Tim Tams and Brain Training: The Science Behind Mindfulness

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Ever noticed how mindfulness has been co-opted by wellness influencers and luxury retreat centres? What if I told you that the people who need mindfulness most aren't those already perched serenely on meditation cushions, but those of us drowning in chaos, overwhelm, and burnout?

In this season opener, we're stripping away the crystals and incense to reveal mindfulness for what it truly is: a science-backed survival tool for our modern lives. I share my own journey from skepticism to daily practice after learning how elite athletes like Mitchell Pearce and Kobe Bryant used mindfulness to overcome their darkest mental struggles. The transformation wasn't just anecdotal—Harvard researchers have documented how mindfulness meditation physically reshapes the brain, increasing grey matter in regions responsible for memory and emotional regulation while shrinking the amygdala, our internal panic button.

Many of us avoid mindfulness not because we're too busy (that's just our excuse), but because we're terrified of being still with our thoughts and feelings. We scroll, binge, and busy ourselves to avoid facing grief, rage, or exhaustion. Yet mindfulness doesn't require spiritual beliefs or hour-long meditation sessions. It can be as simple as taking one conscious breath before responding to a triggering email or fully experiencing your morning coffee without distraction. These micro-moments—even just 30 seconds of presence—can ripple through your day, creating space between stimulus and response.

Ready to start? Try one of our three prompts: identify where you're living on autopilot, name what you're afraid to feel, or plan one moment today where you'll choose presence over reaction. Join us for the next seven episodes as we explore how this simple practice might be the most powerful tool you're not using. Mindfulness isn't about escaping life—it's about showing up for it fully.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome back to another edition of GW Unspoken,
where we discuss stuff we don'ttypically talk about but
probably should.
And today we're kicking off abrand new season on something
that's been over hashtag,misunderstood and often turned
into a lifestyle brand insteadof what I suppose it truly is,
and that's mindfulness.
Now, before you imagine mesitting on a mountaintop wearing
linen and chanting, let me stopyou, because this season isn't

(00:39):
about turning you into awellness influencer.
It's about showing you thatmindfulness isn't a trend.
It's actually a survival tool.
And boy did I have to havehumble pie when I first heard
about mindfulness.
I think it was about 10 yearsago, maybe eight years ago.
I was working for a companycalled Stronger Brains in
neuroscience and a lady thereshe was awesome talking about

(01:00):
how important mindfulness wasand I was like come on, for real
, is it?
And I think it was because Iactually saw people like
Mitchell Pierce when he wasplaying for the Blues and I
believe the story is right whenhe was playing halfback for the
Blues and the Blues kept losinga long time in a row and he felt
guilty for it and he said hewas in such a really dark, deep

(01:21):
place socially, emotionally andespecially mentally, he turned
to mindfulness.
I'm like what?
And apparently mindfulness gothim out of the hole.
And then we did a fair bit ofwork on Kobe Bryant and I know
unfortunately he's passed away,but he talked about how
meditation set him up for theday and I think it was because
these sports stars got involved.
When I was in the sport I waslike I can't go myself and

(01:43):
actually look into this and eversince I did, it's just, it's
crazy how important it is.
Because you know, if you'rehonest with yourself, when you
hear the word mindfulness, youprobably picture someone you
know, super serene, sippingherbal tea and breathing in
eucalyptus oil and talking veryslowly.
But what about the rest of us?
The overthinkers, the exhausted, exhausted, the high achievers,

(02:07):
the burnout?
Teachers, parents, carers, ceos, people with trauma, people
with no spare time?
I mean, where do we fit in?
And I guess here's the mythmindfulness is only for the calm
.
That's not true.
The truth is, mindfulness isactually for the chaotic.
In fact, the more reactive andoverwhelmed or dysregulated you
are, the more you probably needmindfulness.
Um, so it's not for aesthetics,it's actually for function.
And here's the juicy bit,because this is what the brain

(02:28):
science says Mindfulness isn'tspiritual fluff, it's brain
training, and the research backsthat up.
In a landmark study at Harvard,researchers found that
participants who participated inmindfulness meditation for just
eight weeks showed an increasein grey matter density in the
hippocampus, and that's linkedto memory and emotional
regulation, and that reduced thevolume in the amygdala, which

(02:50):
is the part responsible for thestress and fear.
So what does that mean?
It means mindfulness literallyshrinks your brain's panic
button and strengthens yourfocus muscle.
So you don't need to believe incrystals or incense.
You just need to pause, breatheand be where you are, and even
if that's just for, for example,30 seconds, Because also it can

(03:12):
get controversial.
Mindfulness, because most of usare avoiding mindfulness because
we're too busy.
We're avoiding it because we'reafraid to feel.
Mindfulness forces you to sitstill with whatever it is there,
whether it's grief, rage,exhaustion, guilt and for many
of us, stillness is actuallyterrifying, especially in a day
and age where we are, because wescroll, we binge, we busy

(03:36):
ourselves, we become numb.
But as I always say, if youdon't face it, you're actually
going to feed it and you canonly outrun yourself for so long
.
So let's be real now.
Mindfulness doesn't always haveto look like a wellness retreat.
Sometimes mindfulness is justnot screaming in the car that's
in front of you just laying onthe brakes on the way to work.

