One Brain At A Time

How to Run Without Breaking Your Body | The Neuroscience of Running ft. Joe Tinsley (Pt.2)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT

What does it actually take to run 100K through the night — and how do you do it without destroying your body?

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Joe Tinsley — Brighton running influencer, ultra-runner and all-round lovely human. (If you missed Part 1, go back and start there.) This week Joe drops an exclusive on his next challenge, and we get into the stuff nobody posts about: injuries, overtraining, and learning to actually listen to your body.

In this episode we get into:
– Joe's next race: a brutal winter Backyard Ultra (6.7K every hour, through the night)
– Why a bit of boredom is good for you — and the multitasking myth
– The real physical toll of ultra-running
– Managing injuries: Achilles, hips, knees & the dreaded fat pad
– What pain you can run through — and what means stop right now
– Interoception: tuning into your body's signals
– Why running belongs to everyone, gatekeeping be damned

Huge thanks to Joe for coming on — go give him a follow.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Joeruns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe_tinsley_?xtok=YTZ5ZDlkMGQwdmxm

If you're enjoying the show, the best thing you can do is subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

📩 andrewwright@aypuk.com
☕ ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

––––––––––––––––––––
CHAPTERS
––––––––––––––––––––
00:00 – Cold open – the real cause of running injuries
00:55 – Welcome back to Part 2
01:23 – Boredom, mindfulness & the multitasking myth
02:52 – Exclusive: Joe's next race (a winter Backyard Ultra)
03:23 – What on earth is a Backyard Ultra?
04:23 – Training for 100K+ weeks
05:27 – The real physical toll of ultra-running
08:14 – The messages that make it all worth it
09:08 – Adam's comeback & the comparison trap
10:47 – Managing injuries – Achilles, hips & knees
13:13 – What pain you can (and can't) run through
16:00 – Meet the fat pad & fatigue vs injury
18:48 – Against gatekeeping – running for everyone
21:28 – Proving it to yourself & goodbye to Joe
––––––––––––––––––––

One Brain At A Time breaks down the neuroscience of being human — how your brain works, and how to work with it. Hosted by Adam Wright & Andy Feist.

Brought to you by Action Your Potential — Building Better Humans Since 2018.

Flow State, Dopamine & the Runner’s Brain | The Neuroscience of Running ft. Joe Tinsley (Pt.1)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT

What actually happens in your brain when you run for 16 hours straight?

This week we're joined by the one and only Joe Tinsley — Brighton-based running influencer, full-time content creator, and the man who's racked up two 100Ks, a handful of ultras and back-to-back marathons this year alone (Berlin and the Manchester half in the same week… casually). Joe only started running two and a half years ago, after a mate bet him a pint he couldn't finish a half marathon with no training. He won the pint. The rest is history.

It's such a good conversation we've split it into two — this is Part 1.

In this episode we get into:
– How a £3 pint turned into an ultramarathon habit
– Why self-doubt never fully goes away (and why that's okay)
– Flow state, and the two dopamine systems behind it
– The pleasure–pain seesaw, and why the hard thing pays you back
– How endurance rewires your sense of what "hard" even means
– Executive function: the focus, attention & resilience running builds
– BDNF, your brain's own fertiliser, and why movement makes you learn faster

Part 2 drops next Monday — subscribe so you don't miss it.

If you're enjoying the show, the best thing you can do is subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

📩 andrewwright@aypuk.com
☕ ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

Check out Joe:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Joeruns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joe_tinsley_?xtok=YTZ5ZDlkMGQwdmxm
CHAPTERS
––––––––––––––––––––
00:00 – Cold open – 16 hours on the Isle of Wight
01:27 – Welcome ft. Joe Tinsley (& why it's a two-parter)
02:56 – Meet Joe – two 100Ks, ultras & back-to-back marathons
04:30 – How it started – the pint-bet half marathon
06:07 – Self-doubt & proving it to yourself
07:45 – Why the marathon is the victory lap, not the race
10:30 – Flow state & your two dopamine systems
12:12 – When flow doesn't come (intervals & the watch)
14:32 – Most runs aren't fun – but you feel good after
15:48 – How endurance rewires your sense of "hard"
18:29 – Executive function – focus, attention & resilience
19:29 – The pleasure–pain seesaw
21:14 – Running without music & the power of presence
23:05 – BDNF – your brain's own fertiliser
24:45 – Wrap & part two next Monday
––––––––––––––––––––

One Brain At A Time breaks down the neuroscience of being human — how your brain works, and how to work with it. Hosted by Adam Wright & Andy Feist.

Brought to you by Action Your Potential — Building More Insightful Brains Since 2018.

Video Games Are Great – Until They're Not (ft. Game Designer) (Pt.2)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT

Gaming can be genuinely good for your brain – we said so last week. But there's a flip side, and it's worth talking about honestly

This is part two of our conversation with game designer Pavel Tomasik (Mimesis Studios). If you haven't heard part one, start there – this won't make much sense without it

We get into the cynical side of the industry: how some games (loot boxes, "ultimate team", free-to-play mobile titles) are engineered like gambling to hook your reward system rather than to be fun, and why kids should never be near that. Pavel makes the case for intrinsic fun (Minecraft, Lego) over extrinsic reward-farming, and we land on the real takeaway: balance.

Games are a brilliant, safe space – Adam shares how they got a shy teenager through school – but they can't replace real-world connection, physical activity, or the awe you only get from touching grass. Everything in moderation. Even art galleries.

That's it for Pavel (for now). Find out more about Mimesis:

https://mimesis-studios.com

https://indie.mimesis-studios.com

https://www.instagram.com/mimesis_studios/

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcastChapters
00:00 - Clip
00:34 - Recap & why we split this into two
01:23 - The caveat: games are designed to be addictive
04:45 - Why games are only interesting because of everything else
07:50 - You don't get awe from a game (touch grass)
08:11 - The cynical stuff: loot boxes, mobile & gambling
10:04 - Intrinsic vs extrinsic: Minecraft, Lego & real fun
12:00 - Everything in moderation (even art galleries)
13:08 - Games as a safe space – and its limits
16:32 - Adam's shy years & why you're not "just shy"
18:30 - Balance: why overdoing it kills the joy
20:41 - Meet Mimesis Studios & goodbye to Pavel

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Can Gaming Be Good for Your Brain? (ft. a Game Designer) (Pt.1)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT

We spend a lot of time telling kids to get off the Xbox and do their homework. But what if gaming is genuinely good for your brain?

