Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning

Andrea Samadi
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We cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace). Our podcast provides tools, resources and ideas for parents, teachers and employees to improve well-being, achievement and productivity using simple neuroscience as it relates to our cognitive (the skills our brain uses to think, read, remember, pay attention), social and interpersonal relationships (with ourselves and others) and emotional learning (where we recognize and manage our emotions, demonstrate empathy and cope with frustration and stress). Season 1: Provides you with the tools, resources and ideas to implement proven strategies backed by the most current neuroscience research to help you to achieve the long-term gains of implementing a social and emotional learning program in your school, or emotional intelligence program in your workplace. Season 2: Features high level guests who tie in social, emotional and cognitive strategies for high performance in schools, sports and the workplace. Season 3: Ties in some of the top motivational business books and guest with the most current brain research to take your results and productivity to the next level. Season 4: Brings in positive mental health and wellness strategies to help cope with the stresses of life, improving cognition, productivity and results. Season 5: Continues with the theme of mental health and well-being with strategies for implementing practical neuroscience to improve results for schools, sports and the workplace. Season 6: The Future of Educational Neuroscience and its impact on our next generation. Diving deeper into the Science of Learning. Season 7: Brain Health and Well-Being (Focused on Physical and Mental Health). Season 8: Brain Health and Learning (Focused on How An Understanding of Our Brain Can Improve Learning in Ourselves (adults, teachers, workers) as well as future generations of learners. Season 9: Strengthening Our Foundations: Neuroscience 101: Going Back to the Basics PART 1 Season 10:Strengthening Our Foundations: Neuroscience 101: Going Back to the Basics PART 2 Season 11: The Neuroscience of Self-Leadership PART 1 Season 12:The Neuroscience of Self-Leadership PART 2 Season 13:The Neuroscience of Self-Leadership PART 3 Season 14: Reviewing Our Top Interviews PART 1

  1. SEP 28

    Fun, Fear & Focus: Neuroscience Hacks for Peak Performance with Friederike Fabritius

    Andrea Samadi revisits her 2019 conversation with neuroleadership pioneer Friederike Fabritius to explore practical neuroscience strategies for better productivity, well-being, and workplace happiness. On this episode, we’ll learn: ✔ Why only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs, and what we can do to change that. ✔ How to use neuroscience to reach peak performance or flow with your work. Neuroscientist and neuroleadership pioneer Friederike Fabritius shows us how three simple ingredients—FUN, FEAR, and FOCUS—can help us find flow and peak performance at work. We’ll also explore why men and women often respond differently to stress, how to identify your unique neurosignature, and practical ways to design a workplace (and a life) that helps your brain thrive ✔ Learn the three key ingredients for flow—fun, fear (challenge), and focus—how the stress–performance curve affects apathy and burnout. ✔ Why tailoring roles to individual neurosignatures (dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, estrogen) can unlock peak performance. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. For today’s Episode 373, we continue our journey into our mind with the next interview review. Just a reminder-this review series began back with Episode 366[i], where in Part 3 we discovered an important lesson: if we don’t like our results—or what we see on the outside—we need to shift our mindset and look within. True change always begins on the inside. We moved onto EP 369[ii] we learned how to Rewire our Brain with Dr. Dawson Church and his Bliss Brain Meditations, and then EP 370[iii] with John Medina’s Brain Rules, where we reviewed how important this understanding of neuroscience is, especially connected to education, teaching and learning. Next we went deeper into our mind and brain with EP 371 and 72 where we with clinical professor of psychiatry from UCLA’s School of Medicine, Dr. Daniel J Siegel and his Mindsight concept, which is the same idea as Theory of Mind, or seeing the mind in another. All of these episodes are helping us to further sharpen of minds and brains, and connect better with others,  for improved productivity and success in our work and personal lives. For today’s EP 373, we go back to EP 27[iv], recorded October 2019, with pioneer in neuroleadership, neuroscientist, Friederike Fabritius[v], from Germany. On this episode, we covered her book, The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better and Happier. Friederike returned again to the podcast, for EP 258[vi] recorded in November 2022 advancing our conversation with her next book, The Brain Friendly Workplace. Both of these interviews covered important tips that I think we should all take into consideration to be happier, and therefore, more productive at work. Going along with our theme-that if we don’t like what’s going on outside of ourselves, let’s dive deeper into understanding how our brain and minds work. Which brings us back to FRIEDERIKE FABRITIUS, MS, is a neuroscientist and pioneer in the field of neuroleadership. She trained at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and is an alumna of McKinsey & Company (helping organizations to create change).  Friederike delivers brain-based leadership programs to Fortune 500 executives and organizations around the globe to transform how they think, innovate, and navigate change. I’m always looking for productivity tips that we can all use, and it’s clear that stress in our workplaces is at an all-time high, globally. We know that “2/3 of people report being stressed at work, to the point they can’t sleep at night”[vii]  and in our first clip, Friederike reports that “only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs” and that “40% of people never experience FLOW in their jobs.” I think there has to be another way to find balance here. VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch Let’s listen to Friederike’s clip on: Why FUN, FEAR, and FOCUS Matter for Flow & Peak Performance  “Only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs. That’s insane. And 40% of people never experience FLOW in their jobs. And (she thinks)  it can be that simple. That everyone can be happy at their jobs. All you need are three simple things. (Friederike calls them ) FUN, FEAR, and FOCUS. And it has to do with a certain mix of neurochemicals in our brain. When we are having fun at work (not the after work party kind of fun) where you have fun after the work is done. I’m thinking of having fun related to the task at hand. And when we are having fun, our brains release a neurochemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a real brain booster. It makes you think faster. It helps you to do everything a bit speedier and better, and makes us more creative.” 💡 Key Points from Video Clip 1 Only 20% of people feel passionate about their jobs (she reported) and about 40% never experience flow—that state of deep concentration where time disappears and performance peaks. Friederike suggests that reaching flow at work requires three key ingredients: FUN → Dopamine from the brain released boosts creativity, speed, and sharper thinking. Not the after-work kind of fun, but enjoyment in the task itself. THINK: Do I enjoy my daily tasks at work? YES- keep going! NO- then you’ve got something to think about FEAR → A sense of challenge or pressure (like deadlines or high stakes) keeps you from slipping into apathy. You want to find the right balance for you, remembering that some people perform better with a sense of threat, while others, don’t do as well. THINK, What side of the chart do you perform best with? Do you prefer less stress, or more to keep you motivated? Be sure you have strategies to either stay motivated, or to mitigate your stress. FOCUS → Having time in your day for the concentration that directs your energy where it matters most, allowing you to reach peak performance in your day. THINK: How do you block off time in your day to accomplish the work that requires your most intense focus? The Stress vs. Performance Curve Another important concept that goes along with creating flow in our work lives, is understanding the stress vs performance curve. Think about a person with a low stress job (on the left-hand side of the graph). The job is easy for them, they have low stress, not much challenge in their day, and not very exciting, which can lead to apathy without this understanding of how to reach PEAK PERFORMANCE. If the job is too easy, without any threat/challenge/fear the person working in this job environment will be under challenged, and will join the 40% of the population who do not reach FLOW in their work day. Then look at the right side of the graph, where a person’s job is on the higher end of the stress scale. Think of someone’s whose work day is filled with putting out fires, minute after minute, until they reach the end of the day, and are exhausted. There is high stress here, and lots of pressure.  Think about extreme sports, investment bankers, or consultants, or those who are always running behind, without an end to their daily tasks. Instead of feeling apathy, like the person on the left side of the graph, this person feels anxiety that can lead to depression or burnout. We ALL need to find our optimal stress point, so that our work challenges us just the right amount, leading us to that place of optimal workplace happiness where we can be a part of the 40% of the population who experience that FLOW state, or PEAK PERFORMANCE. 🔑 Practical Tips for Why FUN, FEAR, and FOCUS Matter for Flow & Peak Performance The Stress vs. Performance Curve Low Stress (Left Side: Apathy) Tasks are too easy, repetitive, and uninspiring → boredom sets in. Without FUN/FEAR/FOCUS, you won’t reach flow. Tip: Tie your job tasks to your personal “why” and create deadlines to generate challenge. High Stress (Right Side: Anxiety) Overload, constant fire-fighting, and no room to breathe → burnout and exhaustion. Tip: Find ways to manage stress (recovery breaks, clear priorities, mindfulness) so that pressure fuels, not drains, you. Optimal Stress (Middle: Flow/Peak Performance) The sweet spot—where challenge meets skill. With the right mix of FUN, FEAR, and FOCUS, you engage deeply and perform at your best. THINK:  Do you prefer a low stress work environment, or high stress? Whatever you choose, be sure that you understand the best way for you to reach PEAK PERFORMANCE, and prevent apathy/boredom on the left side of the chart, or burnout, anxiety, depression on the right side. I know I’m the happiest working with on the right side of the graph, where stress can be higher, and am always looking for new and healthy ways to better manage

