August 23, 2025 • 19 mins
Dr. Lisa Miller's research on "the awakened brain" reveals what spiritual traditions have always taught—our brains toggle between two modes. The achievement brain keeps us focused and driven but can fuel anxiety when overused. The awareness brain opens us to connection, creativity, and flow. During moments of connection—whether through meditation, prayer, or simply watching a sunset—our default mode network quiets, our parietal lobes soften their boundary-drawing activity, and regions associated with compassion light up.
The episode includes practical tools to access your awakened brain: journal prompts to explore your connection experiences, affirmations to reinforce your sense of oneness, and a guided meditation to experience this shift firsthand.
Download the free Awaken Brain Map from the show notes to bring these practices into your daily life.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sc_kaLpZTWbuBnPsoEvRchhPFJ8yIimg/view?usp=share_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nua_XVsZlR5aVY-j_SvsughCd3ycDU8h/view?usp=share_link
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Thank you for joining me!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, welcome, welcome back to Just Count Me In.
I'm Sarah, your host, and Ihope you had a great week this
past week.
I'm really feeling some goodenergy with this new moon today
and I wanted to share somethingspecial with you.
Have you ever had a day whenyou just felt like you were
(00:21):
rowing upstream the whole time?
So some people say that lifegives us tests along our journey
.
This week I actually had a popquiz.
I had been reading Dr LisaMiller's book about the awakened
brain and little did I know Igot a chance to test it out in
real time.
So I was at the dentist and Iactually really like going to my
(00:44):
dentist office.
The place has really good vibes, it's got good energy, the
people are really positive there.
But today there was some kind ofscrew up with my insurance and
I found out that my tooth wasgoing to cost me a whole lot
more than I'd planned on.
I don't like to admit it, butin that moment, to be honest, I
got really scared and sad andworried that maybe I couldn't
(01:08):
even get my tooth fixed and Ijust reverted back to these old
patterns and I've worked so hardto reprogram myself.
I was frustrated and in amoment I reached for my phone
and the reason I did that was my.
Our grandson, teddy, startedkindergarten this week and I was
planning to see if my daughterhad maybe sent a picture just to
(01:30):
distract myself.
And then there on the screenwas a message that I had been in
a rush and not sent to somebodyin my family and everything
changed.
Here's the Picture, the endlesspossibilities that are all
around you.
You are so aligned with joy,abundance and certainty.
(01:52):
You are the signal, thefrequency of your highest
reality.
Just remember who you are.
And then I looked up and I sawa picture I had never noticed in
this office before.
I saw a parrot that was flying.
Last week I did an episodeabout Alex, a bird who was
(02:15):
trilingual he actually spokethree languages and during a
storm he had trauma and forgotthat he could fly.
And it clicked in me.
Something just switched on andit was like remember, you can
fly, you have wings.
And in that moment, literallyeverything changed.
(02:37):
Within that dental visit, theproblem was resolved.
I connected with someone who'sgoing to take a private yoga
class.
Resolved, I connected withsomeone who's going to take a
private yoga class.
Another hygienist came by andshe was talking about the
fluorite that I had.
So we talked about crystals andthe possible effects they might
have on the electromagneticfields in her environment.
And then the receptionist isactually looking for people to
(03:00):
connect with through a podcastto help her transform her life
right now for this new stage,all within one hour of this
dentist appointment.
And who knew so?
Have you ever felt like thesense of connection, like the
world was alive and speaking toyou?
The moment I shifted, themoment I was able to pivot from
(03:23):
this yucky, constrained thingsaren't working for me, no matter
what I do, it's not workingfeeling to a moment of
connection, like everything ishappening for me.
That moment wasn't random.
I was actually practicing whatI had been reading about in the
book and that was switching onto my awakened brain at work.
(03:46):
Science now finally proves whatancient traditions have always
known Our brains are wired forconnection both with others and
with something bigger thanourselves.
We toggle back and forthbetween a brain.
