UPWIRE: Hacking Human Nature
55 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 7 years ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsThis podcast explores the neuroscience of Hacking Human Nature to find better ways to make breakthroughs and unlock your true potential in life and work.
UPWIRE is presented by Robert Cooper, Ph.D., a neuroscientist, leadership advisor, New York Times bestselling author (with over 4 million books sold), and founder of the acclaimed 12 Leaders® program.
UPWIRE will feature stories and wisdom from Dr. Cooper, along with his latest thoughts and ideas, interviews, and newest research findings. Cooper provides compelling insights drawn from his work with elite performers and top leaders using neuroscience to get the most out of their brains, their time, and their performance.
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Episodes
UPWIRE #190 - Small Rules, Big Results
February 24, 2017 05:30 - 17 minutes - 16.9 MBThe brain loves big, complicated, later and never. Exceptional leaders and teams choose the exact opposite: breakthroughs and rules that are small, simple, now and next. In this UPWIRE, we'll look at how the smallest change can make the biggest difference in your life and work.
UPWIRE #189 - Skin of a Rhino, Soul of an Angel
February 10, 2017 05:30 - 16 minutes - 16.6 MBThe brain is hard-wired to be stuck in a defensive "me-first" mode. It despises criticism and over emphasizes every perceived slight, ultimately leading to artificial roadblocks to your (and your team's) success. In this podcast, we'll look at how you can UPWIRE your brain to move beyond this default flaw-finding "me-first" operating system, and create a culture of growth for yourself and others.
UPWIRE #188 - Nerve
January 27, 2017 05:30 - 10 minutes - 10.9 MBThe brain is hard-wired to shrink, not soar. But inside each of us is a quiet lifelong beckoning call which will awaken the courage to face uncertainty, grow and achieve the "impossible." In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn how to develop and deploy our inner NERVE to face change, loss and growing pains without collapsing or running away.
UPWIRE #187 - In Touch
January 13, 2017 05:30 - 17 minutes - 16.6 MBBy hard-wired human nature, the brain seeks to be out of touch. Instead of engaging with and achieving your best possible future, the brain much prefers the comfort of mindless repetition, distraction, and awaiting the return of the "good old days." When you are out of touch for as little as a few days or a week, it's not a neutral state. You are already losing clients or customers who yearn for more meaningful connection with you. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll take a look at simple...
UPWIRE #186 - Fighting the 14-Day Fade
December 30, 2016 05:30 - 22 minutes - 21.3 MBThe brain is largely a forgetting machine, and in today's fast-paced world, it's primed to forget what matters most faster than ever! In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll take a look at how you can structure your schedule to make sure the goals and individuals vital to helping you create your most amazing future receive at least a few moments of your best attention.
UPWIRE #185 - Scaling Momentum Now
December 16, 2016 05:30 - 17 minutes - 16.8 MBTo the brain, momentum is not natural. Instead, it prefers interruptions, distractions or anything gives the illusion of activity or movement: brain circuits which are firing frequently but not forwardly. In this podcast, we'll look at how to scale momentum and consciously align our brainpower with what matters most in our life and work.
UPWIRE #184 - What's Automatic Accelerates (Part 2)
December 02, 2016 05:30 - 20 minutes - 19.6 MBThe brain loves to keep hundreds of top priorities actively floating around. The problem is the goal traffic jam which inevitably results, burning valuable mental energy and leading to reduced performance. In part two of this podcast, we'll learn how to set 1st Priorities for the brain, and how to create automatic drivers which will keep us focused on making progress on our top goals.
UPWIRE #183 - What's Automatic Accelerates (Part 1)
November 18, 2016 05:30 - 12 minutes - 12.9 MBThe brain is hard-wired to run from challenges (real or imaginary), while barely walking toward opportunities, no matter how amazing. In part one of this episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn how to implement automatic drivers which kick in at the start of every choice, action and interaction, and relentlessly and effectively prompt the brain to grow.
