OUR BRAINS ARE SHAPED BY OUR THOUGHTS
NEUROLETTER #29 | AUGUST 2025
Great to have you here. Today I’m sharing:
1. Why what we think it is so important to who we are aspiring to become - plus 3 self-challenge questions.
2. A new study into how children construct emotions.
3. An invitation to collaborate on the design of the Brainy Futures™ Leadership Pilot.
4. A quick overview of the Brains@Work® Diagnostic, designed to reduce tension and strengthen mental wellbeing in individuals and teams.
Thoughts Shape Brains
“I can’t do it! It just won’t work. I can’t even think straight!”
That was me earlier this week, starting a completely new project. Logically, I knew what to do, but emotionally it felt impossible. It genuinely seemed like a mountain.
As Marcus Aurelius said:
“Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought.”
And how true that is.
Our brains are energy misers. If your default is to see obstacles everywhere, that’s what you’ll notice and your brain is rewarded for not working too hard. Clever, in a lazy sort of way.
Our inner voice swings like a pendulum: either a dopamine lift from progress and motivation, or an overload of cortisol, impairing the prefrontal cortex needed for clear thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
I know which mindset I’d rather have.
Neuroplasticity in Action
Last month (neuroletter #28) we touched on Brain Capital and why together with Brain Health they equal the human intelligence drivers in a hybrid-intelligent world. The perfect intervention here is Neuroplasticity the brains’ ability to reorganise itself by forming new connections throughout life, for adaption, learning and recovery from injury.
Why This Matters Now
Those who’ve followed me for a while know my purpose is to influence shaping the minds of leaders. But what does that actually mean?
Dr Carol Dweck’s work on fixed vs growth mindsets showed that our belief about whether we can change profoundly influences our ability to learn, adapt, and thrive. My own research in 2018 into stress mindsets and resilience found that the ability to shift perspective changes how we experience challenge - determining whether we remain stuck or adapt with agility.
And in today’s fast-moving, AI-fuelled, economically challenging world, the ability to change how you think isn’t just valuable - it’s essential for adaptation and survival.
Your Brain’s Bias Trap
Our brains constantly scan for patterns as a way of simplifying information processes which enhances our survival from danger and for learning. Over time, these patterns become our default habits of thought and feeling. This is where confirmation bias sneaks in, reinforcing what we already believe, shutting out alternatives, and keeping us “safe” by conserving mental energy.
The problem? What keeps you safe can also keep you small.
At the centre of this is your thalamus - your brain’s relay station. It decides, unconsciously and in milliseconds, where incoming information should go. If you’re in a fixed mindset, your brain tends to route novelty to “threat” rather than “opportunity”. It’s a key part of the brains emotional and cognitive decision-making network and structure.
Shaping the Mind You Want
Think of your mind like an orchestra. You can be its conductor, actively directing it towards curiosity, openness, and solution-focused thinking. This isn’t about blind optimism; it’s about training your brain to search for possibility instead of reasons it won’t work.
An active, healthy brain shaped to deliver solutions will always outperform one locked in defensive mode because is fosters creativity, flexibility and resilience, enabling better critical thinking and decision making, and higher brain capital promotes innovation and productivity driving economic and social progress.
I am sure you will agree it’s a power we all want where we can make that difference.
Challenge Yourself or Your Team
Are you a fixed pattern thinker or a growth driver? Control your thinking, help your brain consider alternatives and be the owner of your success:
1. What might I be wrong about here?
2. If I looked at this from my competitor’s or customer’s point of view, what would I see differently?
3. What is the opportunity hidden inside this challenge?
News Spot
When do children begin to recognise emotions?
Young children rely heavily on facial perception as they haven’t yet developed the conceptual knowledge needed to fully interpret emotional. This new study reveals how children’s ability to understand emotions develops through a cognitive shift between ages 5 and 10. While younger kids perceive emotional expressions instinctively through visual cues, older children increasingly depend on conceptual knowledge to grasp emotional nuance.
This isn’t just another off-the-shelf leadership programme shaping brains – this is Brainy Futures leadership pilot.
Born from Brainy Podcasts and the wonderful techniques, and observations from three years of provocative and insightful conversations with the people actively making change happen including CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, rebel thinkers, and academics.
Curious people at the top of their game. People already breaking the status quo.
Their superpower is that they know that if innovation, creativity, and critical thinking aren’t at the top of the agenda, they won’t thrive in collaboration with AI and 5.0 world.
Want to shape the future?
Join the pilot. Share with a new community. We’d love to have you along
NEW Brains@ Work Diagnostic
The essential first step to unlocking sustainable performance through neuroscience insight.
A neuroscientific performance audit for leaders, that pinpoints how stress, culture, and complexity are actively impairing decision-making, internal & external relationships and competitive growth. Rooted in the latest findings from applied neuroscience, this diagnostic reveals how well individuals and teams are performing across four key brain-based dimensions that drive sustainable leadership and collaboration:
1. Cognitive Clarity - Mental focus, energy, and decision-making.
2. Emotional Regulation - Staying calm, adaptable, and resilient under stress.
3. Social Connection & Trust - Building psychological safety and trust.
4. Resilience & Adaptability - Bouncing back and thriving through change.
When your brain is under pressure, neuroplasticity declines and it can’t optimise it can only protect.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out more
