Everyday Neuro: Psychology and Neuroscience Podcast

Everyday Neuro 027: Who Do You Think You Aren’t - The Psychology of Imposter Phenomenon

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:29:24 GMT

In this episode, we define and discuss imposter phenomenon with expert Dr Ewan Bottomley, who shares insight into how many accomplished individuals experience self-doubt, and the possible links of this negative mindset with perfectionism and a fear of failure. Together with Ewan, we learn ways to mitigate the impact of imposter phenomenon to benefit wellbeing and productivity, and explore the neural basis of this persistent experience.

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Everyday Neuro 026: Why Menopause Matters – Brain Science, Symptoms and Strategies to Create Equitable Workplaces

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 06:51:49 GMT

In this episode, we discuss how menopause begins in the brain before many physical and cognitive symptoms appear. We are joined by Linda Engles, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, who shares expert insights into common symptoms and offers practical, evidence-based strategies for how organisations can better support employees going through menopause. Together, we explore how greater awareness and inclusive practices can help create healthier, more equitable workplaces.

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Everyday Neuro 025: The Neuroscience of Psychological Safety – When Admitting Mistakes can be the Best Solution

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 10:59:51 GMT

In this episode, we review the work of Amy Edmondson and the concept of Psychological Safety taking into account the brain science behind the now world famous approach to developing team productivity and cohesion through admitting mistakes. Find out more about the effects of Psychological Safety on the brain and ways to adopt a 'psychologically safe' approach to work and communication with others.

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Everyday Neuro 024: Mental Time Travel – How the Hippocampus Enables Recalling the Past and Imagining the Future

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 03:22:37 GMT

In this episode, dedicated to the pioneering researcher Professor Eleanor Maguire, I talk about how the hippocampus acts like a time machine, to help us remember events and special moments in our past, navigate the present and travel into the future. I talk about Maguire’s groundbreaking London Taxi Driver study and how it has changed our understanding of memory, spatial navigation and scene construction.

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Everyday Neuro 023 Part 2: Social Connection - The Impact of Digital Media on Our Thinking and Wellbeing

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 01:00:00 GMT

In Part 2 of this episode, I talk about the effects of digital media on younger people and how bans on social media use may be more harmful than beneficial. This notion is explored further with expert Dr Milovan Savic who discusses the relationship between digital media and loneliness, social connection, and his evidence based research about empowering younger people to make informed choices about social media use. This is Part 2 of a 2 part episode.

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Everyday Neuro 023 Part 1: Social Connection - The Impact of Digital Media on Our Thinking and Wellbeing

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 15:10:53 GMT

In Part 1 of this episode I talk about social connection and the effects of digital media. I also investigate social isolation and loneliness and the effects they have on our cognitive, emotional and physical wellbeing. This is Part 1 of a 2 part episode.

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Everyday Neuro 022: Empowering Our Future Change Makers - The Benefits of Transcendent Thinking on Identity Development in Adolescence

Mon, 13 May 2024 00:46:01 GMT

In this episode I talk about how engaging the thoughts and ideas of younger people in social decision making through “transcendent thinking”, the practice of looking beyond the immediate situation to understand deeper meanings and implications, can influence brain development and potentially enhance identity formation and self-liking in our future change makers.

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Everyday Neuro 021: How Actions Speak Louder than Words - It's Time to Boost Your Wellbeing

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 06:25:16 GMT

In this episode I talk about Behavioural Activation Therapy and how actions can boost your mental health. I also discuss social prescribing and the approach that promotes activities alongside traditional healthcare. I am joined by guest Nicole R. Smith who provides wonderful insight into the benefits of volunteering and how this can can boost your mental and physical health.

For more information about Nicole, please go to nicolersmith.net or @nicolersmith.net on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can support Everyday Neuro and get ad-free and exclusive episodes at patreon.com/everydayneuro

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Everyday Neuro 020: The Well Intentioned Myths of Sleep and How to Treat Insomnia

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 21:39:22 GMT

In this episode I talk about sleep and the beneficial effects it has on the brain. We are joined by an expert in the field, the amazing Dr Michelle Ni Raghallaigh from The Sleep Sphere (https://thesleepsphere.com), a NHS-trained insomnia specialist and cognitive neuroscientist who helps us to uncover some of the myths about sleep, understand more about the most common sleep disorder insomnia, and how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia or (CBTI) is the ‘gold standard’ treatment. A bonus exclusive episode is also available that provides top tips for maintaining healthy sleep habits and how they benefit our mood and performance, available to members of Everyday Neuro Acast+ and Patreon. See the website for more details at everydayneuro.com.au/podcasts.