UPWIRE #182 - Left Lane Leadership
November 04, 2016 04:30 - 17 minutes - 17 MBThe brain gets hijacked by many forms of competition. Fortunately, so does almost everyone else's brain. In this podcast, we'll look at how competition negatively impacts our growth, and learn some simple ways to UPWIRE our lives to move from simply competing to truly excelling.
UPWIRE #181 - "Power Of One" Passport
October 21, 2016 04:30 - 8 minutes - 8.64 MBBy instinct, the brain waits for everyone else to change. If we want to UPWIRE our lives, we must lead by example, go first, test better ways forward-upward and not wait for others. In this podcast, we'll look at some simple methods for hacking human nature which provide the catalyst that raises performance and drives new growth.
UPWIRE #180 - What You Frame Engages
October 07, 2016 04:30 - 11 minutes - 11.6 MBThe brain is largely lost in its own labrynth of vagueness and will choose to stay there unless you're willing to lead it out of the shadows. In this podcast, we'll learn the power of framing, and how connecting now with next fuels exceptional growth.
UPWIRE #179 - What You Demonstrate Becomes Real (Part 2)
September 23, 2016 04:30 - 3 minutes - 4.02 MBIn part two of this UPWIRE, we'll look at some practical strategies for helping your brain keep you moving forward with greater clarity and purpose.
UPWIRE #178 - What You Demonstrate Becomes Real (Part 1)
September 09, 2016 04:30 - 8 minutes - 8.59 MBLeft to its own devices, the brain is a go-second machine, willing to happily follow someone else. The problem, of course, is that if we're always ready to follow, how will we ever achieve our biggest goals in our life and work? In part one of this UPWIRE, we'll learn how to let our behavior and life speak for itself and propel us past our brain's hard-wired tendencies.
UPWIRE #177 - What You Clarify Compels (Part 2)
August 26, 2016 04:30 - 10 minutes - 10.5 MBClarity helps the brain move out of the blur and aim at what matters most. In part two of this podcast, we'll look at some additional techniques we can use to hack human nature and gain instant clarity in any situation.
UPWIRE #176 - What You Clarify Compels (Part 1)
August 12, 2016 04:30 - 15 minutes - 15.6 MBIn all aspects of our lives, chaos (either real or invented by our brains) can quickly destroy focus, leave us without direction and derail us from achieving the future we want. In part one of this podcast, we'll focus on the importance of clarity and how it propels us forward-upward out of the blur.
UPWIRE #175 - Weeklies
July 29, 2016 04:30 - 12 minutes - 12.6 MBThe brain loves "tomorrow", "later" or "never." It constantly imagines itself far into some vague but wonderful future. Unless you learn to masterfully guide your brain, it doesn't do much to make that future a reality. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll look at a simple mechanism called WEEKLIES which can fuel accelerated growth for you and your team.
UPWIRE #174 - Sweat The Right Small Stuff
July 15, 2016 04:30 - 8 minutes - 8.8 MBBy hard-wired human nature, the brain magnifies every single negative small thing in life, consuming vast amounts of time and energy. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn how we can quickly hack human nature and aim our brains toward growth. We can reclaim our time, energy and passion by learning to sweat the right small stuff and ditch the rest!
UPWIRE #173 - Streamline
July 01, 2016 04:30 - 10 minutes - 10.4 MBYour brain is the biggest barrier between where you are and where you want to be. It easily becomes overloaded with useless distractions, negative emotions and excess "baggage." In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn to recognize when the brain is creating its own gridlock, and how we can move past and transcend this barrier using a technique called streamlining.
UPWIRE #172 - Puzzle Pieces
June 20, 2016 04:30 - 10 minutes - 10.3 MBThe brain always thinks there's a big puzzle somewhere which makes sense of everything--if only it could find all the pieces. Waiting to see and understand all the pieces is what keeps many of us from pursuing and achieving our top goals. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll look at how we can accelerate our growth by helping our brain see how today's puzzle pieces connect to our most amazing future.
