Self-Care: Brain Health & Sleep with Daneen West

Daneen West is a Cisco Customer Success Executive, mother of three, and Brain Health Coach. For the past 21 years, Daneen has worked for Cisco Systems, designing, and leading industry award-winning talent development programs  After years of being on the verge of burnout, she is professionally more resilient, energized, and mentally sharp than decades earlier because of discovering brain health, where all the power is to up-level your life. Certified through the NeuroLeadership Institute and Amen Clinics, Brain Health has transformed every area of Daneen's life, and she is compelled to provide the opportunity for others to ease anxiety, boost focus and finally work on their sleep struggles. Daneen's Brain-Boosting checklist is a great resource to discover practical tips to heal, protect and grow the brain (See below). Memorable Quotes: "So as parents, if we have that intuition like that, something's wrong, check it out. And if the first doctor may not, if you don't resonate there, you're not being heard. Keep pursuing it." "It's not a badge of honor to stay up all night. Right. Our culture sometimes will make you feel that way or sleep when you're dead. But there's so much that we've learned now around sleep. That's because it is the only way that our brain detoxes every night." "As you're walking through this journey, you're going to come across ideas, thoughts, music, books, people and they're going to feel right or they're not. I'm going to encourage you to trust yourself. Just because it works for me doesn't mean it works for you." "What makes the brain work is what you put in your mind, what you put on your body, what you put in your mouth." What You'll Learn: Why brain health is important and how to pursue a healthy brain through small lifestyle changes. This Episode Includes: Daneen first started looking into brain health when three different doctors diagnosed her son with three different issues: sensory processing, ADD, and Asperger's. After a long journey of searching, Daneen finally came to the realization that brain health was at the root cause of her son's health situation. Daneen found the Brain Balance Program which revolutionized the way she viewed brain health for herself and her children. She believes her health journey is a forever resource which she now shares with others through her coaching program. Robin reminds the audience that health is layered and that there are many factors that can influence brain health. Daneen shares that the first step to supporting brain health is getting good quality sleep. Getting sleep is how the brain detoxifies itself from neurotoxins incurred throughout the day. Daneen shares a few more steps to supporting brain health in children like eating enough healthy fats and getting energy out early in the morning through jumping ropes or jumping jacks. Sleep is one of Dr. Robin's three non-negotiables for a well life. Daneen encourages parents to model the health behavior the would like to see in their children. Daneen and Dr. Robin both agree that small steps are the key to success when pursuing a healthy brain. Three Takeaways From Today's Episode: Practice getting good quality sleep each night this week. Add enough healthy fats to your diet to support your energy levels and brain health. Do 50 jumping jacks with your kids before they head off to school in the morning to help them release energy and feel encouraged through exercising together. Mentioned In The Episode: Community America Credit Union Advent Health Brain Balencing Program Mark Nepo Unleash the Power of the Female Brain by Dr. Aman Bruse on Small Changes Big Shifts Brain Boosting Checklist