The Brain and Beyond Podcast

What can we learn from "the giving of gifts" that might help us understand the REAL meaning – and perhaps the biological importance – of generosity? This episode explores how gift-sharing seems to have its roots in stress-reducing, even survival-serving emotions (ones that may date back millions of years!) rather than the fraught and often unsatisfying transactions we enact today. You'll learn about healthy neurochemicals and brain patterns associated with altruistic generosity and those that may rise from how we often see "gifting" today – and peek at why neuroscience research may miss the mark when it seeks to measure what REALLY happens in the brain when generous intentions weave together. Happy holidays and hope you enjoy! Oh: episode page here. Ellenellenleanse.comwww.ellenleanse.com

Here's the truth. I've been stuck. Trying to understand why by looking to the brain? Nothing worked. And then I stumbled across another organ that offered a clue – and a perspective – about why we get stuck and how to get out of it. This one's short and simple. Yet it's set me on my way to what comes next: things that give me (and hopefully you) hope, understood through the lens of the brain...and beyond.Thank you for being here. Your faith and patience means the world. More from me soon. Here's a link to the episode page with a few bonus resources. With gratitude, Ellenwww.ellenleanse.com

Beauty, it turns out, is in the brain of the beholder. Research looking to pin down the correlates and functions associated with "experiencing beauty" so far leave scientists wondering where and how the the whole beauty thing happens. Yet the chase to "be" beautiful is a major cultural phenomenon, not to mention a $650B + global industry. Today's guest, Grace Gold, is an expert in that industry and the players and products that shape it. Which makes it even more refreshing when she explores beauty as something far beyond the reach of even the best products – an expression of radiance and energy innate in each of us. Learn more about Grace – and the neuroscience of beauty – at thebrainandbeyond.com/22Thanks for listening and come back soon.  Ellenwww.ellenleanse.com

Stories shape our world – and our lives. Even when they're simply... stories, not actual truths. That's where Lucy Cooke comes in. With a deep understanding of the natural world and the courage to be a shotcaller, she goes to where the truth is revealed: the wild places our animal kin inhabit, getting first-hand accounts of what the world's species are really about.Looking beyond outdated perspectives and challenging the biases that have skewed our stories, she reveals the incredible complexity of animal cultures – and deeper truths about humans (and how our stories often get US wrong). Tune in for a wild ride – and be sure to learn more about Lucy and her groundbreaking work at thebrainandbeyond.com/lucyThanks for listening and come back soon! www.ellenleanse.com

We're back in action – and look forward to sharing a lively interview as our first official episode of Season Two. Thanks for your patience as I've prioritized other work and taken a deep dive into evolutionary biology – as in "how did our brains evolve?" – human history – as in "what events and changes have made us who we are today?" – and a whole lot about the mutuality of females and males and how we seem to have lost our ways. Season Two's first episode shares a lively interview with bestselling author, zoologist, and amazing being Lucy Cooke, author of the breakthrough "BITCH: On the Female of the Species." Expect some vivid stories and a lot of laughs when I share that episode later today. Also: join me for a unique learning experience: Stepping Up Strong. It's a groundbreaking look at female empowerment that's based on my global retreats and workshops. Learn more at ellenleanse.com. I look forward to sharing Lucy and other guests, along with friendly neuroscience you can put to work for you, in Season Two. As always: I'm glad you're here. www.ellenleanse.com

Change, it's said, begins within – and it's hard to imagine a more inspiring advocate for inner change and outer action than Dr. Susanne von der Becke.Susanne's path to mindful living grew, from the inside out, through her work as a scientist, economist, and banker. Along the way she realized the power of an inner-guided way of living, a path she today teaches at corporate retreats, well-being forums, and individual work in Europe and around the world. She's an active investor and board member,  Chairwoman of The Klosters Forum, and author of the upcoming book "A Mindfulness Guide for Leaders Who Want to Change the World."You can find a generous offering of meditation, mindfulness, leadership, and inner transformation on her website, VDBInsights. Be sure to visit her Resource Page for a wide range of helpful content. She also shares updates on Instagram. The Episode Page  www.thebrainandbeyond.com/episodes/20 shares a range of resources related to Susanne's work, along with timely wisdom from three globally-respected Indigenous teachers – only three of many such leaders. I hope you'll stop by. Thank you for listening,EllenNeuroscience Educator, Author, and Coachwww.ellenleanse.com

