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.
Topics Covered
- Boss vs. Leader: What’s the difference?
- The power of humility in leadership
- How Celso lost his team—and got them back
- Neuroscience of fear, safety, and clarity
- Leading organizational change with empathy
- How to help people transition through uncertainty
- From classroom to executive room: building partnership
- Rapid-fire: What rewired Celso’s leadership mindset
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: From boss to real leader
01:00 – Meet Celso Sawaia: Engineer, teacher, UN leader
03:00 – The moment leadership hit hard
06:00 – Dollar-store wallets & real connection
08:00 – Recognition & reward: what the brain needs
10:00 – Switching roles: from CEO to civil servant
13:00 – Bosses are obeyed, leaders are followed
15:00 – What Celso’s students taught him about authority
17:00 – Transformation without panic: Leading people through change
22:00 – How neuroscience explains resistance
24:00 – Resetting the brain: Claire’s Say It Out Loud Rule
26:00 – Final wisdom: servant leadership, empathy, and clarity
27:00 – Celso’s rapid-fire rewire moment
28:00 – Wrap-up & CTA
What You’ll Learn
- The subtle (but critical) differences between managing and leading—and how to shift into true leadership.
- Why emotional safety and self-awareness are essential to performance and culture.
- How Celso transformed a disengaged team into a thriving culture of ownership.
- A behind-the-scenes look at the personal courage it takes to own your blind spots as a leader.
- Why neuroscience backs the shift from control to connection in leadership.
- How to build high-performance by becoming less reactive and more intentional.
- Tactical self-leadership tools for navigating team conflict, resistance, and change.
Mentioned in This Episode
- ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)
- Claire’s Say It Out Loud Rule
- The neuroscience of change and amygdala hijack
Follow Claire on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairehayek/
Follow Celso on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjsawaia/
🎓 Want to train your brain for resilience and high performance?
Join Claire’s free Mental Fitness Masterclass here:👉 https://go.clairehayek.com/mental-fitness-masterclass
📩 For free resources, upcoming masterclasses, or to join our next live webinar—click here:👉 https://linktr.ee/clairehayek
📢 Subscribe to The NeuroLeadership Edge Podcast for brain-based strategies to lead with clarity, courage, and impact.
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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