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Welcome Back to season 14 of the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast where we connect the science based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well being, achievement, productivity and results using what I saw as the missing link since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school. The Application Practical Neuroscience I'm Andrea Samadhi and seven years ago launched this podcast with a question that I've never truly asked myself before and that is if productivity and results matter to us, and they do now more than ever, how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? And most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, our results or our well being. About a decade ago I became fascinated by the Mind Brain results connection and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. And that's why I've made it my mission to bring you the world's top experts so together we can explore the intersection of science and social and emotional learning. We'll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use for predictable science backed results. For Today's episode number 377, we'll take a break from our interview reviews and look back over the past seven years and 14 seasons as we hit an important milestone in in the podcasting world. Our 500,000th download. And I remember when we hit the 300,000 marker back in March of 2023 and we reflected back on the lessons learned in our first four years of hosting this podcast. I remember looking at the next milestone of half a million, thinking it was such a far distance from where we currently were and and it just took three years to get here. And now we have our eye on the next 500,000 downloads which from here it really does look like a lifetime away. Now as we reflect back over the past seven years, many of our strategies remain the same as when we first began. Some strategies we did have to change and we reviewed some of these concepts back on episode 279 in March of 2023 when we hit that 300,000 download marker. And as we review what got us here, I think that these strategies can be applied to anything we're doing with a long term vision. So Here are the seven strategies that we use to hit the 500,000 download milestone. First, know your mission, what it is that you're doing the mission of the Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast is to bridge the gap between neuroscience research and practical application in education, business and personal development. The podcast shares insights, strategies and best practices to enhance learning, performance and well being by integrating neuroscience, which we like to make it simple and then connecting it to social and emotional skills. Our goal is to provide valuable information that listeners can apply in their work and personal lives to to achieve peak performance and overall self improvement with a deeper understanding of how our brain works, something that many of us were never taught in school. And when the mission is clear, anything outside of this mission, applying neuroscience made simple to our daily lives wasn't a match. And this clarity helps maintain focus and ensures that all efforts align with creating tangible, positive outcomes. It's what keeps us consistent, translating complex scientific insights into actionable practices that lead to meaningful improvements in how we think, learn and interact. And from the very beginning, each guest spoke on a topic aligned with a current neuroscience research topic. And each season was shaped by a framework that connected the six social and emotional learning competencies with foundational brain concepts, what I call Neuroscience 101 based on what I was learning when I was studying with neuroscience researcher Mark Waldman. And this is how our seasons were created. So how can you make this actionable with whatever it is you're working on? Well, think. Do you have a clearly defined mission of what it is that you want to do? The second strategy is to know your vision with a clear why. Your vision is why you do what you do. And once you know what it is that you want to do, ask yourself, do you know why? And this is probably the number one question that I get asked when people hear that I host a podcast, they'll say, why? What made you decide to do this? Why did you launch a podcast? And it's a long story and I'll try to keep it short. When I purchased a website back In January of 2019, it came with a podcasting theme and the developer told me I could delete it, but I was already interviewing people with the work I was doing in schools. I just wasn't releasing that content publicly. And a few months later I wanted to present these ideas at a conference. But I was told you'll have to pay to present and that just felt wrong to me. Why pay to share the work that I'd spent years developing? So I decided instead to launch the podcast in June of 2019 and feature these ideas. From the beginning, the podcast was meant to be a give back, a way for anyone to learn these ideas without paying for access. And to this day it remains ad free for that reason. And my friend and longtime supporter Greg Wolcott, he's an assistant superintendent from Chicago, Illinois and he joined us back on Episode seven, he reminded me how far the show has reached now in over 190 countries, compared to around the 50 to 100 people who might have attended that conference that I wanted to present at. So I truly believe that what's meant to happen will happen. And as my dad would say in his Scottish accent, what's for you won't go by you. So with your vision, ask yourself, do you know why you're doing what you do? And I often go back to part six of our Think and Grow Rich book study, where I dedicated an entire episode to my mentor, Bob Proctor. He always reminded us that our mission, whatever it is we want to achieve, becomes possible only once we first believe it's possible. He'd say, what story do you want to tell? What scenes do you want to shoot? How do you want the movie to end? Be the director of your life. And once you can clearly see something on the screen of your mind, your mission, the next step, is to bring that vision to reality. That's exactly how this podcast began, with a clear mission and vision that led to action. So how do you make