and then how to make these memories stick…if we want them to. See you next week. REFERENCES: [i] The Compass Teachers Podcast with Ti-Fen Pan from Taiwan https://compassteacher.com/ [ii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episode #100 with Mary Helen Immordino-Yang https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/professor-mary-helen-immordino-yang-on-the-neuroscience-of-social-and-emotional-learning/ [iii] Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD https://candle.usc.edu/people/ [iv] Mary Helen Immordino Yang Emotions, Learning and the Brain (November 16, 2015) https://www.amazon.com/Emotions-Learning-Brain-Implications-Neuroscience/dp/0393709817 [v] Mary-Helen Immordino-Yang “We Feel, Therefore We Learn” Published on YouTube April 16, 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85BZRVE6M0o&t=338s [vi] Mike Rousell, Ph.D.  The Power of Surprise: How Your Brain Secretly Changes Your Beliefs https://www.amazon.com/Power-Surprise-Secretly-Changes-Beliefs/dp/153815241X [vii] Jaak Panksepp The Science of Emotions TEDxRanier Published on YouTube Jan. 13, 2014  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65e2qScV_K8 [viii] The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory Published August 24, 2017 Chai M Tyng, Hafeez U Amin, Mohammed N M Saad, Aamir S Malik  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573739/ [ix] What Makes Memories Stronger? https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain-basics/memory/what-makes-memories-stronger [x] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #48 with Andrea Samadi on “Brain Network Theory” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/ [xi] A Delicate Balance Between Positive and Negative Emotion by Anne Trafton Oct. 17, 2016 https://bcs.mit.edu/news-events/news/delicate-balance-between-positive-and-negative-emotion [xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #25 with Mick Neustadt on “Mindfulness and Meditation” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mindfulness-and-meditation-expert-mick-neustadt-on-how-meditation-and-mindfulness-changes-your-life-results-and-potential/ [xiii] What is box breathing? By Ana Gotter June 17, 2020 https://www.healthline.com/health/box-breathing [xiv] https://www.pinterest.co.uk/kath6490/amygdala-first-aid-station/ [xv] Neuroscience Meet Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODES #16 and #56 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/lori-desautels-and-michael-mcknight-on-the-future-of-educational-neuroscience-in-our-schools-and-communities/   https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/educational-neuroscience-pioneer-dr-lori-desautels-on-her-new-book-about-connections-over-compliance-rewiring-our-perceptions-of-discipline/ [xvi] Amygdala First Aid Station https://www.pinterest.co.uk/kath6490/amygdala-first-aid-station/ [xvii] Your Brain at Work by Adam Waytz and Malia Mason August 2013 https://hbr.org/2013/07/your-brain-at-work [xviii] Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness, and Success by Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning, Ph.D. (2017) https://www.amazon.com/NeuroWisdom-Brain-Science-Happiness-Success/dp/1682303055 [xix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #27 with Friederike Fabritius on “Achieving Peak Performance” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/pioneer-in-the-field-of-neuroleadership-friederike-fabritius-on-the-recipe-for-achieving-peak-performance/ [xx] Gut Feelings-The “Second Brain” in our Gastrointestinal Systems by Justin and Erica Sonnenburg May 1, 2015 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-feelings-the-second-brain-in-our-gastrointestinal-systems-excerpt/ [xxi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #37 with Professor John Dunlosky https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/kent-states-dr-john-dunlosky-on-improving-student-success-some-principles-from-cognitive-science/ [xxii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #44 “12 Mind-Boggling Brain Discoveries” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/andrea-samadis-12-mind-boggling-discoveries-about-the-brain/ [xxiii] What is Memory Consolidation and Reconsolidation? Joseph LeDoux Published on YouTube November 9, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKiV3FNpXhk [xxiv] IBID [xxv] IBID [xxvi] Why Are Memories Attached to Emotions So Strong? July 13, 2020 https://neurosciencenews.com/emotion-memory-16631/

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, for Brain Fact Friday and episode #124. If you’ve been listening to this podcast, called Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning, I’m sure you’ve made the connection with the importance of improving our social and emotional skills, in our schools and otherwise called emotional intelligence skills in the workplace with an understanding of how our brain works. This week we interviewed Professor Chuck Hillman, from Northeastern University, and he mentioned that an important concept he would like to see in the future, would be more people like Paul Zientarski, who built his career with the application of Professor Hillman’s brain research. Today’s Brain Fact Friday will teach you how to do this. If you’re interested in how you could be this person in your school or workplace, who could spearhead the implementation of these new evidence-based ideas, I’ll show you how simple it can be so that you can be confident that what you are sharing with your schools or teams is accurate, and not pseudoscience.  In 2014, when an educator urged me to add the most current neuroscience research to my programs, I had to quickly learn about the brain and be sure what I was learning was accurate. I didn’t go to school for a degree in Neuroscience which is one route I highly suggest especially through Butler University’s Applied Educational Neuroscience Graduate Program Certificate with Dr. Lori Desautels[i]. I went another route, and found the leading neuroscience researcher, Mark Waldman[ii]  to teach me all he knew and later joined his Neuroscience Certification Program[iii] so I could share the most accurate research with others and stay up to date, since this information is always advancing and changing. This is exactly what Paul Zientarski had to do when he began to learn how the brain works from Professor Hillman’s research. Once you have an understanding of how the brain works, and know where to look to attach the most current research studies for your hypothesis, or something you are interested in sharing with others, it’s really not that difficult. We can all be neuroscience researchers, but the key is to find accurate studies that come from a website called Pubmed.gov[iv] not just Google, YouTube or random articles you might find on the internet. This is how I added brain-research to my second book, Level Up: A Brain-Based Strategy to Skyrocket Student Success and Achievement[v] and began speaking on the topic of “Stress, Learning and the Brain” in 2016. My first brain-based presentation for YRDSB Quest Conference[vi] in 2016 filled up and had standing room only. Principles, Superintendents, teachers and students filled the room, with the hopes of learning something new. It was the research that was throughout this presentation that helped me to have the confidence to share this knowledge, and not feel intimidated with the fact that I am not a Cognitive Neuroscientist, but someone who is passionate about the subject, that I would gladly trade my weekends to study and learn more, so I can share it with others. There was one slide that gave credibility to the topic, with the advice of Mark Waldman, who had been presenting on the topic many years before me.  It’s funny because he mentioned that studies show if you put an image of the brain in your presentation, it adds instant credibility to what you are saying. I’ll put the slide in the show notes, so you can see how easy it can be to attach a Pubmed Study and picture of a brain, to your next presentation if you want to add neuroscience to your next presentation. You can see my slide where I am talking about what stress does to our brain, as well as our students’ brains. If you are listening to this podcast on iTunes, you can access the images in the show notes here.  How Can You Become a Neuroscience Researcher? Here’s 4 simple steps that I know you could implement. STEP 1: First you want to think of your hypothesis, or something you are interested in, that you will back up with the most current research. Let’s use my presentation slide as an example and say that want to do a presentation on “How Stress Impacts the Brain and Learning.” STEP 2: Go to PubMed.gov[vii] and it’s important what you type into the search bar. Typing in chronic stress and the brain brings up over 16,000 results and is too many for you to read through. If you put (fMRI) in brackets, next to what you are searching, it will bring up studies that use brain scans, and this narrowed our search down a bit more to 628 studies. STEP 3: Read through the studies whose titles interest you.  If you’ve ever looked at an abstract or research study from Pubmed, you might think like I did when I first went there “how can I take this and implement it properly? I’m not even sure what the study is saying.” Don’t worry, the parts of the study that are important are the title, that tells you the topic and hypothesis, or what the researchers want to prove. Then there’s a middle part that give you some details about the study that you can scan, and don’t worry about all of the language. I’m sure many researchers aren’t sure what it all means either. If you’ve ever conducted a study, you’re usually an expert on your subject area, and not an expert at finding the statistical mean for your study, but someone who is an expert will inform this part of the study, that helps them to find an accurate conclusion, that you will want to read.  STEP 4: Pick a study that makes sense for what you are trying to prove.  The study that I used in my slide was “Chronic stress disrupts neural coherence between cortico-limbic structures” and you will see that I sited all of the authors of the study, exactly as they appeared along with the date of publication of the study. It really is that simple. You can become a Neuroscience Researcher and add the most current research to your own presentations using these 4 steps. You can also find interesting brain facts that would go along with this study, to make what you are sharing more interesting, because another brain discovery is that “people don’t pay attention to boring things, or people” and you don’t want to be boring. You’ll want to take the science, and add it to your presentation, without the scientific jargon that loses people’s attention. You can add engaging brain facts throughout your presentation on your topic to bring the attention back, and give a sort of brain break.   BRAIN FACT We know that stress impacts the brain and learning, but did you know that: “Your brain is 73% water. It takes only 2% dehydration to affect your attention, memory and other cognitive skills.”[viii] The authors of this brain fact were so brilliant that they tied it to a study on PubMed.gov on “Cognitive Performance and Hydration.”[ix] You could easily add this brain fact to a slide, encourage your audience to take a drink of water, and remind them that our brain needs water to hold our attention, memory and other important cognitive skills. How easy is that? I hope you find this Brain Fact Friday episode useful. If you do use these tips to implement some new ideas into your work, I would love to know. Please do reach out to me[x] and share how you’ve been inspired to add the most current neuroscience research to your school or workplace. See you next week. RESOURCES: Tools and Ideas for Physical Educators with the Brain in Mind by Doug Smith @Smitty30sports on Twitter https://sites.google.com/view/extrainningspe/presentations REFERENCES: [i] https://www.butler.edu/coe/applied-educational-neuroscience [ii] https://markrobertwaldman.com/ [iii] https://markrobertwaldman.com/certification/ [iv] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ [v] Level Up: A Brain-Based Strategy to Skyrocket Student Success and Achievement by Andrea Samadi (September 2015) https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-Brain-Based-Skyrocket-Achievement/dp/1976819865/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= [vi] http://www.questconference.ca/ [vii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ [viii] 72 Amazing Brain Facts by Deanne Alban https://bebrainfit.com/human-brain-facts/ [ix] Cognitive Performance and Hydration https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22855911/ [x] andrea@achieveit360.com

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, episode #104.Watch this interview on YouTube here. Our guest today came to me when I was referred to his book on one of my neuro-coaching training calls with Mark Robert Waldman[i], from episode #30 when I asked a question that was sent to me from a close friend from the UK, on dreams.  Mark Waldman told me that he was anxiously awaiting the NEW book, When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep[ii] and I immediately looked up the book, and contacted the author, Antonio Zadra, to appear on our podcast. He agreed, and the rest is history!Before I get to the interview, I want to give you a bit more background information on this book, and the authors, and what you can expect before picking it up. I’ve got to say that what I expected from this book, continually changed as I began to read it, and it took me deeper and deeper into the mysterious world of our dreams.Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold bring together state-of-the-art neuroscientific ideas and findings to propose a new and innovative model of dream function called NEXTUP—Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. By detailing this model’s workings, they help readers understand key features of several types of dreams, from prophetic dreams to nightmares and lucid dreams. When Brains Dream reveals recent discoveries about the sleeping brain and the many ways in which dreams are psychologically, and neurologically, meaningful experiences; The book explores a host of dream-related disorders; and explains how dreams can facilitate creativity and be a source of personal insight.Antonio Zadra[iii] is a professor at the Université de Montréal and a researcher at the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine. He has appeared on PBS's Nova and BBC's Horizon.Welcome Tony, thank you so much for agreeing to share more about your new book, When Brains Dream today.Q1: Tony, when we first spoke, I mentioned to you that I had been writing down my dreams since the late 1990s (off and on) it started when the speaker, Bob Proctor from episode #66[iv], who I worked for, suggested that I could learn a lot of insight from journaling about dreams, but nothing was more powerful than my first conversation with you.  You taught me a valuable lesson, that “we cannot interpret other people’s dreams, only our own.” Can you share why this is important for all of us to understand, as we all probably have the same urge to ask “what does this dream mean?” and what should we be thinking of asking instead when searching for meaning with our dreams? (Ch 12 Working with Dreams). Q2: How can readers use your model NEXTUP (Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities) to understand prophetic dreams, nightmares or lucid dreams?Q3:  Before we look at working with dreams, can you explain that while Freud’s influence on dreams was great,  (you cover his influence in Chapter 3) what powerful scientific and clinical work was being done on dreams way before Freud? Q4: What made you become interested in studying about dreams, and becoming a dream scientist?Q5: I have to ask, the biggest question about dreaming that you cover in chapter 7. Why do we dream?  I always thought our dreams were our wishes or fears, something from the past, unresolved issues, and something triggered by a current event. What would you say? Why do we dream?Q6: What are the contents of most dreams and how can they facilitate creativity and have our dreams be a source of personal insight?6 PART B Also, you mention in chapter 12 that “20 percent of dream material can be confidently traced to waking-life sources.”  Where is the rest of 80% coming from? Our non-conscious?  The collective consciousness that I know you mentioned.Q7: When we were talking about 2 of my dreams before this call, you noticed that water was a theme in both dreams, and one included flowing water that you mentioned can be metaphor for our emotions. You were able to ask me some questions that pinpointed very quickly and easily the meaning of those dreams. Can you expand on any other metaphors like water that might be common themes for people? Also, what can you tell me about dream characters and why are they of such interest to you?Q8: You had mentioned to me that taking art appreciation classes can help to get a better appreciation for our dreams, and not being one to go to the museum or art gallery, I wondered what I could learn from this. Then you mention Santiago Ramón y Cajal, (Cahal) a Spanish histologist and anatomist who won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of nerve cells and I watched a video about his book The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramon y Cajal[v] on YouTube and it was fascinating. For the first time I began to make connections between art and dreams and see this strategy in a new light. Can you expand on this idea and explain why art appreciation is an important strategy for dream exploration? Q9: In the epilogue you talk about the future of dreaming and that maybe one day sleep trackers could store/log our dreams and how scary this could be. What do you think the future holds for us and our dreams? Do you think there will ever be solid answers that neuroscience can answer to help us to better understand some of the questions that come up with our dreams? Thank you very much for your time today Tony and for sharing your insights on the power of understanding how our brains dream. If anyone wants to purchase your book, is the best place Amazon? If people want to contact you directly, or learn more about your work, what is the best way?@DrZDreams on Twitterhttps://antoniozadra.com/enhttps://antoniozadra.com/en/mediaThank you!RESOURCES:Ready Player One https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/The Dream Keepers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L21GQBD/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1REFERENCES:[i] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Episode #30 Neuroscience Researcher Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Living Principles” https://www.achieveit360.com/neuroscience-researcher-mark-robert-waldman-on-12-brain-based-experiential-learning-and-living-principles/[ii] When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep by Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold (Jan. 12, 2021) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D1SF658/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[iii] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Antonio_Zadra[iv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast episode #66 The Legendary Bob Proctor on “Social and Emotional Learning: Where it All Started” https://www.achieveit360.com/the-legendary-bob-proctor-on-social-and-emotional-learning-where-it-all-started/[v] The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramon y Cajal Published August 10, 2017 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72IPPIt5iMw&feature=youtu.be

