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Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast
Secrets From a Coach - Debbie Green & Laura Thomson's Podcast
228. Book Club - Livewired Brain - Increase Your Adaptability Via Everyday Learning
In this third in our 4-part series where we review 4 of the recent books that have made an impact on us, we explore David Eagleman's inspirational 'Livewired' book from 2021. From new ways of looking at why we dream, to how we can maintain our problem-solving and decision-making skills, this brings a fresh and empowering way to view intelligence and what it means to be smart.
Rather than intelligence being 'hard-wired' in as being something you have or haven't got, this focuses on how our brain changes and reshapes every day based on the information it is processing and the sensory data it is processing. Actively seeking opportunities to learn and develop is not only good emotionally for our confidence, identity and mindset - but neurologically too, as our brain creates new neural pathways and strengthens the popular pathways and prunes away the unused ones. In fact, daily reflection is a way to influence your memory stores as it is a way to recode random moments into purposeful events. The brain stores what is perceived as valuable - indicated by the amount of times it is recalled. The more fresh info we can it, the more balanced and healthy that 'real estate' is. Just like introducing solids to a toddler, the wider the palate, the safer and easier a diet later.
What are you to learn this week? Just because.
Secrets from a coach Thrive and maximise your potential in the evolving workplace. Your weekly podcast with Debbie Green of Wishfish and Laura Thompson-Staveley of Phenomenal Training Debs.
Speaker 2:Laura, you alright.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm doing well. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm all right. Actually, Good week. Looking forward to spending some time in the actual room with you this week.
Speaker 1:I know how cool is that I know Now we can't be too naughty. We need to stick with an agenda. Debs, what's that?
Speaker 2:We can have sidebar conversations, yes, but the two people up at the front, someone has to keep, keep the program progressing forward yeah, yeah, because they want some outputs, which we will still give them, but, yeah, not at nine o'clock at night, when they all want to be going home absolutely not no, I always say to people I might be a little bit wavering on the morning and afternoon breaks but I land that plane on time when it comes to course end. Yeah, that's the bit everyone looks out for, isn't it? Yeah?
Speaker 1:Do you know what's so interesting, devs? Because we've been. You know, all of our team have been in real delivery mode recently. The power of creating time and space for people to have great conversations with each other from different parts of an organisation. And learning these days isn't just staring at a screen and, you know, looking at static knowledge. Actually, that opportunity to learn in the room through conversation, with just listening to people who bring a different perspective on how to manage people well, for example, has been quite incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it really has, for example, has been quite incredible. Yeah, it, I mean it really has. And I think we've noticed that that sharing has sparked different ideas and thoughts in people that they may not have thought about before. But, as you say, the energy that gets created, it feels it's tangible, isn't it? And people have really appreciated, yeah, the opportunity to do that. Yeah, the sparks are flying everywhere, isn't it? Which?
Speaker 2:I suppose is a bit of a loose link, laura, to your book that we're doing for this week as part of our four-part series on some of the books that we're reading at the moment. So we picked David Eggelman's Live Wired. So tell me, laura you alluded to this on our last episode that this was a book that just went pop for you. So what is it?
Speaker 1:and tell us more all right, let me tell you how the story began. Go on, so I was reading the new scientist magazine in an attempt to have, uh, non blue screen forms of entertainment in my life, so you know. So I get the hard copy of the New Scientist magazine each week and they referenced this book. And I've just learned over the years whenever the New Scientist picks out a book, and the way they described it just sounded really interesting. So I got this book and do you remember, debs? I literally phoned you up going. Oh my, God.
Speaker 1:I've just heard a completely brand new hypothesis as to why humans dream.
Speaker 1:Yes, you did and it blew my mind because for years, you know, people have been sort of you know, talking about why do humans dream? Is it a way of processing info of the day? Is it a way of being able to sift out the stuff that's important, that's useful for your safety messages, you know, for life and learning and all that kind of stuff? So I kind of sort of understood that and the importance of REM sleep and all that kind of stuff. But I'd never heard this hypothesis which completely shifted my interpretation of how the brain works and that was my entry point into this book.
