Podcasts about moodally

On today's episode we talk to life and business coach KK Hart about financial literacy. You might not think of it in this light, but financial stability is one of the pillars of overall well-being - but so few of us are taught about finances until it's too late. Who is KK and what does she do? Why financial literacy is so important in today's world. What are the cornerstones of financial literacy? What is funny money? How do you know you're going to make your payments every month? What lessons in financial literacy are valid for those who don't have to worry about money? What does it mean to live so drastically under what you live now? The importance of having a proper plan. ABOUT KK Hart CEO/Lead Consultant Hart Marketing & Communications Inc. Certified Consultant KK Hart is a renowned, 20 year expert in the health/fitness, beauty, wellness, tech and small business industries. By looking at the entire business needs holistically to create the foundation of each client strategy, KK helps industry owners with integrated, strategic sales and marketing implementation along with operational, software and technology optimization. It's about more than just buzz and hype! With bespoke, growth oriented focus on Y-O-U, KK helps the average #boss using strategic, ROI-centered methodology that can help with even the most significant needs, including improved profitability through the acquisition + conversion of more clients, finding KPI (key performance indicator) efficiencies, and leveraging organic social media, paid ads, and content in a meaningful, integrated and targeted way, alongside personal/professional development for busy business owners and their team. Focusing her coaching on strategies for increased revenue, improved retention, and KPI growth, her passion is to help you to become as profitable and self-sufficient as possible. With many affordable options to help clients to achieve their goals, KK is known to be a game changer and secret weapon for visionary, proactive business owners. Her clients consistently become the top earners in their industry! KK believes it's time for you to MAKE MORE MONEY monetizing your sweat and Hart work… WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL Snag a complimentary analysis + plan for profitability with no obligation to do anything but learn: kkhart.com Get inspired- check out KK's personal/professional development tips, tricks and hacks: hartincorporated.com/blog ABOUT MOODALLY: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/ Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

On today's episode we talk to digital powerhouse Kate McKee. Kate is an incredibly successful entrepreneur in the digital space and is also neuro-divergent. She shares her experience in the workplace and talks about the simple changes that can be made to improve everyone's well-being and set-up neurodivergent individuals to thrive. Some things we talk about are: Katie's background. The simple things we can be doing on a daily basis to feel better to work better. The things that are good for a neurodivergent person are also good for everybody else. Stimulus differences in autism & ADHD. If you don't want to be promoted, you don't have to. How do you make allowances if you don't know that the situation exists? Katie shares a funny story about working in an open office. What's changing in the world of social media. ABOUT KATHARINE: After a 15 year career building out digital commerce capability for companies in pillars such as CPG, Luxury, Beauty and Apparel, Katharine McKee founded Morphology Consulting, a digital commerce consultancy that creates long term profitable growth for their clients by helping them understand and adhere to algorithmic systems online. A Forbes Next 1000 honoree and 15 year veteran in digital commerce, Katharine is a leader in ecommerce and an expert on systems, who focuses on building clean processes and organizations. To date, Katharine has overhauled the digital go-to-market for more than 50 brands, including Fortune 500's such as Coty, Luxottica and IPG Media Brands and has sustainably increased client's revenue up to 600% YoY. ABOUT MOODALLY: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/ Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

In this episode, we discuss: Working with the Golden State Warriors. Mental health and spiritual well-being. What are some of the skills we can do to move towards the concept of “whole life living”? What's not okay? Two things you need in order to be productive and productive. The importance of creating a culture of self-esteem. ABOUT NIVI: Nivi Achanta is the founder and CEO of Soapbox Project, a social enterprise that makes it easy for busy people to take action against climate change. Soapbox's lightweight climate justice funnel starts with bite-sized climate action plans, scales up through monthly action hours, and engages people further through a membership community focused on local action. When she's not writing, speaking, teaching, or building community, you can find Nivi in Seattle reading 100+ books a year, kayaking, baking sourdough, or trying to keep her plants alive. Links: https://soapboxproject.org/, https://www.niviachanta.com Social links if relevant: twitter.com/niviachanta (I'm @niviachanta on everything and @soapboxproject on most things) ABOUT MOODALLY: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/ Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally Episode Keywords: employers , work life balance , work , soapbox , employees , community , values , boundaries , skills

