Are you interested in scientific research or neuroscience? Tune in to her Dr. Claudia Aguirre, neuroscience PHD, a famous TED talk lecturer, and blogger talk about her career journey. Dr. Claudia serves as a scientific resource for many high profile clients like Dyson or Unilever to help them properly use research to make scientifically accurate claims. Tune in to learn more about her untraditional career in science.
Are you interested in scientific research or neuroscience? Tune in to her Dr. Claudia Aguirre, neuroscience PHD, a famous TED talk lecturer, and blogger talk about her career journey. Dr. Claudia serves as a scientific resource for many high profile clients like Dyson or Unilever to help them properly use research to make scientifically accurate claims. Tune in to learn more about her untraditional career in science.
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This podcast is brought to you by Florence Filters Leading company in air filters that care about your air and happen since 1971. Good morning, everyone. This is Brandon Matt Lof in Los Angeles. Welcome to the Stella Oak. Me Van's podcast will be featured different mavens in different fields. A maven is an expert of an expert there the go to person who you would want to ask all the questions to before making a decision. The purpose of our podcast today is to make our consumer more knowledgeable. Today. I'm really excited to host Dr Claudia Aggie Year E with a PhD in neuroscience. Dr. Claudia has traveled the world lecturing on her studies on issues from neuroscience to skin care, general health and wellness. Throughout all her work, she has strived to increase the health of our body and mind and extend our longevity. She has her own blawg and has given many Ted talks, which is actually how we found her. Today we will be exploring some of her work and focus on the future. Welcome, Claudia,
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be here.
spk_0: 1:23
So one of the most interesting things I think that I read about you was that you were pretty much self taught as a researcher and doing your PhD. Can you talk about how you were motivated to be self taught and hi, how you learn the background of being a neuroscientist?
spk_1: 1:42
Yeah, Well, the top part came after the PhD. So getting a doctor card plan really teaches you how to do really nice investigation. Um, you know, when you leave a PhD program often that you don't do the same research that you were doing in grad school. So you think the skills that you learned and the skill that you can take our researching skill Um So what I did after I got my speech, you're in signs. I started working in the skincare
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world,
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and that's where I'm Todd. I just went directly to the literature and look at all of the latest scientific papers for a few articles. The best researchers out there, but all others studying to make decisions about how to best change about the latest findings with skin and how we use them in a practical buddy.
spk_0: 2:37
Dr. Gary, When you were talking through one of the Ted talks early on, um, and you were talking about being self taught and learning kind of on your own. There had to be some motivation for you. Tow, learn. What was it that pushed you to learn after your PhD?
spk_1: 2:57
I didn't just always been a life long, You know, curiosity about everything Come. I've always been interested in Happy's work, and I think that sort of came from childhood. I remember my mom thing. They take a part of the little birthday cards that you opened and they were paying, understood from the cream on. And I was open, kind of care of our state have what is with me that coming from I think I just always curious person and that's driving for knowledge has been a lifelong passion.
spk_0: 3:28
Okay, so bring me back to your days at SC by the Lego Trojan. So when you were there, did you have a sense that this was kind of the path that you would take?
spk_1: 3:40
Definitely not in the beginning. When I first started the program, I had just come out of the age and I'm doing basic research and I thought that that that was the past. I was pretty focused on that, But I'm not really interested in everything else. Um, most of my social circle. They did the barn fighting her. They were studying fine. Until this is over my field of view to other areas like marketing and figure, sports marketing and business design and architecture and things that I never would have touched, not even in college. Um, I think that really drove me to look for a way to sort of you the other abilities. But I had Steve inside, like communicating first things that you're not necessarily Todd getting a PhD program for a time, But you're fine. Um, so, yeah, I think it really was a motivation from seeing other people work in
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different fields.
