Lisa Riegel started her career in education, driven by one goal: to help people reach their potential. Over time, she realized that fulfillment—whether in a classroom, company, or community—comes from understanding how the brain drives behavior and how systems shape success.

That discovery became the foundation for her life’s work. As an educator, researcher, and author, she has spent two decades helping schools, leaders, parents, and organizations align brain science with human systems—creating cultures where people feel connected, capable, and in control of their growth.

What if the resistance, disengagement, and burnout you're seeing on your team has nothing to do with your people — and everything to do with what's happening inside their brains?

In this episode, Claire sits down with Dr. Lisa Riegel, brain-based leadership expert and author of Aspirations to Operations, to explore the neuroscience behind why people behave the way they do at work — and what leaders can do about it.

From the invisible filters that shape every person's reality, to why culture is never about the poster on the wall, to the 3-minute daily team ritual that transformed an entire hospital culture — this conversation is packed with insights that will change how you see your role as a leader.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Why culture is not words — it's a collection of actions that become "the way we do things"

• The neuroscience of belonging: what happens in the brain when people feel safe vs. threatened

• Meet Harold and Bob — Lisa's brilliant framework for understanding how her brain processes reality

• The banana and the strainer: why every person's perception of reality is different

• Why resistance to change usually has nothing to do with the change itself

• The 3-minute hospital circle ritual that reduced a team's stress load

• The "Punch It Up" culture-building program — and why voluntary, opt-in connection beats the annual pizza party every time

• Lisa's 8 C Framework from Aspirations to Operations: Culture, Clarity, Coherence, Cadence, Collaboration, Coaching, Communication, and Celebration

• The single most important question a leader can ask themselves when their team isn't following along

 Resources Mentioned:

•  Aspirations to Operations by Dr. Lisa Riegel
• NeuroWell by Dr. Lisa Riegel
• Dr. Lisa Riegel's author page
• Learn more about Lisa's keynotes, workshops, and book studies

Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening!

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