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Everyday Neuro 019: How to Recognise and Support Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 06:44:12 GMT

In this episode, I discuss what PTSD is and what some of the symptoms are. I talk about ways to minimise stress when facing a traumatic incident including a lived experience. I also provide information about self-care from the viewpoint of someone who might be supporting a person living with PTSD.

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Everyday Neuro 018 Part 1: Nature and the brain - How our living environment can enhance mental and physical health

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 06:47:09 GMT

In Part 1 of this episode, I discuss the topic of nature and how it can enhance our wellbeing, feelings of safety and security and ultimately our health and productivity. In Part 1, I am joined by interior designer Tara Cantwell of Cantwell Interiors (https://www.cantwellinteriors.com), who provides rich insight into how we can bring nature into our homes and workspaces.

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Everyday Neuro 017: The Art of Relaxation - Learn Effective Ways to Reduce Tension and Anxiety

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 05:21:05 GMT

In Episode 17, I discuss the topic of relaxation and how we can engage in breath work to help reduce tension and anxiety. I talk with Tessa Hughes, an experienced mindfulness practitioner about the benefits that mindfulness and meditation can bring to our thinking and wellbeing.

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Everyday Neuro 016: Tackling Concussion in High Impact Sport Head On - How Technology is Guiding Players, Parents and the Future of Safe Play

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 23:49:26 GMT

In Episode 16, I discuss advances in research and technology that are attempting to provide new information to improve the safety of playing high impact adult and youth sports. I talk with Damien Hawes about an innovative mouthguard developed by HITIQ that aims to provide an incredible surveillance system that has the potential to further our understanding of the effects of high level impacts during sport on our brain health and cognition. I also talk about the role neuropsychologists play in a world of virtual reality and cutting edge technology.

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Everyday Neuro 015 Part 2: The Truth About Stroke – A Family’s Journey of Resilience, Humour and Recovery

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 21:20:15 GMT

In Episode 15 Part 2, I discuss some of the symptoms of stroke including coordination and communication issues, and explain how this is organised in the brain. I complete my interview with Cassie Watson, who explains how stroke has affected her Dad’s abilities and how humour and resilience has helped shape a new future for Paul and his family. I also provide some information and links to apps and therapy tools for people living with stroke to aid recovery and enhance quality of life.

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Everyday Neuro 015 Part 1: The Truth About Stroke – A Family’s Journey of Resilience, Humour and Recovery

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 06:52:41 GMT

In Episode 15 Part 1, I discuss what is stroke, how to identify the potential signs of stroke and that ‘time is brain’. I share with you the latest strategies to treat stroke including the use of mobile stroke units. Due to the impact that stroke has on the individual and their loved ones; we look at stroke from the viewpoint of those who have been affected by it. In part 1 of a 2-part interview, I talk with Cassie Watson, who courageously shares her Dad’s experience of stroke and what it was like to go through such a traumatic event as a family.

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Everyday Neuro 014: Hitting the Reset Button - The Benefits of Recreational Travel on Our Thinking and Wellbeing, Now and in the Future

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 02:09:42 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the huge benefits that recreational travel or taking a holiday can have on your thinking and wellbeing. I will introduce research that shows that the benefits to our mood occur both at the time of taking a holiday and in the time thereafter. I will share with you how even the thought of your next holiday can raise your perceived happiness levels, can build your knowledge and enhance your social skills. This podcast will also look at reasons why people do not take vacations and offers ways to reduce travel anxiety and panic.

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Everyday Neuro 013: Is it Ethical? When the Harm Outweighs the Benefit in Psychology Research

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 22:58:51 GMT

In this episode, I introduce the topic of ethical considerations in psychological research and describe past research experiments that are now deemed as potentially harmful. I will be telling you about three famous studies that may make you question not only the impact that taking part in research has on participants, but also on the investigators and how the results are portrayed, with some now the focus of docudramas such as the 2018 movie, Three Identical Strangers.

