The Transformative Power of Travel: Rewiring Your Brain for Authenticity

In the ever-demanding pace of modern life, many of us find ourselves operating on autopilot, disconnected from our true selves and trapped by routine. But what if the secret to reconnecting with your authentic self lay in the act of travel? Specifically, travel that immerses you in novel experiences and vibrant cultures, engaging your prefrontal […]

The Power of the Pause

The Power of the Pause “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In the space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” – attributed to Victor Frankl or Steven Convoy Do you ever feel that your life is moving too fast? Do you ever feel like […]

First Steps to Becoming the Leader You Were Meant to Be by Lisa Wimberger

Some of the most complex emotional situations to navigate come from the way we learn or don’t learn to relate to one another. Relationships with individuals and groups are the fundamental building blocks of successful teams and societies and they require a healthy prefrontal cortex (PFC). The PFC is the newest part of the brain […]

Goal Directed or Avoidance Directed?

Science is showing us that the left prefrontal cortex activates more with individuals who are goal-directed, and the right prefrontal activates more with individuals who are avoidance-directed. Consider this ad: “Floss regularly to avoid gum disease” vs. “Floss regularly to have healthy gums”. The first ad will motivate the avoidance-directed people, and the second ad […]

You are in Control of Your Stories

Our prefrontal cortex regulates attention and thoughts with vast amounts of neural connections and a system of arousal and neurotransmitters. If we take no action, our default system can favor excessive stress response and disease. Science proved that focused attention and a perceived sense of control manipulates these connections and overrides stress and disease. Each […]

You Are NOT a Victim

Autonomy and control wire into our brains directly into the reward center: the ventral striatum. When we perceive we don’t have control, we deactivate the reward center and activate the pain/stress pathway. In 2009 the Journal of Psychosomatic Research published this finding: helplessness accounted for a 5-times greater risk of hypertension than any other life factor, […]

What a Difference a Verb can Make!

I AM vs I FEEL Did you know that when the fight-or-flight center of the brain is engaged (the limbic system) saying things like I AM so angry keeps the blood flowing in that direction, feeding that center.   But when you switch to I FEEL so angry there is a measurable shift in blood flow […]

Connecting to Others Just might Require some Self-Reflection

How can you connect to others if you can’t connect to yourself? When we are in reaction or in our limbic response, otherwise known as fight-or-flight, we have disabled the medial prefrontal cortex–this is the area that allows us to feel empathy, consider other people’s internal thoughts, states and motivations.  If we want to connect […]

Wake Up or Die More Quickly Trying

Wake up or you might continue to experience each day primed for disease and negativity.  Our prefrontal cortex regulates attention and thoughts with vast amounts of neural connections and a system of arousal and neurotransmitters. If we take no action, our default system favors error detection, threat response, excessive stress, and even disease. Science shows […]

Getting Rid of Unwanted Memories

There is likely an ethical debate that could ensue around the art of removing or rewriting unwanted memories.  Perhaps words like denial or delusion come to mind.  But let’s pretend for a moment that neither of these things is an issue.  IF our memories keep us locked in negative patterns, AND we know that each […]