015 4 things to build new brain | Bev Roberts

“You can become smarter, more creative and more productive than you thought was possible and in my book that’s worth taking action for”

— Bev Roberts -

Wow it’s so exciting for me to be talking more about the 4 things that build new brain because every single one Dr Fiona Kerr spoke about are things I value and implement myself.

By now I am sure you have realised I am a sleep maven and yet each of these things have been my own learning as part of my wellbeing journey.  So I wanted to do a deep dive into the 4 things that build new brain and share some practical strategies to implement these.

I spoke about

• The 4 things Dr Fiona Kerr spoke about which were human interconnection, novelty through learning, movement and sleep

• Brené Brown's definition of connection

• The multifaceted value human connection brings to our lives

• Our learning from others' experiences and insight

• Safeguarding human connection above new experiences

• The TED talk by Rita Pierson urging educators to connect with students

• 3 ideas for creating an opportunity for connection

• How the brain reacts to novelty

• My personal experience of retraining my brain

• 3 ideas from Belle Beth Cooper on how to increase novelty when learning

• Lauren Gelman's view that movement is medicine

• 6 ways exercise makes your brain better

• Ideas for incorporating movement in your life

• Sleep building new brain

• The habits and outcomes of someone who has good sleep quality

• Tash Corbin's experience of getting back to basics

• Getting better quality sleep is about consistent action and you can keep it simple

If you got value from this episode if you have not yet done so please Subscribe, Rate and Review on iTunes or Stitcher. You can follow the instructions here.  If you know someone else that would get value from this episode as well please share it with them.

Until next time fabulous podcast listener, I’m Bev and I invite you to live the fab life with me now!

Episode Links

You can find out more about the references here:

• Rita Peason's rousing TED talk with a call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level

• Courts Lippett and Kirsty Bonner from the SmartChicks Coterie run a weekly Eat ‘n Greet session for entrepreneurs

• Belle Beth Cooper on novelty and the brain

• Lauren Gelman on 6 ways exercise makes your brain better

• Find Tash Corbin at www.tashcorbin.com

Sleeptember® Events

1) Sleep Beyond Belief will resolve the problem of feeling stressed out and instead we will be tapping out! Let's tap out your stress so you can Sleep Beyond Belief!

2) Turn your sheet wrangling into blissful slumber... when you create a great sleep ritual you can create huge changes in your energy and your performance! Julie Nelson and I ran an online Scent, Sleep & Ritual Masterclass. Catch the recording HERE ONLY AU$27

014 Build new brain through sleep | Dr Fiona Kerr

“Devices are designed to basically get us hooked. Your phone is designed very much like a slot machine and so are most apps”

— Dr Fiona Kerr -

What a pleasure to interview such a multi-passionate and talented woman. Dr Fiona Kerr brings such fascinating aspects to the sleep conversation including the connection that we build new brain when we get quality sleep for a long enough timeframe. I share her concern that we have become sleep starved as a society and when we recognise how creativity comes about we will begin to see the benefits of restorative sleep.

Inspire yourself with these essential insights from Fiona.

We spoke about

• How Fiona came to be a neurogenesis expert

• Building new brain through connection, exercise, novelty and sleep

• The role that sleep cycles play in the brain cleaning up, filing the data then having some fun

• The way that memory works

• Role of sleep in creativity

• The role of a 30 minute refreshing nap

• Why you may feel groggy if you nap in the day

• Epigenetic strengths in the area of memory and learning in deep sleep

• Impact of artificial light including technology at night

• Relationship between being tired, our willpower and devices

• The problem of being task based at night

• Shallow task based activity versus deep thinking work and the impact on creativity

• The importance of focusing on one thing at a time

• The power of touch and eye gaze on healing

• Taking time to interact with others

If you got value from this episode if you have not yet done so please Subscribe, Rate and Review on iTunes or Stitcher. You can follow the instructions here.  If you know someone else that would get value from this episode as well please share it with them.

Until next time fabulous podcast listener, I’m Bev and I invite you to live the fab life with me now!

Episode Links

You can find Fiona at:

Website: http://fiona-kerr.com/

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/fiona-kerr-72624a1b

Fiona has spent a number of years investigating the building of new brain, which can be done at any age with the right conditions, and is currently trying to complete a non-academic book which outlines in lay terms how to grow new brain.

