"It's a blessing to be hidden and a disaster not to be found." - D. W. Winnicott The labels we assign to ourselves or accept from others can drastically influence our self-perception and motivation. The words we hear about... READ MORE The post Recognition: the Science and Power of Attunement, Non-Conformity, and Hope with Dr. Ross Ellenhorn appear…

Attachment theory is not a 'theory'.. it's a part of our neurophysiological operating system It’s a biobehavioral adaptation that helps us regulate ourselves and explore new frontiers. And attachment is not just a childhood concept. It is something that carries... READ MORE The post Neuroscience of Attachment: satiated connection, rest and play as …

"your brain is editing out what it thinks you should know about and what you shouldn't know about." -Dr. Allan Hamilton Understanding why we react the way we do, where our patterns come from and how we can show... READ MORE The post Cerebral Entanglements: How the Brain Shapes Our Public and Private Lives – Dr Allan Hamilton appeared first on Stefa…

Ever feel like your brain's in a fog? Like something is off and your brain is not firing on all cylinders? This is something I come across a lot when working with clients, and particularly in doing brain maps. What... READ MORE The post the science of brain fog: 4 ways to boost your mind’s clarity (mini podcast episode) appeared first on StefanieFa…

Years ago, while studying with my mentor-professor at NYU, Zoran Josipovic - who was looking at brains scans of monks - I decided to stay for a few months at various monasteries. One of them was Deer Park - under... READ MORE The post The Heart as a Little Brain: the beauty and power of mindful breathing appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

As we approach the end of the year, we may start notice within ourselves - and others - feelings of exhaustion, burn out, feeling frazzled or overwhelmed. There are seasons that are influenced socially and symbolically.. for example,... READ MORE The post How to not take things personally: The science of stimulus-response appeared first on Stefanie…

Connection is a 'biological imperative'. Being a mammal means that we are extremely 'nurture-dependent'. We cannot survive without connection to another. On the one hand, each human must become self regulating to a certain degree. Self-regulation is what we do... READ MORE The post Brains on the same wavelength: higher levels of collective intellig…

Whether it's asking a question, raising our hands, speaking in public, posting or publishing, expressing something new, asking someone out, having a difficult conversation, setting a boundary, or wanting to have a new experience that challenges us… our ability to... READ MORE The post Bravery and the Brain: how to cultivate courage and vulnerabilit…

When we truly understand the power of the human brain, and we authentically become learners, neuroscience becomes a language of the human spirit - one that empowers and inspires. Unfortunately, it can also become a language of buzzwords, hype and... READ MORE The post Beware False Growth Mindset: Signals of Inauthenticity and How to Change Them app…

As we approach the holidays and important moments in history… are there social or family dynamics that feel like repeats or remnants from the past? Do you sometimes get the feeling that nothing ever really changes? Repeating history isn’t... READ MORE The post How to not repeat history: neurochemical identities and self-fulfilling prophecies – mini…

Purpose isn't just some grandiose, once-in-a-lifetime discovery. It's not a single "aha" moment where suddenly everything clicks. Instead, we can view a sense of purpose as an ongoing narrative that evolves with our unique sensitivities* and experiences - and the... READ MORE The post How purpose and transcendent thinking affect the brain appeared …

"One thing about human intelligence is absolutely certain: it is malleable, meaning it can be changed through exposure to new information or even by looking at what you already know in a new way. There is no limit to what... READ MORE The post How to inspire growth mindset using neuroscience (5 steps) appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

Emotion regulation doesn't mean being calm and collected all the time. It's about range and repertoire, and an ability to intentionally shift into a state we prefer. A state that 'feels better'. Feeling better is always relative - if we... READ MORE The post Emotion Regulation doesn’t mean being calm and collected all the time – Mini Episode appear…

The brain, more than anything, is a predictive system. It conserves energy by attempting to predict - rather than truly understand - what is in front of it. When information is missing, it fills in the blanks based on its... READ MORE The post Vibrational Availability: how our brain distorts people and reality – Mini Episode appeared first on Stefa…

“Your brain - every brain - is a work in progress. It is 'plastic.' From the day we're born to the day we die, it continuously revises and remodels, improving or slowly declining, as a function of how we use... READ MORE The post Mastering the Art of Inner Intelligence – Mini Episode appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

Imagine yourself when you were at a low point in your life. Is there a voice that could have somehow helped you see yourself in a new way? Perhaps an older, wiser version of you.. Or even a younger... READ MORE The post Suppress, Switch, Engage: The neuro-mechanics of your inner voice and how to fuel your purpose – Season 4 Ep 7 appeared first on S…

