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gwunspoken
We know that now more than ever, there is a growing disconnection between parents and their teens, corporates and their employees, and human interactions in general.
This can cause stress, frustration and many arguments within families and the work environment.
gwunspoken looks at the challenges people of all ages have in their relationships with one another and provides experience and advice, allowing all parties to have a voice.... and feel heard.
Join us to hear corporates, parents, educators, teens and the latest advice of how we can in fact live the life we love, in making authentic interactions, because we know... authentic connection is everything.
gwunspoken
Tim Tams and Brain Training: The Science Behind Mindfulness
Ever noticed how mindfulness has been co-opted by wellness influencers and luxury retreat centres? What if I told you that the people who need mindfulness most aren't those already perched serenely on meditation cushions, but those of us drowning in chaos, overwhelm, and burnout?
In this season opener, we're stripping away the crystals and incense to reveal mindfulness for what it truly is: a science-backed survival tool for our modern lives. I share my own journey from skepticism to daily practice after learning how elite athletes like Mitchell Pearce and Kobe Bryant used mindfulness to overcome their darkest mental struggles. The transformation wasn't just anecdotal—Harvard researchers have documented how mindfulness meditation physically reshapes the brain, increasing grey matter in regions responsible for memory and emotional regulation while shrinking the amygdala, our internal panic button.
Many of us avoid mindfulness not because we're too busy (that's just our excuse), but because we're terrified of being still with our thoughts and feelings. We scroll, binge, and busy ourselves to avoid facing grief, rage, or exhaustion. Yet mindfulness doesn't require spiritual beliefs or hour-long meditation sessions. It can be as simple as taking one conscious breath before responding to a triggering email or fully experiencing your morning coffee without distraction. These micro-moments—even just 30 seconds of presence—can ripple through your day, creating space between stimulus and response.
Ready to start? Try one of our three prompts: identify where you're living on autopilot, name what you're afraid to feel, or plan one moment today where you'll choose presence over reaction. Join us for the next seven episodes as we explore how this simple practice might be the most powerful tool you're not using. Mindfulness isn't about escaping life—it's about showing up for it fully.
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Welcome back to another edition of GW Unspoken, where we discuss stuff we don't typically talk about but probably should. And today we're kicking off a brand new season on something that's been over hashtag, misunderstood and often turned into a lifestyle brand instead of what I suppose it truly is, and that's mindfulness. Now, before you imagine me sitting on a mountaintop wearing linen and chanting, let me stop you, because this season isn't about turning you into a wellness influencer. It's about showing you that mindfulness isn't a trend. It's actually a survival tool. And boy did I have to have humble pie when I first heard about mindfulness. I think it was about 10 years ago, maybe eight years ago.
Speaker 1:I was working for a company called Stronger Brains in neuroscience and a lady there she was awesome talking about how important mindfulness was and I was like come on, for real, is it? And I think it was because I actually saw people like Mitchell Pierce when he was playing for the Blues and I believe the story is right when he was playing halfback for the Blues and the Blues kept losing a long time in a row and he felt guilty for it and he said he was in such a really dark, deep place socially, emotionally and especially mentally, he turned to mindfulness. I'm like what? And apparently mindfulness got him out of the hole. And then we did a fair bit of work on Kobe Bryant and I know unfortunately he's passed away, but he talked about how meditation set him up for the day and I think it was because these sports stars got involved. When I was in the sport I was like I can't go myself and actually look into this and ever since I did, it's just, it's crazy how important it is. Because you know, if you're honest with yourself, when you hear the word mindfulness, you probably picture someone you know, super serene, sipping herbal tea and breathing in eucalyptus oil and talking very slowly.
Speaker 1:But what about the rest of us? The overthinkers, the exhausted, exhausted, the high achievers, the burnout? Teachers, parents, carers, ceos, people with trauma, people with no spare time? I mean, where do we fit in? And I guess here's the myth mindfulness is only for the calm. That's not true. The truth is, mindfulness is actually for the chaotic. In fact, the more reactive and overwhelmed or dysregulated you are, the more you probably need mindfulness. Um, so it's not for aesthetics, it's actually for function. And here's the juicy bit, because this is what the brain science says Mindfulness isn't spiritual fluff, it's brain training, and the research backs that up. In a landmark study at Harvard, researchers found that participants who participated in mindfulness meditation for just eight weeks showed an increase in grey matter density in the hippocampus, and that's linked to memory and emotional regulation, and that reduced the volume in the amygdala, which is the part responsible for the stress and fear. So what does that mean? It means mindfulness literally shrinks your brain's panic button and strengthens your focus muscle. So you don't need to believe in crystals or incense. You just need to pause, breathe and be where you are, and even if that's just for, for example, 30 seconds, Because also it can get controversial.