Speaker 2:So are you going to share us what that is, laura, because you're alluding to it and I bet people are going well, what is it, laura? What is? It what is it so tell us.
Speaker 1:Well, if you're thinking, that sounds interesting, but I haven't got time to read a book. We've done the hard work for you.
Speaker 1:So this is kind of an overview. So what David Eagleman's book is all about is the book is called Live Wired, and that's his way of describing how the brain isn't hardwired with its thinking processes and memory, as in. You know, I've learned something and my brain stays like that forever. In fact, our brain, every single day, is rewiring itself based on the information that it's sensing and is processing. So our brains can't help but be live wired. It's a living organ that every day is developing and shifting and shifting its shape and he talks about this idea of the brain has only a certain amount of real estate in its grey area. So there's, you know, although there's a huge expanse of neurons and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:The brain will shape around its priorities. So if, for example, you close your eyes for a minute, what you will probably then find is, if you're lucky enough to have the gift of sight and the gift of hearing, then as your brain acclimatises to the dark, it will shift around in its real estate, ie the other senses get prioritized. So you might find it easier to hear things, or you might find it easier to sense things. So think how many times you might close your eyes because you want to do some deep concentration, because by shutting down one sense, it then prioritizes the other ones. Hence the reason why he says we dream. If the brain was experiencing seven to nine hours of darkness once every 24 hours, the brain might start to think that you'd gone blind and would start to rearrange the real estate in your brain, and then you would wake up then potentially with that bit of the brain shut down.
Speaker 1:so what his reason rationale for why we dream is is it keeps the visual cortex stimulating your brain, so the brain doesn't think that it's lost that sense. And so the reason why we dream is it keeps the brain just topped up with enough visual stimulus each night. So then your brain doesn't rearrange the real estate and, uh, decommission one sense and then prioritize the other wow, that is mind-blowing literally, and I remember reading this right just going what is this which god hadn't even ever thought?
Speaker 1:no, you wouldn't is the pure reason why we dream is, then just to keep the brain functioning going, otherwise it was being you'd lost that.
Speaker 2:You lost um side of those sides.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you would then start to uh, to move things around and what to keep the brain functioning going.
Speaker 2:That is incredible, Otherwise you'd lost sight.
Speaker 1:One of those sights, yeah, and you would then start to move things around. And the reason why David O'Ganlon was very interested in all this stuff is examples of when he was growing up, of a piano tuner who might be a blind person or someone who had an accident or an injury or has been born with a sense not working, and then just the phenomenal ability of the brain to be able to work around those setbacks and to have new ways of thinking and new neural pathways. That means if you lose the use of one hand, your other hand will then be able to compensate for that.
Speaker 2:So when you think about that, that ability to adapt then to your circumstances and what's going on, and those people, as you said, recover from horrific injuries and learn to do something different, better, what else does he say as that enables that to happen? As you said, it's the real estate in the brain and it won't shut it down like from dreaming. But what is it about that that enables that to just take place in?
Speaker 1:our brains. Well, I guess it's all the electrical impulses, it's the fact that there's all this swirling around, so the cells that fire together, wire together, so that classic, amazing thing that black taxi drivers who've had to go through the knowledge, they're a hypothalamus region, which is where that holds all that spatial awareness, all that knowledge, where you're visualising which road goes into which An average London taxi driver's brain, that area was 20% heavier than someone who hasn't gone through the knowledge. So that physicality of the live wiring, all those electrical impulses that fire off, all of those, you know, all of those impulses through all your synapses and all that kind of stuff, and that's how knowledge is then created and then formed. And, of course, there's so much interest in this area.
Speaker 1:Now, debs, with the more that we're learning about brain diseases, the more we're learning about how to overcome setbacks through disabilities and just how to be able to work with our brain in a more mindful way rather than just being written off as someone that you know. Well, they can't do that because they've got this wrong with them. And actually what he says, I think, which is so empowering, is the brain will find a way. It will find a way to adapt. But what can we do then to give it a helping hand, and that's where he's just got some great takeaways which we can run through in a bit.