“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it [...] has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present. Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of... READ MORE The post The Neuroscience of Intergenerational Trauma and Healing: Interview with Tim Lewis – Season 4 …

What is it about those things we know are good for us that we somehow just can’t get ourselves to do? Maybe we have intentions to do something healthy but then we don’t. … or maybe we do start making... READ MORE The post The Neuroscience of Feeling Like a Failure: why our brain makes us feel like giving up and what we can do stop it – Interview wi…

“too often people typically spring into action based on what first comes to mind, and thus too often mind… And thus too often, wind up seeing the world through the lens of what they already know.” - Maggie Jackson,... READ MORE The post Uncertain: The Science and Wisdom of Being Unsure Season 4 Ep 4 appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

Our nervous systems and brain networks are powerfully shaped by experiences that are embodied, visceral, sensory-motor and social. This is the essence of Embodied Social Neuroscience. In this episode, learn about 5 concrete embodied, neuroscience-supported pillars you can use to get better at honing the incredible power of the human mind-brain-body…

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ― Albert Einstein In a world that often values certainty and consistency, it can be hard to admit when we need to change our minds. The concept of changing... READ MORE The post Mindstuck: the science of stubbornness and how to change your mind- interview with Michael McQueen Season 4 Ep 2 app…

You were born with a growth mindset. When you were first learning to speak and walk, you fell and fumbled over and over again. But there was a part of you - an algorithm - that understood that this was... READ MORE The post New Podcast! The Science of Growth Mindset, Healing & Resilience – Season 4 Ep 1 appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

"A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution."... READ MORE The post Season 3 Ep 12 – Safety, Security and Systems Intelligence appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost but the call of a potential meaning... READ MORE The post Season 3 Ep 11: Mission, Endurance and Post-Traumatic Growth – Interview with Two Wolf Foundation …

Because of how human brains develop, the only way for maturity to emerge is in the presence of maturity. Listen on Blubrry Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts I remember the first time I gave a... READ MORE The post Season 3 Episode 10 – Education, Maturity & Human Potential appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

A quick episode that covers some insights gained over the course of my career in human communication and psychology, child development, teaching, and neuroscience. Highlights include the importance of: mindset, purpose and effective teachers anti-disciplinary thinking and teams... READ MORE The post Season 3 Episode 9 – Mindset, Purpose & Neuroplas…

“One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.” ― Shannon L. Alder Listen on Blubrry Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify How we distract ourselves... READ MORE The post Season 3 Episode 8 – Warriors Heart: Courage, Connection and Healing appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

Danger - and how it is dealt with - is the central theme of attachment - and therefore human interaction. Who we turn to and who we have around us during times of uncertainty and threat affect our abilities for information processing and preparing and responding to future events. The concept of how we regulate ourselves and with others, and how we …

“Love is at once an affirmation and a transcendence of who we are.” ― Esther Perel “And what is true for human beings is true for every living thing: all organisms require alternating periods of growth and equilibrium. Any person... READ MORE The post Season 2 Ep 6: Love, Purpose and Relational Realities appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” * ― Leo Tolstoy Listen on Blubrry Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts We are in the most interconnected period that humanity has ever experienced. The... READ MORE The post Season 3 Episode 5: Why social rejection is so scary – the science of communication, matur…

Learning is a gateway to power and freedom Learning increases our degrees of freedom by giving us new ways to move, communicate and adapt to challenges and capitalize on opportunities. Listen on Blubrry Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple... READ MORE The post Season 3 Episode 4: Embodied Cognition and Learning: My Interview with Sheila Macrine and J…

“Once again, the world seems to be less about objects than about interactive relationships.” ― Carlo Rovelli, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics Studying human brains while a person is immobile and alone in an mri machine can only get us so... READ MORE The post Season 3 Ep 3: The socio-biomechanics of resilience, trust and flow appeared first on Stefa…

To update our algorithms and enhance our brain functioning, there is one key thing we can do: Intentionally add experiences into our weekly routine that engage our sensory-motor systems in ways that are completely unfamiliar to us. That is the essence of my interview with Jason Knight, director of Alderleaf Wilderness College. In this interview, we…

In this episode, I explore: -the difference between our autonomic and somatic nervous systems and why knowing the difference gives us power to change -biomechanisms we use to protect or defend ourselves that are tied to our past and may not be helpful to us in our current situation (as I am learning, these can be hard habits to break) -how we can e…