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #103, where we will cover “The Neuroscience of Leadership: How to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever.” As we are now well into the New Year of 2021, with 2020 behind us as a distant but not forgotten memory, have you taken the time to close out the old year and welcome in the new? Whatever planning activity you do, I’ve added some ideas to this episode that I’ve collected over the years of working directly with the top leaders in motivation and success that really do add new energy to fuel this new year, with practical neuroscience tied to each strategy.  The idea is to look at your year with your brain in mind and see if this new lens can create the best year ever for you.We all intuitively know that there’s a mental energy boost that comes along with “being ahead” of the game, and for those who work in our classrooms, you know that this year, getting ahead with our students looks much different than prior years, with perhaps a phone call before the start of the year to welcome your new students, break the ice, or tie something personal into your lessons that helps you to quickly connect on a deeper level, setting the tone for your year.Getting ahead also translates into the workplace, with significant advantages in sales, for instance, knowing and planning where your sales will come from and having a solid pipeline, sets the tone for the rest of the year, much like the sports team who gets that first point early in the game, there’s a competitive advantage to this that builds momentum. Many people will be starting new jobs or careers with the mergers and resets that occurred from 2020, and the strategies that I am going to share with you, will be relevant to those of us who are starting something new, looking to refuel for a new year, recharge our batteries in 2021, shift, pivot and building momentum early, to set the rhythm for your best year ever. For those who work as entrepreneurs, this is the way we launch every year. For me, it’s been since I left the corporate space in 2012, so this will be my ninth New Year implementing these strategies.  The first year, on Day One of working on my own, I remember calling my good friend Patti Knoles, who had been in business for herself for many years, and saying “Patti, I’m so scared! What if what I am planning to do doesn’t work out?” I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I do remember where I was at the time, and that whatever she said made me feel better.  I think she said something like “how will you know if you don’t try?” and she was right—that’s the same words of wisdom that I give to those people, including one of my former sales managers, who called me after they have made this leap recently, for any thoughts, ideas or suggestions on how to be successful working from home, for yourself.Whether in business for ourselves, or working for someone else, it takes a certain mental mindset to be 100% in charge of our results—our day, income, and life, and I know that it can also be quite scary, so for those of you facing 2021 with this new lens, here are some strategies that you can implement that will put you ahead of the game mentally, which I’m confident will change your results and set you up, for your best year ever. Idea #1: Create Early Wins to Increase Motivation, Creativity and Overcome Challenges.Michael D. Watkins, the cofounder of Genesis Advisers, a leadership development company, and the author of The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels[i]  shares that “the single most important principle to making a successful transition in times of change, is to get early wins to build momentum fast.”[ii]We talked about this in the introduction, how achieving early wins creates a new rhythm and momentum that changes your mindset to help you to focus on the success you are destined for, with greater outcomes, but how exactly do we win early? Winning doesn’t usually just happen. It’s never by chance or luck. Here are some strategies you can use to develop a winner’s brain within yourself, or your organization, or team, so that you can have those predictable results that come with winning early.How To Put This Tip into Action With the Brain in Mind?Uncover What Motivates You, Get into Flow State and Create Your Winning Brain. There is a fine line between setting and achieving goals, and research shows that motivation is what is behind those who are successful at achieving the goals they have set.  How do we uncover what motivates us? By now, most of us have heard of Simon Sinek’s[iii] work and the importance of starting with our “why” to inspire others to take action. If you haven’t watched this TED Talk[iv] in a while, it’s a good one to revisit.  I read a more recent example of uncovering your own motivation with the newly appointed head coach of the New York Jets, (NFL) Robert Saleh, who is taking over the team “coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history.”[v] Saleh explains his powerful story that launched his coaching career when he traded his “cubicle for his coaching dream after his brother’s 9/11 close call.”[vi] In an article I have included in the show notes, Saleh shares that he might not have been a football coach at all—if it weren’t for what his brother experienced on Sept. 11th, 2001. This is a true story that explains the motivation that skyrocketed Saleh’s coaching career, and I am certain will be the foundation for the success he will experience as a head coach, in addition to the emotional intelligence that he has developed that former Jaguars star Paul Posluszny (Poslozny) describes when he explains that Saleh’s “presence commands attention because of his knowledge, the way he communicates, and the trust players have in him.”[vii]Connect Your Brain to this StrategySo, how does this translate into developing your winning brain? Although focusing on the tasks you must complete to achieve your goals may seem boring, “neuroscience research suggests that commitment to mastering a craft can feel rewarding…that kind of immersion can help a person to achieve a state of heightened concentration described as flow.”[viii]A study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, involved professional jazz musicians. Using (fMRI) scans the researchers found that when the musicians practiced their craft, they displayed interesting patterns of brain activity.“During creative improvisations, (or practice) the medial prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in the integration of information to support complex goals and aspirations, became more active.”  At the same time, “the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is often involved in inhibiting behavior and monitoring thinking, became less active. (This is also the part of the brain where we feel overwhelmed). Limbic areas associated with anxiety also quieted. This study may provide a glimpse of the brain "in flow," as the musicians used skills they'd already mastered — playing notes — in new and creative ways.”[ix]The key to achieving these heightened levels of creativity, is to keep working, practicing, and learning, and your brain will further assist you to achieve your goals in flow state, in new and creative ways.Problems and challenges will come up, they always do, for example, just imagine that you had this momentum built, started 2021 with your best foot forward, started winning early, and BAM—there’s a Covid-19 outbreak and you need to self-quarantine for the next 10 days, halting everything you’ve built for this year to a fast and sudden stop. This is the reality of the times we live in today, and more than ever it’s crucial to remember that goal achieving is a mental activity, starting at the brain level, and it’s important to take the time to remember your motivation. Instead of getting side-tracked by these problems, think of the bigger picture and “why” are you doing what you do. Take this time to think and reflect and you will be able to overcome any challenge, increase the thinking center of the brain, decrease where overwhelm and anxiety occur, and you will be well on your way to developing your winning brain.Idea #2: Using Brain Network Theory to Increase Self-Awareness, Empathy, Creativity and EnergySelf-awareness was put on the map by Daniel Goleman[x] in 1995 with his book Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ[xi] We all know of the importance of being aware of our emotions and human behavior, we covered it in episode #22 with Marc Brackett[xii] and his book, Permission to Feel[xiii], but do you have strategies in place for this? We did cover this topic in depth on Season 1 of the podcast “Self-Awareness: Know Thyself.”[xiv] Go back and listen to this episode—it was actually in our Top 5 most listened to episodes.Next, take a look at the Start, Stop and Continue Graphic I’ve included in the show notes (if you are reading or listening to this episode on iTunes, go over to the Podbean app, where you can see the images) and start to think about the habits will you start, to bring you more energy, (like how will you become more self-aware and mindful by being in the present moment this year) what will your stop, (like living in the past or becoming reactive to the negativity that surrounds us on a daily basis) and what’s working for you, that you will continue (where will you be more focused and intentional)? How to Put This Tip into Action with the Brain in Mind?Start with the graphic and honing your self-awareness skills. Do more of what gives you energy, and less of what is draining.  You’ll notice some things that are becoming obsolete in your life. What new strategies and knowledge can you gain? This is a powerful activity to think about, even its just long enough to think about one area you’ll focus on in each column this year.When you begin to improve self-awareness, you can tune into others on a deeper level. Empathy stems from awareness. You can “either be aware and have empathy, or you can act out habitual behaviors, but you can’t do both at the same time.”[xv] Awareness involves the insula and the anterior cingulate in the brain, that work together.Look at the graphic in the show notes created by my mentor, Mark Waldman, he explains how the key brain networks operate. Just as a reminder, when we look at any new research on the brain these days, we will notice that we no longer see studies that talk about the individual parts of the brain—like the thalamus, or the hippocampus, or even just the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (the part of the brain that lights up when we meditate) we will now see images that describe brain networks, nodes and connectivity. This means that at any given time, we might be daydreaming about something, and an entire network in our brain will light up. I’ve included an explanation of the TOP 3 brain networks in the show notes, because I think it’s fascinating. There are hundreds of these networks in our brain, and most of them are non-conscious, meaning that we are not aware of them, and how they can work for us, or against us.  This is what motivates me personally—to keep learning more, and sharing this understanding with you for improved results.We have the Default Mode Network, (imagination processes like daydreaming, creative problem solving, and mind wandering. This area is significantly larger than the other networks possibly because it develops so early in life and plays such an important role in child and brain development).Next we have the Central Executive Network (which holds our conscious decision-making processes like thinking, planning, concentration, taking action in an organized way and focused attention). This area is in our prefrontal cortex and is also known as our Executive Functions—all of our task-oriented thoughts. If we are NOT performing a task, and do NOT have focused attention, this area turns off, and we can go into the Imagination Network into daydreaming, worrying or creating, depending on what we are allowing into our thoughts. When this network is turned on, when we are working and using our focused attention, and the Imagination Network is turned off. We can only be in one network at a time. That’s why it is so important to take breaks to prevent burnout, and to allow for creative thoughts to flow into your mind when working on difficult tasks. Finally, there’s the Salience Network that doesn’t fully develop until we are around 28-30 years old, (which holds our awareness, intuition and compassion processes that integrate and stabilize the other two networks helping us to develop social awareness, empathy and our values).  This network puts the importance of what we are thinking, weighs what is important, and helps to balance the other networks. You can review this further with episode 48 on Brain Network Theory[xvi] for a more detailed overview, but for this episode, I just want you to look at the image and notice that these networks are all connected by our Awareness (the black star in the middle (underneath the I or the imagination/default mode network)—and know that if this area that includes the anterior cingulate and insula in the brain, is not stimulated, we cannot be empathetic or kind).“The insula and the anterior cingulate are the parts of the brain that together allow you to switch between habitual behaviors (that won’t help you to attain new results) and self-awareness that will. (It’s self-awareness that increases our empathy). Those who spend more time noticing and being aware have a larger insula and anterior cingulate when their brains are viewed through fMRI scans.”[xvii]The key to improving your own emotional intelligence here, is to continually work on being more self-aware and in turn, you will become more empathetic, kindness will increase and your results will soar. Just like what I mentioned with Robert Saleh, his presence commands attention, and I know that this is something he has developed over the years, by increasing his own self-awareness.Idea #3: Your 9 Environments[xviii]: How to Create Energy Naturally from Your World Around YouThis idea takes some self-reflection and thought, but I do highly recommend taking a 360 look at your life every year to evaluate where energy might be leaking that could be directed somewhere else. Your environments (that surround you) either inspire you or expire you. They either add energy and move you ahead or drain your energy and hold you back. The key here it to design your environments from the inside out, to support a happier and healthier version of you. You can stop relying on force and willpower, when your environments are lined up as everything is so much easier. We can change our inner environment and mindset with the Start, Stop Continue Chart that helps to improve our self-awareness and empathy, but also as equally important is to change our outer environment.As we go into a new year, we might have some ideas with of that we want to improve our physical health, since health goals are usually the ones we see people starting the new year with, but it all begins with our mental mindset. After the year we had last year, we know of the importance of mental health and well-being, and that we must take control of our mental and emotional state, before we can even consider doing anything else. If we focus even for a moment on what’s fearful, or uncertain, we just won’t feel right, won’t be working at our best, and this takes training, because our brain has evolved to focus on what’s wrong, to keep us safe.  So how do we focus intentionally on what we want in all areas of our life, without letting our automatic negative thoughts kill our goals before we have even started, or the negativity of the world bring us down?For the past 5 years, I’ve attend a training call with Jim Bunch to run through my 9 environments, then I pick a few of them that I’ll focus on for the upcoming year. Since doing this activity, I’ve noticed that each year, planning becomes easier as environments have been “cleaned up” let’s say, with the work from prior years. Each year builds a stronger, more confident version of you and it helps my brain to put a focus on the environments that I want to focus on for that year. I don’t choose all 9, just 4 areas that receive most of my attention, and the others are in maintenance mode, as I look at them, and clean them up every year.Look at the graphic and I will outline some tips for you to think about.Body: how was your health this year? Did you try anything new? Some people want to lose weight, others gain weight. What things have you done for your nutrition? Have you done anything new for exercise? Have you tried adding supplements? Green shakes? What about your health team? Do you have a new chiropractor, physical therapist, doctor, dentist, trainer at the gym? Have you looked into any online health courses? Have you done any health challenges?Memetic: your beliefs, your inner game, your ideas, how you perceive yourself in the world, your paradigms. A positive structure here sets us up for a successful life vs negative (or not good enough) belief structure that will prevent us from reaching our greatest heights. Have you let go of any negative information? Have you added anything to help you be more positive, productive and focused? Self: We’ve talked about this area a lot, and it’s very important. It’s your identity, or what you do to improve yourself. Think about your wins, strengths, skills, and talents? Spend more time doing the things you love and outsource the things you don’t love to gain more energy in this area.Nature: This environment includes the outdoors, four seasons, everything that’s living.  Did you spend more time in nature this year? (Mountains, the beach, the park)? Did you take any trips that took you into nature? Spiritual: (not the same as religion) connection to something greater than you, connection to a greater purpose. Do you practice yoga, meditation, prayer? Did you expand your spiritual community? Have you visited any locations that connected you more in this area? Relationships: family, friends, close colleagues are you communicating better? Are you building more authentic relationships? Even with social distancing, what effort have you put in here to focus on others?Network: your extended relationships (clubs, groups, social networks, wherever you connect w people) have you met any new people? When the pandemic hit, I wondered how I was going to build this area, last year, but was surprised to see just how many people were more available to speak virtually, than in any other year. I was able to interview people that I know would usually be traveling, and difficult to reach, giving me an incredible opportunity that helped this area as well as the relationship area.Financial: wins in cash flow creation new job for active income? Develop any passive or residual income? Any new strategies for managing cash? You you tried using tools like Mint. com and have you looked at cutting your expenses? Do you have a clear picture of what comes in each month vs what you spend? What about wins at work, or your own business? Physical: (home, office, cars) Have you organized your desk, workspace, closets, drawers, have you decluttered? Upgraded computer, cleaned up your memory? With time, you can make your environments work for you, where they give you energy, rather than drain you. Think about the 4 you will focus on and make these 4 your priority. How to Put This Tip into Action with the Brain in Mind?Learn to understand and use your Reticular Activating System[xix] which is a filter in your brain that helps you to focus on the things that are important to you. If you have heard the idea that “energy flows where your attention goes” this explains why putting some focus on what you want to create in your 9 environments is so important, especially as you launch a new year. Be very careful of where you are putting your focus, because your RAS will help you to achieve whatever you are focused on, good or bad. There really is a power of making your environments work for you, not against you.There’s so much more I could say about tips to reset and refuel your brain to create your best year ever, but these would be my top 3 tips of where to begin.To Review:Idea #1: How to Win Early and Overcome ChallengesDon’t forget to identify what motivates you, like how the near death of Robert Saleh’s brother during 9-11 inspired him to quit his cubicle job, leading him to being the newly appointed head coach of the NY Jets. What’s new and different will stimulate your motivation and reward networks, helping to drive you towards your goals at the brain level, while at the same time, will help you to bypass challenges that will inevitably come your way.  With continued practice, you will reach those heightened levels of creativity that was seen with the jazz musicians who reached levels of flow that inspired them to play in new and creative ways.Idea #2: How to Win by Increasing Self-Awareness, Empathy and CreativityImprove your own self-awareness and this in turn will help you to be more empathetic and demonstrate kindness toward others. Our awareness expands with our experiences but develops later in life since it’s connected to the Salience Network, that fully develops around age 28-30.  Put as much focus as you can on developing and improving your own self-awareness and your results will soar, as you hone this important emotional intelligence skill.Idea #3: Designing Your Winning Environments: How to Create Energy and Stay Focused on Your GoalsWith an understanding of the RAS, we can direct our laser and focused attention to what is important to us. Use the 9 environments activity as a guide to focus on 4 areas that you will focus on in 2021, and watch your life improve with this directed attention.Reminder: The reticular activating system (RAS) is the area of the brain responsible for regulating arousal and sleep-wake transitions and is considered as one of the most important systems which facilitates the functioning of sensation and attention. It functions as a filter of unnecessary noise so the important stuff can get through. Your RAS takes what you focus on and then creates a filter for it. It then sifts through the data and presents only the pieces that are important to you. All of this happens without you noticing. The RAS programs itself to work in your favor without you actively doing anything at all. So if we set our intent and refocus, our RAS will help us out by filtering through billions of pieces of data that surround us every day, so we can see, hear and become exactly what we want to be, purely by what we put our attention towards.I would love to know what insights you learned from these 3 brain-aligned strategies  that I designed to reset, recharge and refuel your brain to create your best year yet.  Send me a message on social media and share anything you’ve learned with me.Stay tuned for EPISODE #104 being recorded this week, on “Brains that Dream: Exploring The Science and Mystery of Sleep.”REFERENCES:[i] Michael D. Watkins The First 90 Days: Proven for Getting Up to Speed Smarter and Faster (April 2013)  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B6U63ZE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[ii] New Leader? Get Early Wins by Michael D. Watkins (Jan. 2009) https://hbr.org/2009/01/new-leader-get-early-wins[iii] Simon Sinek Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action https://simonsinek.com/product/start-with-why/[iv] Simon Sinek TED Talk  Published Sept. 2009 “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en[v] Robert Saleh becomes Jets new head coach January 14, 2021 by Brian Costello https://nypost.com/2021/01/14/robert-saleh-becomes-jets-new-head-coach/[vi] Robert Saleh traded cubicle for coaching dream after brother’s 9/11 close call by Ryan Dunleavy Jan. 12, 2021 https://nypost.com/2021/01/15/robert-saleh-wouldnt-be-jets-coach-without-brothers-9-11-close-call/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=mail_app[vii] ibid[viii] Cultivating a Winner’s Brain (May 2010)  https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/cultivating-a-winners-brain[ix] ibid[x] https://www.danielgoleman.info/[xi] Daniel Goleman: Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ (January 2012) https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/thankYouPage?_encoding=UTF8&a=DT%3AKCL&action=&asin=B000JMKVCG&noDevicePurchaseAllowed=&subtype=FREE_CHAPTER&targetFiona=DT%3AKCL[xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#22 with Marc Brackett on his book Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions https://www.achieveit360.com/founding-director-of-the-yale-center-for-emotional-intelligence-on-his-new-book-permission-to-feel/[xiii] Marc Brackett Interview with Andrea Samadi on his book “Permission to Feel” (Published on YouTube Sept. 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeOzi8ZrFO4&feature=youtu.be[xiv] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #2 “Self-Awareness: Know Thyself” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/self-awareness-know-thyself/[xv] Where Does Self-Awareness Come From? (January 2017)  by Nicole Gravagna, Ph.D https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/01/31/where-does-self-awareness-come-from/?sh=6080d3bd32b5[xvi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #40 “Brain Network Theory: Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive During Times of Change and Chaos” https://www.achieveit360.com/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/[xvii] Where Does Self-Awareness Come From? (January 2017)  by Nicole Gravagna, Ph.D https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/01/31/where-does-self-awareness-come-from/?sh=6080d3bd32b5[xviii] The 9 Environments of You by Jim Bunch https://unmistakablecreative.com/podcast/the-9-environments-that-make-up-your-life-with-jim-bunch/[xix] What is the Reticular Activating System May 2013  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCnfAzAIhVw

