The Dr. Leaf Show
Hi! I’m Dr. Caroline Leaf. I’m a cognitive neuroscientist, author, & mental health expert. Whether you are struggling in your personal life or simply want to learn how to understand and use your mind to live your best life, this podcast will provide you with practical & scientific tips and tools to help you take back control over your mental, emotional, and physical health. Visit: https://drleaf.com*DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your personal physician if you have any personal medical questions.
Episodes
December 17, 2025 • 34 mins
Why do teams break down — and what makes them thrive? In this episode, Dr. Caroline Leaf and bestselling author Jon Gordon unpack the real reasons teams fail and the 7 science-backed commitments that create trust, clarity, and high performance.
You’ll learn the neuroscience behind positivity, how mission and vision rewire the brain for follow-through, and why emotional intelligence is the foundation of any successful culture. Whet...
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December 10, 2025 • 68 mins
You've trained your brain to see danger everywhere—and you didn't even realize it.
Every notification. Every "suspicious person" post. Every late-night scroll through your neighborhood app. Your brain is learning that the world is unsafe, that strangers are threats, and that vigilance equals virtue.
But constant alertness doesn't make you safer. It makes you separate.
In this episode, I reveal how modern "safety culture" is secr...
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December 3, 2025 • 64 mins
Have you ever wondered when creating distance from a parent becomes an act of protection rather than abandonment? Or why stepping back can bring both a deep sense of calm and a quiet ache that lingers beneath the surface? This emotional crossroads is not only psychological. It is profoundly neurological.
In this episode of the Dr. Leaf Show, I break down the rising phenomenon of cutting off parents and what actually happens inside ...
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November 26, 2025 • 27 mins
Have you ever walked into your family home for the holidays and felt yourself slipping back into old patterns—people-pleasing, shutting down, overreacting—even when you thought you’d grown past them? It’s not just psychological—it’s neurological.
In this episode, I break down the science behind why holiday visits activate dormant emotional pathways and how to stay anchored in your present identity. You’ll learn practical tools to i...
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November 19, 2025 • 57 mins
Is return to office really about “culture”—or is it quietly draining families, energy, and trust?
In this episode, I unpack what’s actually happening in your mind and brain when RTO policies shrink your choices, stretch your days, and turn Sunday nights into dread. You’ll learn why lost autonomy registers as threat, how that shows up as jaw tension, irritability, and exhaustion, and why none of this makes you weak or “not a team pl...
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November 12, 2025 • 23 mins
Why do we sometimes panic when things finally get better? Why can rest, safety, or even joy register as unpredictable or unsafe?
In this episode, I walk you through what happens when a trauma-trained brain reacts to peace like it’s danger—and how your mind can gently redirect that response. You’ll learn what joy-triggered anxiety actually reflects, why the brain loops it so quickly, and how to retrain the pattern in a way that does...
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November 5, 2025 • 29 mins
You think you’re staying together for the kids. But are they truly safe—or just absorbing tension they can’t name?
In this solo episode, I explore the neuroscience of “silent divorce,” where parents remain physically together but emotionally disconnected. Research shows this doesn’t protect children—it rewires their developing brains to expect instability, even when everything looks “fine.”
You’ll learn:
✅ Why kids internalize emot...
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October 29, 2025 • 27 mins
Algorithms don’t just track what you like—they profit from how often you spiral. In this episode, I break down what happens to your brain when you stay stuck in outrage cycles.
You’ll learn:
✅ The dopamine-cortisol loop fueling reactive scrolling
✅ How non-conscious thought patterns rehearse chaos into identity
✅ Why emotional volatility gets monetized—and how to reclaim your mind
This isn’t about deleting your apps. It’s about up...
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October 22, 2025 • 49 mins
Why do so many women feel an unspoken pressure to “be good”—to perform endless selflessness at the cost of their own identity?
In this conversation, I sit down with Elise Loehnen, author of On Our Best Behavior, to unpack the centuries-old scripts that bind women to ideals of goodness rooted in the Seven Deadly Sins. We’ll explore the neuroscience behind identity formation, why reputation feels like survival, and how to break free ...
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October 15, 2025 • 33 mins
Being a parent doesn’t just ask for your time—it asks for your mind, your brain, and your body. The planning, predicting, soothing, deciding, remembering… it adds up. And the longer you carry the invisible weight, the more it rewires your mind to expect pressure instead of peace.