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Everyday Neuro 012: Theories of How We Learn and Develop, and How This Shapes Our Relationships

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 00:27:22 GMT

In this episode, I discuss theories of human development including a look at the psychologists who proposed them and how these contribute to our current understanding of learning. I talk about neuroimaging research of the developing brain and how this lends support to the psychological theories. I also look at how we use internal concepts called schemas to help understand and modify our knowledge of the environment and how these can shape the way we form relationships in adult life, including the use of schema therapy.

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Everyday Neuro 011: How to Achieve your Goals - Future Thought and Success

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:24:58 GMT

In this episode, I discuss goal setting and implementation including a review of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. I talk about ways to maximise your success as an individual, small business or as an entrepreneur using goal attainment strategies such as mental contrasting and fantasy realisation theory. I also look at the cognitive and anatomical bases of creating goals using future thought and episodic foresight.

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Everyday Neuro 010: Distortions of Memory - Truth, Lies and Eyewitness Testimony

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 00:05:01 GMT

In this episode, I invite you to take part in tasks to help illustrate the use of schemas, or packages of information, that help to guide our memory and how such energy saving ‘short-cuts’ by our brain can lead to distortions in recollection. I talk about the misbeliefs we have about our own memory abilities and reasons these occur using evidence from research. In the final part of the episode, I discuss the rise in interest in true crime and eyewitness testimony, how errors occur and why this is an area of controversy in the study of memory.

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Everyday Neuro 009: Using Rehabilitation Apps to Enhance Lives in Developmental Amnesia, Stroke and Brain Injury

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 05:49:45 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the topic of apps and how they are becoming increasingly used to support symptoms relating to brain damage. I provide a summary of a novel virtual peer delivered memory support app that was also able to enhance wellbeing. I talk about the efficacy of brain training apps and games and provide links to useful support apps for those living and working with brain injury.

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Everyday Neuro 008: Autobiographical Memory - How Good is Your Memory about You?

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 08:15:51 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the topic of autobiographical memory (ABM) and the brain areas associated with it. I will test your own memory for personal events, and will look at cases of people with highly superior and highly deficient ABM. I introduce the less familiar topic of children and adolescents living with chronic personal memory impairment, including the rare syndrome of Developmental Amnesia.

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Everyday Neuro 007: Anxiety in the Workplace - How to Enhance Culture and Productivity

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 03:42:42 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the topic of anxiety with a particular focus on the workplace. I will look at the symptoms of anxiety and provide helpful ways in which anxiety can be reduced to enhance wellbeing and productivity at work. I will use a real life scenario to illustrate how these strategies can be beneficial when used by all members of the workforce.

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Everyday Neuro 006: How Diet Affects Cognition - Exploring the Consumption of Caffeine, Alcohol and the So-called Western Diet

Wed, 30 May 2018 06:27:14 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the topic of diet on cognition. I look specifically at the affects of the so-called ‘western diet’, alcohol and caffeine on cognitive skills such as memory and attention, and discuss the contribution of genes and the brain on our ability to choose healthy options. I also talk with Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr Matthew Hughes, to discuss the affect and management of Type II diabetes on cognition.

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Everyday Neuro 005: How to Become an Expert - A Collaboration Between Attention, Working Memory and Executive Function

Mon, 14 May 2018 06:18:02 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the topic of expertise and introduce the cognitive domains that contribute to it, namely working memory, attention and executive functioning. I will talk with Dr Joel Goulter who has explored the expertise of Air Traffic Controllers, to try and understand the complex skills that help maintain our safety in the air. I conclude by providing you with some ways in which you can potentially enhance your knowledge and skills at a chosen task.

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Everyday Neuro 004: Brain Injury, Cognitive Functioning and Concussion in Sport

Sat, 28 Apr 2018 07:19:03 GMT

In this episode, I discuss brain injury and how it affects the brain, physical abilities, cognition and behaviour. There is a particular focus on traumatic brain injury and how concussion in sport is an area receiving interest from researchers. I interview Brodie Ingham who has investigated concussion in Australian gridiron, and she reveals that the results show the need for greater reporting within the sport.

