Episode Transcript: S1E20: Rewire Your Brain for What You Really Want - Inspired by Dr Tara Swart’s The Source
[00:02] Welcome back to Read, Reflect, Rise. I’m your host, Will Struthers-Cooper, and I’m
[00:07] so glad you’re here. This is your weekly space to pause, listen inward, and reconnect
[00:13] with what matters most. Each episode, I read from the work of a wellbeing teacher, reflect
[00:20] on their words, and offer a moment of guided stillness to help you integrate the message.
[00:25] We’ll always close with a mantra or affirmation that you can carry with you to help you rise
[00:29] for the rest of your week. Today we’re tuning into Science Meets Intuition
[00:34] Brilliance of Dr Tara Swart and her transformative book, The Source. We’ll explore what happens
[00:40] when neuroscience meets visualization and how belief, when it’s anchored in the brain,
[00:45] becomes a really powerful tool for self-leadership and healing. Life-changing stuff.
[00:50] This was a big aha moment for me discovering her work. Finally, I had the answer to why
[00:55] Sports, Psychology for Athletes and everything I knew about manifesting was so darn similar.
[01:01] The penny drops. Take a deep breath. Let it go. And let’s begin. Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist,
[01:10] medical doctor and senior lecturer at MIT. In The Source, she shares a grounded, science-backed
[01:16] approach to harnessing the power of her brain to create meaningful change. It’s a book
[01:20] about tapping into your intuition, not as something abstract or on a different plane,
[01:25] but as a deep biological intelligence. Swart explains that the brain is neuroplastic.
[01:31] It rewires in response to what we focus on, how we feel and what we repeatedly imagine.
[01:38] That means that we’re not stuck with old thought patterns or ways of being or believing. We
[01:43] can consciously reshape them. And here’s an extract from The Source that’s a lovely intro
[01:47] to some of her ideas. Attracting what you really want. There is nothing mystical or magical about
[01:58] setting your intention. It’s just a question of asking yourself, is my life panning out in the way
[02:05] I want it to? And if the answer is no, envisaging the way you’d like it to be and taking action.
[02:15] It is through unlocking the full power of our brain, The Source, that we begin to think and behave in ways that will help us realise this vision.
[02:27] What is key to remember is that our intention and focus are at their strongest when our goals align
[02:33] with our deepest life choices and values. For example, if you force yourself to make career
[02:40] choices for money at the expense of a sincere desire to have a sense of purpose and help other people with the work you do,
[02:48] you will suffer negative symptoms such as stress and anxiety in your physical, emotional and spiritual life as you try to live out of sync with your true self.
[03:00] Or if you compromise on what you need from a partner because your biological clock is ticking,
[03:05] you may end up finding that you have ticked some of your boxes but still have unmet needs deep down.
[03:13] Such symptoms represent an internal cry of, this isn’t what I want! These internal conflicts impact on our resilience by hampering our immunity.
[03:25] When you’re under constant stress, for example, your brain and body are flooded with the stress hormone cortisol,
[03:31] which has a knock-on impact on white blood cells, the first line of defence in our immune systems.
[03:39] In contrast, when we are more balanced, with our goals and behaviour aligned with our deep self,
[03:46] we are primed for success. We are less likely to be side-tracked by anxiety or negativity
[03:53] and stress hormone levels are likely to be lower, so we will be healthier with stronger immunity,
[03:59] avoiding frequent minor illnesses all the way up to major health scares.
[04:04] Mood-regulating hormones and feel-good endorphins allow the source to flow more freely.
[04:11] I cannot emphasise enough that I see examples of this on a daily basis in the people that I coach.
[04:18] Many driven and successful people believe they thrive on stress and that a constant state of
[04:23] heightened adrenaline and cortisol is a given for anyone who wants to do well in life. They are highly
[04:28] likely to ignore their body’s signals that it is struggling to cope, whether they’re experiencing
[04:33] palpitations, a feeling of overwhelm, digestive problems or low mood. This may go on for years.
[04:41] My first job is to tell them that they can’t afford to ignore these symptoms and they need to
[04:47] get to the root of them. The disconnect between what their heart and gut is telling them and the
[04:52] rigid ideas that are propelling them onward regardless, with no regard for the physical and
[04:56] emotional cost. My first job is to convince them that they need to stop and take stop,
[05:03] listen to body and mind together and get back in touch with what it really is they really want from
[05:10] life. To me, the intention point as a metaphor that describes integration between our body and
[05:17] brain is the hallmark of the source operating at its full power and it’s something we should all
[05:23] strive for. Once we are able to integrate our mind and body more fully, our motivation and energy
[05:31] will align in a powerful way.
[05:39] Let’s take a moment now to settle into reflective practice inspired by Tara’s words.
[05:45] I’d like you to feel the floor or the ground beneath your feet.
[05:50] Perhaps you’re moving, perhaps you’re traveling. Find a point of contact with something that is
[05:57] supporting you, whether it be your feet, your knees, your haunches and settle in.
[06:05] Allow your weight to settle, allow yourself to be held.
[06:13] This is a moment where part of you or all of you can rest.
[06:23] Allow your lungs to expand with breath.
[06:27] Notice which parts of your bodies move when the air comes in and is released.
[06:35] Notice if there’s any tightness around your rib cage, if there’s any part of you that is holding.
[06:46] Invite it gently to release.
[06:50] And know that all is acceptable.
[06:57] Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
[07:03] Allowing yourself a gentle sigh as you exhale.
[07:11] Perhaps moving your hands and your shoulders, noticing if anything is clenched or tense.
[07:18] And would like to move and release.