    22 min

  2. SEP 21

    Mindsight and Theory of Mind PART 2: Master Your Inner Lens with Dr. Dan Siegel

    In this episode review (Season 14, Ep. 372), Andrea revisits interviews with Dr. Dan Siegel to explore Mindsight—the focused attention that helps us see and reshape our own minds and connect with others. She breaks down how Mindsight underpins social and emotional intelligence and offers practical ways to develop it, including theory-of-mind practice, the Wheel of Awareness, and daily narrative reading. This week, in our review of EP 28 with Daniel J. Siegel, MD  and his book Mindsight, we learned: ✔ A deeper definition of Mindsight or seeing the mind in another Mindsight, a term coined by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, is the ability to perceive the mind within ourselves and others. It goes beyond simply observing behavior; it’s about sensing thoughts, feelings, intentions, and perspectives that aren’t immediately visible. This skill allows us to look beneath the surface of words and actions, to “see” the mind behind them, which leads to deeper empathy, better relationships, and stronger social intelligence. ✔ What is Theory of Mind and how can this skill help us to connect and understand others better Theory of Mind (ToM) is closely related to Mindsight—it refers to our ability to attribute mental states (beliefs, desires, knowledge, intentions) to ourselves and to others. In simple terms, it’s recognizing that other people have thoughts and feelings that may be different from our own. This skill is essential for meaningful communication, conflict resolution, and collaboration, because it helps us predict how someone might react, understand why they feel a certain way, and respond with compassion rather than judgment. ✔ What is Theory of Mind and how can this skill help us to connect and understand others better Theory of Mind (ToM) is closely related to Mindsight—it refers to our ability to attribute mental states (beliefs, desires, knowledge, intentions) to ourselves and to others. In simple terms, it’s recognizing that other people have thoughts and feelings that may be different from our own. This skill is essential for meaningful communication, conflict resolution, and collaboration, because it helps us predict how someone might react, understand why they feel a certain way, and respond with compassion rather than judgment. ✔ Practical tips to improve our Mindsight or Theory of Mind abilities Pause and Reflect – Before reacting, ask yourself: What might this person be thinking or feeling right now? Name Emotions – Practice labeling your own emotions and noticing them in others (“I feel frustrated” → “They might be anxious”). Perspective-Taking Exercises – Put yourself in someone else’s shoes: If I were in their position, what would I be experiencing? Read Fiction Regularly – Choose stories with complex characters and notice how your mind tracks their thoughts and motives. Practice Curiosity in Conversations – Instead of assuming, ask open-ended questions to better understand another’s perspective. Mindfulness Training – Strengthen your awareness of your inner world, which improves your ability to tune into the inner world of others. The episode also emphasizes the importance of face-to-face relationships for learning and development, contrasts relational learning with screen-based approaches, and provides actionable tips educators and listeners can use to strengthen empathy, self-awareness, and relational skills. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. Which brings up to today’s episode #372, where we will take Dr. Dan Siegel’s concept of Mindsight, to the next level. On our last EP 371 with Dan Siegel, PART 1 of our review of a very early interview EP 28[i], recorded in November 2019, we covered the importance of: Understanding and Applying Mindsight which is “the way we focus our attention on the internal world. It’s how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings, and how we attune to the inner world of someone else. Mindsight gives us insight into ourselves, and empathy for others.” Mindsight is a concept Dr. Siegel felt to be critical for us to develop noting this skill to be “the basis for social and emotional development.” He notes, that it’s a teachable set of skills that we can teach in school, and once mastered is a truly transformational tool.  In his book, Mindsight he explains this concept further: “Mindsight is a kind of focused attention that allows us to see the internal workings of our own minds. (and we’ve been talking about how important it is to go within, for true change in our lives to occur). It helps us to be aware of our mental processes without being swept away by them, (which) enables us to get ourselves off the autopilot of ingrained behaviors and habitual responses, and moves us beyond the reactive emotional loops we all have a tendency to get trapped in. It lets us “name and tame” the emotions we are experiencing, rather than being overwhelmed by them. Consider the difference between saying “I am sad” and “I feel sad.” Similar as those two statements may seem, there is actually a profound difference between them. “I am sad” is a kind of self-definition, and a very limiting one. “I feel sad” suggests the ability to recognize and acknowledge a feeling, without being consumed by it. The focusing skills that are part of mindsight make it possible to see what is inside, to accept it, and in the accepting to let it go, and, finally, to transform it into a NEW reality. You can also think of mindsight as a very special lens that gives us the capacity to perceive the mind with greater clarity than ever before. This lens is something that virtually everyone can develop, and once we have it we can dive deeply into the mental sea inside, exploring our own inner lives and those of others. A uniquely human ability, mindsight allows us to examine closely, in detail and in depth, the processes by which we think, feel, and behave. And it allows us to reshape and redirect our inner experiences so that we have more freedom of choice in our everyday actions, (giving us) more power to create the future, to become the author of our own story. Another way to put it is that mindsight is the basic skill that underlies everything we mean when we speak of having social and emotional intelligence.” (Dr. Daniel J Siegel, Mindsight, Location 105, Kindle Edition). VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch 💡 Key Takeaways About Mindsight from Daniel J Siegel Definition of Mindsight: Focused attention that helps us perceive the internal workings of our mind. Last week in PART 1[ii] of our review of Dr. Siegel, we looked at Mindsight as “the way we focus our attention on the internal world. It’s how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings, and then, how we attune to the inner world of someone else.” Benefits: Mindsight helps us to step out of autopilot and habitual emotional reactions. Encourages us to “name and tame” emotions instead of being consumed by them. Example: “I am sad” (self-definition) vs. “I feel sad” (acknowledgement without identity attachment). Creates clarity, self-awareness, and the ability to transform our thoughts, feelings and actions…which is why we can become the author of our own story. When we can do this, we can change our RESULTS and outer world. REMINDER: If we don’t like what’s happening in our external world—whether it’s in our job, relationships, results, or any area of life—we must first look inward. Our circumstances mirror the beliefs and thoughts we hold within. Once we can master Mindsight (our inner world), we can with certainty watch our outer world transform. This is a concept that Bob Proctor would teach in his seminars. He just labelled the terminology differently, but to me, this is where science connects to some of these age-old success principles that I watched transform the lives of thousands of people, when I worked with Proctor in the motivational speaking industry. Mindsight as a Lens: Helps us look inward with depth and precision. Allows reshaping and redirecting inner experiences → more freedom and choice. Empowers us to be the author of our own life story. Serves as the foundation of social and emotional intelligence. It allows us to be the Captain of our own ship, giving us the ability to make changes within, which creates change in our external world. Key Points from Video Clip with Dr. Siegel Without Mindsight tools, we cannot develop true social skills. Relational intelligence: Ability to connect not just with people like us, but also with those unlike us (and with all living beings). Moves us from linear, self-focused thinking (“me, me, me”) to a systems perspective (who I am, that