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #92 with neuroscience educator, author and trainer, Sarah Peyton[i].You can watch the interview on YouTube here. My name is Andrea Samadi,  and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain. I’m so grateful to have been introduced to Sarah Peyton, a neuroscience educator, and author of the book, Your Resonant Self: Guided Meditations and Exercises to Engage Your Brain’s Capacity for Healing[ii].  I took one look at Sarah’s work and website, and immediately had 100 questions for her. She also does have a workbook coming out to accompany this book, this summer. I will put the links in the show notes to learn more.[iii]Welcome Sarah, thank you so much for your time today, to share your knowledge and resources with us.Q1: Sarah, Brain Network Theory is now being talked about all over the place, listeners of this podcast, who follow the most current neuroscience research, will have heard about it. There are many books being written on this NEW Brain Network Theory (I’ve mentioned Dr. Srini Pillay and his book about the power of the unfocused mind in past episodes). I’ve been working closely with Mark Waldman (from EPISODE 30)[iv] this past year and know that applying Brain Network Theory to our life can be powerful.Just as a reminder of what Brain Network Theory is all about, if you were to go to www.pubmed.gov  and search for the most recent studies on the brain, instead of looking at different parts of the brain, like we used to do, we now know and study different networks in the brain to gain understanding, and we can measure and see the activity in each of these brain networks. This is a fascinating discovery that comes to life with these images that we’ve all seen with different regions of our brain lighting up.Sarah, can you go over some of the brain function networks you cover in the beginning of your book and how an understanding of these networks can help us with our understanding of the world, and our perhaps ways we can improve our results? (seeing the world, decision-making, discerning importance, dorsal attention, listening, sensing and moving)?Q2: How does trauma show up in the brain?Q3:  I did cover the Default Mode Network in EPISODE #48[iv] and mention the fact that this Default Mode Network involves those thought processes that can include worry, doubts and fears like “don’t try that, it didn’t work out last time” and so on. Swiss Psychologist Piaget called this “inner speech” that can be positive or negative, depending on what you are thinking.  Chapter 1 of your book begins with “How We Talk to Ourselves: The Default Mode Network” that talks about our beliefs, our self-talk and strategies to overcome some of these limiting beliefs. How would you suggest we first of all identify, and then eliminate limiting beliefs from our brain to improve our results?Q4: The Default Mode Network has also been linked to the Imagination. Marty Seligman, the founder of positive psychology calls the DMN the Imagination Network and my mentor, Mark Waldman created a diagram which he refers to as a map to simplify the 5 major brain networks, and he intentionally put the DMN or Imagination as the largest area, possibly because it develops so early in life and plays such an important role in child and brain development. How would you explain the Default Mode Network and why is it so important for us to understand this network in our brain with our early years of development in mind?Q5: On EPISODE #53[v], we dive deep into self-regulation, and why it’s so important. This is such an important topic and one I’m always looking for new ideas with, especially these days, as the event in the world keep most of us on our toes. How do you suggest we stay emotionally regulated?Q6: With anxiety being at an all-time high for many of our students these days, as well as everyone else, with the looming effects of the pandemic this year, what are your best tips for understanding anxiety and the brain, and what are you telling those you are working with, on how to reduce anxiety?Q7: Sarah, I could keep asking you another 10 questions but do know that our time is limited. In closing, I wonder what the most important concept is, that you think everyone should know, whether we are educators in the workplace, or parents, with children we are raising, or if we are just trying to find our place in the world and make an impact. How can we best use our brain, and guide others to do the same?Thank you so much for your time today, Sarah. For those who want to learn more about you, they can go to www.empathybrain.com and sign up for your newsletter and free meditations to help improve brain health and resiliency.   https://empathybrain.com/newsletter/They can follow you on Twitter @empathybrainhttps://www.facebook.com/empathybrain@yourresonantself on IGThanks Sarah!RESOURCES:Dr. Srini Pillay Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try: The Power of the Unfocused Mind (May 2017) https://www.amazon.com/Tinker-Dabble-Doodle-Try-Unfocused/dp/1101883650Know Your Brain: The Default Mode Network June 16, 2015 by https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-default-mode-networkA Brief Introduction to the Default Mode Network YouTube Published May, 2011  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A-RqZzd2JURuth Lanius Neuroscientist and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Western, Ontario, Canada https://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcast/ruth-lanius-phd/Joseph LeDoux, author of The Emotional Brain, on Trauma, Fear and Memory Consolidation YouTube Published Dec. 2012 “Can Memories be Erased” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_unuMr-l8 Avoiding the Sickening Effects of Stress (July 2016) https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/07/how-to-prevent-stress-from-sickening-the-body/490841/Matthew Lieberman, Social: Why our brains are wired to connect (July 2015) https://www.amazon.com/Social-Why-brains-wired-connect/dp/0198743815Beatrice Beebe https://www.beatricebeebe.com/Jaak Panksepp and his discovery on human emotions https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/discover-interview-jaak-panksepp-pinned-down-humanitys-7-primal-emotionsREFERENCES:[i] https://empathybrain.com/ Sarah Peyton’s Website[ii] Your Resonant Self by Sarah Peyton https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074WBVG42/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0[iii] Your Resonant Self Workbook by Sarah Peyton https://www.amazon.com/Your-Resonant-Self-Workbook-Self-sabotage/dp/0393714640/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=your+resonant+self&qid=1602474119&sr=8-2[iv] 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/[v] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #53 on “Self-Regulation and Your Brain” https://www.achieveit360.com/self-regulation-the-foundational-learning-skill-for-future-success/

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #90 with Luke DePron, a Men’s Health & Performance Coach[i], and graduate of Exercise Science, Kinesiology. Luke has done everything from personal training with 100s of clients, to working alongside Drs of Chiropractic as a corrective exercise specialist, training Olympic level athletes, to performance work with world champion mixed martial arts fighters.Watch this episode on YouTube here. Currently Luke works as a Men’s Online Health and Performance Coach—learn more at http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/ where he helps men step into a lifestyle approach of exercise and nutrition to transform their physique, energy, and confidence. He’s also the Host of the Live Great Lifestyle Podcast[ii] where he’s interviewed former Navy Seals, Mixed Martial Arts world champions, New York Times best-selling authors, personal development speakers, Olympic athletes, adventure athletes, Doctors, Nutrition experts, and inspirational leaders carving unique paths in the world to inspire and empower you to level up your health, fitness, mindset, and lifestyle. Exactly the type of person I look for as a speaker on this podcast.I love that Luke is a believer that stepping out of your comfort zone leads to growth, and he’s always aiming high, routinely practicing Jiu-Jitsu, was a participant on the History Channels show The Selection: a mock special forces selection process led by Navy Seals, was a contributing writer for Huffington post, hosted the La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival, has performed as an actor in local San Diego films, and even worked as a runway model once.Welcome Luke, what a diverse background.  I’m so grateful for our connection on Linkedin, and really do appreciate you referring our last interview with Dr. Erik Won that I just did yesterday.I know that you are the host ofThe Live Great Lifestyle podcast with a mission to inspire and empower men to live their life to its greatest potential.  Can you give an overview of your past, (that’s full of achievement as much as I know you don’t like to boast about it) and how your past brought you to where you are now? I loved your interview with Dr. Erik Won and the Wave Neuroscience team. I learned so much from your interview. I did stop your podcast often to take notes, as learning Dr. Won’s method of measuring the brain is much different than my experience with a SPECT scan. What made you see the importance of understanding neuroscience as it relates to health/wellness? Diving Deeper- when studying and learning about the brain, there is a learning curve. I remember the first time my good friend, Mark Waldman, a neuroscience researcher sat down with me on Skype in my first attempts at learning “how the brain works” and I can honestly say, I had no idea what he was talking about. I had never studied the brain. I might as well have been learning Spanish. When I listened to your interview with Dr. Won, you had a solid understanding of how his EEG brain mapping technology worked with the rhythm of the brain. You mentioned to me later that you actually went into their offices and had your brain scanned at Wave Neuro. Can you explain what you learned from Dr. Won’s EEG and how did you learn enough about his technology to dive deeper with your questions with him as it relates to athletes and training?Who has inspired you the most as it relates to applying brain science to your work?What is your vision for your podcast and fitness training? I don’t see you as the average trainer. What are you doing differently than others?For those who want to learn more about you, and follow your Live Great Lifestyle podcast podcast, I will put a link in the show notes, and what’s the best way to learn more about you? Is it LiveGreatLifestyle.com? Thank you, Luke, first of all for all you have done to support the work I’m doing here. I really wouldn’t have anyone to interview without people like you connecting me to other people who are a fit. I do wish you the best with your work, and know that you will continue to make an impact on the lives of those who are looking to improve their health, whether it’s from your personal training, or your podcast. Thanks for everything.RESOURCES:LeBron James Partners with the Calm App to Promote Mental Fitness. https://www.thesportofphilanthropy.com/shining-star/lebron-james-partners-with-calm-app-to-promote-mental-fitness3 Ways to Reverse Your Biological Age by Dave Asprey https://blog.daveasprey.com/reverse-biological-age/Dave Asprey Blog on Anti-Aging  https://blog.daveasprey.com/?s=ANTI+AGINGHuberman Lab, Stanford University  http://www.hubermanlab.com/huberman-lab-team.htmlBox Breathing https://www.healthline.com/health/box-breathingJames Nester Breath (May 26, 2020).  https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Science-Lost-Art/dp/0735213615REFERENCES:[i] http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/[ii] Live Great Lifestyle Podcast with Luke DePron http://www.livegreatlifestyle.com/podcast/ 

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

What do we know about the brain's working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

What do we know about the brain’s working, what is myth and what is on the cutting edge. Learn what is the current neuroscience thinking. Mark Waldman is the author of 14 books, including the national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain which Oprah selected as one of the nine Must Read books for 2012. Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University where he created one of the first NeuroLeadership programs in the country. He is also on the faculty of Holmes Institute where he teaches a ministerial training course on “Spirituality and the Brain.” His neuroscience research on consciousness, communication, and spirituality have been published in journals throughout the world. And his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, and Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has appeared on 100s of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people.

