Say It Skillfully® OUR VOICES – Wendy Suzuki, the Gift in Anxiety - a podcast by Molly Tschang

Say It Skillfully® is a show that helps you to benefit from Molly Tschang’s expert guidance on the best possible ways to speak your mind at work in a positive and productive manner. Episode 102 is the 17th monthly feature of “Our Voices,” intended to accelerate social change that levels the playing field—helping everyone live to their full potential. World-renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Wendy Suzuki, joins Molly and shares the ups and downs of her journey and how she got UNconventional—off the rails—to find and follow her truth north! Growing up in California, Wendy reflects on her upbringing and what it was like for her parents, who spent time in a World War II Japanese internment camp. Education was revered, sense of community strong through the Buddhist church, piano taught her about the arts, and baseball, basketball, tennis had her active. She shares the serendipity on Day 1 of UC Berkeley—wow’ed by Professor Marion Diamond in “The Brain and Its Potential” seminar on how brains could change and get better... Wendy knew she was to be a neuroscientist. Now an award-winning professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University, she is frank about the tenure track and the costs; periods of being friendless, 25 pounds overweight, stressed out with insomnia. She admits to being an “anxiety hider” and describes her struggles with overcoming shyness and fear of being wrong. Her come-to-Jesus moment was in Peru river rafting, realizing, “I’m in my 30s and the weakest person on the trip.” Over 18 months, she got fit and got unconventional—doing the unthinkable for tenured faculty and switched her research focus to the transformative impact of movement on the brain, noting that doing so regularly stimulates new brain cells to increase memory. Wendy also provides a mini-talk on why anxiety is good! And she shares her favorite pandemic discovery—housework is aerobic—and how she created social connection while isolated. Don’t miss this empowering conversation, plus highlights of Wendy’s work—using exercise to make positive changes in our brains. With more than 31 million views on Facebook, her TED talk, The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise, was the 2nd most viewed in 2018! And learn from her about the oft misunderstood emotion, anxiety. You can harness the power of anxiety into unexpected gifts! Leading by example, Wendy inspires all to know no boundaries and to commit to taking action so that all can be safe, seen and heard, and our true and best selves. Molly’s thought for the week: Be the change you want to see in the world. LEARN MORE and be happier and healthier through Dr. Suzuki’s books, Good Anxiety and Healthy Brain, Happy Life! https://www.goodanxiety.com #sayitskillfully resources:
* If you see a colleague headed toward burnout, here’s how you can tactfully help: https://bit.ly/3hMpzke
* All my videos by category here: https://sayitskillfully.com

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