That's the awakened achievementbrain.
It's laser-focused, it's goallaser focused, it's goal driven,
it's forward moving.
(04:06):
But pushing too much actuallyisolates us and drains our
feeling of connection.
It can fuel anxiety and fueldepression in us.
Awakened awareness.
The awakened awareness brain ismore open and it's receptive
and it's actually connected andcreative.
(04:28):
It's pretty blissful when youmeditate, you pray or even stand
at awe at a sunrise or a sunset.
You can find that sweet spotwhen you've got an integration,
when both are in harmony.
You can find that sweet spotwhen you've got an integration,
when both are in harmony, wherewe're feeling like we're
(04:53):
affecting our lives but we'reactually very alive.
Two things happen when you feelconnected the default mode
network, the DMN, which we talkabout.
That fuels your ego and youroverthinking.
It's the part that's alwaysbusy.
It quiets down Suddenly.
(05:14):
You're not lost in like me, me,me and you open up to we.
The parietal lobes draw thelines of where I end and where
the world begins.
They soften their activity.
That's why, when you feelconnected, you actually are
feeling a sense of oneness orboundarylessness, and this is
all observable under brain scansnow, which is amazing to me.
(05:39):
At the same time, areas like theanterior cingulate cortex and
the insula light up and thatdeepens your compassion, your
presence and your body awareness.
So, according to the researchI've been reading in the
awakened brain, people whonurture this connection and it
(06:00):
doesn't matter, you can go downand see a sunset.
You can look out your windowand notice a tree Any kind of
connection.
You can listen to music.
It deepens our compassion, ourpresence and our body awareness.
Whether we do it throughspirituality, meditation, nature
(06:21):
, religion, this part of ourbrain actually grows stronger
and more resilient.
Mri scans show thicker cortexregions and better emotional
regulation and a sense ofpurpose.
That protects us againstdepression.
Some studies are showing thatpeople are 80 less likely to
(06:41):
become depressed that have theseregular practices strictly
because of the changes thatthey've incurred in their brains
.
It's pretty amazing.
So how do we do this?
How do we balance?
We can't be completely withoutthe realization that our bodies
(07:02):
end and the world begins, and soit's a hard.
It's a hard walk.
We have to figure out ways tostay connected, be aware, stay
in tune with our flow, and oneof the ways you can do that is
when you feel yourself in astate of dysregulation or
(07:23):
disharmony.
You can take a moment and justhave a breath and remember.
Remember who you are, rememberwho you are becoming.
Another practice that I do withmy clients is they give
themselves a promise ring and,in essence, you're marrying
(07:47):
yourself because you are goingto be forever with yourself and
they put the ring on whicheverfinger they want.
Sometimes the boys will getbeads because they want to wear
the beads around their necks,and sometimes they'll just have
something that they use like oneof those Pura Vida bracelets on
their wrist, and they make apromise to themselves.
(08:07):
They make a promise to trustthemselves, to trust their inner
guidance.
They make a promise to rememberwhy they're here.
They make a promise to berespectful and you can touch
that like a touchstone orsomething that reminds you to
just click on the part of you,that reminds you that things are
(08:28):
happening for you, not to you.
So here are some journalprompts that you can try.
When was the last time I feltdeeply connected to something
bigger than myself?
Last time I felt deeplyconnected to something bigger
than myself, would you take aminute and describe that moment
(08:50):
in detail?
What practices bring me into astate of presence?
I mean, they've shown thatwe're in a state of presence
even if we're petting a dog orjust being with an animal being
outside in nature.
How can I make space for thesepractices during the week?
What beliefs or thoughts am Ihaving that keep me in that ego
(09:12):
mode and that mode of separationinstead of openness.
Where in my life can I shiftfrom control to trust today?
What's one small change that Ican make If my brain is actually
wired for connection?
What's one tiny action I cantake to strengthen that
(09:35):
connection?
How can I remind myself, howcan I remember?
What does living in flow meanfor me right now?