This week Adam and Andy are joined by Pavel Tomasik – game designer and co-founder of Mimesis Game Studios – for part one of a two-part deep dive into play, gaming, and why your brain needs it more than you think.

We get into play as a genuine brain need (it's one of our 12 Rocks of Wellbeing), why games are a uniquely safe space to explore ideas, roles and consequences, and why the decades-old moral panic about "violent games" quietly ignores how creative, social and profound gaming can be.

Pavel gets into what games can do that no film or novel can – handing you real agency rather than passive watching – and we celebrate the narrative games that genuinely move people (It Takes Two, Split Fiction). Plus Adam's confession about the game designer he almost became, and the real friendships that games built for both him and Andy.

Find out more about Pavel & Mimesis:

https://mimesis-studios.com

https://indie.mimesis-studios.com

https://www.instagram.com/mimesis_studios/

It's a big one – so big we split it in two. Part two lands next Monday.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

Chapters
00:00 - Clip
00:19 - Intro & meet game designer Pavel Tomasik
02:20 - Why your brain needs to play
03:15 - Games as a safe space to explore
07:00 - The moral panic about "violent games"
11:03 - What games do that films and books can't
15:40 - Narrative games worth your time
18:20 - The real friendships games build
22:17 - Gaming, escapism & genuine connection
23:55 - Outro (part two next week!)

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Why Your Habits Fall Apart in Winter (And How to Fix It)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT

You built the habit over summer. Now it's dark earlier and the whole thing's falling apart. That's not a willpower problem – it's completely normal, and there's a fix.

This week Adam and Andy get into something we usually skip over: not building good habits, but keeping them alive when the seasons turn and your whole routine gets upended.

We get into why adaptability matters more than rigid structure this time of year, the difference between your non-negotiables (the things you protect no matter what) and your negotiables (the things that can flex), and why the trick is being flexible about when you do something rather than whether you do it at all. We talk sleep as the one habit to guard above all, why one broken routine can topple the whole tower, the winter vitamin D dip that quietly drains your motivation, and the single easiest change that takes the pressure off: making your goals weekly instead of daily. (70,000 steps a week, not 10,000 a day.)

It all comes down to one word: sustainability.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast
---
Chapters
00:00 - Clip
00:59 - Intro (ft. the equinox & slipping into the darkness)
03:00 - Building habits is one thing – keeping them is another
04:40 - The power of adaptability (the opposite of what we preach)
06:04 - Summer freedom vs the return of structure
07:31 - Give yourself grace: everyone's finding their feet
09:00 - Why neuroscience shouldn't feel robotic
10:11 - Sleep: the one rock of wellbeing to guard above all
16:09 - Non-negotiables vs negotiables
18:18 - Flexibility in WHEN, not whether
19:00 - Andy's non-negotiables
23:32 - Don't let one broken habit topple the whole tower
28:40 - Winter, less sunlight & the vitamin D / dopamine dip
31:38 - Sustainability & consistency are what actually matter
34:31 - Outro (ft. Big Granola, please sponsor us)
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Pain Is a Prediction – Here's the Neuroscience

Action Your Potential — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT

"There's nothing physically wrong with you." It's one of the most frustrating things a person in chronic pain can be told – and the neuroscience of why is genuinely fascinating.

This week Adam and Andy are joined by Maddie Gwynee Hughes – a neuroscientist about to start a master's at Imperial – who's been working in Norway on the PRIME study: research into why some people recover from pain while others develop chronic pain that never switches off.

We get into what actually separates pain from chronic pain, why long-term pain rewires your whole nervous system, and how inflammation crosses the blood-brain barrier so that your body and brain are never really two separate things.

Maddie breaks down the study itself – challenging people's immune systems, tracking inflammatory markers like IL-6 – and we get into the strangest part of all: because your brain is a prediction engine, it can keep generating very real pain even when the injury is long gone. Phantom limbs and all.

It's a proper nerdy one – no cures, no snake oil, just a better understanding of your own body. And as ever, the real takeaway is insight: the better you understand your body and brain, the better placed you are to make the right calls for you.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters
00:00 - Clip
01:05 - Intro & meet Maddie (neuroscientist & old uni friend)
04:04 - The PRIME study: psychoneuroimmunology, explained
05:11 - Pain vs chronic pain – what's the difference?
07:16 - Inflammation, chronic pain & mental health
11:59 - Body & brain are one thing ("it's all one big mush")
13:34 - You are a big fleshy sack of senses
17:23 - Andy's back injury & the power of interoception
18:35 - The immune system & Andy's mum's story
21:31 - Inside the study: challenging the blood (IL-6)
23:52 - Your brain predicts pain – even when it's gone (phantom limb)
27:37 - Ending on hope: your body is adaptable
30:54 - The nuance: what pain is actually FOR
33:14 - Why we must fund academia
35:00 - Outro

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Why the End of Summer Feels So Heavy

Action Your Potential — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT

Feeling a bit anxious now that September's here? There's a good chance it's got nothing to do with anything happening in your actual life – and everything to do with your brain.

This week Adam and Andy get into the strange, near-universal dread that arrives with the end of summer – why the drop in temperature and the return of the rain can flood you with the exact stress you felt walking to school as a kid, even decades later.

We get into the neuroscience of "models" and why your brain builds one for every situation, why the gap before a new model forms (cognitive dissonance) is felt as pure anxiety, and why the only way to close that gap is to do the uncomfortable thing and go through it. We talk about giving yourself grace – and extending it to everyone else who's just as frazzled – the small practical moves that lower the load (prep the night before, protect your bandwidth), and why understanding your brain never stops it doing its thing. Anyone who says otherwise is selling snake oil.

Whether you're a student, a teacher, a parent at the school gate for the first time, or just someone who feels a bit off every autumn – this one's for you.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast
---
Chapters
00:00 - Clip
00:41 - Intro & why September makes you anxious
04:11 - Models & cognitive dissonance: the science of the dread
06:04 - Andy's green-carpet-stairs story
14:08 - Give yourself grace (and everyone else too)
17:45 - Practical: prep the night before, save your bandwidth
20:59 - Teachers & parents
26:00 - It passes: homeostasis & doing it anyway
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Why Your Phone Kills Your Motivation

Action Your Potential — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT

"I'm just not a productive person" is one of the most common refrains we hear people say about themselves – and it usually has nothing to do with laziness, and everything to do with dopamine.

