The NeuroLeadership Edge
The NeuroLeadership Edge
Podcast Description
The NeuroLeadership Edge turns cutting-edge brain science into crisp, actionable leadership moves. Host Claire Hayek——engineer, songwriter & neuroscience coach—reveals how bold leaders convert pressure into performance while keeping their teams healthy.
Each week you’ll hear story-driven conversations with c-suite, execs, founders, and soft-skills experts who have led through crisis, hyper-growth, and high-stakes pivots, plus quick “Edge Shot” solo segments where Claire hands you one research-backed tactic you can use in your very next meeting.
If you want practical tools to think clearer, speak with conviction, and guide people through uncertainty, hit follow and train your brain into your greatest competitive edge.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes such as leadership performance under pressure, team dynamics, and mental fitness. Episodes include discussions on building high-trust teams, understanding neuroscience in leadership, and practical tools like the 'Critic to Coach' technique for overcoming self-sabotage, providing listeners with methods they can apply immediately.
The NeuroLeadership Edge turns cutting-edge brain science into crisp, actionable leadership moves. Host Claire Hayek——engineer, songwriter & neuroscience coach—reveals how bold leaders convert pressure into performance while keeping their teams healthy.
Each week you’ll hear story-driven conversations with c-suite, execs, founders, and soft-skills experts who have led through crisis, hyper-growth, and high-stakes pivots, plus quick “Edge Shot” solo segments where Claire hands you one research-backed tactic you can use in your very next meeting.
If you want practical tools to think clearer, speak with conviction, and guide people through uncertainty, hit follow and train your brain into your greatest competitive edge.
Sean B. Jones—former psychotherapist and COO of a global healthcare firm, now founder of Food Dynamics and What’s in the Bowl—joins Claire Hayek for a grounded conversation about courage, perspective, and leading with heart. Sean shares how war zones and 9/11 shaped his calm-under-fire mindset, and why today’s leaders must learn to respond rather than react. Claire adds neuroscience insights on cortisol, the vagus nerve, and brain-based decision-making under stress. They dive into mock-crisis training, emotional triggers, and what it really takes to lead teams through disruption.
Topics Covered:
- What war zones and washing machines taught Sean about stress
- The 4-7-8 breath and the vagus nerve: how to calm your nervous system
- Why perspective—not panic—is a leader’s real power
- Building a workplace you never got to work for
- Reframing toxic experiences as leadership training
- Practicing crisis before the real one hits (and the brain science behind it)
- Execution over hesitation: the courage to act
Timestamps (HH:MM):
00:00 – Cold open: billion-dollar rollout meets pet nutrition empire
01:45 – Sean’s early crisis response work and mindset shift
04:30 – Claire’s science riff: mirror neurons, cortisol, and the 4-7-8 breath
06:00 – Leading with soul vs. toxic leadership
09:00 – Handling triggers and choosing your response
11:00 – Practicing stress responses: why mock-crisis drills matter
13:00 – The neuroscience of prefrontal cortex vs. panic mode
15:00 – Why technical skill ≠ leadership skill
18:00 – Sean’s leap from global COO to small shop entrepreneur
20:00 – How the brain sabotages change—and how to override it
22:00 – Bold Truth Round: myths, morale, and scaling fast
24:00 – Listener challenge: ask your team 2 bold questions
Mentioned Links:
Sean B. Jones’ companies:
→ https://www.whatsinthebowl.com
→ https://www.foodynamics.com
Connect with Claire → https://linktr.ee/clairehayek | IG: @claire.hayek. Have a question? [email protected]
The NeuroLeadership Edge Podcast is produced by Claire Hayek. All opinions are those of the host and guests. For more leadership resources, visit www.mspteambuilding.com.
Disclaimer
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