The Top 10 Most Listened to Episodes of 2022

“Before you look at your future, reflect on your past.” (Sam Ade, author of the book Wisdom Untold[i]).

Welcome back to The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for a special EPISODE #267, where we will look back over the past year and review the TOP 10 most listened to episodes of 2022, as chosen by you, the listener.  For those of you returning, welcome back, and for those new here, I’m Andrea Samadi, an author and educator who launched this podcast 3.5 years ago, to share how important an understanding of our brain (and mind) is for our everyday life and results. We’ve pulled in some of the world’s leading experts, authors, and researchers in the field of education, sports and workplace productivity, and while I knew we had hit the Top 20 Best Neuroscience Podcasts over the years, I had no idea until recently that we’ve now been included on the 35 Best Neuroscience Podcasts to Follow in 2023[ii], or that we’ve been rated in the top 1.5% of all podcasts, globally,[iii] out of 3 million.  As I’m reflecting back at the end of this year, I have to say that I couldn’t have hit these accomplishments with the brilliant guests who come on the podcast, or without you, the listener, tuning in, so a huge thank you to our past guests, and listeners for making our show a success as we move into a New Year, and approach our 4th year anniversary of this podcast.

 

To reflect on this past year, I first pulled this report in December, and 4 episodes made the TOP 10 list in the past year, that were recorded in December 2021, so I ‘ll be mentioning these important episodes that came in at the end of last year after at the end of this countdown.

As we are approaching a New Year, many of us have our first few quarters (or beyond) of 2023 planned out already, but before we leap into the freshness of a New Year, if you haven’t reflected on the wins you’ve attained in the past year, this is probably the most important step of closing out an old year, and moving into a new one. I learned this year-end ritual from Jim Bunch[iv], who has been walking me through this year-end wrap up for the past 8 years at least, preparing those who tune in all over the world, for a fresh mind moving into the New Year. I put the REPLAY of his event from earlier this month, in the show notes, and did cover his process of creating energy from your 9 environments on EPISODE #103[v]  that launched our year back in 2021, with “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain.” On this episode, we review the process of self-reflection, and evaluate the areas of your life (your 9 environments) to notice where energy might be leaking, that you could direct somewhere else in the New Year.

This self-reflection activity is a good way to close out an old year, and move into a new one, as it allows you to put some thought into your WINS, and what worked well for you in the past year. He has a printable download that goes with this activity, and what’s interesting, is that without looking at your calendar, just by going off the top of your head, see if you can write out some of your wins. Without some deep reflection, you will notice that it’s EASY to see the things that went wrong last year (the losses) but to see the WINS, it takes serious thought, because of our built-in negativity bias, that Dr. Rick Hanson tells us to remember---“our brain is like Velcro for negative experiences (we are attracted to the negative experiences) but our positive experiences, slide off like Teflon.” We must be intentional about reflecting on the positives that we incurred, and integrate these wins into our identity, before moving into a New Year. This practice will guarantee that you are building a stronger, better, more improved version of you, each year.  

Now for the TOP 10 most listened to episodes of 2022-as voted by you, the listener!

#1: We have our review of Napoleon Hill’s bestselling Think and Grow Rich book, “How to Make 2022 Your Best Year Ever” with over 1600 downloads. I absolutely love that you loved this episode as much as I did, as I thought long and hard about what I could write that could possibly make an impact on ALL of us. While thinking about what to write at the start of the year, that would be better than what we did last year, EPISODE #103[vi], “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain” I wanted to cover something that would go beyond where we went last year. I’m sure I’m not the only competitive one out there who wants to beat prior year’s results, so I looked long and hard around my office, with a blank WORD document open on my computer, thinking about what I could possibly cover that would take us ALL to new heights, or levels of thought, and then I saw it. I’d been studying Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich book, every year, with Paul Martinelli, since 2019. Each year, I’d use the same notebook, and would add something new to help launch my year. Instead of keeping these notes in this notebook, for myself to read, I put everything I’d studied, in this 6 PART review of this classic book that to date has sold over 70 million copies since it was published in 1937.

This is the same book, that my mentor Bob Proctor had spent his entire lifetime studying.

#2 PART 6 of Our Think and Grow Rich Book Review EPISODE #196[vii] “In Memory of Bob Proctor: The Neuroscience Behind the 15 Success Principles of Think and Grow Rich”

Little did I know when starting this book review, that Bob would become gravely ill, as I was completing the FINAL PART of this review, PART 6, and our 2nd most downloaded episode #196, that I recorded on February 3rd, 2022, the day before Bob passed away.

I was in constant communication with Patti Knoles, who worked with me in those early days in the seminar industry, so I knew that this final episode needed to be dedicated to Bob, but I changed the title to “In Memory of the Legendary Bob Proctor” the next day, when he passed away, and I must have read the ending to this episode 100 times.