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And he wanted to kind of integrate some of the money, you know, areas into my possible career. Half I didn't see it at first, but by my second year, I was already looking for John Way of that field.
spk_0: 4:54
And so this was kind of an area that other people really weren't exploring, especially people that were in marketing and design. You think of people going to marketing and design firms, architecture firms, and then you think of people going into neuroscience is like people who want to do research and work on the brain. But you figure out a way to kind of connect maybe two things. You you are interested. And so I think maybe the Segway would be explain what you d'oh on a designs from, like, air purification company. Or, um, you know, how do you connect neuroscience to, like air Purifier, Right? Like, how do you How do you connect it to?
spk_1: 5:35
Yeah, I think it's already connected. So I'm really just to Nancy's up that are already there. Luckily with my work with Dyson in particular, they make beautiful air purifier. I had already done research at USC on the effects of air pollution on the brain, and we looked at how pollution continue to think. But dementia early enough that Alzheimer's disease, This is a new area. I do my project on that, and that's a Dyson learned of my work and and we just went from there. And what I do is I helped companies like you. No company Unilever dice in our company that has a lot of different products. There is science driven direct to consumer, and it helps them communicate that science. The theory behind. Why e Why?
spk_0: 6:35
What's interesting is like, actually the sponsor of this podcast. Siri's is Florence Filter, which is an air filtration company. So basically, there is science going on in the filtration. And what you explain is like how that affects the the human right. That's how it out, whatever is happening from, Ah, neurology, neurological perspective. That's how you figure out how to connect. Connect us. So can you talk about, uh I think one of your you're known for is talking about what the Ecto Derm is. And so maybe for our listeners that don't know what the active Derm is, can you explain what that is and explain how it on corresponds toe all the neuroscience and design and marketing?
spk_1: 7:22
Yeah, Well, the Astrodome is an embryonic fishing, So this is a very early tissue layer that found in the very early embryos, and there are three layers and one of them big after door. This extra germ gives rise to cells of the brain and up the skin. So the neuro melon in sight and also the skin cells be a journal himself. These this is important for me to talk about because This is how I connect the brain to the skin because I made a great This is a look. At one point the brain and skin were the same tissue. Now we can move on and talk about how others. So just how they're connected, how they're related and why it's important to understand, is getting from a much deeper perspective of injustice cut into official understanding that we have of it. Um, so that's really the area that I focused on, and when I didn't care, I didn't need purifying. I've brought me refined gin and beauty and and any aesthetic you know, procedure because I talked about the effect of what you do on your on your skin and how that night, But all the vice versa. How soon do I have any in the mine? Whether it's dressed, her anxiety, increased inflammation, and that leads to changes on.
spk_0: 8:48
So when I'm thinking about the skin and like changing surfaces on the skin, one thing that immediately comes to mind is tattoos. And so I guess I'm curious. Ah, wire tattoos permanent on the skin.
spk_1: 9:05
Well, you can watch a lovely little head animation that I worked on that. I'm sure you've seen it. This is a question again. You asked me earlier. You know, how do I look like drive me. This is a very good example of just playing curiosity. I'm sitting in my office doing research on something unrelated and
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just looking
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for ideas about maybe a log or something. And I thought, Wait a minute. Let me try to understand. Can't you better? I don't have one myself, but I know kind of how they work with thinking about it. Like it's your skin shed. Every day your skin shed tens of Malibu pus cells per day. Then why is that ink? No so deeply ingrained in the skin. You know, 10 2030 40 years later on go visit. This is a you know what drove you to try to look for that question? And I couldn't be certain that counts for nothing. And finally I found a your paper that had a sort of a passive physiology off tattooing and then led me to do a little more research and put it together in a story. And I created this head lesson around this in the animated and I'm quite popular and actually picked up by a lot of immediate from the Atlantic to use different around the world. So it is obviously a little area that you think about it. You don't know why the answer juice, but I'm glad I could leave provided something. Isn't that the reason? The reason is you? The reason is that there are the cells called Max. Page is a kind of bubble of our Inc because they continuously fight off the attack in the skin and they think it's an invader. So that's the reason why the excitement, because these little mecca stages kind of called a month days in their bellies and even one day die. Other accusations, Buddy am, also have that little bit of particle in their skin. Sorry in their bellies. I mean, when you had someone was love, even even the neck area. When they have, like, a long please of tattoos, then they might be black with between, but our body could distantly tried to take a get rid of everything cardinal for the rest of my life.
spk_0: 11:26
Interesting. So what happens? Or maybe it doesn't affect at all. But what happens if you have someone with a low immune system.