    21 min

  3. SEP 14

    Review of Daniel J Siegel MD's Mindsight PART 1: Become the Captain of Your Own Mind

    In this episode Andrea revisits her 2019 conversation with Dr. Daniel J. Siegel to explore Mindsight — his science-based approach to understanding the mind, integrating the brain, and cultivating empathy. Dr. Siegel explains the difference between mind and brain, the benefits of the Wheel of Awareness meditation, and how Mindsight can change brain structure and improve health. Watch full interview here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7pnea2Vbzc Practical tips include daily Mindsight practice, naming emotions to build self-awareness, and simple emotional check-ins to make learning and relationships more meaningful. This week, in our review of EP 28 with Daniel J. Siegel, MD  and his book Mindsight, we learned: ✔ The Difference Between the Mind and the Brain. ✔  The Benefits of The Wheel of Awareness Meditation. ✔ How to Understand and Apply Mindsight that gives us insight into ourselves, and empathy for others. ✔ How Mindsight can change brain structure and improve health. ✔ In order to make teaching and learning more meaningful, what we are teaching must have an element of emotion. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. Episode 371: For today’s Episode 371, we continue our journey into the mind with the next interview review. Just a reminder-this review series began back with Episode 366[i], where in Part 3 we discovered an important lesson: if we don’t like our results—or what we see on the outside—we need to shift our mindset and look within. True change always begins on the inside.   EP 369[ii] we learned how to Rewire our Brain with Dr. Dawson Church and his Bliss Brain Meditations, and then last week, EP 370[iii] with John Medina’s Brain Rules, we reviewed how important this understanding of neuroscience is, especially connected to education, teaching and learning. Which brings us to today’s review, EP 371, where we revisit a very early episode with clinical professor of psychiatry from UCLA’s School of Medicine, Dr. Daniel J Siegel. He’s from EP 28[iv], that was recorded back in November of 2019. As we take this journey deeper into the mind, Dr. Dan Siegel offers the perfect place to begin, with his ability to bridge cutting-edge neuroscience and practical wisdom. Dr. Dan Siegel, is well known for his books, trainings and courses that bridge cutting edge neuroscience with mindfulness and therapy. A reminder of his background-he’s a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and executive director of the Mindsight Institute[v] where you can find his courses, workshops, books and tools to help anyone understand and apply what can sometimes be complicated scientific concepts and make them easy to understand and applicable to our daily lives. At the end of the interview, I let Dr. Siegel know that I had been practicing his Wheel of Awareness Meditation, and ended up reviewing what I learned on EP 60[vi] where we explored the Science Behind a Meditation Practice. You can watch the whole interview by clicking on the link in the resource section in the show notes, and learn all about Dr. Siegel’s work that encompasses schools, with resiliency, brain science and helping our next generation to understand how to apply these important strategies whether it’s in our classrooms, or workplaces of the future. Today we will continue to explore within, sharpen our mindset, and learn about what Dr. Siegel calls Mindsight. VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch In Clip 1, Dr. Siegel unpacks the concept of Mindsight and helps clarify the difference between the mind and the brain, when I asked him to explain this distinction. I knew this wasn’t an easy question—as I had already listened to him answer it many times over the years, and still wasn’t sure I fully grasped it. In fact, I even tried to tackle it myself back in Episode 23[vii], Understanding Your Brain and Mind for Increased Results. But revisiting this topic now, I can see this concept requires a much deeper reflection. So, I asked Dr. Siegel if we could look at his definition of the mind—one he has been studying for years and that many in his scientific and educational circles agree on. He describes the mind as “an embodied and relational process—since it’s in the body and it’s in our relationships with one another—that regulates the flow of energy and information.” I wanted to hear him expand on this again, especially around why relationships are so critical for our health, our well-being, and for creating what he calls an integrated brain—which he equates with a healthy brain. His answer helped me to understand the importance of implementing Mindsight into our daily life. He said: “The word mind doesn’t actually have a formal definition—not in education, psychotherapy, or even in fields like psychology that study it directly. But if we look closely, the mind includes your subjective experience—that inner feeling of being alive. It also includes consciousness—the ability to know that you’re having that subjective experience. And beyond that, there’s information processing—which doesn’t always require consciousness and is essentially what school focuses on: learning to process information. When you understand the mind as a self-organizing process—a complex system that regulates its own becoming—you begin to see the power of teaching about the mind itself. This is what we call Mindsight. And if we could bring this understanding into education, the outcomes for students would be profoundly different.” Key Tip 1 with Dr. Dan Siegel Understanding and Applying Mindsight which is “the way we focus our attention on the internal world. It’s how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings, and then next,  how we attune to the inner world of someone else. Mindsight gives us insight into ourselves, and empathy for others.” 💡 If we could bring the concept of Mindsight—focusing attention on the internal world—into education, (or teaching and learning anything) the outcomes for our students would be profoundly different. They would not only learn academic content, (or whatever skill we are teaching) but also how to understand their own subjective experiences and expand their consciousness.   Just as we’ve seen that true change begins by going within, Dr. Siegel shows us that teaching and learning follow the same principle. Mindsight (going within to understand ourselves first, and then extending this understanding to others cultivating empathy) invites us to go deeper with ourselves through self-study, and Dr. Siegel reminds us that clarity emerges when we are willing to take that deeper dive. He describes Mindsight[viii] as “the way we focus our attention on the internal world. It’s how we bring consciousness to our own thoughts and feelings, and how we attune to the inner world of someone else. Mindsight gives us insight into ourselves, and empathy for others.” Importantly, Dr. Siegel explains that Mindsight is more than simply observing—it equips us with the tools to monitor our inner world with clarity and depth, and also to modify it with strength and intention. While mindfulness centers on awareness, Mindsight adds an empowering, action-oriented dimension: the ability to change the structure and function of the brain itself. With Mindsight, we can literally alter the course of our lives by integrating areas of the brain that were previously disconnected. When we monitor our inner world, we can shift it from chaos toward harmony—moving our mind toward health. That’s the true power of Mindsight. It’s a way of awakening the mind to the fact that you aren’t a PASSIVE participant of life, but you can become the ACTIVE participant, the Captain of your own ship, he says. This way, you become the author of your own story, of your life. Which brings us back to EP 366, where we looked at the question “What do you REALLY want to do with your life.” Do you REALLY believe what you want is possible? Dan Siegel, with his research grounded in science, would say it most definitely is possible with the use of Mindsight. I highly recommend Dr. Siegel’s book, Mindsight, that walks us step by step through how to implement this concept into our daily life. In the front of the book you can see some well-known author reviews, starting with: “Mindsight is a seminal piece on bringing neuroscience to everyday life, helping us to understand what can go awry in the mind so that, armed with that knowledge, we will be better able to change. The book is a wonderful journey from the mind through the brain and the body and then back again. Dr. Daniel Siegel’s use of elaborate personal as well as patient stories makes us feel as though we are

