Using brain science to help kids navigate the pressures of screen time with guest Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor (part 1)

Unplug and Plug In

Imagine having a way to peek inside your child's head and see what's going on inside their brain. Wouldn't that be fascinating?

Today our topic is literally brain science and how we can apply what we know about the brain to help kids navigate screen time, social media and the pressures online.

I'm thrilled to be chatting with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained brain anatomist and author, about the four sides of the human brain and how a child's brain and a teen brain is actually different than an adult brain and why that matters, when it comes to parenting and working with kids.

Dr. Jill is profoundly gifted at taking complex scientific information and boiling it down into ideas that stick and are helpful in understanding humans and the way our brains work. One of my all time favorite quotes is from her. "Be responsible for the energy you bring into a room."

This interview was so insightful with so many aha moments that it's split into two podcast episodes. This is the first one. In part 2, we'll talk about addiction and the human brain. How do we protect our kids from excessive gaming and screen time?

Grab a pencil. You're gonna wanna take notes on this one!

Guest information

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroscientist. In 1996 she experienced a severe hemorrhage (AVM) in the left hemisphere of her brain causing her to lose the ability to walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Her memoir, My Stroke of Insight, documenting her experience with stroke and eight-year recovery, spent 63 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and is still routinely the #1 book in the category Stroke in the Amazon marketplace.

Dr. Jill is a dynamic teacher and public speaker who loves educating all age groups, academic levels, as well as corporations and not-for-profit organizations about the beauty of our human brain. She focuses on how we can activate the power of our neuroplasticity to not only recover from neurological trauma, but how we can purposely choose to live a more flexible, resilient, and satisfying life.

In 2008 Dr. Jill gave the first TED talk that ever went viral on the Internet, which now has well over 27.5 million views. Also in 2008, Dr. Jill was chosen as one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and was the premiere guest on Oprah Winfrey’s “Soul Series” webcast. Her new book, Whole Brain Living – the Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life is a #1 release on Amazon in categories ranging from Neuroscience to Nervous System Diseases and Stroke.

Important Links and Resources

Takeaway

"Be responsible for the energy you bring into a room," is a quote Dr. Jill is well-known for, or as she said in her interview "Please be responsible for the circuitry you're running".

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we taught our kids this idea - that how they show up energetically determines their success in relationships?

Our sponsor

Our sponsor today is the Center for Online Safety. Their mission is to keep kids safe online and they offer training for parents and schools to protect kids from cyberbullying, predators, pornography and other inappropriate content.

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