In this episode, I’ll show you the neuroscience behind mental load, why emotional regulation often falls to one person in the home, and how to use small b...
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October 8, 2025 • 37 mins
Success is supposed to feel good. But what if it also feels… lonely?
What if your growth created distance from the people you love most?
In this episode, I’ll explain the neuroscience of relational disconnection after personal growth—why self-comparison, status shifts, and unspoken shame rewire the brain and fracture emotional safety. Whether it’s family, friends, or your partner, I’ll show you how to recognize when distance is ca...
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October 1, 2025 • 33 mins
Why does political division feel so personal—and so addictive?
In this episode, I unpack the neuroscience of ideological entrenchment, how tribal identity shapes our threat response, and why outrage keeps getting rewarded by your brain’s own chemistry.
You’ll learn:
✅ How repeated exposure to conflict rewires your brain (ideological neuroplasticity)
✅ Why your nervous system confuses disagreement with danger
✅ The real cost of cer...
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September 24, 2025 • 54 mins
Why do some people turn vision into reality—again and again?
In this episode, I sit down with entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Pentecost, founder of It Works! and author of Life of Your Dreams. Mark went from high school teacher and coach to building a global business—and now teaches others how to “train” vision like a muscle.
We’ll map his practical steps onto the neuroscience of behavior change, so you can learn how environme...
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September 17, 2025 • 35 mins
We talk about breakups all the time—but rarely about the pain of losing a close friend. Yet, the grief can feel even heavier. Why? Because friendships are coded deep into your brain’s identity systems.
In this episode, I’ll explain:
✅ How the brain stores friendship bonds in emotional memory
✅ Why the loss of a friend triggers identity confusion
✅ Why you still replay conversations and crave closure
✅ How to heal without the “final...
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Brain fog, anxiety, and mental decline are often treated like inevitable parts of aging. But what if that narrative is wrong?
In this episode, I’m joined by Harvard-trained physician and NAD expert Dr. Andrew Salzman, Chief Medical Officer at Wonderfeel, to explore the science of brain aging—and why your brain’s “fuel supply” matters more than you think.
We’ll unpack:
✅ Why cognitive decline isn’t inevitable
✅ How one molecule (NAD...
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September 3, 2025 • 23 mins
Is fear for your child’s future ruining your life?
Parenting today feels like living in a state of constant alert—climate headlines, tech dangers, school safety, mental health worries. But what if your chronic fear is changing your brain and sabotaging your ability to parent with presence?
In this episode, I break down the neuroscience of parenting fear loops and explain:
✅ Why your brain keeps rehearsing worst-case scenarios
✅ How...
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August 27, 2025 • 24 mins
😳 “I might be the problem.”
That’s not a trend. That’s a turning point.
In this powerful episode, Dr. Caroline Leaf walks you through 8 psychologically disruptive truths that your brain might resist—but your healing may depend on. Rooted in neuroscience and psychoneurobiology, this is your invitation to reflect deeply, interrupt rehearsed patterns, and get radically honest without shame.
🧠 You’ll learn:
Why your brain treats unc...
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August 20, 2025 • 51 mins
Feeling wired, foggy, or emotionally reactive? Your gut might be the first place to look.
In this powerful conversation with research microbiologist Kiran Krishnan, founder of Just Thrive, we explore how your microbiome shapes mood, resilience, immunity, and even the way you handle stress. Kiran is a research microbiologist and a health and wellness expert who aims to make complex information understandable to all. He has founded ...
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August 13, 2025 • 59 mins
What happens when childhood fame shapes your identity, rewires your brain, and leaves no roadmap for healing? 🎬
In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Alyson Stoner—actor, dancer, singer, activist, and founder of Movement Genius—to explore the hidden costs of early success and the science of reclaiming your inner world.
Alyson shares raw insights from their new book Semi Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, diving i...
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August 5, 2025 • 26 mins
It’s launch day!
Help In a Hurry is officially out. And in this episode, I’m reading from the book—directly to you. But this isn’t a sales pitch. This is a neuroscience map for when everything’s blurry and loud and "fixing yourself" feels like another to-do. You’ll hear some of the spiciest truths, most personal reframes, and raw insights that didn’t make it to social media. And you’ll leave with a whole new understanding of how fa...
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