    23 min

  4. SEP 7

    John Medina's Brain Rules Revisited: How Neuroscience Can Transform Classrooms and Workplaces of the Future

    Episode 370 reviews Dr. John Medina's insights from Brain Rules and explores how neuroscience and social-emotional learning combine to improve teaching, learning, and well-being. Key takeaways: teachers need basic neuroscience to support learning; the emotional stability of the home strongly shapes a child’s resilience and confidence; and children build resilience when adults co-regulate and model healthy emotion management during high-emotion moments. This short review highlights practical steps for educators, parents, and leaders to apply brain-based strategies and SEL to boost student outcomes and lifelong skills. EP 370 covers a review of Dr. John Medina's Brain Rules, from EP 42 (February 2020)  We learned: ✔ If education is about the brain, then teachers need to understand how the brain learns best. ✔ A child’s resilience and confidence are deeply tied to the emotional climate of the home. ✔  Children build resilience not in calm moments, but in how parents (or caregivers) respond when emotions run high. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. Episode 370: Brain Rules and the Future of Learning For today’s Episode 370[i], we continue our journey into the mind with our next interview review—Dr. John Medina, author of the well-known book Brain Rules. We first featured Dr. Medina in EP 42, when we explored “Implementing Brain Rules in Schools and Workplaces of the Future.” To remind you where we began with our interview review series: We opened with EP 366[ii], diving into speaker Bob Proctor’s timeless principles. Bob was the very first person—over 25 years ago—who challenged me with the question, “What do you really want to do with your life?” At the time, I didn’t have a clear answer. It’s taken well over 25 years now for this clarity to evolve. Eventually, I realized what mattered most to me: and that was bringing social and emotional learning (SEL) skills into schools. I had already seen how these skills—once called “soft skills”—transformed the lives of 12 teenagers I worked with in the motivational speaking industry in the late 1990s. Later, I watched as SEL spread into schools across states and countries, until the research became undeniable. A 2011 meta-analysis of 213 studies confirmed what I had seen firsthand a decade before this study was released: students who participated in SEL programs showed an 11-percentile-point increase in academic performance[iii] compared to control groups. That’s a significant improvement, demonstrating just how powerful SEL can be. Long before this research, I simply knew these skills could shape the future of the next generation. This podcast itself was built around the six core SEL competencies—each explored in its own dedicated episode that you can find in our resource section in the show notes. Then came the next step: adding the lens of neuroscience. I realized that everything we were studying in SEL connected back to how the brain works. My deep dive into what I called “Neuroscience 101” began when an educator handed me a stack of books that opened my eyes to the importance of brain science in education. From those early hand-drawn sketches grew the framework that still guides this podcast today—bridging SEL and neuroscience to make learning both practical and powerful.   Which brings us to today’s review: Episode 370, where we revisit Dr. John Medina. At the heart of this conversation is the very question that launched my journey years ago: What happens when we connect social and emotional learning with neuroscience? How can understanding the brain not only improve results and productivity, but also better equip our next generation of students in the classroom? It was John Medina’s Brain Rules that first landed on my bookshelf back in 2009. And to be honest—it just sat there for a while. I wasn’t ready yet. As Dr. Medina himself has said, this kind of learning can’t be forced. You need a strong why to really dive into the mind–brain connection. For me, that why came later, when I realized how deeply understanding the brain could impact learning, teaching, and even life itself. If you’re following along with this podcast, I imagine you’ve had a similar moment—when the connection between the brain and practical neuroscience suddenly made sense and became something worth pursuing. I’m always curious about what that moment looks like for others—what it is that makes this topic click. For me, it became clear during my very first presentation on this subject in November 2017, at a conference for the York Region School District in Toronto. The topic I was in charge of presenting was Stress, Learning, and the Brain, and the room was so full it was standing room only. This was after just three years of studying the topic myself, and when I first opened up David Souza’s How the Brain Learns Series, I honestly thought this topic was over my head, and too difficult for me to understand, let alone having me teach it to others. But once there is a strong why, the way will be shown. And that day, when I saw how many people showed up to learn the topic, I knew this was the field I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to—continuing to learn, and helping others understand and apply to their lives. VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch Now that you know where this mind-brain connection began for me, I hope you can gain clarity with why it’s so important to you. Important enough that you are tuning into this podcast to learn more. Wouldn’t you know it—understanding this WHY with the brain-mind connection to thrive at home, work and school and with sport is exactly what Dr. John Medina said to me during our interview back in February 2020. If you click the link in the show notes, you can watch VIDEO 1, where he explains: “I believe that the cognitive neurosciences should be at the table of education training. Before you get a Bachelor Degree in Education, you have to have a fair degree of neuroscience. And it’s a very specific slice—it’s the kind of neuroscience that says: this is what we know about how the brain learns. Because teachers are in charge of that. It blows me away sometimes—I look at the Colleges of Education: if you’re in the Geology Department, you study rocks. If you go to Medical School, you study humans. You could argue that the world of education is all about studying the brain. Where are the courses that say—‘This is how memory works. This is how we get someone to pay attention. This is what visual processing looks like.’” Dr. Medina is 100% right. When I went through teacher training at The University of Toronto, courses like this weren’t offered. Fast forward to today, and my daily work now focuses on supporting educators with the Science of Reading—a body of research that, much like SEL, took decades to gain traction but is finally reshaping classrooms and teacher training, impacting how we teach our next generation of students to read. Of course, this knowledge can’t just be forced on us. It’s not easy material—it requires effort to learn. But if you’re listening to this podcast each week, it’s because you’re curious. You’re willing to dig into concepts that, until recently, were reserved for medical students. That’s how Dr. Douglas Fisher gained his insights into how the brain learns best. As he told me in EP 161[iv], How Learning Works: Translating the Science of Learning into Strategies for Maximum Learning in Your Classroom, he actually sat in classes with medical students to develop a deeper understanding of brain-based learning—knowledge we were never given in traditional teacher training. Key Point from Video Clip 1 from John Medina 💡 If education is about the brain, then teachers need to understand how the brain learns best. Tip #1 – Practical Application: Look for opportunities—whether through professional learning, books, or resources like this podcast—to bridge the gap between neuroscience and classroom practice. Even small shifts, like applying what we know about memory or attention, can transform how students learn. Don’t let the complexity of the human brain intimidate you, like it did me when I first saw Dr. David Souza’s books. Once you can make this mind-brain-learning connection, you’ll see that it was all worth the effort to learn and understand. VIDEO 2 Click Here to Watch Moving on to our second interview clip (linked in the show notes), I asked Dr. Medina a powerful question: “How can we raise our children to be confident and resilient?” His response was both profound and eye-opening: He said: “I believe that the single greatest predictor of a child’s psychopathology or psychi

    20 min

  5. SEP 1

    Revisiting Bliss Brain with Dr. Dawson Church: How to Rewire Your Brain in Minutes a Day

