Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function

Send us a textIts no joke, adulting is hard. To adult is to do all the things that grown-ups regularly do because they have to including finding a job, keeping it, living independently, paying bills, keeping a thriving social circle and handle the unexpected curve balls that life throws. High school to college and then college to life are transitions marked by the need for a substantial upgrade to one’s own executive function proficiency; if delayed or under-evolved, it can cause massive disruptions in adulting.On this episode, the founder of LMR Coaching and the creator of the ADHD JOB SQUAD™, Lynn Miner-Rosen discusses how best to coach, instruct, and support college students with (and without) ADHD to transition into the adult world of finding and keeping a job with maturity and balance between their personal, professional, and social life. She discusses the key ingredients for building transferrable skills for success in college and beyond!Lynn Miner-Rosen, M.Ed, ACCLynn Miner-Rosen, M.Ed., ACC, CDCS  is the founder of LMR Coaching and the creator of the ADHD JOB SQUAD™ where she provides coaching, instruction, and support to college students and adults with (and without) ADD, ADHD, Executive Functioning Deficits and Learning Differences worldwide. She is a leading expert on ADHD career coaching and is an ICF Credentialed and Board Certified Career Development Coach, ADD/ADHD Coach, Executive Function Coach and Life Coach. Before her work as a whole-life coach, Lynn taught special education for 12 years in New York public schools and prior to that, worked as an executive in the business world. You can connect with Lynn by emailing her at info@lmrcoaching.comRecommended Books:Finding a Career That Works For You by Wilma FellmanThe Stressed Years of Their Lives by Dr. Anthony Rostain & Dr. Janet HibbsThe Loving Push by Dr. Temple Grandin & Dr. Debra MooreAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Send us a textThe most basic human experience is to be able to communicate; express thoughts and ideas clearly and meaningfully while being fully understood. Most of us are unaware of the nature of these true gifts that allows humans to construct and build relationships from the ground up by launching nuanced skills such as reading faces, reading the room, and reading between the lines. Hence, the foundational skills of a self-regulated learner always includes strong emotional literacy skills which out weighs the emotional stressors of everyday life. On this episode, Elizabeth Sautter, M.A., CCC, returns to discusses how well-built human communication becomes handy when dealing with meltdowns, mood swings, and a sense of being overwhelmed that big-emotions often bring on. The key to the life-long benefits of successful transitioning from childhood to young adult is having found empowerment in tools to become aware of one’s own emotions and knowing how to guide them.About Elizabeth Sautter MA, CCC-SLPElizabeth Sautter, M.A., CCC, is a Speech and Language Pathologist, award-winning author, blogger, and highly sought after speaker specializing in social and emotional learning since 1996. Elizabeth’s interest in social learning began early in life growing up with a sister who has developmental challenges. She is also a mom of two teens with complex social, emotional, and academic needs. These personal experiences have fueled a passion in Elizabeth to serve individuals and their families who are struggling with everyday challenges.Elizabeth is the creator of Make Social Learning Stick, which provides consultation, training (including the Make it Stick online parenting course), and resources to assist children, teens, and their families in building skills and practical strategies to manage emotions, navigate social situations, and achieve their goals. She is the co-author of the popular children’s book series, Whole Body Listening Larry. She is a collaborative trainer for the Zones of Regulation, and co-author of the accompanying storybooks, card decks, and games.Elizabeth is the co-founder of Communication Works, a speech therapy practice providing services to schools, individuals, and their families. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, two teenage sons, a cat, and a dog, and firmly believes that social-emotional learning has changed her life and wants to do the same for others.Book:Make Social and Emotional Learning Stick: Practical activities to help your child mange emotions, navigate social situations & reduce anxiety (Second Edition)About Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Send us a textYogi Berra once said, “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.” High achievers often bring perfection in their work; however, perfectionism can impede ongoing high achievement. The diligence in being perfect is time-consuming and exhausting and since humans can’t give up on the ideas of perfection, it’s prudent to remember that if left unchecked, perfectionistic tendencies can create barriers to transcendence.  On this episode, renowned author whose books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages and popular lecturer whose undergraduate class at Harvard was the most attended in the history of Harvard, Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., discusses ways to shift from perfectionism to optimalism by rechanneling focus and bringing the same intensity of desires to achieve one’s goals. Since Executive Function involves activating the set of mental skills that facilitates the management of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions; letting go of a perfectionistic view does require higher-order executive control to redirect a rigid mindset and pivot to recognize the joys in imperfection. About Tal Ben-ShaharTal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer.  He taught two of the largest classes in Harvard University’s history, Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership.  Today, Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporations, the general public, and at-risk populations.  The topics he lectures on include leadership, happiness, education, innovation, ethics, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, and mindfulness. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages, and have appeared on best-sellers lists around the world. Tal is a serial entrepreneur, and is the co-founder and chief learning officer of Happiness Studies Academy, Potentialife, Maytiv, and Happier.TV. An avid sportsman, Tal won the U.S. Intercollegiate and Israeli National squash championships.  Today, for exercise, he swims, dances, and practices Yoga.  He obtained his PhD in Organizational Behavior and BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Harvard.About Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Dr. David Yeager discusses the power of a growth mindset, emphasizing its impact on personal development and society. The episode explores interventions to instil growth mindset in students and the relationship between motivation and cognitive functioning. Yeager reflects on the importance of supportive environments and shares insights on fostering hope and optimism through a growth mindset.

