The Brain Coach podcast is hosted by executive function expert and 'Brain Coach' Mary Turos. Take a deep dive into executive functions and simple strategies based in neuroscience to overcome obstacles and achieve personal progress. Each episode provides insights from a community of educators, researchers, therapists, clinicians, family members to support a healthy brain.
Purposeful Optimism: Turn Anticipation into Daily Energy
This episode explains "purposeful optimism": how anticipating small, specific future pleasures can boost well-being and motivation, and why daydreaming alone can reduce effort.
Mary Turos reviews research on dopamine, mental contrasting, and implementation intentions (WOOP), and gives a practical 10-step routine to stock your near future with things to look forward to, savor them, and plan for obstacles.
Listeners get simple homework: list three look-forwards for the week, make one happen within 24 hours, and notice how anticipation changes your mood and focus.
16 Oct 2026
Are You Lazy or Resting? A Brain Coach's 6-Question Check
Mary Turos explains how to distinguish laziness, restorative rest, and avoidance-driven worry using research and a practical six-question checklist you can try this week.
She also explores why relaxation can trigger anxiety for some people and offers simple strategies—like immersive activities, a scheduled worry window, gradual practice, and therapy options—to rebuild healthy rest habits.
13 Oct 2026
When Pleasure Goes Missing: Understanding Anhedonia
In this episode, Mary Turos explains anhedonia—the reduced ability to feel pleasure—and breaks it into common forms (social, physical) and stages (anticipatory vs. consummatory). It covers causes from depression and neurological conditions to stress, medication effects, and examples of how it can occur in otherwise healthy people.
Mary summarizes research-backed approaches that help rebuild the brain's reward system, including behavioral activation, savoring in the moment, replaying positive experiences, and tailored therapies like positive affect treatment, plus how exercise can support recovery.
Practical takeaways: act before you feel like it, make the good part vivid while it’s happening, and replay it afterward so the brain learns to want and enjoy again. If symptoms are persistent or widespread, consider professional support.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
3.7 / 5
3 ratings
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Questions about The Brain Coach
Who hosts The Brain Coach?
Mary host the show. Published by Mary Turos.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
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