Stressed TF Out? Here’s How to Get Your Mind Back—Fast with Dr. Caroline Leaf

Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

Sony Music

Science, Self-improvement, Comedy, Education, Society & Culture

4.9 • 21.5K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn Feeling like your brain’s in a blender? You’re not alone—and there is a way out. This week, JVN is joined by Dr. Caroline Leaf: cognitive neuroscientist, mental health expert, and bestselling author of Help in a Hurry, her game-changing guide to navigating stress and emotional chaos when life hits the fan. Together, they dive into what’s actually going on in your brain when you're overwhelmed, the science behind how thoughts can make or break your day, and how quick, simple tools—like mental check-ins, breathwork, and reframing—can help you regulate your nervous system fast. Dr. Leaf shares why stress isn’t your enemy, how therapy and neuroscience can work hand-in-hand, and why taking an “insurance policy” for your mind might be the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. Not A Phase. Trans Lifeline Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Senior Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from Anne Currie and Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Take the online quiz and introduce Ollie to your pet. Visit https://www.ollie.com/better today for 60% off your first box of meals! #ToKnowThemIsToLoveThem Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Better Babes. I'm Jonathan Van Ness and welcome back to getting better.
0:05.4	When you experience stress or stressful situations, do you feel like your brain gets put in a blender?
0:11.5	Because same. Today, we are going to learn how to handle stress better with a returning guest to getting better, someone who I love so much.
0:19.3	Today we're talking with Dr. Caroline Leif,
0:21.9	a brilliant clinical and research neuroscientist, Slay, who's here to help us harness fast acting
0:28.1	tools to help us feel calmer, clearer, and more in control, especially in stressful situations.
0:34.1	Dr. Leif, how are you? Oh, I'm so good. It's so good to be back. I've missed you. I missed you
0:38.0	too. Six years is way too long. It's way too long. But we got through a respiratory pandemic.
0:42.6	Yes. We are still here. We're kicking and you're getting. And I got married in between.
0:46.6	I got married. But can I tell you really quickly? And we might change us afterwards. But I just,
0:52.4	when I first had you on the podcast, you taught me
0:54.9	this visualization technique that really changed my life. And I've used it on several things over
1:01.6	like a month at a time. But can you just, like if there's like a problem that you've been like
1:06.1	dealing with or struggling with, can you just teach people that visualization technique before we
1:10.7	jump into the subject matter of your new book? It's the one with the windows. Yes. Yes. We went outside and we looked at a building. Yes. Absolutely. I use it all the time. It's so good. It's so powerful. So you just imagine that there's this huge building with all these glass windows. And in those windows, nothing can come out, but you can stand on the outside and you control what goes on inside those windows.
1:30.0	So you can go up to any window and you're safe, you protect it, even if there's terrible stuff in those windows.
1:36.2	And you can move along as each window calls you whatever, and you can actually literally be protected outside the window.
1:43.3	And then the idea is to put whatever you're working on inside that window.
1:47.0	It's in there.
1:47.7	It's sealed.
1:48.6	You're separated.
1:49.3	You're protected.
	...

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