Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin

Most of us don't think about brain health until something goes wrong. We think it's normal to experience brain fog or we just accept cognitive decline is inevitable as we age.

Science shows you can physically change your brain at any age. You can grow new neurons, build stronger connections, and even shrink your risk of Alzheimer's — and it doesn't require anything mysterious or extreme.

My guest is Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a renowned neurologist and one of the world's leading experts in brain health. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his PhD in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he now serves as an adjunct professor at the Mind/Brain Institute. He's also the author of the new book The Invincible Brain.

Some of the things we discuss are:

Why your brain is an organ you can care for like your teeth or your heart — not a mysterious black box you're stuck with

The 12-week brain fitness study that showed older adults physically grew their brains by 1–3%, making them up to three years younger on an MRI

Why genetics play a surprisingly small role in late-life Alzheimer's — and how exercise can cancel out the effects of the highest-risk gene

The exact amount of exercise that strengthens your brain (and why doing more than this won't help)

Why sleep is an active brain-cleaning process — and what 20+ years of insomnia does to the memory center of your brain

The one rule about food Dr. Fotuhi cares about more than keto vs. Mediterranean vs. vegetarian

How chronic stress physically shrinks your brain, plus the perspective shift his daughter learned that keeps her calm under pressure

Simple daily ways to challenge your brain — from memorizing names to license plates in traffic

The Therapist's Take: My top three strategies for building a physically stronger, younger brain starting today

Related Episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠194 — The Science of Small Wins: Why They Matter More Than Big Goals⁠

⁠⁠112 — These 7 Tiny Changes That Lead to Big Results When You’re Working on Your Goals⁠

Links & Resources

The Invincible Brain

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Want strategies to help you stay mentally strong right now? Pick up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook.

Have you ever been about to walk into something important — a big presentation, a tough call, a conversation you've been dreading — and your body just completely betrays you? Your heart is pounding, your palms are sweaty, your stomach is in knots. And no matter how many times you tell yourself to just calm down, it doesn't work?

When they physical symptoms of anxiety spike, telling yourself to calm down is usually the worst thing you can do. So today I'm sharing a play that does the opposite of what your instinct tells you to do.

Some of the things I talk about are:

What was really happening backstage at my TEDx talk — and why I deliberately didn't try to calm down

Why "just calm down" backfires when your anxiety is giving you physical symptoms, like a racing heart

Why the label your brain puts on your physiological symptoms matters and how to assign it a different label

How a threat mindset quietly sabotages your performance, and what flips you into an opportunity mindset instead

The story of an NBA player whose game-day jitters were wrecking his performance — and the small change that turned his nerves into fuel

The four steps to run the play so you can calm down fast

The two mistakes that wreck this play ( including the subtle one almost everyone gets wrong)

Why your racing heart isn't proof that something's wrong or that you're not ready

Related Episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

208 — Coping With Anxiety: An Anxiety Toolkit for Fast Relief

⁠⁠73 — Calm Intense Anxiety in 30 Seconds

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Pick up a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook.

Do you ever set a goal you genuinely cared about — get healthier, write the book, finally save money — and two weeks later you can't make yourself take any action? Even when you have motivation and a good plan, sometimes, the action doesn't happen.

Closing the gap between what you intend to do and what you actually do has far less to do with trying harder than you'd expect, and far more to do with a smarter approach.

My guest today is Chris Bailey, a productivity expert and the bestselling author of Intentional. He draws on years of research — and conversations with Buddhist monks — to explain what actually moves us from intention to action, and why forcing yourself is the least effective tool you have.

