The Empowered Brain

97. How to change any thought and start thinking on purpose

You are what you think. Neuroscience tells us, your thoughts and perceptions is what create your reality. So it makes sense to start thinking your thoughts on purpose. In this episode, you'll learn how you form your thoughts, and how to change any thoughts you have, so you can start creating the results you want. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the self regulation tools Follow Vanessa at: IG: @vanessacalderonmd FB: Vanessa Calderon MD Learn more and s...

96. How to stop feeling guilty when your body need to rest

Get your free copy of the self regulation tools As a high-achiever, you may have internalized the idea that you need to earn the time to rest. It may show up as you saying, I'll take a break and rest after I've done xzy. Have you ever wondered where this habit came from? Tune in to the podcast this week, The Empowered Brain, and learn why this developed and how to let it go. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the self regulation tools Follow Vanessa at: ...

95. How to have enough time for everything you value (and stop saying \"i don't have time for that\")

Get your free copy of the self regulation tools What if I told you that every time you said "I don't have time for this" what you're really doing is making an excuse to avoid something that in fact you don't really want to do. When we say: "I don't have time" what we really mean is: I don't want to I'm afraid to I don't think I can In this episode we talk about time and how it relates to our values. You'll learn how to get clear on your values, align your time to your values, and stop using the ...

94. Simple and highly effective tools to manage stress and create emotional self-regulation

Get your free copy of the self regulation tools Modern life is full of everyday stressors that build on each other and can manifest as chronic stress in our brain and bodies. Unless you choose to live a remote monastic life, you will experience these stressors. In this episode, I teach you 7 super simple and highly effective tools that you can use throughout your day to manage your stress response. Each tool takes less than 10 seconds to practice and is backed by neuroscience. Listen in and choo...

93. How to create authentic self-confidence and move away from feeling like you're not enough

How do you create self-confidence? We often think we create self-confidence by getting another degree, certificate, or training. But, true authentic confidence is built authentically. In this episode, we discuss why insecurity and self-doubt are second nature for women, and how to cultivate true authentic self-confidence, that no degree or title can ever give you, and no person can ever take away. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the 5 Step Ultimate Gu...

92. Achieve Every Goal You Set Part 3: How to stop procrastinating and start taking action

You know how excited you get at the beginning of every year when it's time to set a New Year's resolution. You think to yourself, this year is finally the year that it's going to happen. I'm finally going to lose the weight, or train for that marathon, or change jobs. Then what happens? A few weeks go by, and you slowly start to lose motivation. Then you slowly start to quit, and next thing you know, you're back to where you started. If this is you, it's okay, you're not alone. Most people start...

91. Achieve Every Goal You Set Part 2: The Success Triad and 3 things you need to achieve every goal

You know how excited you get at the beginning of every year when it's time to set a New Year's resolution. You think to yourself, this year is finally the year that it's going to happen. I'm finally going to lose the weight, or train for that marathon, or change jobs. Then what happens? A few weeks go by, and you slowly start to lose motivation. Then you slowly start to quit, and next thing you know, you're back to where you started. If this is you, it's okay, you're not alone. Most people start...

90. Achieve Every Goal You Set: Part 1 - Choosing the right goal for you

You know how excited you get at the beginning of every year when it's time to set a New Year's resolution. You think to yourself, this year is finally the year that it's going to happen. I'm finally going to lose the weight, or train for that marathon, or change jobs. Then what happens? A few weeks go by, and you slowly start to lose motivation. Then you slowly start to quit, and next thing you know, you're back to where you started. If this is you, it's okay, you're not alone. Most people start...

89. Self-expression and living a more fulfilled life

Self-expression is a vital piece of creating a fulfilled life. It's also the at the core of how we connect, navigate and grow with each other. Though neuroscience backs this up, it's still challenging for most people to feel comfortable and confident full expressing themselves. In this weeks episode we discuss: The cultural differences of self-expression. Why some cultures have evolved to value self-expression while others shun it. The science behind self-expression. How you can start to more fu...

88. Perfectionism: Why you have it and how to move past it

How does perfectionism show up for you? Are you spending an extra 20 minutes rewording an email because you want to make sure it's perfect? Are you taking forever to start a project, because you want to make sure you'll have the exact right amount of time to get it done? Are you short or rude with your loved ones, because they didn’t do the dishes the right way? However it shows up for you, it's clear that perfectionism is stressful and very rarely ever helpful. In this week's podcast episode, w...