On this episode, we talk about Dana's past and career journey. Dana's personal and professional mission. Dana's definition of well-being What kinds of uncomfortable conversations you can have. How to navigate uncomfortable conversations as employees. How uncomfortable conversations can be turned into potential solutions. ABOUT DANA: Dana Kaplan is a renowned Educational Coach for Out-of-the-Box Learners. As an award winning retired classroom educator and certified trauma specialist, now an educator for the world, Dana consciously disrupts current educational systems by actively ensuring accessibility and inclusivity is at the heart of learning. With Holistic Brain Health being the foundation for how and what Dana coaches, teaches, and mentors, she founded Developing Empathetic Education with Dana (DEED)® just before the pandemic. With a quick pivot, all visions were brought to virtual spaces, opening up doors for Dana to become known as the national and international advocate for your child and your ally! Today, Dana is thrilled to be leading in person and virtual workshops for elementary through high school students, parent workshops, keynote speaking engagements, and masterclasses and professional development for schools and large organizations in addition to working privately 1:1 with clients. With ADHD being her superpower, Dana organically creates space for uncomfortable conversations, leads with compassion, and courageously provides space for all to discover their own unique inner superpowers. Dana's niche approach to providing deep self-awareness, curiosity over judgment, and the desire to embody Holistic Brain Health authentically expands and elevates our collective. https://www.instagram.com/danakaplan_deed/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-kaplan-9b19ab71 https://www.facebook.com/dana.kaplan.716 About Moodally: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/ Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

After a serious health scare, Michelle decided it was time to take her well-being seriously and the only way to do that was to put down some very important boundaries around her professional life. In this episode you'll hear: Michelle's career journey to where she is today. The first step in developing professional boundaries. The importance of setting boundaries for yourself. How to say no in the office without risking your job. How to set boundaries in the interview process. How to know if you're a good fit for a company culture. How shifting your relationship with the word “no” can change how you experience each day. You don't have to live on autopilot. About Michelle Ng: Michelle is a Hong Kong-born and New York-based product designer running her design studio helping primarily early-stage startups and non-profits. She's also building a startup called Neuemoon Health, inspired by her personal struggle with endometriosis and fibroids. On the side, she runs a non-profit called Project Alpaca with the mission to help underserved minority college students in NYC to get into STEAM careers. Website: https://himichelleng.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/himichelleng/ About Moodally: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/ Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

In this episode of Moodally Matters we speak with Rebecca Leppard, who is a master at helping people upskill to achieve their dreams. We discuss: Rebecca's career journey and what she hopes to do in bridging the two. Empathy as a tool to help you communicate better. The misunderstanding of what communication means. A presentation is an event or an act where you are trying to compel your audience to get and buy into your idea. The secret sauce to a compelling presentation. How to do your research and map your audience. Successfully appealing to your audience. Make it hard for them to say no & easy to say yes. What showing up professionally means. More about Rebecca: Rebecca Leppard, founder of Upgrading Women, uses her Communications degree and 20 years of experience to teach women in tech: skills in presentation, problem solving, strategy, negotiation, leadership and internal communications. She does this to help companies retain women and members of underrepresented groups so that they can rise up to the challenge in their careers. So many ideas thought of by women and minorities aren't even heard of because there are so many barriers and biases that prevent us from speaking up in meetings etc. If we don't make the necessary changes, we as a society will lose out from life-saving innovations. You can find out more about it in www.upgradingwomen.com and if you'd like fo Rebecca to speak in your community, you reach out to her on Linkedin.com/in/leppard More about Moodally: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/ Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

Episode Keywords: trust, people, organizations, work, workplaces, trustworthy, compassion, trustworthiness, culture In this episode, Moodally Matters talks to Marissa Badgley Founder of Reloveution, a consulting and professional development services provider that helps employers build strong, sustainable, and healthy workplaces with engaged employees, powerful leadership, and compassionate, heart-centered cultures. In line with Season 2's theme of "Skill Development" Marissa speaks to us today about the importance of developing trust as an organizational skill, both as a leader and as an organization. In this episode you'll hear: -> Marissa's career journey through the non-profit sector & how challenges in her work environment led her to her current path -> The importance of taking a holistic approach to health and wellness. -> What's the universal factor of trust? -> How do we build trust as a company? -> The importance of trustworthy relationships. -> The eight components of trust and credibility. -> The importance of transparency in business. About Marissa: Marissa Badgley, MSW is the Founder of Reloveution, a consulting and professional development services provider that helps employers build strong, sustainable, and healthy workplaces with engaged employees, powerful leadership, and compassionate, heart-centered cultures. A globally recognized work culture transformation expert and facilitator, Marissa is driven by her own experiences of burnout and trauma in workplaces, and has worked with 100+ companies and tens of thousands of current and emerging leaders worldwide to help them holistically and sustainably prevent what happened to her from happening to their people. She is on a mission to transform the world of work through the power of compassion, community, and HEART. Marissa has been featured as a thought leader in publications such as Forbes, Business Insider, ThriveGlobal, Medium, and Crunchbase, and on podcasts such as Do Business Better, Small Biz Gone Viral, Welcome to my World, and Employment Law Today. She holds a MSW in organizational and leadership development from Washington University in St. Louis and a BA from Franklin & Marshall College. LINKS: www.truereloveution.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marissabadgley Trust Factor Download: https://bit.ly/reloveutiontrustfactor Connection Call: http://bit.ly/reloveutionconnectioncall About Moodally: Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