[07:23] We’re in a space of gentle inquiry where thoughts may arise,
[07:31] ideas may bubble to the forefront of our mind.
[07:36] Where we’re going to think about our intentions.
[07:45] About what our brain and our heart and our gut desire.
[07:53] If this is not the life you want, what do you want?
[08:03] Perhaps a word or an idea will pop into your head.
[08:09] Perhaps you wish rest, freedom, quiet, the stability of more money.
[08:20] Perhaps you crave adventure or solitude.
[08:29] Perhaps your idea is more formed.
[08:32] Perhaps it’s a fully fledged goal already.
[08:35] Perhaps you know that you want to build something, move somewhere, be in a certain position.
[08:48] Have X amount of support.
[08:54] Share in this type of community.
[09:04] Or perhaps you are fully focused on what you don’t want.
[09:09] In which case I invite you to flip the script.
[09:14] When you have an idea of what it is that you would like.
[09:21] Allow yourself to settle back into your seat or your feet or wherever you’re being held.
[09:30] This, this is the intention, this is the dream that you can create.
[09:39] Taking one element off it.
[09:43] And when you have an idea of what you would like this part or all of your life to look like,
[09:50] I’d like you to fast forward six months.
[09:54] Where are you?
[09:57] What are you doing? Try to visualize it in your head.
[10:01] Add some colors if you can.
[10:05] Or whisper to yourself what you’re doing if an image isn’t appearing.
[10:15] Now skip forward to two years.
[10:20] Where are you?
[10:22] What are you doing?
[10:26] How does it feel?
[10:30] How are you in your body?
[10:33] How do you move?
[10:37] What do you wear?
[10:45] Now skipping forward again to five years down the line with this new choice, this new part of life,
[10:54] this new path you have chosen.
[10:58] Where are you?
[11:02] What are you doing?
[11:07] What are you doing?
[11:07] Really spend some time thinking about your surroundings,
[11:13] the feeling in your body.
[11:18] Perhaps you catch sight of yourself in a mirror,
[11:23] doing what you do, being how you are.
[11:30] Look at that person, living their dream life.
[11:40] And if you find your mind coming in with objections, that’s okay. Acknowledge them.
[11:49] Ask them to sit and wait at the side. Right now you’re busy dancing with your dreams.
[11:56] You’re rewiring your brain. You’re looking in that mirror at your true self in five years time.
[12:11] You are looking at the life you’ve created.
[12:18] And replay it again and again, that little clip that you managed to look up and catch in the mirror.
[12:27] This is you training your brain to get ready for this life.
[12:37] And when you’re ready, revisit a little further back.
[12:48] Two years time, what are you doing? Add that to the catalogue of your dream path.
[12:59] And then skip back to six months from now.
[13:07] And bring all three of those little images or thoughts together.
[13:15] And take a moment to think about life in this moment.
[13:21] Exactly where you are right now, knowing that you have just laid the pathway for six, two, five
[13:35] steps in time.
[13:42] This is your intention setting.
[13:48] There will be steps, there will be hurdles, there will be flow.
[13:58] You have a pathway now, like all journeys, there will be ups and downs.
[14:04] As long as you keep revisiting that pathway, keep taking those steps, keep watching that clip of
[14:11] yourself in five years time, reveling in the life you’ve chosen that aligns your mind, your body,
[14:20] your gut, in your true intention, then that path will unfold.
[14:32] Bringing your attention back to your seat, to your feet, knowing that you can return
[14:40] to visit this path and that you will return to visit this path again and again.
[14:48] Taking a breath in, anchoring that vision, feeling your feet and exhaling.
[15:00] Opening your eyes to this moment in reality,
[15:05] knowing that every part of your future has shifted.
[15:11] That you have a choice and a path laid ahead.
[15:29] Wiggle your fingers, make sure you’re truly back. Wiggle your toes.
[15:36] You know, one of the things that I take from Dr Tara Swart’s work is this, that
[15:42] growth and change, it’s not just about dreaming, it’s not just a mindset, it’s an actual mechanism.
[15:50] Your brain will literally change in response to what you visualize, imagine feeling and practicing.
[15:58] So when we journal, when we chant a mantra, when we hold that vision, that dream,
[16:01] or simply show up to the present moment with compassion, we’re not just soothing ourselves,
[16:07] we’re rewiring our entire being for resilience and we are changing our reach and the scope of our life.
[16:16] The stories that you repeat matter. There is medicine in your words and the images that you
[16:23] dwell on matter, your attention, there’s power in it.
[16:30] And here is an affirmation to carry you forward into your week.
[16:59] My dreams. I have everything I need inside of me to change my life.
[17:05] I choose with clear intention to take the path that honors my dreams.
[17:11] As soon as you do this affirmation, I want you to picture you living that change.
[17:16] You might like to write it down, say it loud, return to it in moments when old stories rise
[17:21] and keep visualizing. The more you do it, the more you dream it, the more powerful it becomes.
[17:27] Wear that path smooth and build strong.
[17:33] Thank you for being here today and for honoring this space to read, reflect and rise.
[17:38] If you found something in today’s episode that resonated, please consider sharing it, rating or
[17:44] reviewing the show or sending it to someone who’d love it too. And in six months time, a year’s time,
[17:50] five years time, I want to know what you created.
[17:55] And if you’re wanting more, you can head to readreflectrise.com for today’s show notes
[18:00] to sign up for my newsletter full of reflective exercises, resources
[18:04] and browse for more words of medicine to help you rise.
[18:08] Remember folks, there’s magic, medicine and power in the words we weave and wield.
[18:14] Until next time, keep dreaming, keep rewiring and keep rising.
