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16th January, 2024

Getting a Breakthrough by Using Your Right Brain

With Yda Bouvier

Photo of Yda Bouvier

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On this episode

When we’re presented with a difficult problem, naturally we use logic and reasoning to solve it. But some problems – like stress and burnout – can’t be solved with logic alone.

The left hemisphere is the area of the brain focused on tasks, logic, and problem-solving. But the right hemisphere deals with relationships, connections, and new perspectives. It’s also visual and metaphorical, so it can help us see problems in a different way. So our right brain can help us live more easily with problems that can’t be solved by the left.

This week, executive coach Yda Bouvier explains how introducing visuals can activate our right brain and give us new perspectives and insights, which can help us understand complex issues, improve problem-solving, and enhance our connection with others.

Over-relying on our left brain can leave us struggling with complex relationships, focusing too much on threats, and making it harder to adapt. But by incorporating more visuals and movement, we can tap into the power of our right brain and unlock new insights and possibilities.

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About the guests

Yda Bouvier photo

Reasons to listen

  • To learn how using the right brain can help us manage high-stress jobs
  • To discover how visuals, metaphor, and movement can activate the right brain and give us new perspectives
  • To understand the role of the right brain in problem-solving, intuition, and dealing with complex situations

Episode highlights

00:02:55

The right brain

00:05:28

Left brain vs right brain

00:08:41

Yda’s journey

00:10:47

Are we usingrelying too much on our left brain?

00:15:08

The impact of switching to right-brain thinking

00:18:02

How does the right brain help solve wicked problems?

00:22:40

The left brain and the ego

00:25:27

Making practical use of the right brain

00:30:22

Left and right brains in relation

00:32:52

The power of metaphor and images in communication

00:44:05

Exercise: What to do with a big problem

Episode transcript

[00:00:00] Rachel: When we’re faced with a problem. our left brain kicks in immediately and tries to come up with a logical solution. But what happens when we’re faced with a problem that’s not so logical or doesn’t have a solution that can be puzzled out? [00:00:13] If you work in the NHS, you’ll know what it’s like to struggle with problems without an obvious sedation. And if you’re leading a team who are looking to you for all the answers, what do you do when the right course of action isn’t staring you in the face? [00:00:27] Now, this…

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