
Braincare
Braincare podcast is a series dedicated to helping you care for your most important organ. You'll learn about how to optimise your brain health and mental well-being through a series of bitesize interviews with the world's leading scientists and experts. Host, Dan Murray-Serter, co-founder of brain care company, Heights, interviews guests ranging from celebrities like Stephen Fry and Jay Shetty, to neuroscientists Dr Tara Swart and Professor Sophie Scott, and brilliant doctors like Rangan Chatterjee and Daniel Amen, and many more. You'll leave each episode feeling inspired, empowered, and armed with tools to help you take care of your brain and reach your heights, whatever they might be. You can learn more about Heights @yourheights and http://www.yourheights.com and Dan @danmurrayserter on social media. You can also receive an exclusive £10 off a quarterly subscription (how long science says it takes to feel the benefits) at Heights with the code 'workingin' ♥️ Your brain impacts every aspect of your life; from focus and performance to energy and sleep. Are you taking care of it? Check for free in just 4 minutes with our brain health assessment: yourheights.com/brainhealth
Latest episodes

Jul 23, 2021 • 16min
How to Forgive Ourselves and Others with Dr Frederic Luskin
Dr Frederic Luskin, author and the world-leading expert of the art and science of forgiveness, joins us today to discuss how to forgive others, but more importantly, ourselves.Stemming from a personal experience of being hurt by someone, Luskin decided to study forgiveness in order to heal for his loved ones. Luskin shares the scientific definition of forgiveness, why it's important to forgive others, and why we should also forgive ourselves. We discuss self-forgiveness, how to start forgiving, and when is forgiveness appropriate.We talk about:
The definition of forgiveness
General forgiveness
Self-forgiveness
Key pieces to forgiveness
Is forgiveness always appropriate?
Top 3 steps for people learning how to forgive

Jul 18, 2021 • 16min
The Art of Impossible with Steven Kotler
Steven Kotler, New York Times best-selling author and executive director of The Flow Research Collective, returns to chat about his new book, The Art of Impossible.Kotler shares impossible biology and how we can get to peak performance at any age. We discuss peak performance primer, capital-eye and small-eye impossible, and takeaways of how to get in those states.We talk about:
What The Art of Impossible is about
Peak performance primer
Capital-eye and small-eye impossible biology
New in peak performance
What influenced Kotler to write The Art of Impossible
How to get to capital-eye impossible
Top 3 takeaways for people who want to get to small-eye impossible

Jul 16, 2021 • 16min
The Flow State with Steven Kotler
Steven Kotler, executive director of The Flow Research Collective, has researched the flow state for decades. He joins us in this episode to chat about the optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and do our best.Kotler shares what flow is and how people can get into this state of consciousness. We discuss the core characteristics of flow from psychologists and from The Flow Research Collective, flow triggers, common flow experiences, and if it's possible for people to force themselves into the flow state.We talk about:
What it actually means to be in the flow state
Psychologists vs The FRC definitions of flow
A common experience that people will know they’re in flow
Neurobiological changes that happen in the flow
Can people force themselves into flow?
The most important flow trigger
Nonnegotiables for flow state

Jul 14, 2021 • 4min
Six benefits of creativity
Doing creative things for just 45 minutes reduces stress hormones in the body and increases the feeling of well-being. Diana and Sam, founders of M.Y.O Studio, are helping adults tap into their creative sides for not only fun but their brain health.Set up in 2017, M.Y.O. is London's favourite studio for adults and teens to get creative with arts and crafts.Don't think you're creative? Listen to Diana and Sam's six tips on how to get in touch with your creative side on this week's minisode.

