Neuroscience of Coaching Mirasee FM

Kay Adams and Deborah Ross reveal the magic of journaling, merging neuroscience and therapeutic writing. Through their profound insights, discover how reflective practices can foster self-awareness, harness neuroplasticity, and become powerful tools for manifesting a desired life.
In each episode of Neuroscience of Coaching, host Dr. Irena O’Brien explains the science-based insights behind a particular concept and interviews a coach to discuss how these apply in the real world. Just as she does in her professional programs, Irena “un-complicates” neuroscience and teaches practical, evidence-based tools and strategies that listeners can use in their coaching practices.
“Another thing coaches may very well want to know about is that writing the journal can be an absolutely wonderful place for self-supervision.”— Kay Adams
“[Journaling] is an owner’s manual. We don’t get that when we come into this world.”— Deborah Ross
Guest Bio:
Kay Adams, LPC, is a best-selling author, speaker, psychotherapist, visionary and founder of the Center for Journal Therapy. Her first book, Journal to the Self (1990), is a classic best-seller that helped define the field of personal writing as a tool for healing, growth, and change. She has written 13 more books (and one card deck), and her innovative work has led to a movement in writing and healing.
In 2008 Kay founded the Therapeutic Writing Institute, a fully online professional development school to prepare and certify journal therapists and facilitators. Ten years later, she founded a second online school, Journalversity, offering evergreen and facilitated courses from leading experts in the expressive writing field.
Deborah Ross is a Certified Journal Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor in the Washington DC area. She retired from private-practice psychotherapy to focus on teaching journaling in meditation programs and health care settings including those that serve cancer patients and brain injury patients. She is a core faculty member at the Therapeutic Writing Institute, supervises trainees, and offers private instruction and custom writing workshops. Co-author with Kathleen Adams of Your Brain on Ink, Deborah is fascinated by the intersection of the modern findings in neuroscience and the ancient arts of contemplative practice and writing.
Host Bio:
Dr. Irena O'Brien teaches coaches and care professionals how to achieve better results for their clients through neuroscience.
She is the founder of Neuroscience School, which helps practitioners understand and apply insights from cutting-edge neuroscience research. She loves seeing her students gain confidence in their ability to evaluate neuroscience findings and use them successfully in their own practices. Her Certificate Program in Neuroscience is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Continuing Coaching Education credit.
Dr. O'Brien has studied neuroscience for 25 years and holds a Ph.D. in the field from the Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), where she did brain-imaging studies. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Language, Mind, and Brain at McGill University.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
MiraseeDr. Irena O'Brien’s website: The Neuroscience SchoolTherapeutic Writing Institute: JournalTherapy.comDeborah Ross's website: DeborahRossLPC.comKay and Deborah’s book: Your Brain on InkReference: Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything by James R. Doty, MDKate Thompson on self-supervision in the journalPaper on The Journal Ladder
Credits:
Host: Dr. Irena O’BrienProducer: Cynthia LambAudio Editor: Marvin del RosarioExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio
Music credits:
Track Title: Sneaker SmeakerArtist: Avocado JunkieWriter: Sander KalmeijerPublisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION
Track Title: Coo CoosArtist: Dresden, The FlamingoWriter: Matthe

Executive coach Sharon Richmond joins Dr. Irena O’Brien to explore the fascinating concept of team flow—a state of peak performance from all members of a team, characterized by effortless work and the activation of alpha waves in the brain. Discover how micromanaging can obstruct team flow and damage workplace dynamics, while fostering a shared goal can create a thriving environment. In each episode of Neuroscience of Coaching, host Dr. Irena O’Brien explains the science-based insights behind a particular concept and interviews a coach to discuss how these apply in the real world. Just as she does in her professional programs, Irena “un-complicates” neuroscience and teaches practical, evidence-based tools and strategies that listeners can use in their coaching practices. 
“[Executives are often] challenged by that fine line between coaching someone for development on a skill and micromanaging them, getting a little too far into telling them what to do as opposed to helping them think through what to do.”  — Sharon Richmond 
Guest Bio:
For more than 30 years, Sharon Richmond has partnered with C-level executives from mid-size and small, fast-growing companies who want to up-level their leadership and build companies they are proud of. Clients accelerate their leadership by embracing mindset and behavior changes, building self-awareness and self-management skills, and focusing on the three things all leaders must ensure: focus, energy and delivery.
Sharon’s purpose as an executive coach is to help leaders 10X their impact by leveraging the power afforded by their roles to build organizations that are forces for good, both economically and socially. She also advises CEOs on shaping organization culture and leading change.
Sharon has taught leadership at Stanford GSB, where she now helps leaders increase influence, manage conflict, and prepare to build high performing teams.
She’s also the host of the show To Lead Is Human, alongside Neuroscience of Coaching on the Mirasee FM podcast network.
To see a list of Sharon’s clients, please visit LeadingLarge.com.
Host Bio:
Dr. Irena O’Brien teaches coaches and care professionals how to achieve better results for their clients through neuroscience.
She is the founder of Neuroscience School, which helps practitioners understand and apply insights from cutting-edge neuroscience research. She loves seeing her students gain confidence in their ability to evaluate neuroscience findings and use them successfully in their own practices. Her Certificate Program in Neuroscience is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Continuing Coaching Education credit.
Dr. O’Brien has studied neuroscience for 25 years and holds a Ph.D. in the field from the Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), where she did brain-imaging studies. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Language, Mind, and Brain at McGill University.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Mirasee Dr. Irena O'Brien’s website: The Neuroscience School Sharon’s website: LeadingLarge.com Sharon’s LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn.com/in/sharon-richmond
Team flow is good for employee and customer retention:
Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., Asplund, J. W., Killham, E. A., & Agrawal, S. (2010). Causal Impact of Employee Work Perceptions on the Bottom Line of Organizations. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 378-389. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610374589
Credits:
Host: Dr. Irena O’Brien Producer: Cynthia Lamb Audio Editor: Marvin del Rosario Executive Producer: Danny Iny Music Soundscape: Chad Michael Snavely Making our hosts sound great: Home Brew Audio
Music credits:
Track Title: Sneaker Smeaker Artist: Avocado Junkie Writer: Sander Kalmeijer Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION
Track Title: Coo Coos Artist: Dresden, The Flamingo Writer: Matthew Wigton Publisher: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION
Track Title: In This Light Artist: Sounds Like Sander Wr