Speaker 1:but yeah, it's really it's really, I think it's a really inspiring way to look at what is intelligence. Well, you're not necessarily born with intelligence. It's how you then, yeah, process it, and what you process is what you feed your brain yeah so if you're feeling a bit stuck at the moment, then just mixing things up a little bit can be really empowering. I know when I first set out being self-employed, I just knew I had to keep myself busy.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, otherwise what would have? Happened, laura, what do you reckon I would have sat?
Speaker 1:there watching TV for 13 days, waiting for the 14th day where I had a bit of work, and I remember thinking, well, if you're out there talking all about you know motivation and inspiring and being your best self, if I've sat around in my pyjamas for 13 days watching TV, I don't think that's going to be the best state for me to be in.
Speaker 1:Maybe not. Yeah, so you know whether you're job hunting there's a few key people in my life at the moment who are job hunting and whether you're setting out self-employed, whether you've got a bit of a lull at the moment, whether you're feeling a little bit stuck, just giving your brain some productive things. Not to not relax, I guess that's the fine line to then not to be, you know, to run yourself into the ground, but just to keep those senses stimulated which is why exercise is such a one.
Speaker 1:Exercise is the only thing that creates new brain cells.
Speaker 2:Wow, okay, and is that because you're having to think differently about how you approach something, so you're being more creative in the way you're thinking about how do I do this and do it well, or is there other things that are going on Well?
Speaker 1:first off, I think if you're prone to anxiety, your brain's going to be thinking anyway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true, so you might as well, give it something productive to throw a bone to and sort of to keep the brain occupied. Yeah, there's then, I guess, sort of that serendipity of, oh, you sort of stumble into someone, something or a conversation. That's a bit different. And you know, I mean the internet is great at sort of serving you up new things that you might not have known before, but equally it can keep you trapped in a spiral of only communicating with people that believe the same as you. So, as we've seen on sessions all of us recently working with people that believe the same as you. So, yeah, as we've seen on sessions all of us recently working with people from different parts of organization, just freshens your perspective a bit yeah so your brain is giving sort of new things to think about and, with reference, to exercise.
Speaker 1:My understanding is from something I read ages ago is what that does is because of that huge amount of oxygen that's then pumping through yeah is. It sends a message to the brain to create new cells. So that that's the very sort of because what it's saying to your brain is is you're going to have to gear up for some new challenges. So it just sort of kickstarts that whole program your brain doesn't know that it's a positive one of exercise we always talk about, isn't it?
Speaker 2:whether you tell your brain you can't, you can't, you can or you can't, you don't, or you do or won't, and will it? It just hears something, doesn't it? They always say, it gets the action word out of it and then it go, I can give you that. So it's what you feed it, I suppose as well, isn't it? And yeah, what I, what I found when I sort of had a quick look through it, was his take on the fact that early childhood development is critical in being able to set the foundations for our abilities, in order for our brains to be more adaptable.
Speaker 2:And that just got me smiling as to okay, do we consciously think about that every day? How do we do that for the young people, our children, so that that foundation, that childhood development, is happening right, as soon as possible, with stimulus and different things and experiences, and I suppose that, on one hand, will help some who are investing in their children. But what about those that aren't? Then? Where do they get that from? That was something I felt was wow, because experiences physically, as you say shape the brain depending on what you're doing and how often you're doing it, but the fact that it is critical to development as a child is huge, right. And what else did you find out when you were reading about that, laura?
Speaker 1:Well, you just made me smiley because I remember. You know what would have been 10 years ago. I know when did you start weaning a baby. It's from six months isn't it.
Speaker 2:Is it six months? I don't know. It's a long time ago, laura, since I did that.
Speaker 1:Well you see, there you go, even that right, Because your brain hasn't had to think about it. Yeah, it's pruned away that knowledge yeah, don't need it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't need it. So what? Your brain will prune that away as you sleep each night and then it just gets removed in sort of your waste fluid, basically. So I'm just fascinated how it all kind of works. Yeah, it is. But you've just made me smile because I remember, you know, when you're sort of learning all about self-led weaning and I'm sort of like what? So your baby can just eat anything Like a six month old is going to trot off to McDonald's and get herself a takeaway.
