THRIVING MINDS PODCAST
Do you want to learn how to build resilience, boost your cognitive performance, and achieve mental agility? Then it's time to discover the exciting world of brain health and fitness with Thriving Minds. Hosted by renowned neuroscientist Professor Selena Bartlett, Thriving Minds is a podcast dedicated to exploring the latest advances in brain science education.
With decades of experience studying addiction, stress, and mental health, Professor Bartlett is a true expert in her field. And she's on a mission to empower people to take control of their mental and physical well-being. So what makes Thriving Minds so unique?
It's not just about theory – it's about practical tips and simple tools that you can use to improve your brain health and fitness right now. From understanding how stress wires the brain, the power of cold exposure, nutrition and exercise and connection.
Thriving Minds is also a deep dive into cutting-edge brain science and digital technology. From neuroplasticity to brain imaging, Professor Bartlett and her team are at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field. They're exploring the latest research and innovations and sharing their insights with listeners around the world.And the best part?
Let's make brain health everyone's business. They're inspiring people to take action and create a culture of mental fitness, where people prioritise their brain health as much as their physical health.
Tune in to the podcast and discover the secrets of brain health and fitness. Whether you're looking to boost your cognitive performance, reduce stress, or improve your overall well-being, Selena and her team are here to help you thrive.
The opinions expressed in the podcast are Selena Bartlett's personal opinion and her guests. They are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, psychology or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The opinions in the podcast do not reflect the opinion of Queensland University of Technology.
Episodes
216 episodes
Episode #216 Will Agency become the word for 2026? Raising Screen Smart People with Dr Mark Williams
What does it really mean to raise a screen-smart child in a world that is designed to capture their attention?In this important and timely conversation, I sit down with Dr Mark Williams to discuss his new book with Gavin McCormack, explo...
Episode #215 Contained. Are we guardians or thieves or both? Benjamin Knight, Co-Founder of A curious tractor, and Lead, AIME design studio
If we are honest, we know we are not one fixed version of ourselves. We can be generous and self-interested, patient and reactive, all within the same day. In this episode, we explore that uncomfortable truth and what it reveals about human beh...
Episode #214. Can Pickleball Save Us? Rebuilding Community at the Edge of the Meta-Crisis. Andy Hamilton, Founder of Human Nature
What if the pickleball court was the beginning of a movement?Not a fitness trend, but a genuine response to one of the most significant public health challenges of our time: the slow erosion of the social fabric that holds communities to...
Episode #213. Kindness Tim Tams: A World a Little Better Because of Rachel Robinson, MySummits
Kindness Tim Tams: A World a Little Better Because of Rachel Robinson, MySummitsIn this episode of Thriving Minds, Professor Selena Bartlett speaks with Rachel Robinson, Director of Adventure-Based Therapeutic Solutions (...
Episode #212 Helping Kids Grow Up Strong in 2026 | What Schools Are Facing and What We Can Do Bryan, A Teacher, Coach and Father Speaks
"I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message. "In 2026, many parents, teachers and coaches are asking the same question. What is happening to...
Episode #211. What running taught us about our brains, learn about exerkines with Associate Professor Tara Walker, Queensland Brain Institute, UQ and Co-host of Trail Tales.
This week on Thriving Minds, I’m joined by Associate Professor Tara Walker, Senior Research Associate at the Queensland Brain Institute (UQ) — and co-host of the trail running podcast Trail Tales with Tara and Bryce.Tara ...
Episode #210. Don’t Break Their Spirit. Learnt helplessness in the AI era. Professor Selena Bartlett
What happens when we mistake compliance for strength?In this episode of Thriving Minds, Professor Selena Bartlett explores a powerful and confronting conversation with a man who was proud of the physical punishment he received a...
Episode #209. "Authenticity" may become the word for 2026? Conversation with Ellie Murphy, Founder of Storitiv.
In this episode of Thriving Minds, Professor Selena Bartlett is joined by Ellie Murphy, founder of Storitiv, to explore why authenticity is becoming one of the most important human skills in an AI-mediated world.As t...
Episode #208. Welcome 2026. From Crisis to Care: Seeing humanity in mental health prevention and treatment, Professor Sharon Lawn, Executive Director Lived Experience Australia
The podcast episode featured a conversation with Professor Sharon Lawn about mental health systems, lived experience, and the importance of humanising care for individuals with mental health challenges. We discuss the need for more ...
Episode #207. Thank you for listening and a Blueprint for Feeling Good to Finish out 2025.
Episode #207 marks a moment of deep gratitude and reflection. In this special episode, I look back on the journey that shaped Thriving Minds from the early days of questioning how the brain works, through decades of neuroscience, to the new era...