    In this episode Andrea Samadi revisits a popular interview with Dr. Dawson Church about his book Bliss Brain and the neuroscience of meditation. They explore how simple, evidence-based practices can quiet the brain's default mode, trigger blissful neurochemicals, and reshape stress and happiness networks. Listeners learn why happiness must be trained, how meditation helps people live more in the present, and practical tips to start a daily meditation practice using guided tools like the free Bliss Brain meditations. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. For today’s Episode 369, we are moving forward on our journey of the mind, to our next interview review, with our goal of building off of our past reviews, and sharpening our saw for improved well-being, productivity and success in 2025 and beyond. To review our last 3 episodes, with our interview with speaker Bob Proctor, we learned that “If we want to improve our RESULTS, we must focus on the six faculties of our mind—reason, intuition, perception, will, memory, and imagination.” “Devoting a year to developing each one would be time well invested, elevating us to greater heights and setting us apart from others.” Next, we looked at how we need to become extremely clear with our vision of “what we really want” and keep in mind that…. Our External Environment Reflects Our Internal World What exactly does this mean? It means that if we don’t like what’s happening in our external world—whether it’s in our job, relationships, results, or any area of our life—we must first look inward. Our circumstances mirror the beliefs and thoughts we hold within. As James Allen reminds us in As a Man Thinketh: our outer world is always a reflection of our inner state. For today’s Episode 369, we’ll turn inward—sharpening our inner world so that we can transform the outer one. Today we go back EP 98[i] our interview with Dr. Dawson Church, that was recorded back in December of 2020, where we looked at the science behind implementing meditation into your daily routine. This interview is currently our most watched YouTube interview with over 11K views. This week, in our review of EP 98 with Dr. Dawson Church and his book Bliss Brain, we will explore how meditation can rewire the brain for happiness and presence. We will learn: ✔ Since happiness didn’t evolve naturally, we must train our brain to achieve it. ✔ Our brains default to the past or future, constantly scanning for threats, instead of resting in the present moment. ✔ Extreme states of happiness are possible for all of us when we implement meditation consistently. ✔ How to commit to a daily meditation practice using the free meditations that come with Bliss Brain, or explore other guided programs until you find one that resonates with you Just a reminder-Dr. Church is the author of the book called Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity and Joy.[ii] He’s an award-winning science writer who blends cutting-edge neuroscience with the stories of people who’ve had firsthand experience of brain change. Neural plasticity—the discovery that the brain is capable of rewiring itself—is now widely understood. But what few people have grasped yet is how quickly this is happening, how extensive brain changes can be, and how much control each of us exerts over the process of our thinking. It’s been almost 5 years since this interview, and it feels like yesterday to me. I remember at the time, one of my dogs was barking in the yard when the landscapers came, and I was worried it would distract our interview. It didn’t. I don’t even think Dr. Church could hear them. There were also two other things that stuck out in my head from this interview (other than the fact I was wearing glasses trying to prepare for Lasik surgery and couldn’t really see the questions) but I’ll also never forget that American entrepreneur and biohacker Dave Asprey, who’s well known for his interest in helping others achieve these elevated brain states, wrote the Foreword to his book. I also won’t ever forget Chapter 1, of Bliss Brain, where Dr. Church shares how he and his wife lost their home and pets in the 2017 Santa Rose Fire, yet they chose to focus on gratitude and rebuilding their lives with joy. This story highlights his teaching that even trained minds struggle under pressure, but with meditation and practice, we can shift into a bliss or flow state. Church’s EcoMeditation method, (that he covers in his book) supported by science and praised by Dave Asprey in the Foreword, helps quiet the brain’s Default Mode Network[iii] and quickly releases calming, pleasurable chemicals—in as little as four minutes. Dr. Church has a strong following, and there are many powerful testimonials at the start of his book. One we spoke about in our interview was from Toni Tombleson who wrote: After a week of putting out a handful of mini-fires that often accompany the start of a new school year in my world, I can see why these lessons to handling both major life crises and everyday challenges, by learning to cultivate a “Bliss Brain” should remain a top priority for resilience, productivity, and well-being, for all of us. VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch Which brings me to Video Clip 1 of our review. Watch video clip 1 with the link in the show notes. Historical Context: Dr. Church begins by reflecting on The Buddha, who over 2,000 years ago sought to relieve human suffering. He also reviews other spiritual teachers, including Plato, who grappled with the same question. Biological Explanation: Dr. Church emphasizes that suffering is a biological problem, a feature of how the human brain evolved. How our lives have become easier than they were 2,000 years ago. He explained to me how people are 3x as wealthy now, than they were 40 years ago. In terms of longevity, our lifespans have doubled in the last century. There are many markers like this that show us that we live in a much more secure and safe world than we used to. Key Point: While we live in a safer environment today, than 2,000 years ago, our brains were not designed for where we are today. We are not suffering he reminded me because we are bad people, we lack will, or haven’t read enough personal growth books… “We simply didn’t evolve to be happy because there was no survival benefit in being happy.”  Tip #1: Since happiness didn’t evolve naturally, it’s something we must train our brain to achieve. Practical Application: This is the basis of his book Bliss Brain, where he explains how meditation helps us train the brain to reach a bliss or flow state. It’s in his book that we learn how to achieve this state that will change not only our brain, (our internal state) but our outer results in our everyday lives. In Chapter 2, he shows us why most people find it so hard to meditate. The difficulty has nothing to do with willpower or intention. It’s simply due to the design of the human brain. When you understand this clearly, you’ll be equipped to work around it. Chapter 3 describes the ecstatic states that you can achieve in meditation. He examines the regions of the brain that you activate, and what each one does. He also lists the extensive health and cognitive benefits that you get from activating each of those regions. In Chapter 4 you’ll hear the story of his own personal failed meditation experiences. He learned many different styles of meditation, but could never establish a consistent practice. His breakthrough came from science. When he combined seven simple evidence-based practices together, found a formula that puts people into deep states automatically and involuntarily. No effort required. When he and his colleagues hook people up to EEGs and MRIs, they find that using these seven steps, even non-meditators get into profound states in less than 4 minutes. Sometimes in less than 50 seconds. Historically, the secrets of these states have been available to only about 1% of the population. Thanks to science, they’re now available to everyone. Chapter 5 he goes into the seven neurochemicals of ecstasy. We learn how each one is like a drug that makes you feel good. But combine all seven together, and you have a potent formula that takes your brain into bliss. Meditation is the only way you get all seven at one time. The star of the show is a neurotransmitter called anandamide, aka “the bliss molecule.” When you trigger these ecstatic states daily, they change your brain. Chapter 6 is about the extensive brain remodeling that occurs in seasoned meditators. Stress circuits shrink, while happiness networks grow. But you don’t need to be an adept to trigger this re

    20 min

  6. AUG 24

    Elevating Your Frequency: How Bob Proctor Taught The Science of Goal Attainment - PART 3