Jul 11, 2021 • 17min
Essential Nutrients Needed for Brain Health with Dr Neal Barnard
Dr Neal Barnard returns to discuss the essential nutrients needed for brain health and how to add them to our daily routines and diets.Barnard's years of research have found that certain vitamins and nutrients can help prevent Alzheimer's and other mental illnesses. He shares the effects of supplementing vitamin E, vitamin B12, iron, and more along with how much we should consume. We discuss the effects of too little and too much of the proper nutrients and how to make sure we're getting what we need in our diets.We talk about:
How vitamin E can reduce Alzheimer's
How to get vitamin E
Vitamin B12
Essential nutrients for Alzheimer’s prevention
Roles alcohol and caffeine play with Alzheimer’s
Menopause, Alzheimer’s, and the brain
DHA's, Omega-3s, and EPAs

Jul 9, 2021 • 14min
Lifestyle Choices and Brain Health with Dr Neal Barnard
Dr Neal Barnard, the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, knows the importance of lifestyle choices when it comes to brain health. Spending the past decade focusing on people and how their food choices affect health in many ways, Barnard joins us in this episode to discuss his research and how mental illnesses can be prevented through proper diets and life decisions.Barnard shares the connection between lifestyle choices and Alzheimer's, how diabetes-related diets are good for the body, and the Chicago Health and Aging Project. We discuss the findings of Barnard's research, ways to lower the risk of Alzheimer's, and foods that are great for brain health.We talk about:
The effects of diabetes-related diets
The Chicago Health and Aging Project
Themes/results of the Chicago Health and Aging Project
How lifestyle choices affect brain health
Anthocyanins and brain health
What care means to Barnard

Jul 4, 2021 • 16min
Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety with Dr Drew Ramsey
Dr Drew Ramsey, psychiatrist, speaker and author, joins us this episode to discuss his new book, Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety. Ramsey knows the importance of a good diet when it comes to mental health and advises people to not only eat for nourishment, but for their mental well-being.Ramsey shares the connection between diet, depression, and anxiety. We discuss why healing mental illness excites Ramsey, what foods you should eat and avoid to take care of your brain, and the diet Ramsey recommends.We talk about:
Why mental health matters to Ramsey
What prompted Ramsey to write his new book
The connection between diet and depression
Top foods for feeding mental health
Top foods to avoid for good mental health
Ramsey's recommended diet

Jul 2, 2021 • 13min
Mental Health during Quarantine with Jessica Kahawaty
Braincare community member, Jessica Kahawaty, joins us this week to talk about her quarantine experience and how it affected her mental health.Kahawaty shares how she managed her mental health while quarantining in Sydney, Australia and how Heights supplements helped calm her mind and make it through 14 days of solitude. We discuss emotional regulation, wellness activities, and tips to stay mentally sharp during quarantine.We talk about:
How Jessica managed quarantine
How quarantine affected Jessica’s mental health
How Heights helped Jessica with her mental health and jet lag
Jessica’s emotional regulations
Jessica’s first day out of quarantine
Tips to stay mentally sharp during quarantine

Jun 27, 2021 • 16min
Fierce Self-compassion with Dr Kristin Neff
Pioneering self-compassion researcher, Kristin Neff returns to chat about her new book, Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive.Neff shares the difference between tender and fierce self-compassion and why we need both to manage mental health and well-being. We discuss women and the history of gender roles, when to use tender or fierce self-compassion, and how to gain freedom by using the practice.We talk about:
What made Neff write the book
Tender vs Fierce self-compassion
The self-compassion Break
Gender and social topics explored
Relationships and freedom
Self-compassion takeaways

Jun 25, 2021 • 16min
Self-compassion with Dr Kristin Neff
Dr Kristin Neff, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, is the pioneer of self-compassion research. Within Neff's 20 years of studying this Buddist psychology construct, Neff has created a scale that measures the practice and its effects on mental health and wellness.Today, Neff shares what self-compassion is, why people should incorporate it into their lives, and its challenges. We discuss self-compassion myths, gender roles, and how you can cultivate this skill to develop emotional resilience.We talk about:
What made Neff get into studying self-compassion
What is self-compassion
3 main elements of self-compassion
Self-compassion myths
Self-compassion and gender roles
Self-compassion vs. self-esteem