In this episode of This Daring Adventure podcast, I explore the pivotal role of the prefrontal cortex in bridging the gap between our current selves and our desired future.

We look at the brain's architecture, focusing on the prefrontal cortex as the 'CEO' responsible for planning, decision-making, and impulse control. Understanding and optimizing the function of our prefrontal cortex can help us override primitive survival mechanisms that often keep us stuck in counterproductive habits.

Learn that through embracing mindfulness, cognitive challenges, and healthy lifestyle habits, we can rewire our brains for sustainable change, ultimately leading to a more intentional and fulfilling life.

00:34 Understanding the Brain: Prefrontal Cortex

04:03 The Power of the Prefrontal Cortex

04:42 The Primitive Brain and Its Functions

11:11 The Prefrontal Cortex and Emotional Regulation

12:03 The Prefrontal Cortex as the Control Center

12:10 The Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision Making

16:18 Taking Care of Your Brain

19:03 Overriding the Primitive Brain with the Prefrontal Cortex

25:09 Rewiring Your Brain for Change

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If you're interested in trying coaching, here's your chance! Book a private coaching session with me. Get coached on any aspect of your life, including how to create a life that is authentically yours. Let's talk about how we can move you forward towards creating what you ultimately want.

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Thank you!

Welcome to This Daring Adventure podcast,

where we work on bridging the gap between

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where we are and where we want to be in

order to live a bigger and bolder life.

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In this podcast, we will provide

inspiration, tips, and skills

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you need to make your life the

adventure you want it to be.

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Here's your host, mindset mentor

and life coach Trista Guertin.

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Trista: Hey everybody, welcome

back to The Daring Adventure.

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I am very happy to have you here.

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today I wanted to talk a little

bit about our brain and in

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particular the prefrontal cortex.

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I am not a neuroscientist.

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I'm not trained or have a

degree in neuroscience and

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anything to do with the brain.

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but as I have embarked on this journey

of life coaching, first getting

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coached, and then as a coach myself,

I've come to understand a tiny bit,

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just a tiny bit, of how our brain works

and why it's important to understand

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different aspects, different sections,

different functions of our brain.

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And having this understanding It not only

helps me to have greater self awareness

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and compassion for what's going on

inside my head and why I do some of the

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things I do, but it is also the gateway

to making changes and understanding

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what needs to be done in order to make

sustainable change happen in my brain.

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So that it's not just me trying to

be disciplined and motivated to take

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certain actions and Just hope to repeat

and repeat and that it will stick.

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In truth, our ability to change exists.

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It is possible.

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We are not fixed.

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We do not have a fixed mindset.

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We have neural pathways in our brain that

can be rewritten and changed, but it takes

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effort and it takes work and it takes an

understanding to, to know what needs to

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happen in order to make those changes.

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And when you start to make those changes,

If it's at that level, the level of

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your brain, in the level of your neural

pathways, then that's when the change

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is more, it's sustainable, it's lasting.

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You have rewritten what's

going on in your brain.

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And even just having that awareness

can help you to make, create new

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habits and to change your behavior.

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So what I wanted to do was just go

over a little bit about the prefrontal

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cortex and its significance and what it

does and what it does for us and what

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we can do for it and then why this is

especially in relation to making changes

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in our lives and overcoming or using

it as a tool to overcome some of the

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more primitive urges that we have that

keep us stuck in a pattern or in habits

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and actions that we want to change.

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The prefrontal cortex is like

a master planner of your brain.

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it sets goals, it sets dreams, it is what

you use to make plans for the future.

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And it is the part of the brain

where conscious decisions are made.

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And it will require a lot

of energy to function.

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It's basically like the CEO of your

mind overseeing executive functions.

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It is at the front of our brain.

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I usually, if you see me when I'm doing

presentations or teaching, my hand

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will come to the front of my head.

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And so if the prefrontal cortex

is at the front, now we also have

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the primitive part of our brain.

