The Cabrera Lab Podcast

Get 20% off any STSI course with code IDENTITY20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera explore why everyday disagreements can escalate so quickly.

They explain how identity works as a boundary—and why people often feel threatened when their beliefs, opinions, roles, politics, or preferences are challenged. The problem is not disagreement itself, but identity conflation: mistaking what you think, believe, or do for who you are. When that happens, even a simple difference of opinion can feel like an attack on the self.

The conversation explores DSRP, identity-other dynamics, emotional reactions, echo chambers, agency, self-awareness, and the difference between reacting automatically and choosing your actions intentionally. They also offer a practical way to notice when your “buttons” are being pushed, separate your reaction from reality, and metabolize conflict into a more thoughtful response.

If you want to stop taking things so personally, handle disagreement with more clarity, and protect your sense of self without becoming defensive, this episode offers a systems thinking framework for understanding identity, conflict, and emotional regulation.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code GOOP20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera expand the idea of “goop” beyond food and into the systems all around us.

They explore how heavily processed food, social media, education, news, consumer products, and even AI can become forms of goop: things that appear useful, nutritious, or informative, but are often stripped of real value and repackaged in ways that manipulate us. From chicken nuggets and plug-in air fresheners to social media echo chambers and memorization-based schooling, they show how goop replaces real nourishment with convenience, consumption, and passive acceptance.

The conversation also explores how parents, teachers, and individuals can build “goop radar” through thinking, metacognition, media literacy, and systems awareness. Instead of simply consuming more information, Derek and Laura argue that we need to help people—especially kids—learn how to organize information, question what they are being fed, and develop character, agency, and adaptive thinking.

If you’ve ever wondered why modern life feels overloaded, artificial, or manipulative, this episode gives you a systems thinking lens for seeing the goop—and choosing something better.

Get 25% off any STSI course with code FIGHT25 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera answer a personal question from Training Camp: how do they handle conflict as a couple?

They explain how understanding mental models changes the way people disagree. Instead of seeing conflict as “you versus me,” they show how many disagreements are really differences between two mental models—two ways of organizing information and interpreting reality. That shift makes conflict less personal, less emotionally charged, and much easier to work through.

The conversation explores emotional regulation, the Love Reality Loop, assumptions, intention, action-reaction dynamics, perspective taking, and the importance of slowing down before reacting. They also show how tools like Is/Is Not Lists, Perspective Circles, and mental model checking can help couples, families, teams, and leaders communicate more clearly.

If you want to fight less, understand more, and stop turning assumptions into emotional reactions, this episode offers a practical systems thinking framework for handling conflict with more clarity, honesty, and agency.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code STUDIO20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cabrera Research Lab explore what really happens when we go through change.

Using their move to Montana and the new podcast studio as a starting point, they unpack the difference between change itself and the transition into a new reality. They explain why change often feels stressful—not because the change is “bad,” but because our old mental models no longer match the new situation we are living in.

The conversation explores expectations, adaptation, identity, perspective shifts, parenting, major life transitions, and the Love Reality Loop. They also discuss why humans often cling to old mental models, how expectations can distance us from reality, and why identity can feel unstable when our roles, environments, or relationships change.

If you are starting a new job, moving, sending a child to college, becoming a parent, entering a new life stage, or simply trying to adapt to a changing reality, this episode gives you a systems thinking framework for navigating transition with more clarity, agency, and self-awareness.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code PATTERN20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore why the same problems keep showing up in organizations, relationships, and teams—even when they look different on the surface.

They break down the difference between an instantiation and a pattern, showing how people often get stuck solving individual conflicts, communication breakdowns, or “fires” without seeing the deeper structural issue that keeps producing them. Using systems thinking, metaphors, analogies, fractals, and shared mental models, they explain why repeated problems are usually not separate problems at all—they are manifestations of the same underlying system.

The conversation also explores why culture is the real unit of analysis in many organizational issues, how shared mental models help people coordinate even when they are not directly interacting, and why being “too busy” is often a sign that you are stuck at the symptom level.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re dealing with the same issue over and over again, this episode gives you a systems thinking lens for finding the pattern—and changing the structure that keeps recreating it.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code NEURO20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore neurodivergence through a systems thinking lens.

Derek reflects on what it means to understand your own mind, why neurodivergence itself is not the problem, and how friction often comes from living inside systems designed around the neurotypical norm. They discuss structure, self-knowledge, masking, passive aggression, focus, hyperfocus, and why learning how your brain works can be a powerful “cheat code” for navigating school, work, relationships, and life.

The conversation also explores what neurodivergent kids need to hear early: that they are different, not defective—and that the goal is not to become “normal,” but to understand themselves, play their own hand, and build a life around who they actually are.

If you’ve ever felt like your brain works differently, or you care about someone who does, this episode offers a grounded and empowering systems thinking framework for understanding neurodivergence, self-awareness, and human difference.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code OOT20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explain the power of OOTing: object-oriented thinking.

They explore why getting ideas out of your head and into visible, movable objects—whether blocks, drawings, sticky notes, whiteboards, or even visual objects in your mind—can dramatically improve thinking, communication, and understanding. By making mental models visible, OOTing helps people stop conflating parts with wholes, see relationships more clearly, and build shared meaning with others.

The conversation also breaks down why ordinary meetings often fail: people share information, but not the structure of their thinking. OOTing changes that by helping teams build a shared mental model in real time, reducing confusion and improving execution.

If you want to think more clearly, communicate better, and get people truly on the same page, this episode gives you a practical systems thinking tool for making invisible ideas visible.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code ISISNOT20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University break down one of the simplest and most powerful systems thinking tools: the Is/Is Not List.

They explain why this move is not just about making a list, but about building a strong distinction—one that clarifies what something fundamentally is, what it is not, and where the boundary really belongs. From leadership and management to safety, AI, systems thinking, and even the classic “is a hot dog a sandwich?” debate, they show how unclear distinctions create confusion, misalignment, and downstream problems.

The conversation also explores the difference between an Is/Is Not List and a Zoom In, how to test a distinction using the “always/never” rule, and why shared definitions are essential for teams, organizations, and everyday life.

If you want to think more clearly, communicate more precisely, and prevent costly misunderstandings before they happen, this episode gives you a practical tool for doing exactly that.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code LIST20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore one of the simplest but most powerful thinking tools we use every day: lists.

They break down why lists are more than just a way to remember tasks—they are a systems thinking tool that helps us distinguish what matters, break overwhelming wholes into manageable parts, and create perspective on what actually needs to get done. From moving, parenting, schoolwork, and sleepless nights to shared family lists and the dopamine hit of checking things off, they show how lists help turn mental chaos into structure.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to keep everything in your head, this episode explains why getting it out of your mind and into a list can reduce stress, create clarity, and help you take action.

Get 20% off any STSI course with code FEEDBACK20 — become a systems thinker today!

In this episode, Drs. Derek and Laura Cabrera of Cornell University explore what happens when someone gives you difficult feedback—and why your first reaction may not be the most useful one.

Starting with a question about being perceived as “argumentative,” they unpack the difference between reacting and understanding, how our internal voice can interfere with genuine listening, and why self-awareness is one of the most powerful skills we can develop. The conversation dives into metacognition, emotional reactions, feedback, defensive thinking, and the importance of separating reality from the stories we tell ourselves about it.

They also explore how many of our thoughts, judgments, and habits originate from voices we've adopted over time, and why curiosity—not self-criticism—is the key to understanding ourselves more clearly.

If you want to communicate better, receive feedback more effectively, and develop greater agency over your thoughts, feelings, and actions, this episode offers a powerful systems thinking framework for doing exactly that.