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #88 with Dr. Andrew Newberg, M.D[i]. an American neuroscientist who is the Director of Research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,[1]  and the author of ten books (translated into 6 languages), and over 200 articles on neuroimaging in neuropsychiatric disorders and also on neuroscience and religion.Watch the interview on YouTube here. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to speak with Andrew, as he has been exploring the topic of neurotheology, which addresses the relationship between the brain and religious experiences, since his teenage years.Andrew is the co-author of the bestselling book, How God Changes Your Brain[ii] (2009) which was chosen by Oprah for her book club that same year[iii] and Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (2001)[iv] which both explore the relationship between neuroscience and spiritual experience. He has also co-authored Words Can Change Your Brain (2013)[v] Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality and Truth (2008)[vi] and The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Belief (1999). The latter book received the 2000 award for Outstanding Books in Theology and the Natural Sciences presented by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences[vii] which is an organization that focuses on building bridges between theology and science.I’ve got some powerful, insightful, thought provoking questions for Andy, and I know you will find this topic interesting, especially with his ability to share his insights and years of research, from the point of view of pure science.My name is Andrea Samadi,  and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field, with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, whether you are an educator, or in the corporate space, to take your results to the next level. If we want to improve our social, emotional and cognitive abilities, it all starts with an understanding of our brain.Welcome Andy and thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of this fascinating topic on the podcast today.For anyone who knows your schedule, this is a rare opportunity, and I’m grateful for Mark Waldman[viii] for connecting us after the webinar you did last week where you addressed many powerful and mind-boggling questions that connect theology and neuroscience that I know will benefit those who listen to this podcast in different part of the world.Q1: Andy, I have had so much interest in this podcast, even before we had booked our time to speak today. I just put up a graphic with your book cover “How God Changes Your Brain” and the messages started coming in on all social media accounts. Then I quoted something you say in the book “the more you think about God, the more you alter the neural circuitry of in specific parts of the brain”...and then you say with the utmost confidence that “God can change your brain.” (Andrew Newberg M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman, How God Changes Your Brain).Can we begin here?  Where did your interest in religion and the human brain begin? What is Neurotheology? What does neuroscience say about whether there is a God or not? Q2: I have to ask it. I grew up going to church every Sunday, (Presbyterian), read and studied the Bible, and really do believe in the 10 Commandments but I still don’t really know how I would explain God, other than the fact that I just believe he exists and I do feel more connected to God/spirit when I’m in nature. I know that you have scanned the brains of Franciscan nuns and charted the neurological changes that happen in the brain.  What is God? Is God the same as consciousness? What does your research show about religion and the human brain? Is there a certain area you would look at that connects my religious beliefs to my brain?Q3: You covered this on the training you did for Mark Waldman’s group last week, but I think it’s so important to talk about today. It’s about the power of intercessory prayer (praying on behalf of others).  It’s a component of the Dr. Daniel Siegel’s “Wheel of Awareness[ix]” Meditation where we are asked to focus on those who we are close to and send loving/kindness to those in our communities, cities, state, country and expanding to the world. What does your research say about praying for someone far away? Is it possible to measure one person who might not put the focused attention towards the person they are praying for verses someone else who focuses with intent, loving, and kindness? Can prayer really impact those close or far from us?Q4: You mentioned on that call you did last week, that you did a brain scan, an MRI, where they measured your brain, and your memory, by asking you to remember 10 words. This caught my attention, because I just had my brain scanned using a SPECT SCAN and, the results showed I scored low (1/10) on recall memory which I feel was accurate. For the life I me, I couldn’t remember random words during the test.  But I can remember things word for word, from over 30 years ago (conversations with people, or speeches from 12 years ago). From the brain scans that you have done, what are some strategies that you have seen for people like me, looking to improve memory recall? How did YOU do on that MRI test?  What other techniques have you seen people use to improve their memory? Q5: I just finished watching Dr. David Perlmutter’s Alzheimer’s, the Science of Prevention Series[x] that focuses on the staple things we should all be doing to prevent this debilitating disease that has he mentions no known or meaningful cure. We all know that sleep, diet and exercise and important for protecting the aging brain, but what else have you found to be an important practice to preserve our brain health? What do you do?Q6: We’ve covered belief or paradigms on this podcast, with different episodes and speakers. What do you think from your experience working with the brain? What are beliefs, how do they form, where are they stored, and how can we change old/outdated beliefs? Q7: In closing, is there anything that’s important to this topic, that we haven’t discussed today?RESOURCES:The Principles of Neurotheology by Andrew Newberg, M.D.  http://www.andrewnewberg.com/books/principles-of-neurotheologyKirtan Kriya Meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKEAiwrgeY REFERENCES:[i] www.andrewnewberg.com[ii] How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist, Andrew Newberg, M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman (March 20, 2009) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001Y35GDS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[iii] Oprah’s Book Club http://www.oprah.com/book/How-God-Changes-Your-Brain-by-Andrew-Newberg-MD-and-Mark-Waldman?editors_pick_id=35314[iv] Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief by Andrew Newberg M.D., Eugene D’Aquili, and Vince Rause (2001) https://www.amazon.com/Why-God-Wont-Go-Away-ebook/dp/B001NJUP7U/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=why+god+wont+go+away&qid=1601599952&sr=8-1[v] Words Can Change Your Brain: 12 Conversation Strategies to Build Trust, Resolve Conflict, and Increase Intimacy by Andrew Newberg M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman  https://www.amazon.com/Words-Can-Change-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B0074VTHMA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21MDUEAMV1M7U&dchild=1&keywords=words+can+change+your+brain&qid=1601600126&s=digital-text&sprefix=words+can+chan%2Cdigital-text%2C191&sr=1-1[vi] Why We Believe What We Believe: Uncovering Our Biological Need for Meaning, Spirituality and Truth by Andrew Newberg M.D. https://www.amazon.com/Why-Believe-What-Uncovering-Spirituality/dp/0743274970/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=why+we+believe+what+we+believe+newberg&qid=1601600285&s=digital-text&sr=1-1-catcorr[vii] Center for Theology and Natural Sciences https://www.ctns.org/[viii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast EPISODE #30 with Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Practices” https://www.achieveit360.com/neuroscience-researcher-mark-robert-waldman-on-12-brain-based-experiential-learning-and-living-principles/[ix] Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness Meditation https://www.drdansiegel.com/resources/wheel_of_awareness/[x] Alzheimer’s: The Science of Prevention Series with Dr. David Perlmutter https://scienceofprevention.com/ 

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, episode #73 with Chris Manning, Ph.D., who is a distinguished clinical professor of finance, real estate and entrepreneurship at Loyola Marymount University. He has authored and co-authored more than 30 articles published in both academic and professional journals (including the Harvard Business Review), and he continues to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Real Estate Research. Watch the interview on YouTube here.  My name is Andrea Samadi, and if you are new here, I’m a former educator who created this podcast to bring the most current neuroscience research, along with high performing experts who have risen to the top of their field with specific strategies or ideas that you can implement immediately, to take your results to the next level. Today we have Chris Manning, who co-authored the book Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success[1], with my mentor Mark Robert Waldman, and he is the only business professor I know who applies contemplative values and empathetic dialog when working with his Executive MBA students and corporate leaders. It is, in many ways, the psychology of business and work under one umbrella. Thank you so much for agreeing to come on the podcast and sharing with our audience your knowledge on the brain as it relates to business success. Chris, I just met you last week on Mark Waldman’s webinar, but I’ve known about you for years, through Mark Waldman. I didn’t know about your interest and vision to bring this concept you call Neurowisdom to your Executive MBA students.  Q1:  As simple as possible for our podcast listeners, please tells us What is NeuroWisdom all about?   Answer:  NeuroWisdom is about learning to use your brain better to be more self- aware and self-directed to better achieve your goals and enjoy your life more;Several years ago, Mark Waldman and I published our research findings learned from teaching our Loyola Marymount University Executive MBA NeuroLeadership course in a popular book (that we could also use as a textbook for our graduate level NeuroLeadership course):This book, NeuroWisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success, has now been turned into an online interactive course[2] complete with audios and videos to help people learn how to use their own brains better. (I recommend your listeners go MarkRobertWaldman.com[3] to check out our new and improved NeuroWisdom interactive online flipbook course complete with audios and videos and also look over our 10 free ebooks on related topics while there.)In essence, our book discusses the practical application of recent Neuroscience discoveries about our brains that can enable a person to learn more efficiently, with less stress and more joy and become more successful (at whatever that means to them whether it be their career, relationships, an advanced graduate professional degree, or merely making more money). Q2: What are the practical useful applications of recent Neuroscience discoveries that your book explains that our listeners can use every day in their life pursuits?  Answer:We call them the “Four Pillars of Wealth” in our book (referring to a person’s search for both “inner and outer wealth”) and they are really more about “How to take advantage of your brain’s natural patterns and tendencies to better learn and achieve things in life” While we all often “get in the way” (or “block”) our natural healthy motivations, and our natural abilities to learn and get ahead in the world, our book explains how to accept and take advantage of four natural brain circuits in everyone’s brain that supports our learning and how get what we want in life. Q3. What are the actual “Four Pillars of Wealth” you talk about in NeuroWisdom and how does each of them help people learn better (faster, easier, and with less stress and more joy) to overcome whatever obstacles get in the way of their success in life?  Answer: Pillar #1: Motivation (Desire, Curiosity and Pleasure)Desire and curiosity are what gets us all out of bed in the morning to do anything! When people get stuck living by only this first pillar, and pursuing desire to the extreme (while ignoring what else their brains can enjoy), people become overly selfish and greedy.Educators and business leaders need to encourage and support their students/employee’s natural desire and curiosity to further people’s energy and good health, not block, discourage, or get in the way of this extremely important natural brain function that even releases a dopamine into a person’s body (which is very pleasurable and even a euphoric experience even when only contemplating achieving whatever it is you desire to achieve or acquire).   Pillar #2: Decision-Making (Goals, Consciousness and Inner Speech)While most educators and employers appreciate the importance of learning and thinking better to make better decisions, few realize the importance of noticing when they are thinking “Positively” vs. when they are thinking Negatively,” and to learn how to control their negative thinking when it creaps in.  Certainly, worry and anxiety over something is natural for everyone, but we not only don’t have to dwell on negative things in our lives, it actually turns out to be unproductive to do so!!!What happens is that when your brain gets caught up on worry, anxiety and other forms of negativity thinking, your higher brain functions (which we are about to talk about) merely shut down (and most people don’t realize that they can’t think well using negative thoughts.We will come back to this at the end after I tell you about the two higher brain functions: Pillars #3 &4 . . .   Pillar #3: Creativity (Imagination, Intuition and Daydreaming) This is where your brain enjoys “taking a break” from consciously learning, memorizing or working hard. People don’t realize that their best thinking happens subconsciously when you are not concentrating hard on solving a specific problem, but rather when you are relaxed, thinking of something else, asleep, and maybe even daydreaming.  Neuroscientists can now observe using brain scans that a person’s brain is actually more active and working harder when they are relaxed and daydreaming that when you are trying hard to concentrate on something!!  This relaxed brain state is when your intuition and creativity provides a person with their best answers – and it is a very pleasurable experience.  (Thus, daydreaming is an important use of your time to further learning and success!)Think of all the times that people are trying to think harder for longer periods of time attempting to learn something or come up with “the answer.” Forcing yourself or others to do this is really counter-productive.  Resting your brain’s decision-making efforts is not only more productive (and even necessary at times), but it is also enjoyable, reduces stress, builds self-confidence, brings more joy and satisfaction into one’s life as they get to enjoy using their creativity and intuition to easily know “the answer” to something.  Pillar #4: Social Awareness (Fairness, Empathy, and Generosity)This higher level of brain function that makes learning easier and more pleasurable builds upon our first learning how to, and becoming comfortable with, using the other three pillars of wealth just mentioned.Thus, we should teach people to not fight their natural desire and curiosity about things (Pillar #1), while encouraging people not to dwell on “negative stuff in their life,” but rather use their infinite creativity to look for positive solutions to whatever is causing them to “worry” or “be anxious” (Pillar #2), all while taking frequent pleasure breaks and relaxing from “working hard” on their “decision making” (Pillar #3), so that their awareness (Pillar #4) can enable their intuition to “come to the rescue” to provide the answer sought;By using our self-awareness, our brains are able to “be present” with whatever is going on in our lives and intuitively know the answer to things through a higher brain function called “contemplation.” Being relaxed helps a lot to make this all happen for us. In addition, using our self-awareness, our brains can naturally integrate our desires and thoughts so that we realize automatically how important other people are to us (e.g. family, friends, etc.) such that self-awareness naturally evolves within all of us as social awareness (that includes wanting to be fair to others, having empathy for what others are experiencing in life, and even being generous toward others);Just as social awareness naturally evolves from one’s self-awareness, “Enlightened Hedonism” and even spiritual awareness naturally evolves from self-awareness and social awareness (which NeuroWisdom discusses at the end). Q4: Was there any resistance to these concepts when you first started teaching them to your Executive MBA students? Q5. Does NeuroWisdom contain any practical exercises that people hearing our Podcast today might be able to practice in order to learn how to use their brains better?   Answer:Yes, we have more that 50 specific exercises contained in NeuroWisdom that people can practice – most of which take less that 1-2 minutes for someone to do so they can immediately access the the personal benefit of doing it.Our Executive MBA students at LMU were far to busy to waste their time on meditation or anything that would take them 10-15 minutes to do! Thus, we wrote NeuroWisdom to seduce “busy skeptical people” into using their brains better to accomplish more in life, with much less stress, which enjoying each day. Q6. Can you give us an example of one of your NeuroWisdom exercises that your Executive MBA students found particularly helpful?  Answer:Yes, that would be our “Inner Values” exerciseDo we have time for me to briefly describe for your listeners how to do this exercise themselves and well as the benefits that they will notice right away in their own lives within a week? It will take less than 2 minutes? Q7. Go ahead and briefly describe for our listeners how they can do your NeuroWisdom “Inner Values” exercise on their own and experience the benefits within a week.   Answer:This is what I want your listeners to do each morning when they wake up before they get out of bed to start their day. . . .Relax, take a deep breath, and ask themselves over the next 60 seconds first think in the morning before they get out of bed: What are my deepest inner most values?By merely doing this first thing every morning, our Executive MBA students discover two very important things that improve their lives within a week:      First, that they are subconsciously reminded throughout their normal workday (after they do this exercise) when some rote habit, behavior, or repetitive social interaction is not consistent with the deepest inner most values and they are inspired to change whatever that is to improve their life.Second, when our students get in the habit of doing this exercise over a 10-day period, they begin to notice that their “deepest innermost values” gradually evolve into being even more important values that they want to live their lives by. I do often get asked “how do I know if I’m thinking of a value” and I found it helps to remind people values are like our north stars, and when we are living them, happiness, success, and high performance shows up, and when we are not living them, conflicts and unhappiness shows up. That’s one way to identify values that you want in your life. What would you say to someone who is having a hard time uncovering their innermost values or their north stars? Chris, I want to thank you very much for your time and all the work you did to prepare for this interview. If people want to learn more about the Neurowisdom book and online version that has the experiential exercises that you spoke about,  they can go to Mark Waldman’s website www.markrobertwaldman.com [4]where there’s a ton of FREE ebooks, tools and resources that take these evidence-based concepts and help us to bring them into our everyday experiences. Thanks so much for your time today. RESOURCES: EPISODE 30 of the “Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast” with Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Principles” https://www.achieveit360.com/neuroscience-researcher-mark-robert-waldman-on-12-brain-based-experiential-learning-and-living-principles/ EPISODE 48 of the “Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast” on Brain Network Theory: Using Neuroscience to Stay Productive During Times of Change and Chaos https://www.achieveit360.com/brain-network-theory-using-neuroscience-to-stay-productive-during-times-of-change-and-chaos/ FREE EBOOKS that relate to Neurowisdom http://markrobertwaldman.com/neurocoach-press/  REFERENCES:[1]Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9BLBDH/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[2] Interactive Version of Neurowisdom http://markrobertwaldman.com/neurowisdom-enhanced-edition/[3] Mark Robert Waldman’s Website www.markrobertwaldman.com[4] Mark Robert Waldman’s Website www.markrobertwaldman.com