this actionable with whatever it is you're doing? Do you have a clearly written vision of why you do what you do? Then strategy three is to clarify your what and your who. After defining your why and what you envision, you've got to identify what exactly it is you're creating. For me, it's a neuroscience and education podcast. Then think about who it's for. What's your specific audience or community? And I wanted our audience to reach outside of schools into sports and the modern workplace. I remember a few people telling me to stick to one audience and I just couldn't do it. I had a broader vision. So ask yourself, who will benefit most from my message and what do they struggle with and how can my work help them? An example So I wanted to create a podcast for leaders in our schools, our sports environments, and modern workplaces who want to understand brain science so they can teach and lead more effectively. And how did I do this? Well, I followed the author, serial entrepreneur and podcaster Pat Flynn's podcast Cheat Sheet, and it gave me everything I needed to know on how to get started. So my advice, when you're starting something new, is to find someone who's already done what you want to do and follow their suggestions exactly as they tell you. So to make this actionable for you, do you have a step by step action plan of where you want to go written by someone who's already done what you want to do then. Strategy four Set measurable goals. So a vision is broad and goals make it actionable. Ask yourself, what does success look like in three months? In six months? In one year? How will I measure progress? For us, we used episodes published, our audience growth, our connections and partnerships, and our consistency. So an example we put that we wanted to publish one episode a week for six months and that's how we started. Over time we increased the frequency. But even now, going into year seven, our goal remains the same. Keep publishing consistently and how to make this actionable for you. Do you have a tool that helps you to measure your goals and stay on track? And I've always planned out the episodes I'm releasing on a wall calendar so I can look at the month and see if it's possible to release one episode a week. And as each week passes, I can check off the episode published and stay on track. Strategy 5 Create a simple plan and system Pat Flynn's roadmap taught me how to break the vision into steps. We started with a plan. For us, it was mapping out our first few episodes or actions, and that actually started with naming the podcast. Then we had to prepare. We had to set up the tools, the workflow, the environment with suggestions of recording devices to use. Then we went into how do we produce this? How do we start with creating scripts and how do we record, even if it's imperfect? And then how do you publish and share this? How do you get your work out into the world? Then reflect and adjust, Evaluate what's working and just refine it. So you've just got to start before you're ready. No one's ready at this planning stage. Clarity grows through doing, not just thinking about it. So how do you make this actionable with whatever it is you're doing? With this step, you really just need to dive in and get started. Mistakes will happen along the way and you'll just have to adjust as needed. Once we created the first 50 episodes, then we worked on improving the next 50. Strategy 6 Stay anchored in your mission. Challenges will come, self doubt will happen, slow growth will happen. There'll be setbacks, your machinery will break down, but your mission keeps you grounded. Revisit your why Regularly keep your vision visible on a board or a notebook or in your written goals. And then celebrate when you have small wins. So how do we make this step actionable? This is really the heart of the whole project. There was never a time I wanted to stop the podcast. There were just times I had to put my work life first. The mission and vision were so strong. The time away from the podcast made me see how much this weekly work meant to me on a personal level. The workflow of writing and recording episodes to fit my work schedule has helped me to keep the podcast going during busy times. If my why was weak, I would have given up the first time I felt the pressure to continue was too much to handle. The personal rewards that I'll cover at the end were just too great to give up and strategy 7 build momentum and Partnerships no vision grows in isolation to keep whatever it is you're working on going strong, be sure to connect with others who share your mission, collaborate, get feedback and learn from mentors and build a community around your idea to multiply your impact, making this actionable. I started meeting with other leaders in my industry who shared a passion for podcasting to collaborate and share ideas, strategies and what's working, as well as what we think holds us back from pushing us forward a bit more. So sometimes saying our fears or our hesitations out loud can assist us to break through and keep us pushing. Especially when we have colleagues that we respect who can provide honest feedback for ways to push through these fears, whether they're real or imagined. And this has been one of the most empowering strategies that has kept me on track. Now, let's go to the top. Personal lessons I've learned from hosting the Neuroscience Meets SEL podcast since 2019 and six of these are the same lessons that helped us reach our first 300,000 downloads. And the last one came as I reflected on the past seven years. Lesson one Presentation wins if you want to improve your speaking or presenting skills, practice is the key. Interviewing and presenting have become true superpowers for me. During the first 50 episodes, I joked that I couldn't breathe and ask questions at the same time. But after episode 50, things began to click. I learned how to breathe, listen, and speak naturally, and that confidence now spills over into every area of my life. Presentations are smoother, my message is clearer, and I've learned to drop the fillers, those ahs and ums, and I focus on the connection. And a key takeaway from this lesson is that repetition transforms fear into fluency. Lesson number two My life and health have improved. Every how to episode became a personal challenge to live what it is that I'm