Speaker 1:Mindfulness, because most of us are avoiding mindfulness because we're too busy. We're avoiding it because we're afraid to feel. Mindfulness forces you to sit still with whatever it is there, whether it's grief, rage, exhaustion, guilt and for many of us, stillness is actually terrifying, especially in a day and age where we are, because we scroll, we binge, we busy ourselves, we become numb. But as I always say, if you don't face it, you're actually going to feed it and you can only outrun yourself for so long. So let's be real now.
Speaker 1:Mindfulness doesn't always have to look like a wellness retreat. Sometimes mindfulness is just not screaming in the car that's in front of you just laying on the brakes on the way to work. It's not reacting to the email that actually triggered you from your boss or from a friend that you can't believe you got. It's not eating the full Tim Tam when you are already full. Man, those days back at university days when I only ate a whole pack of Tim Tams, except for maybe two. And then I looked down at those two and I thought, gee, you two are lonely by yourselves. You better come to me and I'd eat them as well.
Speaker 1:So mindfulness can be in a whole range of things. You know, sometimes just taking one breath before you reply to someone and that's it. That's the whole practice. Now you don't need a $9 yoga mat or a Himalayan salt lamp. You just need a $90 yoga mat or a Himalayan salt lamp. You just need a moment, and that moment can actually change everything.
Speaker 1:So how can you actually start mindfulness today If you're out there listening to this and you haven't tried it, or you've been sort of avoiding it and thinking I don't believe this either? Well, here's some no-fluff, no-fielder ideas. Number one use a micro-moment. Pick something mundane like brushing your teeth or making your first coffee in the morning and just be fully present for 30 seconds. Feel it, smell it, hear it. Don't multitask. Just be in that moment for 30 seconds, Just what you normally do, and two name what's happening. Pause and ask what am I feeling? Not fixing, just noticing. Labeling feelings reduces their power. If you say, yeah, I'm actually feeling really stressed today, by owning that, you're actually reducing the power of that.
Speaker 1:And another way is you can actually anchor your awareness, Choose one sensory anchor your breath, the feel of your feet on the cold tiles in winter, the warmth of a mug of coffee. Return to what your mind, what am I trying to say? Return to that when your mind actually spirals out of control, like when you start losing focus. So just try and picture and be in that moment, even if it's for 30 seconds. It doesn't mean your life slows down, it just means you're not stopping getting swept away or you're stopping getting swept away by it.
Speaker 1:So here's some prompts to action. I know it's only the first episode and people out there might be going. It's okay for you, I don't do that kind of thing. All right, If it's been proven scientifically to calm the amygdala, which is your emotional store, your emotional body, brain. Why wouldn't you be open for this if not for yourself and the people who you may react around you? And that's what I wanted to sort of test you with today, or challenge you with today, I should say. So here's some general prompts, Writing this down again. This is our last eight-week episode on the innate code things that we think give you holistic health.
Speaker 1:So, number one where in your life are you living on autopilot and what would it look like to be sort of more present? To be honest, what's slipping by and unnoticed? Number two, when you're afraid, you know, and you feel like you need to slow down and pay attention to yourself, where is that? Name it without judgment. And number three, when is one moment today when I could actually choose presence over reaction, Plan it and practice it? So, if you're going to a staff meeting and you're going, this is going to suck, I know it's going to suck and I don't want to be there, where can you actually go? Yeah, I'm going to own that feeling. It is actually going to suck, but I'm actually going to be sitting there and I'm going to take at least one thing in. You know I say this to the kids out there, so all the students out there who might be listening to this is you go to a lesson where you know you don't want to be there, you may clash with a teacher or out of it.
Speaker 1:Number one try and find something different out of that lesson that you didn't know before. So, new information, new content. Number two can you question something? What's something when someone says a teacher says something or a student brings something up in that lesson, and is it something? You go? Oh, I'm not sure about that. And as soon as you start questioning and asking questions, you actually start learning more and digging deeper and having deeper knowledge. And as soon as you start questioning and asking questions, you actually start learning more and digging deeper and having deeper knowledge. And third thing can I find something in this lesson that actually solidifies what I already know? Oh, yeah, I already knew that, so I'm on the right track.
Speaker 1:If you're looking for those three things, then I think you can also add some interest. So, in your day-to-day the people I'm talking to out there what's one moment today where you could actually choose presence over reaction? What's one thing you actually go, I'm actually going to be present in this moment. So, look, that's our first episode, let's kick off. So mindfulness isn't a luxury, it's actually a lifeline. It's not about escaping life, it's about actually showing up for it. So we're going to talk about the truth, the science, the mess, the breakthroughs. You we're going to talk about the truth, the science, the mess, the breakthroughs. You don't have to be perfect to practice mindfulness. You just need to be willing and then see the difference. I'm Gary, Thanks for joining us today for our first episode, and we look forward to the next seven to see if mindfulness can improve your life. Thank you.