Building Your Best Brain

Welcome back to Build Your Best Brain — where neuroscience meets real life, and where you learn how to actually use your brain to feel better, think clearer, and live more intentionally. This month, we're dismantling the idea that we're powerless to our environment. We're exploring the inside-out brain — how your inner world shapes the outer one — and today, we're taking it a step further by looking at how your body influences the brains of the people around you. Here's what we're getting into today: • A real example of how my body state completely changed how people responded to the same behavior • What happens in the brain when we read someone's posture, tone, or facial expressions • How to use small shifts in your own body to influence your environment in a healthy, grounded way If something in this episode hits home, message me — I love hearing your reflections. And if you want deeper support, make sure you're on my email list for access to free weekly webinars where we unpack your questions live. And in the next episode, we'll dive even deeper into how to integrate this science into your day-to-day life so these concepts actually change how you feel. Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my newsletter list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my quiz to understand where your brain currently at — and how to move to the next level. Curious about diving into mirror neurons? Here is a review paper that covers some of the studies we unpacked here. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome back to the Build Your Best Brain podcast — the place where we explore neuroscience and how to apply it to everyday life so you can build a healthier, happier, and more resilient brain. This month, we're diving into a concept that genuinely changed my life once I understood the science behind it and learned how to practice it daily. It's the idea of the inside-out world — the notion that your external life often reflects what's happening in your internal landscape: your thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and the patterns your brain consistently fires. In today's episode, we're going deeper into this idea. We'll look at: How specific internal shifts led to real changes in my external world — in both my career and my relationship An introduction to the scientific principles we'll explore more thoroughly in the next episodes How to identify where this inside-out pattern is already showing up in your own life As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. Don't miss the enroll form to get on my e-mail list for free webinars where we dive into your questions live weekly! And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my email list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently at — and how to move to the next level. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome back to the Building Your Best Brain podcast — and to a special episode where we have the lovely Lisa Riegel who comes to use with tons of knowledge and experience when it comes to perceptions in our brain! Lisa has a PhD in Education Policy and Leadership and has worked with kids all the way to CEOs. She brings the brain science behind why our perceptions impact our stress response and our quality of life. We are getting deep into the science why; How do perceptions impact the brain? How do they impact our stress response? Can perceptions change in our brain? How can we shift our perceptions? How does identity play into this? What is a healthy sense of identity when we think of a healthy well-rounded life. As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. Don't miss the enroll form to get on my e-mail list for free webinars where we dive into your questions live weekly! And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. About Lisa Lisa Riegel started her career in education, driven by one goal: to help people reach their potential. Over time, she realized that fulfillment—whether in a classroom, company, or community—comes from understanding how the brain drives behavior and how systems shape success. That discovery became the foundation for her life's work. As an educator, researcher, and author, she has spent two decades helping schools, leaders, parents, and organizations align brain science with human systems—creating cultures where people feel connected, capable, and in control of their growth. Dr. Riegel earned dual bachelor's degrees in English and Secondary Education from Kent State University. She holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Otterbein University and a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and she has authored five books, including her two latest books, NeuroWell, and Aspirations to Operations, focused on brain science and how we can leverage it to help people become happier, healthier, and more successful. Want to Connect with Lisa? www.lisariegel.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisariegel/ www.epinstitute.net Amazon author page Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my email list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently sits — and how to move to the next level. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome back to the Build Your Best Brain podcast — and to our final chapter (for now) on a very timely topic: fear and your brain. We are getting deep into the science why; How you interpret your fear sends different signals to your brain How this impacts the brain and our stress longterm What is looks like when we change our interpretation As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. Don't miss the enroll form to get on my e-mail list for free webinars where we dive into your questions live weekly! And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. Additional Resources Episode 24 : From Thought Spiral to Stillness: The Neuroscience of Neutrality Episode 31: How Fear Hijacks Your Attention (and How to Take It Back) Episode 32 : Sneak Ways Fear is Running Your Brain Episode 33 : How Your Brain Turns Avoided Fear Into a Bigger Threat Want to Go Deeper? Join me LIVE for a free webinar by enrolling in my email list for date and time here. If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently sits — and how to move to the next level. If you're in Montreal and want to dive deep into the neuroscience of stress, breathwork, and how to build a practice that actually works, check the link here for upcoming dates. If you're interested in my 1:1 brain training program, Fire & Rewire — which uses at-home EEG devices to jumpstart your rewiring journey — fill out the form and I'll send you all the details. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome back to the Build Your Best Brain podcast — and to a new chapter of the show, where we're diving into a timely and powerful topic: fear and your brain. This episode isn't here to scare you — it's here to empower you. We are getting deep into why avoiding your fears actually causes them to take up MORE space in your brain. In this episode we talk about; The neuroscience behind avoiding and when it doesn't work How shifting the fear internally changes your outside world How to start confronting your fears without getting in a full blown stress spiral As always, I'd love to hear from you — message me with reflections, questions, or breakthroughs. And stay tuned for the next episode, where we'll go deeper into the education, integration, and real-life application of these ideas — so you can feel truly empowered by your brain. Additional Resources Episode 17: Brain FUNdamentals Episode 24 : From Thought Spiral to Stillness: The Neuroscience of Neutrality Episode 31: How Fear Hijacks Your Attention (and How to Take It Back) Episode 32 : Sneak Ways Fear is Running Your Brain Want to Go Deeper? If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently sits — and how to move to the next level. If you're in Montreal and want to dive deep into the neuroscience of stress, breathwork, and how to build a practice that actually works, check the link here for upcoming dates. If you're interested in my 1:1 brain training program, Fire & Rewire — which uses at-home EEG devices to jumpstart your rewiring journey — fill out the form and I'll send you all the details. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Ep 31 - How Fear Hijacks Your Attention (and How to Take It Back) Welcome to the Build Your Best Brain podcast — and to a new chapter of the show where we're diving into a very timely topic: fear. Before you worry — this episode is not here to scare you. It's here to inform, educate, and ultimately empower you. We'll explore fear on multiple levels, starting with how fear impacts — and often hijacks — our attention. Understanding this process is a powerful first step toward working with your brain instead of against it. In this episode, we cover: Intrinsic vs. extrinsic fears How fear unconsciously hijacks our attention The fear centers in the brain and where they project A daily fear analysis you can use in your own life (link to the tool here) This can feel like a lot of information, so feel free to listen more than once and apply the concepts in small, manageable chunks. Every time you do, you're supporting your brain — and I promise, you're doing it a huge service. Engaging with the material, asking questions, sharing reflections, and finding ways to apply what you're learning will deepen your understanding significantly. So don't be shy — leave a comment below, send me a message, or share this episode with a friend to explore it together. I'm really looking forward to the next episode and to watching you learn and grow along the way. Additional Resources Episode 17: Brain FUNdamentals Episode 13: Stress Is Not Bad for You Want to Go Deeper? If you're looking to improve your stress regulation, take my free quiz to understand where your brain currently sits — and how to move to the next level. If you're in Montreal and want to dive deep into the neuroscience of stress, breathwork, and how to build a practice that actually works, check the link here for upcoming dates. If you're interested in my 1:1 brain training program, Fire & Rewire — which uses at-home EEG devices to jumpstart your rewiring journey — fill out the form and I'll send you all the details. Let's Connect 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain 🧠✨ As we close out the final days of 2025, today's episode dives into the neuroscience behind how to actually enjoy the journey toward your goals—not just push through it. So many of us struggle to stay motivated and consistent. Not because we lack discipline or desire, but because of how our goals are set up and because no one ever taught us how the brain really works in the process. These struggles often show up as familiar pain points—and in this episode, we unpack them together so you can start shifting them as you move into 2026. In this episode, we explore the science behind—and practical ways to shift—these five common pain points: Feeling like you don't have enough time Being overly focused on the end goal Believing you're not making progress Fearing it won't happen Never feeling like you've "made it," even when you have ✨ Your homework: Choose one of these pain points (alongside your current goal) and begin gently working with it as you head into 2026. If you'd like support, or if anything felt unclear, feel free to leave a comment or send me a DM. It would truly be an honour to support you in moving closer to your goals—because you are an incredible human and more than capable of creating what you want. Free Resources Before, During and After Exercise Ep 24 - From Thought Spiral to Stillness: The Neuroscience of Neutrality Ep 13 - Stress is not BAD for your brain and here is WHY Ep 28 - Your Brain Doesn't Like Your Goals Ep 25 - The 6 Levels of Stress Regulation: A Neuroscientist's Framework for Stress Management Mastery Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 neurofeedback coaching or get more details on my group offers, you can leave your email here. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome to the Building Your Best Brain podcast! I'm so happy you're here—learning how to rewire your brain for resilience and feel empowered by your own biology. As someone who loves a good goal (finishing my PhD and building a business over here 🙋‍♀️), I realized something was missing from traditional goal setting. Most approaches don't actually help your brain build the circuits needed to support goals from a productive, sustainable, and regulated place. In this episode, I share a new way of structuring goals—building on powerful work from neuroscience and psychology—that helps create real momentum, both internally and externally. And I didn't want to wait until the new year to share it with you. If questions or curiosities come up as you listen, drop them in the comments. I'm always happy to support you in guiding your brain to build circuits that support your goals while actually enjoying the process. Want to go deeper? If you're interested in my 1:1 brain training program, Fire & Rewire, designed to jumpstart your rewiring journey, fill out the form and I'll send you all the details. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome to the Building Your Best Brain podcast! I'm so happy you're here — learning how to rewire your brain for resilience and feel empowered by your own biology. In this episode, we dive into the missing piece of stress regulation — the piece that helps your brain build positive momentum, instead of feeling like you're stuck in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. (You know… addressing one stress symptom only to have another pop up a few moments later.) We explore: · What core circuit is linked to MOST of your stress symptoms · The neuroscience behind shifting this core circuit and how it affects your brainwaves · How this circuit shows up in your day-to-day life · How to start identifying which core circuit is running your system If you're ready to identify your own core circuit, click here to download your worksheet and begin noticing which patterns are running your day. If questions or curiosities come up — reach out. This is a HUGE part of rewiring your brain, and you absolutely do not have to navigate it alone. Want to go deeper with me? If you're interested in my 1:1 neurofeedback program, Fire & Rewire, to jumpstart your rewiring journey, fill out your info here and I'll send you all the details. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok — @synaptic.sylvie 🎥 YouTube — Synaptic Sylvie 🌐 Website — synapticsylvie.com

Welcome to Building Your Best Brain podcast! Today's episode we dive into the science behind why when we try to make a change in our brain (example – regulate your stress, rewiring a limiting belief) that you may start to feel WORSE. If I knew this information 5 years ago it would have saved me so much time and energy! The stage that most people give up and think the tools aren't working is usually when you brain is making massive change and you don't even know it. In this episode we discuss; - How circuits form and why changing them can make you feel worse. - Stories of brain training program clients and what their EEG brainwave recordings look like during this stage. - How to know if you are in this camp or if the tool you are using is simply not working. - How to motivate yourself (and your brain) to keep going. I would LOVE to hear how this practise goes for you – drop your reflections/questions below in the comments or reach out to me on IG @synaptic.sylvie And if you want to explore brain training with at home EEG devices to take the guesswork out of how your brain can become more resilient to stress, overwhelm, and negative thought-loops – fill out this form to get more information. --------------------- Other Episodes Mentioned Ep 25 — The 6 Levels of Stress Regulation: A Neuroscientist's Framework for Stress Management Mastery Ep17 - The Brain FUNdamentals --------------------- Let's connect:📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! In this episode, I'm sharing something brand new — a 6-level framework I developed to measure and improve stress regulation, based on neuroscience, behavior, and emotional awareness. 🧠 As a neuroscientist, yoga and meditation teacher, and someone who has personally navigated mental health challenges, I've spent years studying what it really means to regulate your stress. This scale bridges the science of the nervous system with the lived experience of emotion, showing you where you are, and how to gently move toward greater calm, clarity, and control. Here's what we cover in this episode: The 6 levels of stress regulation — from reactive to resilient. The neuroscience behind each level and how it shows up in your thoughts, body, and behaviors. How to identify where you are on the scale in different areas of your life. A personal story of how I used this framework to shift from survival mode to self-trust. A simple practice to "reward" your brain for small wins and accelerate emotional rewiring. Your homework: Pick one area of your life (work, relationships, health…) and notice what level you're currently in. Then, track your "wins" — moments where you regulate faster, react less, or recover with more grace. This tells your brain: this is the path to safety and success. ✨ Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 EEG Brain Training Coaching or get more details on my group offers, you can leave your email here. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! Today, we're diving into the neuroscience of thoughts — what actually happens in the brain when you get caught in a spiral, why your emotions can take over so quickly, and how to bring your brain back to balance. 🧠 Here's what we cover in this episode: What happens in the brain during a thought spiral. How emotions create feedback loops that keep you stuck. The science (and magic) of bringing neutrality to your triggers and desires. A guided exercise to rewire your stress response through thought awareness. A real-life example of how neutrality created clarity and momentum in my life. If you've ever felt trapped in overthinking or emotionally reactive loops, this one's for you. Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 EEG Brain Training Coaching or get more details on my group offers, you can leave your email here. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! Today, we're getting the science behind our WORDS when it comes to building circuits in our brain. A topic that has A LOT of nuance that is often not explained or overlooked. Once you get these subtle differences, you'll see rather quickly how your brain shifts and changes in the direction you desire 🧠✨. Here's what we cover in this episode: What happens to the brain when we say things out loud? Why affirmations don't work. The dangers of venting. Two tools that help you use your words to build what you want in your brain! Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 neurofeedback coaching or get more details on my group offers, you can leave your email here. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! Today, we're getting into a poorly understood and explained topic "Mental Rest". Where I take both my knowledge in neuroscience, meditation and neuroplasticity to unpack what is truly is and why it is the key to happy and healthy brain 🧠✨. Here's what we cover in this episode: What it means to be well-rested mentally? What it looks like to not be mentally rested? How this impracts your brain and body long term? Three tools that help you integrate more mental rest today! Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 neurofeedback coaching or get more details on my group offers, you can leave your email here. — Some of the previous podcasts that would be helpful Ep 13 - Stress is not BAD for your brain and here is WHY Ep 18 - The Brain's Secrets for Changing Memories — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain podcast! So excited to dive into something that I know a lot of us have experienced before, despite our best efforts … the stress relief tools EVERYONE raves about fail us. This short episode will help solve that problem, and lucky for you doesn't require you to add any more tools or buy anything! In this episode we dive into 5 reasons why your brain may not be finding relief you hoped for and how to rewire for good. My recommendation after this episode is you focus on one of these reasons for the next 2 weeks and begin to notice the small shifts. Leave a comment or DM on instagram (@synaptic.sylvie) which reason you picked and how it is going! Even simply having a place to share this information, ask questions and our progress can help the brain stay encouraged and accountable. Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to work with me 1:1 neurofeedback brain training programs to jumpstart your rewiring journey, fill in your information here and I will send you the details. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! Today, we're getting cut through all of the lies and fluff and get down to business when it comes to what happens to your body and brain when it comes to chronic stress. 🧠✨ Here's what we cover in this episode: What is a stressor and how does your brain and body respond? How does noradrenaline and cortisol act on the body? Why there really is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to stress? A few tools to begin to heal your brain and body from chronic stress. Question for You Which stress management tool do you want to explore even deeper in a future episode? Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 neurofeedback coaching to jumpstart your rewiring journey, DM @synaptic.sylvie on Instagram with the word REWIRE. — Some of the previous podcasts Ep 17 - Brain FUNdamentals - What I Wish Everyone Knew Ep 13 - Stress is not BAD for your brain and here is WHY Ep 5 - The Brain-Breath Ballad — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! Today, we're getting REAL about the power that lies within your skull—specifically, how you can literally change your memories using neuroscience. 🧠✨ Here's what we cover in this episode: What it actually means when your brain brings up a memory How to tap into neuroplasticity to rewire your brain's circuits Signs your memory is stuck in the amygdala—and how to release it How to access deep subconscious memories and change them from within Question for You Which topic do you want to explore even deeper in a future episode? 🌀 Neuroplasticity? 🧘‍♀️ The Amygdala? 🧠 Deep brain states? DM me your vote over on Instagram 👉 @synaptic.sylvie Want to go deeper with me? If you'd like to be added to the waitlist for 1:1 neurofeedback coaching to jumpstart your rewiring journey, DM @synaptic.sylvie on Instagram with the word REWIRE. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie Resources: 🧠 Brain FUNdamentals Episode

Welcome back to Building Your Best Brain! This might just be my geekiest episode yet—and honestly, it's long overdue. In this foundational episode, we're diving into the basics of neuroscience—the tools I believe everyone should have in their mental toolbox to better understand what's going on in their brain and body. Whether you're learning something new, fact-checking brain claims you see online, or just want a quick refresher—this episode is your go-to guide. Think of it as your neuroscience reference point, now and for future episodes. Here's what we cover (with timestamps): 00:00 – Intro 01:40 – Brain resources I love 05:10 – Neurons 07:12 – Neurotransmitters 07:54 – Synaptic connections & neural communication 09:39 – What is a neural circuit? 11:48 – How circuits are formed 15:00 – "Cells that fire together, wire together" 15:46 – Defining neuroplasticity 17:45 – Major parts of the brain 22:10 – Neural networks 26:26 – Brain wave activity 31:40 – Brain entrainment What should we explore next? 🌀 Breathwork & stress? 🧘‍♀️ Meditation & the brain? 🧠 Neurofeedback & brain entrainment? DM me or comment to cast your vote! Let's keep learning how to get our brains working for us—not against us. — Let's connect: 📱 Instagram & TikTok – @synaptic.sylvie🎥 YouTube – Synaptic Sylvie🌐 Website – synapticsylvie.com🧘‍♀️ Insight Timer – Synaptic Sylvie Bonus Resource: 🧠 Khan Academy's Intro to Neuroscience