The final episode of this book review ends like this…

 

What a legacy this man left the world, and I’m grateful that you chose the final part of this book review, as #2.

#3 On a lighter note, we welcomed back David A Sousa to the podcast, for EPISODE #197[viii] on “What’s NEW with the 6th Edition of How the Brain Learns” where Dr. Sousa dove deeper into his popular brain-based series that’s been helping educators around the world to connect neuroscience to learning together.

#4 We covered “The Neuroscience Behind Self-Belief and Our Identity” on EPISODE #199[ix]

that I dedicated to my friend Patti Knoles, after meeting up with her for coffee where we reminisced about how much we had learned over the years from all of the speakers in the motivational speaking industry, but most of all, that it gave us an unwavering belief about where we would go from here. It was powerful for me to see where self-belief and awareness exists in the brain, and this  will help us with whatever it is that you are working on, so that you can leave an important legacy in the world with your talents and ideas.

#5, you chose EPISODE #198[x] with Mood and Stress Expert Erika Ferst on “Using Your Brain to Prevent Workplace Burnout” showing me how important it is that we all have strategies to reduce stress in the workplace and #8, you chose EPISODE #188[xi] with Nick Jonsson on “Strategies to Overcome Isolation, Stress, Anxiety in the Workplace” reaffirming that with the rise of mental health issues, of the important of making mental and physical health a priority in our daily lives. This is what led me to end the year focusing on The Silva Method, with strategies that we can all use to implement a mediation practice into our day, or improve it, if we have one in place.

#6 you chose emotional intelligence pioneer Joshua Freedman, and EPISODE #202[xii] who has connections to Daniel Goleman’s earliest work.

#7 was EPISODE #210[xiii] with Dr. Jon Finn, the author of the best-selling book, The Habit Mechanic, which has over 20 years of Dr. Finn’s experience on maximizing human potential using an understanding of how our brain and body work.

#8 we mentioned already with Nick Jonsson.

#9 was our 200th milestone episode[xiv] with my husband, Majid Samadi, who first appeared on EPISODE 1, and returned to review why we started this podcast in the first place.

#10 EPISODE #208[xv] with Blaine Oelkers, is a good episode to launch a New Year with as he made many connections to our book review of Think and Grow Rich.

4 EPISODES that missed the 2022 list, because they were recorded in December 2021 were:  

EPISODE #189[xvi] on “Understanding Hormesis: Why Stress and Adversity Make Us Physically and Mentally Stronger” was at the top of the list, and a good reminder to ALWAYS include something difficult or arduous in your daily or at least weekly schedule, to build resilience.

EPISODE #186[xvii] on “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Introverted and Extroverted Brain” surprised me when I saw this one at the top, but it shows me that it helps us to find ways that we can learn to understand each other.

Dr. Simone Alicia, The Self-Esteem Doctor, EPISODE #183[xviii] on “Self-Esteem: Why We Have It to Succeed” and finally, there was EPISODE #185[xix], “Using Neuroscience to Repattern Our Brain” based on our interview #184[xx] with Adele Spraggon, on “Using Science to Break Up with Your Bad Habits for a Successful 2022” that I just received a comment about yesterday.

If you’ve missed any of these episodes, these were all TOP RATED by you, the listener.

My Personal Favorites That Impacted Me the Most:

The top 10 list, was chosen by you, but to close out this episode, I want to include the episodes that made an impact on me this year. I can’t reflect back on this year with mentioning #207 with the Co-founder of CoveyLink, Greg Link on “Unleashing Greatness with Neuroscience, SEL, Trust and the 7 Habits” with over 1300 downloads, because this interview was a clear example of “The Speed of Trust” that “is the shortest route to results” (Robert Allen). I hadn’t spoken to Greg in years when I asked him to do this interview but “when trust is high, communication is instant and effective.” There’s nothing like the speed of trust. When you see it, know it’s something very special, and rare and it’s “a performance multiplier which takes your trajectory upwards, for every activity you engage in, from strategy to execution” (Dr. Stephen R. Covey). When you have the Speed of Trust, know that is has been earned, so treasure and nurture it, as it can also be lost quickly and is very difficult to get back.

I also loved reconnecting with Paranormal Researcher, Ryan O’Neill on EPISODE #203[xxi] this year, as his story is one of true dedication where he has now rose to the top of his field, experiencing wild success, that might appear to look like it happened overnight but in reality, it took 15 years of hard work!

Then there was #201[xxii] on the “Lessons Learned from Our Top 10 All-time Episodes on The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast” took me on a trip down memory lane over the past 3.5 years, and finally, EPISODE #233[xxiii] where we covered the Top 12 Most Viewed YouTube video interviews of all time. Just looking at this list, I can see why these interviews were highly engaging for those watching, and I hope that you can review all of our previous YouTube videos[xxiv], if you have only ever listened to the audio versions.

