Neuroscience, Mindset, and Career Design

I recently took part in Figure It Out with Fatema for Season 6, Episode 38: Performance – Neuroscience, Mindset, and Career Design, a conversation born out of frustration with how noisy the idea of “performance” has become.

More output.

More resilience.

More optimisation.

And yet very little understanding of how high performance is actually sustained, cognitively, emotionally, or strategically.

In this episode, we explore a different question: What if performance isn’t about pushing harder, but about understanding how the brain works under pressure and designing careers that support it over time?

We discuss how stress narrows decision-making, why nervous system regulation is foundational (not optional), and how Neuro-Aligned Yoga can help shift the brain out of survival mode and back into clarity, creativity, and strategic thinking. By engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, these practices support emotional regulation, reduce chronic stress, and restore access to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for wise decisions and long-term perspective.

Career design, we argue, is not a luxury. It’s a strategic act especially for those who want to do meaningful work well, and for a long time.