Hello there, curious minds!
Welcome to the first-ever edition of the Conscious Curiosity Newsletter & Podcast. I'm very excited to be sharing this with you and I hope you enjoy the discussions.
For the next 12 weeks, I'll be joined by Season 1 cohost Matt - a lifelong friend who's starting his own exploration into neurodiversity as a beginner. Together, we'll bring a curious lens to a wide range of topics and dive into the fascinating worlds of coaching, neuroscience, and psychology.
Buckle up and get ready to embark on what I hope will be an enlightening and enjoyable journey for us all!
The Premise of the Podcast & Newsletter
The idea behind the podcast and accompanying newsletter came from the fact that we're all works in progress - a little curiosity goes a long way.
For those of you who I haven't met yet, I'm Franck, a neurodiversity coach & trainer with close to 1,500+ hours delivered (and counting) in the last 3 years. More on the business can be found HERE.
A lover of learning, I'm also studying an Applied Neuroscience MSc at King's College London, the demands for which, as it turns out, are a great test of how I set boundaries with myself and my time.
Prior to this career, I worked for a decade across several FMCG roles across Sales, Marketing & Operations on brands like Cadbury's, Toblerone, Oreo, Innocent Drinks, Patak's, Blue Dragon, Tabasco, and others.
I'd like to think that I bring a unique blend of insight from the working world, the coaching space, and my curiosity for all things psychology and neuroscience. I'll leave you to decide whether or not you agree!
The Myth of the ‘Optimal’ Brain
In the very first episode of the Conscious Curiosity podcast, I am joined by season co-host Matt to discuss a paper by Holmes & Patrick (2018) [SOURCE]. Together we explore their argument that there isn't a universal, optimal type of brain or thinking, contrary to what some might believe.
This concept seems like it should be more widely accepted than it currently is. It often arises in my training when I receive questions such as, "If I were neurodivergent, which condition should I want to have?" While this question is asked with good intentions, it contradicts the message I aim to convey.
“Evolution has no long-term goal. There is no long-distance target, no final perfection to serve as a criterion for selection…”
Richard Dawkins
Key takeaways:
- The myth of optimality: There is no "perfect" brain function. Variation within brain systems is healthy, and there is no universally optimal profile for brain functioning.
- Evolution and variability: Evolution favours a wide variety of human behaviours and brain functions. What’s beneficial in one context may be less effective in another, and that’s okay.
- Implications for clinical neuroscience: Understanding mental health and psychiatric conditions requires a deeper look at population-level variability, not just deviations from the norm.
For those that haven't yet given us a listen, links can be found here:
For Apple Podcast Listeners:
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For Spotify Listeners:
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Franck's Five:
Before we go, here are five questions to enable us all to curiously explore this week's theme:
1️⃣ Are we mistaking diversity for dysfunction?
2️⃣ How much of your idea of "normal" comes from society rather than your own existence?
3️⃣ Are you trying to "fix" a trait that might actually be one of your strengths in the right environment?
4️⃣ How might embracing natural variability change the way we approach mental health?
5️⃣ What would happen if we stopped looking for the "perfect" brain and instead focused on making the most of the one we have?
With that, thank you for being curious with me and joining me on this journey of discovery.
I'm so looking forward to seeing where Episode 2 takes us!
Until next time; keep curious, keep exploring.
~ Franck
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