What exactly is a “healthy brain” and how can it help improve performance? If you are familiar with the concept of neuroplasticity, you know that the brain is able to continually modify cellular and neural activity through each life stage. These changes can be seen impacting brain structure, chemistry and functioning and the activity can, of course, be either healthy or damaging.

You’ve likely seen the studies showing that lifestyle behaviors such as stress management, mindfulness, exercise, healthy diet and deep, restful sleep – or lack thereof – directly impact both brain health and physical health. In addition, novel or challenging experiences such as learning a new language, learning a new skill such as learning to to play a new instrument or visiting new sites and cultures all appear to facilitate positive neuroplastic development that can be strengthened by healthy lifestyle practices.

The healthy brain is a vital tool in coaching that helps us ensure clients are set up to make the most of key learnings and adopt them in their day-to-day lives. Stanford lecturer Shirzad Chamine MBA distills this process even further, establishing a series of brain re-training exercises in his New York Times best-selling book Positive Intelligence. Charmine’s study documents the results of daily “mental fitness” training for roughly 500 CEOs and executive teams as well as Yale and Stanford business school faculty. Participants learn to identify and manage harmful judgment of self, others and external circumstances, gradually transforming sneaky saboteurs aligned with the all-powerful “judge” into tools of knowledge, power, inspiration and impact. It’s a powerful mind shift for professionals seeking to sharpen their game. As a graduate of this program, I understand the power behind the tool and enjoy seeing its impact on clients who want to activate their full potential and achieve mastery over thought patterns, feelings and behaviors that may inadvertently impact otherwise -effective leadership.

 Want to learn more? Drop me a line at laura@bydesigncoachingcenter.com.