This is episode #48. Welcome to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning podcast, my name is Andrea Samadi, I’m a former educator whose been fascinated with understanding the science behind high performance strategies in schools, sports and the workplace for the past 20 years.  I’ve always loved this quote, and it just seems relevant today.“In a time of drastic change, (like our world today) it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned (those who think they know it all) usually find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” (Eric Hoffer, Philosopher)Today’s episode will focus on some strategies to help you to remain productive at work, whether you are working from home, or home schooling your children, AND working, let’s take a look at some evidence-based strategies with the application of the most current, fascinating brain research to help you to stay focused, so when all of this chaos that’s happening in our world today comes to an end, (because it will) you will emerge as stronger, more efficient and knowledgeable, with perhaps a different outlook of some new and improved ways of living your life. I just learned some new ways of thinking from Jim Bunch, who is known as “The Ultimate Life Entrepreneur” –he spent years working side-by-side with Tony Robbins. Jim’s mission is to inspire happiness, health, and wealth worldwide. He is the founder of The Ultimate Game of Life app[i] that I have been using for the past 504 days. I’m counting only because my plan was to use the app for 30 days to recover from a surgery and get my workouts back on track—and 504 days later, I realized there was much more to the app than meets the eye. This week, Jim was talking about some new ways of thinking and reminded us that during these strange times, you’ll notice some things that you have been doing that give you energy and make you stronger.[ii] Think about what they are and amplify those activities. Do more of what gives you energy, and less of what is draining.  You’ll notice some things that are becoming obsolete in your life. Notice them and take note of what is replacing them. Are these new ways better than the old way? Be aware of your new way of living and see what you can learn from this time to improve life when it returns to its new normal. What will you keep doing more of, and what will you think about changing or deleting? What new strategies and knowledge can you gain? This can be a powerful time of renewal.Brain Network Theory: The New Brain Science of Reducing Stress Before we dive deep into this week’s episode, let’s take a closer look at the new brain science of overcoming stress and avoiding work burnout called Brain Network Theory—that we should all be aware of to increase positivity, reduce stress and anxiety and increase our work productivity and results.  Remember, just like Theory of Mind from EPISODE 46[iii], this is also a theory. Brain Network Theory is now being talked about all over the place, so if you follow the most current neuroscience research, I’m sure you will have heard about it. There are many books being written on this NEW Brain Network Theory (I’ve mentioned Dr. Srini Pillay and his book about the power of the unfocused mind in past episodes). I’ve been working closely with Mark Waldman (from EPISODE 30)[iv] this past week and know that applying Brain Network Theory to our life at this point in time can be powerful. With any theory, just keep an open mind, listen to the ideas, and see how they can fit into your life. So what is Brain Network Theory? If you were to go to www.pubmed.gov  and search for the most recent studies on the brain, instead of looking at different parts of the brain, like we used to do, we now know and study different networks in the brain to gain understanding, and we can measure and see the activity in each of these brain networks. Some people use fMRI scans, others use SPECT image scans, but I am sure you have seen these images that show how different parts of our brain light up when we are doing different things. You will no longer see studies that talk only about the individual parts of the brain—like the thalamus or hippocampus, you will now see images that describe brain networks, nodes and connectivity. This is a fascinating discovery that comes to life with these images. Just imagine, at any particular time, you might be resting, thinking or daydreaming and a different network in your brain will light up.We have hundreds of these networks, but most of them are non-conscious (we are not aware of them). We are only going to talk about 3 of these networks for this strategy of increasing productivity. I will include an image in the show notes (that is so far the ONLY visual created on Brain Network Theory) that can be used as a tool for those of us who, like me, prefer a visual of what we are learning. Think of this image as a map or a tool that you can use to organize the networks.  Let’s take a look at these 3 Networks so you can start to use and apply Brain Network Theory in your daily life.IMAGE: © 2019 Mark Robert Waldman and Monica Evason We have the Default Mode Network, (imagination processes like daydreaming, creative problem solving, and mind wandering. This area is significantly larger than the other networks possibly because it develops so early in life and plays such an important role in child and brain development). Marty Seligman, the founder of positive psychology calls this the Imagination Network (because who would ever remember Default Mode Network anyway) and involves those thought processes that can include worry, doubts and fears like “don’t try that, it didn’t work out last time” and so on. Swiss Psychologist Piaget called this “inner speech” that can be positive or negative, depending on what you are thinking. This network is important to tap into, as it also contains your ability for creative problem solving, so it doesn’t just contain our worries and fears, but our ability to move past them. We just need to be mindful of what we are thinking about, to prevent the negativity bias from taking over our mind (when we get stuck ruminating on negative thoughts instead of positive creative thoughts).  Be sure that we are thinking positive thoughts, so we don’t default into this negative cycle of thinking. This takes practice, but with time, does become a habit and so does the ability to tap into the creative mind-wandering zone to solve problems. If you have ever stepped away from your desk to take a break and got an instant flash of insight to add something else to your presentation, this is the Imagination Network at work. I’ve also talked about the Default Mode Network in other episodes, as Einstein used it when he created his Theory of Relativity that came to him first in a dream, through his imagination, and then he moved these ideas into the next Network. Next we have the Central Executive Network (which holds our conscious decision-making processes like thinking, planning, concentration, taking action in an organized way and focused attention). This area is in our prefrontal cortex and is also known as our Executive Functions—all of our task-oriented thoughts. If we are NOT performing a task, and do NOT have focused attention, this area turns off, and we can go into the Imagination Network into daydreaming, worrying or creating, depending on what we are allowing into our thoughts. When this network is turned on, when we are working and using our focused attention, and the Imagination Network is turned off. We can only be in one network at a time. That’s why it is so important to take breaks to prevent burnout, and to allow for creative thoughts to flow into your mind when working on difficult tasks. Finally, there’s the Salience Network that doesn’t fully develop until we are around 28-30 years old, (which holds our awareness, intuition and compassion processes that integrate and stabilize the other two networks helping us to develop social awareness, empathy and our values).  This network puts the importance of what we are thinking, weighs what is important, and helps to balance the other networks. To benefit from Brain Network Theory, we should all develop a deeper understanding of how to go back and forth between the Imagination or Default Mode Network and Central Executive Network of focused attention so that we are using our focused attention for a bit, and then taking a break to allow for creativity. By taking breaks from our focused work and using mindful awareness where we become aware of our thoughts and feelings in the present moment, and observe them without judgement, like Jon Kabat Zinn[v], American professor and founder of the Center of Mindfulness in Medicine suggests, we will be at our highest level of productivity.    How to Apply Brain Network Theory at Work:Imagine you are working on a presentation, and you have been at your desk for an hour, the most current brain research says that you must learn to give your brain a break at least for one minute each hour. I’m sure you’ve heard this before. We know our brain needs breaks. If you are able to set a timer on your phone to remind you to get up, stand, stretch, walk around, get a glass of water, go outside for a minute, when you return to your desk to work, you will feel refreshed and will be better prepared mentally to continue your focused attention on completing your work. Think about the map, and that you must jump from the thinking/focused central executive network, (in your prefrontal cortex) to the imagination default mode network (with rest) to achieve the balance you need in the salience network where stabilization takes place.  When you finish your presentation, you should feel energized and not drained.Applying Brain Network Theory with your Children While Working from Home:A quick glance at my social networks today and I have seen countless images of families who are on day 1 of working with their children from home while schools are closed due to the corona virus pandemic. I have seen posts from good friends saying things like, “I’m not sure what I am doing, I’m lost on how to make a lesson plan and looking for ways to make our days filled with wonder and excitement.”  If you can relate, I sure can, so be sure to listen to EPISODE 47 with Erik Francis on “Transitioning Teaching and Learning in the Classroom to the Home.”[vi] He offers some stress free strategies on working with our children at home, while sticking to educational pedagogy in the classroom. We are going to try some of Erik’s strategies a bit later today, and I will be sure to post how they go.Just remember, when we are asking our children to give their focused attention, think about Brain Network Theory. Focus will cause brain fatigue, and too much of it depletes your brain of glucose and depletes you. Be sure to allow your children the time to shift back to their Imagination network so they can gain insights that are impossible during focused times.  Allow them time to get up, walk around, go outside and take short breaks every hour to keep them as productive as they can be.Some final thoughts, as we are navigating new and unchartered territory in our lives, just remember that this time will pass, and that we can make use of the time we have been given during these difficult times to figure out what will we enhance and do more of? What will we find to be obsolete?  Don’t get caught up into thinking we have to do everything perfectly. Todd Woodcroft, the assistant coach to the Winnipeg Jets mentioned in episode #38[vii] that “when we are embracing the daily grind (which right now is our new normal) it’s not going to be a pretty game, or a pretty classroom…and it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a daily grind. But at the end of the rainbow, the success is worth all that mud, all that grease (and effort).” When things become difficult, just keep the bigger picture in mind. I’m looking forward to your thoughts of applying Brain Network Theory to your daily life, and hearing what is working that you will amplify moving forward and what is becoming obsolete? RESOURCES:Access the Top 10 Social and Emotional Learning Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020 here https://blog.feedspot.com/social_emotional_learning_podcasts/REFERENCES:[i] https://theultimategameoflife.com/ [ii] Jim Bunch Facebook Live March 19, 2020 “The Tetrad Model: How to Deal with Massive Change.” https://www.facebook.com/itsjimbunch/videos/623575255156367/?comment_id=623590708488155¬if_id=1584632259347084¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic [iii] “Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast” EPISODE 46 “As Close to Mind Reading as Brain Science Gets: Developing and Using Theory of Mind in Your Daily Life” with Andrea Samadi  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/as-close-to-mind-reading-as-brain-science-gets-developing/id1469683141?i=1000468491005 [iv] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episode #30 Neuroscience Researcher Mark Robert Waldman on “12 Brain-Based Experiential Learning and Living Principles.” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/neuroscience-researcher-mark-robert-waldman-on-12-brain/id1469683141?i=1000458597396 [v] Jon Kabat Zinn https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/pages/about-us [vi] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episode #47 ASCD Author Erik Francis on "Transitioning Teaching and Learning in the Classroom to the Home" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ascd-author-erik-francis-on-transitioning-teaching/id1469683141?i=1000469152382 [vii] Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast Episode #38 Assistant Coach to the Winnipeg Jets, Todd Woodcroft on "the Daily Grind" in the NHL https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/assistant-coach-to-winnipeg-jets-todd-woodcroft-on/id1469683141?i=1000464224487 

Marni welcomes Neuroscience Researcher and Creator of Neuroscience 101, Mark Waldman. Mark is the author of fourteen books including the national bestseller, How God Changes Your Brain, a book that was chosen by Oprah as a must-read. His work has been published in neuroscience and psychology journals, in Time and Forbes, and he is featured in many Youtube videos and a TEDx talk.   Key takeaways from this episode:    Why women make better leaders An 10-second exercise to be calm instantly How to control your runaway thoughts How to prep your mind for a first date A likely cause depression   Neurowisdom is the New Science of Brain Science [2:35]  Mark coined the term ‘neurowisdom’ for the time when we think we are being knowledgeable. Our brains have a thinking network, a salience network, and an imagination network. The salience network is stronger in women than in men. Empathy, intuition, compassion, and self-love traits can all be attributed to the salience network. When you stimulate the salience part of your brain you balance out your creative imagination and your ability to make wise decisions.    Men, on the other hand, have a larger amygdala, which is the threat center of the brain. Research suggests that this explains why men are more aggressive in general. The thinking brain is our conscious planning mind where we carry out tasks. Mark believes that women make better leaders, therapists, and parents because of their more developed salience network. If you have a female brain your social brain is more developed.   Research shows that all mammals can be born with a male or female body but the brain develops autonomously with different hormones. It explains a lot of the conflict around gender identity.    How to Create Connection & Intimacy by Optimizing Your Brain [12:08]  Are you aware of the term ‘hot-headed’? Mark says that yawning is a thermal regulatory mechanism for the brain.  When you yawn more cerebral blood flow circulates in your imagination center. Yawning slows down all the chatter in the thinking part of the thinking brain.    While we can’t live full-time in the empathetic part of the brain, diving into a meditative state or any form of relaxed meditative practice stimulates your salience network. Any time you take a few seconds to sit back and observe all of your rambling thoughts and feelings inside, you are creating a balance between the three networks and your motivational network.   Mindfulness practices can make substantial structural changes within the brain. But to function better right now in the moment, brief forms of meditation have an immediate effect. To become aware in an instant, download the mindfulness clock and take 10-60 seconds at a time to do a mindful yawn. This can be done at work or right before a date.     80% of the time you can take someone who has intense pain and bring their pain down to zero or one with yawning in 20 minutes.   Creating a Mindful State Before a Date [35:56] An important way to stay calm is to pay attention to your intuition and take your fingers and stroke the palm and fingers of your opposite palm. Take a full 60 seconds to do it and become aware of the sensation and daydream.   Your imagination center puts together all kinds of thoughts and combinations of what is possible to achieve a particular goal. When you are in a relaxed mindful state of awareness you can mix your inner knowledge with outer knowledge.    When someone asks you a question, try to respond in 10 or 20 words maximum because that is all a person can consistently listen to.     Make a Connection: Visit Our Website Join Our Dating Den Facebook Community Here! Follow us on Instagram @thedatingden Learn how to attract your perfect equal...watch our latest training here! Interested in working with us? Book a Breakthrough session at DWDVIP Download a Complimentary Copy of our Book - How to Find a Quality Guy Without Going on 200 Dates 6-Days to Enlightenment with Mark Waldman NeuroTips for Money, Happiness & Success with Mark Waldman