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Everyday Neuro 003: How Staying Active and Sociable Supports Memory and Reduces Anxiety in Older Age

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 04:25:50 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Dr Hannah Miller, a clinical neuropsychologist who has found that sociability and having hobbies is an important factor in the relationship between perceived memory issues and anxiety in older adults.

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Everyday Neuro 002: The Benefits of Exercise on Cognition in the Older Adult Brain

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:53:21 GMT

In this episode, I discuss the current psychology/neuroscience research that suggests that lifestyle factors such as physical exercise, are helping to enhance aspects of cognition, brain functioning and wellbeing in older adults.

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Everyday Neuro 001: An Introduction to the Human Brain

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 23:46:16 GMT

In this episode, I introduce you to the human brain and discuss the global structure of the central nervous system, cognitive functions such as memory and attention, and the neuron at the microscopic level.

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Everyday Neuro: Psychology and Neuroscience Podcast

Everyday Neuro 027: Who Do You Think You Aren’t - The Psychology of Imposter Phenomenon

Everyday Neuro 026: Why Menopause Matters – Brain Science, Symptoms and Strategies to Create Equitable Workplaces

Everyday Neuro 025: The Neuroscience of Psychological Safety – When Admitting Mistakes can be the Best Solution

Everyday Neuro 024: Mental Time Travel – How the Hippocampus Enables Recalling the Past and Imagining the Future

Everyday Neuro 023 Part 2: Social Connection - The Impact of Digital Media on Our Thinking and Wellbeing

Everyday Neuro 023 Part 1: Social Connection - The Impact of Digital Media on Our Thinking and Wellbeing

Everyday Neuro 022: Empowering Our Future Change Makers - The Benefits of Transcendent Thinking on Identity Development in Adolescence

Everyday Neuro 021: How Actions Speak Louder than Words - It's Time to Boost Your Wellbeing

Everyday Neuro 020: The Well Intentioned Myths of Sleep and How to Treat Insomnia

Everyday Neuro 019: How to Recognise and Support Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Everyday Neuro 018 Part 1: Nature and the brain - How our living environment can enhance mental and physical health

Everyday Neuro 017: The Art of Relaxation - Learn Effective Ways to Reduce Tension and Anxiety

Everyday Neuro 016: Tackling Concussion in High Impact Sport Head On - How Technology is Guiding Players, Parents and the Future of Safe Play

Everyday Neuro 015 Part 2: The Truth About Stroke – A Family’s Journey of Resilience, Humour and Recovery

Everyday Neuro 015 Part 1: The Truth About Stroke – A Family’s Journey of Resilience, Humour and Recovery

Everyday Neuro 014: Hitting the Reset Button - The Benefits of Recreational Travel on Our Thinking and Wellbeing, Now and in the Future

Everyday Neuro 013: Is it Ethical? When the Harm Outweighs the Benefit in Psychology Research

Everyday Neuro 012: Theories of How We Learn and Develop, and How This Shapes Our Relationships

Everyday Neuro 011: How to Achieve your Goals - Future Thought and Success

Everyday Neuro 010: Distortions of Memory - Truth, Lies and Eyewitness Testimony

Everyday Neuro 009: Using Rehabilitation Apps to Enhance Lives in Developmental Amnesia, Stroke and Brain Injury

Everyday Neuro 008: Autobiographical Memory - How Good is Your Memory about You?

Everyday Neuro 007: Anxiety in the Workplace - How to Enhance Culture and Productivity

Everyday Neuro 006: How Diet Affects Cognition - Exploring the Consumption of Caffeine, Alcohol and the So-called Western Diet​

Everyday Neuro 005: How to Become an Expert - A Collaboration Between Attention, Working Memory and Executive Function

Everyday Neuro 004: Brain Injury, Cognitive Functioning and Concussion in Sport

Everyday Neuro 003: How Staying Active and Sociable Supports Memory and Reduces Anxiety in Older Age

Everyday Neuro 002: The Benefits of Exercise on Cognition in the Older Adult Brain

Everyday Neuro 001: An Introduction to the Human Brain

Everyday Neuro 006: How Diet Affects Cognition - Exploring the Consumption of Caffeine, Alcohol and the So-called Western Diet