Have you ever considered belonging a skill? Probably not. Belonging is actually the third step on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It's fundamental to our sense of happiness. But often we don't necessarily know how to define belonging, how to create an environment where people feel like they belong, or how to ask for what you need to feel like you belong. In this episode we talk to psychotherapist, mental health & diversity advisor Mona Eshaiker. Here's some highlights from the conversation: Who is Monica Shaker and how has her career evolved over time? The importance of belonging in the workplace. How to create a workplace culture that's open for everyone. Don't assume that people know what they don't know. What is involved in creating a sense of belonging in the workplace? How to create a work environment where everyone can be fully themselves. What's the downside when there is no belonging? Top actionable tips for managers. Cultural curiosity is one of the first steps to unlocking the sense of belonging. We can't have a conversation at all until we're willing to admit that there is a problem. Conversations and skills like this is what Moodally teaches to employees in organizations around the world. To learn more about how we can help upskill your employees for better EI, improved mood & morale in the workplace, and increase job satisfaction & performance, check us at out: www.moodally.com More about Mona: Mona Eshaiker, Mental Health and Diversity Advisor, The Rise Journey Mona Eshaiker (she/her) is a licensed therapist, burnout coach, DEI specialist, educator and thought-leader. With over 10 years of experience in the field of mental health, Mona's passion for community healing is rooted in the empowerment of QTBIPOC individuals. As a strategic advisor and speaker at The Rise Journey, she works to help small HR teams and growing businesses develop empowering organizational culture and engage employees through inclusive conversations surrounding difficult topics. More from Mona on belonging in the workplace: https://www.therisejourney.com/the-rise-journey-team-mona-eshaiker Learn more about The Rise Journey: https://www.therisejourney.com/ Learn more about Rise With OPHR: https://www.risewithophr.com/ Follow Mona and The Rise Journey: Mona's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mona-eshaiker-lmft-72710676/ Rise's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/therisejourney/ Rise's Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRiseJourney

Welcome back to Moodally Matters! In this brief kickoff episode I share this season's theme...SKILLS! I do a quick look at stress, the role Hans Selye played in stress research and the critical role that Albert Bandura played in shaping the way we understand stress today. I explain the relationship between stress & skills as well as the connection between improved organizational performance and stress reduction. I talk about why skills are the game changers. To learn more about how Moodally uses skills to improve your workplace: www.moodally.com

Meet Erika: Erika Ferszt is the founder of Moodally, providing mood management solutions for the workplace; improving employee well-being & performance. After having suffered a stress-related vision loss burnout incident in 2015 that forced her to leave her role as Global Advertising, Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban, Erika returned to school to study the effects of stress on the mind, body & brain. She completed a Post-Graduate program in the Neuroscience of Mental Health and an MSc in Organizational Psychology. Combining her corporate experience and state of the art education, she created Moodally with the mission of creating better workplaces, one mood at a time. Moodally's solutions for organizations includes keynote sessions, group training, 1:1 executive coaching, a proprietary mood-moving app and white-labeled well-being & performance content to improve morale, productivity, and performance in your workplace.In this episode we learn:Erika's entrepreneurship journey and how she started Moodally + Her fabulous life living in Italy!The science behind moods and how it affects our day to day.How  we can build better habits around stress, especially workplace stress. What is toxic productivity? And what things we could be doing to improve our productivity and moods.Find more info on Moodally here:Instagram: instagram.com/moodally.wellnessLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikaferszt/Website: www.moodally.comNew Wellbeing Solution: https://www.moodally.com/white-label-wellbeing-content---About Us - Women Who Brunch:Women Who Brunch is a community for  women who love connecting, networking, and learning from each other over the most important meal of the week...BRUNCH!Check out our website for updates on events, recipes, brunch spots, product reviews and more or say hi on Instagram!WWB Website: https://womenwhobrunch.comWWB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenwhobrunchWWB Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/womenwhobrunchWWB Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nycwomenwhobrunch

