Today, Ildikó explores emotional health from a scientific angle, not coping better, but increasing our capacity to process what life throws at us. Her guest is Dr Melissa Palmer, a former Senior Science teacher with a PhD in neuroplasticity. She understands how our brains are trained by the way we live and the way we work and how to tap into that to greatly improve our quality of life and effectiveness.
If you feel mentally full, emotionally heavy or stuck in constant reaction mode, this conversation will definitely change how you think about your brain, how you think about your emotions and the ability to recover.
Burnout Isn´t Only About Over Work: Many entrepreneurs aren’t exhausted only because of “working too hard” - they’re paying the price for decades of people‑pleasing, perfectionism and harsh inner commentary. That quiet, constant internally generated stress load that trains your nervous system to live in fight‑or‑flight and eventually tips you into burnout.
Your Brain Is Not Fixed – It’s Being Rewired by How You Live Today: Neuroplasticity means your brain is always reshaping itself around what you repeat. Particularly, your thoughts, habits, and environment. If you change those things, you change how you act and therefore who you are and become.
Lofty Questions Aim Your Attention at What You Want, Not What You Fear: When you repeatedly ask gentle, positive questions like “How come I’m growing my business a little every day?” you give your brain a new brief. Because it’s wired to answer questions, it quietly starts hunting for evidence, ideas and encouraging actions that make that story true.
Self‑Compassion Switches You Out of Survival Mode: A minute of kind breathing, simply saying to yourself “I’m proud of you for taking this time” may sound stupid – but they signal safety to the nervous system. That shift out of fight‑or‑flight brings the thinking brain back online so you can plan, create, and lead.
Tiny Rituals Teach Your Brain a New Normal: Short, repeatable habits – a daily dog walk, two minutes of stillness, a 10‑minute tidy – are how you “vote” for a different, calmer identity. Done consistently, they tell your brain that you want a blended, sustainable life where business is simply a part of that life and stressed is no longer your normal state.
Melissa: “The very first part of emotional health is self-compassion."
Melissa: "We have a system in our brain - basically our internal monologue, and it's self-referenced. So, we can change what we're saying to ourselves.”
Melissa: "We can't get rid of that negative self-talk completely, but we can modify it."
Ildikó: "Whatever you tell yourself, your subconscious, your brain, will believe it."
Melissa: "What we're doing is neuroplasticity. We are leveraging the fact that our brain can rewire itself."
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-palmer-0075b21b6/
Ildikó Sealey is a Property Professional, Networking Host and Podcast Host serving her local and wider community.
In the property business with her husband since 2019, their core values are revitalising neglected properties so they can provide modern, future-proofed, comfortable homes for people.
Recognising a gap in the local networking scene, Ildikó started co-hosting Property and Business Network in March 2024, bringing together the best in business in Plymouth and surrounding areas in Devon and Cornwall.
With a rich background in administration, social housing, arts and crafts, education, business, and mindset, she is passionate about empowering her fellow 50+ Encorepreneurs on their journey.
Through her business, podcast shows and networking events, she makes an impact, proving that age is no barrier to success in the business world.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media