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And some people refer to it as

the survival part of our brain,

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the lizard part of our brain.

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And that's the part of the

brain that we use to survive.

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And which is designed to

keep us alive and to keep us

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functioning on a day to day basis.

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It is an important part of our

brain because it literally has

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been in charge of our physical

safety for thousands of years.

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And this was really important when we were

living in caves and out in the bush and

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trying to just survive every single day.

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Whether it was threats from a saber

toothed tiger, or illness, or some sort

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of danger, hunger, thirst, whatever

it might be, it was functioning in a

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way that it was scanning for problems,

defaulting to the negative, and basically

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using fear in order to keep us alive.

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It functions on a motivational triad.

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of seek pleasure, avoid pain,

and be as efficient as possible.

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this is the survival part of our

brain, and it is fairly basic.

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It just wants to keep us alive.

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This is important because the

prefrontal cortex has evolved

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in order for us to plan ahead.

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Be rational, think about

what we're thinking about.

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And while we still have that primitive

part of our brain, which is functioning

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exactly the same way that it did

thousands of years ago, we can use

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the prefrontal cortex to override

it because for the most part, our

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physical safety is not, an issue.

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Today, I have food, I have water, I

have shelter, I'm part of a tribe.

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I'm okay, for the most part.

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But my brain is still acting

like I'm under threat.

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And I need to use my prefrontal cortex in

order to override that part of my brain.

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As long as I have a human brain, my,

my survival part of my brain is going

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to be like danger, look out for this

is scary, be careful here, don't do

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that, don't put yourself out there,

don't try that, it's dangerous for you.

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But, nowadays, some of what

it's trying to prevent me from

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doing isn't in my best interest.

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Because some of the scary things are

posting on social media, public speaking,

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doing a podcast, starting my own business.

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And those are things that are

actually things that are going

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to take me to the next level.

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Now they're scary, yes, and there's an

element of risk and vulnerability that's

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included, but it's not going to harm me.

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But my survival brain is not

differentiating between that and

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what is actually good for me.

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And if we allow the primitive part

of our brain to continue to rule

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some of these aspects of our lives,

then that's when we stay stuck.

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That's when we start

holding ourselves back.

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That's when we're playing small because

we're giving into the fear and the idea

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that it's dangerous and that we have

to expend so much energy and that there

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could be pain involved or whatever.

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But in order for us to evolve now,

We need to use the prefrontal cortex

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in order to put ourselves out there,

to take risks, to be vulnerable, to

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learn new things, to take chances.

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Otherwise, we will just

allow the fear to consume us.

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Now, the prefrontal cortex, as I

said, is at the very front of our

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brain, just behind the forehead.

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It is extremely complex.

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highly interconnected region

of the brain and serves or

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provides many distinct functions.

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Mainly it has specific roles in

cognitive and emotional processing.

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It helps us with decision making,

planning, and working memory.

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It also plays a crucial role in

social cognition, self awareness,

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and emotional regulation.

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As I said, for executive function,

for instance, it includes a number

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of processes that are involved

in goal directed behavior.

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This can include decision making,

We're assessing options, predicting

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outcomes, selecting appropriate actions.

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It includes planning, so formulating

and organizing strategies in order

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to achieve goals or solve problems.

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It includes working memory, so

it's holding and manipulating

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information to guide behavior.

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It includes inhibition.

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So suppressing irrelevant or inappropriate

thoughts, actions, or emotions.

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And this is what we see when we

start, when we're drinking, that the

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prefrontal cortex is affected in our

brain and it lowers our inhibitions.

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And then it also includes

social and emotional regulation.

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So it plays a critical role in social

behavior and emotional regulation,

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contributing to self awareness.

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which is our ability to recognize our

own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

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It includes empathy, so

understanding and responding to

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others emotions and perspectives.

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It includes emotional control, regulating

emotional responses and managing stress.