Speaker 1:And I remember the woman saying well, no, only what you provide on the tray and I think we could transfer that to the brain of a 48, 58, 68, 78 year old what you lay out for your brain to consume determines the foundation you're going to give it. So if all I'm looking at is negative, same stuff, yeah, or staying with the same fixed perspective. It is is like with nutrition in the early years, with raising a baby you want to give them a full palette that is going to reduce allergy yeah, it's going to be increased confidence and trying you know new things, and I guess that's the same thing with your. Reduce allergy yeah, it's going to be increased confidence and trying you know new things, and I guess that's the same thing with your. With your brain, it's all consuming info and am I, am I going to enable myself self-led learning, self-led?
Speaker 1:weaning I love that and I'm going to pick off what I want. But you know you better hope that the array you're giving your brain, yeah, is in the direction that you want it to grow, because wherever your brain is focusing on that is what will be live wired in and I think that's really empowering, fascinating. You know it's going to become more relevant for me now as the children get a bit older, but who you hang around with at school, I can see is starting to have a bigger influence than the direct messaging you can give at home, because suddenly those kids are, you know, getting more external influencing outside the house and inside the house and from a live wide point of view. I guess you know you can't prevent someone from learning, but you can at least balance it out.
Speaker 2:That is fascinating, isn't it? I just love that, lauren. You just made me think, then, because sometimes, you know, we do workshops with a variety of different people in different stages and you know of their lives and things, and it always makes me, I suppose, take it on a bit of a challenge, really, when someone says, oh, I've been doing this job for years, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And I'd always used to say, no, watch me. Yeah, and it was because that's must be that, that same approach, right Cause you, you know you're, you're not maybe using it, or I've just done this forever. And what are you going to tell? You know you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And I always think about that statement go, yeah, you can, you really can and in fact funny enough, dave.
Speaker 1:So my sort of little scribble notes yeah, you, you, you can teach an old dog new tricks if you can be bothered yes, and and what david eagle when we say is the older the dog is, the more important it is to learn new tricks because you might become incredibly proficient and efficient at the role that you do. But if there's a bit of change it can throw out some of that confidence. And actually I mean we've talked about this loads because I just think it's so important to not only think about the job that we do now, to earn money and to be able to do what we need to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but just from a brain health point of view, the more you have to think creatively in your job, which tends to be in the middle part of your lifetime yeah, the research is showing that you know that's more likely to have a healthier, juicier brain later on, because your brain is used to learning and thinking and adapting stuff, which is, if you've just closed down your brain to nobody, can teach me nothing.
Speaker 1:I've been doing this job for decades yeah you know, I don't need to know what's going on over there, I'm just going to stick doing what I'm doing. Well, number one, you better hope the robots aren't coming from that well, you don't need to learn before you can be automated, but anyway that's a side note but even just from a personal perspective, your, your brain is is more likely to hold on to those memories and process new stuff as you get older, because, um, it's use it or lose it.
Speaker 2:That that's what david eagerman talks a lot about yeah, that's, yeah, I saw that, yeah, and and I think that's a really fascinating, isn't it? Because when you look at the work that carol dweck has done as well, right, about fixed and growth mindset, I suppose I know they're all linked somewhere because it's all to do with your mind and what you're thinking, what you feed it and everything else. But it's interesting how messaging may be growing up that you hear over time that says oh, you're no good at that, so why should I bother? You know that isn't going to help us either to continue to even like stretch and come out of our comfort zones and learn something new. And I think it's. How do we encourage teams, people, leaders, managers to to recognize that actually there is always something to learn, but it's maybe how they approach it. What would you? You know what's your thoughts, based on your experience?