87. Celebrations: How and Why to celebrate your daily wins

Do you feel awkward celebrating yourself when you accomplish something? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. Most people struggle to celebrate big accomplishments, let alone smaller daily wins. But here's the thing, research has shown that taking time to celebrate yourself, especially the smaller daily wins, increases your likelihood of accomplishing your bigger goals. In this week's episode, we talk all about celebrations. You'll learn: Why you may shy away from celebrations The benefits o...

86. Belonging: Why it Matters and How to Cultivate it

Belonging is a thought and feeling combination that can set us up for big successes, fulfilling relationships, and a lot of inner peace. The opposite of belonging, however, feeling insecure or rejected, can cause a lot of harm to our brains, bodies, and relationships. In this episode, we explore why belonging matters and how to start cultivating it for ourselves. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Follow Vanessa at: IG: @vanessacalderonmd FB: Vanessa Calderon MD Learn more an...

85. Stop "SHOULDING" all over yourself

We all have an inner critic that is alive and well. Sometimes the inner critic's self-judgment is obvious, i.e. your not smart enough, your too fat, your lazy, etc. But often, our inner critic can be much more subtle and the self-judgment it offers comes in the forms of "shoulds." "I shouldn't eat anymore dessert." "I shouldn't take anymore vacation time, they'll think I'm lazy." "I should go hang out with my in-laws." These should statements seem innocuous, but when left unchecked they cause se...

84. How to be Effective at Work When the Job is Imperfect (i.e. frustrating colleagues or circumstances)

We often to take jobs that are imperfect. They might come with frustrating colleagues or bosses, under-resourced departments, or difficult expectations. On this weeks podcast episode, I'll walk you through the 4 simple steps you can take to help you be effective at work, especially when the job is less than perfect. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Follow Vanessa at: IG: @vanessacalderonmd FB: Vanessa Calderon MD Learn more and subscribe at: www.vanessacalderonmd.com Leader...

83. Having the Audacity to Believe in Yourself

Smart-capable, high-achievers know how to get things done. But, sometimes there is still something standing in the way of the goal they want to achieve or the life they want to create. What's that one thing? It's having the audacity to believe the goal they want to achieve is possible for them. Though this might sound simple, this one thing is what has led to the demise of so many dreams. On this week's podcast episode you'll learn why this matters and how to start doing this for yourself. See F...

82. How to distance yourself from negative thoughts

There's one simple sentence you can use to help you create distance between the core of you and your thinking brain. It's especially helpful if you have a negative thought. In this week's podcast episode, I teach you how to use one simple sentence to distance yourself from negative thoughts and start to let go of anxiety, overwhelm and stress and choose peace and happiness instead. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the 5 Step Ultimate Guide to Stop Peop...

Special Announcement: The Podcast Is Getting a Fresh New Feel

81. How to make space in our days and lives for what matters

How many times have you said "later" to something that would bring you joy. Or "not right now" to a simple act of kindness, like a hug or a cuddle. Life is short and can be uncertain. In this episode we talk about how you can start making space for what truly matters in your life. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the 5 Step Ultimate Guide to Stop People Pleasing here . Follow Vanessa at: IG: @vanessacalderonmd FB: Vanessa Calderon MD Learn more and sub...

80. attitudes of mindfulness

A regular meditation practice has been scientifically proven to rewire your brain to one that is more present, peaceful and focused. This practice is aided by the 7 attitudes of mindfulness. Good news, friends, if you've never meditated you can still gain some of the benefits of meditation by incorporating the attitudes of mindfulness into your day-to-day life. In this episode you'll learn what the 7 attitudes of mindfulness are and how to start practicing them today. Note: If you're new to medi...

79. Why it's hard to just play as an adult, and what to do about it

Spending dedicated time doing something that brings you joy (with no other purpose than making you happy), is incredibly important. Why? For one, you're worth it. This alone should be reason enough. But here's another one, when we play and do things that bring us joy, we help our brain remodel into one that can thrive with life's everyday stressors. And a thriving brain ensures you are more resilient, confident, and happy. In this episode, you'll learn why it's so hard for us to do this and how ...

78. How to give yourself what you need when you're throwing an internal tantrum - With Dr. Stella Evans

Ever wonder why you sometimes feel emotionally torn between excitement and disappointment after an event you were planning to attend got canceled? Or, why someone like you, an otherwise rational adult, has internal tantrums at things that can seem benign? Curious what's behind the anger, fear or nervousness that sometimes shows up for you? If you answered yes to any of the above then you're going to want to check out this weeks podcast episode. I interview Dr. Stella Evans who introduces us to t...

