Useful Thinking | Mindset, Identity & Brain Training

Think.Laura

Useful Thinking is a weekly practice for your mind, hosted by clinical professor and mind coach Laura. Each episode works the fundamentals of how your brain actually operates: your mental patterns, your identity, your limiting beliefs, your subconscious wiring. You'll learn practical tools to direct your attention, filter out the noise, and think with more clarity and power. This is mindset work for people who want strategies grounded in how your brain and energy actually work. Think of it as a gym for your mind. Show up weekly and master the one skill that will impact every other area of your life.

  1. 14h ago

    Ep 32: What You Expect Shapes What You Get

    What you expect to happen has a real, direct impact on what actually happens. It changes what you notice. It changes how you treat the people around you. And it even changes how your body responds. This week Laura walks through some of the most fascinating research on expectation, from classrooms to clinical trials to a very convincing milkshake. Then she shares the shift that finally changed what she believed was possible for herself. This episode covers: Why your brain works like a search filter you didn't know you setHow expectation impacts the way we treat other peopleWhy first impressions carry so much weightWhat Laura teaches her grad students to expect, and why it helps them keep goingThe difference between expecting something to be hard and expecting it not to work for youWhat happened when people took pills they knew were fakeHow a label changed what people's bodies didWhat Laura did to finally believe her own transformation was possibleA simple sentence you can use to reset your expectations this weekMentioned in this episode: Episodes 4 and 5 of Useful Thinking, on your brain's reality filterEpisode 29 of Useful Thinking, on how Laura fuels her nervous systemLaura's weekly articles on SubstackConnect with Laura:Instagram: @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

  2. Oct 28

    Ep 31: ENCORE Stop Fighting Your Own Thoughts

    This week is an encore, the first one in the life of the show. In the intro Laura explains why, and the reason turns out to be the episode itself. This episode lays out the difference between your brain and your mind, why most of us treat them as the same thing, and what opens up once you can tell which one a thought came from. If you’ve spent years trying to overpower the thoughts you never chose, this episode gives you a way out that doesn’t require a fight. This episode covers: The working distinction between your brain and your mindWhich thoughts arrive fully built, and why you need most of themThe specific kind of thought worth paying attention to, and how to spot itFour questions to ask yourself the moment you catch oneWhy trying to replace a thought usually creates resistance instead of changeThe one question that moves you into your mind in real timeHow a thought you build on purpose becomes automatic over timeYour practice for the weekComing next week: the episode on expectation Laura has been building for the last two weeks. Connect with Laura:Instagram: @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

  3. Oct 21

    Ep 30: A 15-Minute Spa Day for Your Mind | Guided Lab

    This week is something different. After two episodes on how Laura supports her nervous system, she's taking you into what she calls a guided lab. It's a short visualization where you take your brain into the lab, make a few adjustments to how you're thinking, and come out the other side feeling calmer and more grounded. Think of it as a soothing blanket for your nervous system. Find a spot where you can be still, and let yourself slow down for fifteen minutes. This episode covers: Why your brain and your mind so often pull you in different directionsHow a calm nervous system gives you more energy to work withOne simple image that makes it easier to come back to right nowWhere your energy goes when your mind drifts to the past or the futureHow to call that energy backWhat becomes possible when you feel safe enough to ask for moreA note before you listen: This is a guided visualization. Please don't listen while driving or doing anything that needs your full attention. Missed the last two episodes? Episode 28 covers the practices and gadgets Laura uses to regulate her nervous system, and Episode 29 covers how she fuels it. Laura would love to hear from you: If this lab gave you a moment of peace, find her on Instagram @think.laura and tell her. MEMO: MEMO is Laura's private audio library, with over 180 mini coaching sessions to shift limiting beliefs and mental patterns at the root, and new ones added weekly. Podcast listeners get an exclusive discount with code USEFUL. [Get MEMO here] Connect with Laura:Instagram: @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

  4. Oct 14

    Ep 29: The Tools I Use to Fuel My Nervous System (Part 2)