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and personal expression and flexibility.

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So it's involved in shaping personality

traits and adapting behavior to

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changing circumstances, which helps

with our flexibility in order to

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adjust goals and strategies in when we

receive new information or feedback.

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It's really important

for making decisions.

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When you have to make a choice

between, do I want to take this

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job or stay in my current job?

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Do I want this relationship or do

I want to leave in my relationship?

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Or do I want to leave my relationship?

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This is how you use

your prefrontal cortex.

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It helps you to weigh options

and pick what you want most.

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It helps with problem solving.

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If you are trying to figure out a puzzle,

or some sort of math problem for instance,

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this is how you use your prefrontal cortex

to puzzle it out and to find a solution.

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It helps with impulse control.

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Instead of just, slapping the person

in front of you, say if you get

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an urge, it helps you to control

those and make better choices.

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So it really does play a big

role in how we act around others

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and how we handle our feelings.

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And this can include

personality expression.

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Your personality is unique to

you, and it is shaped by or

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within the prefrontal cortex.

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And it helps you to define

how you show up in the world.

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It also helps to define social behavior.

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Your prefrontal cortex helps

you to understand how to act

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and react in different social

circumstances or situations.

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And it helps with emotional regulations.

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Our feelings can be overwhelming at times.

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But our prefrontal cortex will help us

to manage our emotions, regardless of

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how intense or powerful they are feeling.

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And the reason why, other than all

those reasons it's important to

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ensure that Our prefrontal cortex is

functioning well on a day to day basis.

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And it will act as a guide helping

us to plan every step of the way.

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So if you want to set a big goal

for yourself, if you want to go

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to the next level, if you want

to expand your life you use your

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prefrontal cortex to set that goal.

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and it will help you to think

about what you want to achieve.

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Then once you have that

goal, it helps you to plan.

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It helps you to navigate how

you will get there and guide

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you in what actions to take.

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It helps you to figure out the path there.

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It also helps with long term objectives.

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Your prefrontal cortex is what you

will use to remind yourself of your

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goal and help you to stay focused.

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Even when things get difficult, even

when you get frustrated, even when things

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aren't working out the way you thought

they would, you use your prefrontal

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cortex in order to help you stick to

your plan and to keep going until you

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achieve what it is you want to achieve.

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So using the prefrontal cortex is key.

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If you want to build a bigger

life for yourself, this is the

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tool that you are going to use.

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And it is important to override that

primitive part of your brain, because

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it's a primitive part of your brain

that's going to say, it's easier to

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lie on the couch and watch Netflix.

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You don't have time for this.

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It's not working.

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Your life is good enough as it is.

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I'm too busy.

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Whatever it is that it offers you,

to try to get out of the risk, the

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vulnerability, and of doing the work.

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One of the key things is to make

sure that you are taking care of your

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prefrontal cortex on a day to day basis.

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And this can conclude

mindfulness practices.

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You can meditate or do body scans, go

for walks, anything that helps you to

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take care, give you some space, get some

calm into your life that just aids and

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enhances your prefrontal cortex function.

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It's also possible to do some cognitive

challenges and brain training.

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This helps to strengthen and

enhance the prefrontal cortex.

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It stimulates it.

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And of course, when you're doing

something demanding, when you're giving

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it something challenging it's like

taking your body to the gym, right?

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Like training your muscles.

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giving it heavy loads to do the work.

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The same thing happens with

your prefrontal cortex.

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So engaging it in some challenging

activities, learning, a new language,

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doing puzzles, anything that has it

challenged and having to learn and adapt.

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And of course, healthy lifestyle habits,

exercise, sleep, diet will help you

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to support optimal brain function.

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And I know Jim Kwik

quick does a lot of work.

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Dr.

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Daniel Amen does a lot of work on how you

can really take care of your brain so that

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it is functioning in an optimal level.