UPWIRE #171 - Out Of The Blur
June 03, 2016 04:30 - 19 minutes - 18.5 MBLeft to its own devices, the brain loves to get lost in the blur. The brain mistakes motion for work that actually matters, confusing hyper-activity with meaningful progress. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll look at how exceptional leaders and teams work around this trap and move out of the blur.
UPWIRE #170 - One Good Mechanism Beats A Hundred Good Plans
May 20, 2016 04:30 - 10 minutes - 10.5 MBThe brain loves plans and planning. The problem is that, while these plans may be inspiring, they never amount to much. Exceptional leaders and teams understand how to turn exceptional plans into results by building simple yet brilliant mechanisms for taking action.
UPWIRE #169 - Focus Not Only Time (Part 2)
May 06, 2016 04:30 - 7 minutes - 7.93 MBThe brain is endlessly attracted to distractions and the "next big thing." Add in the constant worry of time, and you have the perfect recipe for missing out on what matters most in our lives. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn how to actively guide our power of attention to focus on every moment that matters.
UPWIRE 168 - Focus Not Only Time (Part 1)
April 22, 2016 04:30 - 6 minutes - 7.03 MBThe brain is largely confounded by time. And as a result, our lives slip into "keeping time" rather than living life to the fullest. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn how to turn time into an ally. It's not how well you plan your time...it's how effectively you put your attention on what matters most.
UPWIRE 167 - Momentum
April 08, 2016 04:30 - 9 minutes - 9.67 MBWith the right momentum on their side, exceptional leaders and teams can accomplish "miracles". In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll look at how to move beyond the brain's tendency to defer and delay by structuring our actions to build momentum.
UPWIRE #163 - Outsmarting the Brain's Blame Game at Work
March 25, 2016 04:30 - 6 minutes - 6.08 MBOur brains have a lightening-fast reactivity to negativity. We're drawn to the negative and the "blame game" mostly due to the ancient wiring in our brains. The good news is we can quickly overcome these hard-wired tendencies and stay focused on what matters most. In this UPWIRE podcast, we'll look at why our brains behave this way and how we can quickly stay focused when facing negativity.
UPWIRE #162 - Wired for Distraction
March 18, 2016 04:30 - 9 minutes - 8.69 MBOur brains are wired for distraction and not for paying attention. Distraction is just our brains having their way with us, leading us away from achieving our goals and creating the life we want. The good news is we can overcome the temptations of distraction by managing our brains (instead of letting them manage us.) In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll take a look at some simple strategies for doing this.
UPWIRE #161 - Why Your Brain Fails to Aim at Your Best Future
March 11, 2016 05:30 - 10 minutes - 9.46 MBThink about your future. Do you want the future you deliberately create or the one that happens to you? Although it doesn't want to help, you need your brain's help to create your best possible future. In this episode of UPWIRE, we'll look at how we can change what's holding us back in our brain so we can change it.
UPWIRE #160 - Building Yourself a Better Brain at Work
March 04, 2016 05:30 - 4 minutes - 4.46 MBThe key to UPWIRING your brain is learning, especially when the learning is new, effortful and successful. But how do we commit to practicing the right kind of learning? In this episode of UPWIRE, I'll share some techniques to build the right process to keep this right kind of learning alive and impactful.
UPWIRE #159 - How to Build Yourself a Bigger and Better Brain
February 26, 2016 05:30 - 4 minutes - 4.15 MBEvery day, many thousands of new cells are created in your brain. Some die quickly, while others contribute to better thinking, decision-making, and enabling the life you want. In this podcast, we'll learn how we can guide and maximize the formation of the kinds of neurons which UPWIRE our life. You CAN build a bigger and better brain!