Episode description: In this final episode of the first season, we have the incredible honor and opportunity to speak with Peter Hunsinger. Peter is an award winning publisher and has been at the helm of incredible magazines like Gourmet, Architectural Digest & GQ. Peter sits down with us to talk about some reflections on how to lead a team to success and how to keep the mood high in the workplace, especially when people don't want to. He discusses how an employee's well-being is divided into two: Personal and Environmental well-being and shares his insights on how to overcome a toxic teammat. Highlights: · Peter's Personal Experience · Well-being at Work: Environmental and Personal Well-being · The Influence of Mood on Environmental and Personal Well-being · Overcoming a Toxic Personality in the Team · Best Practices to Keep People Feel Good and Motivated · Traits and Aspects of a Great Leader · What Employees are Missing Links: Peter's latest entrepreneurial venture is launching in Q4, 2022! Keep an eye out for Change diapers || The World's First & Only 100% Biodegradable Cotton Disposable Diaper www.changediapers.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally Three lessons learned from this episode: 1) You have your own achievements in life. You shouldn't look at other people. Focus on yourself, your performance, and what you can improve on. It will help you better to achieve success in life. “Don't compare yourself to the freaks. Because there's always somebody going to get a promotion faster or start a company than you.” 2) Leadership comes in any form and in ways you sometimes fail to notice. Being a leader doesn't begin with being a CEO or some high position in a company. It's all about communication, respect, and what you can contribute to employ the company's mission and vision. “One of the most important things you can learn as an employee is that leadership comes in many ways. Informal authority is what you do when you're a team member. How you build respect, how you handle yourself, and how people begin to see you as a leader before you have the line authority.” 3) Your mood can affect your performance for the entire day. You can even influence others, depending on your mood. “When you're in a mood where you want to enjoy something, it makes a world of difference.”

Episode description: What should you look for in a company to ensure career happiness in the long term? Chiara Bernardi, who has two decades of experience in the luxury and fashion industry under her belt, joins Erika in this episode of Moodally Matters to chat about just that. Reflecting on her own journey, Chiara shares the lessons she learned through the years about managing stress in the workplace, both for herself and for those she has led. She also reveals the most common red flags of a toxic work environment, as well as how to build a culture of trust, cooperation, and high-energy among your team—starting with yourself as their leader! Highlights: · Why company culture and the types of people you work with and work for are more important to career happiness than the “prestige” of the company or industry itself. · Why uncertainty kills both productivity and proactivity within any team. · Chiara shares how being given the safe space to fail allowed her to stay inventive as a leader. · Not everyone is motivated by the same things. Learn how you as a leader can unearth these individual motivations to increase employee drive. · Wellness interventions that we may see more of in the future. · The value of having an onsite psychiatrist or performance coach. · Chiara's three pieces of advice to someone entering the workforce today. · Common red flags of a toxic work environment. Links: Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

Episode description: In any business, you not only focus on increasing your revenue but investing in your team and attracting more talent. Alexandra Nuth, CEO of a Fintech company Control, joins Erika in this episode of Moodally matters to chat just about that. Alex tells us about her career journey from management consulting to senior positions in banking to starting her own Fintech company. In this extra-special behind-the-scenes look at the financial industry at large, Alex and Erika talk about the primary stressors in the financial industry, leadership challenges, and why you must invest in your team. Alex shares her best advice to any organization putting itself in a position to be attractive to talent. Highlights: Alex tells us about her professional journey from consultancy and the financial industry to entrepreneurship. The primary stressors across the financial industry and how progression was challenged compared to their male counterparts in the industry. Why institutions should focus on developing their employees, getting that unique talent, and the benefits to the business or employee morale. Why leaders should leverage coaching to become better leaders Alex explains why younger people may be more resistant to coaching Why Alex believes financial institutions should invest in coaching to develop their employees rather than solely depending on the bosses to do so. Alex expounds on the importance of leadership training and why every leader must identify the motivation profile for each employee. Three pieces of advice to any organization putting itself out there to attract talent. About the guest: Alexandra Nuth is the CEO of a Control HQ that helps freelancers get off the roller coaster with flexible financial solutions to keep their cashflow steady when their income isn't. She started her consulting career in Accenture, traveled across the world, and jumped into the banking industry, where she climbed to reach the highest levels at one of Canada's most famous banks. Shortly before Covid she began her entrepreneur path with Control HQ. Links: Control: www.controlhq.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

Interview with Erika Ferszt. Erika Ferszt is the founder of Moodally, providing mood management solutions for the workplace; improving employee well-being & performance. After having suffered a stress-related vision loss burnout incident in 2015 that forced her to leave her role as Global Advertising, Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban, Erika returned to school to study the effects of stress on the mind, body & brain. She completed a Post-Graduate program in the Neuroscience of Mental Health and an MSc in Organizational Psychology. Combining her corporate experience and state of the art education, she created Moodally with the mission of creating better workplaces, one mood at a time. Moodally's solutions for organizations includes keynote sessions, group training, 1:1 executive coaching, a proprietary mood-moving app and white-labeled well-being & performance content to improve morale, productivity, and performance in your workplace.In this podcast episode you will learn:✨ How does your mood affect your day?✨ How can you change your mood from a neuroscientific perspective?✨ How even when you love your work, you can burnout✨ How to overcome the challenges of toxic productivity and a loss of identityEnjoy listening.With gratitude,Julia-----Shownotes:Get in touch with Erika:www.moodally.comerika@moodally.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/Book Recommendations:How emotions are made by Lisa Feldman Barrett-----

Erika Ferszt is the founder of Moodally, providing mood management solutions for the workplace; improving employee well-being & performance. After having suffered a stress-related vision loss burnout incident in 2015 that forced her to leave her role as Global Advertising, Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban, Erika returned to school to study the effects of stress on the mind, body & brain. 