And if you can't think of atime, think about a time when
you were younger, when you wereable to feel in flow.
(09:57):
What message or guidance maylife be offering me that I have
been too busy to hear.
I also wanted to give you someaffirmations to try.
I am open to wonder connectionand grace in every moment.
(10:18):
In every moment, my mind iscalm, my heart is awake and my
spirit is free.
I trust life to guide me in theright direction at the right
time.
I am part of everything andeverything is part of me.
(10:42):
Every breath I take is myinvitation to peace and clarity.
My awareness expands with love,compassion and curiosity, and
curiosity.
(11:04):
We're going to do just afive-minute guided meditation, a
little mindful moment.
So if you are in a place whereyou can pull over, that would be
great, or you can always clickoff and come back to this.
So take a moment and swallow torelease your jaw, close your
(11:30):
eyes, take a deep and out, takea long, slow breath in through
your nose and seal your lips outthrough your nose and feel the
(12:00):
relaxation, feel every tensionjust draining out of you into
the ground.
And you can either look up oryou can close your eyes and roll
your eyes up.
Your eyelids will flutter alittle bit and connect to that
space a couple hundred feetabove your head and connect to
(12:26):
that space a couple hundred feetabove your head, the place that
people look at when they pray,the place that often people will
just look up to the sky forguidance and feel that love of
all things and feel that light.
Experience it in your way andlet that come down through you,
(12:49):
through the top of your head andimagine it just lighting up
your brain, cascading behindyour eyes so that you can see
the love and the light in allthings, and inside your ears so
(13:17):
that you can hear the lovebehind the words, and let it
circle around your throat sothat you can speak your truth
with love.
And you can even picture anaquamarine blue in this area,
because that's the color of thatchakra and let that light go
(13:38):
down through your shoulders,just washing away any tension,
any energy that's not servingyou.
Let it just rinse out right tothe ground and let that energy
(13:58):
swirl around your heart andradiate it out 360 degrees and
you can take a breath in throughthe back of your heart and out
through the front, and then inthrough the front and out
(14:30):
through the back and let thatlight come down around your
stomach and your hips and let itgo down your arms and your legs
.
You might even feel a littletingling in your fingers or your
toes.
Feel the space around you andimagine your sense of self
(14:55):
gently, gently dissolving, notdisappearing, but actually
expanding beyond your body,beyond your thoughts, and notice
your heartbeat.
You can put your hand on yourheart and feel it as part of a
(15:22):
bigger rhythm, like the ocean'stide or the sound of the wind in
the leaves.
Breathe in with that rhythm.
I am NOT separate.
Breathe out.
I am part of everything.
(15:42):
Life flows through me andaround me as me, and ask
yourself what wants to comethrough me today.
Feel guided, feel held, listen,trust and smile.
(16:11):
I'm awake.
So, gently, allow yourawareness to come back to your
body, wiggling your fingers andtoes, your ankles and wrists,
your knees and elbows, andremember you are so much more
(16:42):
than the things that happen toyou.
You are so able to switch gearsand to pivot when you just
remember to awaken to who youreally are, to awaken to who you
really are.
(17:03):
And we have moments where weforget, and we have moments
where life throws us a curveballand maybe the ball even hits us
and we get walked to first base.
But we can turn that around andit is within those moments that
we discover how strong wereally are.
(17:25):
So good luck on your next test.
Good luck on your next quiz.
If this episode spoke to you,please share it and please make
sure that you've joined thepodcast, that you're following
(17:47):
the podcast and that you'redownloading them so that you can
get notified when I post newepisodes.
If you want to join theFacebook group, please do that.
Just send me a message.
And if you want to connect withme, go to the link for the
email list and get signed up.
Know that the welcome email,for some reason, is going to
(18:09):
people's spam box, so check yourspam box if you've requested to
be joined to the email list.
Right now I'm gathering peopleand preferences as to how often
they want the emails, or whetheryou just want to be made aware
of new offers and specials, orthe episodes or the back notes.