#206: Thriving Minds 2026: The Future is Connection, Healing & Human Potential
2025 has felt like a turning point.Across this year’s Thriving Minds conversations—from brain health and dementia, to stress, team flow, near-death experiences, and the “neuroscience of two”—one message keeps rising to the surface:
Episode #205: DeepDive: The Strongest Shield: Why Parental Discomfort is the Biggest Threat to Child Safety and the Two Proactive Tools Every Adult Needs Now, Feather Berkower Expert Tips
Thriving Minds Podcast Deep Dive: Building a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Team Hosted by Professor Selena Bartlett Expert: Feather Berkower, Author of Off Limits: A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse...
Episode #204 Let Them be Seen. Because healing begins when we choose to see — and to be seen.
Neuroscience now shows us that human connection changes the brain.Walking high above the forest floor on the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk in Western Australia, I felt what real strength looks like.The gi...
#203: If only I knew what I know now. Science of Motherhood podcast, interview with Dr Renee White
Today on Thriving Minds, I’m sharing a special replay of my conversation with Dr. Renee White on her Science of Motherhood podcast, where we explored what I wish I knew then—now that I know this—about screens, resilience, and protecting our kid...
Episode #202. What is a BRAINWAVE? Why Science, Medicine and Healing Modalities Are Coming Together, Dr Caitlin Shure, PhD, NY-based technologist and science communicator.
“The brain wave is not just a scientific object—it’s a cultural one.” – Dr. Caitlin ShureWhat is a brain wave? How “brain waves” became a metaphor for mind control, telepathy, and spiritual resonance. That’s the questio...
Episode #201: How to Synchronise to Thrive in the AI Age. Latest neuroscience of inter-brain synchrony!
For most of my career in neuroscience, I believed the brain alone governed who we are—shaped by genetics, evolution, and early life experiences. I trusted in the power of brain imaging and genomics to reveal the answers. But after decades spent...
Episode #200. Proof of Life After Death? Neuroscience Meets Near-Death with Dr. Bruce Greyson, Psychiatrist, Author of After: A Doctor Explores What NDEs Reveal about Life and Beyond
🎧 Thriving Minds with Professor Selena Bartlett welcomes Dr. Bruce Greyson, a pioneering psychiatrist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, for a profoundly moving and scientifically grounded conversation on near-dea...
Episode #199. Rewiring Medicine: A Physician’s Path to Intuitive Healing, Dr Anona Blackwell, Genito-urinary specialist, author, academic
Can you be both a scientist and a mystic? In this extraordinary episode, Professor Selena Bartlett speaks with Dr. Anona Blackwell — a Lancet-published academic, former consultant physician, and author of From Medic to Mystic — about t...
Episode #198 Sometimes We Need Less Push and More Connection, Amanda Cooke, poet and author of reunion songs.
In the rush to do more, fix more, and be more, we often forget the simplest truth:Sometimes what we need isn’t another push… It’s a hand to hold. A moment to breathe. A reminder that we belong.When I s...
#197: Stress in Sight: Why the Eye Is a Window Into the Brain—and Why It Could Transform How We Treat People, UC Berkeley talk.
When we visit the doctor, we routinely measure blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, weight, and heart rate. For years, we’ve known that early life experiences—especially stress and adversity—leave long-lasting marks on the nervous system...
Episode #196. Making of SEEN the film, Hailey Bartholomew, Film Director | Writer |TEDx speaker
SEEN is a groundbreaking feature-length documentary—and now a powerful podcast companion—that explores the untold story of how healing our own childhood wounds can transform the way we parent. At the heart of this series lies a bold an...
Episode #195. Adolescence & Authority: What the Netflix Series Gets Right About Our Kids, Nicole Runyon, Psychotherapist, parent coach, Author Free to Fly.
📌 Key Insight: Modern parenting often prioritises convenience and safety over challenge and growth. But kids need opportunities to struggle, try, fail, and try again to build the emotional muscles they’ll need for lif...
Episode #194. Unlocking Childhood: How One School Is Leading the Safe Tech Revolution, Anthony England, Pymble Ladies' College – Watch us change the world
Anthony England, Director of Innovation at Pymble Ladies’ College, discusses a bold grassroots initiative to reclaim childhood from the grip of digital addiction. With screen time skyrocketing and mental health declining, Anthony and his team t...
Episode #193 Off limits, Body Safety Rules, Prevention Team, Feather Berkower, Parenting Safe Children Expert
‘Parents who are so worried about offending others by setting boundaries for their kids make it so easy for me to offend” : Relayed from repeat offender to Feather Berkower, expert in parenting safe children. In an era where i...
Episode #192. Free to Learn: How Embracing Play Makes Children Happier, Self-Reliant, and Lifelong Learners. Professor Peter Gray, Boston College
In this episode, we dive into the revolutionary ideas of developmental psychologist Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life