Mimi and The Brain

Since this year has been nothing but a dumpster fire for all of us humans, I decided to wrap it up with one of my FAVORITE people: podcaster, mental health advocate, and brain injury survivor Joe Borges.

Back in 2018 this random dude slid into my DM's and told me he appreciated my vulnerability talking about my brain injury...and that he liked my headphones. We've basically been inseparable ever since. Today we chat about what our lives looked like pre-2020 and how we can use this shitstorm of a year to propel us into amazing things to come.

You can learn more about Joe here:
http://joesorocks.com/
https://www.theneuronerds.com/
IG: @joesorocks @theneuronerds

AND check out Joe featured on my most recent WHYY radio feature here:
https://whyy.org/segments/how-my-mom-saved-my-life-after-doctors-missed-my-brain-bleed/

You wake up sweaty and screaming because a cloaked man with a bazooka is chasing you down an alleyway that has become a slip n' slide! Also, your mother appears and asks you if you've made your bed and a tiny monkey wearing a bonnet emerges from her pocket...

Hey, we've been there. Dreams are weird!

What do they mean? Why do we have them? Wait...are they even real?!?

Here to answer all our quirky questions about dreams is neuroscientist, TED speaker, and ex-computer hacker Dr. Moran Cerf, who may or may not be able to read your dreams!

Join us for one of our most interesting conversations yet...just be on the lookout for any strange characters lurking in your REM cycles, they might pull an Inception and steal your dreams Leo DiCaprio-style!

Extras:

Chicago Mag - "Moran Cerf wants to get inside your head"
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2020/Moran-Cerf/

Moran Cerf ft. Jake Gyllenhall
https://rubinmuseum.org/events/event/an-actors-dream-jake-gyllenhaal-moran-cerf-03-16-2015

Studying Consciousness Using Direct Recording from Single Neurons in the Human Brain
https://f409a5c5-7ea5-42fd-8d36-f35f13afdac0.filesusr.com/ugd/c15c1f_4e493fa6c84849ea8afac42968b121e8.pdf

Men vs. Women Recalling Dreams
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3389337/

Moran Cerf @TEDxPorto "Can you trust your own brain?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QAyn5e15LY

KCRW - "The Man Who Could Record Your Dreams"
https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/unfictional/the-man-who-could-record-your-dreams

Falling Water - Understanding Our Dreams Interactive Timeline
http://dreamtimeline.usanetwork.com/

Moran Cerf on Wired - "Our brain is the puppeteer, we are simply agents"
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/moran-cerf

Moran Cerf @ The Moth Grand Slam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJVHTQSvUIo&t=514s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfRkEUT7rgc

It feels like a distant memory, but just a few short months ago we were blissfully ignorant about COVID-19 and the global pandemic it was to become. We've quarantined, WFH'd, and made a lot of banana bread to keep ourselves from going *crazy.* The virus has yet to be eradicated, you know, because Florida. In this episode, I put my hazmat suit to good use and sit with Dr. Allison Navis (remotely, of course, I just like wearing it), neuro-epidemiologist, and fan-favorite, to discuss the impact of the Coronavirus on...you guessed it...the BRAIN. Scrub up, disinfect, and buckle up for a wild ride!

Some helpful links mentioned in this episode:
"COVID Toes"
Johns Hopkins Study
Mount Sinai Plasma Collection Center
Center for Disease Control
New York State Testing Centers
Free New York Crisis Counseling 

Yuh know when it's 3 PM and you've had enough coffee to fill a small landfill and somehow you're STILL tired? Yeah, we've been there. And maybe it's Mercury in Retrograde or your constant stream of unanswered emails or dwindling bank account but HEY, take a break will yuh?!

Today I chat with Victoria Albina, Functional Life Coach, Meditation Facilitator, and podcast host of Feminist Wellness! With over 20 years of healing women in mind, body, and spirit, Victoria helps me buckle up for the wildest ride of my life, a one-woman show at Edinburgh Fringe!

Strap into your cozy jams and light that scented candle, baby! It's time for some self-care!

How to find Victoria Albina:
Website
Feminist Wellness Podcast
Instagram 

Ever wonder what's going down in your noggin' when you get lost in a 12-hour cake-decorating binge? What about that time you spent an entire Sunday building a table in the garage out of stuff you found in the alleyway? Have you been finger painting the walls of your apartment again? Sounds like you've got some creative flow going on! 

Neuroscientist and professor Dr. Heather Berlin takes us on a special tour into our inner creativity in this episode! Together we'll debunk a few "tortured artist" myths and get to the bottom of what it really takes to access your inner creativity. 

Ah, the familiar moment of walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there in the first place! Don't we know it well! And what do we know, by the way? Can our memories be trusted? How long do we have before our brains slip into delirium? Mimi sits with neuroscientist and resident badass Brit Dr. Paula Croxson to discuss Alzheimer's Disease, Hollywood myths around memory, and whether or a baby will remember us a week from now.

You can check out Paula's storytelling and amazingness here and at The Story Collider, live in New York City every month. 

Mimi kicks off her antics again at another LIVE podcast recording with M&TB Alum Dr. Paula Croxson! Recorded at the Much Different Showcase in Brooklyn, New York with a special audience Q&A with today's top science storyteller and neuroscientist.

Check out Much Different here to learn more.

AND WE'RE LIVE!

Mimi and her special guest (Episode 2's Dr. Allison Navis) hit the stage for the first ever live episode of Mimi and The Brain!

Recorded live at the Liberty Science Center and sponsored by the Women in Science and Art Festival, we talked infectious diseases, shiny rocks, and what it's like to be a scientist on International Women's Day!

Check out the awesome article written about our live session here and be sure to check out all the cool summer events at the Liberty Science Center at lsc.org 

Ever been so hype you wanna get into a jousting match and knock around that noggin' but need some expert brain surgeons to perform your resulting autopsy? Are you a blind globe-trotter into climbing active volcanoes and using your badass walking stick for echo-location? What about arms? Are you missing one from the Civil War and need to trick your brain into thinking it's still there with a mirror? Is your brain like a bunch of smooshed together tree branches?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then strap in for an epic episode with today's guest, Four-time best-selling science author, Sam Kean! 

Feeling slogged down by your holiday to-do list? Does the shopping mall send you into a tale-spin? Don't you wish your brain could enhance itself so you could deal with those pesky in-laws? WELL BOY DO WE HAVE AN EPISODE FOR YOU! Join Mimi for this special holiday episode with expert Neurohacker and Health Blogger Emily Hardwick to learn the dope science behind enhancing your brain! So kick back with that dairy-free egg nog and pop in your favorite Christmas movie because we're about to get down with some brainy fun to cap off your holiday festivities! Ho-Ho-Hope you're ready!