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And this will help you to think

clearly, that if you're drinking

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alcohol, if you're not getting enough

sleep, your brain isn't functioning.

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You can't think clearly.

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This is your prefrontal cortex.

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And so making sure that you take steps

to take care of it will help you both in

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the short term on a daily basis and in

the long term when you're planning and

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working to achieve goals in your life.

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the brain.

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is very complex.

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And again, this is not meant

to be a dissertation or a

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thesis on how it's functioning.

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This is very simplistic, but it does

help us to understand how we can

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override that survival part of our

brain that is trying to keep us safe.

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and that means well, but that will have

us hiding in the cave and will have us

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lying on the couch watching Netflix in

order or instead of going after what we

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truly want in creating the life that we

truly desire in going after those big

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goals and creating a bigger and bolder

life for ourselves using the prefrontal

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cortex to plan, to set goals is key.

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Knowing that your primitive part of

your brain is going to challenge you.

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And when you go to take action, When

you make a plan, let's say you decide

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tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM you're going

to get up, you're going to go to the gym,

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and you need to develop this awareness

and this understanding that your pre

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your primitive part of your brain at

7:00 AM is going to tell you that it

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is easier, it is warmer, to stay in

bed, just stay for another 10 minutes.

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It's not a problem.

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Or we can go to the gym later, or

tomorrow is a good day to start.

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This is what your primitive part

of your brain will offer you.

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It will try to get out of doing the work.

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It will try to keep you as

efficient as possible, which

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means low energy expenditure.

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It will also use fear.

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So the fear of failure,

the fear of ridicule, of

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awkwardness, of vulnerability.

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It will use that because it sees it

legitimately as a threat to your survival.

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Putting yourself out there, maybe

saying something at work, maybe

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public speaking, coming up with a

new idea, publishing a blog post.

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It sees as a threat because we are

meant to be a part of the tribe.

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And if you put something out there

and you face ridicule, you face

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criticism, it brings up that fear that

you will be pushed to the outside and

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no longer a part of the tribe, you'll

be ridiculed, you'll be ostracized.

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This was a huge problem when

we were back in our cave days.

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If you didn't, if you couldn't be a

part of the tribe and rely on others

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for your survival, it meant death.

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So we very much want to fit in,

we very much want to conform

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because there's safety in that.

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understanding that you have to override

that intrinsic need and desire to fit

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in, to be safe, to conform because

it's not serving you today as well.

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And you also want to use your

prefrontal cortex to plan ahead.

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You want to be clear

that this is your plan.

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And this is what you're going to stick to.

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And you use your prefrontal

cortex as the adult supervision

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in this relationship with your

childlike toddler, primitive brain.

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You have to override that.

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You have to not listen to that primitive

part of your brain that wants to

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just stay in bed and not do the work.

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It's the same way that if your child

needs to brush her teeth before bedtime,

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it's that same sort of authority that

you take with that primitive part of

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your brain when it's time to go to the

gym, or it's time to write that blog

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post, or it's time to write that email.

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Same thing.

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You have to think of yourself in that

relationship the same way you would

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as a parent, or if you had a pet.

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You have to manage that part of

your brain and take the authority.

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Understand and anticipate what is

going to happen, what your primitive

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part of your brain is going to

offer you, and prepare for it.

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You can prepare responses ahead of time

that you know would be in response to

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what your primitive brain might offer you.

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know that the brain likes to be efficient.

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This primitive part of our

brain really loves efficiency.

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So it's going to want to stick to

what's familiar and what's comfortable.

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And we've all developed attachments.

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In reality, our brain accepts

certain behaviors and preferences

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as a survival mechanism, but this

is also no longer serving us.

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And many of our desires and preferences

are actually learned behaviors

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from part of our programming,

part of our socialization,

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rather than inherent traits.

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These neural pathways can lead to

behaviors like overeating or excessive

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drinking or over shopping, which may

not align with your true desires.

