Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

How To Make Better Decisions Under Stress with Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton #101

Mar 11, 2020

Join Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, one of the UK’s few female chief fire officers and a behavioral neuroscience expert, as she shares her inspiring journey from experiencing homelessness to leading in the fire service. Sabrina discusses the psychology behind decision-making under pressure, emphasizing the balance between instinct and protocol. Her groundbreaking research has transformed practices in emergency services. With powerful anecdotes, she highlights resilience, the importance of empathy, and learning from failure. Discover why she believes we are all stronger than we think!

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ANECDOTE

Homelessness Experience

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton experienced homelessness as a teen, sleeping in doorways and derelict buildings.
She sold The Big Issue to survive and faced dehumanizing experiences, but eventually secured accommodation and joined the fire service.

ANECDOTE

Challenges and Inspiration

Cohen-Hatton faced sexism and harassment early in her firefighting career.
Despite this, she persevered, drawing strength from role models like her grandmother, a Moroccan Jew who survived persecution.

INSIGHT

Controlling Your Response

Bad things are inevitable in life, but how you respond is what matters.
Focus on controlling your actions, words, and thoughts, which are within your power.

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My guest on this week’s podcast is living proof that trauma doesn’t have to break you – that your start in life needn’t determine where you’ll end up.

Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton is one of just six female chief fire officers in the UK, and a psychologist with a PhD in behavioural neuroscience. She’s also an ambassador for The Big Issue, which she sold on the streets while experiencing homelessness as a teenager – something she describes as the worst, most dehumanising experience of her life. And yet, as you’ll hear in this episode, it helped create the grit, resilience, empathy and compassion that’s made her the incredible human being she is today.

Sabrina talks us through her amazing journey from childhood trauma through homelessness, harassment and onto academic and professional excellence. She shares the experiences that lead her to research the psychology behind how and why we make the decisions we do when under pressure. Her work explores the tension between instinct and procedure, gut decisions versus protocol. And her findings have revolutionised not just how the UK Fire Service works, they’ve been adopted across many areas of industry and won 10 science awards globally.

This podcast, recorded in front of a live audience at the Life Lessons festival, is one of the shortest conversations I’ve released, and yet it’s absolutely packed with Sabrina’s enthralling stories, powerful lessons and practical advice. Her message – that every single one of us is stronger than we think – is a vital one. This is a truly life-affirming episode and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/101

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