Braincare

Steven Kotler, New York Times best-selling author and executive director of The Flow Research Collective, returns to chat about his new book, The Art of Impossible.

Kotler shares impossible biology and how we can get to peak performance at any age. We discuss peak performance primer, capital-eye and small-eye impossible, and takeaways of how to get in those states.

We talk about:

Steven Kotler, executive director of The Flow Research Collective, has researched the flow state for decades. He joins us in this episode to chat about the optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and do our best.

Kotler shares what flow is and how people can get into this state of consciousness. We discuss the core characteristics of flow from psychologists and from The Flow Research Collective, flow triggers, common flow experiences, and if it's possible for people to force themselves into the flow state.

We talk about:

Doing creative things for just 45 minutes reduces stress hormones in the body and increases the feeling of well-being. Diana and Sam, founders of M.Y.O Studio, are helping adults tap into their creative sides for not only fun but their brain health.

Set up in 2017, M.Y.O. is London's favourite studio for adults and teens to get creative with arts and crafts.

Don't think you're creative? Listen to Diana and Sam's six tips on how to get in touch with your creative side on this week's minisode.

Dr Neal Barnard returns to discuss the essential nutrients needed for brain health and how to add them to our daily routines and diets.

Barnard's years of research have found that certain vitamins and nutrients can help prevent Alzheimer's and other mental illnesses. He shares the effects of supplementing vitamin E, vitamin B12, iron, and more along with how much we should consume. We discuss the effects of too little and too much of the proper nutrients and how to make sure we're getting what we need in our diets.

We talk about:

Dr Neal Barnard, the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, knows the importance of lifestyle choices when it comes to brain health. Spending the past decade focusing on people and how their food choices affect health in many ways, Barnard joins us in this episode to discuss his research and how mental illnesses can be prevented through proper diets and life decisions.

Barnard shares the connection between lifestyle choices and Alzheimer's, how diabetes-related diets are good for the body, and the Chicago Health and Aging Project. We discuss the findings of Barnard's research, ways to lower the risk of Alzheimer's, and foods that are great for brain health.

We talk about:

Dr Drew Ramsey, psychiatrist, speaker and author, joins us this episode to discuss his new book, Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety. Ramsey knows the importance of a good diet when it comes to mental health and advises people to not only eat for nourishment, but for their mental well-being.

Ramsey shares the connection between diet, depression, and anxiety. We discuss why healing mental illness excites Ramsey, what foods you should eat and avoid to take care of your brain, and the diet Ramsey recommends.

We talk about:

Braincare community member, Jessica Kahawaty, joins us this week to talk about her quarantine experience and how it affected her mental health.

Kahawaty shares how she managed her mental health while quarantining in Sydney, Australia and how Heights supplements helped calm her mind and make it through 14 days of solitude. We discuss emotional regulation, wellness activities, and tips to stay mentally sharp during quarantine.

We talk about:

Pioneering self-compassion researcher, Kristin Neff returns to chat about her new book, Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive.

Neff shares the difference between tender and fierce self-compassion and why we need both to manage mental health and well-being. We discuss women and the history of gender roles, when to use tender or fierce self-compassion, and how to gain freedom by using the practice.

We talk about:

Dr Kristin Neff, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, is the pioneer of self-compassion research. Within Neff's 20 years of studying this Buddist psychology construct, Neff has created a scale that measures the practice and its effects on mental health and wellness.

Today, Neff shares what self-compassion is, why people should incorporate it into their lives, and its challenges. We discuss self-compassion myths, gender roles, and how you can cultivate this skill to develop emotional resilience.

We talk about:

Poppy Jamie, entrepreneur, podcast host, and creator of the app, Happy Not Perfect, returns to talk more about anxiety and mindfulness. Jamie knows mindfulness is important for good brain health, and creating an app to help others with anxiety helped her battle her own.

Today, Jamie shares the reasons why she created the app, dives briefly into the duck syndrome, and explains the importance of mindfulness rituals. We discuss the effects of anxiety, breathwork, and at the end of the episode, Jamie walks us through a breathwork exercise.

We talk about: