The Neuroscience of Pivots: Why Change Feels So Hard (and How Your Brain Rewires) with Jessica Billet, Part 2

The Few Collective at Rockefeller Plaza, Candace Langston and Amy Cunningham continue their talks with Jessica Billet , a neuroscience-informed leadership and change management expert and the founder of Excelsior Professional Services, where she equips leaders and organizations with brain-based strategies to drive sustainable performance, reduce burnout, and lead change more effectively.She has worked with Fortune 50 companies on complex transformations including mergers and acquisitions, cloud transformations, succession planning, and enterprise change initiatives. Known for her ability to bring clarity to complexity, Jessica specializes in translating neuroscience, behavioral science, and habit science into practical leadership tools that actually change how people work.In Part 2, The FEW Collective speak about why major pivots feel so destabilizing through a neuroscience lens. Jessica explains three disrupted brain systems: the hippocampus (mental maps and prediction errors that trigger cortisol), the amygdala (alarm response tied to safety and survival, intensified by losing a paycheck), and the basal ganglia (automation/habits that must be rebuilt without clear rewards). She breaks down why uncertainty feels physically uncomfortable via sustained cortisol, erratic dopamine, and reduced serotonin, and how losing an expected future creates disorientation and grief. The conversation also covers thought loops, blame/shame as protective mechanisms, and how the reticular activating system filters evidence to reinforce imposter-syndrome or confidence narratives, ending with rapid-fire personal questions.Find Amy CunninghamFind Candace LangstonFind Jessica BilletQuestions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!To stay up to date with The FEW Collective Email us.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts. You can also follow all the behind-the-scenes content on Instagram & Linkedin.Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.