(03:56):
It's not reacting to the emailthat actually triggered you from
your boss or from a friend thatyou can't believe you got.
It's not eating the full TimTam when you are already full.
Man, those days back atuniversity days when I only ate
a whole pack of Tim Tams, exceptfor maybe two.
And then I looked down at thosetwo and I thought, gee, you two
are lonely by yourselves.
You better come to me and I'deat them as well.

(04:18):
So mindfulness can be in a wholerange of things.
You know, sometimes just takingone breath before you reply to
someone and that's it.
That's the whole practice.
Now you don't need a $9 yogamat or a Himalayan salt lamp.
You just need a $90 yoga mat ora Himalayan salt lamp.
You just need a moment, andthat moment can actually change
everything.
So how can you actually startmindfulness today If you're out

(04:41):
there listening to this and youhaven't tried it, or you've been
sort of avoiding it andthinking I don't believe this
either?
Well, here's some no-fluff,no-fielder ideas.
Number one use a micro-moment.
Pick something mundane likebrushing your teeth or making
your first coffee in the morningand just be fully present for
30 seconds.
Feel it, smell it, hear it.
Don't multitask.
Just be in that moment for 30seconds, Just what you normally
do, and two name what'shappening.

(05:04):
Pause and ask what am I feeling?
Not fixing, just noticing.
Labeling feelings reduces theirpower.
If you say, yeah, I'm actuallyfeeling really stressed today,
by owning that, you're actuallyreducing the power of that.
And another way is you canactually anchor your awareness,
Choose one sensory anchor yourbreath, the feel of your feet on
the cold tiles in winter, thewarmth of a mug of coffee.

(05:28):
Return to what your mind, whatam I trying to say?
Return to that when your mindactually spirals out of control,
like when you start losingfocus.
So just try and picture and bein that moment, even if it's for
30 seconds.
It doesn't mean your life slowsdown, it just means you're not

(05:48):
stopping getting swept away oryou're stopping getting swept
away by it.
So here's some prompts to action.
I know it's only the firstepisode and people out there
might be going.
It's okay for you, I don't dothat kind of thing.
All right, If it's been provenscientifically to calm the
amygdala, which is youremotional store, your emotional

(06:09):
body, brain.
Why wouldn't you be open forthis if not for yourself and the
people who you may react aroundyou?
And that's what I wanted tosort of test you with today, or
challenge you with today, Ishould say.
So here's some general prompts,Writing this down again.
This is our last eight-weekepisode on the innate code

(06:30):
things that we think give youholistic health.
So, number one where in yourlife are you living on autopilot
and what would it look like tobe sort of more present?
To be honest, what's slippingby and unnoticed?
Number two, when you're afraid,you know, and you feel like you
need to slow down and payattention to yourself, where is

(06:52):
that?
Name it without judgment.
And number three, when is onemoment today when I could
actually choose presence overreaction, Plan it and practice
it?
So, if you're going to a staffmeeting and you're going, this
is going to suck, I know it'sgoing to suck and I don't want
to be there, where can youactually go?
Yeah, I'm going to own thatfeeling.

(07:12):
It is actually going to suck,but I'm actually going to be
sitting there and I'm going totake at least one thing in.
You know I say this to the kidsout there, so all the students
out there who might be listeningto this is you go to a lesson
where you know you don't want tobe there, you may clash with a
teacher or out of it.
Number one try and findsomething different out of that
lesson that you didn't knowbefore.
So, new information, newcontent.

(07:38):
Number two can you questionsomething?
What's something when someonesays a teacher says something or
a student brings something upin that lesson, and is it
something?
You go?
Oh, I'm not sure about that.
And as soon as you startquestioning and asking questions
, you actually start learningmore and digging deeper and
having deeper knowledge.
And as soon as you startquestioning and asking questions
, you actually start learningmore and digging deeper and
having deeper knowledge.
And third thing can I findsomething in this lesson that
actually solidifies what Ialready know?
Oh, yeah, I already knew that,so I'm on the right track.

(08:00):
If you're looking for thosethree things, then I think you
can also add some interest.
So, in your day-to-day thepeople I'm talking to out there
what's one moment today whereyou could actually choose
presence over reaction?
What's one thing you actuallygo, I'm actually going to be
present in this moment.
So, look, that's our firstepisode, let's kick off.
So mindfulness isn't a luxury,it's actually a lifeline.

(08:21):
It's not about escaping life,it's about actually showing up
for it.
So we're going to talk aboutthe truth, the science, the mess
, the breakthroughs.
You we're going to talk aboutthe truth, the science, the mess
, the breakthroughs.
You don't have to be perfect topractice mindfulness.
You just need to be willing andthen see the difference.
I'm Gary, Thanks for joining ustoday for our first episode,
and we look forward to the nextseven to see if mindfulness can
improve your life.

(08:42):
Thank you.