Send us a textRandomly scattered stars light up the night sky, but it is human inventiveness and imagination that has connected these cosmic dots into the constellations we know so well. As the podcast Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function celebrates its 100th episode, we have the same pleasure of connecting the scattered ideas that experts have shared with us over the past two years into a meaningful constellations of Executive Function concepts. We’ll explore these concepts and their impact on learning, education, self-efficacy, interpersonal connectivity, and the human story of personal progress.Here are 10 lessons learned from 100 interviews with researchers, psychologists, neuroscientists, educators, authors, journalists, and thought leaders who believe that the power of the brain is a gift to us all – a gift we must take the time to unwrap with careful attention to details, mindfulness, and tremendous self-control.10 Things Learned:At the heart of human evolution is the ability to inhibit, which means saying no to the impulsive thoughts, ideas, and desires that lead to actions that only benefit us in the now.Executive Function skills allow us to become intentional, reflective, and problem solvers. But in order to activate the prefrontal system that accomplishes this, we have to get off “autopilot.”Executive Function systems are brought online when we learn new things because novel information requires novel adaptive responses.The brain is the most advanced future simulator. It allows us to envision the future and provides us with the tools to imagine the self through the continuity of time. We must extend compassion towards that “future self” who is hopelessly dependent on the mercy of the current self.Student success depends largely on the mastery of Executive Function because academic skills including reading comprehension, completing projects, conducting research, and writing papers all requires highly engaged Executive Function skills.There are innumerable barriers in attaining self-actualization; primarily, our self-blindness. We are often erroneously guided by our false confidence in our ability to be rational, fair, and consistent.Executive Function skills are extremely critical for transitions as they help us with the adaptive adjustment needed as we exit one area of our life and enter another. But we are not always fully prepared to handle such adjustments with resilience and grace.Executive Function skills are directly related to the maturation of the brain—delayed development, brain injury, and aging all impact the growth of these skills, especially decision making, problem solving, and adaptive and emotional adjustment.While stress often feels undesirable, it turns on adaptive flexibility and engages Executive Function. Stress in small to moderate doses is an essential ingredient to sharpening our self-regulation and critical self-directed problem solving.The most hopeful message from experts is that Executive Function can be cultivated, nurtured, and strengthened through practice and coaching. These skills can be put to test with carefully crafted activities by parents and educators alike.Even though life has many moving parts, including those that create utter chaos as well as those that bring sheer joy, this podcast hopes that you will find a messageSupport the show

Send us a textThis is a repeat of episode 101 brought back as one of my favorite episode.Uncertainly, unceasing demands, and all around unrest can provoke the feelings of restlessness, a state of irritability, and intense worrying and general dissatisfaction. But clinically speaking, these feelings of being on the edge are the signs of anxiety and often when they exceed the threshold of bearability a sense of unending despair can follow.On today’s podcast, psychiatrist, author of the book “The Moment of Insight”, educator, and celebrated speaker, Dr. Suvrat Bhargave from the Center for Family Psychiatry, discusses the true nature of the “growing pains” of children for whom the world is a large mass of unknown. He says anxiety is within the range of human experience and human emotion and by cultivating inner awareness, one can bring about important and meaningful changes and remind children that “HOPE is the possibility of something good”.About Suvrat Bhargave, MDSuvrat Bhargave, M.D. is a renowned and respected educator, author, speaker, and board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry. His uncanny ability to relate to a multi-demographic audience has allowed his practice to reach an unparalleled level of success based on empathy, education, and empowerment. His book, A Moment of Insight: Universal Lessons Learned from a Psychiatrist’s Couch, offers practical strategies and thought provoking narratives to not only understand and persevere through challenging dilemmas, but to see greater purpose during these times. He demonstrates this through poignant patient stories and personal accounts.Affectionately known for his “relatable expertise”, Dr. Bhargave is highly sought after to lecture locally and nationally on a broad range of topics