To close out this EPISODE, and our review of our TOP 10 most listened to podcast episodes of 2022, I want to again thank you, the listener for tuning in, and helping us to reach the milestones we hit each year. Without our brilliant guests, or engaged listeners, there is no podcast.

I look forward to continuing to share what’s new in the field of neuroscience, as it connects to our schools, sports and modern workplaces in the New Year…and with that, I’ll see you next year.

FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  

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REFERENCES:

[i] Wisdom Untold, by Sam Ade Published April 30, 2011 https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Untold-Sam-Ade/dp/1462858228

[ii] Top 35 Best Neuroscience Podcasts to Follow in 2023 https://blog.feedspot.com/neuroscience_podcasts/

[iii] Global Rank Top 1.5% of all podcasts https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-OJ-fLpuId2C/

[iv] Jim Bunch 2022 Year End in Review REPLAY https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=564195548861072[v] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/[vi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #103 “The Neuroscience of Leadership: 3 Ways to Reset, Recharge and Refuel Your Brain for Your Best Year Ever https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-of-leadership-3-ways-to-reset-recharge-and-refuel-your-brain-for-your-best-year-ever/

[vii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #196 PART 6 of the Think and Grow Rich Book Review in Memory of Bob Proctor https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-neuroscience-behind-the-15-success-principles-of-napoleon-hill-s-classic-boo-think-and-grow-rich/

[viii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #197 with David A Sousa on “What’s NEW with the 6th Edition of How Your Brain Learns” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/returning-guest-dr-david-a-sousa-on-what-s-new-with-the-6th-edition-of-how-the-brain-learns/

[ix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #199 on “The Neuroscience of Self-Belief and Our Identity” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-behind-self-belief-and-our-identity/

[x]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#198 with Mood and Stress Expert Erika Ferst on “Using Your Brain to Prevent Workplace Burnout” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/mood-and-stress-expert-erika-ferszt-on-using-your-brain-to-prevent-workplace-burnout/

[xi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #188 https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/nick-jonsson-on-strategies-to-overcome-isolation-stress-anxiety-and-depression-in-the-workplace/

[xii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #202 with Joshua Freedman on “Getting Results with Emotional Intelligence” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/joshua-freedman-ceo-of-6-seconds-on-getting-results-with-emotional-intelligence-in-our-schools-and-workplaces/

[xiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #210 with Dr. Jon Finn on “The Habit Mechanic” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-jon-finn-author-of-best-selling-book-the-habit-mechanic-on-how-to-fine-tune-your-brain-and-supercharge-how-you-live-work-and-lead/

[xiv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #200 with Majid Samadi on “Why We Began This Podcast”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/our-200th-milestone-episode-with-majid-samadi-returning-guest-from-episode-1-on-why-we-began-this-podcast/

[xv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #208 with Blaine Oelkers on “Mastering Your Thoughts, Goals and Life” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/blaine-oelkers-on-mastering-your-thoughts-goals-and-life-with-the-wytaba-strategy-what-you-think-about-you-bring-about/

[xvi] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #189 “Understanding Hormesis: Why Stress and Adversity Make Us Physically and Mentally Stronger” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/understanding-hormesis-why-stress-and-adversity-make-us-physically-and-mentally-stronger/

[xvii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #186 “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Introverted and Extroverted Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-neuroscience-to-understand-the-introverted-and-extroverted-brain/

[xviii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #183 Dr. Simone Alicia, The Self-Esteem Doctor on “Self-Esteem: Why We Must Have it to Succeed”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-simone-alicia-the-self-esteem-doctor-on-self-esteem-why-we-must-have-it-to-succeed/

[xix] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #185 Brain Fact Friday on “Using Neuroscience to Repattern Our Brain” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-using-neuroscience-to-repattern-our-brain/

[xx]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #184 with Adele Spraggon on “Using Science to Break Up with Your Habits in 4 Simple Steps” https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/adele-spraggon-on-using-science-to-break-up-with-your-bad-habits-in-4-simple-steps/

[xxi]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #203 with Paranormal Researcher Ryan O’Neill on “Making Your Vision a Reality”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/case-study-with-paranormal-researcher-ryan-o-neill-on-making-your-vision-a-reality/

[xxii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE #201 on “The Top 10 All-Time Episodes on the Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/the-top-10-all-time-episodes-on-the-neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-learning-podcast/

[xxiii]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE#233 on our Top 12 Most Watched YouTube Interviews https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/top-12-neuroscience-meets-social-and-emotional-learning-podcast-interviews/

[xxiv] ALL Neuroscience Meets SEL Podcast YouTube interviews https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb5Z3cA_mnKhiYc5glhacO9k9WTrSgjzW