Breath is essential to each moment of your life – yet seldom do we realize, or harness, its power.Yet we can  guide,  even reset, the outlooks and presence with which we navigate the world when we understand the power of breath.  Zee Clarke illuminates that path through her book Black People Breathe and through the abundance of resources she shares via YouTube, Instagram, her website, and in all that she does.  Listen to Zee and you'll connect with the power of YOUR breath to guide and regulate your mood, interactions, and life experiences. You'll also gain tools for compassion, directed toward others and the self, and insights into the experiences of people in the human family who may face different realities than you've considered. There's also real power in that. Visit  www.thebrainandbeyond.com/episodes/19 to explore more of Zee's generous offerings and to connect more deeply to YOUR power...through empathy, mindfulness, and breath. best,EllenNeuroscience Educator, Author, and Coachwww.ellenleanse.comwww.ellenleanse.com

What took this episode so long? Seriously, it was the amount of eye-opening information on how much intelligence there is to be discovered in the systems of your body – so much so that I don't think I'll ever see the "brain" as the 3-pound mass so far explored in this episode. It is and you are so much more. We scratch the surface here with a look at the "body brain" of the brainstem, medulla oblangata, and cerebellum... then wander down to the Vagus Nerve to really light things up. I've loaded up the episode page at www.thebrainandbeyond.com/episodes/18 for those of you who wish to explore more. There's good stuff there. I always welcome input and questions at [email protected] for listening.Best,EllenNeuroscience Educator, Author, and Coachwww.ellenleanse.comwww.ellenleanse.com

Maybe you already know about Nia, the dance technique celebrated worldwide, the one that combines martial arts, healing arts, dance arts, and amazing music in a whole body, whole heart experience. Today's episode shares the voice of Nia founder, Debbie Rosas, and her unique look at the power of sensing – very different from thinking – as a primary intelligence. Listen to Debbie and you'll get all kinds of insights about the brain – the  BALANCED brain, that is – and what we might be leaving out with all of our left hemispheric ways of thinking. Be sure to visit the episode page at  www.thebrainandbeyond.com/episodes/17 for some excellent wellness resources, pics of Debbie from back in the day, and a pretty astonishing look at how principles of Yin and Yang map like "this" to the functions of the brain's hemispheres. And, as the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer vie for "who's on top?" as this episode drops, maybe something even larger. Enjoy. best,EllenNeuroscience Educator, Author, and Coachwww.ellenleanse.comwww.ellenleanse.com

Between us? I believe we humans, and all beings, are much (much) more than machines driven by pulses of electricity and surges of chemicals in the body and brain. That's the "mechanistic" view, and – much to a few science-focused friends' dismay – I'm not a mechanist. Though... our neurochemistry, and the way it interacts with lots of other things in the body, across the brain, and in the world around us, DOES shape much of our experience of life. This episode looks at one such chemical, a hormone called oxytocin, and how it might explain some of the puzzling pieces we're all trying to put together in life. Dive in to learn how this hormone works, how it differs across genders, and how you can encourage more of it in your life. And be sure to visit the episode page at www.thebrainandbeyond.com/episodes/16. You'll find a lot of oxytocin-boosting goodies (and some fun!) there. Big shoutout to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy for being awesome, to The Commonwealth Club for allowing use of their interview with Dr. Louann Brizendine, and to the Omega Institute and Elizabeth Lesser. They both rock. Best,EllenNeuroscience Educator, Author, and Coachwww.ellenleanse.comwww.ellenleanse.com