#5 Brain Bite - Neuroplasticity

Brains don’t wait for perfect conditions to change—they change because we give them simple, repeatable cues. Today we explore how small habits can rewire pathways, why consistency beats intensity, and how a playful bathtub ritual helped a quiet 5-year-old unlock hard sounds like “g.” I share the moment our routine clicked, what targeted practice looks like in real life, and how anchoring drills to everyday moments turns strain into momentum.

We cut through the myth of a fixed adult brain with accessible science on neuroplasticity, from language and music training to skill-specific reps that strengthen synapses. You’ll hear how we stacked counting and letter sounds onto shampoo and conditioner time, then layered focused articulation—goo-goo, gaga, gigi—to recruit the back of the tongue. We also touch on cranial nerve activation work.

If you’re looking for practical cognitive upgrades, we’ve got you covered: habit stacking, tiny wins, and a simple nutrition nudge. The weekly challenge is delicious and evidence-informed—one small piece of 70%+ dark chocolate a day—to support blood flow, memory, and learning. Pair it with a two-minute skill drill and you’ll feel the compounding effect of consistent attention. Your brain adds roughly 700 new neurons daily; your routines decide where they go. Press play, pick one micro-habit, and tell us what you’ll practice this week so we can cheer you on. 

Welcome to Unshakeable Brain. I'd be so grateful if you could share it with a friend who loves brain hacks, and leave a quick review to help more listeners build an unshakeable brain.

Note: This podcast episode is sponsored by Dr. Rewire's Brain DNA test. Learn more at Unshakeablebrain.ai. If you're a practitioner and you're interested in adding this at-home lab test to your toolkit, go to Unshakeablebrain.ai/expert.

I, Dr. Kylie, no longer work with clients in any endeavor. If you'd like more support for your health, I recommend working with the physicians at the EllieMD telemedicine platform. To get started, go to https://elliemd.com/?bp=drkylie. For health and wellness experts looking to provide this resource to your clients, get started at https://elliemd.com/join-us/?bp=drkylie.

Thank you for joining the Unshakeable Brain community. Dr. Kylie

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Welcome to BrainBites, your quick dose of
science and strategies for anunshakable brain.
I'm your host, Dr.
Kylie, and in the next fewminutes, you'll get a sharp
insight to feed your brain.
Let's dig in.
Today's Brain Bite is aboutneuroplasticity, your brain's

(00:24):
incredible ability to change,adapt, and grow throughout your
life.
Many people think their brain isfixed after a certain age, but
research shows it's constantlyrewiring itself.
Every new skill you learn, everyhabit you practice, even tiny
daily choices like reading,moving your body, or what you

(00:44):
eat can strengthen your brainpathways.
For example, studies show thatpeople who practice a new skill
like learning a language,juggling, or playing a musical
instrument actually grow newconnections in their brains, and
these changes happen even inadulthood.
So the brain you have today isnot the brain you'll have

(01:04):
tomorrow.
It's alive, adaptable, andcapable of growth.
One of these stories of growth Iwould like to share with you
about neuroplasticity is my ownlittle daughter.
She's five.
If you listen to one of theprevious episodes, I've alluded
to how quiet she is and how muchshe's learned to speak in the

(01:25):
last several months.
Now, me, I didn't learn to speakuntil I was five.
Imagine that.
Now I've ran multiple podcasts,have multiple books out, and
it's I want to talk.
Whereas when I grew up, Ididn't, I couldn't talk.
So Hallie is a spitting image ofme, not just in speech, but also

(01:49):
in the way she looks, her bodysize, her body composition.
My mom just always tells me thatshe's me in a nutshell.
So Hallie's had a difficult timespeaking.
And we've gone to a coupledifferent speech therapists.
It's never really worked out.
And I knew that at some pointshe was just, it was just gonna
click and she'd get it.
We did have her in two speechpreschools.

(02:14):
So each year in her third yearand her fourth year of life, she
did a preschool that washighlighting speech therapy, and
she's made tremendous progress.
But there was a couple of thingsthat I did at home to help her
with this neuroplasticity and tolearn to speak.
And we just made it simple.

(02:35):
Every time I got her in thebathtub, as we put the shampoo
on her hair, we would say thenumbers.
We'd count one through 10.
And then I'd put the conditionerin her hair.
And since the conditioner is alittle bit longer sitting time,
we would then say our letters.
And now we did some chiropracticcare.

(02:56):
We probably did five adjustmentsof it where he would muscle test
the cranial nerves.
And he found that I think it wascranial nerve nine and twelve
weren't activated.
So he was able to activate themin his technique.
And then she could startcomprehending how to say sounds
like g.
And if you think about it, gcomes from the back of your

(03:19):
tongue, and that is difficultfor her body to perform.
As we have continued to mold herbrain, we now in the bathtub say
goo goo, gaga, and gigi, alldifferent forms of speech, with
g as the primary sound to learn.

(03:40):
So simple things like that canmake a big difference in your
neuroplasticity, no matter howold you are.
Here's your challenge for theweek.
Eat a small piece of darkchocolate, 70% or higher every
day.
Dark chocolate is packed withflavonoids that improve blood

(04:01):
flow to the brain, boost memory,and support learning.
By adding just this one simple,delicious food to your daily
routine for the next seven days,you are literally fueling the
pathways that help your braingrow stronger and more
resilient.
Here's your unshakable brain funfact.
Your brain generates around 700new neurons every day, even as

(04:27):
an adult.
That's 700 chances to growstronger, smarter, and more
resilient every single day.
I'm Dr.
Kylie, and that's your simplebrain bite.
I'll see you on the nextepisode.