This week Adam and Andy get into screens, scrolling, and the one chemical that's constantly misunderstood – a part two to the conversation we started at our Brighton event.

We get into why dopamine isn't a "pleasure chemical" but a reward-seeking one, why it's a finite resource you can genuinely run dry, and how your phone hijacks it through intermittent rewards – the same trick that makes a slot machine so hard to leave. We cover the pleasure-pain seesaw, why doom scrolling leaves you feeling flat and useless, and why cancelling plans you were excited about isn't a character flaw – it's a dopamine deficit. Then we get practical, from the "phone audit" to why the best thing you can do is leave your phone alone first thing in the morning.

You're not lazy. You've just been outplayed by something designed to beat you – and this one's about getting your life back.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast
Chapters
00:00 - Clip
01:04 - Intro
02:27 - Today's topic: screens
02:54 - Dopamine is NOT a pleasure chemical
03:54 - The two dopamine systems: impulsive vs measured
10:51 - The rats that starved with food in front of them
16:29 - Intermittent rewards & why notifications are red
17:24 - The Instagram loop: reward, no reward, crash
20:38 - The pleasure-pain seesaw & homeostasis
23:30 - Step one: the phone audit
24:36 - Effortful vs purposeful phone use
26:01 - The algorithms are designed to beat you
27:30 - It's not a fair fight (and not a matter of will)
32:29 - Control the environment around your phone
33:26 - Don't touch your phone first thing in the morning
33:52 - Outro
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Want to learn more about the work we do at AYP? Find out more on our website!

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: "Happy Life" by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

There's No Such Thing as a "Maths Person"

Action Your Potential — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT

"I'm just not a maths person" is one of the most common refrains we hear people saying about themselves – and it's neuroscientifically unfounded.

Adam and Andy are joined by Professor Geetha Ramani, developmental psychologist at the University of Maryland, whose research focuses on how children actually learn maths.

We get into why "I'm bad at maths" is socially acceptable in a way "I'm bad at reading" never is, why all learning looks identical in the brain, right down to the neuron, and how one bad experience becomes a "prior" that runs your whole relationship with a subject.

Send it to a maths hater – we'll fix them for you.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast
---
Chapters
00:00 - Clip
00:26 - Intro & meet Prof. Geetha Ramani (ft. Adam's maths beef)
02:40 - Why "I'm bad at maths" is socially acceptable (and reading isn't)
04:06 - All learning looks the same in the brain
05:32 - Resilience: you can learn it even if you don't enjoy it
07:56 - Why effort is the thing that makes a game work
08:28 - Setting kids by ability & the stigma problem
10:29 - Priors: how one bad experience becomes "I can't do maths"
13:02 - There's no such thing as a "maths person"
15:07 - Why maths feels abstract (and reading doesn't)
16:04 - Gamifying maths: making repetition fun
22:26 - Maths as problem-solving, not rote memorisation
23:15 - The hidden executive-function skills you build
25:14 - Home vs school: kids spend 85% of their time out of class
28:40 - Maths is NOT genetic – it doesn't get passed down
31:04 - Summer learning loss & "use it or lose it"
33:45 - Outro (ft. send us your maths haters)
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: "Happy Life" by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Why Achieving Your Goal Doesn't Make You Happy

Action Your Potential — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT

You spend years chasing the goal – and then you hit it, and it feels strangely flat. Why?

Adam and Andy are joined by Sam Cains: former golf pro, now a PhD student researching mental health in high-performance sport (and Andy's good friend from their Masters days).

We get into identity tied up in sport and what happens when injury takes it away, why mental and physical health are the same system rather than two, treating the mind as a trainable skill, and the neuroscience of the anticlimax – why homeostasis deliberately crashes your dopamine after the big win, and why the answer is to enjoy the process rather than chase the next hit.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast
---
Chapters:
00:00 - Clip
00:27 - Intro & meet Sam Cains (ft. the imposter syndrome story)
04:11 - Going back to academia later in life
06:16 - Enjoy the process, don't over-plan the future
09:15 - The goal-setting balance: big dreams vs today
11:25 - Golf, football & identity wrapped up in sport
16:57 - The proactive case for mental health in sport
21:55 - Mental and physical health are the same thing
23:59 - Your mind is a skill you can train
26:11 - Why winning the World Cup feels like an anticlimax
27:44 - Homeostasis: why your brain crashes the dopamine
30:57 - "What's next?" & making peace with not knowing
36:14 - Outro
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

University Professor On What a 4-Day Week Does to Your Brain

Action Your Potential — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:00:00 GMT

What if you could do all your work in four days instead of five – and actually sleep better, feel less burnt out, and get more done? The neuroscience says you can.

Adam and Andy are joined by Dr. Charlotte Rae, biological psychologist at the University of Sussex for the nerdiest episode yet.

We get into what a four-day week actually means, why employers should care about it, and what Charlotte's team found when they put people through blood tests, MRI scans and sleep tracking across a 12-week trial: better sleep every day of the week, less burnout, and an 8% rise in productivity in less time.

Heads up: Charlotte brought slides. If you usually listen on audio, this is the one literally watch.
---
Chapters:
01:20 - Pre-roll: watch this one on YouTube (there's a slideshow!)
02:40 - Intro & meet Dr. Charlotte Rae (University of Sussex)
03:43 - AYP's part in the study (ft. the "glamorous" sleep watch)
04:33 - What actually IS a 4-day week? The 3 types
07:57 - Why would employers ever want this?
14:37 - Inside the study: bloods, MRI & interoception
19:15 - The scans – and where the 10% myth comes from
22:26 - The sleep results (and they keep improving)
30:42 - Goal setting & 8% more productivity in less time
32:51 - Why habits take a few weeks to bed in
34:54 - How to steal this without a 4-day week: deep work
37:03 - Micro-breaks & eating the frog
38:10 - The default mode network: where insight comes from
40:49 - Time boxing & the active break
42:22 - Executive function is finite (ft. the dairy milk)
45:18 - Why we take neuroscience seriously at AYP
47:46 - Outro
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Your Attention Span Is a Skill – Here's How to Train It

Action Your Potential — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Think you've got no attention span? You're probably wrong – and this episode explains why.

