BrainShape Podcast

Caregiving for a loved one with dementia comes with many challenges, but also tremendous gifts. Failures are a part of dementia and care, but there are also many lessons that can be gathered along th…

Social isolation is defined as wanting more connection than you currently have. There are many adverse health effects of loneliness and social isolation – such as the increased risk of cardiovascular…

If you have ever experienced a traumatic event and were not able to process it for any reason, the trauma can get frozen in your senses and emotions. You can get triggered months, years or even decad…

Hearing loss affects many adults as they age. While the impact of hearing loss on health is varied, the relationship between hearing and cognition is notable. When it gets harder to hear information,…

You’ve heard about mindfulness before. Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to the present moment non-judgmentally. It is about being attuned to what arises and passes in your mind, so that you…

The human brain undergoes normal age-related changes. After age 60, your brain's memory centre starts to shrink (~1% per year). Keeping an active lifestyle and moving your body regularly can help pro…

Being resilient in the face of challenge and transition is tough. Regardless of what change you are currently going through – your emotional well-being and mindset play a critical role in your abilit…

The journey of inner transformation and growth is not easy. Any challenge can be transformed into an opportunity to grow if you let it, but this takes conscious choice and effort. Practices of self-r…

If you are in a relationship with a narcissist, and struggling, then this episode is for you. A narcissist is controlling and manipulative; they can’t handle criticism; they lack empathy and emotiona…

Changing old habits can be hard. Maybe you want to stop spending so much time on your devices; maybe you want to exercise more or sleep better. Whatever your specific goals are, modifying your lifest…

Memory changes with age. Although there is a difference between “normal” age-related changes in memory and those associated with dementia-like pathology (such as Alzheimer’s disease), some changes in…

Music moves the mind. Your experiences with music involve many psychological & mental processes - from perceiving or hearing the music to the mental images that accompany a specific tune. Strong emot…

You have an inner light - a set of gifts & talents that exist within you; but, many obstacles can get in the way of you living to your fullest potential. For example, old stories that you have been t…

Research demonstrates the existence of racial disparities in health. Specifically, older black adults show an earlier onset of chronic conditions and more rapid declines in health than their white co…

We’ve all had powerful experiences with music. Music can help us feel light + happy, and it can also help us deal with heavy emotions that we’ve been carrying around for far too long. Musical interve…

Dr. Peter Whitehouse (author of "The Myth of Alzheimer's" and the forthcoming "American Dementia") reminds us that Alzheimer's disease is not a single biological condition – but a collection of many …

Dorothy Butler Gilliam is a pioneer and the first black female journalist at the Washington Post. In this episode, Dorothy shares her incredible life story – from growing up in a racially segregated …

Stress affects both your brain and your body. In this episode, I share a sneak peak of Brain Vitality Workshop #2: Stress, Sleep and Mental Challenges. To access the entire workshop, visit https://ww…

In this episode, we are featuring our first-ever repeat guest! Dr. Catherine Kurosu is here again, but this time she’s talking about the integration of Western and Eastern medicine for optimal heart …