Speaker 1:Laura of that. I think that's a lovely link and where I would just sort of simplify kind of those, those same things, we're all arriving at the same place, but where Carol Dweck's fixed versus growth mindset, yeah, might then involve overcoming and challenging some beliefs that you might have. The David Eagleman live wide approach would be, I guess, to add on that and sort of force feed your brain messages that then remind yourself of what you have done. So, very simply, if you've got a team that are feeling a bit sort of stuck or a bit negative or a bit kind of hard done by, then start in each team conversation or one-to-one with what have you learned this week, what have you tried out, what has been something that has surprised you this week? And what you're doing is you're forcing your brain to self-led weaning, not just picking off the same bits of bread that you always do, but you're sort of saying, oh, what about the broccoli over there and how about this olive?
Speaker 1:So your way from Carol Dweck's is more of a mindset how you think about yourself and therefore how you identify. Am I someone that can do or can't do this? Yeah, the David Eagleman, much more on a neural level, is balance out and get a variety of data, because your brain is guzzling and processing that data, wanted or not. Because if you can worry about something that you don't really want to, that means you can think about something that actually might be useful, and so I think that's where those two things cross over really nicely, around practically. The questions you ask of people will then divert that brain's attention to where that goes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I suppose that I suppose in our world, where we're giving people some different, maybe different, information, or asking them to think a bit from a different perspective, or thinking about how we can, I suppose, optimize that lifelong learning really, and that mental flexibility, that's the one that's going to enable people, if they want to, as you said, have a brain that keeps on moving and shaping and shifting and not losing it if they don't use it. And it's really interesting. So how would we ensure that we were learning something new every day?
Speaker 1:Well, if we liken this to an exercise, sort of new exercise approach, I guess, sort of, first of all you've got to decide I want to commit to this, I think it's going to be good for me. Second thing you've got to work out well when it's going to be good for me, yeah. Second thing, you've got to work out well when's going to be best, so it doesn't sort of feel like this is another thing to do. And the third thing then is to try and gamify, sort of make it fun, so it could be. You make a commitment to yourself to catch up with someone you're not caught up with for a while and just to have that chat.
Speaker 1:If you're currently in work and you're wanting to bring a bit more creativity from a live wide point of view, then actively looking for something once a week to sort of, you know, turn your brain to it, but, interestingly, learning a new skill or getting back with one that maybe you've left dormant a bit, all of those things doesn't have to be work related or even knowledge related.
Speaker 1:In fact, one of the things he says that I just called it on my little notes here. It's like a little circuit thing, so mixing things up, so rotating between different types of challenges. So combine intellectual stuff reading and puzzles with creative stuff painting and music, physical dance and martial arts and different activities to keep your brain sharp, so it can be fun stuff. Ah, okay. And when you have to think differently, that's what learning is. I mean, learning is a semi-permanent behaviour change as a result of new knowledge. So if you are then actually being able to just think a little bit differently, but it could be the bright spark of your day it doesn't have to be oh, do some learning. In fact, it could be mucking about and doing something that feels naughty and a bit rebellious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you're still learning right, absolutely.
Speaker 1:If about and doing something that feels naughty and a bit rebellious, yeah, but you're still learning right, absolutely, if I channel our amazing colleague, lindsey thompson stuff that she does with all the dynamics uh, the team dynamic stuff. If you can unlock your free child, yes, when it's safe and appropriate to do so, the easier it is to stay mature and adult, you know, when you're sort of working in your job. So I think this is not about taking yourself back to school. This is about what could be something that you could do just for fun, just to freshen things up a little bit.
Speaker 1:So it's a light spot in your working day or wherever you're at. Yeah, I've got to say one of the things that I think is quite just to link in a little bit with the Mo Gordat book that we did in the first one of this scary smart start. So David Eagleman has been involved in a lot of stuff around neurotech. So little tech, uh, implants that go inside your brain.
Speaker 2:Yes, I saw that when I was looking at that. What is that all about?
Speaker 1:well, they've had. They've had that for about 10, 15 years.
Speaker 2:So if someone.
Speaker 1:So someone has had a stroke or has had some kind of, um you know, brain setback. There are things that already can go in that then just help, help misfiring things go a little bit anyway. So it was all beyond me a little bit in terms of the actual detail of it, but I watched every single minute of elon musk's neurotech launch that he did about two years ago, right, and you know, in true elon musk style, he did it in a throwaway comment.