Adam and Andy are actionable neuroscientists – they take what we actually know about the brain and turn it into things you can do something with. Every week on One Brain at a Time they break down the neuroscience behind everyday life and make it genuinely useful. This week, it's just the two of them on attention.

They get into what's actually happening in your brain when you focus, why it's genuinely hard work, and why an attention span is a skill you build – not a thing you're born with or lose. Along the way: where the real problem lies (short-form video, not "the modern world" in general), why kids have always struggled to focus, dopamine as a finite resource you can rinse in a single morning, why multitasking doesn't exist, and the simple, unglamorous fixes that actually work – starting with controlling your environment.

New here? This is a good one to start with. Made it to the end and consider your attention span boosted.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com
Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast
---
Chapters:
00:00 - Clip
00:49 - Just us two today
01:47 - Attention spans are under threat
02:26 - What attention actually is
04:37 - It's a skill – you have to work at it
07:20 - The real problem: short-form video
14:57 - Attention is a bundle of skills
19:15 - Dopamine: a finite resource
21:46 - How to build it: control your environment
28:51 - Multitasking isn't real
36:37 - Outro
---
This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Two Brain Myths You Probably Still Believe

Action Your Potential — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Are you a visual learner? Does your brain stop changing at 25? Short answer: no, and absolutely not.

Myth Busting is back. Adam and Andy are joined by Andrew Wright – CEO of Action Your Potential – to take two of the most stubborn brain myths going and pull them apart.

First up: learning styles. Why learning is automatic and happening to you constantly, why enjoying a format isn't the same as needing it, why the belief itself is the dangerous bit (say you can't learn that way and you won't), and why multisensory encoding is what builds a memory that sticks.

Then the big one: the idea that your prefrontal cortex clicks into place at 25 and that's you, done. What neuroplasticity really is, what happens to the visual cortex when someone goes blind, why executive function is a skill you practise rather than a birthday present, how bilingualism can push dementia back a decade – and why "I'm just the sort of person who…" is one of the laziest sentences going.

If you believed either of these, you're not an idiot. There's a kernel of truth in every myth, and being able to change your mind is one of the best signs you've still got one.

Email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters

00:00 - Clip

01:01 - Who's Andrew? Action Your Potential explained

03:09 - MYTH 1: You're a visual / auditory / kinaesthetic learner

06:57 - The fish that only learned by ear (and died)

12:16 - Preference isn't limitation – encode it 3 ways

16:31 - MYTH 2: Your brain is finished at 25

22:36 - Going blind & the takeover of the visual cortex

24:02 - Executive function is a skill, not a birthday

27:43 - Bilingualism could push dementia back 10 years

30:32 - Changing your mind proves you still have one

34:15 - Outro (ft. the wet matrix)

---

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast. At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe – but no-one's ever told you how it works. Until now.

Each Monday, AYP consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away. Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

👀 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.atatime

📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast

📬 Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Intro music: "Happy Life" by Fredji. An Action Your Potential production.

How Neuroscience Is Changing What Happens in Schools

Action Your Potential — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMT

What does it actually take to build a great school? Not just good exam results – but a place where kids genuinely thrive.

This week Adam and Andy are joined by Mark Wignall, a former headteacher with 36 years in education, to talk values over rules, the attendance crisis, marginal gains in the classroom, and why understanding your brain might be the most important lesson schools aren't teaching.

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:50 - Intro & waffle (ft. the heatwave & cold pan nonsense)

01:57 - Meet Mark Wignall – 36 years in education

02:53 - What Action Your Potential does & why small changes matter

05:50 - Mark's career journey to headteacher

07:00 - What makes a great school?

09:30 - Exam results vs. the whole child

11:20 - Building a school around values

13:38 - School as a community – it takes everyone

14:47 - Values over rules: building behaviour into the brain

17:09 - The kindness & compassion curriculum

19:50 - Marginal gains & the Team Sky parallel

21:14 - Does the 1% approach actually work in schools?

23:10 - Ofsted & why inspection misses the point

24:09 - The attitude shift — parents & schools

25:49 - Post-austerity & the collapse of support services

26:14 - The attendance crisis

28:00 - Why kids build up school in their heads (& how the brain does it)

30:01 - Neuroscience as an icebreaker — not a blame game

31:27 - What school actually teaches you (beyond the subjects)

32:00 - The power of doing things you don't love

32:24 - Emergence claxon 🚨

34:07 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How 'Truthiness' Manipulates Our Brains

Action Your Potential — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 10:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy discuss the genuinely crazy neuroscience behind 'Truthiness' and why it's so so important that we manage what we are repeating to our brains.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

0:29 - Intro & Waffle (ft. Andy's amazing strength & 'being scienced on')

05:04 - What is 'truthiness'?

10:20 - What we tell ourselves

17:14 - What other people tell us

21:55 - Social Media & The Manosphere

29:01 - A difficult truth.

35:04 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Neuroscience behind successful habits & routines (w/ The University of Chichester's James Feist)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 11 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

On this week's episode Adam and Andy are joined by James Feist, a Postgraduate Associate at the University of Chichester to discuss everything from his PhD Research, and the daily habits and routines that help him get everything done.

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_rt06Ri8yc

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:25 - Intro & waffle (ft. James Intro & Marathon chat)

05:13 - University of Chichester Progression

11:10 - Resilience is a skill

14:24 - It's about balance

16:39 - James' PHD Thesis

21:26 - Scanning in women's football

25:34 - Structure & Planning

32:22 - Exercise!

36:09 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo fre e. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

University Professor On How We Actually Learn Language (It's Not How You Think)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 07:54:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy are joined by Professor Jessica Horst of The University of Sussex to discuss everything from early childhood language learning, to gamification and how we actually learn the meaning of words.

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com.

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

00:00 - Clip

01:08 - Introduction

02:25 - Meet Professor Jessica Horst (Word Lab, Sussex)

03:00 - Jessica's backstory & how she got into research

05:19 - Are kids actually word learning wizards?

06:43 - How word learning really works

08:07 - The moment Jessica questioned everything

12:05 - Associative learning & the giraffe example

13:56 - The role of intention & process of elimination

17:28 - Sleep, memory consolidation & learning

19:37 - The 12 Rocks & revision habits

21:13 - Retrieval beats multiple choice

23:52 - Gamification — helpful or a shortcut?