Episode description Your mood affects how your day unfolds. How do you manage your creatives' moods and bring out the best in them? CEO of Bean Labs, a popular story-driven creative agency and production company, Chis Valentino, joins Erika in this episode of Moodally Matters to chat just about that. Chris shares his professional journey from NYU Tisch, his internship in production at A&E, and moving between several production jobs to starting his own production company. In this extra-special behind-the-scenes look at a fast-growing production companies, Chris and Erika talk about the daily life stressors in the creative industry, navigating them, managing your teams' mood, and how it impacts their performance. Plus, Chris shares his best advice for anyone interested in the best strategies to deal with their mood and maintain their well-being. Highlights: Chris tells us about his professional journey from NYU Tisch School of Arts to Hollywood. Chris shares the daily stressors that come up in the creative industry and the approaches to navigate them How the mood of your team, collaborators, or people's impacts how your day unfolds and every level of what you do How your mood negatively impacts your performance and the importance of navigating to a new space where everyone is happy Chris expounds on managing to redirect his mood and pulling himself back to center What well-being at work entails and how Chris achieves that with his team and employees Why Chris believes in keeping creatives in a good mood and building a good relationship with them. Chris' best advice for dealing with your mood and well being in the office About the guest: Chris Valentino is the President of Bean Labs, a creative video storytelling company providing full-service production, post-production, and marketing services for brands and businesses. After graduating from NYU Tisch School of Arts and Film, he secured a job in the production department at A & E, moved between different production companies, and co-founded a production company with friends dealing with promotions and advertising. Chris later started his own company Bean Labs, in 2008. He collaborates with businesses to execute ideas, and his experience, creativity, and dedication have led to developing concepts beyond the brief. His integrated approach to storytelling over the years is a testament to his passion and commitment. Links: Visit Beanlabs: https://beanlabs.com/ Visit Valentino's website: https://mrvalentino.tv/ Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

Moodally Matters: The importance of transparency, open communication, and humanity in employee well-being with Christian Navarro Episode description: The very best managers know that transparency and open communication can be incredibly effective leadership motivational techniques. That's something Christian Navarro, Head of Brand Marketing and Growth at Creatively, has practiced throughout his impressive career in marketing management. In this episode of Moodally Matters, Erika chats with Navarro about his career highs and lows, including learning to keep morale high virtually. They also dive into why taking a break, be it a five-minute walk or a five-day vacation, is so valuable to productivity and mental well-being. About the Guest: Christian Navarro is the Head of Brand Marketing and Growth at Creatively, a job platform that matches creatives with brands for seamless partnerships. With over two decades of experience in the marketing field, Navarro has worked with brands from Levi's to Spotify to develop and grow their brands' presence across the globe. With an educational background in psychology, Navarro strives to bring open communication and transparency to his workplace and believes in investing in employee well-being. When he's not creating marketing magic, Navarro enjoys trying new food and reveling in all things music and culture. Show notes: In this episode of Moodally Matters, Erika talks with Creatively Head of Brand Marketing and Growth Christian Navarro. Highlights include: Christian's journey through the marketing world to his current position at the startup Creatively. The challenges of managing a team remotely after you've experienced working in high-energy environments. Why being in tune with your mood and knowing to take a break or change tactics can benefit productivity. How challenges and wins in our personal life can feed into our success in our careers. Using transparency in business to manage mood and expectations How being a manager during the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic led Christian to realize the value of transparent communication. Why Christian finds balance and boundaries to be integral to his wellness in the workplace. Why you should look for a company that values employee wellness and mood when you are interviewing. Wellness interventions to provide to employees that are not meditation and yoga. Christian's advice for young people entering the workforce on being their best at work. Links: Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally Creatively: https://creatively.life

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

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

Moodally founder, Erika Ferszt, recently had the opportunity to answer some questions about anxiety. While we have a pretty good idea of what anxiety is from a psychological point, there's some neurological dynamics that need to be taking into consideration to have a full picture of anxiety and its effects.

