“too often people typically spring into action based on what first comes to mind, and thus too often mind… And thus too often, wind up seeing the world through the lens of what they already know.”   - Maggie Jackson, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure In this episode, I interview Maggie Jackson, who is an award-winning author and journalist, known for her writings on social trends, technology's impact on humanity,...

In this episode, I cover 5 concrete, embodied, neuroscience-supported pillars you can use to get better at honing the incredible power of the human mind-brain-body system.  We look at several biomarkers and physiological pillars of how to combine the extraordinary, beautiful and magnificent power of the human brain with the mechanics of our body to help us achieve a state of deep fulfillment and sense of agency and alignment with our highest potential.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ― Albert Einstein     In a world that often values certainty and consistency, it can be hard to admit when we need to change our minds. The concept of changing one's mind is often seen as a sign of weakness or indecisiveness. But the fact of the matter is, because we are complex adaptive systems, flexibility is our greatest strength. It’s what allows us to adjust and take in live data that is occurring now, is constantly changing...

You were born with a growth mindset. When you were first learning to speak and walk, you fell and fumbled over and over again. But there was a part of you - an algorithm - that understood that this was part of the process and that you would develop those skills over time and with effort.   We can get back in touch with that empowered aspect of our mind. Doing so can change our life in profound ways.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts   Listen on...

"A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution."   -Russell L. Ackoff, Systems Theorist   How do we come to the conclusion that our way of attempting to solve a problem is the most effective way to solve it? How do we integrate feelings and logic into our decision making? The above questions are important for...

  “What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.” ― Viktor Frankl     In this interview with Brian Flynn of the Two Wolf Foundation, we discuss the idea of a Mission as being a fundamental pillar for mental health, wellbeing and resilience in humans. We look at the idea of a...

  Because of how human brains develop, the only way for maturity to emerge is in the presence of maturity.   Listen on Blubrry Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts   I remember the first time I gave a presentation to parents, many years ago, about how children’s brains develop. One of the first concepts I introduced was the fact that young brains simply have not developed enough architecture to help them self-regulate, think about long-term consequences, control many of their...

  A quick episode that covers some insights gained over the course of my career in human communication and psychology, child development, teaching, and neuroscience.   Highlights include the importance of: * mindset, purpose and effective teachers * anti-disciplinary thinking and teams of experts from diverse fields * prefrontal cortex models and attuned caregivers for helping children reach their highest potential * understanding our power to control more of our thoughts, behaviors...

“One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.” ― Shannon L. Alder   Listen on Blubrry Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify   How we distract ourselves from our deeper sources of pain In my interview with Warriors Heart Healing Center, we discussed the idea of 'presenting problems'.  These are problems that feel much more urgent and obvious to patients coming in (such as losing their job or getting a DUI).  As...

  How we respond to danger (perceived and real, physical and social), and WHO we turn to (including ourselves and others) in the midst of uncertainty and threat is one of the most powerful foundations for future behavior and how we process information.   The level of self-regulating abilities in the people we have around us during times of danger, ambiguity and uncertainty are one of the most critical aspects of how accurately we predict, prepare for and respond to future situations.  This...

“Love is at once an affirmation and a transcendence of who we are.” ― Esther Perel   “And what is true for human beings is true for every living thing: all organisms require alternating periods of growth and equilibrium. Any person or system exposed to ceaseless novelty and change risks falling into chaos; but one that is too rigid or static ceases to grow and eventually dies. This never-ending dance between change and stability is like the anchor and the waves. Adult relationships...

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” * ― Leo Tolstoy   Listen on Blubrry Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts We are in the most interconnected period that humanity has ever experienced. The potential for us to tap into and amplify collective intelligence is unparalleled. The potential for us to tap into and amplify collective trauma is also unparalleled. As we interact with others online and in person, and in all the moments in...

Learning is a gateway to power and freedom Learning increases our degrees of freedom by giving us new ways to move, communicate and adapt to challenges and capitalize on opportunities.   Listen on Blubrry Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts     True learning is a sacred process that is not honored in how typical classrooms are run.   I have seen many kids begin to believe that something is wrong with them. Not because they are unable to learn, but because of the teachers’...