Andrea Samadi, a former middle-school teacher from Toronto, Canada, now living in Arizona, has spent the past 20 years working with students and social/emotional learning. She participates in ongoing mentoring with some of the top neuroscience researchers in the country and has developed an online program to inspire student voice, well-being and innovation, using the most current brain research and neuroscience techniques. Andrea knows first-hand about stress in the classroom as her first job out of The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Education, was a behavioral class. She felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of resources to help her manage and teach her students, so she set out on a mission to find ways to support students and educators in the classroom. In 2014, her program was chosen by Arizona’s Department of Education’s Character Education Matching Grant program where she works with students and educators. When an Arizona administrator urged Andrea to add neuroscience techniques to her programs in 2014 and she listened to this need and created the Level Up program with mentoring from a leading neuroscience researcher, Mark Waldman. Andrea presents around the world on stress, learning and the brain and is always looking for new information to help educators to reduce stress and increase well-being and achievement at home and in the classroom. In 2019 she released her podcast “Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning” with well-known speakers in the field of education, neuroscience and emotional intelligence like Marc Brackett, Dr. Daniel Siegel, Mark Robert Waldman, Friederike Fabritius, Dr. Lori Desautels and Michael McKnight. The podcast has met with success as the content is now being downloaded by over 38 countries, showing the importance and need to share more information in this emerging field. We believe that well-being equals achievement, and there is a crucial need for social and emotional learning skills that will prepare our students to be emotionally intelligent, mentally strong, emphatic citizens—who will thrive not just survive in this ever-changing world. Contact Andrea Samadi Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-learning/id1469683141 www.AchieveIT360.com (my website) Level Up Book and Online Program https://achieveit360.com/level-up-online/ Do you want to live an incredible life? Get started now by reading my book: "Visualizing Happiness in Every Area of Your Life" https://amzn.to/2kvAuXU What is your biggest obstacle to creating an incredible life? You can book a free 15-minute mentoring session with Dr. Kimberley Linert. Click on this booking link: https://calendly.com/drkimberley/15min Please subscribe to the podcast and take a few minute to review on iTunes, Thank you If you have an amazing story to tell about your life and how you are sharing your gifts and talents with the world, then I would love to have you as a guest on my podcast. Contact me via email: incrediblelifepodcast@gmail.com or private message me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/incrediblelifecreator

Welcome to the “Neuroscience Meets SEL” podcast EPISODE #29, my name is Andrea Samadi, a former educator who has been fascinated with understanding the science behind high performance strategies in schools, sports and the workplace for the past 20 years. Let’s dive right into this topic on “How to Re-Wire Your Brain for Happiness and Well-Being to Optimize Learning.” You can watch this episode on YouTube for the visual effects for more impact and learning.  I’m sure most of us are aware that stress is the number one cause behind anxiety, depression, low energy, work burn-out, and cardiovascular disease[i], but do you know how stress impacts our brain? Did you know that:Chronic stress and depression causes measurable brain shrinkage?[ii]“51% of us will have a mental health issue (post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive, personality, anxiety, addiction, or an eating disorder to name a few) at some point in their life”[iii] andthat 1/5 students struggle with depression, while ¼ struggle with anxiety which means we have reached epidemic levels with today’s youth.And these shocking statistics impacts society with:Work burn-outAnxiety and DepressionCardiovascular DiseaseNeurological Disorders and eventually leading toDeathAlso Impacting our Students:A recent study[iv] shows that if the educator is stressed, the student will also be stressedStress is impacting our ability to learnStudent behavior was also impacted, contributing to more stress for educatorsDr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist of the Amen Clinics[v] and the father of Chloe Amen from podcast #25 with “Strategies to Change Your Brain to Change Your Grades”[vi] explains that “if you struggle with attention, focus, sadness, anxiety, worry, flexibility, stubbornness, or impulsivity, welcome to the club—this is normal.”[vii] These days it is more normal to have a problem, than not have a problem. Most of us will have a mental health issue in our lifetime—and when it happens, we think that we are the only one and that no one else understands. Dr. Amen has a book coming out in March 3, 2020 called “The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders and More.”[viii] If left untreated, these brain disorders can have “serious personal, interpersonal, occupational and social consequences.”[ix] In this podcast episode, we are going to look at the neuroscience of happiness, anxiety, stress, learning and retention with some ideas and strategies to naturally improve each area, so that we can get a handle on life’s largest challenges with an understanding of our brain chemistry. Our goal is to intentionally set ourselves up for success with this new level of awareness.We will cover:A reminder of the recipe for peak performance (fun, fear, focus) from episode #27.What’s the neuroscience of happiness—and how to boost our serotonin levels to generate more happiness.What’s the neuroscience of anxiety (our body’s natural response to stress that can become a mental disorder when someone regularly feels unusually high levels of anxiety) and stress (which is our body’s response to a challenge or demand) with strategies to calm our limbic, emotional brain.What’s the neuroscience of learning and how can we be sure that our brain is primed to learn?All of the answers to these questions can be found within the chemistry of our brain and with how active or hard certain parts of the brain are working. The best course I have taken to understand how my own brain is working is Dr. Amen’s Thrive by 25 Online Course[x] where he outlines some of the most common problems he sees within the brain with natural solutions to overcome each challenge. The most interesting fact I found was that diet and exercise were solutions to the most common brain problems he spoke about, (anxiety/depression/emotional issues) so if you are eating healthy, getting enough sleep, taking supplements and exercising, you are on the right track for preventing the most common brain problems.  Have you ever thought about your brain with regards to your work, learning, success or productivity? What about your happiness, personal life or relationships? “Your brain controls everything that you do, so when it works right, you work right.”[xi] It’s only been the past five years for me, where I’ve been learning about the importance of my brain and its health and I’m not surprised that the recent advances in neuroscience have led to an emerging field of educational neuroscience—bringing together researchers in cognitive neuroscience, educational psychology, and technology to create new programs for the classroom. Why not look at the application of these ideas for the workplace and our personal lives as well?Mental health is something that society still doesn’t talk openly about. When I look at my personal family situation, with my 2 parents and 2 sisters and myself—my parents and both of my sisters struggled with depression at one point. You can add me to statistics as I didn’t figure out healthy eating habits until my late 20s when a doctor[xii] recommended I cut sugar out of my diet, (I’m talking about all sugar, including high glycemic fruits) and it completely transformed my life, cleaning up every health issue I had. Although our family didn’t talk about the importance of our mental health growing up, or the importance of diet and exercise (I remember begging my Dad to let me go running in an ice storm because exercise has always been my solution to improve well-being) my Mom  taught us about the importance of using our mind to attain our goals.  I’m sure no one was surprised when I decided to take move from Toronto (where half the year we dealt with dark, gloomy days and freezing weather) to the sunny, bright and warm climate in Arizona, with year round sunshine and vast mountains for daily exercise, --what research shows combats the most common brain problems.  The environment you live in impacts your happiness, but if you don’t have the ability to pick up and move somewhere else, there are many other strategies you can incorporate to boost your mood, which is turn will boost your results. As a kid, I also wondered if helping my parents more with tidying the house would help offset some of their stress, but I know now, that there was much more involved with what was happening to them than just needing help with housework. Understanding the chemistry of our brain, and what brain type[xiii] we have is important, and then we can look for strategies to help promote our brain and body health for optimal results in our life.NOTE: Look up and take Dr. Amen’s Brain Type Assessment[xiv] to get an idea of what type of brain you have. You will receive an email with a video explaining your brain type, characteristics of this type of brain, dietary suggestions for your specific brain type and a full report with your brain fit score. My Brain Fit Score was 82/100 and Brain Type 1 and I’m fully aware of the areas I can improve on. The dietary suggestions were also right on the mark for me. Awareness is the key so that we can take action for these improvements to occur. Try it out!Remember the Neuroscience of Success: Dopamine, Noradrenaline, Acetyl Choline (Fun, Fear, and Focus)In our podcast #27 with Friederike Fabritius, we covered the DNA of success or peak performance[xv] which is that brain state where we lose the presence of time and are the most productive. She mentioned the importance of having fun with your work, releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, having just enough fear or a challenge to release the neurotransmitter noradrenaline and that with these two factors, focus will occur, and the neurotransmitter acetyl choline will be released. These three factors must be in place for peak performance to occur and when we hit this level of performance, it’s important that we are able to manage our distractions so that we can stay here for as long as possible for those higher levels of productivity.Throughout the episodes on this podcast, I’ve been focused on finding those leaders who are doing important work in the field of social emotional learning and neuroscience—to show how these two emerging fields can impact our cognitive abilities. It’s clear that people are drawn to this work, not just in schools, but this understanding has implications in different areas of society like economics, law and security.[xvi] It’s interesting to see how understanding how our minds and brains work in addition to self-awareness is spreading around the world as more and more people are looking for solutions to life’s challenges from within. I also noticed that listeners to this podcast are increasing rapidly as we now are in over 42 countries. I do appreciate the feedback and support for these ideas, and it does help me to hear what you think as we move ahead.  Each of these episodes are currently being transcribed and will be released as my next book.What is the Neuroscience of Happiness? Increase Serotonin with that 5:1 Ratio of Positives to NegativesWe all want to experience happiness, and there is a neuroscience to happiness. Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuropsychologist and New York Times Best Selling author, is one of the leading experts in the neuroscience of happiness. In the 2019 Mindful Peace Summit, he opened his session by explaining that he got into the work of mindfulness and began searching for answers to the neuroscience of happiness because in his youth he “wondered why people were so unhappy, including himself. He wanted to be less lonely, and more proud of himself”[xvii] and recalled that most of his childhood consisted of feeling “less than” others so he grew up lacking confidence in himself. If we don’t get the acceptance we needed growing up, that will translate into an emptiness that lingers in your mindset and will impact our future performance. Dr. Hanson explains that if you want to be more confident, you must “embrace experiences that bring out your confidence.”[xviii] We see many young people, like the successful podcaster Lewis Howes,[xix] (Who does The School of Greatness Podcast)[xx] who were bullied as a kid, turn to boxing or wrestling as a way to fight back and gain this confidence back.Dr. Hanson noticed in college that when he ignored how he was feeling, he just kept feeling bad about himself, but when he had a positive experience, and stayed with it, over time he was able to build more positive experiences than negative, building up his confidence. He explains that “neurons that fire together, wire together” and he was actually rewiring his brain from being insecure and negative, to confident and positive.  We also know that you can “name it to tame it”[xxi] and when you are able to express what you are feeling, these feelings and emotions become manageable. There is also the negativity bias to be aware of where the brain must have at least a ratio of 5:1 positive to negative interactions so that the negative interaction won’t cause an impact. As parents, teachers, coaches and co-workers we must remember that when giving someone feedback, we must have at least five positive things to say to every one negative thing since “good experiences bounce off the brain like Teflon and bad experiences stick to the brain, like Velcro.”[xxii] Be sure to consciously focus on the positive experiences so you won’t let that one negative experience stick around, or it will impact your mindset and future results.Remember: The brain has mood chemicals called neurotransmitters that are “chemical messengers sent into the synapse (of a neuron) by an electrical charge in the axon, released at the synaptic gap to communicate with dendrites of another neuron, impacted heavily by exercise, and nutrition. Levels of the different neurotransmitters have a profound effect on emotion, perception, memory, alertness, and energy.”