Building Your Best Brain

Sylvie Lahaie
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement

Using science, practical tools, cutting-edge research and human experience to empower you to have the healthiest and happiest brain. Tune in to learn the what, why and how to empower yourself to build to your best brain.

  1. Jun 3

    Ep 41 — Surprising Ripple Effect of Stress Regulation

    Welcome back to the Building Your Best Brain podcast! This week's episode is the final installment (for now) of our Inside-Out Brain series, where we've been exploring the science behind how our internal brain activity influences the people and world around us. We're ending on one of my favorite topics: the stress response. In this episode, we dive into how your stress response impacts not only you, but also the people around you in ways you may not expect. We explore how stress can spread through social interactions, how our nervous systems influence one another, and why learning to regulate your stress may be one of the most powerful ways to support the well-being of those around you. In this episode, we cover: How regulating your stress can help regulate the people around you What the stress response actually is Micro-expressions and how stress shows up on our faces Physiological synchrony and nervous system co-regulation Why your internal state influences your relationships more than you may realize Leave a comment, question, or curiosity below. Asking questions and reflecting on what you've learned is one of the best ways to deepen understanding and create lasting change. If you'd like to dive deeper into these topics, join me for my free Pick My Brain webinar series, where we explore these concepts in more detail and answer your questions so you can better integrate them into your everyday life. Have a wonderful day, and I look forward to connecting with you next time. Want to Go Deeper? Join me live for a free webinar by joining my newsletter and staying tuned for the next Pick My Brain session. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my quiz to discover where your brain is currently at—and what steps can help you move to the next level. Additional Resources Ep 37 – The Inside-Out Brain: Your Body's Hidden Influence Ep 20 – Chronic Stress & Your Brain: What I Wish Everyone Knew Physiological Synchrony Review Paper (The review paper is currently behind a paywall. If you'd like a copy, send me an email at hello@synapticsylvie.com.) Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    43 min

  2. May 27

    Ep 40 — Thoughts as Broadcasts

    Hi curious friends, welcome back to the Building Your Best Brain podcast! This week's episode is a special one because it gives you a sneak peek into my free Pick My Brain webinar series. This session was a mix of live and previously submitted questions all centered around how our thoughts impact not only our own brain activity, but also the people around us. We explore the neuroscience behind thoughts, perception, emotional regulation, communication, and the subtle ways our internal world shapes our external experiences. If you are curious to get your questions answered, deepen your understanding, and learn how to integrate this information in a way that best fits your life, goals, and brain — I would love to have you join the next session. Add your email to be notified about the date and time of the next Pick My Brain webinar. Wishing you a lovely week, and I look forward to connecting with you soon for the next (and likely final) episode in the Inside-Out Brain series. Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by joining my newsletter list for updates on the next Pick My Brain session. If you are looking to improve your stress regulation, take my quiz to understand where your brain is currently at — and how to move to the next level. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    38 min

  3. May 12

    Ep 39 - Can People Feel What You're Thinking?

    Welcome back to Build Your Best Brain — where neuroscience meets real life so you can show up as your fullest, happiest, and most empowered self. We took a little break… but we are back and continuing our Inside-Out Brain Series — exploring the science of how your inner world shapes your outer reality. In today's episode, we go even deeper into one of the most powerful forces shaping your relationships, career, and daily interactions: your thoughts… and how they may be influencing the way others respond to you. This episode is packed with fascinating neuroscience, practical insight, and empowering tools you can apply to communication, leadership, family, finances, and beyond. In this episode, we unpack: How my own thought patterns have sabotaged presentations, opportunities, and career growth  What neuroscience reveals about neural synchrony, brainwave entrainment, and how our brains influence one another   Practical ways to use this science to your advantage in everyday life And most importantly… This is not an invitation to judge yourself. This is an invitation to get curious… and realize just how powerful you truly are. If this episode sparks thoughts, questions, or curiosities, leave a comment below. Chances are, if you're wondering it, someone else is too. Additional Resources:   Ep 36 – The Inside-Out Brain: How Your Inner World Shapes Your Outer World   Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my newsletter list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my quiz to understand where your brain is currently at — and how to move to the next level. Curious about diving more into the neuroscience articles I mentioned? Here is the meta study for brain entrainment and Uri Hasson lab.  Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    33 min

  4. Apr 16

    Ep 38 - How Beliefs Rewire the Brain (and Influence Others)

    Welcome back to Build Your Best Brain — where neuroscience meets real life, and where you learn how to actually use your brain to feel better, think clearer, and live more intentionally. This month, we're continuing our Inside-Out Brain series — exploring how your inner world shapes your outer reality. In today's episode, we take it even deeper… into the biology of belief — and how the beliefs you hold don't just live in your mind, but actively shape your brain activity, your body, and how others respond to you. Here's what we're getting into today: • A personal example from my own life on how my beliefs showed up in my dating life • The science behind the placebo and nocebo effects, and what they reveal about the brain's ability to create real physiological change • How classical conditioning wires beliefs into the brain over time • The specific brain regions involved when beliefs are reinforced or updated • How to begin building new beliefs using evidence-based rewiring, rather than forcing positivity This episode is really about shifting the way you relate to your beliefs and recognizing how much power they have over your reality.  Not by "faking it till you make it" — but by bringing awareness to what's already there, and creating a sense of lightness and openness around it. Because change doesn't happen through pressure — it happens through understanding. If something in this episode resonates, I'd love to hear from you — feel free to reach out or share your reflections. And if you want to go deeper, make sure you're on my email list for access to free live Pick My Brain sessions where we unpack your questions and apply this work in real time. Additional Resources:   Ep 27 – The Stress Circuit You've Never Heard Of (But It Runs Everything)   Ep 23 - Words can be Your Wand or Your Sword - What is the Difference in Your Brain?    Ep 13 - Stress is not all BAD for your brain and here is WHY Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my newsletter list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my quiz to understand where your brain is currently at — and how to move to the next level. Curious about diving more into the neuroscience of the placebo effect? Here is a review paper that covers some of the studies we unpacked here.  Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    46 min