“Once again, the world seems to be less about objects than about interactive relationships.” ― Carlo Rovelli, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics   Studying human brains while a person is immobile and alone in an mri machine can only get us so far in truly understanding human brains and behaviors.  Because optimal brain development requires serve-return exchanges with conspecifics (members of the same species), affiliative neuroscience moves us into an exciting new era of...

The moment you learned to walk, the entire social and power dynamic between you and your caregivers changed. When you were an infant and lacked mobility, your caregiver would easily be able to track where you were. If they left you in the crib, they could be pretty much certain, you would still be there when they returned. As you began to move out of their reach, your caregiver needed to take on the role of ‘socialization agent’ and inhibitor of action to protect you from walking into...

"transformation begins with two commitments: the courage to try new things and act in new ways the honesty to no longer hide from or lie to ourselves". - yung pueblo   Much of my work to help others has come from integrating neuroscience research and application, and the journey of learning how to navigate life, particularly when it comes to challenges rooted in childhood experiences of unsafety... an unfolding work in progress. The last two seasons of podcasts focused on the...

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” -Khalil Gibran   Is it possible to take a painful and negative event from our past, and 're-purpose' it to become an empowering feature of our story, of our identity? The process of re-organizing neural circuits to integrate a negative past event into a more complex and mature perspective is tied to cognitive flexibility.  This flexibility is a major aspect of the healing process for...

Attachment theory is not a 'theory'.. it's a part of our neurophysiological operating system Attachment is a way of seeking proximity to an attachment figure.  It’s a biobehavioral adaptation that helps us regulate ourselves and explore new frontiers. This in turn helps us achieve higher levels of complexity and adaptation to a variety of environments, particularly in the social realm.   Allan Schore states that although traditionally attachment theory was emphasized in the field of...

Have you ever had the experience of feeling like someone really ‘gets you’?   This can take various forms - like being able to share what’s on our mind and the other person holding space for us to explain. It can also be reflected in their ability to mirror back what we are saying with their own words.  When I hear people talk about this experience, it often involves some form of dialogue.   But there are levels of this experience that are non verbal and that began a long time ago in...

Listen on Spotify Listen on iTunes Listen on Blubrry Listen on YouTube   Have you had an argument recently, or an interaction with someone that didn’t go as you hoped it would?   What was your reaction in this situation?  Was it anger, defensiveness, or shutting down?     Did you say what you truly wanted to say?  Did you hold back?   Or did you say something hurtful?   Is there something you feel about this situation that you can’t put your finger on why it bothers you so much? ...

    Listen on Spotify Listen on iTunes Listen on Blubrry Listen on YouTube   Why do systems fall apart or become dysfunctional?   A system can be a family, relationship, community, business, organization, society.  The human mind-brain-body is also a system.   One reason dysfunction can happen is related to hierarchy and ‘signal flow’. Let’s go into both of these ideas.   Hierarchies exist throughout nature and throughout human society. They are something that occur because of...

To have an impact on others, what matters is: can you connect with what a person is experiencing in a way where you will be able to find words to convey to them that you understand?   And then.. Can you, through an integration of your own self-understanding, utter words and express gestures that help that person see themselves in a new light?     Listen on Spotify Listen on iTunes Listen on Blubrry Listen on YouTube   Can you find ways to exchange information with others that help...

Normal is based on historical data. It’s based on what has happened the most often in the past. Our past ‘normal’ can make it easy to not question if there is more that’s possible in terms of wellbeing and a deeper sense of meaning for our life. But what we really, truly, deeply need to understand is that the ‘normal mode’ of consuming and doing the same combination of movements day after day without challenging our brain-body to higher and higher levels of creation and exploration is not...

When we focus on trying to 'fix' dysregulation without acknowledging how it emerged, we are conveying a message that somehow the anxiety or overreaction just ‘appeared’ because of an imbalance in their brain and that distress, dysregulation and anxiety are an isolated problem about that individual.  Treating the brain in isolation not only sends a disempowering message to the person experiencing challenges, it's also neurologically inaccurate. The ability to self-soothe is not...