Today, we explore the fascinating world of neuroplasticity with guest Marisa Murray, a leadership development expert. We’ll unpack the ways this phenomenon plays a crucial role in personal development, which will enrich your understanding of how neuroscience can revolutionize your coaching practice. 
You’ll learn about the brain’s ability to change and adapt through experience, practical ways to stimulate this ability, and proven methods to foster meaningful behavior and thought-pattern changes. Join us as Marisa shares her journey from engineering to executive coaching, revealing how her technical mindset deepened her appreciation for neuroscience’s role in effective leadership and personal growth. Her approach hinges on stimulating awareness, focus, and practice to foster new neural patterns, guiding clients towards their true potential. 
In each episode of Neuroscience of Coaching, host Dr. Irena O’Brien explains the science-based insights behind a particular concept and interviews a coach to discuss how these apply in the real world. Just as she does in her professional programs, Irena “un-complicates” neuroscience and teaches practical, evidence-based tools and strategies that listeners can use in their coaching practices. 
“Reflective inquiry is what coaching is all about. Just helping clients really see the patterns and really build that awareness.”  — Marisa Murray  
Guest Bio:
Marisa Murray P. Eng., MBA, PCC is a leadership development expert and the CEO of Leaderley International, an organization dedicated to helping executives become better leaders in today’s rapidly changing, highly complex world. Marisa leverages her two-plus decades of executive experience as a former Partner with Accenture and VP at Bell Canada in providing executive coaching, as well as leadership development services for organizations including Molson-Coors, Pratt & Whitney, and Queen’s University.
She is an author of three Amazon best-selling leadership development books: Work Smart: Your Formula for Unprecedented Professional Success, Iterate! How Turbulent Times Are Changing Leadership and How to Pivot, and Blind Spots: How Great Leaders Uncover Problems and Unlock Performance. She is also co-author of the USA Today bestseller The Younger Self Letters: How Successful Leaders & Entrepreneurs Turned Trials Into Triumph (And How to Use Them to Your Advantage).
Marisa is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF). Her certifications include: Erickson’s The Art and Science of Coaching, Marshall Goldsmith's Stakeholder Centered Coaching®, Judith Glaser's Conversational Intelligence®, MHS Emotional Intelligence EQi-2.0, Marisa Peer’s Rapid Transformational Therapy, The Neuroscience School for Coaches, WBECS Coach Masters Toolkit, and more. She is a professional engineer and alumnus from the University of Waterloo with an MBA from Queen’s University.
When not working, she can be found spending time with her husband and two sons. She loves traveling, skiing, and sharing her love of learning as she deepens her expertise as a certified yoga, meditation, and wellness practitioner.
Host Bio:
Dr. Irena O’Brien teaches coaches and care professionals how to achieve better results for their clients through neuroscience.
She is the founder of Neuroscience School, which helps practitioners understand and apply insights from cutting-edge neuroscience research. She loves seeing her students gain confidence in their ability to evaluate neuroscience findings and use them successfully in their own practices. Her Certificate Program in Neuroscience is certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for Continuing Coaching Education credit.
Dr. O’Brien has studied neuroscience for 25 years and holds a Ph.D. in the field from the Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), where she did brain-imaging studies. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Lan

Nina Cooke joins Dr. Irena to dig into the roots of procrastination, exploring how emotional baggage and limiting beliefs shape our professional lives. With practical strategies and insights, Nina empowers listeners to overcome fear and embrace growth.

Dr. Irena O’Brien introduces Teacher Tom’s Podcast, a new show on the Mirasee FM podcast network, hosted by “Teacher Tom” Hobson. In this bonus episode, Lenore Skenazy shares ways that parents may harm their children’s development and what to do instead.

What connections in our brains forge our self-perception and sense of self-worth? Dr. Irena and Matthew Kimberley explore this while sharing insights and experiences with self-esteem challenges, from both their own journeys and coaching clients.