Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function
Welcome to the podcast,
Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function hosted by Sucheta Kamath.
Executive Function is a core set of cognitive skills that allow humans to focus attention, block out distractions, plan ahead, stay engaged, temper emotions, and think flexibly while creatively solving problems to fulfill personal and social goals. The prefrontal cortex region of the brain, which governs Executive Function, is often compared to an air traffic control system at a busy airport. Much like an air traffic controller guides planes on different flight paths in the direction that each needs to go, the prefrontal cortex intercepts thoughts and impulses in order to direct them towards situationally appropriate and productive outcomes that serve the need of the future self.
Significant research in the field suggests that developing strong Executive Function is critical for school-aged children and remains one of the most reliable predictors of overall success, shown to have profound life-long implications beyond the formal years of learning. On this podcast, host Sucheta Kamath will converse with neuroscientists, social psychologists, learning experts, and thought leaders who will illustrate how Executive Function is inextricably linked with mental health, physical health, school readiness, job success, marital relationships, and much more.
On the path of self-development, we all experience a constant struggle between trying to optimize our talent and effort while still facing difficulty in mobilizing the inner tools and strategies that can lead us in the right direction. Tune in to
Full PreFrontal
to figure out how best to manage your thoughts, habits, and attitudes to enhance your self-awareness and future thinking and to achieve your best self.
Sucheta Kamath is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed a personalized digital learning curriculum/tool (ExQ®) that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence. Outside of her business, Sucheta previously served as President of the Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association, where she started a free Social-Communication and Executive Function Training program for inner-city men afflicted with addiction and homelessness—a program she continues to oversee as a coach and a trainer today. She is also a long-time meditator and is currently working on her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification. A firm believer in the “Pause, Reflect, and then Respond” philosophy, Sucheta hopes to spread the word on how every person can reach higher levels of self-awareness and achieve lasting growth of their Executive Function.
Episodes
210 episodes
Ep. 210: Hugh Catts, Ph.D. - Reading Comprehension: Not a One-Size-Fits-All Skill
Reading comprehension isn’t a checklist skill. It’s an active process shaped by what students know and how they think. With the nation's attention laser focused on promoting literacy outcomes in K-12 education, too often, comprehension...
Ep. 209: Mickey Smith Jr. - Students, You Matter to Me!
Children in general, and students to be specific, are incredibly sensitive to the expectations of the adults in their lives; particularly their teachers. A study by Rubie-Davies and colleagues showed that in two sets of 2nd through 7th grade st...
Ep. 208: Dr. Garry McGiboney - Reimagining Learning Engagement
As students get ready to return to school this fall, the post-pandemic norm of plummeted student engagement rises to the top as a deep and wide concern for teachers, parents, families, educational leaders, and policymakers. However, we should b...
Ep. 207: Dr. Gene Kerns - Literacy, Background Knowledge, and Executive Function
If an American 10th grader is assigned to read the autobiography "Virat Kohli: Legend of a Great Player," about the world-famous Indian cricketer known as the best limited-overs batsman in history, they might read the pages, but would they trul...
Ep. 206: Dr. Gene Kerns - Unlocking Student Talent
Indian-American author and wellness expert, Deepak Chopra, says, “Find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.” The big challenge for educators and parents alike is how do developing brains become all that they have the possibili...
Ep. 205: Dr. William Stixrud - How to Talk With Kids and Build Their Motivation
It’s human to crave connections. If there’s a silver bullet that comes closest to protecting kids, it’s the art of making meaningful connections with adults in their lives. This provides children with a sense of closeness and belonging ,which i...
Ep. 204: Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D. - The Science of Reading & Executive Function
Reading comprehension is unequivocally the foundation of all other learning, not just during the formal years of education, but in creating socially engaged communities and an inclusive world. The ‘Active View of Reading’ framework suggests tha...
Ep. 203: Maggie Jackson - Gift of Uncertainty
Modern living means living with uncertainty. We are surrounded by progress, yet the things we are unsure of keeps growing, needing us to skillfully cope; hence, making hard decisions without all the answers requires skill and courage. On the ot...
Ep. 202: Ayelet Fishbach - The Science of Motivation
The start of the New Year always rings in new possibilities. However, setting and achieving goals for yourself and by yourself is harder than it seems. There are a multitude of obstacles including questions like knowing which tasks and ambition...