[xxiii] If you are someone who enjoys intense exercise, you will notice the benefits of endorphins that are released in the brain and reduce our perception of pain.  Researchers are still not sure what causes us to have chemical imbalances in the brain, when we don’t feel right, there are some things we can do to change the chemistry of our brain.  STRATEGIES TO INCREASE HAPPINESS and NATURUALLY INCREASE YOUR SEROTININ LEVELSEmbrace experiences that bring out your confidence. Do you know what makes you happy? This takes self-awareness. Do you know what makes other people happy? Do you ask them? Learn more about other by saying “Hey, how’s it going today?” and listen to what they say. Taking this extra step will strengthen your relationship with your co-workers, friends or relationship.Remember the 5:1 negativity bias and say at least five positives to every one negative piece of feedback since good experiences bounce off the brain like Teflon and bad experiences stick to the brain like Velcro.Remember that “neurons that fire together wire together,”[xxiv] so stay with the positive feelings more and eventually the negative ones will fade away since neurons that are out of psych, fail to link.Think of news ways to “generate”[xxv] happiness and start practices that make you feel happier and better about yourself. It really is our responsibility to generate our own happiness. No one can do this for you.Diet and nutrition, supplements and exercise are also important to boost serotonin levels, increasing happiness naturally. You can take “saffron supplements, 5 HTP, exercise, eat low glycemic, healthy carbs (hummus/berries), and keep your gut healthy with probiotics.” [xxvi] The Neuroscience of Anxiety: Calming the Basal Ganglia Within our Limbic System, our emotional brain, is the Basal Ganglia that when revved high, makes us feel anxious. Do you know the difference between anxiety (our body’s natural response to stress that can become a mental disorder when someone regularly feels unusually high levels of anxiety) or stress (which is our body’s response to a challenge or demand)? Some anxiety is normal, and the same goes for stress.We know there are 3 levels of stress response.POSITIVE: Brief increase in heart rate, mild elevations in stress hormone levels (what happens when we need to speak in front of a crowd, play a sport, take a test, or that nervous energy we feel before a job interview).TOLERABLE: Serious, temporary stress responses, buffered by supportive relationships. The key is to have support systems in place for this type of stress.TOXIC: Prolonged activation of stress response systems in the absence of protective relationships. This is the one we are most concerned about as this type of stress causes the most damage.We must have strategies in place to help us to reduce anxiety and stress so that they don’t interfere with our day to day life.STRAEGIES TO REDUCE ANXIETY AND STRESSExercise, meditation and deep belly breathing to increase oxygen to the brain.Go for a walk outside-research shows that different brain regions are activated when you’re outside. Getting out into the sunshine increases the production of Vitamin D and serotonin—plus it just feels good. If you can’t go outside, look out a window.Zone out-let yourself do nothing for a while and just let your mind wander. Research shows that “creative incubation” happens during mind-wandering. You are more likely to problem-solve successfully if you let your mind wander and then come back to the challenge. Dr. Sriny Pillay writes about the power of the unfocused mind in his most recent book “Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try” where you sharpen your ability to think and get things done using your ability to make your mind wander. Flashes of insight and solutions to problems often show up at this time, but we must be willing to allow these breaks.Unplug from technology—silence is good for the brain.Mental imagery—warming images (like a cup of hot chocolate) if you are feeling stressed, or a place that makes you happy (the beach).Dietary supplements like fish oil, magnesium, l theanine (in green tea) and gabba supplements are known to help calm the brain.The Neuroscience of Learning: Acetyl Choline, Dopamine, Serotonin, NoradrenalineAs far as learning, think about this: Why is it that I can forget some words I used to know in French (but haven’t practiced in a few years) but that I will never forget my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Walker, teaching me to play basketball, or doing math equations.Why is it easier for me to learn a second language at age 5 versus age 55?Why do I learn better after a good night’s sleep?Why is my creativity enhanced when I run up and down a mountain before I sit at my desk?If there is a formula for peak performance, (Fun, Fear, Focus), a neuroscience to happiness and anxiety, then there must also be one for learning. Bruce McCandliss, professor in Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and the director of the Stanford Center for Mind, Brain and Computation, believes that brain-imaging technology is revolutionizing the study of educational experiences and their effect on the brain. These brain images are showing new insights in how children are learning to read. He talks about the fact that “when you focus your mind, you actually amplify the circuits in your brain that lead to learning and amplify information processing.”[xxvii]   This is something we spoke to Dr. Daniel Siegel[xxviii] about (episode #28) with his “Wheel of Awareness” Meditation. When we are focusing intentionally on something (whether it’s our health, relationships, business or learning) we amplify the information processing and change the structure of the brain in this area. We actually re-wire the brain with the activity we are doing. Remember: Neurons that fire together, wire together and neurons that are out of psych, fail to link. Dr. Siegel mentioned that the research was there to show that this practice improves health in addition to many other benefits.Let’s see if we can take our understanding to the next level with how neuroscience impacts the learning process so we can create more impactful lessons as an educator, thoughtful skill-building drills as a coach, or connect our employees to new ideas and information in an engaging and enjoyable manner.STRATEGIES TO INCREASE LEARNING:USE EMOTION AND FREQUENCY OF USE: To help memories stick and “motivation, cues, context and frequency of use can all affect how accurately you remember something.” [xxix] It’s the reason I remember my 6th grade teacher, and frequency of use is the reason I have forgotten most of the French words I used to know.  When learning a new skill, how will you make it memorable?FIND YOUR FOCUS: If you are a teacher who can creatively get your students to somehow “focus” on their work, you will be re-wiring their brain which will lead to learning.  Whether it’s putting their finger under each word they read or using a pointer on their finger as they read, however you can get a student to focus on what they are learning, is where the magic happens.  If you look at some of the most successful modern workplaces, you will find they have meditation and exercise rooms, dream walls to record vision and goals, plenty of relaxation areas, and of course, a place to grab a cup of tea, water or coffee. Think about starting meetings with a clear intention for the meeting to stay on track and focused on the outcome.MORE HAPPINESS, JOY, LAUGHTER: The brain thrives with happiness, joy and laughter. The more we can create fun with our learning, we have seen with peak performance and flow states, we will be encouraging learning in a way that time will be lost.  Remember that the recipe for peak performance includes fun! Major Neurotransmitters that Impact Learning:Acetyl Choline - plays an important role in learning and memory.Dopamine - involved in conscious and emotional response and basis of the brain's natural reward system, associated with positivity.Serotonin – brain balancer, involved in arousal, temperature regulation, sensory perception, regulates melatonin, involved in relaxing, mood, emotions, learning and memory, affected by exercise, eggs, lean meat contains L-tryptophan which helps make serotonin.Norepinephrine/noradrenaline – arousal, involved in fight or flight stress response, metabolic rate, blood pressure, and mood.[xxx]On our next episode with Mark Waldman, we will uncover new brain research documented in Mark’s new book Neurowisdom[xxxi] showing that relaxation, creativity, imagination and intuition are essential for learning and problem solving.Discover how your brain likes to learn (it will surprise you and has nothing to do with what you’ve experienced the classroom) 2. Find out why mind-wandering and daydreaming are essential for psychological health. Right in line with Srinivasan Pillay’s book “Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try” that talks about the default network in the brain and the power of “unfocusing” your brain. Mark’s book “Neurowisdom” was the first book to talk about the default network mode and provides many practical examples for using your brain to improve finances, happiness and success. 3. Learn how Brain Network Theory is changing the world of neuroscience…and your health! 4. See what living neurons and networks actually look like.If we can intentionally practice strategies that reduce our stress and anxiety, while increasing our happiness, we will be well on our way to retaining what we are learning. See you next week!ADDITIONAL HELP SUGGESTIONS:These suggestions have been compiled as I am researching these areas to offers ideas, strategies and suggestions to bring more awareness to the topics. Please do know that the ideas and strategies I’m sharing with you should not replace seeking professional help[xxxii] if needed.[i] Chronic stress disrupts neural coherence between cortico-limbic structures João Filipe Oliveira, Nuno Sérgio Dias, Mariana Correia, Filipa Gama-Pereira, Vanessa Morais Sardinha, Ana Lima, Ana Filipa Oliveira, Luís Ricardo Jacinto, Daniela Silva Ferreira, Ana Maria Silva, Joana Santos Reis, João José Cerqueira, Nuno Sousa Front Neural Circuits. 2013; 7: 10. Published online 2013 Feb 6.[ii] 72 Amazing Brain Facts (Deane Alban, January 2018). https://bebrainfit.com/human-brain-facts/?fbclid=IwAR0amQTdwOEAlsh_7gQ34RhvJDZefHiZFVYGG7O__hGyOwD_j7lJM0qYxDA[iii] Brain Thrive by 25 Online Course by Dr. Daniel Amen https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/tag/brain-thrive-by-25/[iv] “Social and Emotional Learning, Teacher Well-Being, and Student Success: What Do We Know? And Where do We Go From Here?” Webinar June 5th 2018 with Dr. Mark Greenber, Penn State and Dr. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl https://vimeo.com/275147739[v] https://www.amenclinics.com/[vi] 15-year-old Chloe Amen Reveals Strategies on how to "Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/15-year-old-chloe-amen-reveals-strategies-on-how-to/id1469683141?i=1000446233385[vii] ibid[viii]Dr. Daniel Amen, March 3, 2020 The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders and More. https://www.amazon.com/End-Mental-Illness-Neuroscience-Transforming-ebook/dp/B07T6C3CWH/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1574362380&sr=8-3[ix] https://www.amenclinics.com/spect-gallery/anxiety-depression/[x] Brain Thrive by 25 Online Course by Dr. Daniel Amen https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/tag/brain-thrive-by-25/[xi] Brain Thrive by 25 Online Course by Dr. Daniel Amen https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/tag/brain-thrive-by-25/[xii] Dr. Richard Jacoby and Raquel Baldelomar “Sugar Crush” (Harper Wave, 2nd Edition April 2015) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPVB4OA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[xiii] What’s Your Brain Type Quiz by Dr. Daniel Amen https://brainhealthassessment.com/[xiv] What’s Your Brain Type Quiz by Dr. Daniel Amen https://brainhealthassessment.com/[xv] Friederike Fabritius: "Fun, Fear, and Focus: The Neurochemical Recipe for Achieving Peak Performance" | Talks at Google Published Jan.15, 2019  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWi-oCySuFA[xvi] Educational Neuroscience Michael Thomas Published July 5, 2018  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uK3d9hL-IQ[xvii] 2019 Mindful Kids Peace Summit https://www.mindfulkidspeacesummit.com/first-page[xviii] Rick Hanson “Hardwiring Happiness” YouTube Published Nov. 7, 2013 TEDx Marin 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuDyGgIeh0[xix] https://lewishowes.com/[xx]Lewis Howes School of Greatness Podcast  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-school-of-greatness/id596047499[xxi] Dr. Dan Siegel “Name it to Tame it” YouTube Published Dec. 8th, 2014  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcDLzppD4Jc[xxii] Rick Hanson “Hardwiring Happiness” YouTube Published Nov. 7, 2013 TEDx Marin 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuDyGgIeh0[xxiii] Neurotransmitters and Learning by Joseph Georgic April 22, 2015  https://www.hastac.org/blogs/joegeorgic/2015/04/22/neurotransmitters-and-learning[xxiv] “Neurons that Fire Together, Wire Together, So Simple” by Andrea Samadi on LinkedIn published Nov. 17, 2016 https://achieveit360.com/neurons-that-fire-together-wire-together/[xxv] Brendon Burchard “The Secret to Happiness” https://brendon.com/blog/the-secret-to-happiness/[xxvi] Brain Thrive by 25 Online Course by Dr. Daniel Amen https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/tag/brain-thrive-by-25/  (Lesson 4 Cingulate and Cognitive Flexibility).[xxvii] Bruce McCandliss “The Neuroscience of Learning: Thinking Big About Learning” YouTube Published Nov. 3, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_6fezBz9IA[xxviii] Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligence” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clinical-professor-psychiatry-at-ucla-school-medicine/id1469683141?i=1000456048761[xxix] 72 Amazing Brain Facts by Deane Alban https://bebrainfit.com/human-brain-facts/[xxx] Lizzy Brown Learning on the Move: Brain Parts and Neurotransmitters https://www.learningonthemove.org/brain-parts--neurotransmitters.html[xxxi] Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success by Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning PhD. (Jan.31, 2017).  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9BLBDH/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1[xxxii] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help/index.shtml