26:12 - Board games, board design & what actually works

28:26 - Researching kids — the creative challenge

31:03 - Storybooks, toys & getting kids to reveal what they know

33:06 - When should my kid say their first word?

36:33 - Variability, late talking & not panicking

38:08 - Language, isolation & why kids sleep so much

40:09 - What's next at the Word Lab

42:31 - Outro

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Your Brain Shuts Down When You're Sick

Action Your Potential — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 07:53:18 GMT

What actually happens to your brain when you get ill? Turns out, far more than just feeling rubbish.

In this episode, Adam and Andy are joined again by Hannah Warner Swann – to break down the neuroscience of illness, inflammation, and emergence. We get into why inflammation can cross the blood-brain barrier and shut your thinking down, what sickness behaviours are and why your body forces them on you, and why pain isn't technically a real thing – it's your brain making a very educated guess.

We also get into consciousness as a controlled hallucination, depression as a biological defence mechanism, evolution and why you're not actually built for efficiency, and why diversity is one of the greatest strengths of the human species.

Yah, it's a big one.

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters

00:00 - Clip

00:37 - Intro (ft. Hannah's back & talking slower)

01:23 - What is emergence? Mind, body & brain explained

04:13 - How neuroscience has changed in one lifetime

05:01 - The topic: what illness does to your brain

05:58 - Inflammation – your body's hand grenade

07:28 - How inflammation crosses into the brain

08:28 - Sickness behaviours – why you go quiet & withdraw

13:57 - Self-compassion & listening to your body

16:30 - Body and brain are the same thing

17:17 - Consciousness as a controlled hallucination

18:25 - Pain isn't real – it's a prediction!

19:02 - Depression as a defence mechanism

22:00 - Why we don't understand our own bodies

26:39 - You are a survival machine

27:03 - Evolution isn't about efficiency

28:43 - The two cavemen & stress

30:24 - Neurodiversity – everyone's brain is different

31:34 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She Did a PhD and an Iron Man – Here's How Her Brain Coped

Action Your Potential — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 06:51:55 GMT

What does it actually take to do an Iron Man – while finishing a PhD at the same time?

In this episode, Adam and Andy sit down with the show's very first official SCPWILUT guest (Super Cool People Who I Look Up To) – Dr. Hannah Ashby – who completed one of the toughest Iron Mans on the circuit as her first ever triathlon, marathon, road race AND open water swim… all while wrapping up four years of PhD research into molecular virology research into MPOX (monkeypox). Mad.

We want to hear from you! Email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters

00:00 - Clip

01:39 - Intro & the 3 types of episode (ft. the SCPWILUT acronym)

02:54 - Meet Hannah: a virology PhD & a debut Iron Man

04:28 - What actually IS an Iron Man?

05:58 - Her first EVER triathlon, swim, road race & marathon

06:33 - Training 12–15 hours a week around a PhD

07:27 - Why do it? Proving beyond the limits of your capability

08:57 - The psychological battle vs the physical one

09:31 - Racing for your future self

10:21 - Goal setting: far, mid & near goals

14:01 - The time commitment nobody sees

16:58 - Habits, neuroplasticity & removing the second choice

17:59 - Start somewhere: brick by brick & self-kindness

19:23 - Rewards – how your brain actually builds habits

21:45 - Dr. Ashby & the micro-habits behind the title

24:29 - Andy's return to the gym: the barriers are LOUD

25:36 - Your brain isn't a happiness machine

26:07 - Just put your shoes on & go

28:01 - The streak trap: social media & habits

29:16 - Zoom out, zoom in: beating the overwhelm

30:37 - Why starting something new feels so isolating

31:33 - The PhD: what is molecular virology? (MPOX explained)

32:49 - How Hannah fell into it (ft. a missed grade)

34:07 - The right mindset beats the right skills

35:11 - Setbacks & why your path is meant to deviate

37:16 - The trap of dwelling on 'what could have been'

38:01 - Injury, losing your speed & rebuilding the love

38:43 - Resilience, self-belief & the next door

39:13 - What's next? Running up a mountain for fun

41:00 - The neuroscience of pain becoming pleasure

41:30 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Christmas Special 2025

Action Your Potential — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 04:00:00 GMT

In this year’s Christmas special, Adam and Andy break down the neuroscience behind our holiday expectations – and explain why the big day can be surprisingly tricky for your brain.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Waterstones Bookseller on What Reading Does to Your Brain (It's More Than You Think)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 08:00:00 GMT

What actually happens in your brain when you read? Turns out, quite a lot!

This week Adam and Andy are joined by Phil – senior bookseller at Waterstones Brighton – for a proper deep dive into why reading might be the most underrated thing you can do for your brain. We get into attention span, flow state, dopamine, empathy, why books almost always beat the film adaptation, and why it is absolutely never too late to become a reader.

Phil also shares his own reading origin story – spoiler: it involves a newborn and a lot of sleepless nights – and drops some brilliant book recommendations along the way.

Whether you're a lifelong bookworm or someone who hasn't picked up a book since school, this one's for you.

Visit Waterstones Brighton: https://www.waterstones.com/bookshops/brighton-clock-tower

Listen to the 'Blabbing With Booksellers' Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/24wFbwqlIp9lpqYZjeKm8D

We want to hear from you! Don't hesitate to email the show: adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

01:25 - Intro & waffle (ft. stalking Phil in Waterstones)

02:25 - Meet Phil — bookseller, actor, voice actor

03:04 - Why reading is so good for your brain

05:07 - Andy discovers books (better late than never)

07:12 - Phil's reading origin story — holding a newborn at 3am

09:30 - Reading as attention span training

12:05 - Flow state, escapism & why reading feels blissful

15:48 - The neuroscience of empathy & seeing through someone else's brain

19:31 - Books vs. film adaptations — why books always win

23:00 - Why reading feels passive (and why that's wrong)

24:28 - Dopamine, TikTok & why your brain wants the phone instead

27:30 - The satisfaction of finishing a book

29:10 - Brandon Sanderson, Stormlight Archive & deep character arcs

32:00 - Reading & mental health representation in fiction

35:44 - Why hyped books disappoint — the neuroscience of expectation

39:00 - Book recommendations from Phil

42:00 - It's never too late to become a reader

45:58 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Plan Every Day – For Your Brain's Sake!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy do their utmost to make 'Planning' cool again – because your brain certainly needs it. We also discuss our uncomfortable MRI experiences, and debut another new segment!