On the episodes it depends.
(18:30):
But we're creating thiscommunity together.
Please check out the free guidein the show notes.
It's called the Awaken BrainMap and Practices to Bring this
Science Into your Daily Life.
Brain map and practices tobring this science into your
daily life and enjoy the journey.
I'm so happy that you joined me.
(18:50):
Thank you so much for your timetoday and I look forward to
seeing you soon.
Have a magical week.
Hey, welcome, welcome back to Just Count Me In.
I'm Sarah, your host, and Ihope you had a great week this
past week.
I'm really feeling some goodenergy with this new moon today
and I wanted to share somethingspecial with you.
Have you ever had a day whenyou just felt like you were
(00:21):
rowing upstream the whole time?
So some people say that lifegives us tests along our journey
.
This week I actually had a popquiz.
I had been reading Dr LisaMiller's book about the awakened
brain and little did I know Igot a chance to test it out in
real time.
So I was at the dentist and Iactually really like going to my
(00:44):
dentist office.
The place has really good vibes, it's got good energy, the
people are really positive there.
But today there was some kind ofscrew up with my insurance and
I found out that my tooth wasgoing to cost me a whole lot
more than I'd planned on.
I don't like to admit it, butin that moment, to be honest, I
got really scared and sad andworried that maybe I couldn't
(01:08):
even get my tooth fixed and Ijust reverted back to these old
patterns and I've worked so hardto reprogram myself.
I was frustrated and in amoment I reached for my phone
and the reason I did that was my.
Our grandson, teddy, startedkindergarten this week and I was
planning to see if my daughterhad maybe sent a picture just to
(01:30):
distract myself.
And then there on the screenwas a message that I had been in
a rush and not sent to somebodyin my family and everything
changed.
Here's the Picture, the endlesspossibilities that are all
around you.
You are so aligned with joy,abundance and certainty.
(01:52):
You are the signal, thefrequency of your highest
reality.
Just remember who you are.
And then I looked up and I sawa picture I had never noticed in
this office before.
I saw a parrot that was flying.
Last week I did an episodeabout Alex, a bird who was
(02:15):
trilingual he actually spokethree languages and during a
storm he had trauma and forgotthat he could fly.
And it clicked in me.
Something just switched on andit was like remember, you can
fly, you have wings.
And in that moment, literallyeverything changed.
(02:37):
Within that dental visit, theproblem was resolved.
I connected with someone who'sgoing to take a private yoga
class.
Resolved, I connected withsomeone who's going to take a
private yoga class.
Another hygienist came by andshe was talking about the
fluorite that I had.
So we talked about crystals andthe possible effects they might
have on the electromagneticfields in her environment.
And then the receptionist isactually looking for people to
(03:00):
connect with through a podcastto help her transform her life
right now for this new stage,all within one hour of this
dentist appointment.
And who knew so?
Have you ever felt like thesense of connection, like the
world was alive and speaking toyou?
The moment I shifted, themoment I was able to pivot from
(03:23):
this yucky, constrained thingsaren't working for me, no matter
what I do, it's not workingfeeling to a moment of
connection, like everything ishappening for me.
That moment wasn't random.
I was actually practicing whatI had been reading about in the
book and that was switching onto my awakened brain at work.
(03:46):
Science now finally proves whatancient traditions have always
known Our brains are wired forconnection both with others and
with something bigger thanourselves.
We toggle back and forthbetween a brain.
That's the awakened achievementbrain.
It's laser-focused, it's goallaser focused, it's goal driven,
it's forward moving.
(04:06):
But pushing too much actuallyisolates us and drains our
feeling of connection.
It can fuel anxiety and fueldepression in us.
Awakened awareness.
The awakened awareness brain ismore open and it's receptive
and it's actually connected andcreative.
(04:28):
It's pretty blissful when youmeditate, you pray or even stand
at awe at a sunrise or a sunset.
