182 {Allan Parker} From being unable to read to micro behavioural scientist

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I’m so excited to be welcoming back Allan Parker to share his personal story of overcoming an extraordinary challenge to being able to learn, and to also share some amazing pearls of wisdom on neuro plasticity and learning.

Alan Parker OAM is a distinguished micro‑behavioural scientist, negotiator and educator whose major achievements include developing Australia’s first tertiary degree in negotiation, serving as an adjunct professor on the University of Western Sydney’s Master’s program in Dispute Resolution, and being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2020 for his contribution to business and dispute resolution. He is a bestselling author (Switch On Your Brain), author of The Negotiator’s Toolkit and Would Could Might (2024). On top of this he has presented and facilitated in 60+ countries, and has led influential, large‑scale negotiations and sector reforms while also building a long‑standing practice delivering practical brain‑health and negotiation training across corporate, regional and rural communities.

In this episode he shares:

• His eye impairment that made learning difficult as a child
• How his parents alcoholism affected him growing up
• How he learned to listen and compensate for his inability to read
• How vision work and training unlocked his reading and learning.
• The neuroscience of breathing, oxygen, hydration and their effect on attention, emotion and memory.
• Peripheral vision as a tool to reduce internal narrative/default-mode thinking and improve presence.
• Stress as a social risk and why he thinks we are addicted to adrenaline/dopamine/drama.
• His practical behaviour tips to improve brain health
• The importance of communication and leadership

Key Quotes

"I was born with an eye condition that meant I didn't read until I was 30, and yet I'm a terminal enthusiastic learner."

"I remember the very moment, Ali, that I watched my father beating my mother. And I made a conscious decision in that second that I would never violate, hit another human being. Ever."

"I had to sit down and explain him that I couldn't read."

More about Allan

You can find out more about Allan here.

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If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

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