pertaining to personal growth, effective parenting, relationship satisfaction, and mental health conditions. After completing his residency training and specialty fellowship from Duke University, Dr. B (as he is lovingly called by his patients) continued his practice in hospitals, community health, and private practice settings. Throughout the years, he has been most inspired by the impact his caring nature, education, and treatment have had on others to facilitate change and to experience fulfillment through gradual but dynamic moments of “insight and awareness”. A passionate advocate for healing and empowerment, Dr. B is compelled to bring a world of change to each person one moment at a time. To learn more about Dr. B and invite him to speak at your next event, visit.Websites:www.DrBhargave.comwww.AMomentOfInsight.comBooksA Moment of Insight : Universal Lessons Learned from a Psychiatrist’s CouchAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Send us a textIf you come across a Wall Street trader, an ER physician, a trial lawyer, a sky-diving instructor, a trapeze artist, or a stand-up comedian, more than likely there is a race-car brain that has been well channelled in spite of its high propensity for intense stimulation and a desire to live on the edge. Experts say that a perennially super-charged and “always on the go” ADHD mode may or may not always translate into the most productive or fullfilling life because of the underlying executive dysfunction that results from the ADHD diagnosis. On today’s podcast, psychiatrist, NY Times bestselling author, and a leading authority in the field of ADHD, Dr. Edward (Ned) Hallowell discusses how the ongoing unexplained underachievement is the hallmark signature of of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); a challenging neurodevelopmental disorder. However, those with the right diagnosis and proper treatment can go on to unraveling their gifts which not only bring joy to themselves, but can benefit the world. Edward "Ned" Hallowell, M.D.Edward (Ned) Hallowell, M.D. is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist, thought leader, NY Times bestselling author, world-renowned speaker and a leading authority in the field of ADHD. He is the Founder of The Hallowell Centers in Boston MetroWest, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Tulane Medical School. He was a distinguished Harvard Medical School faculty member for 21 years and currently devotes his full professional attention to his clinical practice at the Hallowell Centers, speaking to audiences around the world, writing books and hosting the Distraction podcast. He has authored 20 books on various psychological topics, including ADHD, raising happy children, forgiveness, managing your "crazy busy” lives and most recently, his personal memoir. He has appeared on Oprah, CNN, Dr. Oz and other major networks.  BooksDriven to DistractionDelivered from DistractionADHD 2.0And many more!Website:www.drhallowell.comAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Send us a textOur body is a screen onto which our inner experiences are frequently projected. Authors, through their writings, vividly illustrate the imprint of the mind onto the body; for example, Caroline Hanson says “Nervousness made her feel nauseous, almost like she had two hearts frantically beating in her chest, instead of one.” The human interoception system processes the internal sensations and let’s us feel what is happening in our bodies and through body-regulation we can strengthen our Executive Function by self-regulating our thoughts, behaviors, and actions without the sense of being overwhelmed. If loving oneself is the greatest revolution, then the body is its frontline fighter!On this episode, award winning occupational therapist, author, and faculty at Elizabethtown College, Dr. Kelly Mahler discusses how to understand the signals from our body and how cultivating the abilities to know the meaning behind these signals is the key to live a healthy life.Dr. Kelly MahlerKelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L, earned a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University, Dallas, PA. She has been an occupational therapist for 18 years, serving school-aged children and adults. Kelly is winner of multiple awards including the 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association Emerging and Innovative Practice Award & a Mom’s Choice Gold Medal. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA and is actively involved in several research projects pertaining to topics such as interoception, self-regulation, trauma & autism. Kelly is an international speaker and presents frequently on topics related to the eight resources she has authored:The Interoception Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Framework for Developing Mindful Self-Regulation–winner of Mom’s Choice Award Gold MedalInteroception Activity Cards–winner of Mom’s Choice Award Gold MedalMy Interoception Workbook: A Guide for Adolescents, Teens and Young AdultsInteroception: The Eighth Sensory SystemAnd many more!Website:https://www.kelly-mahler.com/About Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Send us a textNobel prize winner behavioral economist, Daniel Kahneman's remarkable work brought the concepts of System 1 and System 2 into the mainstream. Contrary to the conventional wisdom which associates human capacity with rational thought and logical thinking (features of system 2), our system 1 (the autopilot) has a much stronger hold on our psyche. It is only the slower and deliberate System 2, or Executive Function, when engaged in conscious self-regulation can overrule the intuitions and freewheeling impulses of the System 1. So why not focus our attention on building System 2?On this episode, author, researcher, neuropsychologist, Diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology and professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. George McCloskey returns to discuss life-long implications of strong and well-developed Executive Function skills that open up the capacity to override reflexive thoughts and intuitive judgement and transcend personal limitations.  About George McCloskey, Ph.D.George McCloskey, Ph.D. is a professor and Director of School Psychology Research in the School of Professional and Applied Psychology of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds Diplomate status with the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. McCloskey has amassed 40 years of experience in test development, teaching, research, and assessment and intervention work with a wide range of clients and has developed a comprehensive model of executive functions that can be used to guide assessment and intervention.  He frequently presents at international, national, and state conferences and consults with a number of school districts and private schools nationwide on issues related to improving students’ executive functions. Dr. McCloskey is the lead author of the books Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties and Essentials of Executive Functions Assessment.  He also is the author of the McCloskey Executive Functions Scales (MEFS) Teacher (2016) and Parent (2019) Forms that have been standardized and published with Schoolhouse Educational Services.  Dr. McCloskey is co-author with his wife, Laurie McCloskey of the children’s book titled The Day Frankie Left His Frontal Lobes at Home (in Press). Website:georgemccloskeyphd.comBooks:Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function DifficultiesEssentials of Executive Functions AssessmentMcClosey Executive Function Scales - TestAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show

Send us a textIn her book Mirror: The History, author Sabine Melchoir-Bonnet tracks the curious journey of a tiny reflective glass once thought to be the most fascinating invention which over time eventually has gotten demoted to the status of an ordinary gimmick. The mirror that captures the presentation of self in everyday life comes through with its promise of unveiling fascinating yet terrifying personal information. However, there is nothing equivalent to a mirror that successfully reflects back the inner workings of the self. Until that invention becomes a reality, the best tool we have is Executive Function; the capacity to self-reflect.On this episode, author, researcher, neuropsychologist, Diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology and  professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. George McCloskey discusses self-regulation, Executive Function, and ways to become self-reliant and the distinctions between learning difficulties and producing difficulties.About George McCloskey, Ph.D.George McCloskey, Ph.D. is a professor and Director of School Psychology Research in the School of Professional and Applied Psychology of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds Diplomate status with the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. McCloskey has amassed 40 years of experience in test development, teaching, research, and assessment and intervention work with a wide range of clients and has developed a comprehensive model of executive functions that can be used to guide assessment and intervention.  He frequently presents at international, national, and state conferences and consults with a number of school districts and private schools nationwide on issues related to improving students’ executive functions.  Dr. McCloskey is the lead author of the books Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties and Essentials of Executive Functions Assessment.  He also is the author of the McCloskey Executive Functions Scales (MEFS) Teacher (2016) and Parent (2019) Forms that have been standardized and published with Schoolhouse Educational Services.  Dr. McCloskey is co-author with his wife, Laurie McCloskey of the children’s book titled The Day Frankie Left His Frontal Lobes at Home (in Press).  Website:georgemccloskeyphd.comBooks:Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function DifficultiesEssentials of Executive Functions AssessmentMcClosey Executive Function Scales - TestAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show