You can find that sweet spotwhen you've got an integration,
when both are in harmony.
You can find that sweet spotwhen you've got an integration,
when both are in harmony, wherewe're feeling like we're
(04:53):
affecting our lives but we'reactually very alive.
Two things happen when you feelconnected the default mode
network, the DMN, which we talkabout.
That fuels your ego and youroverthinking.
It's the part that's alwaysbusy.
It quiets down Suddenly.
(05:14):
You're not lost in like me, me,me and you open up to we.
The parietal lobes draw thelines of where I end and where
the world begins.
They soften their activity.
That's why, when you feelconnected, you actually are
feeling a sense of oneness orboundarylessness, and this is
all observable under brain scansnow, which is amazing to me.
(05:39):
At the same time, areas like theanterior cingulate cortex and
the insula light up and thatdeepens your compassion, your
presence and your body awareness.
So, according to the researchI've been reading in the
awakened brain, people whonurture this connection and it
(06:00):
doesn't matter, you can go downand see a sunset.
You can look out your windowand notice a tree Any kind of
connection.
You can listen to music.
It deepens our compassion, ourpresence and our body awareness.
Whether we do it throughspirituality, meditation, nature
(06:21):
, religion, this part of ourbrain actually grows stronger
and more resilient.
Mri scans show thicker cortexregions and better emotional
regulation and a sense ofpurpose.
That protects us againstdepression.
Some studies are showing thatpeople are 80 less likely to
(06:41):
become depressed that have theseregular practices strictly
because of the changes thatthey've incurred in their brains
.
It's pretty amazing.
So how do we do this?
How do we balance?
We can't be completely withoutthe realization that our bodies
(07:02):
end and the world begins, and soit's a hard.
It's a hard walk.
We have to figure out ways tostay connected, be aware, stay
in tune with our flow, and oneof the ways you can do that is
when you feel yourself in astate of dysregulation or
(07:23):
disharmony.
You can take a moment and justhave a breath and remember.
Remember who you are, rememberwho you are becoming.
Another practice that I do withmy clients is they give
themselves a promise ring and,in essence, you're marrying
(07:47):
yourself because you are goingto be forever with yourself and
they put the ring on whicheverfinger they want.
Sometimes the boys will getbeads because they want to wear
the beads around their necks,and sometimes they'll just have
something that they use like oneof those Pura Vida bracelets on
their wrist, and they make apromise to themselves.
(08:07):
They make a promise to trustthemselves, to trust their inner
guidance.
They make a promise to rememberwhy they're here.
They make a promise to berespectful and you can touch
that like a touchstone orsomething that reminds you to
just click on the part of you,that reminds you that things are
(08:28):
happening for you, not to you.
So here are some journalprompts that you can try.
When was the last time I feltdeeply connected to something
bigger than myself?
Last time I felt deeplyconnected to something bigger
than myself, would you take aminute and describe that moment
(08:50):
in detail?
What practices bring me into astate of presence?
I mean, they've shown thatwe're in a state of presence
even if we're petting a dog orjust being with an animal being
outside in nature.
How can I make space for thesepractices during the week?
What beliefs or thoughts am Ihaving that keep me in that ego
(09:12):
mode and that mode of separationinstead of openness.
Where in my life can I shiftfrom control to trust today?
What's one small change that Ican make If my brain is actually
wired for connection?
What's one tiny action I cantake to strengthen that
(09:35):
connection?
How can I remind myself, howcan I remember?
What does living in flow meanfor me right now?
And if you can't think of atime, think about a time when
you were younger, when you wereable to feel in flow.
(09:57):
What message or guidance maylife be offering me that I have
been too busy to hear.
I also wanted to give you someaffirmations to try.
I am open to wonder connectionand grace in every moment.
(10:18):
In every moment, my mind iscalm, my heart is awake and my
spirit is free.
I trust life to guide me in theright direction at the right
time.
I am part of everything andeverything is part of me.