    In this Season 14 review (Episode 368), Andrea Samadi revisits key clips from her original interview with Bob Proctor (Episode 66), exploring how frequencies, imagination, and intuition shape our goals and results. We will cover:  Tip #1: How to Understand Frequencies and Levels of Vibration Tip #2: You’ve Got to Follow Your Heart Tip #3: Your External Environment Reflects Your Internal Thoughts and Mental State   Three takeaways: use your imagination to move to the vibration of your goal; follow your heart as an inner compass; and remember your external environment reflects your internal thoughts and beliefs. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results.   For today’s Episode 368, we’re going back to Episode 66[i]  for PART 3 of our review with the late Bob Proctor—the first person who challenged me to think. We covered in PART 1 EP 366[ii]: ✔ Top Lesson from Episode 66 – Where we refined the question: “What do you really want to do with your life?” hoping that midway through 2025, we can refine our goals, and see if we are on track. ✔ Sage Advice Tip #1: “We have been given the mental faculties to create our own environment. “We explored how to go beyond our five senses and tap into the six higher faculties of our mind (further developing our reason, intuition, perception, will, memory and imagination.” ✔ Sage Advice Tip #2: “There’s only one mind.” We looked at how our actions matter because we are all deeply connected. ✔ Sage Advice Tip#3: “We are a soul—we don’t have one.” We reflected on the perfection within each of us, and how this perfection continually drives us toward bigger and better possibilities. We covered in PART 2 EP 367[iii]: Sage Tip #4: “If we want to improve our RESULTS, we must focus on the six faculties of our mind—reason, intuition, perception, will, memory, and imagination.”The key is to choose one of these faculties and dedicate time to studying and applying each one until you see real results from your deeper understanding. Sage Tip #5: “Goals are not set to get; they are set to grow.” Reminding us that sometimes goals don’t unfold the way we expect, and that’s okay—as long as we keep moving forward and growing. To do this, we must keep studying, learning about ourselves, clarifying what we truly want, and seeking specialized knowledge in our field from those who have gone before us. Today, EP 368, PART 3 VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch Watch video clip 1 with the link in the show notes. Bob begins this clip by talking about The Law of Vibration and why it’s so important to understand how frequencies work. Many of us have heard of this law by now, especially since the movie, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne brought it into the mainstream. But my first introduction to understanding frequencies was back in the late 1990s, when I was teaching in the classroom and picked up Bob Proctor’s book You Were Born Rich.[iv] I still remember hiding the book behind my binder during a staff meeting at the Toronto District School Board—I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it. That book changed the way I looked at everything. Suddenly, I began to see new possibilities in areas where I might have once been closed off. What captivated me wasn’t Chapter 1, Me and Money, or even Chapter 2, How Much is Enough. It wasn’t about money for me. What drew me in was Chapter 6—The Law of Vibration and Attraction. In that chapter, Bob shared what he had learned from the late Dr. Wernher von Braun, covering everything from science and religion, to the cosmos, to rates of vibration and frequency. That chapter expanded my mind—it even touched on the connection between the brain and body, a topic that would fascinate me even more 25 years later. It also revealed how powerful positive thinking can be for our health and wellness, while introducing the foundational Laws of Success. I wanted to learn more, so every time Bob held a seminar, I made sure to attend. From spending time in his offices, and sitting in these classes, I began to pick up how to promote these seminars to others, that started with bringing something new home to study each night. Eventually, I started talking to seminar attendees on the phone, explaining Bob’s upcoming seminars. On these calls, I discovered what other people were studying. They would ask me, “Who else are you learning from?” and at first, I honestly didn’t know anyone else teaching this material. But I listened carefully, wrote down the names they mentioned, and searched for their books at the library—this was long before we could just go online and find everything instantly. Sometimes people would drop off other programs for Bob to review. I remember one day, someone left a cassette tape set at the office and asked me to pass it along to him. Curious, I opened the package and saw the title: “Special Subjects Vol. 1”[v] by Abraham-Hicks, covering The Law of Attraction. I realized that, while not many people knew about this material, those who did were using it to achieve incredible things. On the way to Bob’s house that evening, I couldn’t resist. I slipped one of the tapes into my car stereo and listened as I drove. When Bob opened the door, the first thing he asked me was, “Did you listen to one of them?” I was stunned—how could he possibly know? I admitted I had and said, “Yes, and the program is really good.” I wasn’t sure if I’d get in trouble for listening first, but instead, he later handed the tapes over to me to keep. I must have listened to them more than 100 times. That program led me to Abraham-Hicks’ books, audio programs, and seminars—where I met people from all walks of life: pro athletes fine-tuning their mindset, business leaders sharpening their edge, and everyday people like me, hungry to learn and grow. Those cassette tapes opened a door. Each word studied brought me back to that time when I was just beginning to understand this material—discovering a whole world of wisdom waiting to be explored. I will be sure to link other places you can go to learn this topic, if you would like to dive deeper. What helped me the most, was when I saw an image describing these frequencies, or levels of vibration. We’ve looked at and explored this visual often on this podcast, that matches how Bob explains goals and frequency on the clip we selected. The image shows the Goal (target) at a higher level (the star), with lines representing different frequencies or levels of vibration. The word “DECISION” marks the point where you shift to a higher level to match the frequency of your goal. We learned in this clip that “when we image a goal, what we’ve done is take our mind off on a trip. And we’ve gone to a new frequency, beyond where we are living.” We learned that it is our imagination that moves us out of our current state of awareness (or vibration) using the “screen of our mind”—the place where we see and create new possibilities before they exist physically. This “place” isn’t physical. It’s the inner screen of our mind, the same concept explained in The Silva Method[vi], where you consciously project images, ideas, and goals in mental pictures. That’s where creation begins—before it’s expressed in the outside world. I’ve often wondered, “How exactly do we shift to a new level of vibration?” It’s not something that’s easy to explain until we’ve experienced it ourselves. Looking back, the path seems clear—just as Steve Jobs once said, “we can only connect the dots backwards.” But moving forward, the process feels less obvious. We move to a new vibration when we’re in harmony with what we truly want. A powerful example of this is being in love—when we resonate deeply with someone, we’re on the same frequency. At times, this connection runs so deep that we can almost sense each other’s thoughts (a kind of telepathic communication). When we share the same frequency, it feels like magic unfolds. The same principle applies to our goals. Once you’ve decided what you want—whether it’s a career change, a relationship, or a new opportunity—you must connect your heart to it. Feel the resonance, and then use your imagination to paint the picture on the screen of your mind. With practice, patience, and belief, you’ll one day look back and see there were no limits to what you could achieve. Until that moment comes, keep moving forward, keep growing, and keep reaching for the stars, moving up those levels of vibration or frequency. Sage Tip #1: How to Understand Frequencies and Levels of Vibration “When we image a goal (on the screen of our mind, something that we resonate with) we take our mind on a

