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Long form content. We need it. Our brains need it. The next generation needs it. What do I mean by long form content? Books, audio books, long podcasts, in-depth interviews, as well as courses, workshops, seminars, training classes. Images are…

brainwaves and book-writing…   First I want to send my appreciation to all of you who are sending me the most beautiful emails and insightful, intriguing questions related to my last newsletter and podcast episode!   I will dedicate some time…

  It’s Sleep Awareness Week, so I thought I’d share some information about the importance of sleep, dreams and circadian rhythms. Something I have found with many clients, and especially teenagers, is that they are not getting enough sleep.  This…

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson Nature has a way of taking my breath away… Being outdoors yesterday made me think of quotes from Ralph Waldo…

    Sometimes there are no words or on-screen images capable of honoring what we experience.   Off camera, beyond the gaze and reactions of others.             Life is best enjoyed building connections with people…

  I just sent out a monthly newsletter to email subscribers!   If you’d like to receive these (which also include exclusive invites for subscribers, such as an upcoming online Q & A with me), make sure to subscribe using any…

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  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…

  I talk about challenging ourselves and self-regulating… sometimes I forget that social media is something that feeds us those feel-good hormones, and can keep us constantly trying to engage and get reactions from others, or compare ourselves.  I forget…

  “Increased struggle leads to increased structural change in the brain.” -Dr. Lara Boyd   During a conversation yesterday with a few other beginner jiu jitsu students, someone said, ‘the way I’m learning is I keep failing and then noticing…

One of my workshops for teachers at a French school in Canada (I always started with movement and then an activity for everyone to connect with each other).   I went to another Brazilian jiu jitsu class yesterday and absolutely…

Years ago, I directed programs for kids at the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University.  What we understood from experience and research is that no child is born gifted or pre-determined for a specific trajectory.  Passion, talent and goals…

  “Science is about reading the world from a gradually widening point of view.” — Carlo Rovelli, world renowned quantum physicist   A scientist’s mindset is open to questioning what it has learned, what it has been told.  It is…

  Had an amazing experience this past weekend connecting with people who came together to celebrate the grand opening of a wonderful coffee shop* in Montana and to learn some basic principles for preparing and dealing with emergencies The conversations…

https://youtu.be/YAmCdYYPtYs I spent several hours yesterday (as I do almost every day) with people’s brainwaves and team meetings about self-regulation strategies.  Decided to make a short video with some thoughts and themes emerging through book-writing and working with clients.  …

As a continuation from a previous post about some favorite travels, I thought I’d share one of those stories…   So after traveling on a tiny fishing boat with a couple of friends (where the roof fell off and we…

The moment I can sense the ‘aha’ from someone when they see a situation, themselves, or someone else with ‘new eyes’… that’s a moment I live for.  When that person tells me later how that new way of seeing has…

  I’m excited to continue to integrate the past couple of decades of my career experience in the field of neuroscience, mindset, and my extensive world travels and outdoor experiences into a way of contributing new perspectives and models for…

One of the most common brainwave profiles I’ve seen with clients over the years are related to anxiety.  This is often correlated with very fast frequencies (high beta). (see video below)     https://youtu.be/uFvyu_A20Yw   A neurochemical that I think…

    Sometimes there are no words or on-screen images capable of honoring what we experience.   Sink into those spaces.                               #offscreen #behindthescenes #patience #resilience…

There is something about coffee shops for me… I love how they bring people together, I love when they are done well.  This one had a cute book about making the best coffee at home (Chemex is my favorite at-home…

When we talk about the importance of coming together with others, who we surround ourselves with, and what we do when we come together matters. It’s not just about connecting and bonding. In fact, the bonding hormone oxytocin has been found…

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”   -Thich Nhat Hanh     The quality of presence… how do the micro-signals and rhythms of being…

  “What is success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to…

  “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” -Albert Einstein   Our plan to take a day trip to the mountains yesterday changed due to various circumstances.  I was still able to go on a nice…

  Taking the day off computers and phone to head to the mountains for the day.  Although I am still very immersed in technology, I try to look for inspiration to continue to build towards my vision of a lifestyle…

  As I was preparing and editing my interview with Kelly Harris of Warriors Heart for my upcoming podcast episode, a theme emerged: ‘perceived ability to cope’.  It’s a concept that is very similar to the idea of agency and…

  “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” ― Kahlil Gibran     Just as in a physical injury, when we embark on a healing journey, we take into account the…

  In my wilderness first responder training this past weekend, an important task during various emergency scenarios was to figure out the Mechanism of Injury (MOI).  Understanding how a person got hurt was important for figuring out further steps for assessing…

  As I began re-writing chapter 5 of my book, I wanted to share some highlights of a few studies.   The neurobiology of affiliation – which is tied to interactive regulation –  has 2 key components:     Biobehavioral Synchrony…

“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the…

  A signal-to-noise ratio tells us about the level of signal power compared to the level of noise power.   Signal refers to useful information – meaning frequencies and vibrations that are being transmitted that we ‘want’ to detect because…

  The field of psychology and human behavior that emerged out of different schools (the three Viennese schools of psychotherapy, beginning with Freud, then Adler, then Frankl) reveals an evolution from what we can see as humans mature from self-serving…

  One of my favorite ways to learn about people and the world is through stories.  We take story-telling for granted in the fast-paced, visual-imagery dominated world of technology.  Stories I’ve been listening to recently have really shown me how…

  The word ‘expedition’ came out of my mouth the other day as I was explaining to a friend that I am attending wilderness first responder training.   I didn’t even really know quite what the word meant, but as soon…

The way forward is found on a path through the wilderness of the head and heart—reason and emotion. Thinking, knowing, understanding. Laurence Gonzales   To understand our ability to thrive, adapt, survive and flourish, a deeper of understanding of our…

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the…

“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” – Albert Einstein     The idea of preparation is one of the key concepts I’m learning about in partner-based teaching, leadership and facilitation. …  not just preparing to succeed but also…

  “Never underestimate the empowering effect of human connection. All you need is that one person, who understands you completely, believes in you and makes you feel loved for what you are, to enable you – to unfold the miraculous…

There are neurophysiological effects from witnessing and experiencing events that violate systems embedded within us.  These systems are designed to keep us safe and make us care deeply for others. Past events interact with our socio-neurobiology, and can get suppressed,…