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mjtkg0YuyA

Read "It works because it's real. It has to be real.": https://actionyourpotential.substack.com/p/it-works-because-its-real-it-has

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:36 - Intro & waffle (ft. MRI Scanners and Merch?)

07:43 - Planning, Easter Holidays & Exams

10:48 - Motivation isn't enough

12:50 - Why our brains love plans

15:42 - Guilt free recreation time

18:16 - Why plan your free time

21:44 - No Plans = The plan

22:49 - "Be Kind To Yourself"

29:09 - Happiness and Productivity

32:26 - Guess. That. Substack!

36:23 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo fre e. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your Brain Runs You

Action Your Potential — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:25:56 GMT

Breaking news, you aren't controlling a big robot. In fact, your mind (you) are a product of your body and brain. Join Adam and Andy as they break down the complicated process of emergence, and how this understanding can change your life.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:54 - Intro & Waffle (ft. some football gloating...)

04:23 - What is emergence?

07:40 - Consciousness as a scientific issue

09:44 - Emotions as emergence

17:33 - Be metacognitive

21:25- Challenging negative feelings

25:53 - 12 Rocks of Well-Being

31:24 - It's different for everyone...

37:45 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Enjoy ya brain bits!" | Highlights and Funny Moments

Action Your Potential — Mon, 25 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy... are off! So enjoy this cut together of some key actionable neuroscience insights, along with some funny moments over the last six months.

Think of it like 'That's what I call music', but for our neuroscience podcast!

👀 EPISODES FEATURED:

Truthiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT4cCoGjGrM

Planning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB6IA6ZNDM8

Self Improvement & Dopamine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTk2Ua4yC1E

Heartbreak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZgErSfrErg

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_rt06Ri8yc

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

01:0 - Funny Moments

04:29 - Truthiness & The Manosphere

15:25 - Plan it!

20:47 - Dopamine & The Striatum

28:42 - Heartbreak and the Nucleus Accumbens

37:50 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why "OPTIMIZATION-MAXXING" could be RUINING your life

Action Your Potential — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:08:58 GMT

This week Adam and Andy talk "optimization-maxxing" – the practice of controlling your life and environment to make sure that you achieve all your goals, be they fitness, academic or career.

Is there neuroscience to back up this trend – and should Stephen Bartlett's omission about alcohol stop us as well?

Full Stephen Bartlett Clip: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HgoTCKECHEM

Diary Of A CEO Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDiaryOfACEO

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:50 - What is "optimization-maxxing"?

04:00 - Stephen Bartlett Clip & Reaction

07:00 - Make life worth living

09:18 - Should you sacrifice your 20s?

14:46 - Routines as a way of a controlling the world

21:16 - Extreme ends of the spectrum

26:09 - Consistency of Well-being is VITAL

29:40 - Accept uncertainty

33:13 - Notes from a reformed 'maxxer..'

37:21 - Outro (Inc. Spurs chat and donations!)

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Neuroscience of Heartbreak – and how to move on.

Action Your Potential — Mon, 04 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy talk about the profound neuroscience effects of breakups and heartbreak. They discuss the nucleus accumbens, our brains models and how to move on from even the most devastating break up.

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_rt06Ri8yc

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:51 - Intro & waffle (ft. Life stress & Holidays)

05:46 - Why the neuroscience helps, always.

07:48 - The Nucleus Accumbens & Co-regulation

11:17 - Emotional Pain & the Anterior Cingulate Cortex

13:35 - It's basically grief

17:00 - Your brain's models

20:10 - Healing and rebuilding

25:55 - Rumination

29:40 - Build new models & habits

31:47 - Pattern Recognition

33:30 - The evenings...

37:21 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo fre e. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do I worry?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Why do I worry?

Andy and Adam tackle the complex neuroscience of worries and anxiety.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji. AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji. AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are emotions?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

What are emotions?

Join Adam and Andy as they discuss what emotions are, how they manifest and what we can do about them?

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji. AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most depressing day of the year?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:17:03 GMT

On this bluest of Mondays, join Adam and Andy as they break down the myth of the 'most depressing day of the year' and how we can always change our brain, body and minds even when we are struggling.

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything is a skill

Action Your Potential — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy break down how and why everything we do – from kindness to attention – is actually a skill.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Read baby read!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT

In this episode Adam and Andy discuss how building a simple reading routine is one of the most profound ways to strengthen your neocortex.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is change so stressful?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Why is change so stressful?

Join Adam and Andy as they discuss the reasons why change is so difficult for our brains.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website, send any questions our way at adamwright@aypuk.com.

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji. AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to learn better!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:09:58 GMT

This week – as February half term is behind us – Adam and Andy delve into the neuroscience of learning and how to build an effective study routine.

---

Chapters:

0:00 - Clip

01:19 - Intro & Waffle

03:45 - Learning Overview

07:47 - Salience v Repetition

12:40 - Is your brain a muscle?

15:33 - Sleep

17:18 - Glutamate Buildup

20:07 - Study Motivation

23:40 - Habits & Rewards

28:00 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New Year, new you?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 16:09:07 GMT

Always struggle to stick to your New Years resolution? Fear not! Join Adam and Andy as they discuss their goals, and the neuroscience approved ways to actually achieve them.

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at Action Your Potential, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr CHANGE

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are humans badly evolved?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Have human beings evolved badly for modern societies? In this episode, Adam and Andy debut a new feature – Comment Corner – and discuss the profound ways the society doesn't work with our natural biorhythms – and what we can do about it.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:12 - Intro & Waffle (ft. Valentines day & football... )

05:30 - Comments Corner Debut!

06:54 - Should we have evolved better with the seasons?

08:07 - Chronotypes (Morning vs Evening people)

12:47 - Work vs your sleep

14:53 - You have to adapt to it

17:27 - You can't rewire that bit...

19:47 - Emergence

22:37 - Sleep vs Netflix

25:40 - 4 Day work week?

27:24 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: / @onebrainpodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_p...

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpoten...

One Brain At A Time is written and presented by Adam Wright & Andy Feist. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji ( • [Non Copyrighted Music] Fredji - Happy Lif... . One Brain At A Time is an Action Your Potential production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The neuroscience of fear

Action Your Potential — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT

In our (slightly belated) Halloween special – join Adam and Andy as they breakdown the neuroscience of fear, and how not to let it control you.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright and Andy Feist. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is 'mood congruence'?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 03:00:00 GMT

This week, Adam and Andy break down why our brain reminds us of our previous experiences and emotions – in a process called 'mood congruence'.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📱 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji. AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Worry Buckets!"