    18 min

  7. AUG 17

    Understanding Your Six Higher Faculties — Lessons from Bob Proctor- PART 2

    Season 14, Episode 367 revisits Episode 66 with the late Bob Proctor, distilling two powerful clips about why people get stuck and how to move forward. Andrea Samadi connects Proctor’s timeless success principles — the six higher faculties of the mind (reason, intuition, perception, will, memory, imagination) and the idea that goals are set to grow — with modern neuroscience and practical steps for personal and professional growth. Brief, actionable takeaways: choose one mental faculty to develop at a time, embrace growth-focused goals even when outcomes change, and seek specialized knowledge to organize and direct learning into deliberate plans of action. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to bring you the world’s top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We’ll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. As we kick off Season 14, I’ve been revisiting past episodes and reflecting on the incredible insights our guests have shared since we first launched in 2019. I mentioned last week that this reflection started when a young filmmaker, Vishal Sharma[i], reached out to me and offered to create YouTube Shorts[ii] from past interviews. When I saw his first example, something clicked. As I reviewed older episodes, I realized I had only scratched the surface of the lessons within each interview. So as we dive into this review of past conversations, know that this review isn’t just for you—it’s for me as well. I’ve learned that slowing down helps us to uncover even more wisdom, and I’m excited for us to walk this path together. For today’s Episode 367, we’re going back to Episode 66[iii] with the late Bob Proctor—the first person who challenged me to think. Last week we covered our first YouTube Short[iv] where we picked out three important nuggets of wisdom that I had missed until re-listening to this episode. We covered in PART 1: ✔ Top Lesson from Episode 66 – Where we refined the question: “What do you really want to do with your life?” hoping that midway through 2025, we can refine our goals, and see if we are on track. ✔ Sage Advice Tip #1: “We have been given the mental faculties to create our own environment. “We explored how to go beyond our five senses and tap into the six higher faculties of our mind (further developing our reason, intuition, perception, will, memory and imagination.” ✔ Sage Advice Tip #2: “There’s only one mind.” We looked at how our actions matter because we are all deeply connected. ✔ Sage Advice Tip#3: “We are a soul—we don’t have one.” We reflected on the perfection within each of us, and how this perfection continually drives us toward bigger and better possibilities. Today, we are going to cover 2 short video clips and dive into the wisdom contained within each, making the connections with each nugget of wisdom learned. And since I’m always looking to connect the science to our learning, there are some age-old success principles we will cover today, that are proven to work time and time again. While science doesn’t call out the success principles exactly as we will cover them today, Stanford University neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology, Dr. Andrew Huberman does discuss “the science of imagination and its impact on creativity and learning” on his recent podcast episode “The Science of Creativity: How to Enhance Creative Innovation.”[v] Keep an open mind, as we discover how we can rise to new levels of success by applying the timeless principles we explored in Episode 66. For today’s EP 367-PART 2 of our review of EP 66, we will cover: Sage Tip #1: In the first clip we learned that “If we want to improve our RESULTS, we must focus on the six faculties of our mind—reason, intuition, perception, will, memory, and imagination.” The key is to choose one of these faculties and dedicate time to studying and applying it until you see real results from your deeper understanding. You could even spend an entire year on just one faculty, and it would be time well invested. Sage Tip #2: In the second clip we learned that “Goals are not set to get; they are set to grow.” Sometimes goals don’t unfold the way we expect, and that’s okay—as long as we keep moving forward and growing. To do this, we must keep studying, learning about ourselves, clarifying what we truly want, and seeking specialized knowledge in our field from those who have gone before us. VIDEO 1 Watch by Clicking Here Click on the link in the show notes to watch video clip 1 where I asked the question “what are some of the common reasons why people don’t reach their full potential” as I’ve always wondered why many of us get stuck. It really has boggled my mind over the years why there is such a puzzle around reaching high levels of success and achievement. Myself included. Bob replied with “well, the answer to that is pretty obvious. We were not taught anything about ourselves” and he went right back to how we were never taught how to live beyond our five senses, and most of us haven’t fully developed the six faculties of our mind that we went into on EP 294[vi]  and he said that we let the outside world control us. That rang true to me. It’s a rare individual who moves forward, towards their goals, past the many obstacles they face. Something always seems to get in the way, and delay progress, but those who achieve these high levels of success, have become masters at moving forward, despite what they face. Sage Tip #1: If we want to improve our RESULTS, we are going to have to narrow in on the six faculties of our mind (our reason, intuition, perception, will, memory and imagination). You can review the 6 faculties on EP 294[vii] where we covered each faculty, with examples on how to develop them. We could spend years working on each faculty, to really sharpen the saw. I remember when I first found a book on how to develop my intuition (one of the 6 faculties of the mind). It was my early days of living in the US (after moving from Toronto to Arizona in 2001, sometime after September 11th had happened) and I was cleaning someone’s house (after the work I was doing in the seminar industry came to a fast halt without the ability for people to travel by air) I found work that brought me more money than I imagined possible. It was a humbling time, that’s for sure.  I noticed this book on a book shelf and asked the owner if I could read her book, and bring it back when I returned. I remember she looked at me and said “keep it!” and took it off her book shelf. I must have given that book to someone else to read, (following her example) but I still have the next one I bought after that, called Developing Intuition by Shakti Gawain.[viii] Take your time learning these six intellectual factors. Each one, will serve you well once you learn how to use them, and developing these faculties would be one of the main differentiators that Bob mentioned separated those who achieved their goals, from those who did not. The biggest lesson I learned from diving into my intuitive factor (from reading these books) was learning to trust myself with the insights that would flash on the screen of my mind, (as learned from The Silva Method EP 261),[ix] or listening to my body with what neuroscience calls interoception and finally, applying this intuition to my work life, something that 20 years ago, was not a concept ever spoken about in our corporate workplaces. I’ll never forget when Greg Link, who took the 7 Habits Book to great heights with the Covey Organization, mentioned this book on Intuition, on EP 207[x] on “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, Trust and the 7 Habits.” If Gawain’s book on Intuition was on Greg Link’s book shelf, I think that’s enough to say it comes highly recommended. To sharpen your saw on these higher faculties, go back and review EP 274, and make it a mission to work on one faculty at a time, until you are using each one, effectively, in your daily life. This will be time well spent. VIDEO 2 Watch by Clicking Here Click on the link in the show notes to watch video clip 2. ✔ Sage Advice Tip #2: In this clip we learned that “Goals are set not to get, they are set to grow. And sometimes if the goals don’t work, that’s ok. As long as you keep going, and growing. The main thing is that you keep growing, and become more of what you are designed to become. We have to keep doing greater good, and expand on what we are doing.” Then he went back to Thomas Troward’s quote that we covered last week, saying that “spirit is always for expansion and fuller expression” which explains that we will want to do bigger and better things all the time. To do this, he says, “we will need help, because specialized knowledge is so important.” Keep Growing There is a lot to think about with this t

