The Dr. Leaf Show

By Dr. Caroline Leaf

Hi! I’m Dr. Caroline Leaf. I’m a cognitive neuroscientist, author, & mental health expert. Whether you are struggling in your personal life or simply want to learn how to understand and use your m... more

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The podcast currently has 731 episodes available.

Best of The Dr. Leaf Show

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Number 1: How to Stop Fearing Other People's Disappointment
Do you say yes when you mean no? My daughter Dominique and I open up about the fear of disappointing people, and why it runs so many of our decisions without you even noticing. In this episode, I break down where the fear of disappointing people actually comes from, why it feels so physical in the moment, and how to start telling the difference between genuine kindness and people pleasing driven by fear. 🔬 What you'll learn: • Why saying yes when you want to say no leaves you grieving a part of your identity • The difference between being kind and being afraid of someone's disappointment • How to spot your own pattern before guilt and resentment take over • A simple in-the-moment test for deciding when to say no • The 5-step Neurocycle process for working through the fear of disappointing people, step by step 📚 Resources mentioned: The Neurocycle app, for the full step-by-step walkthrough of the process discussed in this episode: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app 🔗 1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1 Sponsors making this epsiode possible: Momentous: Try Momentous Signature Spec Creatine — pharmaceutical-grade, third-party tested, 10x fewer impurities. Get up to 35% off your first order at livemomentous.com with code DRLEAF. Granola: Granola turns your meeting notes into clean, organized summaries automatically — no bots, no new tools to learn. Try it free at granola.ai/DRLEAF. Shopify: Start your business with Shopify — the platform I use to run my own store, checkout and all. Start your free trial at shopify.com/leaf. ElevenLabs (ElevenAgents): ElevenAgents is the AI voice and chat platform helping businesses fix broken customer service. See how it fits your workflow — get a demo at elevenlabs.io/leaf. Betterhelp: Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/drleaf HANS: Go to HANSforDogs.com/Leaf to get $30 off your first month. Plus, every order is backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee, so you can try HANS completely risk-free. HANS™. Tested on humans, perfected for dogs. New episodes every Wednesday. #DrCarolineLeaf #FearOfDisappointingPeople #PeoplePleasing #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #BrainScience
September 16, 20261h 21min
Number 2: Is Your Apple Watch Making You Anxious? A Neuroscientist (and Her Daughter) Explain
Is your Apple Watch making you anxious? Cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf is joined by special guest Dominique Leaf, her daughter and the show's producer, to ask whether we are over-tracking and over-optimizing our health to the point where health anxiety is rising. Dominique wore an Apple Watch for years and took it off. She talks openly about how the numbers fed her eating disorder struggles, and how tracking pulled her away from how she actually felt in her body. Dr. Leaf explains what happens in the mind and brain when a number on a screen hijacks your nervous state, and why the fix is never the device. One phrase runs through the whole conversation: observe, do not merge. What you'll learn: • Whether a fitness tracker causes health anxiety or reveals anxiety that was already there • Why anxiety is data and a signal, not a disorder to be eliminated • The four warning signals to read before you reach for a device • What merging with a tracker does to your brain on a physical level • Why your mind is 99 percent of who you are and your brain and body are 1 percent • The seven-day exercise that shows you how often you really check • Three questions that reveal whether tracking has turned compulsive Support the sponsors: Quince: free shipping and 365-day returns at https://quince.com/leaf Ritual: 25% off your first month at https://ritual.com/leaf Shopify: free trial at https://shopify.com/leaf Veracity: up to 65% off with code DRLEAF at https://veracityhealth.co Resources: Dr. Leaf's Website: https://drleaf.com Neurocycle Certification (opens September): https://drleaf.com 1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1 Neurocycle App: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. New episodes every Wednesday. Do you track your health, and does the data leave you calmer or more worried? Tell me in the comments.
August 26, 20261h 9min
Number 3: When Botox Becomes Body Dysmorphia: The 30% Rule
Dr. Caroline Leaf and her daughter Dominique go past the beauty debate into what happens in your mind when you consider a cosmetic procedure. It is for anyone who has asked "should I get Botox?", felt judged for it, or worried a friend is going too far. You will learn to tell self-improvement from body dysmorphia, why the injections won't fix your life, and how to decide from self-worth, not comparison. What you'll learn: • How to tell healthy self-improvement from body dysmorphia • The 30% rule: how much thinking about your looks is too much • Why fillers and injectables can't fix what you are missing • The six signs a cosmetic habit is tipping into obsession • Why commenting on a woman's body says more about you • What preventative Botox in your 20s really trades off • How to raise it with someone you love without shaming them Support the sponsors: -Quince: free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/leaf -Ritual: 25% off your first month at ritual.com/leaf - Shopify: free trial at shopify.com/leaf - Veracity: up to 65% off with code DRLEAF at veracityhealth.co Resources: Dr. Leaf's Website: https://drleaf.com Neurocycle Certification (opens September): https://drleaf.com 1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1 Neurocycle App: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. New episodes every Wednesday. Where is your line between self-improvement and going too far? Tell me in the comments. #Botox #BodyDysmorphia #DrCarolineLeaf #MentalHealth #Neuroscience
