The Brain It On! Podcast

Julie’s Legacy: The Science of Living Fully (Plus: Thomas is in Remission!)

Lindsey Kealey Season 3 Episode 3

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0:00 | 33:38

How do you choose to "Live Fully" when facing a terminal diagnosis? Today, we’re sharing the powerful story of Thomas’ mom, Julie, and the "qualitative research" we did to capture her spirit for her memorial bench in Drake Park.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: See the photos of Thomas' mom Julie, our new memorial bench, and the "Honorary RN" ceremony mentioned in this episode here: https://youtu.be/AWjKiECkPbE 

Julie was an intuitive master of resilience. We break down the brain science behind her philosophy—Live Fully, Laugh Often, Love Always—and show how these weren't just nice sentiments, but survival strategies that helped her outlive her prognosis by nearly a year.

IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Memorial Bench: The challenge of summarizing a life in three lines.
  • Live Fully: Why doing the action first (Behavioral Activation) creates the feeling of hope.
  • Laugh Often: The "Broaden-and-Build" theory and how humor chemically undoes the effects of stress.
  • Love Always: The Stanford Forgiveness Project and the physiological health benefits of letting go.
  • Marigold’s Great Adventure: A tribute to the children’s book Julie wrote 10 days before she passed.

RESOURCES: Check out Julie's book, Marigold’s Great Adventure, and download free coloring pages at:https://www.pawsitivechoices.com/marigolds-adventure

HUGE HEALTH UPDATE: Thomas has reached his 1-year milestone and is officially in sustained CNS remission! 🎉

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Lindsey Kealey: Social & Emotional Learning Specialist