(10:42):
Every breath I take is myinvitation to peace and clarity.
My awareness expands with love,compassion and curiosity, and
curiosity.
(11:04):
We're going to do just afive-minute guided meditation, a
little mindful moment.
So if you are in a place whereyou can pull over, that would be
great, or you can always clickoff and come back to this.
So take a moment and swallow torelease your jaw, close your
(11:30):
eyes, take a deep and out, takea long, slow breath in through
your nose and seal your lips outthrough your nose and feel the
(12:00):
relaxation, feel every tensionjust draining out of you into
the ground.
And you can either look up oryou can close your eyes and roll
your eyes up.
Your eyelids will flutter alittle bit and connect to that
space a couple hundred feetabove your head and connect to
(12:26):
that space a couple hundred feetabove your head, the place that
people look at when they pray,the place that often people will
just look up to the sky forguidance and feel that love of
all things and feel that light.
Experience it in your way andlet that come down through you,
(12:49):
through the top of your head andimagine it just lighting up
your brain, cascading behindyour eyes so that you can see
the love and the light in allthings, and inside your ears so
(13:17):
that you can hear the lovebehind the words, and let it
circle around your throat sothat you can speak your truth
with love.
And you can even picture anaquamarine blue in this area,
because that's the color of thatchakra and let that light go
(13:38):
down through your shoulders,just washing away any tension,
any energy that's not servingyou.
Let it just rinse out right tothe ground and let that energy
(13:58):
swirl around your heart andradiate it out 360 degrees and
you can take a breath in throughthe back of your heart and out
through the front, and then inthrough the front and out
(14:30):
through the back and let thatlight come down around your
stomach and your hips and let itgo down your arms and your legs
.
You might even feel a littletingling in your fingers or your
toes.
Feel the space around you andimagine your sense of self
(14:55):
gently, gently dissolving, notdisappearing, but actually
expanding beyond your body,beyond your thoughts, and notice
your heartbeat.
You can put your hand on yourheart and feel it as part of a
(15:22):
bigger rhythm, like the ocean'stide or the sound of the wind in
the leaves.
Breathe in with that rhythm.
I am NOT separate.
Breathe out.
I am part of everything.
(15:42):
Life flows through me andaround me as me, and ask
yourself what wants to comethrough me today.
Feel guided, feel held, listen,trust and smile.
(16:11):
I'm awake.
So, gently, allow yourawareness to come back to your
body, wiggling your fingers andtoes, your ankles and wrists,
your knees and elbows, andremember you are so much more
(16:42):
than the things that happen toyou.
You are so able to switch gearsand to pivot when you just
remember to awaken to who youreally are, to awaken to who you
really are.
(17:03):
And we have moments where weforget, and we have moments
where life throws us a curveballand maybe the ball even hits us
and we get walked to first base.
But we can turn that around andit is within those moments that
we discover how strong wereally are.
(17:25):
So good luck on your next test.
Good luck on your next quiz.
If this episode spoke to you,please share it and please make
sure that you've joined thepodcast, that you're following
(17:47):
the podcast and that you'redownloading them so that you can
get notified when I post newepisodes.
If you want to join theFacebook group, please do that.
Just send me a message.
And if you want to connect withme, go to the link for the
email list and get signed up.
Know that the welcome email,for some reason, is going to
(18:09):
people's spam box, so check yourspam box if you've requested to
be joined to the email list.
Right now I'm gathering peopleand preferences as to how often
they want the emails, or whetheryou just want to be made aware
of new offers and specials, orthe episodes or the back notes.
On the episodes it depends.
(18:30):
But we're creating thiscommunity together.
Please check out the free guidein the show notes.
It's called the Awaken BrainMap and Practices to Bring this
Science Into your Daily Life.
Brain map and practices tobring this science into your
daily life and enjoy the journey.
I'm so happy that you joined me.
(18:50):
Thank you so much for your timetoday and I look forward to
seeing you soon.
Have a magical week.
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