Some of the things we discuss are:

The reason your goal keeps turning into disappointment and the one word Chris uses to describe what a goal actually is

The simple subtraction problem happening in your brain every time you choose the couch over the goal

How to conduct an "aversion audit"

The five things that make a task feel impossible to start and why naming them is half the battle

Why the early-rising, tea-drinking version of you in your head is sabotaging you and what the research says about whether 5am people are actually more successful

The 12 values and how to instantly tell if a goal is even yours

What it means when you can't connect a goal to anything you value — and the uncomfortable truth about whose goal it might be

Why guilt isn't the enemy and what it's actually trying to tell you

My three favorite strategies that will help you start to get more intentional today

Related Episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

194 — The Science of Small Wins: Why They Matter More Than Big Goals

⁠112 — These 7 Tiny Changes That Lead to Big Results When You’re Working on Your Goals

Links & Resources

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Intentional⁠⁠

Take the Values Test

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MUDWTR — Get up to 43% off your entire order, plus free shipping and a free rechargeable frother when you use code STRONGER at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mudwtr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Buy a copy of The Mental Strength Playbook.

Whether you're trying to figure out how to address a problem with a friend or you're struggling to make a decision about what to do next week, thinking about a problem can be exhausting. And the more you think about solutions, the more you struggle to find an answer.

Fortunately, there's a simple strategy that can help you uncover the solution fast. Not only is it backed by science, but it's also used by engineers at companies like Amazon and Toyota. Today, I'm walking you through exactly how to run this play.

Some of the things I talk about are:

Why thinking harder actually keeps you stuck — and the surprising shift that breaks the loop fast.

The community college student who walked into class with a brightly colored rubber duck — and what happened to her grades after that.

Why engineers swear by this exact strategy when they hit a wall on a tough problem.

The cognitive psychology behind the "self-explanation effect" — and three specific things that happen in your brain the moment you start talking out loud.

How I used this play while writing The Mental Strength Playbook — when I'd been stuck on the structure for weeks.

The four-step play you can run anywhere, with any object, anytime your brain locks up.

Why this strategy works just as well for tough boundary conversations and tangled family decisions as it does for work problems.

The two mistakes that wreck this play — plus one pro tip for when you can't talk out loud in a shared space.

Related Episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

106 — Get Instant Stress Relief by Gaining Psychological Distance from Your Problems

⁠258 - 7 Sneaky Mindset Traps Draining Your Mental Strength (And How to Stop Them)

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MUDWTR — Get up to 43% off your entire order, plus free shipping and a free rechargeable frother when you use code STRONGER at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mudwtr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

AirDoctor — Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AirDoctorPro.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and use promo code STRONGER to get UP TO $300 off today!

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First Day — Get up to 57% off and a free gift with code stronger at ⁠⁠FirstDay.com⁠⁠

Quince — Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns!

Flamingo — Get a $7 starter set at ShopFlamingo.com/STRONGER

Cozy Earth — Head to cozyearth.com and use code STRONGER20 to get 20% off your order.

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Want to be mentally stronger today? Buy The Mental Strength Playbook.

Take a quick look around your home. How many piles of mail are sitting on the counter? How many clothes are in your closet that you haven't worn in two years? How much stuff is shoved in the garage, the spare room, or the storage unit you're still paying $200 a month for?

Most of us are drowning in stuff, and it's costing us more than we realize. The research is clear that clutter drains your energy, fragments your attention, and quietly raises your stress levels every single day. But it doesn't stop there. Clutter eats up your weekends, strains your relationships, and keeps you tethered to a version of yourself you've already outgrown. And the worst part is that buying more bins or spending another Saturday cleaning rarely fixes it.

My guest today is Faith Roberson, an organizing expert and author of What Stays and What Goes. She believes clutter isn't actually a discipline problem at all. It's an emotional one. And once you understand what's really keeping you stuck, letting go gets a whole lot easier.

Some of the things we discuss are:

Why clutter is almost never about laziness or discipline (and what it actually is)

The "emotional tagging" exercise that reveals what your stuff is really doing to you

How holding on to old belongings keeps you stuck in an identity you've outgrown

Why "does it spark joy?" isn't enough, and the better question to ask

The myth that selling your stuff is worth the time it takes

How to handle sentimental items without feeling like you're betraying someone you love

The three types of boundaries that determine whether your home actually feels like home

Why your stuff is probably worth a lot less than you think (and why that's good news)

The simple question to ask before keeping anything: can I actually care for this?

How clearing your space creates room for the person you're becoming next

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