Speaker 1:He said we're not planning to let the marketeers in to the neurotech. Not planning, no. So I just think, sort of you know with open eyes and you know from a cautiously optimistic approach, but the brain has sort of been left alone really for about. You know, when Freud first started thinking about the brain about 100 years ago, yes, we haven't really had the brain being mucked around with much. It's just sort of been there silently doing its thing. But I think in this dawn of AI and this dawn of all of these new bionic stuff, we're going to learn more and more fascinating stuff about the brain, and so I think there's going to be some really interesting times ahead with reference to this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because that chucks up a whole different set of dilemmas, doesn't it really? From all sorts of levels of human existence, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So sort of back to good old manual version of us Before we start like getting literally plugged into the matrix yes, probably somewhere. The bits that I really enjoyed from it was how learning new skills is really good for us, and the older the dog you are. Go for it. There's still life in those hips, even if you might need to put a bit of a.
Speaker 2:Hip replacement, the Alsatians that they have the wheels on. Yeah, exactly, have some support.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. In fact whenever you see a dog like that you think, oh god, you know tips for resilience, so actually you never know who you might be inspiring by actively thinking about learning new skills. Yeah, mixing things up a little bit, so mixing up your visual with your sounds and your touch, and all that is good for your brain every day of school day. You know that's one of our favorite phrases that's yeah so optimize lifelong learning.
Speaker 1:And if you work for an organization that's lucky enough to have L&D stuff, just go for it. Put your hand out, you know, just get involved. And if you don't, well, things like this are good for your continuing professional development, just to keep your brain sharp, using tech to expand your cognitive and sensory abilities, as long as you trust it.
Speaker 2:And yeah, leveraging the, the brains use it or lose it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. I think that's probably the sort of the main takeaway. I think that's really empowering for this. The brain is live wired. Every day it's learning, it's changing. Even two identical twins have got a different brain map because everyone processes things differently.
Speaker 2:Yeah, which makes sense, and I love that, as they use it or lose it. And I suppose, just going back to your point, we always sort of encourage people to do just the recognition piece of what they have learned. When we say let's do a gale, you know one thing they're grateful for. So you have to consciously think about what it is you've done through the day that has filled you with joy or love or luck or whatever it might be. So when we say to do a gale, which is gratitude, is the first one and A the accomplishment what have I achieved or accomplished today? How have I improved and what am I learning?
Speaker 2:I suppose that in itself will enable us to have that mental flexibility, because we can write that, we can draw it, we can speak it. We can write that, we can draw it, we can speak it, we can do whatever we want with it, right? So we're, we're using all of the senses too, because we're feel it and and it's just an interesting one that's just made me think, oh, that is a good idea to do again every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because what you're doing is is you are sending a message to the brain. Say that memory is important. Don't prune it away in tonight's sleep. Yeah, sleep sweeps away 80 of all of the data you've collected that day, which is why the older you get, yeah, trickier it is to rummage around in that wardrobe to find oh yeah, what was that?
Speaker 2:yeah, what was that name?
Speaker 1:yeah, you've got so many things, whereas you know when you're sort of starting out, you know, you know you've only had one project you've worked on, yeah, and you've worked on a thousand. That's a lot of random info that you've got to sort of sift through yeah so, yeah, that that purposeful reflection.
Speaker 1:at the end of the day, what that is saying is a message to your brain is don't prune that away. It's really important. And it might not have felt important at the time, but if, as you're reflecting, as you're brushing your teeth at the end of the day, oh yeah, I met that person in that team, yeah, and they mentioned a Macmillan cancer event that's going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh yeah actually I do want to get involved in that. Yeah, you might have forgotten that if you hadn't given yourself two minutes just to reflect on the day. Yeah, to then remind your brain. Actually, I'm going to fire that little memory again, yeah, and that then says double the likelihood of it being remembered yeah, definitely, I love that, I love it.
