Key Learnings from Dr Tara Swart & Sophie McCambridge

This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Dr Tara Swart who is a neuroscientist, leadership coach, award-winning author and a medical doctor. She works with leaders all over the world to help them achieve mental resilience and peak brain performance, improving their ability to manage stress, regulate emotions and retain information.

The impact of those you spent the most time with

It is important to be mindful of those people who you spend time with.

When you are within close proximity of those who are stressed, their levels of the stress hormone can impact your own disposition; This is also true if you are around positive and energised people.

Emotional intelligence

Is about regulating yourself and also others around you.

Resilience

Despite the setbacks and challenges it is the ability to persevere in pursuit of your goal.

Ready action boards

Are about priming your brain towards what you want to achieve. They are a visual representation that are supported by actions that take you towards your goals.

Conscious and unconscious brain

The conscious brain is the goal setter and the unconscious brain is the goal getter.

Hydration

You should aim to consume 500mls per 15 kg of weight per day.
 

Sleep

Most people need between 7-8hrs per night. It impacts your IQ and overall life is that little bit easier with the right amount of sleep. 

It is also recommended that you should also stop drinking alcohol and eating food around prior to going to sleep.

Journaling

Journaling primes the brain to deliver on your goals; it also starts to highlight habits.

Improving 10 things by 1%

Instead of improving 1 thing by 10%, improve 10 things by 1%. It is much easier than doing this and the net gain is the same. Incremental gains can make a profound impact and it can be as simple as actioning the hydration and sleep suggestions from this podcast.

Additional Resource Highlight: Atomic Habits book by James Clear.

Gratitude and the benefits

Humans are wired to think about what they don’t have. I quote 3 things that I am grateful for and 1 thing that I am looking forward to.

Gratitude brings to the front of the mind the more positive, abundant style of thinking and in the research that I’ve done, I’ve found that overtime that list develops and moves more from the external things like friends and family that you are grateful for to more intrinsic capabilities like my resilience my creativity, my adaptability my ability to solve problems. Once you really acknowledge that to yourself you start to feel like ok, if something bad happens to me, I’m more aware of the capabilities I have to deal with that. So, when there’s a crisis, you know you can get through it. 

Image: Doctor Tara Swart

This is a wrap-up of the original podcast that featured Sophie McCambridge – Shaun’s 9-year-old daughter. Sophie speaks with her Dad about growth mindsets.

Sophie’s Highlights

16:55: Define what each is - growth and fixed mindset

18:10 Shaun had his own struggles is when he had a fixed mindset

18:30 Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls

19:50 Shaun’s own ups and downs as a child

20:30 Increasingly standard part of the curriculum

The importance of defining what is a growth and fixed mindset

By defining with your child what each is and then being able to label it in situations by using common language, helps them identify it and then change it for the better.

Good night stories for rebel girls, Elena Favilli

Introduces over 100 remarkable women and their extraordinary lives. It uncovers their individual trials and tribulations that they had to overcome to achieve their goals.

Sharing your own stories

Shaun finds it helpful to be vulnerable and share his own past challenges with his children to let them know that they are not alone.

An increasingly standard part of the curriculum 

Teaching all children of what a growth mindset is and showing them the tools would help them overcome their own trials and tribulations