    Last week Laura shared how she regulates her nervous system. This week is the other half: how she fuels it. Your body is constantly sending reports up to your brain, and what you eat and drink changes those reports. Laura walks through how she eats, what she's learned from testing things on her own body, and the simple daily routines she's built around food and water. Some of it is backed by solid research. Some of it is Laura experimenting on herself and reporting back. This episode covers: The kind of energy most of us are running low on, and the everyday task that tells Laura hers is lowWhy loving what you eat matters more than most people thinkWhat she learned about her own body that went against everything she'd readWhy how fast your blood sugar comes back down may matter more than how high it goesThe surprising connection between building muscle and still enjoying your weekend treatsWhat your Human Design chart says about how you like to eatWhat her sleep data showed her about alcoholHer morning routine, from the first sip to her pre-workout latteWhat the gut and the brain are actually saying to each otherWhy water and minerals matter so much for your brainThe habit that replaced her sodaWhy none of this is meant to add stress to your lifeMentioned in this episode: Viome gut testingDexcom continuous glucose monitorFreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitorLumen metabolism trackerOura RingCymbiotika Molecular Hydrogen tabletsBob's Red Mill Potato StarchDanger CoffeeOrganic Valley Protein Plus Ultra-Filtered Fat Free MilkmBreakfast by Crucial FourBe Well by Kelly beef protein powderZen Basil seedsZeroLyte electrolytes by Trace MineralsGerolsteiner mineral waterJing Soda dropsEpisode 18 of Useful Thinking, on Human Design digestionEpisode 28 of Useful Thinking, Part 1 of this seriesPlease note: Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Talk to your doctor before trying anything new, especially if you have a health condition or take medication. Laura has no affiliation with any of these companies, and none of these are affiliate links. Look up your own chart: Curious which way your top left arrow faces? Find your free chart at Human Design Blueprint. You'll need your birth date, birth time, and birth location. If you're not sure of your birth time, try a few different times and see if the arrow changes. Connect with Laura: Laura would love to hear from you: If you try any of this, find her on Instagram @think.laura and tell her how it goes. Join Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

  5. Oct 7

    Ep 28: The Tools I Use to Train My Nervous System (Part 1)

    Laura has never shared her personal routines before, on the podcast or anywhere else. This week she walks through the practices and gadgets she uses in her own life to help her body feel safe, and explains why that matters so much for the mind work this show is about. Some of it is backed by solid research. Some of it is Laura experimenting on herself and reporting back. This is part one of two. Next week covers everything on the food and fuel side. This episode covers: Why Laura has held back from sharing her routines until nowHow your brain and your body talk to each otherWhy avoiding stress isn't the goalHow she uses a wearable without letting it run her dayFour ways to breathe, and what each one is forThe kind of meditation she practices, and why it fits the work of this showWhy feeling safe is only the starting pointTwo thinking practices that take almost no timeHow she turns a daily walk into trainingWhat she learned about fear from working with a dream interpreterThe gadgets, including the most "out there" thing she usesThe one principle that keeps all of it from turning into a choreMentioned in this episode: Oura RingWim Hof Method breathingWaking Up meditation appJ.M. DeBord, dream interpretationLaura's drumming walk playlist on SpotifyBON CHARGE Infrared PEMF MatQuantum UpgradeLaura's weekly articles on SubstackPlease note: Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Talk to your doctor before trying anything new, especially if you have a health condition or take medication. Laura has no affiliation with any of these companies, and none of these are affiliate links. Curious about your own Human Design profile? Find it at Human Design Blueprint. You'll need your birth date, birth time, and birth location. Laura would love to hear from you: If you have a practice you love, find her on Instagram @think.laura and tell her what it is. MEMO: MEMO is Laura's private audio library, with over 180 mini coaching sessions to shift limiting beliefs and mental patterns at the root, and new ones added weekly. Podcast listeners get an exclusive discount with code USEFUL. [Get MEMO here] Connect with Laura:Instagram: @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