Episode description: Mood management is essential to avoiding toxic productivity and burnout. No one knows that better than our guest this week on Moodally Matters. Erika chats with jack-of-all-trades Rob Simmelkjaer, whose long career as a television executive, lawyer, and journalist have overlapped in both challenging and amazing ways. From deploying his “back-up plan” (!!!) of going to Harvard Law, to hanging out with NBA greats like Magic Johnson during his time at ESPN, to building his own company based on his passions, Rob Simmelkjaer has experienced it all. With insights, advice, and wisdom obtained through decades of a unique career, Rob has something to offer everyone interested in having a better work-life. About the guest: Rob Simmelkjaer is the founder of Persona, a custom interview provider that preserves memories with professional video interviews and provides a platform for personal video answers from experts. Rob has over two decades of experience in television, working as an executive and on-air journalist for NBC, EPSN, ABC News, and more. Simmelkjaer is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where he was awarded the Alexander Nagle Award for his coverage of the 1992 presidential election and Harvard Law School. During his tenure at ESPN, Simmelkjaer spearheaded the launch of a programming agreement between the network and the NBA, served as Vice President of International Development and Corporate Projects, and reported for ESPN College Football. He's served as anchor and correspondent for ABC News Now, anchored MSNBC's coverage of two Summer Olympics, and been named Senior Vice President of NBC Sports Ventures. Show notes: In this episode of Moodally Matters, Erika talks with long-time anchor and journalist and founder of Persona, Rob Simmelkjaer. Highlights include: -A look at Rob's history in his field, from the time he left law to his years at ESPN, to his creation of Persona. -Rob explains how his unique experience as an athlete, lawyer, and journalist provided an entrance to the field of broadcasting. -Why Rob seeks out challenges and a bit of discomfort to produce his best work. -The impacts of failing to fit into a particular ‘category' and how that has made Rob's professional life both more tenuous and more fulfilling. -The pros and cons of walking away from enormous infrastructure to become an entrepreneur. -Rob's thoughts on how managing your mood can contribute to better group dynamics and avoid counterproductive timewasters. -A discussion on when drive and motivation cross into toxic productivity and what to do to stay grounded. -Rob's predictions on wellness interventions in the coming years. -Rob's top three suggestions for people just entering the workforce. Links: Persona custom interviews website: https://personacustominterviews.com Download the Persona app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/persona-talks/id1484042389 Persona Talks website: https://www.personatalks.com Visit Moodally's website: https://www.moodally.com Download the Moodally app: https://app.moodally.com Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/?hl=en Subscribe to Moodally's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: In this introductory episode of Moodally Matters, we get to know our host, Erika, founder of Moodally. By turning the tables and answering her own standard interview questions, Erika shares her personal history, experience with workplace burnout, and journey to combining a passion for the neuroscience behind mental health with her background in business to create a revolutionary approach to managing mood in organizations. Erika also teaches us how to recognize and regulate our moods by listening to our bodies and questioning our thoughts. If you've ever wondered what advice an expert in organizational psychology and mental health would offer to those entering the workforce, you'll want to stick around until the end of this very special first episode. ABOUT THE HOST: Erika Ferszt is the founder of Moodally, which offers innovative, science-backed mood management solutions to improve employee performance while reducing burnout. Erika is also an experienced keynote speaker, delivering powerful messages to groups all over the globe. Erika has nearly two decades of experience as a senior advertising executive and won over 70 awards for her work with Ray-Ban. After being hospitalized with stress-related vision loss in 2015, Erika returned to school to study the Neuroscience of Mental Health at Kings College London before completing her Masters in Science in Behavioral and Organizational Psychology at London Metropolitan University. She was recently selected as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Ventures and has made it her mission to help organizations improve well-being, resilience, and performance through mood management. SHOW NOTES: In this episode of Moodally Matters, host Erika Ferszt shares her personal history and sets the stage for the insight and wisdom to come in this incredible podcast. Highlights include: -Erika's exciting and unusual childhood growing up in NYC that would ultimately spark an interest in psychology and human behavior. -A look at Erika's professional history, from her stint as a legal administrator by day and a club promoter by night (under the same boss, no less!) to Italian ad agencies to managing media for a luxury brand. -How a mysterious medical issue changed the way Erika thought about her career burnout, stress, and taking care of herself. -Erika's return to school to study the neuroscience of psychology and mental health and organization psychology. -The creation of Moodally to address burnout and workplace moods and improve people's lives. -What well-being at work means to Erika, and how she strives to achieve it by being in sync with her body, feelings, and mind. -Some of Erika's favorite well-being interventions to improve your mood (and your life!) -Three pieces of advice Erika would give to someone entering the workforce. Links: Visit Moodally Website: https://www.moodally.com Follow Moodally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moodally Follow Moodally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness Follow Moodally on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/moodally