What is moral injury, and how can we use it as a path to cognitive flexibility, sense of purpose and forgiveness? In this episode, we explore the following: - what is moral injury - what is morality and how it can be used to improve energy efficiency and resilience of the human species - how forgiveness and flexibility help us activate highly sophi…

Attachment theory is not a 'theory'.. it's a part of our neurophysiological operating system Attachment is a way of seeking proximity to an attachment figure. It’s a biobehavioral adaptation that helps us regulate ourselves and explore new frontiers. This in... READ MORE The post Season 2 Episode 11 – The Neuroscience of Attachment and Emotion Regu…

Have you ever had the experience of feeling like someone really ‘gets you’? This can take various forms - like being able to share what’s on our mind and the other person holding space for us to explain. It... READ MORE The post Season 2 Episode 10 – The Science of Feeling Understood appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

Why do systems fall apart or become dysfunctional? A system can be a family, relationship, community, business, organization, society. The human mind-brain-body is also a system. One reason dysfunction can happen is related to hierarchy and ‘signal flow’. Hierarchies exist throughout nature and throughout human society. Hierarchies are best able to…

In this podcast episode, I talk about something called ‘shifting the burden’. It’s about the topic of what we depend on ourselves for, and what we look to others to help us with. The balance of our dependence on ourselves and others - whether in adaptive maladaptive ways - is based on our first experiences with depending on someone. Many of us simp…

Normal is based on historical data. It’s based on what has happened the most often in the past. Our past ‘normal’ can make it easy to not question if there is more that’s possible in terms of wellbeing and a deeper sense of meaning for our life. But what we really, truly, deeply need to understand is that the ‘normal mode’ of consuming and doing th…

When we focus on trying to 'fix' dysregulation without acknowledging how it emerged, we are conveying a message that somehow the anxiety or overreaction just ‘appeared’ because of an imbalance in their brain and that distress, dysregulation and anxiety are... READ MORE The post Season 2 Episode 6 – Why are humans so anxious? and the dark side of mi…

The formation of self-identity and group identity through the lens of hyper-coherent networks, key features of what makes a system resilient. (remember - your brain, your relationships and human society are all systems). To help systems become more flexible and innovative, we need to understand the mechanisms of change. A mindset or paradigm shift …

The human species has some pretty spectacular systems built into us to achieve mental, emotional and physiological states that most of us are not even really aware of. We also have systems and features within us that make us very vulnerable to being influenced and 'programmed' into behavior that is not reflective of our most evolved neural circuitr…

What do a viral video and a stampede of animals have in common? It's a mechanism that is also related to 'self-fulfilling prophecies', self-beliefs, anxiety and negative thinking in general. It has to do with something called 'positive feedback'.... READ MORE The post Season 2 Episode 3 – Feedback Loops appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

One of the most complex adaptive systems we know of is the brain*. When we are trying to understand a complex system, one of the most important things for us to think about is its function. ... READ MORE The post Season 2 Episode 2- Your Brain’s Predictions and Paradigms appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

This episode focuses on the idea of systems thinking, and how we can use this 'lens' or paradigm as a way of expanding our thinking so we can see new ideas for solving challenges in our life and in... READ MORE The post Season 2 Episode 1 – Systems Thinking appeared first on StefanieFaye.By Stefanie Faye

“What matters is not how things are, but how they interact.“ – Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist, in his book, Reality is Not What It Seems ​​​​​Relationships are the key to building our most powerful mind. Our relationships with others build... READ MORE The post Season 1 Episode 12 – “Relational Minds” appeared first on StefanieFaye.…

No two people ever experience reality in the same way: our senses and neural architecture are built up by our own lifetime of unique experiences. Our brain and senses are constantly narrowing down our world. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing: if... READ MORE The post Season 1 Episode 11 – This is what happens to your brain when you add diversity t…

Most growth mindset interventions don’t work because they focus on: changing ‘other people’s’ attitudes rather than on the mindset of the person who is teaching or leading catchphrases & posters rather than relationship & trust specific results, like improving standardized test scores* *this is literally the... READ MORE The post Season 1 Episode 1…

In order to teach growth mindset, we need to be sure it’s coming from an authentic place. It seems that much growth mindset teaching is focused on changing the attitudes of others’, rather than looking at how we internalize and... READ MORE The post Season 1 Episode 9 – How to be more authentic when you teach growth mindset appeared first on Stefan…