Ep. 201: Dr. Christopher Chabris & Dr. Daniel Simons - Nobody’s Fool
How would you feel if during your trip to Agra, India, someone offers to sell you the Taj Mahal (one of the greatest wonders of the world)? In its absurd glory you might question the offer as you read this, but not everyone did. One of the grea...
Ep. 200: All Things Executive Function ~ 200th Episode
200 episodes! The Full PreFrontal Podcast has reached a significant milestone, and what does that mean to us? We’re “in it for the long haul!” We find inspiration from Japanese artist, On Kawara, known for his work that illustrates the beauty, ...
Ep. 199: Donna Henderson, Psy.D. - If This Is Autism…
During the 2007 season of America’s Next Top Model, contestant Heather Kuzmich introduced American viewers to her diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the challenges that go along with it. Having to live in a house with twel...
Ep. 198: Donna Henderson, Psy.D. - Is This Autism?
If a boy has an odd affect, you might think he’s autistic. But if a girl has an odd affect, you’ll think she’s a drama queen!…How does autism present itself? And what if it presents in a way you might not expect? The ordeal of connecting, commu...
Ep. 197: Dr. Mary Hemphill - From a One Minute Meeting to a Lifetime of Flourishing
The process of educating children and growing as an educator in return requires everyone to acknowledge the bidirectionality that is inherent to teaching and learning. The context and culture that invests in both the academic growth of a child ...
Ep. 196: David F Lancy - A Cultural & Anthropological Take on Childhood Independence
Culture in general plays an important role in human development and particularly childhood is shaped by culture. Not so long ago raising children was considered rather noisy, dirty, tedious and anything but pleasant. However, those living in WE...
Ep. 195: Sari Solden, MS - Empowering Girls and Women with ADHD
Culture encourages girls and women to exhibit both traditional “feminine” qualities, such as being empathic, good with relationships, nice, obedient, good mothers, and home-organizers, as well as traditional “masculine” qualities, such as being...
Ep. 194: Wendy Wood - Good Habits, Bad Habits
Why is it that our resolve to lose weight, give up eating desserts, and start a new exercise regimen is bound to fail? Because we all have bought into to the conventional wisdom that follow-through with a new decision is simply a matter of cons...
Ep. 193: Laura Rhinehart, Ph.D. - Building Blocks
Research shows that young children with stronger Executive Function skills present themselves far differently than their peers and their behaviors and actions stand out a bit more. These children are more involved in their preschool classrooms,...
Ep. 192: Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D. - Parent-Teen Communication
Raising children, which was always hard, has become harder; not because of the work that goes into changing diapers, preparing meals, taking kids to soccer or piano, or all the laundry that one has to do; but because not everyone is good with c...
Ep. 191: Kipling Williams - The Silent Treatment: A Weapon of Mass Destruction
There is no impulse more natural than the desire to protect ourselves and our loved ones from pain. When we experience social-emotional pain, we activate the same instincts as a mama bear who jumps to protect her cub as an effort to dial down e...
Ep. 190: Dr. Willie F. McBride, Ph.D. - Preparing All Kids for Life
Students with underdeveloped Executive Function skills often present themselves as highly impulsive or distracted, reactive rather than reflective, forgetful of their goals, lacking persistence or as those who dislike effortful tasks. Such beha...
Ep. 189: Steven D Kniffley Jr., PsyD ABPP MPA - Challenging the False Narrative
In a society where its members believe that one color or race is superior to another, its members who belong to the racial minority experience poor treatment based on these beliefs causing them social-emotional trauma. These racialized experien...
Ep. 188: Dr. Morcease Beasley - Leading Education with Executive Function
The excitement of a new year also brings new challenges to overcome, especially as we continue to face educational, health, safety and well-being issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we gear up, how should we adjust our educational appro...
Ep. 187: Dave Melnick - Leading the Way with Trauma Transformed Education
It is said that a human body that has been traumatized or overwhelmed by stress can feel helpless, reactive, angry, impulsive, raging, numb and leaning towards avoidance. AND the same is true for schools! Institutions, public or private, that s...
Ep. 186: Dave Melnick - Trauma Transformed Schools
The violence in the United States this past month has brought up raw emotions in all of us. The killing of Asian seniors as they were worshipping in their church, African-American elders as they went about their everyday tasks such as sho...