We LOVE our wonderful sponsors!goHappy Hub is the most inclusive and timely way to communicate and engage directly with your frontline employees and candidates with 95%+ open rates. Send text messages directly from corporate and enable permissions for your frontline leaders to communicate with their team - notes of gratitude, logistical updates, referral opportunities, LTO's, new hire introductions, learning content, celebrations and more. Easily get the right message to the right people with simple segmentation by location, job type, language, etc, and get feedback from the field in a structured, digestible and actionable way. For a 60 day trial, just tell 'em Adrian & Chester sent you!LifeGuides, a peer-to-peer community that helps you navigate through your day-to-day stressors by providing a place of empathy, listening, wisdom, and support with a Guide who has walked in your shoes, experiencing the same challenge or life experience as you.  We have a special offer for you from LifeGuides. It's this easy -  Schedule a demo and drop Healthy2021 in the “Any Questions?” box and receive 2 FREE months service. How GREAT is that?If you love this podcast, please share and give It a 5 star rating! If you feel inspired, we invite you to come on over to We Thrive Together and join our community. We have created this space for you to feel safe to talk about anxiety and mental health at work and at home.###Our guest our new friend Erika Ferszt (pronounced First). Erika is founder of Moodally, which offers science-backed mood management solutions for the workplace that help improve employee performance and well-being while reducing burnout. She has a master's degree in behavioral and organizational psychology from London Metropolitan University and, prior to forming Moodally, spent 20 years in advertising. Most notably she was the Global Advertising, Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban.###Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton have spent more than two decades helping clients around the world engage their employees on strategy, vision and values. They provide real solutions for leaders looking to manage change, drive innovation and build high performance cultures and teams. Their work is supported by research with more than a million working adults across the globe.They are authors of multiple award-winning Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestsellers All In, The Carrot Principle, Leading with Gratitude, and Anxiety at Work. Their books have been translated into 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. They have been called “fascinating” by Fortune and “creative and refreshing” by The New York Times. ###

In this special LinkedIn Live Cait Donovan, Burnout Recovery Expert & Erika Ferszt, founder of Moodally and Stress & Mood Expert share their best tips for how to deal with all of the stresses that come along with the holidays.

“I lost my vision working for a company that provides vision,” says Erika Ferszt, Founder of Moodally and former Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban. During her ten years at Ray Ban, Erica loved her job, loved the people she was working with and for, and loved her life...or so she thought. Then, one morning Erika woke up with no vision in her right eye, and the immense stress of her work life began to catch up with her. While Erika thought she was “happy,” her body was telling her otherwise.    After doctors concluded that her vision loss was stress-related and due to her working lifestyle, Erika decided to quit her job and re-evaluate her priorities. She returned to school to study the effects of stress on the mind, body and brain and learned about mood induction, the scientific process of altering participants' mood states. This inspired Erika to create Moodally, a company that brings this approach beyond the bounds of scientific studies and offers innovative, science-backed mood management solutions for the workplace.   Tune into this week's episode of FRIED. The Burnout Podcast to hear more about how Erika's burnout story led to the founding of her company. Learn about the science behind Erika's vision loss, how our thoughts (whether conscious or subconscious) dramatically impact our bodily reactions, and how our mood informs just about every aspect of our day.   Quotes • “I lost my vision working for a company that provides vision.” (13:13-13:17)  • “I think one of the things that's probably most misunderstood about burnout is that . . the assumption is that it's a psychological breakdown. And that can be one of the ways that it manifests, but it is a physiological issue.” (18:09-18:25) • “One of the first things that I learned to do [after quitting my job] was to acknowledge what I needed and not feel guilty about giving it to me.” (20:25-20:32) • “Who are you when the title goes away, when the employees go away, when the money goes away?” (23:48-23:58) • “When you don't know where you're going, you don't have to see the final destination...you just have to see enough road in front of you to get you to the next step.” (29:10-29:25) • “Where everything ladders up to is your thoughts. The thoughts are sort of the command center for the reactions in your body. There is a cognitive element to stress: you subconsciously and automatically decide that whatever is coming at you is greater than your capacity to handle.” (35:02-35:25) • “Music is the easiest gimme I can give you ....Outside of laughter, it's the fastest technique to shift you into a better mood.” (52:08-52:20)    Links www.moodally.com  https://www.instagram.com/moodally.wellness/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikaferszt/    XOXO, C   If you know that it's time to actually DO something about the burnout cycle you've been in for too long - book your free consult today: bit.ly/callcait   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

How do you manage stress by managing your mood? What are some red flags of burnout? Can you be addicted to productivity? To unpack these questions, we speak to Erika Ferszt, a stress specialist, neuroscience post grad, award winning advertising executive and founder of Moodally - a science-backed mood management solutions for the workplace that helps improve employee performance and well-being. In today's episode, we discuss how we can identify stress triggers, ways to effectively manage stress and how we can take proactive steps to avoid reaching burnout state.  We also discuss Toxic Productivity - a phenomenon fueled by the pandemic and described as the ‘the evil love child of workaholism and overachieving' and how we can find the right balance to not fall into its trap. BRITISH VOGUE ARTICLE with Moodally: Toxic Productivity

