Episode 90 - Intercultural Creativity: Our Health, Our Arts and Our Freedom Ride with Dr. Peter Sterling

How do you create a life that combines neuroscience with social activism?   Well, our next guest Dr. Peter Sterling has written the playbook on it. From being a Freedom Rider and getting arrested for social justice to seeing the connection between discrimination and brain stress, Dr. Sterling started to see a connection between wellbeing, brain science and overall health in marginalized communities.   He also shows how this affects our Intercultural Creativity®.   Working in communities of color, Dr. Sterling observed high rates of strokes from hypertension and began to explore its neural basis. He soon realized that it was not primarily a problem of the body or genes (as the medical textbooks still claim) but rather chronic stress mediated by the brain to the body (blood vessels, heart, and kidney). What caused this effect?   Discrimination and lack of belonging.   He began to publish articles on this topic, beginning in 1977, and what he learned about the brain-body connection ultimately developed into two books, 'Principles of Neural Design' and 'What is Health? Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design' (2020).   Join us as we jump into the intersection of well-being, the mental and creative effects of being excluded and how art is an important component for our mental health. Topics Covered on this episode of The Create and Grow Podcast: 02:13 - The Advancement of Equality and Rights 07:11 - Finding the Core of Racial Equality 09:23 - Story of Freedom Writings 10:10 - Allostasis vs. Homeostasis 17:48 - How Being in Oppressive Environments Affect the Brain's Ability to Produce, to Create and to Connect 20:57 – Why Health is Belonging 24:52 - Our Brains are Meant to be Met with Challenging Activities 27:05 - The Number One Skill Needed in the Workforce: Innovative Creative Thinking 28:10 - Why are the Arts Important for Brain Health? 32:50 - Drawing the Community Together Through Art and Music 39:26 - Dr. Sterling’s Gem: Power to Inspire People Subscribe: Spotify | YouTube Connect with Dr. Peter Sterling: ● Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatishealth21 ● Book What Is Health https://www.amazon.com/What-Health-Allostasis-Evolution-Design/dp/0262043300 Connect with Genein Letford: ● Visit CAFFE Strategies ● Visit GeneinLetford.com ● Follow Genein on Facebook #CAFFEStrategies #Intercultural #Diversity #InterculturalCreativity #Creativity #InterculturalCreativity #innovation #OurHealthOurArtsandOurFreedomRide #DEI #DiversityAndInclusion   To learn more about Brain Capital and Intercultural Creativity, visit https://geneinletford.com Explore CAFFE Strategies: https://caffestrategies.com Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters: http://missionmatters.com/author/Genein-Letford/