Action Your Potential — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy delve further into our brain’s worry system, and how we can categorise and deal with different types of worries.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why 'neuroplasticity' will change your life

Action Your Potential — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Adam and Andy discuss the profound idea of 'neuroplasticity' and how we can harness it.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvQ-5RCt9xs&list=PLfP6i5T0-DkK-1uhfhicxlQ2FJwbuA7uU&index=26). AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brain Myths? Busted.

Action Your Potential — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:26:52 GMT

There's a lot of woo-woo, guff and nonsense out there pretending to be neuroscience. Some of it even serves as the foundation for international blockbuster films! So today, with the help of our CEO – Andrew Wright – Adam and Andy debunk some of the most popular neuroscience myths.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:47 - Intro & Waffle (ft. heavy sarcasm & weather chat)

03:01 - Neuroscience vs NONSENSE

04:02 - Bossman Andrew joins us!

05:43 - Left Brain vs Right Brain

10:41 - It's not that simple!

11:53 - Facts vs your opinion

13:06 - The 10% theory

15:50 - An appendix tangent (no, really.)

17:43 - Woo Woo and Quick Fixes = Bad

24:37 - Promotion Hunting...

26:10 - This stuff is serious.

32:00 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You are not 'supposed' to be happy

Action Your Potential — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:47:17 GMT

The sad news is, your brain isn't 'meant' to be happy. That doesn't mean we can't be though.

This week, join Adam and Andy as they breakdown what happiness is and how we can find pockets of it in every day.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

01:06 - Intro & Waffle (ft. fatigue & builders)

03:45 - Is happiness real?

07:57 - A cycle of cynicism vs an open mind

11:30 - Human's negative bias

16:05 - Much easier said... than done

20:28 - Finding pockets of happiness

25:59 - Be kind to yourself (but proper kindness.)

27:31 - Journaling & GLADEN

39:15 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do our brains love music?

Action Your Potential — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:56:36 GMT

As Spring finally approaches, Adam and Andy are joined by AYP Coach Hannah to discuss the amazing impact that music has on our brain, and why it's so vital we listen to it every day.

---

Chapters:

0:00 - Clip

01:10 - Intro & Waffle (inc. Giraffes?)

06:47 - Why is music good for your brain?

09:59 - Novelty

10:36 - Dysregulating vs Relaxing

13:52 - Music Tastes

15:23 - Crying is good!

23:00 - Music as emotional articulation

24:40 - Recommendations

31:00 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do Big Stuff!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:00:28 GMT

This week, Adam and Andy discuss the neuroscience that underpins a lot of self improvement. From the striatum to the mesolyombic and mesocortical dopamine systems – we got it covered!

---

Chapters:

0:00 - Clip

0:55 - Intro & Waffle (inc. Bonnie the dog!)

06:56 - Overview

12:16 - The Striatum (what even is that?)

16:19 - Prove it to yourself

21:10 - Dopamine (The Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Systems)

26:40 - Negative Habits

28:54 - Social Media & Unproductivity Doom Loop

34:14 - Do Big Stuff!

36:24 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You need more sleep!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:00:00 GMT

This week, after much teasing... Adam and Andy finally delve into just a few of the profound effects sleep has on our brain – and why you need to get more of it.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:18 - Intro & (ft. Show Updates and a possible retraction)

03:45 - Sleep Overview

05:10 - Salience v Repetition

09:29 - Sleep as a PED

13:03 - Memory

16:01 - Andy's Society Bits 'n' Bobs (and knick-nacks)

19:32 - Your Sleep Cycle

27:22 - Sleep Tech?

30:42 - Sleep Hygene

34:50 - It's different for everyone!

39:00 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exercise, for your brain's sake.

Action Your Potential — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 04:00:00 GMT

In this episode of AYP's bite-sized brain science podcast, Adam and Andy break down how amazing exercise is for your brain – not just your body.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 12 Rocks of Well-Being

Action Your Potential — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Adam and Andy discuss the 12 neuroscience approved daily behaviours to get the most out of your body, brain and mind.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

AYP Spike is written and presented by Adam Wright. Production from Adam Wright. Intro Music: “Happy Life” by Fredji. AYP Spike is an Action Your Potential and Push! Media Production.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Neuroscience of Worry: Why Your Brain Won't Calm Down

Action Your Potential — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:54:57 GMT

This week Adam and Andy worries. Why we worry, how it can feel – and crucially what we can do to manage them. We also discuss why brains hate change, and how to deal with specific types of worries and changes – especially those you can't immediately solve.

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:28 - Introduction & Overview

01:00 - The Neuroscience of Worry

03:53 - Change is fundamentally stressful

08:23 - Models

10:03 - Why we worry

15:29 - Worries can be useful

18:10 - Unlikely Problems (Air Travel)

24:37 - Wicked Problems (Climate Change & Health)

33:52 - Neuroscience of a Wicked Problem

36:10 - WAT Framework (Management Strategies)

41:22 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do it anyway!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:50:36 GMT

Social media is not a social health substitute! This week, Adam and Andy break down social health, social media and why it's absolutely vital for our brains that we maintain and put effort into fulfilling relationships with the people we love.

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:56 - Intro & Waffle (ft. Weather hatred & Butlins)

05:20 - Overview

06:30 - Mental Health vs Social Health

10:07 - Social Media

15:20 - Are Gen Z anti-social?

18:38 - Listen to yourself (but not like that!)

25:01 - Friendships are vital

30:20 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS: Who Even Are We?!

Action Your Potential — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Happy Holidays! In this special bonus episode Adam and Andy interview... each other! We know you've wanted to find out more about who these random blokes nattering on about neuroscience are – and we've delivered!

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AYPSpike

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayp_spike_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

--------

AYP Spike is a podcast for everyone, all about our amazing brain. We bring you bite-sized brain science to help you live in your brain with more joy, engagement and awe.

Our brains are incredible, they are the best bit of kit we will ever own but no-one ever tells you how they work. That’s our mission.

So every Monday join hosts Adam and Andy, as they break down complicated neuroscience, explore interesting topics and interview influential guests.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and download our Be A #NeuroNinja app to get tracking your 12 Rocks today.