Fiona was a guest on the ABC show “Ockham’s Razor” with Robyn Williams and taped a podcast called Neurogenesis: a force for creativity.  A short written summary of the broadcast can be found here:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/rewiring-your-own-brain/6358410

Fiona appeared on the Insight SBS program on sleep, speaking on the cognitive role of sleep, naps and biphasic rhythms, and the addictive nature of technologies on the brain. Here is a link to a news interview and article written about napping, one of the subjects covered:

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/2016/05/09/power-naps-creativity-and-efficiency?cid=cxenseab_b&cx_navSource=related-side-cx#cxrecs_s

Value Quotes

“Can you change your brain? Yes you can. Can you grow your brain? Yes you can.”

“Sleep is critical, especially the later hours of sleep.”

“We’ve become sleep starved as a society.”

“Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it and exercise it the better you get.”

“Devices are designed to basically get us hooked. Your phone is designed very much like a slot machine and so are most apps.”

“Don’t pick your phone or devices at least for an hour before you want to go to sleep.”

“Often companies will get sold technologies as increasing productivity but they don’t they increase busyness.”

“Don’t have the phone dinging at you or the email alert. Just switch them off.”

“Daydreaming mode is critical to zoom out to the big picture.”

“We know that it’s really critical to connect and we watch our world more and more being disconnected through being told we are connecting more through technology but it’s not the same.”

“We need to give ourselves time out to do something that we like to do to feed our own soul.”

“We need to safeguard the value and the power of human interconnection.”

Sleeptember® Events

Sleep Beyond Belief will resolve the problem of feeling stressed out and instead we will be tapping out! Let's tap out your stress so you can Sleep Beyond Belief!

013 Never going back | Samantha Jerrett

“I didn’t know how good I could feel and I don’t want to not feel this good”

— Samantha Jerrett -

We have been working together for the last 6 weeks and the transformation to Samantha Jerrett's sleep challenge is in her words phenomenal and she never wants to go back to how it was. It is extraordinary what we perceive to be normal for us until something disrupts our thinking and we realise the impact on our daily lives. A lack of quality sleep is one of those things.

Inspire yourself with these insights from Samantha’s journey

We spoke about

• The challenge Samantha had falling asleep from her pre-teens

• Acceptance that being tired was normal

• Impact on her mood and mothering her daughter

• Getting out of bed being really hard

• Not realising how much of a problem this was

• What she tried to resolve her sleep problem

• Actions Samantha is now taking consistently

• The positive effects in such a short time

• The need to take consistent action even when faced with obstacles

• Level of effort required

• The role of accountability and insight

• Keeping it simple and rebuild new sleep habits

Value Quotes

"Getting out of bed was really hard"

"I was just so tired I couldn’t get going"

"Tried going to bed earlier but just lay there longer"

"When I realised how good I could feel that made me really stick with it and change it from there"

"Tea is my comfort so to limit that has helped as well as I didn’t realise how much of an effect that was having"

"I just don’t feel so yucky"

"I would normally spend 3, 4, 5 hours in bed wasting time and now I just go to sleep"

"It’s not about being perfect it’s about being consistent"

"I couldn’t believe how insanely simple all the little things you suggested were"

"What I was doing wasn’t working so I’ve got to do something else"

"Putting it down on paper just brought a lot of things to light"

"I didn’t know how good I could feel and I don’t want to not feel this good"

If you got value from this episode if you have not yet done so please Subscribe, Rate and Review on iTunes or Stitcher. You can follow the instructions here.  If you know someone else that would get value from this episode as well please share it with them.

Until next time fabulous podcast listener, I’m Bev and I invite you to live the fab life with me now!

Episode Links

You can find out more about Sleeptember® by heading to www.sleeptember.com.au

Sleeptember® Events

1) Sleep Beyond Belief will resolve the problem of feeling stressed out and instead we will be tapping out! Let's tap out your stress so you can Sleep Beyond Belief!

2) Stress Sleep and your Brain will solve the connection and missing links between your energy, your emotional health and your vitality. Get your natural high right here by connecting Stress Sleep and your Brain

3) Six Steps to Healthy Weight and Vitality will eliminate overwhelm and have you take back control. A simple plan to carve out time for yourself while still keeping up with your work and family commitments. Let go of the angst with 6 Steps to Healthy Weight and Vitality