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And in order to change these automatic

responses, because they're happening

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like when it's a well worn neural

pathway in your brain it's like a groove.

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Or a pathway in the dirt.

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It's well worn.

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It's easy to go through.

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And this is what your brain likes to use.

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It's very quick.

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It's automatic.

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You don't have to think about it.

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So in order to change these

responses, you need to work

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consciously to rewire your brain.

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And you need to pay attention

to what your thoughts are.

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and what behavior is coming up for

you and then consistently repeat

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new patterns until when they

become unconscious and effortless.

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Being aware of, like I said, what your

brain is going to offer you when you

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set your alarm to go to the gym at

7am In order to change that behavior,

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you need to be aware that this is

what's going to happen, that this is

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what your brain is going to offer you.

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You need to pay attention to that.

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And then you need to use your prefrontal

cortex to override that, to say,

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we're going to the gym no matter what.

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And it's like a muscle that you're

building with your prefrontal

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cortex, creating a new pattern.

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That it will become easier and easier to

go to the gym, to do what you said, to

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do what you said you were going to do.

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In order to live intentionally, in order

to design your life with purpose, you

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need to use your prefrontal cortex.

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Otherwise, the primitive part of

your brain will keep you hiding.

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It will keep you playing small.

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You will be at the mercy of its desires

to avoid playing, to avoid pain, to seek

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pleasure, to be as efficient as possible.

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And this will not help you

to go to the next level.

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It will not help you

to build a bigger life.

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You need to plan ahead.

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You need to make decisions.

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You need to take control of your behavior

in order to create the life you want.

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Be the adult supervision in that

relationship with the primitive

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toddler part of your brain.

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And this is the key to going

after whatever you want.

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So that's a brief, basic

simple explanation of what's

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going on in your brain.

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But I think it's really helpful and

it's really changed things for me.

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It's just created this level of

awareness of what's going on and

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that there's nothing wrong with me.

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this is being a human with a human brain.

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This is very normal.

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People come to coaching all the time

and think there's something wrong with

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them because they can't follow through

on what they said they were going to do.

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They start and they stop.

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They give up.

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They start again and then they fail.

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And they think there's something

intrinsically wrong with them.

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And it's just a part of our human nature.

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It's just a part of our brain.

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But it is possible to understand

it and start to override it.

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Once you have that awareness

of what's going on, you don't

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have to use it against yourself.

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You have some compassion.

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You have that awareness.

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And then you start to do the work

to override it and change it.

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And that's literally what you

need to do to change your life.

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It's very exciting.

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And it's, it works.

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That's the amazing thing is

that it really does work.

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It takes time.

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It takes effort.

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It takes persistence and

consistency, but it is possible.

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And this is the work

that we do in coaching.

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This is the work that you can do with

a coach on a regular weekly basis,

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ideally, to sit and to talk through

some of these things and see Where

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your primitive part of your brain is

overriding your prefrontal cortex and

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keeping you from achieving what you want.

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And we talk through this and we get that

understanding and we get that awareness

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and we come up with ways to override that.

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And to keep going.

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If you want to learn more about

coaching, if you want to try

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coaching for yourself, the link to

my calendar is in the show notes.

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I offer a free 45 minute session.

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Come get coached on any

issue that you wish.

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Learn more about what it would

look like to work with me and have

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some fun because coaching is fun.

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Thank you everybody for joining me today.

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I hope you found that helpful and

I will talk to you again soon.

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Take care.

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Bye bye.

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Thank you for listening to

This Daring Adventure podcast

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with your host Trista Guertin.

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We hope you enjoyed the tips

and conversations on how to

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get excited about life again.

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As always, you can head to

tristaguertin.com for additional resources

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and to book a one on one coaching session.

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You can also follow Trista on

Instagram at tristavguertin.

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Don't forget to subscribe, rate,

and review us on Apple Podcasts.

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Thanks again for tuning in

and we'll see you next time.