spk_1: 11:38
Um, so we cares or compromised Immune system is someone that would have to be really wary of getting attaching. For example, somebody
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missed
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a riotous This is metabolic syndrome, that in a minute effects community and because there's more information involved you could get. Let's break out. The riot act arises in particular, if you'd have to the area. So I wouldn't really recommend somebody have to compromise. You two have something by overwhelm their
spk_0: 12:12
interesting. I'll have to plod cast someone that, like owns a tattoo parlor and ask them if they have people signed waiver. So have psoriasis when they're doing all right, So So I have a couple interesting questions for you. So one is I'm wondering like now you've been able to reach, you know, thousands and thousands, hundreds of thousands of people, really in the world of Ted toxin and how well you've done Have you adopted your now like an informer of the masses, So, like, what does that mean to you? Like what is being in front, out in public on a relatively, uh, an issue that not everybody understands? Like, what does that mean? You're like, you're a um, influence. Or in a sense, in this space.
spk_1: 12:59
Yeah. Um, for me, it means he's maintaining scientific integrity, and they ensure that every piece of communication, But I liver isn't just cherry taste And, um, you know, not initiated by a decade of research the winner by even though I buy it, you know, shorter post here and there, everything that there is based on research, that dungeon. One article that came out of it being from decades of majors. So my my go to our review articles that old meta analyses and then play. I know that I'm covering a larger ground and I'm not saying anything. That's a little thio. You get on edge or something that I'm a little under me moderate. I guess you could say when it comes to claiming things on Guy helped companies with places. Well, whether it's in this world or the great world I worked called 10 days of helping them relying the claim that they were making so that it wasn't two out of the
spk_0: 14:07
when you say had space. Are you talking about the iPhone app or something? There something completely different?
spk_1: 14:13
Yeah. Yeah. It is an administration online. Well, though I work with have been as a resident here.
spk_0: 14:24
I'm wondering earlier when you were talking about getting this field you talked a little bit about, like what could potentially be intimidating as your role has grown over the years? What, is there any part of this process for you that you've become this influencer that's becoming intimidating? And are Are you scared to do anything?
spk_1: 14:47
Yeah, I don't know. And I don't give a thing or a bad thing, but I am always up for a challenge.
spk_0: 14:54
I love it. What else should what else should people know about your world? Like, what do you if if anyone could ask you a question like what
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do you
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want them? What do you want people to know about the space that you're in?
spk_1: 15:07
I guess it would help me about the health of my face. I want people to understand that there are groups out there, but they might not have the background that's necessary. Just fully understand what's going on in the body in the mind, you know, are in the literature because obviously they don't because literature So I would be I would ask people to be a bit more testicle when it comes to hear the latest trends, diets and, um, whatever. It doesn't even have to diet just the energy, health and wellness related loans, because if they are big, booming industry in the trillions now very muddy 100 industry at the moment we have had a judge's and books and compulsion absent just about everything and for me, you know, I provide the science behind a lot of that, and a lot of that is there. And it's true. Well, there's also a lot of information out there just getting people to think twice about doing they hear. That might sound a little too good to be true.
spk_0: 16:10
I hear what you're saying. But I also think that when you hear a trend or something becomes popular out there, if you wait for the science like if you wait for Dr Claudia to come out and do the whole report on, it might by then it might be too late to get in something. Try because it could be essentially a couple of years later, before you know you're actually commentating on a certain trend or not right, And not every single trend near commentating on. So how? How does it consumer supposed to know whether or not they want to trust Thea like, what would you do in the scenario if you want trust whether or not one of these claims are legitimate?
spk_1: 16:48
Yeah, that's a great question, and I think it's looking like sisters. The good thing is that most of the times happened after science has happened, but that's a good thing. So the good thing is the kind of try to just catch up sometime medicine trying to catch up with science Um, that's a whole different story because obviously, when you take something from the theoretical ties to the bedside, there's a lot more obstacles in a lot more things that you have to do to make up being practical. So often, Time was someone into the trend of, you know, putting butter and your puffy or running for five minutes and then stop taking all the sea. There are studies has already been talking about this, probably decades past it, but they think the only thing I would say is just look for qualified experts in this. I'm not the only one, so there are other extradited. But just look for somebody that has apologized. Agree that Nose, How did you do? The reach of the most important thing is somebody that knows how to do research with bacon, sort of comb thing the way and push away the things that a cherry pit or funded by industry. You know, they think the skeptical sizes know. How did you?
