Wired to Work | Neuroscience, Psychology & Leadership

Jessica Chapman | Neuroplastician & Workplace Strategist
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Wired to Work explores the science behind how we think, lead and perform. Hosted by workplace strategist Jess Chapman, the podcast explores the neuroscience, psychology and human behaviour behind leadership and workplace performance, and what science can teach us about working better. From burnout, decision-making and workplace culture to neurodiversity, leadership, behaviour change and performance, Jess talks with researchers, experts and leaders about what’s really happening in our brains, bodies and workplaces. For leaders, managers and anyone curious about why we behave the way we do at work, Wired to Work turns the science of human behaviour into practical insights for working, leading and performing better. Practical insights. Better conversations. A smarter way to work.

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    How to Rewire Your Brain and Break Bad Habits | Aparna Dubey

    Why do we keep falling back into habits we know aren’t working for us? In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman talks with engineer, entrepreneur and manifestation coach Aparna Dubey about the patterns that keep us stuck, from overworking and constant busyness to distraction, multitasking and the belief that productivity equals worth. Aparna explains her approach to manifestation as more than simply wishing for an outcome. She discusses attention, repeated thoughts and behaviours, nervous-system familiarity and the role she believes they play in determining what we notice and how we act. She also shares practical techniques she uses with clients, including activity and energy audits, visualization, journaling, somatic work and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping. In this episode: Why familiar patterns can be so difficult to changeHow busyness and overwork can become part of our identityWhy focus can feel uncomfortable when we’re accustomed to constant stimulationAparna’s four-part activity and energy audit for examining where your time actually goesPractical foundations for focus, including sleep, movement, nutrition and hydrationVisualization, mindset and behaviour changeWhat somatic practices and EFT tapping are and how Aparna uses themThe difference between changing your own patterns and recognizing when the environment itself needs to changeWhy awareness creates an opportunity to make a different choiceAbout Aparna Dubey Aparna is an engineer, serial entrepreneur and manifestation coach and the founder of The Logical Manifestor. Her work combines mindset, habit and somatic practices with her interpretation of neuroscience to help entrepreneurs work toward personal and business goals. Find her website at: https://thelogicalmanifestor.com/ Wired to Work explores the science behind how we think, lead and perform. 🎧 Listen to Wired to Work: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com/ 📬 Join us on Substack: https://wiredtowork.substack.com/ Chapters: 00:00 — Why Your Nervous System Keeps You Stuck 00:37 — Meet Aparna Dubey: The Logical Manifestor 01:56 — Is Manifestation Really “Woo-Woo”? 03:04 — What Manifestation Actually Means to Aparna 05:09 — Why We Repeat Familiar Patterns 09:17 — When Being Busy Becomes Part of Your Identity 10:18 — Changing Habits Through Somatic Work & EFT 12:41 — Is It You—or Does Your Environment Need to Change? 13:14 — The Activity & Energy Audit 15:56 — How to Improve Focus at Work 16:29 — How Hydration Affects Focus & Decision-Making 17:50 — Sleep, Movement & Better Brain Performance 18:20 — Why Your Physical Environment Matters 19:11 — Stop Trying to Focus on Everything 19:59 — Journaling & Meditation for Mental Clarity 22:07 — What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed at Work 24:02 — What Is Somatic Work? 27:08 — What Is EFT Tapping and How Does It Work? 30:00 — Breaking the Link Between Busyness and Self-Worth 31:54 — Rewiring Old Patterns Through Repetition 32:18 — Aparna’s Advice for Creating Change 33:31 — Where to Find Aparna #neuroscience #leadership #performance

    How to Rewire Your Brain and Break Bad Habits | Aparna Dubey

  2. Sep 23 ·  Video

    Don't Manage Change, Build For It | Erin Stadler

    In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with organizational design and culture change expert Erin Stadler to challenge some of the assumptions we’ve built around workplace culture, growth and change. Because organizations are always changing. People join. People leave. Teams grow. Products evolve. Markets shift. And every one of those changes affects how an organization actually works. So instead of asking how we can better manage change, Erin asks a different question: how do we build organizations that are designed for it? Jess and Erin get into why company culture is about much more than a set of values, what happens to culture as organizations scale, why onboarding should be treated as a year-long experience, and how founders can unintentionally lose the very ways of working that made their company successful in the first place. They also explore change fatigue, the pressure to protect what’s already working, and why the ability to continually adapt may be one of the most important things a leader can build. As Erin puts it, business strategy tends to focus on markets, customers and financials. But there’s another strategic question we often leave out: How do we work? Because the thing you’re building isn’t just the product. It’s the organization capable of building what comes next. keywords culture change, organizational design, systems thinking, change management, leadership, onboarding, organizational behavior, culture shift, founder insights, adaptive organizations key  topics The distinction between values, behaviors, and principles in culture How to start building culture at the founder level The importance of behaviors and principles in organizational change Redesigning onboarding as a year-long experience Managing expectations and energy during change The role of systems thinking in organizational adaptability  sound bites "Workplaces that meet my preferences aren't always safe" "Behavior is the principle we make decisions on" "Managing change is like managing risk, not opportunity" Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Erin Stadler and the episode's focus 02:14 The importance of starting culture from scratch at the founder level 05:53 Key advice for founders on establishing culture early 07:19 The distinction between values and behaviors in culture design 11:30 The role of mindset and principles in organizational behaviors 16:46 Using psychoanalysis as a tool to understand organizational entity 20:20 The risk of scaling culture without clear principles 23:17 Redesigning onboarding as a year-long, co-created experience 30:32 The difference between managing change and creating opportunities 35:49 Shifting from change management to embracing uncertainty 41:32 The importance of framing and collective responsibility in change 47:27 Building a culture resilient to pivots and pivots as opportunities 52:09 Erin’s upcoming book on creating conditions for change

