Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function
Welcome to the podcast,
Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function hosted by Sucheta Kamath.
Executive Function is a core set of cognitive skills that allow humans to focus attention, block out distractions, plan ahead, stay engaged, temper emotions, and think flexibly while creatively solving problems to fulfill personal and social goals. The prefrontal cortex region of the brain, which governs Executive Function, is often compared to an air traffic control system at a busy airport. Much like an air traffic controller guides planes on different flight paths in the direction that each needs to go, the prefrontal cortex intercepts thoughts and impulses in order to direct them towards situationally appropriate and productive outcomes that serve the need of the future self.
Significant research in the field suggests that developing strong Executive Function is critical for school-aged children and remains one of the most reliable predictors of overall success, shown to have profound life-long implications beyond the formal years of learning. On this podcast, host Sucheta Kamath will converse with neuroscientists, social psychologists, learning experts, and thought leaders who will illustrate how Executive Function is inextricably linked with mental health, physical health, school readiness, job success, marital relationships, and much more.
On the path of self-development, we all experience a constant struggle between trying to optimize our talent and effort while still facing difficulty in mobilizing the inner tools and strategies that can lead us in the right direction. Tune in to
Full PreFrontal
to figure out how best to manage your thoughts, habits, and attitudes to enhance your self-awareness and future thinking and to achieve your best self.
Sucheta 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 a personalized digital learning curriculum/tool (ExQ®) 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. Outside of her business, Sucheta previously served as President of the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association, where she started a free Social-Communication and Executive Function Training program for inner-city men afflicted with addiction and homelessness—a program she continues to oversee as a coach and a trainer today. She is also a long-time meditator and is currently working on her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification. A firm believer in the “Pause, Reflect, and then Respond” philosophy, Sucheta hopes to spread the word on how every person can reach higher levels of self-awareness and achieve lasting growth of their Executive Function.
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 48 minutes
- Episodes
- 210
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
Ep. 190: Dr. Willie F. McBride, Ph.D. - Preparing All Kids for Life
Students with underdeveloped Executive Function skills often present themselves as highly impulsive or distracted, reactive rather than reflective, forgetful of their goals, lacking per…
Ep. 189: Steven D Kniffley Jr., PsyD ABPP MPA - Challenging the False Narrative
In a society where its members believe that one color or race is superior to another, its members who belong to the racial minority experience poor treatment based on these beliefs caus…
Ep. 188: Dr. Morcease Beasley - Leading Education with Executive Function
The excitement of a new year also brings new challenges to overcome, especially as we continue to face educational, health, safety and well-being issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic…
Ep. 187: Dave Melnick - Leading the Way with Trauma Transformed Education
It is said that a human body that has been traumatized or overwhelmed by stress can feel helpless, reactive, angry, impulsive, raging, numb and leaning towards avoidance. AND the same i…
Ep. 186: Dave Melnick - Trauma Transformed Schools
The violence in the United States this past month has brought up raw emotions in all of us. The killing of Asian seniors as they were worshipping in their church, African-American elde…
Ep. 185: David Strayer - Conundrum of Multitasking
Our commitment to multitasking in everyday life is unwavering and ubiquitous; a strong indicator of how our perceptions deceive us. We are not as smart as we think we are, neither are w…
Ep. 184: Professor Terrie E Moffitt - Executive Function, Stressful Lives, and Health Decisions
Life without struggles is no life at all and what accompanies these struggles is ambiguity, uncertainty, and disruptions. Coping under these tenuous conditions means deciphering new goa…
Ep. 183: Stephen Chew - Learning Beyond the Big Choke Point
Researcher Diane Halpern says, “When people think critically, they are evaluating the outcomes of their thought processes – how good a decision is or how well a problem is solved.” Meta…
Ep. 182: John Kounios - Eureka Moments and Executive Function
On October 16, 1843, while on a stroll along the Royal Canal in Dublin, mathematician William Rowan Hamilton had an aha moment which led to his famed discovery of the algebraic equation…
Ep. 181: Dr. DeDe Wohlfarth - Brave Spaces, Not Just Safe Spaces
As the United States becomes a land of the diverse, conversations are shifting from "how do we excel in spite of our differences" to "how we come together and thrive because of our diff…
Ep. 180: Dr. Monica Marsee - Aggression & Callousness
We are wired to be social and socializing and connecting depends on theory of mind, perspective taking, and being able to sympathize or empathize with others. Empathy, one of the vital …
Ep. 179: Eduardo Briceño - Growth Mindset & Continuous Improvement
Many preconceived notions and misconceptions often create a barrier to attaining personal success. Here are some frequently unchallenged misconceptions: “Talent is innate and needs to b…
Ep. 178: Dr. Sarah Schnitker - Paragons of Virtue
Whether it is enduring the process of untangling yarn, cancelling all your credit cards after losing your wallet, or waiting for months to hear back from a college admissions’ office, p…
Ep. 177: Janice Kaplan - The Genius of Women
Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Alfred Hitchcock, Sherlock Holmes… these are some of the iconic names dominating the cultural narrative that men far supersede women in talent, accom…
Ep. 176: Taylor Chesney, Psy.D. - Raising Well-Adjusted Children
In 2002, American writer Augusten Burroughs’ memoire, Running with Scissors, was launched and spent eight weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The memoir is littered with a lita…
Ep. 175: Dr. Milton J. Dehn - Working Memory and Executive Function
Working memory is the most vital component of strong Executive Function as it allows for processing multifaceted information and tracking new systems we deploy to manage change or chall…
Ep. 174: Dr. Julie Exline - Spiritual Struggle & Personal Growth
The human frontal-lobe evolution has made it possible to do the right thing, particularly when that right thing is really hard to do. While faith, religion, and spirituality give indivi…
Ep. 173: Jonathan Schooler, Ph.D. - From Mind Wandering to Mind Wondering
‘A quick trip to Tahiti’ is what it feels like when our mind wanders. No matter what we do, where we are, or how important or valuable the task in front of us is, our minds wander. Inte…
Ep. 172: Brandon P. Fleming - Miseducated
When we think of equitable teaching and learning we must first get our assumptions right. Instead of thinking of teaching as a process of transmitting knowledge, we need to think about …
Ep. 171: Jonathan Gottschall - The Storytelling Brain
What is as ubiquitous as air, water, and earth, but possibly more potent than all three? It’s a story. The human brain, while swept up in the forcefield of stories, is enthralled, molde…