UPWIRE 35 - Journey to the Center of the Brain (Part 1)
February 19, 2016 05:30 - 14 minutes - 14.7 MBThe brain is built with an immense untapped capacity to grow, but is hardwired to play small and clutch past habits and old routines. In this podcast, we'll explore a range of new ways to UPWIRE these default brain tendencies to achieve what everyone else thinks is "impossible."
UPWIRE #33 - In the Climb
February 12, 2016 05:30 - 11 minutes - 11.3 MBThe brain is capable of rising but is hard-wired to glide and fall. Being “in the climb” requires one of the simplest yet most powerful skill sets. In this podcast, we'll examine how to UPWIRE your ingenuity and momentum by entering - and maintaining - the climb and achieve what others consider “impossible.”
UPWIRE #158 - Build More, Run Less
February 05, 2016 05:30 - 3 minutes - 3.16 MBThe brain often mistakes effort and motion for progress, tricking us into thinking we're getting somewhere. In this 2-Minute Friday episode of UPWIRE, we'll learn how to Build More and Run Less.
UPWIRE #31 - Imperfect Rise
January 29, 2016 05:30 - 23 minutes - 22.5 MBBy nature, the brain waits, seeking perfect in every aspect of our lives. But no matter how skilled or diligent we get at seeking perfect, perfect never happens. Exceptional leaders and teams know that life and breakthrough successes are all about the imperfect rise. And in this podcast, we'll take a look at how you can develop and implement this simple technique to UPWIRE your life.
UPWIRE #30 - How Deep Does Courage Reach?
January 22, 2016 05:30 - 7 minutes - 8.07 MBExceptional leaders and teams make it look easy to demonstrate courage. It is not. It is a choice to be made again and again every day from the depths of the human heart and spirit. How much does the most amazing future matter to you? Enough to continually take significant risks – whether large or small – to grow and see it through?
UPWIRE #29 - Grooves vs. Growth
January 15, 2016 05:30 - 11 minutes - 11.8 MB"Our patterns are our prisons." My grandfather was keenly aware of the human brain's preference to play small rather than rise to meet our expectations and true abilities. In this podcast, we'll take a look at why our brain prefers to keep us repeating old habits, and how we can break through these pervasive barriers and UPWIRE our behavior to achieve our best possible future.
UPWIRE #27 - Emotional Fuel
January 08, 2016 05:30 - 11 minutes - 12 MBThe human brain easily notices and magnifies the smallest perceived negative, while missing genuine acts of ingenuity, kindness, and breakthroughs. In this podcast, we'll take a look at a simple performance-elevating technique for turning every negative feeling into productive forward-upward fuel.
UPWIRE #26 - Constructive Discontent
December 31, 2015 05:30 - 14 minutes - 14.5 MBIn order to achieve amazing results, consciously design your environment with more of what bugs you in order to drive the changes that matter.
UPWIRE #25 - Dare To Trust
December 23, 2015 05:30 - 13 minutes - 13.5 MBLeft on its own, the brain is hard-wired to drift away from trust, preferring to focus on fear, worry, doubt and distance. In this podcast, we'll take a look at how exceptional leaders and teams dare to trust in order to achieve meaningful relationships and productive collaborations.
UPWIRE #24 - Check In vs. Space Out
December 18, 2015 05:30 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBLeft to its own natural instincts, the brain is blissfully unaware of its level of engagement with the world and your priorities. Exceptional leaders and teams understand the risk of this non-peak-engagement: the difference between mediocre and meaningful, between “trapped in the blur” and leading and then changing the game.
UPWIRE #23 - Bury Your Crystal Ball
December 11, 2015 05:30 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThe human brain imagines it has a magic crystal ball that can decipher people's motives and intentions and see beneath the surface of life. But the truth about other people and life is rarely what we initially assume it to be. In this podcast, we learn how to move beyond this trap, and how this new sense of clarity speeds the right progress sooner.