  6. Sep 30

    Ep 27: How to Keep Going When Your Motivation Runs Out

    You've heard "know your why" more times than you can count. The reason you pick for a goal decides whether you're still going six months from now. This week Laura looks at what your why is actually doing in your brain, why so many of them stop working, and what she learned the hard way while chasing a goal of her own. This episode covers: The moment your why has to do the heavy liftingThe two directions your brain can drive you in, and which one lastsWhy some of the most popular motivation advice has an expiration dateWhat happens to your drive once you get what you were afterWhat to tie your why to if you want it to lastWhy the way you go after a goal matters as much as the reasonWhy sticking with long-term goals is harder now than it used to beThe question to ask about anything you're working towardLaura would love to hear from you: If this one landed, find her on Instagram @think.laura and tell her what your why is. MEMO: MEMO is Laura's private audio library, with over 180 mini coaching sessions to shift limiting beliefs and mental patterns at the root. Want to find your real core values? Start with MEMO episodes 67 and 68, How to Choose Your Values, parts one and two. Podcast listeners get an exclusive discount with code USEFUL. [Get MEMO here] Connect with Laura:Instagram: @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

  7. Sep 23

    Ep 26: The Quickest Path to an Abundance Mindset

    Abundance mindset, lack mindset, scarcity thinking. We hear about it constantly, and most of us have a feel for what it means. But if you try to actually work on it, it gets slippery. How do you practice believing there's enough? Where do you even start? This week Laura makes the case for why this matters far more than just feeling better, and then narrows it all the way down to one thing. If you want an abundance mindset that holds up when things get tight, there's one place to put your attention. This episode covers: Why lack can look like being sensible, not like fearThe four reasons a scarcity mindset costs you more than you thinkWhy the fastest way out of lack is the thing lack makes feel dangerousWhat the word generous actually means, and the surprising word it shares a root withThe moment right before you give, and what it tells you about what you really believeMoney, time, and kindness, and how to find your generosity in each oneWhy you shouldn't judge yourself when you notice the hurdle, and what to feel insteadWhy being generous with people who've earned it doesn't expand you, and where the real growth isConnect with Laura:Laura would love to hear from you! If this one landed, find her on Instagram @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura Looking for 1:1 Coaching? Get more information + application here

  8. Sep 16

    Ep 25: How to Change Your Brain's Automatic Filter: Anchor Statements

    This is one of the foundational ones. The kind of episode you might come back to ten times in a year. At any given moment your brain is pulling from an enormous amount of data to construct your reality, and it does that automatically, for speed, without checking with you. This week Laura teaches the tool she uses to change that filter on purpose. It's something you build ahead of time, when you're calm, so it's already in place the moment your emotions hit and your interpretation starts to distort. Because you don't drop anchor in the middle of a storm. This episode covers: Why a shift in your life is really a shift in your perceptionThe tool Laura uses with clients and grad students to build a new automatic lensWhy the bigger the emotion, the bigger the distortionA story from Laura's own marriage that shows how a true thought and a false interpretation arrive fused togetherWhy useful and true were never the same thing, and what useful actually has to be measured againstThe four hallmarks of an anchor statement that works, and the one that rules out most of the bad onesThree wording rules, including why your brain can't process a negativeLaura's own statements across four different areas of her lifeThe thirty second process for running a thought through your anchorWhat Laura and Mike each wrote about the other, years ago, and what they do with the evidence that contradicts itWhy this is deliberate brainwashing, and why you should make sure you want what you're buildingGet MEMO: MEMO is Laura's private audio library with over 180 mini coaching sessions to shift limiting beliefs and mental patterns at the root. Podcast listeners get an exclusive discount.[Get MEMO]Use code USEFUL to save 30% off lifetime access. Connect with Laura:Instagram: @think.lauraJoin Laura's Free Thinking Practice on Substack: ThinkLaura

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Useful Thinking is a weekly practice for your mind, hosted by clinical professor and mind coach Laura. Each episode works the fundamentals of how your brain actually operates: your mental patterns, your identity, your limiting beliefs, your subconscious wiring. You'll learn practical tools to direct your attention, filter out the noise, and think with more clarity and power. This is mindset work for people who want strategies grounded in how your brain and energy actually work. Think of it as a gym for your mind. Show up weekly and master the one skill that will impact every other area of your life.

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