spk_0: 18:04
It's funny that you mention that even in my own business, in financial planning, you know, sometimes people that do research on our team that have background in science I carry a lot of weight when they're giving recommendations on different things because they've been able to do research on whether or not something is, ah, good financial decision, not even if their background isn't in finance, but it might be in research. So So I hear what you're saying and there's other role models that you must have had in your past that you know, you mentioned. Other people are doing the same thing. You're not the only expert. So, um, maybe you could talk a little bit about your role models if you have any. And, um, who are they? And you know, how did you meet him,
spk_1: 18:45
I get my one time a role model problem. Buy me my own mom. Just, you know purpose, Ilyas. And then also over strike for education has really driven and shake me as a person. Um, and when I say there are other experts in the town of expert, I still haven't met. But like myself, which means a neuro signs looking into care in beauty world. I'm kind of my price that there are more scientists in this area because, like I said, it all started with the extra term. Um, so in in that area has no one to look up to. I had no one to sort of look for is a mentor. I had just You have pieces together, Connect dots. I looked at the P sees that we're eating, do you hear? They were mostly come it biochemist, from maybe a child here And there's really not a lot of people have migrated out their silos in the bubble. And so I looked people that do very many things, whether musician and artist, those are the kind of people that inspire me because they consistently move out of, you know, a box or a silo that the position themselves in our society had put them in, and they're able to all on a very regular basis. So there's many people like that being politic, that is musicians and artists and creative people.
spk_0: 20:12
You know, A couple of podcasts ago, we interviewed Heather Hippensteel in her father day of Who? More CrossFit champions and I'm And they talked a lot about health and wellness and how it how it's involved with a CrossFit. I'm curious from neuroscience. Point of view. How do you view CrossFit
spk_1: 20:35
well across the Earth? So I can't say exactly, Um, another bit of research on how movement extra my denounced of some areas. Physical exercise is it, you know, the only way to attain, whether it's that while or butter endurance is not, there is a really good picture behind pie because the interval training on, of course, you have specific measures and outcome. So if it's done right on, but there's a minimization of risk of injury, then you know if you enjoy it right, you don't like it, don't do it. There's other is so many other things that you can d'oh um, to get in shape. You know, you can take a message like a methodology, kel, way of working out. Where you gonna go for something that you enjoy? The walk in nature in ocean? You know, this I think, has a little bit more of a mind body Helmand than just training in the gym. So my work has to focus on my body, which is why the fitness and areas I specifically looking into our lease, yoga or surfing or tight she things like that, that Jewish. I used the body of use the body to affect the mind.
spk_0: 21:56
I love it. So I'm gonna do Is rapid fire around with you or I'm just gonna ask you a couple questions. And and I wantto kind of understand some other things about you that that no one knows. So Number one, what is your favorite book?
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You'll never be,
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uh, who's gonna win next year. U c l A u S c.
spk_1: 22:17
You have to be.
spk_0: 22:18
Why don't you have any tattoos?
spk_1: 22:22
I can think of something I want for that. Mom,
spk_0: 22:26
Uh, if you were not doing biochemistry and neuroscience, what we find you doing on a Sunday morning,
spk_1: 22:36
um maybe video.
spk_0: 22:39
And then what is your favorite workout? Our gym.
spk_1: 22:44
I didn't get training
spk_0: 22:48
fun. Thank you for playing the effort. Fire on so, so quiet before we wrap up. Is there anything else that you want to share? Or you know, if people are interested in neuroscience and how they can learn more, like, how do they follow up with you?
spk_1: 23:03
Yeah. Um, well, if anyone's interested in terms of treating amusing that the mind body, why we're here is how we're all connected, We sort of larger topics. I'm online everyone to find me on social media. It's just that Dr Quality as the cto r p l a v a And I broke my one size up to put a dot com and my blood league on there. I'm gonna try to provide information and people
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want
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to hear. So please let me know what you wanna hear. Whether it more about you know, how you in worms or more about how your mind works. You could do anything.
spk_0: 23:40
Well, thank you. Really appreciate. It was really fun. Dr. Gary, give us a lot of new things to think about today. This has been a Stella Oak mavens podcast. We embrace you, the listener, to take control of your life.