Curated Questions: Conversations Celebrating the Power of Questions! From Lightning's Wrath to Neuro Resilience | Lisa Wimberger #28
"When you mix curiosity with the urgency of imminent death, you get power you never knew you had." - Lisa Wimberger
To understand Lisa's story, we must first acknowledge that humans have three primary options in moments of stress or fear: fight, flee, or freeze. Lisa is predisposed to the freeze response. Hit by lightning on her 15th birthday, clinically flatlined on multiple occasions, non-epileptic seizures became routine, and recovery was debilitating. With no known treatments, doctors encouraged hydration and stress management.
Determined to find healing, Lisa fused brain science and a life-long mindfulness practice to develop the Neurosculpting® modality that engages both sides of the brain to provide practitioners a platform for efficacy and healing. Heavy on science and results, Lisa has taught corporate leaders, law enforcement, and first responders nationwide the tools of emotional regulation. She uses her traumatic experiences as a vehicle for healing and transformation.
Lisa holds a Master's Degree in Education, a Foundations Certification in NeuroLeadership, and Certificates in Medical Neuroscience, Visual Perception, Brain, and Neurobiology. She is an author, coach, sought-after speaker, and entrepreneur who runs multiple companies.
I first discovered Lisa's work through her @neurosculpting Instagram posts, where she provides brain challenges to over 300K followers. While simple concepts, execution proves challenging, but that is precisely the point ~ challenge your brain for resilience and grow new pathways.
In this episode of Curated Questions, host Ken Woodward converses with Lisa Wimberger about the transformative power of curiosity and the practice of Neurosculpting. Lisa shares her harrowing experiences of being hit by lightning and suffering from non-epileptic seizures, which led her to develop a unique healing modality by combining brain science and mindfulness. Through this dialogue, Lisa explains how asking the right questions can lead to profound personal growth and healing, providing practical insights into emotional regulation and neuroplasticity. Listeners also gain a deeper understanding of how Lisa has utilized her experiences to help corporate leaders, law enforcement, and first responders improve their mental resilience.
Episode Notes
[01:13] Meet Lisa Wimberger: A Story of Resilience
[06:22] The Lightning Strike Incident
[08:34] Living with Seizures: A Hidden Struggle
[11:01] The Turning Point: Embracing Inquiry
[16:52] Discovering Neurosculpting
[19:19] The Power of Neuroplasticity
[21:37] Creating the Five-Step Process
[24:05] Implementing the Protocol
[28:30] Refining Meditation with Neuroscience
[34:25] Dangers of Meditation for Dissociative Nervous Systems
[36:16] Understanding the Freeze Response
[39:36] Predisposition to Freeze and Early Trauma
[41:47] Personal Trauma and Resilience
[44:08] The Power of the Nervous System
[48:16] Balancing Modern Inputs with Nervous System Health
[51:29] Working with Police and First Responders
[55:56] The Role of Questions in Healing
[01:00:49] Living with Courage and Purpose
[01:04:20] Final Thoughts and Encouragement
[01:07:26] Episode Reflections and Summary
Resources Mentioned
New Beliefs, New Brain by Lisa Wimberger
Neurosculpting on Instagram
NeuroPraxis on Apple Podcast
Questions Asked
When did you first understand the power of questions?
What would it be like if we could go?
What kind of questions were with you between that lightning strike and neurosculpting?
What is going on with me?
Something's wrong with me; what could that be?
How could I get more in touch with well-being?
Everyone else seemed to not care at all, so why should I?
What was your process for really diving into the questions that got you to the pathway of, as you say, your destiny, your purpose?
What if it isn't normal to have these kinds of seizures where I need to be resuscitated?
Where can I find out more?
What can I learn in order to intervene here?
What resources do I already have that could support a practice that could move me in the direction neuroplasticity says I can go?
How can I adapt them and fill in the gaps they're missing so that I'm using sound neuroscience principles to position my nervous system so that I can rewire it towards healing?
What could my body do differently?
What does this wanna do in the world now?
What does Neurosculpting need in order for it to get to more people?
What is missing from it?
How do I recruit the prefrontal cortex activation?
What is the percentage of the population that fall into that category that traditional meditation may be less helpful because they fit into this category?
Who are you going to rush to help?
How much can this be learned or amplified based on the environment or conditioning that occurs beyond mere predisposition?
What makes you predispositioned?
How do you use questions to help folks adopt these new modalities outside of the mainstream?
How do I get this to the people who need it?
Would you like to get into that nervous system and find a little bit more resilience?
Are you a human?
Do you have a nervous system?
How does this most effectively serve the police force?
Where does that really resonate with them?
Just because it was true, then, is it true now?
How might questions be used for healing or interrupting the stories that we tell ourselves?
What do you do to relationships when you're not present to what they are now and you keep referencing 10 years ago?
What do you do when a new neighbor moves in and they look just like "that kind of person," and you have no present time experience with that human?
What questions are you currently wrestling with or working through?
How can I show up more to be a catalyst for harmonious human community and growth and connectivity?
How can I do that?
Do you have any other thoughts or encouragement about questions that we didn't cover that came to mind as we prepared for this conversation?
Where is the best place for folks to engage with you and find out what you're excited about?
How can you inspire this same sense of urgency to encounter this unique power for the challenges in your life?
What areas require a pattern interrupt in your life?
What are the right questions to ask to cause it?
What untapped resources are available to you to solve existing problems?