  5. Apr 7

    Ep 37 - The Inside-Out Brain: Your Body's Hidden Influence

    Welcome back to Build Your Best Brain — where neuroscience meets real life, and where you learn how to actually use your brain to feel better, think clearer, and live more intentionally. This month, we're dismantling the idea that we're powerless to our environment. We're exploring the inside-out brain — how your inner world shapes the outer one — and today, we're taking it a step further by looking at how your body influences the brains of the people around you. Here's what we're getting into today: • A real example of how my body state completely changed how people responded to the same behavior • What happens in the brain when we read someone's posture, tone, or facial expressions • How to use small shifts in your own body to influence your environment in a healthy, grounded way If something in this episode hits home, message me — I love hearing your reflections. And if you want deeper support, make sure you're on my email list for access to free weekly webinars where we unpack your questions live. And in the next episode, we'll dive even deeper into how to integrate this science into your day-to-day life so these concepts actually change how you feel. Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my newsletter list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my quiz to understand where your brain currently at — and how to move to the next level. Curious about diving into mirror neurons? Here is a review paper that covers some of the studies we unpacked here.  Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    36 min

  6. Mar 24

    Ep 36 - The Inside-Out Brain: How Your Inner World Shapes Your Outer World

    Welcome back to the Build Your Best Brain podcast — the place where we explore neuroscience and how to apply it to everyday life so you can build a healthier, happier, and more resilient brain. This month, we're diving into a concept that genuinely changed my life once I understood the science behind it and learned how to practice it daily. It's the idea of the inside-out world — the notion that your external life often reflects what's happening in your internal landscape: your thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and the patterns your brain consistently fires. In today's episode, we're going deeper into this idea. We'll look at: How specific internal shifts led to real changes in my external world — in both my career and my relationship An introduction to the scientific principles we'll explore more thoroughly in the next episodes How to identify where this inside-out pattern is already showing up in your own life As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. Don't miss the enroll form to get on my e-mail list for free webinars where we dive into your questions live weekly! And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my email list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently at — and how to move to the next level. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    44 min

  7. Mar 17

    Ep 35 - The Hidden Filter in Your Brain That Shapes Your Life with Dr. Lisa Riegel

    Welcome back to the Building Your Best Brain podcast — and to a special episode where we have the lovely Lisa Riegel who comes to use with tons of knowledge and experience when it comes to perceptions in our brain! Lisa has a PhD in Education Policy and Leadership and has worked with kids all the way to CEOs. She brings the brain science behind why our perceptions impact our stress response and our quality of life.  We are getting deep into the science why; How do perceptions impact the brain? How do they impact our stress response? Can perceptions change in our brain? How can we shift our perceptions? How does identity play into this? What is a healthy sense of identity when we think of a healthy well-rounded life. As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. Don't miss the enroll form to get on my e-mail list for free webinars where we dive into your questions live weekly! And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. About Lisa Lisa Riegel started her career in education, driven by one goal: to help people reach their potential. Over time, she realized that fulfillment—whether in a classroom, company, or community—comes from understanding how the brain drives behavior and how systems shape success. That discovery became the foundation for her life's work. As an educator, researcher, and author, she has spent two decades helping schools, leaders, parents, and organizations align brain science with human systems—creating cultures where people feel connected, capable, and in control of their growth.   Dr. Riegel earned dual bachelor's degrees in English and Secondary Education from Kent State University. She holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Otterbein University and a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and she has authored five books, including her two latest books, NeuroWell, and Aspirations to Operations, focused on brain science and how we can leverage it to help people become happier, healthier, and more successful. Want to Connect with Lisa? www.lisariegel.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisariegel/ www.epinstitute.net  Amazon author page Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my email list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently sits — and how to move to the next level. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    1h 6m

  8. Mar 10

    Ep 34 - Fear Isn't the Problem — Your Brain's Interpretation Is

    Welcome back to the Build Your Best Brain podcast — and to our final chapter (for now) on a very timely topic: fear and your brain. We are getting deep into the science why; How you interpret your fear sends different signals to your brain  How this impacts the brain and our stress longterm What is looks like when we change our interpretation As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. Don't miss the enroll form to get on my e-mail list for free webinars where we dive into your questions live weekly! And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. Additional Resources Episode 24 : From Thought Spiral to Stillness: The Neuroscience of Neutrality  Episode 31: How Fear Hijacks Your Attention (and How to Take It Back) Episode 32 : Sneak Ways Fear is Running Your Brain Episode 33 : How Your Brain Turns Avoided Fear Into a Bigger Threat Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my email list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently sits — and how to move to the next level. If you're in Montreal and want to dive deep into the neuroscience of stress, breathwork, and how to build a practice that actually works, check the link here for upcoming dates. If you're interested in my 1:1 brain training program, Fire & Rewire — which uses at-home EEG devices to jumpstart your rewiring journey — fill out the form and I'll send you all the details. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

    28 min
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5
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2 Ratings

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Using science, practical tools, cutting-edge research and human experience to empower you to have the healthiest and happiest brain. Tune in to learn the what, why and how to empower yourself to build to your best brain.

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