UPWIRE #22 - The Brain's Bridge™
December 04, 2015 05:30 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBAn essential ingredient for accelerated growth into your most amazing future is a clear and compelling connection between HERE and the best possible THERE. I call this The Brain’s Bridge™ and if you don’t bring it into view and feeling at the start of every interaction and choice, your brain is mostly lost, busy in details and activities, but not in significant or scalable growth. In this podcast, I'll show you how to develop and aim this vital skill to achieve breakthroughs in your life...
UPWIRE #155: 2-Minute Friday: One Moment of Memory
November 27, 2015 05:30 - 3 minutes - 4.63 MBIn this podcast, Roberts shares the latest neuroscience research on how a single powerful moment of memory can change our performance state and what happens next.
UPWIRE #62 - An Ounce of Positive Emotion Beats a Ton of Nitpicking
November 20, 2015 05:30 - 8 minutes - 7.92 MBBy nature, the human brain is a master nitpicker and poor farmer for new breakthroughs. Exceptional leaders and teams understand this, and UPWIRE their progress by applying precise doses of positive emotional energy to grow new opportunities and move beyond old thinking. In this podcast, we look at how these leaders and teams make it look easy and grow results ten-fold.
UPWIRE #77 - An Ounce of Positive Emotion Beats a Pound of Repetition
November 13, 2015 05:30 - 8 minutes - 8.5 MBBy nature, the brain lives on a treadmill of repetition. Stuck in the hard-wired past, the brain is quick to judge and run, and slow to innovate and contribute. In this podcast, Robert shows us how to incorporate the right dose of positive emotion into the precise spots in our daily routine in order to move beyond our brain's natural tendencies.
UPWIRE #28 - Emphasize the Rise
November 06, 2015 05:00 - 14 minutes - 14.3 MBThe brain is built to RISE, but wired to ROUTINE. It is ever-vigilant in noticing and criticizing anything wrong, while missing almost every positive change. In this podcast, Robert shares some insights on how we can recognize and then steer our brains away from its natural attraction to the negative, in order to UPWIRE our attitude and behavior.
UPWIRE #154 - 2-Minute Friday: PRE
October 30, 2015 20:14 - 3 minutes - 4.41 MBAnnual Gallup surveys show that nearly two-thirds of all leaders and three-forths of all employees are disengaged at work. There are countless books and training programs aimed at increasing engagement, yet we are losing that battle. In this short podcast, Robert discusses the power of Pre-Engagement (PRE) and how applying PRE can quickly and effectively increase your engagement.
UPWIRE #153 - 2 Minute Friday: How Long Does It Take?
October 22, 2015 15:55 - 2 minutes - 3.39 MBIn this 2-Minute Friday podcast, Robert discusses how long it takes to impact or change a life. Learn how a simple "pause" can lead to the greatest difference.
UPWIRE #152 - The Eyes Only See What the Mind is Prepared to Comprehend
October 22, 2015 15:52 - 8 minutes - 8.77 MBWhat is your mind prepared to comprehend? From jazz pianist Art Tatum's unique performance abilities to renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow's daily "choice", Robert Cooper shares insights on why our brains naturally lead us away from what is possible, and how we can apply simple workarounds by Hacking Human Nature.
UPWIRE #151 - Brain Performance Code
October 22, 2015 15:41 - 7 minutes - 7.87 MBHow old is your brain's basic programming? Is this the right "performance code" for achieving our goals in today's hectic and modern world? In this podcast, Robert Cooper discusses neuroplasticity and how Hacking Human Nature allows us to UPWIRE and steer a better course into our best possible future.
UPWIRE #79 - A Split-Second Turn
October 21, 2015 22:02 - 14 minutes - 21.2 MBAt any given moment, we can suddenly face adversity, an unexpected challenge, or feel the drain of a negative look or comment or feeling. In that one split-second, the brain loses control. Your attention, energy and sense of perspective have been hijacked, and threaten to spiral out of control unless quickly checked. In this podcast, Robert shares insights on why our brain behaves this way, and how we can UPWIRE these brain tendencies and change our course of action with a Split-Second Turn.