Expert in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Howard Rankin Ph.D.Interviews Andrea Samadi

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, episode #152 with a special episode with expert in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Howard Rankin who will interview me for a change of pace. Watch the interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/Sh7_HAGzkhQ See past episodes here https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/  On this episode you will learn: ✔︎ A review of 3/6 Social and Emotional Learning Competencies ✔︎ Andrea’s Background and Where it All Began ✔︎ How She Started Working with Educational Neuroscience ✔︎ How Her Level Up Programs Were Chosen by AZ Department of Education ✔︎ How to Use an Understanding of the Brain to Impact Behavior ✔︎ How to Use Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace I'm Andrea Samadi, author and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, sports, and the workplace with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately, for improved results.   This week, with the 2021 Olympics[i] in full swing, some of the headlines have caught my attention, specifically the story of gymnast Simone Biles, since both of my girls are in competitive gymnastics, with a rigorous training schedule. Assistant Superintendent Greg Wolcott, from Chicago, who has appeared on our podcast twice so far with EPISODE #7[ii] on “Building Relationships in Today’s Classrooms” and again for EPISODE #64[iii] on “Making Connections with Neuroscience and Social and Emotional Learning” pointed out that Biles used "self-awareness, self-management and responsible decision-making to look after her personal well-being" proving that these skills are not just important, but crucial to develop in our children, for future success. As I was preparing to release my interview with Dr. Rankin, I thought it would be important to review these 3 Social and Emotional Learning Competencies and reflect on them to see where we are with them in our personal and professional life.  These competencies are the backbone to what we cover on this podcast, with our goals to connect these competencies to the most current neuroscience research, hence the name of our podcast, “Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning.” Review of Three Important Social and Emotional Learning Competencies: If we think about how these competencies played out for Simone Biles, I’m sure we could all agree that we use these important competencies on a day-to-day basis. It’s not just our students who must think about making responsible decisions, it’s all of us, every day, as we juggle life’s many obstacles like our work, family and all of the changes that come our way in our personal and professional lives. For today’s episode, we will look at the three competencies that Greg Wolcott pointed out she used and see if we can think about them in our daily life. Are you self-aware? How about your self-management? Are you in control of your emotions and behaviors? Do you make responsible decisions? SELF-AWARENESS: We released this episode #2[iv] in July 2019 and this episode gained immediate interest since to “know thyself” is the most substantial achievement we can have in our lifetime. “The major value in life is not what you get. It’s what you become.” (Jim Rohn, American author, speaker and entrepreneur). So, let’s take a deeper look. What is self-awareness, why do we need it, and how can we get more of it? Self-awareness is “the ability to see ourselves clearly, understand who we are, how others see us and how we fit into the world.”[v] When we have self-awareness, we have a power within ourselves because there is a comfort in knowing who exactly we are and where we fit into the larger world around us. Research shows that “people who are more self-aware have stronger relationships, are more creative, competent are better communicators and perform better at work.” Do you kn