This week, Dr. Andrea talks with Mark Waldman, Mark is a world-leading expert and prolific writer on communication, the brain, consciousness and spirituality. Mark teaches on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University and at the Holmes Institute. His research has been published in journals throughout the world and his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Oprah Magazine.

Mark Waldman from Waldman Engineering Consultants shares a story about an association that had a complete roof tear off and replacement only six months ago, but is once again having problems with leaks. Listen to find out how root causes can sometimes fly under the radar and come back to undermine your projects.

Welcome back to the “Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast” this is Andrea Samadi. As a recap, in our first episode, we shared with you the “Why behind implementing an SEL/emotional intelligence training program in your school or workplace.” The second episode we introduced the first of six social and emotional learning competencies that we will be diving deep into over the next six weeks. (Self-awareness, Social Awareness, Relationships, Responsible Decision-Making, Self-Regulation and Mental Mindset). With each competency, we’ll investigate the best practices and strategies that educators/and the workplace can use for themselves to develop and improve their own SEL/Emotional Intelligence and well-being practice, before extending these strategies to their districts, schools, classrooms, workplaces and communities. We’ll offer ideas, tools and resources (in the show notes section)—be sure to take a look at the resources, so that anyone can apply these skills themselves, and then teach others for improved results, focus and productivity.Today we are going to dive deep into the relationship competency. We did cover this topic in an interview with Assistant Superintendent of Schools from Chicago, and author of the book, Significant 72: Unleashing the Power of Relationships in Today’s Schools, Greg Wolcott. Be sure to see episode 8 with Greg, to learn more about the research behind relationship building and academic achievement.In addition to schools, relationship building is proving to be the key to success and well-being and the attribute that ties all the pieces in your life together. Dr. Daniel Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, proposes in his book “The Developing Mind” that “relationships represented the three aspects of one reality essential to human well-being”[1] (he calls these the 3 Rs, relationships, reflection and resilience) and that “human connections shape neural connections, and each contributes to (developing the) mind.”[2] He explains that “we need to teach more in schools than just reading, writing and arithmetic. We should have reflection, relationships and resilience as the 3 Rs.”[3]Let’s Dive Deeper into Understanding Communication, Relationships and Your Brain:If you want to strengthen your relationship with another person, relate to them better, and have them relate to or understand you better, you must remain “relaxed, observant, and nonjudgmental.” Otherwise, the person that you are interacting with will “feel and connect to your inner stress, causing their brain to assume a defensive stance”[i] and they won’t trust you. Having the ability to “watch a person’s face, their gestures, and their tone of voice”[4] will cause their brain to align with yours, forming a process called “neural resonance” that allows the closest connection between what two people are thinking and feeling.Here are Five Ways to Train Your Brain to Connect to Others MindfullyRemember to observe others mindfully. Before you engage with someone else, always take time to connect this person at the deepest level possible. If you notice facial expressions or body language, ask questions like “how are things going today?” to connect with them and learn more about what could be happening in their world.Always interact with others in a fair and kind manner. Listen to others without judgement and demonstrate that they matter to you by leaning towards them when they speak and then be sure your body language and facial expression matches what you want to convey, in a supportive manner. Show them that you are actually listening.Bring warmth to the tone of your voice with every person you interact with. “If you drop the pitch of your voice, you’ll automatically talk more slowly, allowing the listener to better understand you. This strategy was originally developed and tested in 2011 at the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Houston to help oncologists present bad news to patients.”[5]Add kindness and compassion activities to your day. “Nearly one hundred peer-reviewed experiments, conducted at universities around the world, have concluded that when practiced for 30 minutes three times a week for a month, it strongly increases positive emotions, improved interpersonal interactions and prosocial behavior, and deepens one’s understanding of others.”[6] Make an effort to do random acts of kindness for others. We all know how good these feel to be on the giving and receiving end of kindness.Practice forgiveness. At Virginia Commonwealth University, researchers found “that the ability to consciously replace unforgiving feelings with positive feelings affects the peripheral and central nervous system, increasing your own feelings of well-being.”[ii] Researchers have found that being unforgiving can be “damaging to your health, while emotional forgiveness of others reduces anger and stress.”[7] Remember that you can exert your energy more productively if you don’t waste it on negative emotions that zap energy that could be used somewhere else.FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE CLASSROOM:Ensure everyone feels valued and appreciated. Help students develop meaningful relationships. Make sure you build a support infrastructure with staff to support educator well-being. When one teacher falls, it affects everyone.“Children are more likely to be respectful when important adults in their lives respect them. They are more likely to care about others if they know they are cared about.  Marzano (2003) states that students will resist rules and procedures along with disciplinary actions if the foundation of a good relationship is lacking. He goes on to assert that relationships are perhaps more important at the elementary and junior high levels than at the high school level. And according to Zehm and Kottler (1993), students will never trust us or open themselves up to hear what we have to say, unless they sense that we value and respect them.” [iii] 3 Tips for Improving Relationships in the Classroom:Creating Connections: Research shows that greeting the student at the door produces a 20 percent increase in academic engagement and a nine percent decrease in disruptive behavior. It creates a connection where students feel “seen, heard and valued; where they give without judgement; and when they derive strength from the relationship.” [iv] Gina Connell, in her article 10 Ways to Build Relationships with Students This Year adds the importance of saying goodbye to this daily routine. At the end of the day, she stands at the classroom door, wishing them a good evening, offering closure to a productive day.[v] Building Trust: When I think back to my favorite teacher, Mr. Walker, from 5th and 6th grade, I remember that he had a special nickname for each student. The unique name made us feel special, valued and that we mattered. If a nickname is too much, calling students by their names, is one of the most effective ways we can show their uniqueness.Boost Personalized Learning: Juab School District in Utah improved their high school graduation rates from 78% to 97% by “rethinking what was considered nonnegotiable, to help all students learn more. Class periods could be lengthened, lunch periods could be moved around, deadlines could be changed – all in service of student learning.” [vi]  Superintendent Jim Shank made changes including “redesigning its grading system, changing the length of class periods in the high school, switching from iPods to iPads and better using those devices to transform instruction rather than just provide a new medium for traditional activities. At the center of personalized learning has been to focus on building relationships with students every day.” [vii]So How Does Relationship Building Translate into the Workplace?At the heart of relationship building in the workplace, is the ability to be socially mindful as all employees work towards achieving company and personal goals. Many of these competencies overlap, and work together, but here’s some suggestions:Winn Claybaugh, the Dean of Paul Mitchell Schools emphasizes the importance of choosing the right wording in his team meetings, so they are focused on finding solutions instead of solving problems.[viii] Be careful of what you say and how you say it. Don’t open up the meeting with “I’ve got a ton of problems to discuss!” Turn it around to say, “I’m looking for some solutions to the following problems.” You can feel the difference just by saying it this way. Even saying “I don’t like that idea” can cause interpersonal distress[ix] so be mindful of framing your responses so that the conversation flows in a way that solutions can be found.The research is clear. “Rapid speaking can cause people to distrust you whereas slower speaking will deepen their respect.”[x] We all know it’s important to slow down when speaking, but there is more reason to slow down when we know how our rate of speech impacts how others perceive us. As we mentioned before, slowing down your rate of speech and adding a warm tone to your voice “neurologically improves listener comprehension and reduces stress.” [xi]Be clear about what you would like to accomplish and keep meetings short. Practice speaking briefly and getting your points across in 20 seconds or less and allow time for others to respond to you. This will help you to learn how to be very clear about what you are saying, and prevent time wasting. When I was working with neuroscience researcher Mark Waldman on a project, he asked me to tell him what I wanted to say in 10 words or less. I found this really difficult to do (since I often had a lot that I needed his help with and to say) and I often just sat there, not knowing how to reduce what I wanted to say to 10 words. It was a powerful activity to train your brain to be clearer in conversations.Outcomes and Results: In schools, “Creating strong educational environments for ALL learners continues to be at the forefront of conversations with school systems across the globe.” Professor John Hattie,  in his groundbreaking book, Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement (2009), set out to identify which strategies and innovations have the greatest impact on student achievement in schools. His research from over 50,000 educational research studies on 236 million school aged students found that teacher-student relationships have an effect size of .72 (which means that strong teacher-student relationships leads to almost two years of student growth in one year’s time). That’s significant.In the workplace “EQ refers to someone’s ability to perceive, understand and manage their own feelings and emotions” (Chignell, 2018).Being more mindful of others in the workplace is one way to improve productivity and results. People will perform better if they feel safe, that they belong and have a purpose for being there. They will be focused on their company goals when they feel valued and respected.This wraps up EPISODE 9 on How to Build and Sustain Relationships. Thank you for joining us on the “Neuroscience Meets SEL” Podcast and staying right to the end. We appreciate that you are here and want to learn with us.Resources for Schools: Significant 72: Unleashing the Power of Relationships in Today’s Schools by Greg Wolcott http://firsteducation-us.com/books-2/Lost at School by Dr. Ross GreenThe Montgomery County (Ohio) Education Service Center and Ohio Department of Education video on Relationships https://vimeo.com/339136732/c21552f28fENDNOTES:[1] Daniel J. Siegel The Developing Mind; How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (The Guilford Press, New York, 2012)[2] Daniel J. Siegel The Developing Mind; How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (The Guilford Press, New York, 2012) page 13[3] Dr. Siegel on what we need to teach in school is not just reading, writing, arithmetic, but  the 3 Rs (reflection, relationships, and resilience) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dan-siegel-thrive_n_5214189[4] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning “Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success”[5] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning “Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success”[6] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning “Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success”[7] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning “Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success”REFERENCES: [i] Dr. Siegel on what we need to teach in school is not just reading, writing, arithmetic, but  the 3 Rs (reflection, relationships, and resilience) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dan-siegel-thrive_n_5214189[ii] Forgiveness, health, and well-being: a review of evidence for emotional versus decisional forgiveness, dispositional forgivingness, and reduced unforgiveness. Worthington EL Jr, Witvliet CV, Pietrini P, Miller AJ. J Behav Med. 2007 Aug;30(4):291-302. [iii] Educator’s Guide to Solving and Preventing Discipline Problems by Mark and Christine Boynton http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105124/chapters/Developing_Positive_Teacher-Student_Relations.aspx[iv] Significant 72: Unleashing the Power of Relationships in Today’s Schools by Greg Wolcott http://firsteducation-us.com/books-2/  Page 19[v]  10 Ways to Build Relationships with Students This Year by Genia Connell (Sept 15, 2016) https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/genia-connell/10-ways-build-relationships-students-year-1/[vi]  Tara Garcia Mathewson “In Utah, Personalized Learning with a Focus on Relationships.” https://hechingerreport.org/in-utah-personalizing-learning-by-focusing-on-relationships/ [vii] Tara Garcia Mathewson “In Utah, Personalized Learning with a Focus on Relationships.” https://hechingerreport.org/in-utah-personalizing-learning-by-focusing-on-relationships/[viii] The Brain Warrior Way Podcast “How to Become an Effective Leader at Work” with Winn Claybaugh (July 8, 2019). https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/how-to-become-an-effective-leader-at-work-with-winn-claybaugh/[ix] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success (Diversion Books, January 2017) (Chapter 11: Developing Your Social Brain).  [x] Celerity and cajolery: Rapid speech may promote or inhibit persuasion through its impact on message elaboration.” Smith SM, Shaffer DR. Personality Soc Psych Bul1. 1991: Dec:17(6):663–69.[xi] Mark Robert Waldman and Chris Manning Neurowisdom: The New Brain Science of Money, Happiness and Success (Diversion Books, January 2017) (Chapter 11: Developing Your Social Brain).  

Author & Radio Host Mari Frank interviews Mark Waldman about the Neuroconference

Author & radio show Mari Frank interviews author Mark Waldman on this week's Fighting for Love segment. Mark Waldman is one of the world's leading experts on communication, spirituality, and the brain. He is on the faculty at Loyola Marymount University's College of Business and the Holmes Institute. He was a founding member and Associate Fellow at the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. Mark has authored 12 books, including the national bestseller, How God Changes Your Brain, which Oprah selected as one of the nine "Must Read" books for 2012. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals throughout the world and his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Investor's Business Weekly, and Oprah Magazine. He has appeared on PBS Television and NPR Radio and he received the Distinguished Speaker award from the Mind Science Foundation. Mark's latest book, Words Can Change Your Brain, teaches readers how to rapidly build trust and intimacy with others, and to resolve conflicts before they even begin. The Compassionate Communication strategies are part of Loyola Marymount University's Executive MBA program and have been taught to schools and organizations throughout the world.

Mari Frank & Mark Waldman Interview about Neuroconference

Craig sits down with Mark Robert Waldman, the neuroscience researcher and creator of NeuroWisdom 101. His national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain with co-author Andrew Newberg, M.D., was chosen by Oprah as one of the “Must Read” books for 2012. Considered a Leading Expert on Spirituality, Communication, and the Brain, Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University and also teaches at Holmes Institute.

Yuval Ron – Heart UnityAired Thursday, 28 February 2019, 9:00 AM EST / 6:00 AM PSTFor one of us to be what we ought to be requires that we all be what we ought to be. Join voice master Kara Johnstad and guest Yuval Ron, an internationally renowned World Music artist and peace activist, as they get to the heart of unity. Tuning in to the wisdom of our hearts and allowing that song of wisdom to find expression on our paths is an attunement of divine order. Mr. Ron has followed the guidance of his heart wisdom into collaborating with: neuroscientists Mark Waldman and Andrew Newburg to explore the connection between sound and the brain; people of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths to create musical bridges; and teachers of various ethnic musical traditions and spiritual paths worldwide. Among his many honors, he composed the songs and score for the Oscar winning film West Bank Story in 2007 and was the featured artist in the Gala Concert for the Dalai Lama’s initiative Seeds of Compassion in the Seattle Opera Hall in 2008. He authored, “Author of Divine Attunement: Music as a path to Wisdom.”Tune in.

Today we discuss ways to overcome the stress and trauma of life's storms. The recent hurricane devastation has sparked our conversation to touch on the storms in our personal lives as well as the effects of natural disaster.   Our guest, Mark Waldman, talks about the power that traumatic experiences have over our brains and several different strategies for diffusing negative memories.   We Discuss: Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes Overcoming the stress and trauma of life's storms Tools to reduce anxiety and stress How we impact the environment with our thoughts Powerful negative experiences from traumatic memories and how they can become imprinted in our brains Your inner clock and how memories can be triggered Memory as a survival-oriented mechanism Strategies used to undo traumatic memories from the past 3 things you can do to diffuse negative memories The effects of the recent hurricanes in Florida The importance of communication and being prepared with a solid plan The emotional connection and bonding that happens after traumatic experiences Smart Money Segment with Steve Sexton from Sexton Advisory Group   Learn More About Hosts Paula Shaw and Ken D Foster   Visit: www.TransitionRadioShow.com

Today we speak with two different guests about changing your brain to change your life. Our first guest, Mark Waldman, is an author of 14 books, including best-selling book How God Changes Your Brain. He teaches Neuroleadership and trains students with a unique, evidence-based strategy for enhancing personal and professional development. Today Mark talks about the Neuroscience behind creating Wealth, Joy, and Peace. Our second guest, Davide Di Giorgio, is a long-time theater producer, creator, director, educator, and an audacious entrepreneur. He has systems and formulas that have made him the go-to creative expert for on purpose coaches, entrepreneurs, and speakers who want to deliver their message using an unforgettable approach. Today, Davide addresses key elements in speaking to an audience and how to be successful in your technique.   We discuss:   How We Can Use Our Brains To Achieve More In Life What Is Neurowisdom - How can it help expand our consciousness and help us find deeper meaning and purpose in life? Turning On Deeper Parts Of Our Brain - How to stimulate our inner wisdom Neurowisdom Strategies You Can Use - Transform your thinking behavior and awareness Bringing Stress Levels Down And Productivity Levels Up Why Being Yourself When Speaking Converts And Builds Rapport How To Produce An Inspiring And Transforming Experience For Your Audience How To Get On A Ted Talks Stage Money Sense With Steve Sexton And More!   Mark Waldman's latest book: NeuroWisdom: The Brain Science of Money, Happiness, and Success   Mark Waldman's latest book: NeuroWisdom: The Brain Science of Money, Happiness, and Success   Download Mark's FREE eBooks: 10 Mind-Blowing Discoveries About the Human Brain and NeuroTips for Money, Happiness & Success   Download Davide's FREE Guide: 3 Keys to Becoming a TED Worthy Speaker   Connect with Davide Di Giorgio: (619)-363-0568   Visit: SextonAdvisoryGroup.com or Call: 1-(800)-560-2611 For you financial services   Visit: TransitionRadioShow.com

In this episode of FEAR NOT, Author and NeuroCoach returns to explain consciousness and share meditations exercises from his new book, NeuroWisdom.

Mark Robert Waldman is the neuroscience researcher and creator of NeuroWisdom 101. His national bestseller How God Changes Your Brain was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as one of her “must read” books of 2012. A leading expert on spirituality, communication, and the brain, Mark is on the Executive MBA faculty at Loyola Marymount University. The author of 14 books, Mark’s in-depth research has been published in neuroscience and psychology journals throughout the world and his work has been featured in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and “O”, The Oprah Magazine. He has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs, including PBS and NPR, and his TEDx Talk has been viewed by more than 100,000 people. Mark travels throughout the world teaching mindfulness and Neuroleadership strategies to colleges, corporations, and philanthropic organizations.   Topics Covered: Maintaining mindfulness throughout your whole day Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) Mindfulness techniques (we practice these during the episode) Relaxation & mindfulness in the business community Brain training strategies (60 second strategies) Meditative states- The power of daydreaming Shrinking the amygdala and our fear responses The Pomodoro technique The 8 principles of effective learning Show Notes: Mark’s website - markrobertwaldman.com/  Neurowisdom book - https://amzn.to/2Ot1u3S Words Can Change Your Brain book - https://amzn.to/2xkDhWf Twitter: @MarkRWaldman --- Join the conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/futuresquared/where you can discuss episodes, request guests, propose questions for forthcoming guests and access exclusive content and special offers! Listen on iTunes @ goo.gl/sMnEa0 Listen on Spotify @ spoti.fi/2G2QsxV Listen on Stitcher @ www.stitcher.com/podcast/future Listen on Google Play @ bit.ly/FSGoog ‍ If you've got any questions on this podcast feel free to send an email to steve@collectivecamp.us or tweet me on Twitter @steveglaveski or @future_squared Follow me on Instagram: @thesteveglaveski Like us? ‍ It'd make our day if you took 1 minute to show some love on iTunes, Stitcher or Soundcloud by subscribing, sharing and giving us a 5 star rating. ‍ To sign up to our mailing list head to www.futuresquared.xyz For more information on Collective Campus, our innovation hub, school and consultancy based in Australia and Singapore check out www.collectivecampus.io

Mark Waldman lectures throughout the world teaching communication, conflict resolution and productivity-enhancement strategies to schools, corporations, and spiritual organizations. His clients include world-renowned universities, psychological associations, educational institutes, and government/civic organizations. He has appeared on PBS Television and NPR Radio, and he received the Distinguished Speaker award from the Mind Science Foundation. Mark is one of the leading developers of Neuro-Coaching, a highly effective brain-based counseling strategy that helps individuals, couples, and groups solve personal and work-related problems in just a couple of sessions. Using Skype and international teleconferencing, Mark has helped thousands of clients achieve greater happiness and success – at home and at work. http://theawareshow.com/waldman

Mark Waldman has authored 12 books, including the national bestseller, How God Changes Your Brain, an Oprah pick for 2012. His research has been published throughout the world and featured in Time, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Investor’s Business Weekly, and Oprah Magazine. Mark lectures throughout the world teaching communication, conflict resolution and productivity-enhancement strategies to schools, corporations, and spiritual organizations. His clients include world-renowned universities, psychological associations, educational institutes, and government/civic organizations. He has appeared on PBS Television and NPR Radio, and he received the Distinguished Speaker award from the Mind Science Foundation. http://theawareshow.com/waldman

Mark Waldman is one of the world’s leading experts on communication, spirituality, and the brain. He is on the faculty at Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business and the Holmes Institute. Mark has authored 12 books, including the national bestseller, How God Changes Your Brain, an Oprah pick for 2012. His research has been published throughout the world and featured in Time, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Investor’s Business Weekly, and Oprah Magazine.   http://theawareshow.com/waldman