Rebuild:LA Episode 055: Your Brain Is NOT Helping You Prepare for the Next Wildfire with Neurobiology Expert Erica Peng

This week on Rebuild:LA, host Cameron Barrett talks with Erica Peng, an expert in neuroscience and behavioural psychology. Peng has partnered with the National Fire Protection Association to teach a unique approach to crisis leadership, explaining how our neurobiology can actually get in the way of us doing the right thing when we’re faced with a disaster like a wildfire, or even when we resist doing the right thing in making ourselves and our homes safer from the risk of wildfire. Peng knows what she’s talking about. She experienced this phenomenon first-hand in 2019, when she decided to evacuate from her home north of Berkeley, California, as a wildfire approached. In our conversation with her in this week’s episode, Peng will explain why we often react in direct opposition to our best interests, and even more helpfully, how we can control those reactions to be more resilient and better prepared.

Resources:

• The Blog Post that Started it All
• David Rock's NeuroLeadership
• "How Emotions Are Made" by Lisa Feldman Barrett
• Brene Brown on Empathy
• Brene Brown on Blame