Excellent Executive Coaching: EEC 427

How Using Your Whole Brain Drives Organizational Performance

Host: Dr. Katrina Burrus PhD, MCC
Guest: Dr. Stephanie Bacon
Date: April 7, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Katrina Burrus sits down with Dr. Stephanie Bacon—educator, trauma-informed breathwork facilitator, and expert in embodied social and emotional learning (SEL). The discussion dives into the concept of using the "whole brain" for organizational performance. Together, they explore how nervous system regulation, embodied SEL, and expanded human capacity foster better leadership, more engaged teams, and higher organizational effectiveness. Dr. Bacon provides practical examples, robust frameworks, and actionable strategies, making complex neuroscience accessible for executive coaches, leaders, and organizations alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Human Capacity and Organizational Performance

• Neglected Aspect of Performance:
  "We don't talk a lot about capacity in terms of humans... But what about our capacity to be human—of our ability to perform, think, and also feel depends on our nervous system." (Bacon, [01:10])
• Core Idea: Enhancing an organization’s performance starts with enhancing each individual’s nervous system capacity—not just their skills or knowledge.

2. State of the Nervous System: Regulation vs. Dysregulation

• Dysregulation in Modern Lives:
  "Our lives are more busy than previous generations... we are taking in inputs that the human body is not used to inputting. And that puts us into a survival state." (Bacon, [02:40])
• Consequences: When in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode, people cannot fully access strategic thinking or innovation; they tend toward self-protection and default to old habits.
• Practical Example: Dr. Bacon uses breathwork in group settings to quickly shift clients out of "stressed" states and into a regulated, receptive mode. Breathwork is especially accessible:
  "Breathwork gave me a tool that was so active it could very quickly regulate my nervous system." (Bacon, [03:29])
• Impact: Once regulated, teams are more engaged, ask better questions, collaborate more, and can process new information effectively.

3. Embodied SEL & Social-Emotional Competence

• Definition of Embodied SEL:
  Not just understanding social-emotional skills, but living them—integrating the mind, emotions, and body in real time.
  "When I talk about embodied SEL, it’s learning how to tune into those cues of the body." (Bacon, [10:54])
• Critical Competency Domains:
  • Self-awareness
  • Other awareness
  • Relational awareness
  • Decision impact awareness
  • Cultural awareness and sensitivity ([08:50])
• Key Statistic:
  "In fact, 80% of the messages going between brain and body are from your body to your brain. 20% is from brain to body." (Bacon, [10:17])
• Tuning Into the Body: Learn to recognize sensations (e.g., tension in the chest) and ask, "What does that sensation mean? Is this anxiety? Is it fear? Is it anger?" ([10:36])

4. Hidden Organizational Costs of Ignoring SEL

• Truth-Telling & Safety:
  "The biggest cost... is when people don't know how to or don't feel safe to tell the truth... They're telling about 80% of the truth or not the whole truth. And it's that 20% that will stall an initiative." (Bacon, [12:09])
• Financial Impact: Poor social and emotional competence leads to failed initiatives, wasted investment, and stunted innovation.
• Leadership Modeling: Leaders need to model regulated, honest, and vulnerable communication to foster a culture of truth-telling and critical feedback:
  "Leaders need to be talking to their teams in that same language of saying, 'I've been worried about this issue... How can you work with me?'" (Bacon, [14:30])

5. Capacity vs. Motivation

• Crucial Distinction:
  "Motivation is great. That doesn’t mean we can do it. Because when we are dysregulated... you can't make that aligned action step that would get you to that goal." (Bacon, [15:43])
• Safe vs. Strategic Decisions:
  "When we are dysregulated, we cannot make the healthy decision. We're going to make the safe decision." (Bacon, [16:45])
  Dr. Burrus reiterates:
  "You take the safe decision and not the most strategic or the best for yourself or the company." (Burrus, [16:59])
• Personal Development as Organizational Leverage:
  Personal improvement in relationships fuels professional growth and vice versa:
  "When people are having successful relationships in their personal lives, they show up to work in different ways." (Bacon, [18:12])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Embodiment:

  "It’s learning how to tune into those cues of the body."
  — Dr. Stephanie Bacon ([10:54])

• On Truth-Telling:

  "It's getting people regulated so that when they hear someone's truth, they can actually listen to it without feeling threatened."
  — Dr. Stephanie Bacon ([13:37])

• On Motivation vs. Capacity:

  "Your nervous system is your fuel to make decisions from the best part of your intelligence."
  — Dr. Stephanie Bacon ([16:10])

• On the Systemic Impact of SEL:

  "It doesn’t affect only the person, it affects their relationships beyond the workplace and in the family."
  — Dr. Katrina Burrus ([19:09])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:10] — Human capacity and why it matters
• [02:20] — Regulating vs. dysregulated nervous systems explained; breathwork as a tool
• [05:42] — States of mind: Strategic vs. stress-driven decision making
• [07:35] — Embodied SEL: Beyond knowledge to lived experience
• [11:21] — Organizational costs of disregarding adult SEL
• [15:42] — Differentiating capacity and motivation; real-world implications
• [18:12] — Personal development’s ripple effect on professional environments

Flow and Tone

The conversation weaves together science, practical leadership coaching, and personal stories with warmth and candor. Dr. Bacon’s language is accessible yet deeply informed by research; Dr. Burrus skillfully draws out real-world applications and keeps the discussion grounded.

Resources & Contact

• Stephanie Bacon’s Website: rippleffectembodiedsel.com
• TikTok: rippleeffectembodiedself
• LinkedIn: Stephanie Bacon, PhD

This episode is essential for leaders, executive coaches, and HR professionals seeking not just to motivate, but to empower individuals to operate from their highest cognitive, emotional, and relational potential—the true keys to organizational success.