    Don't Manage Change, Build For It | Erin Stadler

  3. Sep 16 ·  Video

    A Leader's Guide to Neurodiversity at Work | Remy Meraz

    What happens when a brilliant employee is working in a system that fights the way their brain works? In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with entrepreneur and C-suite leader Remy Meraz for a candid conversation about neurodivergence, ADHD, dyslexia, masking, accountability, and what workplaces can do differently. Remy was diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s and later discovered she was dyslexic; experiences that helped make sense of years of frustration, exhaustion, and feeling like certain things that seemed easy for everyone else took far more effort for her. Together, Jess and Remy explore: What neurodivergence actually feels like at workWhy masking can be exhaustingHow ADHD can show up as both strength and frictionWhy accommodations don’t have to mean designing a different workplace for every personThey also tackle a question that often gets avoided: Where does workplace support end and personal accountability begin? Because neurodivergence isn’t an excuse to opt out of expectations. But expecting every person to think, communicate and perform in exactly the same way isn’t good leadership either. If you want to create workplaces with enough flexibility, clarity and humanity for different kinds of brains to succeed - this one's for you!  🎧 Listen to Wired to Work: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com/ 📩 Join the Wired to Work Substack: https://wiredtowork.substack.com/ #WiredToWork #Neurodiversity #ADHD #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #FutureOfWork #Neurodivergent #InclusiveLeadership

  4. Sep 11 ·  Video

    The Workplace Conversations You Can't Afford to Ignore

    Burnout. Thriving. Boundaries. Grief. Menopause. These aren’t side conversations anymore. They’re shaping how people experience work — and what leaders need to understand about the humans inside their organizations. In this special season finale of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman revisits five conversations that challenged assumptions, introduced new ideas, and raised questions that stuck with her long after the recording ended. Featuring: • Dr. Jo Burrell on the alarming burnout crisis among HR professionals — and why resilience can’t compensate for an unhealthy workplace • Dr. Paul Zak on the neuroscience of thriving and what happens when we stop measuring how people say they feel and start looking at how they actually respond • Ange Crockwell on boundaries, trauma-informed workplaces, and why protecting your own capacity isn’t selfish • Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo on climate grief and the emotional impact of a changing world that people inevitably bring to work with them • Tina Pomroy on menopause, the brain, and why this stage of life needs a very different narrative If you’re thinking about leadership, workplace culture or simply what it means to be a human at work right now, these are the workplace conversations you can’t afford to ignore. 🎧 Explore Wired to Work: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com/ 📩 Join the Wired to Work Substack: https://wiredtowork.substack.com/ #WiredToWork #FutureOfWork #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #Burnout #Menopause #WorkplaceWellbeing

    The Workplace Conversations You Can't Afford to Ignore

  5. Aug 27 ·  Video

    Your HR Team Is Not Okay | Dr. Jo Burrell

    HR is supposed to support everyone else. But who is supporting HR? In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with clinical psychologist and Ultimate Resilience co-founder Dr. Jo Burrell to unpack some deeply concerning data about the mental health of HR professionals — and the workplace systems helping drive it. Dr. Burrell’s research found extraordinarily high levels of burnout, anxiety and depression among HR professionals, with many reporting that they feel poorly supported despite being the very people organizations turn to when everyone else is struggling. And that raises a bigger question: Have we mistaken asking people to cope with broken systems for resilience? Jess and Jo explore: Why HR has become the emotional shock absorber of modern workplacesWhat happens when leaders outsource every difficult people problem to HRWhy HR professionals are being asked to handle grief, trauma and mental health issues they were never trained to manageHow the “helper” identity can make it difficult for HR people to say noWhy resilience cannot compensate for an unhealthy workplaceThe problem with one-off wellness initiatives and “lunch and learn” solutionsWhy organizations need to address the source of stress — not just teach employees to tolerate more of itWhat HR professionals can do to protect their own wellbeing without emotionally shutting downBecause you can be the healthiest, most resilient person in the world — but if your workload is impossible and your workplace is toxic, eventually the environment wins. And if the people responsible for everyone else’s wellbeing are burning out themselves, that should concern every leader. 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Wired to Work: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com 📩 Join the Wired to Work Substack for practical insights, tools and conversations about making work work better: https://wiredtowork.substack.com #WiredToWork #HR #Burnout #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #MentalHealthAtWork #Resilience #FutureOfWork