Have you ever been in a bad mood but wished you weren't? The ability to control our thoughts and in turn control how we feel in the moment is super useful. Researchers have been able to help people quickly change their mood through something called mood induction.   Erika learned this through her post-graduate studies and wanted to create a tool that would help the average person quickly change their mood  - and she's done just that with her app Moodally. In episode 22 of the Art of the App Podcast, Erika Ferszt and I discuss the importance of stress management. We also dig into the tools you can use to change your mood in the moment. . Moodally founder Erika Ferszt was raised in New York City, where she graduated from The Dalton School and New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. In her 20+ year career in advertising, she has won over 70 awards for her work, most notably in her role as the Global Advertising, Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban. Erika combined insights from these educational pursuits with her previous work as a high-ranking ad executive to create Moodally. Moodally offers extensively researched training courses that help employees combat workplace stress through the day-to-day management of their mood. Recently selected as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Ventures, she looks forward to sharing her vision with the world and helping organizations remove work-related stressors and effectively manage stress.Some of the things Erika and I discuss: That stress manifests in the body and Erika's personal story through burnout.Ways that scientists can change your mood through mood inductionHow Erika drew on her background in advertising to create the cinematic experiences that researchers were using in clinical studies and put that into an app format. .How companies are handling their employee's mental health through various platforms.That the root of our stress is cognitive, and if you can control the thought and the reaction, you control the mood.Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to inspire founders and investors who are shaping the future.Thank you for listening!If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me!  And don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about Art of the App and Michelle Cherian at https://artoftheapp.buzzsprout.com/ CONNECT WITH MICHELLE CHERIAN:LinkedinInstagramFacebookFree Gift: Guide for Creating a Product People AdoreWork with Michelle Cherian CONNECT WITH Erika Ferszt:Website InstagramLinkedIn

In this episode of the HR Leaders podcast, I'm joined by my guest Erika Ferszt, Stress specialist, Neuroscience post-graduate, Award-winning creative executive, Burnout survivor and Founder of Moodally.Thanks to LeggUP for supporting the show!Learn more about Talent Insurance and receive a free copy of their latest report on the drivers, challenges, and impact of coaching in 2021: https://bit.ly/State-of-Coaching-2021Episode Highlights00:00 - Intro00:36 - Erika's background and experience with burnout05:05 - The effects stress has on the body08:15 - Why intervention is the best way to prevent stress13:41 - How exercise can help reduce stress16:52 - Managing stress in real-time27:07 - A look at the Moodally app and how it can help you30:09 - Does facing your fears help with anxiety?38:26 - The power of rationalising anxiety42:42 - Where to access the Moodally appIf you enjoyed the podcast be sure to subscribe for more content like this and visit our website to access resources mentioned: www.hrdleaders.com/podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I am one of those people who are perpetually trying to lose weight. For as far back as I can remember, “lose 20 lbs” has made my new years resolution list every year. My reason is simple - I want to look and feel better. I want my clothes to fit better. There is enough research to show that losing weight would help me live a longer and healthier life. So I have tried to change my “why” for losing weight to becoming healthier. But the truth is that what motivates me to get off the couch is the hope that one day I will fit into my favorite top from 2013 that I have not had the heart to throw away. What helps me reach out for an apple over ice cream is my old picture as a senior in college when I was my ideal weight. Even though I should lose weight for health reasons, I realize that I have a much higher chance of success if I were to stick to my “why”.In this episode, Erika Ferszt, an advertising exec and an entrepreneur talks about how she learned the value of sticking to her conviction, of not forgetting her why. Moodally founder Erika Ferszt was raised in New York City. In her 20+ year career in advertising, she has won over 70 awards for her work, most notably in her role as the Global Advertising, Media & Digital Director at Ray-Ban. In 2015, Erika was hospitalized after suffering stress-related vision loss and became interested in studying the impacts of burnout on employees. Putting her successful career on pause, she completed Post Grad studies in the Neuroscience of Mental Health. Erika combined insights from these educational pursuits with her previous work as a high-ranking ad executive to create Moodally. Moodally offers extensively researched training courses that help employees combat workplace stress through the day-to-day management of their mood. Recently selected as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Ventures, she looks forward to sharing her vision with the world and helping organizations remove work-related stressors and effectively manage stress. Erika lives in Milan with her 15 year old daughter Isabel and their rescue cat Zoe. She loves rock music, travelling, throwing dinner parties for friends, and great conversation. Her primary form of meditation is baking. Connect with her on LinkedIn. You can also follow Erika at moodally.wellness on Instagram. Erika also hosts free Lunch & Learn presentation on "Mood 101; Everything you didn't know you need to know about your mood." for companies that are interested. If you have any comments about the episode or would like to share your own story, you can share them here.