    15 min

  8. AUG 9

    Unlocking Your Potential: Redefining Goals with Bob Proctor's Wisdom- PART 1

    Welcome to Season 14 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast! Join Andrea Samadi as she revisits past episodes to unearth profound insights from experts like Bob Proctor. As the podcast embarks on a journey of reflection, discover how to connect science with social and emotional learning for enhanced well-being, achievements, and productivity. In this episode, Andrea dives into episode 66, exploring life-altering lessons with the legendary Bob Proctor, who challenged her with the pivotal question: What do you really want to do with your life? Through the lens of practical neuroscience, learn how to craft huge goals, venture beyond our senses, and tap into the higher faculties of mind to transform those dreams into reality. Discover the essence of interconnectedness and the profound truth that we are souls, not just physical beings. This episode is a roadmap for anyone yearning to refine their goals and elevate their understanding to new heights. Don't miss this exploration of timeless wisdom that promises transformative growth. In this first part of our series, we’ll explore: How to ask the right questions to uncover your real desires. Why you must go beyond your five senses and tap into your higher mental faculties—like imagination, intuition, and will—to create a life you love. The mindset shift that transforms vague wishes into powerful, crystal-clear goals. Bob’s wisdom wasn’t just theory—it was a challenge to think differently, act boldly, and believe in possibilities far beyond my comfort zone. And it all begins with one question: “What do you really want?” Watch our past interview here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHWMCzfODU4  Watch our YouTube Short here https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_npFmt6zVE4  BE SURE TO SIGN UP TO SEE THE NEW MOVIE Bob Proctor's Legacy https://www.bobproctorlegacy.com/  On the EP 366, and PART 1 review of EP 66 we will cover: ✔ Top Lesson from Episode 66 – Refining the question: “What do you really want to do with your life?” ✔ Sage Advice #1: “We have been given the mental faculties to create our own environment.” We explored how to go beyond our five senses and tap into the six higher faculties of our mind. ✔ Sage Advice #2: “There’s only one mind.” We looked at how our actions matter because we are all deeply connected. ✔ Sage Advice #3: “We are a soul—we don’t have one.” We reflected on the perfection within each of us, and how it continually drives us toward bigger and better possibilities.   Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago I started this podcast with one big question that I had never thought of in the past: If productivity and results matter to you—how exactly are you using your brain to make these results happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to boost our productivity, results, or well-being. That’s why I set out to bring you the world’s top experts—so we can learn the intersection of science, and social and emotional learning skills, putting what we learn into action every day, for predictable results. As we kick off Season 14, I’ve been revisiting past episodes and reflecting on the incredible insights our guests have shared since we first launched in 2019. This reflection started when a young filmmaker, Vishal Sharma[i], reached out to me and offered to create YouTube Shorts[ii] from past interviews. When I saw his first example, something clicked. As I reviewed older episodes, I realized I had only scratched the surface of the lessons inside each interview. I started re-listening—not just to refresh my memory, but to deepen my own understanding. And honestly, I was surprised at how many ideas I had missed or forgotten. So as we dive into this review of past conversations, know that this isn’t just for you, the listener—it’s for me as well. I’ve learned that slowing down helps us uncover even more wisdom, and I’m excited for us to walk this path together. For today’s Episode 366[iii], we’re going back to Episode 66 where my journey began, with the legendary Bob Proctor—the first person who truly challenged me to think. Back in the late 1990s, he asked me a simple but life-changing question: “What do you really want to do with your life?” I remember being completely stumped. I didn’t have a clear, well-thought-out answer. But looking back, I’m grateful he asked—because that question launched me on the path to understanding the mind, the brain, psychology, and neuroscience. It’s been a journey that’s had plenty of twists and turns, and where everything began for me. As we revisit past episodes like this one, my hope is that together, we can create a roadmap for success—one that helps you take the lessons you hear and actually apply them in your daily life. So going back to EP 66, and our interview with Bob Proctor, I think back and remember that it was easy to book time on Bob’s calendar back then, because this interview was scheduled June 2020, right at the start of the pandemic. Prior to this time, it would have been very difficult to have made this interview happen. I had written out some of the most important life lessons I had learned from Bob, prior to recording our interview, and while all the lessons are important, I am going to focus on the first one for this review. I learned how to set huge goals—goals most people might call “crazy”—when Bob asked me, “What do you really want?” When I gave him my answer, I knew I could have done better. I didn’t have my life all thought out at the time. I didn’t know what the faculties of my mind were, nor had I spent any time developing my intuition, or imagination. He met me where I was, and explained that there were specific steps I needed to follow. It began with writing my goals on a card he gave me, and I did what he told me to do. I actually put some of the goals into visual pictures that I drew out to go along with each goal. He told me that if I followed all his suggestions and truly believed in what I was doing, I could achieve what I wanted. I believed him—and I followed through. Looking back at the list of goals I set back then, in my early days of self-discovery, most of these goals were eventually achieved, and this “writing of goals on a card” became a yearly ritual to help me to keep moving forward. This was 26 years ago, and while that “goal-setting” activity was an important lesson to learn, as we are revisiting these episodes, and planning out the roadmap for this review, I’m personally revisiting this question now, and refining my vision for the next 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. What about you, the listener? Wherever you are tuning in from, around the world. Do you have a clear written description of what it is that YOU want? If we never think about this important question, and clearly write it all out, I’m sure you will agree with me that life will pass by, and our results will stay exactly the same. So, as we walk through each interview together, digging into the lessons we might have missed, do this with your written vision of what it is that you want, right in front of you, to refine and improve along the way. “What do you REALLY want?”[iv] Now let’s visit some of the pieces of wisdom I missed in EP 66, by reviewing our YouTube Shorts and see if we can take our understanding to new heights. VIDEO 1 Watch this YouTube Short SAGE ADVICE 1 “We have been given the mental faculties to create our own environment.” What exactly does this mean? In Episode 294, we explored these mental faculties in depth, revisiting the lessons Bob taught those 12 teenagers who forever changed the course of my life. That moment was the true starting point for me, and it began with this concept where I learned that if we can learn to live beyond our 5 senses (what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch” and begin to live through our higher faculties of mind (our reason, intuition, perception, will, memory, and imagination” we will take our results to unimaginable heights. Much of creating what I truly wanted in those early days began with my imagination, one of our mental faculties. The vision I wrote down on paper back then wasn’t logical by any standard—but it was the understanding of these mental faculties that shaped my future. This is a good concept to revisit, to be sure that when setting goals, that we are tapping into these “higher faculties of our mind” and reaching for places, things, experiences that stretch us beyond what we know we are capable to achieving. These higher faculties are here to take us to these NEW heights that we can only see when we open up to the potential of new possibilities that we may never have thought of before. REMEMBER: “Imagination is the most marvelous, miraculous, inconceivably powerful force the world has ever known.” Napoleon Hill SAGE ADVICE 2 “There’s only one mind.” When I first encountered this idea, it was in something I was reading that included a diagram—people connected like lightbulbs, all drawing from one main source. This can be seen as universal consciousness, or the collective consciousness, a reminder that we are all connected to each other and to the single intelligence behind all existence. It’s a profound concept, but to me it simply means this: what I do matters, because it affects the whole. I believe our goal is to continually expand our awareness and deepen our consciousness—a fea

    14 min
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4.8
out of 5
70 Ratings

About

We cover the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (for schools) and emotional intelligence training (in the workplace). Our podcast provides tools, resources and ideas for parents, teachers and employees to improve well-being, achievement and productivity using simple neuroscience as it relates to our cognitive (the skills our brain uses to think, read, remember, pay attention), social and interpersonal relationships (with ourselves and others) and emotional learning (where we recognize and manage our emotions, demonstrate empathy and cope with frustration and stress). Season 1: Provides you with the tools, resources and ideas to implement proven strategies backed by the most current neuroscience research to help you to achieve the long-term gains of implementing a social and emotional learning program in your school, or emotional intelligence program in your workplace. Season 2: Features high level guests who tie in social, emotional and cognitive strategies for high performance in schools, sports and the workplace. Season 3: Ties in some of the top motivational business books and guest with the most current brain research to take your results and productivity to the next level. Season 4: Brings in positive mental health and wellness strategies to help cope with the stresses of life, improving cognition, productivity and results. Season 5: Continues with the theme of mental health and well-being with strategies for implementing practical neuroscience to improve results for schools, sports and the workplace. Season 6: The Future of Educational Neuroscience and its impact on our next generation. Diving deeper into the Science of Learning. Season 7: Brain Health and Well-Being (Focused on Physical and Mental Health). Season 8: Brain Health and Learning (Focused on How An Understanding of Our Brain Can Improve Learning in Ourselves (adults, teachers, workers) as well as future generations of learners. Season 9: Strengthening Our Foundations: Neuroscience 101: Going Back to the Basics PART 1 Season 10:Strengthening Our Foundations: Neuroscience 101: Going Back to the Basics PART 2 Season 11: The Neuroscience of Self-Leadership PART 1 Season 12:The Neuroscience of Self-Leadership PART 2 Season 13:The Neuroscience of Self-Leadership PART 3 Season 14: Reviewing Our Top Interviews PART 1

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