Consultant Coach #163: Jennifer Fraser - Restoring the Bullied Brain

The Coaching Podcast

In today's episode of The Coaching Podcast, we talk about the transformative work of Jennifer Fraser, an award-winning educator and best-selling author of The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health. Jennifer's unique approach focuses on shifting from outdated bullying models to brain-informed frameworks, reshaping how we understand and address bullying in both sporting and organizational settings. Join us as we explore her insights on neuroscience, the impact of bullying on brain development, and practical strategies for coaches to foster resilience and positive growth.

Here are the summary points;

• 1.06: French toast or pancakes?
• 1.19: Where did your study of Neuro-science begin?
• 5.59: Is it a good thing that we have labels to call out bullying behavior?
  • Bullying is a deficit in the brain
• 9.25: Is bullying present in our schools in the workplace today? YES!
  • "Bullying is not designed to help someone fulfill their potential."
  • Watch out for these things that can destroy your brain and your health:
    • Favoritism - these are the defenders of the bully
    • Fear - empowering the abuser
    • Humiliation
• 14.34: What did you discover about the brain?
  • Up to 12/13 years - the brain is very resilient
  • 13 - 24 years (when the children look like adults) - their brains are not fully developed and they are incredibly vulnerable to bullying
    • The brain becomes reward-seeking, risk-taking, highly impulsive, and emotional!
    • Their peers are the new tribe!
  • Neurological scars exit from bullying in the brain (hard to physically "see" the abuse).
• 19.35: What can coaches do to help re-wire the brain to help young people be more resilient and make better choices?
  • At the base of the brain needs:
    • Connection
    • Safety - allow the athlete to make mistakes
    • Empathy - you can grow talent through empathy (the "talent whisper")
  • Tom Brady has an amazing working memory!
• 25.00: Tom Brady does daily brain training: www.brainHQ.com
• 29.41: What makes a great coach?
  • Knowledge
  • Empathy
  • Care
• 31.32: "Neural networks that fire together, wire together!"
• 32.24: Two practical tips to enhance your brain and avoid negative thinking:
  • 1) Do aerobic fitness with other people
  • 2) Mindfulness
• 35.35: Resilience Fatigue - what's going on in the brain?
  • Psychiatry and psychology - tend to focus on the past (a trauma ) so that we can understand it and move forward.
  • Mindfulness - focuses on being in the present moment.
  • Neuroscience - is all about the future! What is it that I want in the future? Because neuro-plasticity means we can change our brains
• 38.19: Disruptive coaching idea that will change the way we coach in 2030?
  • We have to look at our brains the same way that we look at knees, shoulders, etc.
  • The brain is wired to repair and recover.

To learn more about becoming a workplace coach or advancing your coaching skills, visit: www.coachem.cc or email Sarah: [e-mail]

About Jennifer Fraser

Jennifer Fraser has a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Toronto where she was trained to take different discourses out of their silos, and put them into an arena together, to see if the conversation changed. When she put bullying/abuse and neuroscience into the arena for her fourth book, she was shocked. As an award-winning educator of over 20 years, Jennifer feels strongly that all teachers, parents, coaches, and business leaders need to know what hurts brains and what empowers them. Her 2022 book, "The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health" is described by one of the world's most highly-awarded neuroscientists, Dr. Michael Merzenich as "THE most completely scientifically thorough treatment of the subject on planet earth." Jennifer has a new book forthcoming in the fall of 2025: "Shattered Brains: How Gaslighting Impacts the Mind & Proven Ways to Stay Safe & Sane."

Connect with Jennifer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-fraser-phd-1466a417/

Bullied Brain on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Bullied-Brain-Scars-Restore-Health/dp/1633887782
My "Bullied Brain" series for Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-bullied-brain