77. Healing Internal Trauma with Dr. Kimmery Newsom

This week on the podcast I’m joined by a psychologist, Dr. Kimmery Newsom. She shares her new book, Sounds of the Soul, and we talk about the important and painful experience of mourning and processing grief. Grief is an unavoidable part of the human experience. In this episode, you’ll learn how to have a healthy journey through trauma, grief, and pain. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the 5 Step Ultimate Guide to Stop People Pleasing here . Follow Van...

76. Decolonize Your Brain Part 3 with Dr. Kimmery Newsom

This is the last episode in our 3-part series, Decolonizing Your Brain. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kimery Newsom, DEI therapist and expert. Dr. Newsom teaches us a new approach to do our own internal work, to start the process of decolonizing our brains. Again, just like the effects of the patriarchy have no gender, the effects of colonization have no race. So whether you consider yourself a person of color or a white body individual, you’ll learn a ton in this series. See Full Show Note...

75. Decolonize Your Brain: Part 2: How to Heal Internalized Racial Trauma

We’re continuing our podcast series on Decolonizing Your Brain. In Part 1, I reviewed the history of colonization and introduced you to the concept of the colonizer mentality. This week, in Part 2, you’ll learn how to recognize how the effects of colonization show up in your day-to-day lives. And, I walk you through a 6-step process to start doing your own work to decolonize your brain. Just like the effects of the patriarchy have no gender, the effects of colonization have no race. So whether y...

74. Decolonize Your Brain: Part 1 Colonization and the Colonizer Mentality

One of the most important things we can do to ensure our brain is functioning at its highest capacity is to examine our biases and challenge our limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs are exactly what they sound like. They’re thoughts we hold that are limiting our growth and potential. Limiting beliefs are informed by the things we see and hear around us. For example, if you were raised in a home with traditional gender roles, you may have grown up believing it was the women’s job to care for the ho...

73. How to Improve Your Efficiency by 40%

What if I told you, you were wasting 23 minutes every hour?!?!?! Would you want to learn a way to stop wasting this time? Well, here's the thing, it's highly likely you are. You see, most of us do something that feels like no big deal in the middle of our work days. We switch tasks. And, we do it multiple times throughout the day. Here's something you may not have realized, every time you task-switch, it takes your brain at least 23 minutes to get back into your flow state. But, there's a way to...

72. Your Brain's Golden Hour of Efficiency

Do you know that one time of your day when you know you'll be on fire? You're hyper-focused and able to knock things out quickly. Well, my friend, that time of the day is referred to as your golden hour. On this week's podcast, I teach you the 3 steps to harness that time, add fuel to that fire, and skyrocket your efficiency. See Full Show Notes and Transcripts by clicking Here . Get your free copy of the 5 Step Ultimate Guide to Stop People Pleasing here . Follow Vanessa at: IG: @vanessacaldero...

71. How to Use Rest to Fuel Your Efficiency

News flash trying to be MORE productive is wreaking havoc on your brain. Why? Because this isn't the industrial revolution and you are not some cog in a machine. The old way of thinking had us measuring our self-worth by how many widgets we produced. The more we produced the better we thought we were. So we kept producing more and more, even at the detriment of our own mental health. The old way of thinking is outdated and doesn't take into account how beautifully complex your brain is. You see,...

70. Achieve All Your Goals Using Strategic Pessimism

How often have you set a goal, and been super motivated to achieve the goal, only to lose your momentum a few weeks in? Then what happens? You slowly stop following through, you start micro-quitting and the next thing you know you're back to where you started. This can feel frustrating and sometimes keeps us from wanting to set any goals. If you can relate, I've got just the thing for you. On this week's podcast, I'm teaching you a process to help you follow through and NOT quit on your goals pa...

69. Shame, Perfectionism and Body-Image with Dr. Trina Dorrah

Get your free copy of the 5 Step Ultimate Guide to Stop People Pleasing here . For close to 30+ years of my life, I was riddled with insecurity. For example, as a Latina with curves and wavy hair growing up in the 80s, I didn't exactly fit society's mold of beauty. I tried everything I could to fix my insecurities. I'd exercise all the time and I'd straighten and dye my hair to try and look like the thin, yellow-haired models on TV. I thought that if I could just be perfect, then no one would ev...