Podcast Summary: Dr. Trish Leigh Podcast

Episode #202: The New Year Reset: Decluttering Your Space, Your Mind, and Your Goals
Host: Dr. Trish Leigh
Date: December 28, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Dr. Trish Leigh explores the neuroscience behind the urge for a fresh start at the New Year, arguing that decluttering both your physical space and your mind is a powerful way to reset your brain for a healthier, more goal-aligned year. She breaks down how chaos impacts your brain’s wiring, describes the three main "miswired" brain states she sees in her clients, and walks listeners through practical strategies to simplify their lives and set identity-based goals the nervous system can actually follow through on.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Neuroscience of Reset and Decluttering

• The Brain’s Desire for Order:

  • Dr. Leigh opens by affirming that the yearning for clarity and a reset is “coming from your nervous system, not from your to-do list.” (00:10)
  • Simplification and order create regulation for the brain, whereas clutter – both mental and physical – overstimulates the prefrontal cortex, hindering focus, decision-making, and motivation. (01:20-03:45)

• Memorable quote:

  • “When you clear space in your home and your mind, you get the clarity back in your brain. When you simplify your environment, your nervous system calms down.” – Dr. Trish Leigh (01:23)

2. How Clutter Hijacks Your Brain

• Physical and Mental Clutter Are Not Neutral:

  • Every item or thought consumes part of your attention, making the brain feel overwhelmed and sending it into a “low-level threat response.” (03:55-04:30)
  • Clutter leads to a shutdown of executive functions, causing “mental fatigue, decision overwhelm, irritability, anger, procrastination, and loss of motivation.” (02:10-03:10)

• Personal Story on Chaos:

  • Dr. Leigh recalls moving with six kids, two dogs, and two cats, realizing she’d self-reinforced the chaotic environments from her childhood. It took conscious effort to avoid recreating chaos in her adult life. (05:00-07:30)
  • Notable quote:
    • “Your chaotic environment creates dysregulation. Now, I start thinking and behaving differently...I’m more stressed out, I’m more exhausted. My purpose and my passion start to flail.” (07:10)

3. How Porn and Overstimulation Destroy Brain Health

• Strained, Drained, and Fragmented Brain Patterns:

  • Dr. Leigh details three types of dysregulated brains:
    • Strained Brain: Too much mental speed, racing thoughts, stress/exhaustion combo (“wired and tired”). (11:00)
    • Drained Brain: Burnout, numbness, and inability to feel joy or motivation—often linked to dopamine desensitization from artificial sources like explicit material (porn). (12:45)
    • Fragmented Brain: Over-multitasking, unclear priorities, “milkshake multitasking brain.” (15:30-16:30)
  • Consuming high-intensity stimuli (like porn) leads to dopamine dysfunction, worsening numbness and sexual arousal dysfunction (SAD). (13:40-14:20)

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Porn consumption is an addiction—a word I don’t love…you’re compelled to go back. It’s not a habit, it’s controlling you.” (14:00)
  • “If your mind is a mess, you can’t create what you want.” (09:40)

4. The Power of Brain Mapping

• Why Measure Brain Function?
  • Dr. Leigh recommends brain mapping to visualize how your brain is functioning—whether it’s strained, drained, or fragmented. This insight guides your reset strategy. (18:30-20:00)
  • She shares her own practice of mapping her brain at New Year’s and recommends listeners consider it as part of their annual reset. (19:45)

5. Practical Steps for a Brain-Aligned Reset

a) Start with Micro Zones

• Declutter small physical spaces (desk, drawer, counter) to calm the brain. (21:10)
• “Micro cleaning equals micro regulation. We can baby step this thing.” (22:00)

b) Reduce Visual Stimuli

• Simplify color schemes and eliminate visual noise to comfort the nervous system. She references repainting her home to “agreeable gray” and its soothing impact. (22:53)

c) Set Identity-Based Goals

• Don’t focus on external outcomes (like losing weight), but on the type of person you want to be (“someone who appreciates their body”). (25:15)
• “It’s not just about what you want to achieve for yourself. It’s who you want to be.” (25:40)
• Stories about being an invested, supportive mom, including planning for her daughter’s horse passion and teaching kids financial literacy. (25:55)

d) Create an Anchor Ritual

• Anchor rituals (morning/evening routines, movement, quiet time, journaling) stabilize your nervous system and help maintain regulation. (27:41)
• “The ritual stabilizes the nervous system. It allows for regulation. Give it a whirl.” (28:45)

e) Remove Friction from Good Habits

• Make healthy routines easier and overstimulation (like phone use) harder.
• Example: leaving workout gear by the door, wearing workout clothes to facilitate movement. (30:55-32:20)

f) The One-Minute Reset Hack

• Set a one-minute timer to do a tiny task (clear a corner, send an email, organize a drawer). Celebrate small wins to trigger motivation. (33:45)
• “A tiny win like that flips dopamine into motivation, into your real-world, real-life mode. That’s how it works.” (34:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Identity:
  • “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” (quoting Marie Kondo) (01:00)
• On Overstimulation:
  • “Every item in your environment competes for your attention…your brain cannot thrive in visual and mental noise.” (03:45)
• On Brain States:
  • “Strained brain is a brain that’s using excessive acceleration and excessive braking. Not enough neutral.” (12:10)
  • “Drained brain is kind of like a burnout pattern…numbness. Especially coming off the holidays, it’s important to keep pleasure at healthy levels.” (13:20)
• On Momentum:
  • “Celebrate the small wins that you did that thing. A tiny win like that flips dopamine into motivation.” (34:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment Topic | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|---------------| | Neuroscience of Reset | 00:00-03:45 | | Personal Story on Chaos | 05:00-07:30 | | Brain Patterns (Strained, Drained, Fragmented) | 11:00-17:00 | | Effects of Porn/Overstimulation | 13:40-15:00 | | Why Brain Mapping Matters | 18:30-20:00 | | Micro Zones & Visual Decluttering | 21:10-23:45 | | Setting Identity-Based Goals | 25:00-27:00 | | Rituals & Removing Friction | 27:40-32:20 | | The One-Minute Reset Hack | 33:45-35:00 |

Final Takeaways

• Decluttering is far more than tidying up—it’s a powerful neurological reset that supports your goals.
• Identify which type of brain miswiring you have (strained, drained, or fragmented) and tailor your reset approach accordingly.
• Focus on identity-based goals, supportive rituals, and creating environments (physical and digital) that favor your best intentions.
• Start small—a micro action can flip your neurochemistry, motivating bigger change.

Closing Thought:
“You do not have to stay that way. Technology exists…and I can show you how to get regulated, focused, and aligned with your goals this year. This year can be different than last year—but you have to do new things. That’s how it goes.” – Dr. Trish Leigh (36:15)