August 12, 20261h 6min
Number 4: Dr. Nicole LePera: Why Your Nervous System Picks Familiar Pain Over Safety
In this episode I sit down with Dr. Nicole LePera, The Holistic Psychologist, to talk about her new book Reparenting the Inner Child: The New Science of Our Oldest Wounds and How to Heal Them. We get into why your nervous system will choose what is familiar over what is good for you, even when familiar means the same relationship pattern that hurt you as a child. Nicole explains the question underneath so much of adult behavior: when I reached for comfort or connection as a child, what happened? The answer your body learned back then is still running your relationships, your stress response, and the moments you shut down or overreact today. We cover why attachment theory alone stopped being enough, how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn show up in a grown adult who looks fine on the outside, why a healthy relationship can feel like danger to a body trained for chaos, and what the new science of stress and epigenetics says about how much of this is actually changeable. Nicole also explains why reparenting does not require blaming your parents. The real work is understanding the capacity they actually had, and building the capacity you never received as a child. This is one of my favorite conversations we have had, and it is our fourth time together for a reason. Get Dr. LePera's book here: https://theholisticpsychologist.com Work with me: Dr. Leaf's Website: https://drleaf.com Neurocycle Certification, Clinical: https://drleaf.com/clinical-certification Neurocycle Certification, Strategist: https://drleaf.com/certified-strategist 1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1 Neurocycle App: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app SPONSORS Making this show possible: AG1: Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/drleaf Betterhelp: Visit drinkag1.com/LEAF and for a limited time get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1 Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last. Shopify: start your free trial: shopify.com/leaf Quince: Upgrade your everyday. Go to quince.com/LEAF for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too. Veracity: Get up up to 65% off GLP-1 support: VeracityHealth.co (code DRLEAF)
August 05, 20261h 3min
Number 5: 2 Simple Rules for Being Happy: Always Have a Quest and a Crush
A clinical neuroscientist breaks down the two things that actually make you happy, a quest and a crush, and the brain science behind why a little whimsy is so good for you. Dr. Caroline Leaf sits down with her daughter and producer Dominique to unpack Dominique's theory of happiness: to feel happy, you need a quest and a crush. It sounds playful, but the neuroscience runs deep. Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, cortisol, theta waves, and the resilience networks that form every time you choose a bit of whimsy over the grind. If you have felt flat, stuck in hustle mode, or like the fun drained out of ordinary days, this one is for you. It is a warm, funny, science-backed conversation about how to be happy again by bringing whimsy back on purpose. What you'll learn: - Why a quest and a crush flip your brain into its healthiest, most efficient state - What actually happens in your brain and body when you have a crush (dopamine, norepinephrine, and those butterflies) - Why early infatuation shows serotonin levels that look almost identical to OCD, and why that is completely normal - How to read anxiety as useful data when a quest starts to tip from healthy toward toxic - Why your mind is in charge and your brain carries out its instructions, and what that means for how you feel - How small whimsical moments wire lasting resilience into your brain - Simple ways to turn errands and mundane days into a quest Resources: Dr. Leaf's Website: https://drleaf.com Neurocycle Certification, Clinical: https://drleaf.com/clinical-certification Neurocycle Certification, Strategist: https://drleaf.com/certified-strategist 1:1 Coaching with Dr. Leaf: https://drleaf.com/coaching-1-1 Neurocycle App: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app SPONSORS Making this show possible: AG1: Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/drleaf Betterhelp: Visit drinkag1.com/LEAF and for a limited time get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1 Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last. Shopify: start your free trial: shopify.com/leaf Quince: Upgrade your everyday. Go to ⁠quince.com/LEAF⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too. Veracity: Get up up to 65% off GLP-1 support: VeracityHealth.co (code DRLEAF) Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. New episodes every Wednesday. What is one quest or one crush you could give yourself this week? Tell me in the comments.
July 29, 202650min