--------

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HACK your sleep routine, with Neuroscience

Action Your Potential — Mon, 18 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy break down how to build an effective sleep routine with sleep hygiene – and why it's VITAL you do.

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_rt06Ri8yc

Sleep Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj6AIFOsIm0

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:25 - Intro & waffle (ft. More Life stress)

03:42 - What is sleep hygiene? (& why it's so important)

11:16 - Sleep opportunity and bedtimes.

19:11 - Lights & the Super Charismatic Nucleus

23:39 - Temperature and consistent sleep

28:07 - Bluelight & Phones

31:31 - It's hard, even for us!

33:53: Facts, Opinions and Beliefs in your brain

37:40 - Do it for your memory!

38:33 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Neuroscience of Self Control

Action Your Potential — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy talk through the neuroscience of self-improvement and self control.

Comments Corner 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbIqbEE7V2k

Adam's Marathon Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9s3IhjGpku4

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:23 - Intro & waffle (ft. post Marathon injuries)

05:43 - DISCLAIMER: It's different for everyone!

06:16 - Overview (Striatum and Dopamine Systems)

09:23 - What is 'Discipline'?

15:30 - Decision Fatigue and the PFC

19:51 - Plan it!

21:30 - Why 'Mindset' isn't enough

26:01 - Distraction & getting in your own way

28:56 - Neuroplasticity & Social Media

35:06 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo fre e. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Neuroscience-Informed Coaching Will Change Your Life

Action Your Potential — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy are joined by Ian Swingler, Action Your Potential Strategic Growth and Quality Development Lead to talk about coaching – specifically how our neuroscience informed coaching can transform outcomes for everyone from students, to CEOs and kids.

Find out more about our coaching on our website: https://www.actionyourpotential.org/

If you need any specific help with this, don't hesitate to email the show adamwright@aypuk.com

We Read Your Comments!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Buy us a Coffee!: https://ko-fi.com/onebrainpodcast

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:25 - Introduction to Ian

02:19 - How our neuroscience coaching works.

04:39 - How it helps in schools

07:49 - You can change your circumstances

11:56 - How we are perceived

17:52 - Empowerment through neuroscience (You have to want it)

21:29 - Why you need coaching

27:40 - We apply it – and you should too.

31:36 - Change your perspective

35:36 - What neuroscience WE'VE applied recently

40:45 - Outro (ft. Producer Dogs)

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@one.brain.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Neuroscience of how to OVERCOME exam anxiety.

Action Your Potential — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week Adam and Andy are joined by fellow AYP Consultant Hannah Warner-Swann to discuss exam anxiety and how to overcome it through quick, actionable neuroscience.

Watch the latest 'Comments Corner': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qNF-eWalZ0

Watch our episode on Music (also featuring Hannah): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeQphR6un7s

Watch our episode on Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G8KYl2Z0OU

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Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:58 - Intro & waffle (ft. Hannah's fantastic outfit)

04:33 - It's time to talk about exams.

05:50 - Crash Revision discussion

10:47 - What is Exam Anxiety (Models)

13:29 - How to escape your sympathetic nervous system in the exam.

15:03 - Expectations vs Reality

19:40 - Breathing and Vagus nerve stimulation

23:43 - You won't have a model! (Adam's Maths GCSE Anecdote)

28:46 - Ease your way in!

34:20 - Step One: Calm yourself down

39:33 - Believe in yourself

40:17 - Outro

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This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 12 Rocks of Well-Being

Action Your Potential — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:00:00 GMT

This week, Adam and Andy walk through Action Your Potential's famous 12 Rocks of Well-Being.

Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od3V-YjttzA

Watch our episode on Sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj6AIFOsIm0

Watch our episode on Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeQphR6un7s

Watch our episode on Exercise, Social Health & Community: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeQphR6un7s

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:32 - Intro & waffle (ft. Greece Holidays and Marathon updates)

05:45 - What are the 12 Rocks?

10:00 Rock 1 - Sleep

12:46 Rock 2 - Exercise

14:44 Rock 3 - Eat Healthily

16:15 Rock 4 - Be Still

19:00 Rock 5 - Day Dreaming

20:40 Rock 6 - Feelings

23:37 Rock 7 - Walk Outside in Nature

25:25 Rock 8 - Music

27:10 Rock 9 - Friends & Family

30:58 Rock 10 - Kindness & Thanks

33:50 Rock 11 - Do What You Love

35:14 Rock 12 - Play, Make, Create, Learn & Read

38:20 Track your rocks!

39:00 Outro

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo free. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Neuroscience behind Community and Movement w/ Alice May Fontecilla (Run The Lanes, FMG Project)

Action Your Potential — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:56:50 GMT

Now this is a special one... this week Adam and Andy are delighted to be joined by Alice May Fontecilla from Run The Lanes (A social community run club) and the FMG Project (A charity supporting disadvantaged young-people through sport and exercise.

Join as Adam, Andy and Alice walk through the profound impact movement and community have on our brains.

Find out more about Run The Lanes: https://runthelanes.co.uk/

Find out more about The FMG Project: https://fmgproject.co.uk/

---

Chapters:

00:00 - Clip

00:44 - Intro & waffle (ft. a broken plant pot...)

05:17 - Run The Lanes

09:30 - Putting yourself out there

13:40 - Anxiety in joining new groups

17:39 - The narratives we tell ourselves

22:40 - The FMG Project

25:45 - Community & Narratives

27:48 - Movement & the brain

30:50 - Barriers to engagement

33:38 - AYP x Run The Lanes Live Event!

34:54 - Outro

---

This podcast will change your life, if you let it.

Welcome to One Brain At A Time, an Action Your Potential podcast.

At the top of your neck you have the most powerful processing device in the known universe. But no-one's ever told you how it works... until now.

Each Monday, Action Your Potential consultants Adam Wright and Andy Feist strip away the jargon and break down the neuroscience into practical tools you can apply straight away.

Entertaining, evidence-based, and 100% woo-woo fre e. That's a guarantee.

Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on Youtube.

If you want to learn more about the work we do at AYP, you can find out more information on our website!

📧 Email us questions at adamwright@aypuk.com.

👀 Watch our episodes on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@OneBrainPodcast

📲 Follow us on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@ayp.spike.podcast

📲 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_brain_podcast?igsh=MTdxMmVvMndoeDNydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📬 Subscribe to the AYP Newsletter: https://substack.com/@actionyourpotential

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.