teaching. And as I wrote episodes about health, wellness, and productivity, I started applying this advice myself. From brain health strategies to daily exercise and nutrition habits, learning directly from top researchers and experts has really changed my life and my family's too. And after seven years, I feel sharper, healthier and more intentional every single day. And a key takeaway from this lesson Teaching others is one of the best ways to grow yourself. Lesson number three I learned to see the superpowers in others. And I'd say the most rewarding part of this journey has been recognizing the genius in others. Researching each guest story gives me a front row seat to greatness. The more I learn about people's work and resilience, the more inspired I become. It's humbling and uplifting to help spotlight the superpowers that make each guest unique. And a key takeaway from this lesson when you look for greatness in others, you'll start to see it in yourself. Lesson 4 Setting up interviews efficiently. When you respect your guest time first, the rest flows from there. A smooth setup builds trust. And I've learned to schedule interviews around my guest availability and to think globally, whether they're on the east coast or west coast or overseas. A streamlined, respectful process sets the tone for a relaxed, authentic conversation. And a key takeaway from this lesson Professionalism builds the scenes and it builds confidence next to the mic. Lesson five is to research thoroughly. Good preparation turns an interview into a conversation. Thorough research deepens the connection. I now ask my guests to share an outline of their work and guiding questions. And then I add my own spin. And this saves time and ensures that each episode has both structure and heart. And a key takeaway from this lesson Preparation gives you the freedom to be fully present. Change it up. Consistency doesn't mean doing things the same way. It means staying true to your purpose. When time became limited, I adapted. Instead of stopping the podcast altogether, I began revisiting and reviewing past episodes, discovering new insights and old conversations. And now, with a library of over 370 episodes, we have enough content to review for the next two years while still keeping things fresh and aligned with our mission. And a key takeaway adaptation keeps the passion alive. Lesson seven is praxis. Integrating our beliefs with our behavior. Clarity and creativity come when your habits match your values. Praxis means allying what you believe and how you live. And over time, I began noticing how naturally I could connect new guests with past ones, as if all the pieces of the podcast were part of a larger story. But this only happened when I was clear headed, healthy and grounded. The more I lived the lessons I was sharing, the more powerful and meaningful the content became. And a key takeaway from this lesson? Live your message. Don't just share it. And the final lesson and the most important one that I've noticed looking back over the past seven years, it's with confidence. It's freeing when you stop worrying about what others think and just focus on your mission. The biggest personal win from hosting this podcast is the confidence I've built. Personally, I didn't start with it. In fact, this podcast helped me to develop it. Through seven years of showing up, I've learned that confidence is the result of spaced repetition, the quiet courage of doing something over and over again until it feels natural. Now I no longer worry about mistakes or external opinions. I trust the process, the mission, and the vision that started it all. The key takeaway from this lesson is that confidence is earned through consistency. Looking ahead, I can't wait to see what new lessons unfold as we move towards our next mind milestone, from 500,000 downloads to 1 million. If these lessons remind you of your own journey, remember this. Every episode, every idea, and every challenge is a chance to become the person that your mission needs you to be. And as we wrap up this special milestone episode, I can't help think back to June June of 2019, when this entire journey began as a simple idea driven by curiosity and purpose. What started as a give back project has now grown into something far more meaningful, a community of listeners around the world all striving to understand themselves and others a little better through the lens of neuroscience, social and emotional learning, and human potential. Over seven years, one thing has become clear. Growth happens when vision meets consistency. It's not about the number of downloads or followers. It's about the impact. It's about the lives touched, the ideas shared, and the ripple effects that come from living out your mission with clarity and passion. The seven strategies we've covered, from defining your mission and vision to setting goals, staying anchored and building momentum, are universal. Whether you're launching a podcast, leading a team, teaching a classroom, or chasing a personal goal, these principles hold true. And the eight lessons learned along the way remind us that progress is rarely linear, but it's always worth it. What I've learned most from this process is that when your why is strong enough, you'll find the courage to keep going. Even when the road feels long, you'll adapt, you'll grow, and you'll begin to see that every small step truly does matter. And as my mentor Bob Proctor reminded us, once you can see something on the screen of your mind, the next step is to take that vision from your imagination and make it your reality. Half a million downloads later, I can see the vision became real. One Episode one guest and one idea at a time. So as we look ahead to the next milestone 1 million downloads and beyond, I want to thank you, the listener, for being a part of this journey. Whether you've been here since episode one or you've just tuned in today, your support, curiosity and commitment to growth make all the difference. And I'm grateful for each person who's tuned in to listen and and also those who've been a guest to help us to continue our growth by sharing your knowledge with us. Let's keep learning, growing and applying these insights together, because the best part of this journey is knowing that we're just getting started. And with that thought, we'll see you next week.