Speaker 2:So I suppose my call to action off the back of that would be to do a gale, and not every day I'd have to do it every day, but, as you said, to like just to put that, reinforce it and put it in the memory bank, if you like. And I think that's why I always love watching the film inside out, because it just is so brilliant at the way. It just shows you how your brain is wired right and and I just think that's such a clever way of depicting and that's just popped into my head because I, yeah, I, I think that would be my call to action yeah, do a gale, oh yeah yeah, and watch a film, and watch a film yeah, watch a cartoon how good's that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just just popped into my head, because it's random things pop into my head, don't they lord? But yeah, I just think that was so clever because, in a way, that is the subliminal. Subliminal messaging is around keeping active, looking at different ways of doing it, always being proactive, lifelong learning experience. Do you remember when it just sort of sums it all up? Really? So, yeah, watch a film.
Speaker 1:everyone I love that, that, but read the book yeah what would you say law about your share the secret.
Speaker 2:So my share.
Speaker 1:The secret would be maybe there's an opportunity to set up a bit of a social way you work, maybe learning just for the, just for the fun of it, yeah, um. So learning isn't just for young children or for when you've retired and you've got time to do these things. Actually, learning is part of that feeling good and keeping good as an adult in your working life as well, wherever, whatever status you happen to be at the time. So I'd say, grab a friend, grab a colleague and think right, if you're in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights are about to get lighter. What could we do? Just because Just to get a bit of energy, and I bet at some point there'd be a tangible impact you'd see in your professional day to day. But don't do it for work, do it just for the joy of learning.
Speaker 2:Yeah just because Just because, yeah, because I suppose the more you do that, the more you're unlocking any potential or hidden potential you didn't even realise you had. So I love that. Let's do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. Never too old to learn, never too young to lead. Yes, there are no timeframes on these things. It's your life, and I guess it's just adding in amongst all of the doing. Just where might learning be in on that, as? Well, because it's good, good for our brains it's like taking your body to the gym or into the pool or some kind of exercise. It's equivalent for your brain as well yeah, loved it.
Speaker 2:I've loved this one law. I know we were chatting about it. It's just one of them, and our last one we're looking at is around compassion, aren't we? That's my um. My book is about compassion and how we can bring that more into the world of work and in our leadership management style, so I'm looking forward to having a chat through that one law, oh can't wait.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's so good doing these book reviews really cool.
Speaker 1:There's just some such amazing stuff out there and you know, blink and you miss it and um, yeah, you know, this is the second one that we've run of a sort of a book review and actually these are some of the most listened to because, well, they're fantastic books, so big thank you to David Eagleman for this one. It's an absolute inspirational read and just back to the kind of the first taste I had of it with why we Dream, it just blew my mind about how clever our brains are at being able to adapt and adjust, no matter what your setback. No matter what your setback, yeah, no matter what your upbringing, your, your people. I think I get very emotional about this depth because I've met so many people who've written themselves off because they think they're not clever or they didn't do very well at school and actually that was then. This is now. Your brain is live wired, so it is built to learn, no matter what certificates you do or don't have yeah, and it adjusts as well, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:depending on what's happened, it will always adjust to different ways to you know, make it more acceptable or achievable or accessible to whatever it is you need it to do. So, yeah, I think it's amazing. I love our brain.
Speaker 1:Oh, I know yeah well, look after it most Well, most of the time, most of the time, look after it, feed it nice things. Which is why I'm looking forward to your book next week Compassion, Compassion.
Speaker 2:We're going to explore that more, but in the meantime keep wiring Laura and don't, you know, use it, don't lose it, but we're in the room together, so we definitely won't lose it.
Speaker 1:Definitely. Don't worry, I'll be bringing out the old script again, debs. Oh, here she goes again. That one no, new stuff, new stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, I, don't remember what you said the last time anyway, laura, so it's all new to me.
Speaker 1:You're just smiling and waving, smiling and waving.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's different. I don't remember her saying that, but you did, and I just don't recall that, so that's part of my adapting my brain to that Absolutely.
Speaker 1:It's a huge inspiration yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I look forward to it. See you later.
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