    Your HR Team Is Not Okay | Dr. Jo Burrell

  6. Aug 14 ·  Video

    Trauma-Informed Doesn’t Mean Lowering Standards

    What if creating a trauma-informed workplace actually led to higher performance—not lower expectations? Many leaders worry that supporting employees through difficult circumstances means compromising accountability. Angela Crockwell, Executive Director of Thrive, argues the opposite. In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with Angela to unpack what trauma-informed leadership really means, why every workplace—not just healthcare or social services—should be thinking about it, and how leaders can create psychologically safe environments while still expecting excellence. They explore: Why trauma is more common than most leaders realizeThe difference between being trauma-aware and trauma-informedHow to create psychological safety without becoming a therapistWhy strong boundaries are essential—not optionalHow curiosity can replace judgment in difficult conversationsWhy accountability and compassion can (and should) coexistPractical ways leaders can support people without lowering standardsWhether you lead a team of two or two thousand, this conversation will change the way you think about people, performance, and what it really means to create a healthy workplace. 🎧 Listen & Subscribe 🎙️ Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or on Buzzsprout: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com 📬 Join the Wired to Work Substack community for exclusive leadership insights, behind-the-scenes content, and episode takeaways: https://substack.com/@wiredtowork

    Trauma-Informed Doesn’t Mean Lowering Standards

  7. Aug 6 ·  Video

    Is It Stress or Is It Burnout? | Cherri Forsyth

    A stressful week is not the same as burnout. Stress usually has an end point. Burnout develops when overwhelm becomes chronic, recovery disappears, and your brain and body no longer have the capacity to keep up with what is being asked of them. In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with burnout and resilience coach Cherri Forsyth to explore how burnout develops, what it looks like before someone reaches a breaking point, and why pushing through is not the same as being resilient. They discuss: • The difference between temporary stress and chronic burnout • Why burnout can be difficult to recognize from the outside • The early signs leaders and colleagues should notice • How brain fog, exhaustion and detachment show up at work • Why rest and recovery are essential to performance • How workplace systems can contribute to burnout • Why self-care has to mean more than an occasional bubble bath • How leaders can support someone without trying to diagnose or fix them Burnout is not a personal failure. And it is not simply a matter of learning to cope better. Sometimes the person needs support. Sometimes the workload needs to change. Often, the system needs to be examined too. 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Wired to Work: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com 📩 Join the Wired to Work Substack for practical insights, tools and conversations about making work work better: https://substack.com/@wiredtowork #Burnout #Stress #Leadership #WorkplaceWellbeing #MentalHealthAtWork #Resilience #WorkplaceCulture #WiredToWork

    Is It Stress or Is It Burnout? | Cherri Forsyth

  8. Jul 29 ·  Video

    Why Workplace Wellness Isn't Working | Dr. Paul Zak

    Most organizations invest heavily in workplace wellness and still end up with teams that feel flat, disengaged, and exhausted. The problem may not be the programme. It may be what we're aiming for. In this episode of Wired to Work, Jess Chapman sits down with behavioural neuroscientist Dr. Paul Zak to explore what actually helps people and teams thrive—and how leaders can measure it in real time. They discuss: • Why wellness may be too low a bar • What a thriving brain actually looks like • How psychological safety can be measured rather than surveyed • What neuroscience reveals about remote and in-person work • Why autonomy and a clear sense of purpose matter so much • How “train extensively, delegate generously” changes performance • Why traditional engagement surveys only tell part of the story After 30 years studying the neuroscience of human connection, trust, and performance, Dr. Zak offers a very different way to think about workplace wellbeing. Because the goal shouldn't be helping people just get through the week. It should be creating the conditions where they can actually thrive. 🎧 Watch or listen to Wired to Work with Jess Chapman wherever you get your podcasts: https://wiredtowork.buzzsprout.com 📩 Get practical insights on leadership, neuroscience, and making work better: https://wiredtowork.substack.com #WiredToWork #WorkplaceWellbeing #Leadership #Neuroscience #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #FutureOfWork

    Why Workplace Wellness Isn't Working | Dr. Paul Zak
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Wired to Work explores the science behind how we think, lead and perform. Hosted by workplace strategist Jess Chapman, the podcast explores the neuroscience, psychology and human behaviour behind leadership and workplace performance, and what science can teach us about working better. From burnout, decision-making and workplace culture to neurodiversity, leadership, behaviour change and performance, Jess talks with researchers, experts and leaders about what’s really happening in our brains, bodies and workplaces. For leaders, managers and anyone curious about why we behave the way we do at work, Wired to Work turns the science of human behaviour into practical insights for working, leading and performing better. Practical insights. Better conversations. A smarter way to work.

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